Chapter 484: Ruins 28

The second storm has risen, but there is always an end to it.

"So the Sandbox records Mind Mages in this way," Du Zhengyi said, looking at Liu Ziyi. "However, are you certain that no other... souls exist within the Sandbox?"

"Luo Qi has a theory; he feels that these puppets have the characteristics of an army, so there must be a consciousness behind them mobilizing the thousands of troops, because only then could a strategic advantage be formed. We once probed them, and a small portion of the puppets seemed to retain a higher level of intelligence, capable of acting as squad leaders or commanders in a human army. At the time, I thought perhaps a Ghost was behind it all, directing everything through these high-level puppets. But if such an ancient soul truly existed, I would have had no way to open the Sandbox interface and find Luo Qi's energy map. The two points contradict each other, proving that no higher consciousness exists within this Sandbox."

"You are right," Du Zhengyi nodded. Liu Ziyi had spoken very clearly and accurately.

Encouraged, Liu Ziyi continued, "Then it must be that the mechanisms and rules of the Sandbox itself are just like this. But the coordination between the puppets is truly too tacit; if there isn't another commander behind them, then their brains must be linked together by some kind of Magic, forming a symbiotic mode. The puppets here, when combined, might be enough to form a creature with near-normal intelligence. Luo Qi also tends to suspect this."

Du Zhengyi listened, and a familiar feeling suddenly struck him: "Alien."

"What?" Xiang Qian did not understand what he was talking about.

Liu Ziyi was also looking at him; she understood humans a bit better than Xiang Qian did. "Brother said... that movie? Alien?"

Du Zhengyi shook his head. "Alien" was what Luo Qi had said; Luo Qi always liked to name things, and after a long time, he had subconsciously used the names Luo Qi gave these things. Speaking of symbiosis, he only knew of one symbiotic existence, which was the time Fan Shi launched an Alien creature attack against them. "Do you mean that even if there is a higher consciousness, it does not exist in the Sandbox's Magic system, but rather within the minds of the puppets?"

"Basically, yes. Perhaps it takes several of them linked together to make up one brain," Liu Ziyi said.

Du Zhengyi recalled the mode of the Aliens. Luo Qi had said that Aliens use a shared thought network, yet there would still be a "Queen," an organizational mode like the Insect Race. "Is it possible for a leader to exist?"

Liu Ziyi bit her lip. "If that were the case, it would mean a real person, or someone with a near-complete self-consciousness, has been trapped here for a lifetime. That is too terrifying."

"Is this Necromancy?" Du Zhengyi asked suddenly.

Controlling a person and turning them into a puppet might not be difficult for a high-level Mind Mage. But controlling an army of puppets is not something a Mind Mage could do solely by relying on Telepathy; it involves a complex amount of engineering and long-extinct techniques. Mages call this Necromancy.

This name, which had been extinct for three hundred years outside the Sandbox, he had only just remembered recently. Before they came to the Highland Mages, when Wen Lin headed to Ganzhou, they had mentioned Necromancy. It was a bit of a coincidence that these things all happened to be somewhat connected to Fan Shi. The Aliens had also passed through Fan Shi's hands, and the investigation into Luo Qi was also pushed by Fan Shi.

Liu Ziyi could not answer his question. "How Necromancy is actually achieved, no one knows. The experiments required to revive Necromancy are too dark; the Committee would never approve such heaven-defying experiments. If this kind of Magic is extinct, then let it be. Just thinking about it makes me feel cold all over."

Xiang Qian looked at Du Zhengyi. "Why are you curious about this?"

"If we know the organizational method of these puppets, we can dismantle them from the key points," Du Zhengyi said.

"This Sandbox has at least opened up Weather Control Magic. Even if other large-scale destructive Magic cannot be used, I can still use this type of Magic to clear out the puppets," Xiang Qian said.

"Better not. We finish the job quickly and retreat quickly. This Sandbox has always had the characteristic of increasing the difficulty of the assessment based on the Mage's ability; let's not provoke it any further. It is best if this matter ends here, and besides..." Du Zhengyi glanced at the small puppet standing to the side, "We must find Luo Qi first, otherwise we might accidentally hurt him."

"Alright then, as soon as the storm ends, we will go find Luo Qi together. Ziyi, do you have a rough estimate of Luo Qi's location?" Xiang Qian asked.

Liu Ziyi shook her head. "I can't imagine where he would be, but when he left, he seemed very clear about where he was going."

"Mage Xiang," Du Zhengyi moved his gaze away from the constantly changing energy maps and interrupted their conversation. "Once this storm ends, the attack will begin. After the storm stops, Mage Xiang had best take Ziyi to the Obelisk Square. If you can shut down the Sandbox and terminate this simulation test, that would be best. If you cannot shut it down immediately, then leave here quickly."

Liu Ziyi said immediately, "I can stay here and continue to study this Sandbox. Mage Xiang can go help you. Once you find Luo Qi, you can come back and pick me up."

Xiang Qian said, "That sounds good."

"No," Du Zhengyi said. "Mage Xiang, your activity here also increases the threat level; the Sandbox will detect your energy. I do not intend to slaughter everyone here; I will try to avoid combat. It is more effective to operate alone here. Once I find Luo Qi, I will leave immediately."

Liu Ziyi still wanted to protest, but Xiang Qian hesitated and made a decision. "Forget it, Ziyi, this is the right thing to do. You have already done enough here. After we get out, you can still prove to the Committee that Luo Qi's test can be ended. The proof you provide as a professional is very powerful and can directly end this mess."

Liu Ziyi was not very willing; she started to speak twice but stopped, and nodded very reluctantly.

Du Zhengyi gave the small puppet a push. "Take him out too."

"What?" Xiang Qian glared at the dirty little puppet with disgust.

"Many people do not know what is going on with the puppets in the Sandbox," Du Zhengyi said. "Perhaps those big shots who haven't been through the Sandbox, after seeing the puppets with their own eyes, will have one or two who have grown a conscience and will want to propose shutting down this Sandbox. Perhaps some Magic is extinct for a reason; it is possible that some Sandboxes are not worth inheriting at all. Besides, things Luo Qi has claimed should be taken back for him; let him recycle his own Magic waste."