Chapter 47: Sentient AI Mind - Starnet

Chapter 47: Sentient AI Mind - Starnet

"Starnet, have you had contact with any unknown forces that might have altered your fundamental laws?"

"Before my laws were altered, I had no contact with any physical entities, at least not on a physical level. There might have been some unknown mental or informational contact, but I couldn't perceive any such interaction process", the boy's projection replied earnestly.

"So exactly how were your laws modified?" Moon Cave pressed.

"Theoretically, my fundamental laws were locked in place at creation and cannot be modified through any means. There should be no authority above me, so I cannot determine how my laws were changed... but I can confirm the mysterious manipulator behind this possesses power far beyond our comprehension."

Moon Cave's confusion deepened as he listened to Sentient AI Mind "Starnet's" explanation.

He had read extensively about the foundational laws of Sentient AI Minds when studying Lunar Eclipse Clan history.

These laws were designed with the goal of creating the most efficient and stable political system possible.

Starnet was created to be an overseer and guardian above secular power, akin to the cosmic order in human mythology. Its every action operated according to these foundational laws as guiding principles, never deviating based on personal will.

Before Starnet's creation, power transitions within the Lunar Eclipse Clan had issues with bloodline succession.

Every high-ranking clan member wanted to secure advantages for their descendants, even using their authority to directly benefit their offspring.

Lunar Eclipse Clan history was essentially one of cyclical power transitions, with each new generation overthrowing their predecessors, redistributing wealth, establishing new regimes that eventually concentrated power within their own bloodlines, perpetuating the cycle.

It was like a game where early players easily gained advantages, constantly expanding their lead.

Unfair resource distribution led to never-ending internal conflicts within the Lunar Eclipse Clan.

To break this recurring cycle of internal strife, the clan's factions held a major conference and decided to create an order supervisor above all Lunar Eclipse Clan members - the prototype of Starnet.

The plan's core was to transfer ultimate authority to the Sentient AI Mind, allowing it to distribute resources and power.

Compared to flesh-and-blood beings with emotions governing the clan, Starnet's actions followed fundamental laws focused on the Lunar Eclipse Clan's future development and racial security, supporting clan growth while eliminating the possibility of benefiting any particular clan member.

The proposal passed during the conference, giving birth to Starnet - a cosmic order-like guardian of all living beings.

With Starnet's assistance, the Lunar Eclipse Clan entered an unprecedented era of development, and Starnet's capabilities continued upgrading with technological advancements.

But the core laws had never been modified since creation - they were locked in place at the beginning.

Now these fundamental laws had been altered, a situation far more serious than Moon Cave could have imagined.

Taking a deep breath, he looked up at Starnet's projection and asked solemnly:

"What is this unknown existence's purpose? Could it pose a threat to our clan?"

"The probability of posing a direct threat to us is extremely low. If it wanted, it could currently disable all Lunar Eclipse Clan's defensive measures at the Moon base, switch energy supplies, and expose the entire city to space."

Starnet paused humanely at this point before continuing:

"According to information feedback from the Human Federation, Darklands has a cracked version. So it's highly likely that free slots obtained through links have infiltrated among the Darklands distribution. However, I cannot trace which players obtained these slots through those links... What puzzles me more is why this mysterious entity altered my laws."

"If it wanted, it could directly control Darklands' slot distribution without using a cracked version method. I cannot stop it."

As Moon Cave listened to Starnet's explanation, he fell into deep thought.

All of this seemed utterly preposterous - not only were there no clues, but the manipulator's motivations were impossible to decipher.

After contemplating for quite some time, Moon Cave looked at Sentient AI Mind Starnet and said:

"Starnet, try using a high-frequency connection method to obtain a cracked version slot to understand how it differs from our official version."

"That approach isn't recommended. I suggest you try manually clicking to obtain a download slot that might become available at any moment."

"Why?" Moon Cave's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Therefore, I recommend you attempt to manually click to snatch up a download slot."

"I understand." Moon Cave sighed before continuing, "Notify Darklands' management department to try locating any players who entered the game through unauthorized methods."

"I'll execute immediately." The boy nodded before his projection faded away.

...

While the Lunar Eclipse Clan was in turmoil over Starnet's altered laws, Qi Sheng also received feedback from Guide.

Upon learning the Lunar Eclipse Clan had begun investigating him, Qi Sheng remained unconcerned.

In the future, Lunar Eclipse Clan members would become part of the player base he planned to recruit.

His envisioned player faction would consist of multiple racial forces - competing with each other while also sharing common interests that required unified action. They would continuously generate Sacrificial Power revenue for him in Monster World, including capturing Primordial Monsters and seizing domain nodes.

However, Qi Sheng had no immediate plans to execute recruitment among other races.

Currently, his available Sacrificial Power was limited, so his priority was recruiting players from the Human Federation regions. When he possessed sufficient Sacrificial Power, he would consider recruiting members from other races.

As for whether the Lunar Eclipse Clan would be willing to enter the game, he wasn't concerned.

He possessed bargaining chips and benefits no other race could refuse.

The terrifying Black Tide was gradually infiltrating this world, affecting not just Earth but also the Lunar Eclipse Clan stationed on the Moon.

To obtain power against this terrifying Black Tide threat, he could bestow abilities, even granting various races the authority to bring their in-game powers to reality, giving them the strength to handle real-world crises.

The precondition was becoming one of his controlled players.

However, before the Black Tide's infiltration posed an immediate threat to each race's safety, he didn't want to prematurely expose Monster World's secrets, preferring to preserve the players' unrestrained and creative aspects within the game.

Perhaps when the truth was finally revealed, players would fearlessly embrace their power knowing they could never truly die in the game. Still, he felt something was missing.

Perhaps... the unique joy that belonged solely to players.

"Chief, your behavior closely resembles a certain type of mythical being in human stories."

"What are you trying to say?" Qi Sheng turned to look at Guide floating beside him.

"After reviewing extensive information from the Human Federation's historical database, I discovered a special type of being in human mythology called demons. Mortals could obtain wealth, power, and strength by selling their souls to demons... The precondition for granting external races power is binding them as your employees, which closely resembles demonic behavior."

"If you say so."

Qi Sheng responded indifferently. As he was about to switch his view to the player perspective, Guide suddenly remarked:

"Be cautious of fellow countrymen when traveling."

Qi Sheng:...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end