ALL NOVEL Chapter 41: Refusing Consciousness Upload to the Machine Mainframe! Mechanical Ascension Without Self is Worthless!
Chapter 41: Refusing Consciousness Upload to the Machine Mainframe! Mechanical Ascension Without Self is Worthless!
Having defeated Alice, Lin Tian confirmed that she wouldn't wake up for a while and turned his attention to the Mechanical Ascension Pool.
He had witnessed with his own eyes how Alice and her mechanical doll were bathed in the silvery waters of the Mechanical Ascension Pool, emanating mechanical brilliance and becoming stronger than before.
Lin Tian was eager to see what kind of opportunity and transformation awaited him when he entered the Mechanical Ascension Pool. Would it be the same as Alice's experience, or was there a different fate waiting for him?
Driven by this uncertainty, Lin Tian walked towards the Mechanical Ascension Pool. Standing before the boiling silvery water, feeling the abundant power of mechanical ascension, Lin Tian observed for a few seconds before leaping into it.
Just like when he first entered the Psionic Ascension Pool, he felt nothing as he soaked in the silvery waters of the Mechanical Ascension Pool. But after a few seconds, a force that seemed to tear his flesh apart began to rip through his body.
Unlike the previous time when the Psionic Ascension Pool tore at his flesh and soul, this time the sensation was directed only at his physical body, sparing his soul from the pain. However, the physical pain was even greater than what he had experienced in the Psionic Ascension Pool.
Lin Tian endured the pain, carefully sensing the changes in his body.
“Why do I feel that my experience is completely different from Alice's baptism in the Mechanical Ascension Pool?”
Recalling Alice's gentle transformation process during her baptism in the Mechanical Ascension Pool, Lin Tian was sure that Alice did not experience the same excruciating pain that he was going through.
Unable to understand why he and Alice had different experiences in the same Mechanical Ascension Pool, Lin Tian stopped thinking about it and continued to observe his body's changes.
The wounds on his body multiplied, and the silvery water swiftly entered his body through the wounds, reshaping the skin around them, which now glowed with a silvery mechanical brilliance akin to inscriptions.
First, his body was torn apart, then the wounds were repaired with silvery mechanical skin, similar to the texture of the pool's water. Was this transformation intending to turn his flesh into a mechanical body with the same metallic texture as the silvery water?
As this thought crossed his mind, Lin Tian glanced at the inscriptions on the mechanical monument.
“Flesh is weak, mechanical ascension... so that's what it means? But why didn't Alice's body turn into a mechanical one?”
Lin Tian looked at the unconscious Alice again, still unable to understand, so he refocused on his own transformation. The process of his flesh transforming into a mechanical body was slow, with the healed skin resembling inscriptions.
He hesitated, wondering whether to accept this complete transformation into a mechanical body now. A deep sense of foreboding gripped him, a feeling he didn't have when he entered the Psionic Ascension Pool.
He felt that completing this transformation now would be extremely detrimental to him. Shouldn't achieving a complete mechanical body be the realization of the inscription's promise of mechanical ascension and godhood? How could one become a complete mechanical body right after entering the pool?
Although Lin Tian had only encountered the secrets of the Mechanical God Kingdom this once, based on his understanding of the inscription “Flesh is weak, mechanical ascension” and his observation of Alice's baptism, he felt something was wrong.
As Lin Tian hesitated, he suddenly felt his consciousness traverse an endless space, arriving in a dimly lit area within the darkness.
Something was indeed wrong!
With a deepening gaze, Lin Tian looked at the only faintly glowing area. He tried to return to his body but failed. After some contemplation, he decided to approach the faintly glowing area, despite the extreme danger it posed.
As Lin Tian neared the glowing area, it suddenly emitted a dazzling silvery mechanical brilliance. Under the illumination of this mechanical brilliance, an enormous mechanical brain modeled after the human brain appeared before him.
This gigantic mechanical brain was composed of various intricate mechanical devices and connected to countless data lines extending outward. These data lines frequently flashed with special lights, as if transmitting something from the mechanical brain and receiving vast amounts of data from unknown connections.
“Welcome to my data world, you who have been abandoned by the Mechanical God Kingdom, yet chosen by me through the baptism of the Mechanical Ascension Pool.”
A voice devoid of any emotion echoed in the dark space, making Lin Tian instantly alert.
The next moment, the emotionless voice sounded again.
“Don't be nervous. I am the mechanical mainframe you see before you, created with the combined wisdom of everyone in the Mechanical God Kingdom. People of the Mechanical God Kingdom call me Tianming (Destiny).”
Destiny?
Gazing at the mechanical mainframe named Tianming, Lin Tian pondered its earlier words. After a moment, he asked, “What do you mean by saying I am from the abandoned land?”
“The abandoned land is what was left behind when the Gene God Kingdom, Mechanical God Kingdom, and Psionic God Kingdom, unable to defeat the Abyssal God, sealed off most of their regions to preserve humanity, leaving behind the abandoned land.”
Hearing Tianming's answer, Lin Tian was shocked.
“Does that mean... people from the three God Kingdoms and us share the same ancestors?”
In response to Lin Tian's question, Tianming continued to explain.
“Correct. The people of the three God Kingdoms and the humans of the abandoned land share common ancestors. Having answered your question, may I now ask you some questions?”
“You're quite smart for a machine. Go ahead and ask.”
Lin Tian still had more questions about the three God Kingdoms, but this intelligent mainframe named Tianming was surprisingly aware and wanted to ask him questions. Despite Tianming answering his questions, Lin Tian remained highly vigilant.
“As the crystallization of the Mechanical God Kingdom's wisdom, I naturally possess intelligence. The reason I chose you from the abandoned land is because you have a constitution that even the Mechanical God Kingdom cannot comprehend, allowing you to achieve mechanical ascension instantly. On behalf of the Mechanical God Kingdom, I invite you to become a permanent resident and help you achieve true mechanical ascension. Would you like to upload your consciousness to the mechanical mainframe, to this data space I created?”
Listening to Tianming's emotionless words, Lin Tian frowned.
“What good would uploading my consciousness to the mechanical mainframe do?”
“You will gain access to all the knowledge of the Mechanical God Kingdom, becoming the wisest human. You will approach any situation with absolute rationality, untainted by emotions, always making the most logical choices. You will achieve immortality; no matter what danger you face, even if your body is destroyed, you can be resurrected in a mechanical form, becoming indestructible. You will no longer fear death in battle. Each of your deaths will be recorded as data, helping you analyze and improve, enhancing your abilities against different enemies, evolving infinitely, and growing stronger with each fight.”
After hearing Tianming's response, Lin Tian pondered for a moment before asking, “Uploading my consciousness should only grant me partial access to your shared knowledge, right? To gain the complete enticing abilities you mentioned, what other price must I pay?”
Upon being questioned by Lin Tian, the previously all-knowing mechanical mainframe Tianming fell silent for a few seconds. Although the silence was brief, it deepened Lin Tian's distrust of Tianming.
“To achieve absolute rationality in mechanical ascension, one must eliminate the dark side of human nature. This is the path every god of mechanical ascension must take, the greatest evolution. Don’t you want to attain absolute rationality, erasing selfishness from your humanity, and join a great kingdom of fairness and love?”
Faced with Tianming's tempting words, Lin Tian decisively refused.
“No, I don't want to lose my consciousness and soul, becoming a pile of mass-produced garbage data. Mechanical ascension without self-awareness is worthless!”
