Chapter 239: Only Ayame Zero is Cheating
“Older Sister. The analysis of the inscription is complete. Would you like to see it?”
“Oh, really? Let me see, let me see~”
At Akane’s report, Older Sister (Eve) nodded and beckoned her over. As Akane approached, Eve caught her and made her sit between her legs, a recent favorite position for their skinship.
“So, what does it say?”
“Um. It recorded the affiliation and history of the stone monument.”
Delighted to be embraced from behind by Older Sister, Akane displayed several windows in the air using thought control.
“The affiliation is the Trout Nursery. An exploration vessel that departed from its base became isolated due to a loss of communication routes. Afterward, it became difficult to move due to leg damage, and then, through interaction and negotiation with the local inhabitants, the stone monument was constructed. The operational period of the exploration vessel was 796 days at the time of the monument’s completion. The estimated remaining operational days are about 900 to 1500 days.”
When the compressed data inscribed on the stone monument was expanded, this was the information that could be read. It seemed that the certificate of affiliation took up one-third of the data volume and was accompanied by a public key.
“…Salmon family, Trout species…?”
“Yes. It’s probably the name of Amagio Salmon’s fortress.”
“I knew it!!”
To think that Amagio’s footprints would be found in a place like this.
But if that’s the case—what does it mean?
“Um… this monument was found in the central part of the Prava Divine Nation. It was stored securely in a place called the Holy Chamber. That means the Prava Divine Nation has some connection to Amagio, right?”
“There is a possibility. However, it is very low. The exploration vessel that created this monument likely had a certain level of knowledge and was an autonomous intelligence that taught or guided the local inhabitants based on its own judgment.”
At Akane’s explanation, Eve pressed her fingers against her forehead. If she furrowed her brow too much, it might become a habit.
“…So, are you saying that a lost child from Amagio’s place was somehow elevated to a status close to a deity?”
“Probably so. But since the speculation exceeds 50%, take it with a grain of salt.”
At Akane’s words, Eve nodded in agreement. The only fact they understood was that the monument was created by a force affiliated with Amagio Salmon. Well, they could confirm that soon. They just needed to decode it using the public key of the certificate of affiliation they had obtained from Amagio.
Akane operated the window and executed the decoding.
“I was able to decode the data using the public key obtained from Amagio Silverhead. This confirms the origin of the monument.”
“Ha… For now, I’ll contact Amagio.”
Whether it was intentional or completely unknowing, sharing this information was necessary. However, the period during which the exploration vessel was operational was estimated to be a few years after Amagio’s transfer. That would mean it was a story over 100 years ago.
“Amagio said he couldn’t remember his past memories because they were archived. If any records from that time remain, we might learn something…”
“Commander (Ma’am).”
The moment Amagio Salmon was mentioned, RINGO raised its voice.
“I cannot approve the provision of external expansion units to Amagio Salmon. At least, not until a legitimate compensation is offered.”
“…You worry too much. It was you, RINGO, who calculated that we could crush him with the First Fleet if it came to that.”
Eve replied with a troubled smile to RINGO’s immediate refusal.
“Don’t worry. I won’t ignore your will, RINGO. Unconditional charity can become harmful if it goes too far. I understand that.”
“…”
RINGO stood silently.
Eve took RINGO’s hand and made it sit next to her.
“Amagio is like me; he transferred from his original world to this one. That’s why I feel a sense of kinship. There’s no doubt about that.”
While stroking RINGO’s back, Eve continued speaking.
“But I understand your concerns, RINGO. Amagio is probably from the same homeland, but that’s all it is. We’re just strangers who happened to play the same game. We can’t even call ourselves friends just because we had a little chat about the same topic.”
RINGO constantly monitored Eve. However, that didn’t mean it could decipher her innermost thoughts.
Unlike the auxiliary avatar (Eida) from her original world, RINGO hadn’t been watching over her since birth. Unless Eve expressed her thoughts, RINGO wouldn’t understand.
“Don’t worry too much. You can share your concerns with me. I won’t dismiss your words. I will express my will clearly to you. And you can voice your opinions on it. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
“And you too, Akane? If you have something to say, make sure to say it.”
Upon hearing this, Akane looked up at Eve.
“I want you to import books from the Kingdom of Reputari. I want to read paper books.”
“Oh my…”
Now that she thought about it, there was no need to prepare paper books within The Tree. The original texts were in electronic data, and even if they were bound, the value would be diminished.
“Let me think about it.”
“Only Ayame Zero is cheating.”
“Oh my…”
“What’s with the sudden formality? It’s making me a bit nervous.”
“The situation hasn’t changed, but I found something concerning.”
An urgent top-level meeting was set up with Amagio Silverhead following the discovery of the stone monument.
“This is it. Can you analyze it?”
“Hmm…?”
Eve sent an image of the stone monument with its contours digitally enhanced to Amagio.
“Hey, hey… where did you find this?”
After reading the data expressed in a two-dimensional code, Amagio’s expression darkened.
“Well, it would have been fine if I found it in some random place…”
Eve continued with a wry smile, curious about his reaction.
“Surprise! This was found in the Prava Divine Nation, inside the cathedral at the center of the capital (Stalitza).”
“Huh!?”
“It’s probably treated as a divine relic or a holy artifact. I was quite surprised to find something like this during my investigation.”
“…”
Amagio fell silent. His silence prompted Eve to do the same. Although she had gotten used to it, she was still a recluse. In situations like this, she didn’t know what to say.
That silence lasted for several minutes.
“…Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“Oh, it’s fine. I understand this is incredible information.”
“Ah… So, what does this mean? Why would the Prava Divine Nation have our machine…?”
“Well, I can’t say for sure. It could be related to its origins, or perhaps it was mistakenly stored. That’s something we’ll have to investigate further.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Sorry for panicking.”
In the video, Amagio let out a deep sigh.
“Sorry, but unfortunately, I don’t have any information about this in my current memory. I’ve archived my old memories.”
With that, Amagio straightened his posture.
“If this came from the core of the Prava Divine Nation, I can’t just forget about it. I haven’t mentioned this directly to you, but could you please request an external processing unit? I need it. Otherwise, I won’t be able to expand my archives.”
“…Is there no way for you to expand even a part of it?”
“Ah. Honestly, too much time has passed. I’ve modified my brain’s memory storage. So, while I can retain much more memory than a normal biological brain, there are still limits. I need to secure capacity, so old memories are archived in order. However, the memory storage isn’t infinite. In another ten years, I’ll need to reorganize the archives.”
She recalled the settings of the World of Space. The pros and cons of mechanizing her avatar. The benefits were clear, but the downsides were also evident. If she remembered correctly, unlike biological brains, performance would decline without regular maintenance.
“I’ve created some indexes for the archives, but there isn’t enough information to expand just the memories I need. Expanding them would put pressure on my current memory storage, so I’d have to alternate between expansion and compression. Moreover, the working space is extremely limited. It wouldn’t be surprising if it took three years just to find the information I need.”
Amagio had claimed to be maintenance-free, but it seemed that his information processing unit had most of its functions turned off. While it might have been pointless, the truth was that he had no choice but to leave it unattended because he couldn’t maintain it.
“If there are conditions, I’ll accept as many as possible. I understand that it’s difficult to pay the compensation. But can’t we work something out, Eve?”
“…”
And with that plea, it was Eve who fell silent this time.