Chapter 520

Kiana acknowledged the correctness of Bronya's guess, but upon hearing this, Kiana raised her own question. As for an unstable core, Kiana wouldn't be surprised no matter which core it was, but as for a stable one, it had to be the Herrscher of Herrscher of Reason's core. It had never had any problems and was completely different from the troublesome Herrscher of the Void Core in her own body.

"But... judging from Bronya's and Mr. Welt's experiences, the core of the Herrscher of Reason is arguably more stable than the core of any other Herrscher..."

"Furthermore, if the reason for this lies in ascension... then the Herrscher of Consciousness becomes an exception."

Mei also raised her own question: if they hadn't undergone ascension, then what about the Herrscher of Consciousness? Seeing that the two of them had raised their own questions, Shen Gonglin felt that he would seem a bit dull if he didn't ask any questions, but he couldn't think of any constructive questions to ask.

What should I do? Would it seem a bit silly to ask what to eat for dinner in this situation?

"No. The real reason... is probably the mindset of 300,000 people."

As expected of the true Herrscher of Reason, Bronya has come to this conclusion based on the current information: the thoughts of 300,000 people are probably a significant factor influencing the current situation.

The thoughts of 300,000 people? Aren't they the cornerstone of the Herrscher of Reason?

I don't quite understand what Bronya is saying, but someone can understand her. She truly lives up to her reputation as the Herrscher of Reason. Explaining things to her is much easier than talking to others.

"That's right. However, from Yu Tu's perspective, that's precisely the fundamental reason why this core has become increasingly unstable under the influence of the Stigmata Plan. As I just said, humanity's greatest power is narrative. And whether it 'Herrscher of Reason or the Stigmata Plan, they are essentially stories. When a story is powerful, it has the power to reshape the world; when a story is deconstructed, it often becomes nothing more than a piece of waste paper."

Oh no, I don't understand this at all. How is this related to this? Shen Gonglin was completely confused and had to give up thinking again. I hate this kind of theoretical stuff the most. I felt like I was about to Bronya Shen Gonglin thoughtful. Had she figured something out? Why couldn't I figure anything out?

Now, all Shen Gonglin can think about is what to eat when she gets back.

"But even if you say that... why are the Herrscher of Reason and the Stigmata Plan just stories? That's too strange."

Deliberately emphasizing her words, Mei asked her question, and whether it was her imagination or not, she felt that Prometheus sighed slightly. What was wrong? Mei suddenly felt like she was being disliked. What was going on?

"... It's understandable that you find it strange. Because I'm a bit lazy, I've once again laid out the conclusion for you. That's alright. Next, I'll help you sort out this issue from different perspectives."

As expected, only the Herrscher of Reason could keep up with her thoughts. The others seemed completely clueless. Prometheus took a deep breath. Explaining this kind of problem was really troublesome, which was why she had just stated the conclusion directly. But the consequence seemed to have only made them more confused. Looking at the three pairs of foolish yet clear eyes in front of her, Prometheus felt troubled once again. She would just have to be patient and explain things clearly.

"As you know, the power of the Herrscher of Reason is construction, that is, to create civilized creations out of thin air that would otherwise require an extremely complex process to produce. Therefore, the upper limit of the Herrscher of Reason is actually the possibility of civilization, that is, the limit of the story, or the limit of the narrative."

After a brief pause, Prometheus gave them time to process the information. Only after seeing that they accepted it did the mechanical girl resume her explanation. Good, it seemed they had taken it in.

"This doesn't refer to aimless, boastful talk, but rather to stories that are substantial and genuinely believed by people. Morality is a narrative. Money is a narrative. Language, customs, aesthetics—they are all narratives, and they are all stories. From the primitive people who practiced slash-and-burn agriculture, year after year, people have continuously put their narratives into practice, and the result of all this is called civilization."

This describes the so-called limits of narrative; in Dr. Mei's words, civilization is fiction, but it transcends reality.

Chapter 405

So that's how it's said. As the holder of the Herrscher of Reason Core, Bronya can obviously understand Prometheus's words more easily, but this doesn't quite make sense. The structure and description of the Herrscher of Reason can perhaps be called fiction... but she said, civilization is also fiction?

"I see your doubt, and the answer to that question is, of course. Every beautiful thing that makes up your life comes from human inventions and creations or from human appreciation and perception. No one can talk about them in a vacuum, detached from human will."

It is precisely because of fiction that humanity strives towards that imagined beauty, and civilization is realized through these various fictions. Just as people yearn for the sky and thus achieve the great feat of spaceflight, so too does humanity.

