Having a System

"Where is your home?"

Where could an Intelligent Brain's home possibly be? Zhou Yi truly had no idea.

My home is in another spatial dimension. I was accidentally swept here by a temporal-spatial turbulence. The entrance back home will appear again in five years.

People living in the universe had naturally long since developed a deeper understanding of time and space. In the eyes of the new humanity, the world was no longer two-dimensional, but multidimensional. Concepts such as parallel spaces, folded spaces, and alternate spaces had also long been proven by scientists.

But understanding was one thing; traveling through space was far from simple.

Even if ordinary people could find an entrance, their flesh-and-blood bodies would be shredded to pieces by the turbulent currents.

It would be easier if the two spaces had already been connected and linked by a station. But if they had not...

Zhou Yi fell silent. Five years—she could not do it.

As far as was currently known, only mechs above S-rank could traverse space at will.

Although she was a Star Weaver Master reserve, five years was still far too little time for her to grow.

I can help you gain the power to traverse space within five years. In return, you take me home.

The Intelligent Brain seemed to know Zhou Yi's concerns and took the initiative to add this.

Zhou Yi still said nothing.

Hey, this is practically a pie falling from the sky, okay?! Don't you humans say that anyone who turns down a bargain is an idiot? What are you hesitating for? He who hesitates is defeated! Taking the initiative means getting it for free!

Seeing that there was still no response, the Intelligent Brain grew anxious and began shouting slogans.

"Why me?"

Zhou Yi finally spoke.

A pie falling from the sky might be edible, but a giant flatbread falling from the sky could crush someone to death.

If she needed to traverse space in five years, finding someone stronger would clearly make it easier to accomplish.

Although Zhou Yi possessed a growth-type star pattern, she had a clear understanding of herself. Growth-type star patterns were rare in this world, but she was not the only one with one. There were many more people with exceptional talent.

Because I can only enter the consciousness of a Chosen One. Everyone else is too fragile. If I go in, they'll explode...

I've already tried... Sorry, sorry, sorry. Their consciousness is in their minds. If it explodes, they won't survive either.

Chosen Ones were those who possessed growth-type star patterns.

The consciousness seas of those Chosen Ones whose star patterns had fully matured were like doors that had been locked shut. I can't push them open.

I tried that too... I was discovered and beaten half to death. I almost died stranded in a foreign land, boohoohoo.

Even a consciousness entity would feel pain after suffering a mental attack, and it could dissipate.

Finding a Chosen One who had only just awakened is like looking for a needle in the ocean. Oh, right, you've never seen an ocean. Anyway, it's really difficult! The passage will open in only five years. I'm out of time, so you're my only option...

Zhou Yi could hear it in the Intelligent Brain's tone. If it had a physical form, it would probably be wearing a pitiful, miserable expression right now.

Zhou Yi nodded and accepted the explanation.

Simply put, those who were too weak would not work, and those who were too strong would not work either. As for those neither too weak nor too strong, there was no time to find anyone else besides her.

"Why should I help you? Give me a reason that can convince me."

The risks of traversing space were immense. One wrong move, and she would be reduced to dust. Why should she risk her life for a strange consciousness entity?

Because I have the knowledge reserves to help you grow quickly. I came to your space several hundred years ago. Even before I arrived, the technology where I came from was already more advanced than yours is now. I have the most perfect algorithms, capable of deriving the highest-level information from the most basic data. To find someone to take me home, I've wandered this space for centuries. You could say I know everything here.

When it came to ability, the Intelligent Brain was confident. It was simply the best!

If it had been able to enter the consciousness of those Star Weaver Masters, it would have found its candidate long ago. It only needed an opportunity to demonstrate what it could do.

"Who am I? And what is this stone?"

You are Zhou Yi, sixteen years old. You just came from D71 Star Block to study in D72 Star Block. You awakened a growth-type star pattern one year ago and are dual-training as Mech Infantry and a Mech Master. Your future is bright.

Don't ask me such simple things, okay? All Star Brains are connected to the Alliance extranet. That's the most basic stuff, so as long as it exists on any Star Brain, I know it.

This stone is Crystal Marrow, an energy crystal mutated from the highest-grade Star Crystal ore. I searched for nearly a hundred years before finding this thing to house my consciousness entity. Otherwise, I would have almost completely dissipated before ever meeting you.

There's information on this in the Alliance intranet database. Although the intranet is encrypted, its encryption methods are far too outdated. How pathetic.

The Intelligent Brain's existence was equivalent to omniscience in this world. It could see the information on everyone's Intelligent Brain and access all encrypted materials. For Zhou Yi, whether in battle or when making any choice afterward, it would be like possessing a super cheat. It truly was unbeatable.

"How can I trust you?"

It had proven its value, but how could she trust it?

What if this clever old thing tricked her into getting herself killed? Then it could simply find a new host.

Zhou Yi had no desire to become such a pitiful tool.

I...

That truly stumped the Intelligent Brain for a moment.

Even if it swore an oath now, the other party probably would not believe it. After all, according to its data calculations, the rate at which humans kept their promises was only thirty-seven percent—not even half.

After thinking for a moment, the Intelligent Brain hardened its resolve and made a decision.

It was originally a small golden ball of light. It detached from the Crystal Marrow and entered Zhou Yi's consciousness sea.

At that moment, the golden ball of light rapidly broke apart into tiny glowing particles, then merged into Zhou Yi's consciousness wall, which emitted a faint white glow.

At the edge of her sea of consciousness, a wall formed from consciousness rapidly absorbed the Intelligent Brain's golden points of light.

This should work now, right? I've merged my sea of consciousness with yours. Once you die, I'll dissipate along with you.

The Intelligent Brain had made a tremendous decision by doing this. But according to its analysis, Zhou Yi was the person most likely to take it home among everyone it had encountered over the years. The probability was even higher than that man it had met in the military, and higher still than those Star Weaver Masters whose doors it had been unable to open.

Although it still did not understand what kind of potential the little girl before it possessed, it believed in its calculations and was willing to wager everything.

"You... even if you return to your own space like this, how are you going to stay there? I'm not staying with you."

Zhou Yi had not expected the Intelligent Brain to go this far. The sea of consciousness was the most vulnerable part of a person and the easiest target for mental attacks. With the Intelligent Brain reinforcing it, she felt that her sea of consciousness had become much tougher.

No need to thank me. Consider immunity to ordinary mental attacks my welcome gift to you. Don't worry about getting home. Once I get there, naturally, more powerful friends will help pull me out of your consciousness.

They won't hurt you when the time comes, either.

The Intelligent Brain added that last part in a small voice.