Ch.265Unforgettable Memory (4)

Ireh’s idea was simple.

Since Sonia and Cartesia were connected, her approach was to try opening Cartesia’s neural network through me to find Sonia’s memory data.

I was impressed.

It was actually worth trying.

“Then would you like to take on this topic, Ireh?”

“Huh? M-me?”

“It’s an excellent idea. I can’t just take it from you.”

“But we need to restore Sonia quickly for your safety too…”

“Even so, scooping my junior’s thesis wouldn’t be ethical.”

Confirming information transmission pathways using the connection between an Outer God and its avatar.

It was a topic no one had thought of until now.

If successful, it would be Ireh’s debut work.

“But I’m still inexperienced. Unless you co-write it with me, Eidel.”

“Co-authors?”

Ireh nodded.

“That’s fine. No, it would be my honor.”

Rustila Kersil’s eyes narrowed.

“Rusti, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? What?”

“Your expression suddenly changed. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“No, it’s just… I think my condition has deteriorated a bit after fighting for several days.”

Rustila laughed awkwardly. She took a deep breath and returned to her normal expression.

This time, Zernya’s expression crumpled.

“But is that Outer God in your head really on our side? Isn’t it just playing with us?”

“Ah, that…”

“Honestly, I still can’t believe it. No matter what, it’s still an Outer God.”

It was a reasonable doubt.

If Cartesia were to impose an impossible quest, I would have no choice but to die. Just like how a child playing with ants might step on them when they lose interest.

Sometimes that thought gives me chills.

Nevertheless, I said:

“Cartesia is my comrade.”

I believe she won’t harm me.

“Let me say just one thing. I neither ask for help from those who don’t trust me, nor do I betray the trust of those I’ve agreed to help, no matter what happens.”

[— The God of Wisdom and Curiosity turns toward you.]

“Whether they’re human, robot, or Outer God makes no difference.”

“…What if you really do get backstabbed?”

“Should I jump into a resonator? Of course, I pray it doesn’t come to that.”

I spoke calmly.

“Zernya, we don’t have many options. The best way to deal with Outer Gods is to seek their cooperation. In fact, I’ve built resonators and traps this way. I don’t think I could have done anything alone.”

Even as I spoke, I just realized it.

My method of surviving in this harsh world.

The way to survive Outer Gods was simply to earn their favor.

It was a simple yet profound principle that no human had achieved before. Because merely attempting to communicate with them could drive one insane. Even though they were all essentially intelligent beings. That was the only barrier.

[— The God of Wisdom and Curiosity listens to your statement and smiles blankly.]

Clap, clap, clap.

Seti applauded like a seal and cheered.

“Wow, that’s crazy. You’re definitely flirting with it!”

“I am not.”

“From what I can see, the Outer God attached to you has feminine tendencies. Probably enjoys observing humans and researching as a hobby. Was lurking gloomily in some corner, then got excited when it found someone to talk to and fell for you. Oh, that’s quite logical.”

“Tsk!”

This girl is saying things that would make Cartesia flip everything over if she heard! Doesn’t she know her brother could get blasted away by tentacles if she’s not careful? Ah, right. She doesn’t.

Anyway.

Based on this logic, I proceeded to commission one more research project.

If you ask whether I had the luxury to do so, the answer is obviously no. If we prioritized, we should have resolved the war first.

But anything can be justified with a plausible excuse.

When I explained that I wanted to spy on the Outer God’s thoughts through its avatar and build a model to predict enemy movements, the budget committee readily approved.

I brought equipment from Stellarium Academy to participate in the experiment. I was the test subject. Ireh put me in a crystal capsule and tried to model the neural network between me and Cartesia.

“Tsk… the data is too vast.”

“How long do you think the modeling will take?”

“I’m not sure. Generously, about a week? Modeling a constellation only took a few minutes, right?”

“That’s right.”

There was bound to be a difference in information volume between an Outer God and a constellation.

I had too much to do to stay in this capsule all day. Fortunately, pausing was possible. I stated that I would cooperate only when I had time.