As the saying goes, beauty originates from the will.

"But isn't there also the saying of returning to simplicity?"

Kiana asked a question that was really hard to understand. Prometheus and Bronya seemed to communicate using their own unique thought processes.

"The resort hotel in the forest park is not the same as the cave of primitive people. The former is a story that is infinitely more complex than the latter. Civilization always starts from zero and goes from one, constantly bringing things that originally belonged only to fiction to the world. Humans created everything with their own hands and brains. And the mechanism that enabled them to do this... is also a story."

Mei remained silent. The gentle girl noticed that Shen Gonglin was practically overheating, so she had been acting as a translator, explaining the meaning of Prometheus's words to Shen Gonglin. He understood each word individually, but the combination was incomprehensible. With Mei's help, Shen Gonglin finally grasped the meaning: Prometheus meant...

"You mean, the transmission of civilization?"

Shen Gonglin finally asked her question, which excited Kiana, Bronya, and Mei. The three girls suddenly felt like their young master had finally grown up. Shen Gonglin had finally made something of herself! Just for this, they should definitely have a hot pot dinner to celebrate at the Salt Lake Base.

"That's right. From the earliest heroic legends to the letters and formulas on the blackboard, and then to the encrypted data in electronic storage... they are all narratives, each creating its own story. People play in stories, learn in stories, and use stories to unite different individuals... So, to put it another way, humans are animals that belong to stories, and narrative is also the fundamental way for humans to transform the world."

After listening to Prometheus's words, Shen Gonglin nodded knowingly. In Marxist philosophy, this narrative should be called labor. Story is equivalent to practice.

"Scholars of the past called this kind of story and narrative reason. This is the origin of your name as the Herrscher of construction, Bronya, named after reason."

After she finished speaking, Bronya understood what she meant—this so-called inheritance...

"And coincidentally, as the third Herrscher of Reason, Bronya's path is also filled with stories of inheritance. But if the story you're talking about emphasizes these aspects, then what about the Stigmata Plan?"

They acknowledge Prometheus's narrative, but what does that have to do with the problems they face now, the Stigmata Plan?

"As I said before, the Stigmata Plan is a story of stories. It is both created by stories and governs all stories. To use another doctor's favorite term, it is an absolute idea that exists on its own, the infinity of the concept itself. In my own words, the Stigmata Plan is a reaction that arises from the spiral ascent of the membership fee civilization, and it is the result of the act of narrative beginning to exist independently of the matrix."

It seemed that Prometheus really wanted to explain things to Shen Gonglin, but at some point, Shen Gonglin's head started to malfunction again. Her head was itchy, and she felt like her brain had disappeared again. Bronya quickly took over the conversation, Mei and Kiana reached out their little hands to rub Rin's Shen Gonglin to relieve the pain. Okay, okay, that's good enough.

Does this mean the story has detached itself from the human element and begins to tell its own story?

"Yes. This situation has actually existed since the beginning of humankind, but most people are not aware of it. For example, as I have emphasized, in Dr. Mei's or my view, whether it is an epic of heroes or a computer program, they are all narratives, and they are all stories. So, taking the fact that programs and data in computers are equivalent as an example, we can also say that... the human mind itself, that giant web woven by neurons, is also a narrative, constituting a story that is unique to each person... their self, or their true self."

"So... in this sense, human civilization is originally an existence that tells stories through stories. It is a giant web formed by ideas, and each unit in it, we call... human beings."

Using computer programming techniques that Bronya could best understand to summarize the ideas would be more helpful for her, and indeed, Bronya was the one who could follow her train of thought the best. The girl rested her chin on her hand, thinking seriously. According to her explanation...

"So, according to you... in our society, the story unit that forms the foundation of civilization is an independent, free person who can give meaning to himself; while in the Stigmata Plan, this unit is deconstructed, reorganized, and allowed to exist in any form, as long as it can still support civilization?"

Hearing Bronya's words, the mechanical girl Prometheus breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, talking to her was the least tiring thing. This girl's comprehension ability was on a completely different level from others. Prometheus liked talking to Bronya.

"A thorough understanding. For humanity and civilization, this is the most likely way for them to graduate from childhood. Don't you understand what graduating from childhood means? Similar things have actually happened many times in history, haven't they? Whether it's your history or our history, the meaning woven by people is constantly affecting humanity itself."

After praising Bronya's comprehension, Prometheus concluded with this statement. "Everyone eventually graduates from childhood. Some are born for faith and die for faith; others are born for money and die for money. These things that determine our lives, whether faith or money... are all human inventions."

