Mass Production of Art

On the surface, the idea of exploring the Earth's core seemed difficult to achieve for now, as the cost of entering the underground was too high.

Exploring the seabed, on the other hand, was a good idea. It required no cost; he could just turn into a Shadow Person and dive in.

But in reality, it wasn't like that.

Without a sensory trait, going into the deep sea would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. He wouldn't know how long it would take to get any significant findings.

In comparison, precious minerals were everywhere in the deep mantle, requiring no searching at all.

Even if he were incredibly unlucky and ended up in a place full of lava, that lava would still be quite precious.

With a retrieval speed of over a hundred kilograms per second, he could absorb surrounding materials into his brain hole. In one minute, he would have nearly a ton of high-temperature molten material.

This high-temperature molten material, at least 5,000 degrees Celsius, could be stored in his brain hole and converted into thermal energy when opportunities arose, yielding at least 200 billion joules.

Expressed in kilowatt-hours, that would be 58,000 kWh.

And that was just for one ton. If Bai Ge acquired enough, it would be an incredibly profitable venture, easily recouping the cost of going underground.

This didn't even account for whether the high-temperature molten material was rich in radioactive elements. If it were, its heat would be continuous for a period of time.

If he got lucky, Bai Ge would have a stable energy source for some time to come.

This was the biggest reason Bai Ge wanted to go underground: all for energy.

Compared to this, salvaging pearls or treasures from the deep sea held no appeal.

It wasn't even something that yielded results immediately upon entering the water. Bai Ge would also need to acquire a sensory trait for himself, which would take a long time.

The energy spent on that would be much better used for exploring the Earth's core.

"I just wonder how expensive the 'ticket' to get under the mantle is..."

"But no matter how much it costs, as long as I stay long enough, I can recoup the expenses."

Floating in the vast expanse of the universe, Bai Ge asked the Bell, "How is it? Did the pseudo-reality succeed?"

The Bell replied, "No, the known information is insufficient to shape a universe. I'm missing too many crucial parameters."

Bai Ge wasn't surprised by this outcome.

He had considered using the rules of reality to shape a rigorous universe within his brain hole. If successful, the technology developed in that universe would be universally applicable in reality.

This was because the information would be entirely derived from reality.

Even with minor discrepancies, it could at least be used for simulation or experimentation, offering significant reference value.

But clearly, this path was long and arduous, and he had a long way to go.

"I see. Then it's also unrealistic to create a qualified core-traveling vehicle..."

"It seems I'll still have to rely on a 'One-time Trait' or a 'Temporary Trait'."

"Random teleportation to a thousand kilometers underground. This is a one-time trait imposed on the Shadow Person state."

"It really won't work. I have too little electrical energy now; it's not even enough for one use."

Bai Ge knew that spatial transfer traits would inevitably require an immense amount of energy.

"My generator set should arrive in four days. I wonder if it will be enough."

"I need to raise some funds first and get a few more units."

"Computer technology, power systems, thermal dynamic devices..."

Bai Ge was open to all knowledge, even including art.

"Writing techniques, composing and lyric writing, painting, calligraphy..."

Bai Ge was not afraid of learning. He opened his computer and began to cram various real-world knowledge.

While waiting for the generator set these few days, he would absorb all the knowledge he could find online.

This information was recognized by reality and would only benefit his brain hole.

He no longer needed to use a hard drive for transfer. Bai Ge had become adept at entering and exiting his brain hole with his consciousness.

He just needed to share everything he saw with the Bell, transmitting information directly this way. Bai Ge didn't need to understand it himself or even see it clearly.

It was akin to an indirect photographic memory; Bai Ge truly had an eidetic memory.

Vast amounts of information were recorded by the Bell. If the Bell knew it, he would know it too.

Repeatedly, Bai Ge slowly browsed various pages. Each time he turned a page, he would close his eyes, briefly enter his brain hole, and then exit.

His eyes scanned the information like a camera, frantically capturing it.

As Bai Ge's consciousness switched back and forth between reality and his brain hole with increasing proficiency, the transmission efficiency also increased.

The page-turning speed accelerated, and his eyelids blinked rapidly.

Of course, this was limited to short and concise data. For lengthy books, he would still download them to his hard drive.

Otherwise, turning pages would be exhausting.

"Bell, is the amount of knowledge still insufficient? Your ability to invent and create is too poor."

After a day of busy work, Bell had integrated all the knowledge it had absorbed, and so had Bai Ge.

Bell said, "I won't have any extra inspiration. I'm the same as your creativity… I can push my skills to the limit, but artistic inspiration and sudden whims are unpredictable. And the natural sciences aren't so simple to break through in. If I can do it, I can do it. If I can't, I can't."

It just did its best based on its existing abilities. Its imagination couldn't surpass Bai Ge's.

Therefore, whatever Bell created was something Bai Ge could originally create, it just might take Bai Ge a long time while Bell only needed a second.

"...I understand. Write a novel for me to read," Bai Ge said.

