Chapter 265: The Influence of Fantasy
To investigate the Magic Essence density surrounding The Tree, Albatrosses equipped with Magic Essence Meters took off one after another.
As she watched the scene unfold, Eve, accompanied by RINGO, let out a sigh.
“Another headache-inducing problem has arisen…”
“…”
Out of the twelve Magic Essence Meters collected, six were loaded onto the Albatrosses to measure distant concentrations. The remaining six would be mounted on Drones to survey the nearby seas.
While Eve didn’t seem overly concerned, RINGO appeared to be quite anxious about the high Magic Essence density. It seemed to be reacting negatively to the presence of something it couldn’t detect around it—something at an abnormal level.
Well, it was understandable. If the base she thought she had perfectly managed was actually contaminated, it was easy to see why she would feel uneasy.
‘RINGO is worrying too much! Magic Essence is probably universally present on this planet, just like oxygen!’
“Whoa, that startled me. Asahi, aren’t you supposed to be undergoing an overhaul?”
‘My love for my older sister has made the impossible possible!!’
The voice of Asahi, who was supposed to be disassembled for maintenance, suddenly interrupted. Eve turned her gaze to RINGO, who shook its head in response.
“The connection is through the wireless unit standardly equipped in the Brain Unit. Adhesion with the Spinal Nervous System has progressed, so some connections cannot be released, allowing consciousness to be maintained.”
‘Last time, I was bored while being disassembled, so I worked hard this time!’
“I hope there are no adverse effects… Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Since he says there’s no problem, it should be fine.”
It seemed that RINGO had already given up on Asahi. While responding somewhat casually, it displayed the Magic Essence density map for the Commander.
“Here’s the real-time data from the Albatrosses. We’re currently flying all units in a radial pattern to quickly check the surrounding density.”
“Hmm… Looking at the numbers, it seems that The Tree is indeed at the center.”
When the displayed Magic Essence densities were connected with contour lines, they formed roughly concentric circles. The area around The Tree had the highest density, which then dropped sharply. At the point with the highest density near The Tree, it reached an astonishing 2500%. However, even 30 kilometers away, the density seemed to fall to around 200%.
“It will take a bit more time to see the full picture. For now, please tell me the plans moving forward.”
“Yes, Commander. We will continue measuring the area along the continental coast with the Albatrosses, covering a radius of about 1,000 kilometers. Simultaneously, we will use the Drones to collect data within a radius of about 50 kilometers. By comparing the detailed Magic Essence density map from the North End City area to the Demon Forest, we should be able to analyze the situation around The Tree.”
This Magic Essence Meter, utilizing the olfactory cells of the Forest Boar, had a characteristic of somewhat slow reaction speed. Given that it generates potential differences in response to surrounding Magic Essence densities, it was understandable that it lacked immediacy. Therefore, the values from the Albatrosses, which flew at speeds of several hundred kilometers per hour at the slowest, would be somewhat blurred.
To compensate for this, they would use Drones capable of slow flight and hovering to gather information from the nearby seas.
“Additionally, I will set up two fixed observation points for immediate monitoring. We will be able to check for fluctuations in Magic Essence density over time at those locations.”
‘It doesn’t seem like the highest density is simply at the center of The Tree. RINGO, can I borrow some of your computational resources?’
“Stop that. If you hog the bandwidth during maintenance, it will never get done.”
‘Aww…’
◇◇◇◇
“Now, let’s share information! About the Magic Essence!”
“First, let’s hear the inspection results for Asahi.”
“Why is that, older sister!!”
“Yes, Commander.”
Since Eve couldn’t connect directly to the network, a reporting meeting was held. Everyone gathered in the lounge.
“Asahi, over here!”
“Sit here!”
“Oh, okay.”
The noisy Asahi was captured by Utsugi and Erika. They pushed him right into the middle of a two-seater sofa. Though he was firmly held on both sides, he seemed happy enough with it.
Eve sat next to Ichigo, who was snuggled up next to Olive. Finally, Akane entered, quickly surveying the scene before choosing to sit next to Ichigo. Once everyone settled on the sofa, RINGO began serving refreshments.
“Alright.”
After drinks and snacks were ready, Eve took the lead.
“What did the inspection reveal about Asahi?”
“Yes, Commander. For now, no abnormalities have been detected. The adhesion progress of the Spinal Nervous System is nearly 100%. Moving forward, any damage information regarding your chassis will be directly fed back to the Brain Unit, so please be cautious.”
“Yes! The feedback processing system has a bypass circuit, so it should be more resilient than usual. There shouldn’t be any problems!”
“Asahi, RINGO is telling you to be careful not to get hurt.”
“Oh…”
Chastised by Eve, Asahi hurriedly turned his gaze to RINGO, who was watching him with a sidelong glance.
“Asahi-chan is reckless, you know~”
“Being on the front lines, it’s only natural to worry~”
With their cheeks pinched from both sides, Asahi fell silent. Watching the three of them, Eve chuckled softly.
“Well, it seems safety measures are being properly taken, and we’re monitoring from our end, so I’m not too worried. …So.”
“Yes, Commander.”
RINGO displayed an X-ray image of Asahi’s Brain Unit in the air.
“I’ll share this with everyone. This is what’s inside Asahi’s brain.”
What emerged from the X-ray imaging were mysterious shapes, like dots, appearing within the Brain Unit.
“Compared to last time, the area of this white shadow has definitely increased. In short, some sort of abnormal situation is progressing. However, there are no issues detected in the tests. The diagnostic results are as shared.”
“Does that mean there are abnormalities that cannot be detected by the testing equipment?”
Ichigo asked, and RINGO nodded.
“That’s correct. Functionally, there are no problems. However, this white shadow is visible in the X-ray imaging. That’s all.”
“Oh… Could it be that Asahi has finally stepped into the realm of Fantasy!?”
Asahi, hearing this inspection result for the first time, lit up with excitement. He tried to stand up, but was immediately restrained by Utsugi and Erika.
“Wait, older sisters…!”
“Yes, yes, let’s listen quietly~”
“Stay seated properly!”
“Now, regarding whether this abnormality has occurred elsewhere, we investigated.”
As Eve continued, glancing at the three squirming on the cramped sofa.
“At the very least, I confirmed signs of this white shadow in the U-Class and E-Class AIs operating within the Demon Forest. The O-Class Strategic AI Cosmos, which oversees North End City, shows similar signs as well. And—”
RINGO looked around at everyone.
“The X-ray imaging has low resolution, and the information obtained is inferior to other test results, which is why it hasn’t been used. The truth is, Asahi just tried to use all the available testing equipment.”
“Isn’t that Asahi’s fault?”
“Asahi is a problem child, after all~”
“You’re aware of that, right~?”
Perhaps because they didn’t usually interact directly, Asahi was being toyed with by Utsugi and Erika.
“We conducted investigations on all independent AIs as much as possible. As a result, about 30% of the AIs’ physical computational devices showed similar conditions to this white shadow. Akane, Ichigo, Utsugi, Erika, Olive. You all are the same.”
At RINGO’s words, the Five Sisters froze.
It seems that a fantasy is encroaching upon the SF fortress. While that sounds ominous, these characters seem likely to analyze it normally.