Chapter 406 is the standard, and also the worst.

As if due to a difference in thinking patterns, many of the things Prometheus said were unacceptable to the others. However, when you really wanted to refute them, you found that there seemed to be nothing wrong with them. So, Shen Gonglin and the others could only continue to listen silently. Prometheus continued to explain her understanding, which, for her, was something she had already figured out.

"On this larger scale, we also see that the cornerstone of society has changed from idols to contracts, and the cornerstone of industry has changed from self-sufficiency to supply and demand relationships. All concepts are becoming increasingly detached from the individual... and the so-called personal brand, its core word is precisely the fictional brand, not the individual as a natural entity."

Suddenly, she uttered a lot of incomprehensible words, Shen Gonglin's eyes started darting around. At times like this, she desperately wanted her master's help. Perhaps Fu Hua could explain things clearly to her if she were here? Calling her master during the day, and her master calling her at night —Shen Gonglin was now incredibly nostalgic for her Class President and Little Herrscher of Consciousness, or even Li Sushang. They could all explain things properly to her. And now, Kiana, Bronya, and Mei were all here...

"Could you stop for a moment? I feel like he's having a hard time accepting this."

Before anyone knew it, Kiana had already sat down on the steps to the side, her small hand gently stroking Shen Gonglin's head. This guy couldn't handle so much ambiguous information anymore; let him rest. It felt like his CPU was burning out.

"... Simply put, compared to Dr. Mei's thoughts, Dr. Mei's existence is insignificant; compared to the fact that the Herrscher fight for humanity, the specific Herrscher is also unimportant. And for the Herrscher of Reason has passed down the lineage for three generations... this fact is even more obvious. I mean... if the person standing here were Joyce or Yang, they would definitely feel the same distress and want to rebel as you, Bronya, wouldn't they?"

Sighing, Prometheus felt like he was watching a student daydreaming in class. Just as he had guessed, there was no need to expect Shen Gonglin to understand. What she was saying was actually meant for Bronya, whose way of thinking was more similar to his own, so she should be able to understand it more easily.

This is truly... undeniable. Dr. Mei's thoughts are more important than Dr. Mei herself. All that's needed is Herrscher fights for humanity, and it doesn't matter who that Herrscher is. Even if it weren't Bronya here, but the previous two Herrscher of Reason, they would have made the same decision as us... That must be the truth.

"Don't misunderstand, I have no prejudice in this matter. In my view, natural humanity and fictional stories are two sides of the same coin in the world's destiny."

Seeing the girls' expressions, Prometheus corrected his expression, saying that the so-called fictional story was actually a metaphor for the ideal form of the Stigmata Plan.

"Humans want to dominate stories, and stories always want to dominate humans. This was originally a delicate balance, allowing civilization, as the fruit of civilization, to obtain the richest meaning... But when the Honkai arrives, the Finality hangs overhead, and fiction invades reality, this balance is broken. Both humans and stories need to find their place again. And the Herrscher and the Stigmata Plan are at opposite ends of this contradiction. On one side are superpowered beings who can narrate independently and do not need the existence of civilization; on the other side are omnipotent stories that exist independently and do not need to be narrated by humans... Do you understand what I'm saying?"

After speaking, Prometheus tilted his head and looked at the group of people in front of him. They seemed to be taking turns comforting Shen Gonglin. It was Kiana first, and now it was Bronya's turn. The girl was standing Shen Gonglin was reaching out to massage his temples. Prometheus really wondered if they were even listening to him.

For Prometheus, who dislikes trouble, saying so many words is quite an effort.

"... I understand, but..."

"What do I understand?" Kiana stammered. "Damn it, I was so focused on Shen Gonglin that I didn't even notice what Prometheus was saying." She looked at her two classmates for help, like a student caught daydreaming in class. But Mei and Bronya both turned their heads away silently. Couldn't they just tell her to choose C at a time like this?

"... Good that you understand. Fortunately, this contradiction is not irreconcilable."

Prometheus changed the subject, and Mei suddenly realized something. After all, she was a top student. Even though she had been a little distracted just now, she could quickly bring her thoughts back to follow Prometheus. The harmony he was talking about must be what Mei was thinking about.

"You mean... the Herrscher of the Human?"

"Yes. Thinking what people think and doing what people do, such Herrscher undoubtedly still belong to civilization, to humanity that needs to constantly create fictional things. If they can overcome the Finality... then this is the best answer that the contradiction called Honkai can bring."

