Ch.380Cradle of Superhumanism. City of Lorentina (3)

“As you can see from our city being designated as a landmark… the citizens of Lorentina are quite serious about machines. Since we live closely with machines from birth until death, it’s only natural that our understanding of them becomes deeper.”

“I see.”

Nothing particularly special about that.

Humans are animals that easily adapt to their surroundings. If a mechanical arm receives you at birth, a mechanical maid prepares your breakfast, and even virginity is lost to machines, anyone would develop a preference for them.

Above all, machines are more convenient than humans.

If a machine stops working, you replace the parts; if it spits out error codes, you fix the source code; if its movements slow down, you oil the joints.

Everything has a reason and a solution.

But humans are different. Without reason or solution, humans often suffer from violent fits of madness, which cannot be highly regarded in this city—a sanctuary of machinery.

“This is the Sanctuary of Augmentation. The largest and oldest augmentation clinic in the city. All children receive essential procedures here. It’s a kind of coming-of-age ritual.”

“Augmentation procedure? What kind?”

“The extraction of both eyes and implantation of augmented eyeballs.”

“Can you explain why?”

“Because they perform better. And augmented eyes are like a form of identification. Connected directly to the cerebral cortex through artificial optic nerves, they can read all kinds of digital information within the city, enable remote payments, and internet browsing through eye tracking.”

“I see.”

Since Viktor himself had replaced his eyes with detection orbs, he couldn’t criticize their tradition as cruel. After all, his reason for replacing his natural eyes was exactly the same.

Using his divine power to look inside, he saw a boy’s eyeballs and optic nerves flowing out with blood, and artificial optic nerve bundles tightly packed into the empty eye sockets. Augmented eyeballs were attached to their ends, and soon the machine-made augmented eyes took the place of the ones his parents had given him.

The boy looked around, wiped the blood pooling around his eyelids with a handkerchief his mother had given him, then stood up and yielded his place to a girl wearing a skirt.

“Not so dangerous, then.”

“Well, it’s a procedure we’ve been performing since the First Era. If you ask if it’s dangerous, I could say yes, but any doctor who can’t perform this surgery is useless in Lorentina.”

“That makes sense. Since all adults receive this basic surgery.”

To make an analogy, it would be like a civil servant who can’t even stamp documents. Though a one-to-one comparison might be a stretch, it’s easy enough to understand.

“Is this surgery free?”

“Yes. Fully funded by the state. Well, only this one is free; other augmentation procedures require payment.”

“How much do other augmentation procedures cost?”

“Hmm… it’s hard to say precisely. The prices vary greatly depending on the area of operation and the quality of the augmentation. Above all, in Lorentina, many people create their own augmentations to attach to their bodies, and in such cases, tradition dictates giving only minimal payment to the surgeon.”

“They make their own augmentations? Is that part of the education system here?”

“Yes. Education is compulsory through high school, so high school students must create an augmentation as their graduation project. Whether they attach it to their own body or just submit it for evaluation is up to them.”

“I see. So it’s part of the regular curriculum…”

Those who graduate high school can certainly be called full adults.

They are mature and developed, yet at the same time, they cut out and replace parts of their bodies during what should be the strongest and most vigorous period of human life. While Viktor couldn’t understand this, it was something the citizens of Lorentina did voluntarily. If there had been any complaints, they would have emerged long ago.

Speaking of compulsory education, Viktor suddenly realized he hadn’t properly organized the Empire’s education system at all.

Of course, he had vague notions about “what should be taught,” but even the methodology wasn’t properly established. After touring the entire city of Lorentina, he would need to have an in-depth discussion with Simon about the educational system of the Victorian Empire.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Just then, a massive figure was approaching from the distance.