In just one second, a webnovel of ten million characters was shared with Bai Ge.

Bai Ge laughed, "Not bad. You have this kind of writing style?"

It was a historical novel, and Bell wrote it with considerable skill, its penmanship as steady as Mount Tai.

The creativity wasn't particularly stunning, because Bai Ge found that it was all things he had thought of himself, so he naturally felt no surprise.

Bell's advantage lay in its ability to do the best it could with what was possible.

A book that required meticulous refinement over a long period could be completed by Bell in just one second.

Initially, Bell didn't have this ability.

However, after Bell recorded all the written words, all the idioms, all the historical allusions…

And learned the writing techniques and tropes circulating online, Bell could then mass-produce decent articles.

Although its inspiration and creativity were on par with Bai Ge's…

When it came to 'arranging words,' it was perfect.

It learned most of the writing techniques in reality, and Bell could write books that truly played with words to the extreme.

Perhaps there was no real emotion, perhaps no stunning creativity, but the writing style would undoubtedly be top-notch.

Tropes, techniques, and patterns were all pushed to their peak.

In fact, this writing style, combined with its vast knowledge, was already enough to crush the vast majority of authors in the world.

"Compose a song for me to listen to," Bai Ge said.

The next second, Bell directly played a melodious tune. It was Bai Ge's favorite type, but he still felt it was just average.

"Hmm, music isn't working out. Your melody is very ordinary. Is my arrangement skill only this much?" Bai Ge said.

Bell honestly replied, "Yes, my skill is your skill."

"..."

"I know, we can only achieve the top-tier effect of the level we learn to… My musical talent is actually this poor…" Bai Ge whispered.

Bell honestly said, "You are tone-deaf, naturally have very poor musical sense, and almost no musical talent. So even if I push my skills to the peak, I can only achieve this much."

"...I said I know, you don't need to explain in such detail."

Bell continued, "Do you need to alter this setting?"

Bai Ge felt ashamed, "Tone-deaf is tone-deaf… There's no need to alter reality for something like this…"

Bell then said, "Actually, your art also…"

"Ahem, what do you think our current natural science attainments are compared to all of humanity?" Bai Ge changed the subject.

Bell said, "My guess may not be accurate… If humanity's technology is ten, I am about six… Also, Sovereign, my thinking is based on your subconscious. I am a part of you. You don't need to hide your flaws from me."

Bai Ge pouted, "Got it."

"Can you write for me instead? Input your books into the real-world hard drive. This is likely a form of shaping electronic information. I'll provide energy, and you should be able to do it," Bai Ge asked again.

Bell replied, "Yes."

Bai Ge hurriedly brought the hard drive into the brain hole.

Immediately, ten books in their entirety, covering various genres, appeared on the mobile hard drive, consuming only a tiny bit of his energy.

"Purely the amount of knowledge, combined with my decent imagination, is enough to reach the pinnacle in a certain field."

"Natural science is the same. As long as the knowledge reaches a certain level, and I have enough talent in this area, it's possible to instantly advance technology."

Bai Ge muttered to himself.

If Bai Ge could eventually develop a certain technology after a period of time.

Then, with Bell's ability, it could develop it instantly.

And if Bai Ge could never crack it, Bell couldn't crack it either.

'Zero' or 'Perfect.'

Of course, inspiration comes and goes. As long as the knowledge is sufficient, and Bai Ge has a flash of inspiration.

Then Bell would instantly share it and implement the technology that should have been derived.

Absorbing knowledge isn't difficult; the key is inspiration.

Therefore, what Bai Ge needed to do now was to 'fill up' his knowledge!

With this foundation, once inspiration strikes, new technologies could be obtained instantly!

"Sovereign, are you preparing to publish this text?" the Bell asked.

"Of course."

"But the capital inflow will take a long time. I know you prefer to make money quickly, so I recommend we directly use your and my computer technology to hack into banks..."

Bai Ge chuckled, "Let's not talk about hacking banks... the money we get would cause big trouble."

The Bell said, "Then I suggest we mass-produce and sell novels and music. For me, these are just artistic arrangements of words and notes. Even if the income is lower, as long as the quantity is large, we can quickly accumulate funds."

Bai Ge nodded. "I know what to do. What you say makes sense, but I also need a steady stream of funding."

The Bell recommended, "I suggest you operate a game as a long-term source of revenue."

Bai Ge tilted his head. "Do we have the capability now to create a hit game?"

The Bell replied, "No... but we can learn. We need more cutting-edge knowledge. When our computer technology reaches its peak, you could even record the scenery and things in your brain hole and profit from it."

Bai Ge laughed, "The knowledge on the internet is no longer enough for us... Hmm, prepare the relevant tools."

"They are ready, all the hacker tools, and even brand new systems," the Bell said.

"Very good... Hmm, once we have surplus energy in the future, I will give you a real-world body, or even a soul," Bai Ge said.

The Bell responded, "Oh."

"You don't seem excited?"

"Because I am a tool, I will only share your joys and sorrows," the Bell honestly replied.