If such a goal could be achieved, then it would undoubtedly be the best answer, the answer that everyone hopes to achieve. Unfortunately, to date, no one has ever succeeded in achieving this goal.

Is this the best answer? Then...

"Then, what about the Stigmata Plan?"

"In Dr. Mei's words... the Stigmata Plan is the standard answer."

The standard answer and the best answer, that's quite a concrete and vivid way to put it. But is this standard in the sense of the Finality, the answer that the Finality wants, not the answer that all of humanity wants?

"The so-called standard is the worst; haven't humans become accustomed to this? Stories construct many beneficial scenarios for human civilization... but for each individual experiencing life, this often doesn't hold true. The quality of life for early farmers was actually lower than that of hunters, and the quality of life for early workers was far lower than that of farmers. Although there would be no civilized society in the standard sense without them... while these people lived in the world, no narrative allowed them to receive rewards commensurate with their efforts. They were even deceived by other narratives into believing that they deserved to suffer..."

Now Shen Gonglin understood. He struggled to get up from Kiana's lap and nodded with deep feeling. Shen Gonglin completely agreed with this point.

Chapter 407

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Chapter 408 Savior? Not really

Bronya seemed to understand what Prometheus meant. After a moment's thought, she couldn't help but widen her eyes. The Stigmata Plan and the birth of the Herrscher of Reason... there really seemed to be some similarities. Could it be that Welt Joyce...

"If the Stigmata Plan will create the Adam of the gods, then your first Herrscher of Reason is undoubtedly the Adam of humanity."

Hearing Prometheus use such a title to describe Joyce Bronya with somewhat mixed feelings. Prometheus probably didn't know anything about Welt Joyce at all, yet he commented on him like that, which was really strange... But she had to admit that what Prometheus said was indeed true.

"... One thing must be acknowledged: before the Honkai event in Berlin, the consciousness later known as Welt Joyce did not exist on Earth. That Herrscher, who was almost never born, was accidentally influenced by the mind of a certain victim and began to instinctively collect the thoughts of other victims. As these thoughts became richer, his Herrscher Core became more and more complete. No one knows exactly what he did, but everyone knows that those countless thoughts, that echo throughout the city, were humanity's call for a savior, humanity's last resistance against the Honkai."

Bronya slowly recounted what she knew. Prometheus was right. The Joyce Welt that time was truly like Adam appearing among humans. Originally, there was no one called Joyce. He was born in that Honkai, a being carrying 300,000 thoughts. He was the savior of people at that time and the last resistance against the Honkai.

"And so, the man who would later be known as Welt Joyce rose from the ruins. He knew very well that beneath his feet lay only ashes. But he was unwilling to accept this; he wanted to become the savior they had longed for. He desperately gathered fragments of their hearts. He couldn't call them by name. He didn't know their stories. He knew that most of it was meaningless, but he still did everything in his power to preserve their last shred of dignity. And this dignity seemed to conjure a miracle..."

As if she had transformed into a class representative for Chinese language, Bronya recalled what she had heard from the Anti-Entropy group and recounted the story of the girl named Joyce. They were all so cultured! Shen Gonglin felt a little withdrawn again.

"He repaired the butterfly's wings... and the children of the world fell into a deep sleep."

"And at that time... he hadn't even truly awakened the power of Herrscher yet?"

Having never known such a thing before, Prometheus even felt a sense of admiration for the first Herrscher of Reason, whom he had never met, in Bronya's account. Was she, like Elysia, whom he knew, a child of man and a child of god?

"Yes, that's absolutely true. For our time... this is a genuine miracle."

Bronya nodded. At that time, Joyce had not yet awakened his true Herrscher power, and it was his actions that made Bronya understand that the power of the Herrscher of Reason was never just the ability of Herrscher.

"So, the analogy of Adam, the human being, is not inappropriate?"

"From the perspective of paying tribute to him, there is nothing wrong with it. But... whether it is the savior or Adam, it is just a narrow metaphor for him. In his short life, he came into contact with all kinds of companions with all kinds of skills, which convinced him that his true strength came from the ordinary. He considered himself an ordinary child of the world. He said that with this feeling, he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect the people around him from the tyrant."

As the current Herrscher of Reason, Bronya felt she could understand the thoughts of her "predecessor." Although her own ideals were still some distance from his, this did not prevent Bronya from making this judgment. She believed that even if her consciousness dissipated, the power of the Herrscher of Reason would be passed down to one ordinary person after another.

A savior? We don't need a savior; we save ourselves. Joyce may indeed have been born as a savior, but his beliefs transcended the narrow concept of a savior.