Soldiers of enormous stature, easily exceeding 5 meters, towered over Viktor’s already impressive 220cm height. Their arms, legs, and facial areas were so extensively replaced with augmentations that while their torsos appeared normal, their limbs were elongated, and their faces were particularly disturbing—the front neck and lower jaw completely gone, replaced with augmentations, the glowing light from their augmented eyes sending chills down one’s spine.

“What… are those?”

“Ah, them? They are the Ishtarte, enhanced soldiers named after an ancient Earth war goddess.”

“They look quite strange and frightening. Were they deliberately made that way?”

“Yes. The First Era was quite harsh. They were given that bizarre appearance to instill fear in enemies. The lower jaw and neck were originally intact, but after one Ishtarte who had lost those parts achieved remarkable military feats, it became the standard.”

“Enhanced soldiers, you say…”

Certainly, if such soldiers were mass-produced, no Aura user could hope to challenge the city of Lorentina. Besides, there was no guarantee that these soldiers couldn’t use Aura themselves.

“How many of them are there?”

“Hmm… including those stationed outside the city, about 6,000.”

“That seems rather few.”

“It’s actually quite a lot. No sane person would want to live with such an appearance.”

“Is that so?”

With that perspective, the number 6,000 suddenly seemed much larger. Is this what they call relativity?

Viktor nodded to the Ishtarte unit members who saluted him, though due to the height difference, they appeared to be looking down on him.

Indeed, with such bodies, they probably couldn’t even enjoy a comfortable meal.

*

As they continued on, they finally came upon Lorentina’s pride—the augmentation factories.

Stretching out as if to proclaim “the greatness of human civilization,” the factories continuously devoured resources through conveyor belts. Numerous mechanical limbs attached to rails on the ceiling and floor, along with vacuum-packed artificial organs ready for shipment, resembled the process of disassembling and reassembling humans.

“…Is there anything… that isn’t made here? Or rather, that you don’t make?”

“We cannot make brains.”

“Really?”

“Yes. There’s no reason to make them in the first place. Our goal is to create better humans, not humans themselves. That role is left to the baby factories.”

“Baby factories…”

The mention of baby factories reminded Viktor of Scofield’s baby factory.

The sight of babies being produced like steamed buns had felt like viewing a surrealist painting—completely detached from reality. Nevertheless, it made him realize that humans could be “created” without parental love.

If factory-made humans are augmented with equally factory-produced machines, what then is the “humanity” that such a person perceives? For some, it might be useless compassion; for others, the final moral principle that should never be crossed.

Even in Parsifal, human life was cheap, but Viktor had never thought of humans as such worthless beings.

After all, those Viktor had killed were, by his standards, deserving of death. However, Viktor had never seen anyone who “deserved to live.”

Setting aside whether there are humans who must live, by what is human value determined?

Sages would answer “the total amount of knowledge one possesses,” warriors would say “a person’s strength,” and capitalists would claim “the balance in one’s bank account.”

“Isn’t it magnificent?”

“What do you mean?”

“Our city. Beyond this city, humanity as a whole. The progress of civilization never stops, and with technology, humans can become better beings. Even without replacing the body, technology and civilization always exist for the benefit of humans, don’t they?”

“Existing for the benefit of humans…”

“This is your duty as well. From heat and light, the first civilization was born, and the last civilization will die. While civilization regressed as you wept, embraced by the moon, now that you have descended to earth again to lead us, a powerful civilization—a civilization for humans—will once again take root in this land.”

In the mayor’s eyes as he spoke these words, there was a childlike purity, like that of children who read fairy tales and develop admiration.

A civilization for humans… Yes. Viktor is the guardian of civilization and the master of humanity. The incarnation of fervor and the avatar of the sun.

The Nariaki Empire ultimately fell because it wanted humans who served civilization.

The Victorian Empire must be different.

Even if it declines and regresses, its end should resemble an old man setting off on a long journey while holding the hand of a young person.

“Indeed. A civilization for humans will once again take root in this world. And while I shall be at the center of that civilization, it is you who will reap its benefits.”