So I had to spend about six hours a day, including sleeping time, trapped motionless in the capsule. It’s enough to drive me crazy.

***

It had been a week since Eidel began his shut-in life in the capsule.

The modeling of the Outer God’s neural network was roughly complete. The volume was so vast that we had to build additional databases at enormous cost, but it seemed clear that a meaningful work had been accomplished.

This wasn’t the end.

Rather, it was the beginning.

What we needed to do now was extract information about Sonia from Cartesia and Eidel’s neural networks and implant it into Sonia.

It was by no means easy.

[Error. Unauthorized access.]

Cartesia resisted stubbornly.

Whatever method we tried, she forcibly shut down the computer or spewed errors to block all access.

Neither Eidel nor Ireh specialized in information science. Therefore, they had to spend a lot of time searching for solutions to this problem.

As a result.

“…Let’s try something else for now.”

“That sounds good.”

After repeated failures and time constraints, they changed their approach.

They decided to model Sonia’s neural network instead.

“Sonia, would you mind getting in there?”

“Understood.”

Sonia was scanned by the capsule without complaint and came out.

Then Eidel and Ireh encountered an unexpected prompt.

[Duplicate data found. Overwrite all? (Y/N)]

The intersection of Eidel’s memory data and Sonia’s memory data.

“…This is it.”

A breakthrough appeared.

Of course, checking the details wasn’t easy here either. But it was much more convenient than having to search through all the data individually.

From that day on, Eidel and Ireh began data selection and decoding work. They broke down the complexly intertwined raw code and converted it into a form that humans could understand.

It was hell working in a field that wasn’t even their specialty.

Ireh was relatively better off. She just had to study.

Sometimes she went out to eliminate monsters, but lately she hadn’t been doing that either. Most cases were being resolved without the need for the Great Triangle effect.

Eidel was on the verge of death.

“Master Eidel, are you alright? Your blood pressure is high.”

Sonia asked with concern. Eidel just smiled bitterly and said he was fine. Dark shadows had formed under his eyes.

“I have to do this and prepare for final exams…”

“What final exams in the middle of a war? Take a semester off. The professors will understand.”

“Argh—!!”

Eidel started working even harder.

Sonia couldn’t understand.

Why her master was walking such a difficult path.

Suddenly checking the time, she realized it was dinner time.

“Then I’ll prepare some food for both of you.”

Sonia went to the private kitchen and rummaged through the refrigerator.

“Ah, we’re out of… ingredients.”

All that was available were a few carrots and some dumplings.

They say a master craftsman doesn’t blame his tools or materials, but with just these, she couldn’t make a quality meal.

She wanted to serve something more luxurious to the two.

Suddenly Sonia realized she had money.

Sonia closed her eyes and automatically connected to the network. After entering her assigned personal code, a graphic interface began to form on her visual sensors.

[Welcome to the Integrated Market, SONIA.]

Though it was her first visit, it felt familiar. Even a first-generation android could shop for necessities in an online mall.

Sonia added the ingredients she needed to her cart. She made sure to consider price efficiency. She was fully prepared to provide maximum satisfaction with minimum budget.

She clicked on the shopping cart.

“…Huh?”

There were other items in the integrated cart besides food ingredients.

[Tashfel Maid Uniform Full Set (Black) X 3]

[Tashfel Maid Uniform Full Set (White) X 3]

[Rockhound Maid Headband X 4]

[Benepham Maid Animal Headband (Cat) X 1]

[Benepham Maid Animal Headband (Dog) X 1]

[Gasa Maid Cosplay Frills X 12]

“What on earth is…”

That wasn’t all.

[(Adult) Android Integrated Sexual Module X 1]

[(Adult) 152 Positions and Night Technique Support Driver for Androids X 1]

Sonia blinked several times.

She thought there must be an error in her visual sensors.

She had never added such things to her cart.

“Ugh!”

Sonia staggered as if pushed by someone. As the virtual reality forcibly terminated, she collapsed to the floor. It felt like her CPU was burning.

“What, what is…”

In that moment, Sonia’s mind was filled with—

Memories that didn’t exist.