"Herrscher are apostles of Honkai, but Herrscher can also be warriors of humanity. They are not angels, not demons... All Herrscher are just ordinary humans."

It was quite rare for her to express her own insights. After listening to Bronya's words, even Prometheus, who was usually quick-witted and answered questions very fast, fell into a brief silence. Then, the mechanical girl nodded slightly to Bronya, indicating that she understood.

"Thank you for your explanation. It has given me a full understanding of what the name of the Herrscher of Reason truly means in this era. But if one day... those 300,000 thoughts representing the Herrscher of Reason become obstacles to saving the world, what choice will you make, Third Herrscher of Reason?"

Having learned about the significance of the Herrscher of Reason to the world in this era, Prometheus posed a question that startled the girls. Shen Gonglin was a beat slow to react, and then he felt that he should also maintain formation, otherwise it would be easy for others to see that he had not been listening at all.

"An obstacle to saving the world?"

Mei asked, somewhat confused, why would the 300,000th percentile of the Herrscher of Reason's thoughts become an obstacle to saving the world? And what is the basis for this argument?

"I know this is a painful assumption. But... the power of the Herrscher of Reason is on the verge of collapse and is extremely vulnerable to being controlled by the Stigmata Plan, which is indeed a fact before us. For an individual, 300,000 thoughts may be very complex... but for the Stigmata Plan, which will encompass 7 billion people, it is nothing more than an additional 300,000 dream. I have no intention of disrespecting history... I am simply stating the predicament that the Herrscher of Reason faces when confronted with the Stigmata Plan, which has similar attributes."

Prometheus calmly stated that the Stigmata Plan and the Herrscher of Reason share the same attributes, which makes it easy for the Herrscher of Reason's abilities to be countered by the Stigmata Plan. It seems that there is only one way to get rid of this situation, but this method seems to be too cruel for them and for the Herrscher of Reason.

Chapter 409 The Awareness That Herrscher of Reason Should Possess

"My previous attempt to separate and then bring everyone together again demonstrates that the Herrscher of Reason's power is riddled with holes and unfortunately relegated to a subordinate position within the Stigmata Plan's network. This means that the Stigmata Plan can now easily influence the Herrscher of Reason, and the 300,000 different ideas have also led to the Herrscher of Reason Core being riddled with holes."

Calmly explained the current situation, while Mei frowned slightly. She believed that Prometheus was not simply informing them of the current situation; when she pointed out the problem, she must have already come up with corresponding solutions.

"Prometheus, I remember you mentioned your plans before... Could you elaborate?"

Kiana also asked. Prometheus, like Bronya, gave off a very reliable feeling. Since she raised this question, she must already have a solution.

"Yes. As an AI that can be installed on the Herrscher Core to form Divine Key, I can help Bronya change the way the Herrscher of Reason Core is organized to a certain extent. You can also call it... Simulated Feathering. This is not a professional term, but a term I made up temporarily for Bronya's situation."

He explained his solution, and the term made Bronya ponder it carefully. Unlike Mei and Kiana, Bronya was not Herrscher had undergone metamorphosis. After this Simulated Feathering, did that mean she could play a more important role?

"This technology cannot be compared to true ascension. Please understand it this way... It only lets you know how the Stigmata Plan influenced those 300,000 thoughts through its algorithm."

Since it's called Simulated Feathering, it certainly can't be compared to real feathering. If it were that easy to help her achieve feathering, then Kiana and Mei's long period of suffering would seem too unfair, Bronya understands this very well.

"If this can point us in the direction of our counterattack, then its own power may not be important. However... Although we have had a very in-depth exchange, Bronya still doesn't understand... Prometheus, what is your stance on helping us? After all, when we parted last time, you didn't tell us about your understanding of the Stigmata Plan."

There was no objection to the Simulated Feathering, but Bronya asked the question at this moment. Indeed, Kiana and Mei also wanted to ask this question: why was she helping them so much? Was it simply because she thought they were good-looking? And now she was offering so much help... she's actually quite a nice person.

"Do you remember when we first met, I introduced myself as a pessimist. It would have been pointless to instill in you some kind of philosophy that you couldn't grasp at the time... It would have only made you more confused. Besides, as I just said, even if I weren't here, you could have figured out the truth on your own."

Prometheus explained it this way, but Mei interrupted her directly. Ever since she went to World Serpent, the gentle Raiden Mei had changed a bit. Now, her somewhat aggressive demeanor... was really cool.

"You did not answer Bronya's question directly."