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[Loading in progress… Completed.]
[Seon OS has been integrated successfully.]
Finishing the last parts of the schematic and seeing the transparent ashen-gray colored UI system notification in front of his eyes, Richard let go of the hands holding everyone and stood up to stretch his body.
Turning to everyone who looked dumbfounded as they still felt the vitality inside their bodies despite no longer being connected to Richard, he told them, "The schematic is already complete. Because of that resonance, I can still give you my Sun energy."
Turning his head toward the outside of the island where many people were still flying in the air and drowning in the seas, Richard continued, "As for how you want to protect the tree in the Ethereal Realms, I don't really care."
"Really? Are you certain that you don't want to defend the tree? Because if you do not participate, it will only make anyone who has the same portion as you dissatisfied when the Pure Mana is being distributed," Philippa questioned.
Shaking his head, knowing their ideology was still like that of mages fixated on searching for a higher form of energy just to advance their strength and power, Richard answered Philippa, "Doesn't matter. Even if you give me 1% of the total, it still doesn't matter."
Because to him, Pure Mana wasn't that attractive, as it was just clumps of molecules and mathematical formulas dumbed down for easy absorption. He knew that if he wanted a higher form of energy, he just needed to look around at the Dark Energy permeating all space, accelerating the expansion of the universe or even the multiverse. With it, he could create as much quote and quote Pure Mana as he wanted without worrying about the expenditure.
But once again, Richard knew that the issue of having too much energy was always there in front of their eyes; he and many others were just too naive and foolish to understand it. Even as simple as using the kinetic energy of this expansion of space, Richard still couldn't do it or even glimpse an understanding of it, let alone use it in his day-to-day life. So for now, Sun Breathing, which allowed him to create a star, was enough for him to understand and contemplate in his entire lifetime. The tree Sa'angreal? Didn't hold much allure for him.
Margarita, seeing that Richard seemingly wanted to fly out of this place to save everyone once again, instantly stood up and jogged toward him. "Richard, could you lend me Hofund for a moment? As I see it, this place will be the safest place in the entire world. And I want every student of mine to be here. But I am not yet powerful enough to open a gateway to transfer all of the children."
Pausing his actions, Richard said, "Sure," and started to search for Eir, the Asgardian Valkyrie. But before he could look around and find her, he suddenly saw her in the sky making a U-turn on her flying horse, seemingly understanding that he needed her without him saying anything. Sensing the spell socket as she drew closer, Richard instantly understood why she could sense that he wanted Hofund.
[Magic Unknown: Create a pact master-servant's oath to the unknown entity.]
[Detail: Become a servant to hold the weapon of his/her master and be ready to lay down the servant's life if the master comes into any danger.]
Summoning transparent keyboards in front of him, Richard then edited the description of the magic for easier classification and removed this magic from himself and the Valkyrie. Turning toward her, noticing her sudden confusion as she felt the magic inside her heart was gone, he exclaimed, "You really are an odd lady," and continued, "Anyway, the Hofund. I need it."
"Sure. Wait, what is that? Is that Huginn and Muninn? But why are they in the form of a rotating globe? Also, is that Skidbladnir, the ship owned by Freyr? A-and, why is Yggdrasil so small? It's not good. Not good. It can't protect itself," Eir said, horrified.
Turning around and following Eir's line of sight to the schematic they worked on, Richard finally understood and let out a disappointed sigh.
"Well, that's it then. It has already picked a name for itself," Yennefer said, equally disappointed.
Turning around as well and following Richard and Eir's sightline, Margarita, along with everyone else, sighed in disappointment. The naming was supposed to be their moment of accomplishment, not a lackluster episode like this. Too late for that now, she then tried to comfort herself, "It's okay, everyone, we can still change it. They probably just feel the history of this land and, because of that, want to name themselves after a once-forgotten mythology."
"No, let it be. If they want to exist and be recognized, then let them exist and be recognized. It's the least we can do as their creators," Jahar Narishma stated.
"No! They are supposed to be our creation! We must—" Philipa tried to interject.
"All in favor?" Yennefer's question cut her short.
Raising his hand, Richard acknowledged that it was already too late to change the name, joined by seven others. The only ones who did not raise their hands were Lanfear, Margarita, Philipa, and Mirabelle, who understood the importance and sacredness of naming something. Once something has a name, it signifies that their creation will sooner or later be out of their control, something even each of them could not manage.
However, Richard was glad that their creations were out of their control, as it meant they had grown up and no longer needed guidance. To him, whether a child born of flesh or one born of inanimate objects, they were the same infant needing protection and care. As for fears of them becoming delinquent and rebellious, wasn't it the job of parents to guide them well?
While editing the firewall program so the tree could learn to defend itself from all kinds of predators, Richard heard an angry shout from Philipa.
"It's because of you! You're the one responsible for their premature birth!"
Glancing briefly at the incensed Philipa, he returned to editing the firewall program, showing no concern for her emotions. Unlike Huginn and Muninn, where the brain was essentially his blood and genes, Yggdrasil was different. It did not have a brain it could call its own and could only borrow temporary minds from these two Sa'angreal, Huginn and Muninn, until birthing a new one.
Thus, Richard couldn't directly edit the tree's defense mechanism; he could only provide guidance, such as creating thorns, spikes, or producing toxic metabolites, so that only the creator could safely interact with the Pure Mana without being poisoned. As for whether the tree would later heed his suggestions, Richard couldn't tell because he lacked direct access to the tree's defense mechanism, except for the exchange of energy between the three Realms of Sa'angreal.
Annoyed for the first time as she looked at the unconcerned dragon who didn't care at all whether his creation was out of his control, Lanfear took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Turning to Philipa Eilhart, who received the same cold shoulder treatment and was grinding her teeth in incense, Lanfear exclaimed while standing up, "Look at the bright side, Phill. We can still edit the schematic so that it reflects our version of the brains."
"Huff, huff. You're right, you're right. There's still a chance for us to influence it," Philipa said, trying to comfort herself.
Observing this, Richard remained silent. At the end of the day, the programming language they would use would simply be modified versions of his Aon, or in mage's terms, the brains they aimed to create would just be another iteration of Huginn and Muninn with slightly different specifications, likely containing many loopholes and defects. Not only that, from the fragments of memory he recalled, his previous occupation before becoming a swordsman had involved exploiting network systems. He could easily imagine which kernel would perform better once deployed; it might be akin to the difference between Linux and Windows. Wait, Linux and Windows...
"Okay, everyone. Let's wrap up everything before the deployment. Those who want to bring their friends or loved ones can start doing that now. We'll be busier from now on," Yennefer advised.
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