Master of the Stars

Chapter 141: Simulator (Part 1/2)

Translator: Strivon

Luo Nan was more or less a bit stupefied when faced with He Yueyin's new form. He only awoke from his reverie when He Yueyin cast a piercing gaze over.

"I can?"

The HexaEar was invented by Ouyang Chen. It was the terminal equipment for the Psychic Wave Network and possessed a total of six layers of communications. A typical Awakened can achieve extremely fast and convenient network functions through the first three layers, and these were more than enough for daily use.

The Simulator belonged to the fourth layer of communications. Luo Nan once heard Mr. Bai explain that this function was similar to the out-of-body state. One could realize an instantiation of one's self-logic upon the Psychic Wave Network and similar virtual reality experiences. This was already quite high-level. Many members of the Society couldn't do it.

Luo Nan was a mentally enhanced ability user. He had the ability to send his soul out of his body, so he was superior than most people in this area. Mr. Bai had long since judged Luo Nan capable of entering this layer.

But Mr. Bai also said that Luo Nan absolutely must not use the Simulator function if he had not resolved the issue regarding his body and soul imbalance. Otherwise, his soul strength would likely continue to grow, giving his body even greater pressure.

In response to Luo Nan’s question, He Yueyin said, "Yes, because the results from President Ouyang's Logic World experiment allowed substantial changes to arise within the Simulator function. Right now, it’s still in a debugging state. The soul strength consumption rate doubles when one enters this basic layer. As long as your control is enough, we can eject you before any positive gains appear. Time is of the essence. We can start now."

"Uh, okay," Luo Nan simply replied.

He Yueyin did not immediately start practical training, but instead gave a refresher on the last class. "Last time, I taught you the concrete forms regarding extraordinary powers in the Psychic Wave Network."

"Yes. Extraordinary powers. Eastern tradition calls it Qi. Some people in the West call it Mana. Burners call it Internal Energy. The Society's official name for it is Psychic Power. No matter the name, it is fundamentally the energy and information that an ability user utilizes to bestow order."

Luo Nan quite liked the descriptor that was 'bestow order'. His realizations from his cultivations to this day were concordant with it. The subject made him talk non-stop. "Therefore, the HexaEar invented by President Ouyang is also known as the Psychic Simulator under the Society's definitions. The electronics built-in aren't really complicated precision electronics, but the device can guide psychic power, form a special terminal structure, and realize analytic control over energy and information..."

He grew more excited the more he talked. From Luo Nan's perspective, the terminal structure of the HexaEar was a sort of simple configuration. There was a huge difference between it and the external neuron, which was the Deep Sea Type 4 Dynamo Core, in terms of precision. It was even a bit inferior to the imitation chipset he had seen at Frost River Reality.

However, there was something absolutely amazing about this invention. It could make full use of the carrier that was the ability user. By guiding its relatively simple structure, it could display extremely remarkable utility.

If a description had to be made, the Dynamo Core and the imitation chipset were approximately equivalent to automatic weapons. Astonishing results could be displayed in their corresponding areas just by knowing how to manipulate these devices.

On the other hand, the HexaEar was like an ancient legendary sword. If placed in the hands of a child, it might not even be able to slay a chicken. However, if placed in the hands of a peerless swordsman, it could wipe out a thousand forces with ease using one horizontal slash.

Well, this was not an exact description, of course. Luo Nan was still unable to truly probe out all the functions of the Dynamo Core, and he did not have an accurate understanding of the upper limits of the HexaEar. However, this did nothing to stop him from feeling admiration toward President Ouyang Chen.

This sort of simple and precise structural form inspired only astonishment and awe in Luo Nan, a beginner arduously researching the efficiencies of soul configurations.

If his configuration was tempered to the degree that the HexaEar was, his external neuron would not be crammed with his rapidly growing soul strength to the brink of explosion. Luo Nan thought about his helpless situation with the enormous brimming lake that was the Hollow Depository, and had the impulse to rush over to apprentice himself to President Ouyang Chen.

He Yueyin was not surprised with Luo Nan's depth of understanding regarding the HexaEar and the Psychic Wave Network. She experienced Luo Nan's outstanding comprehension ability toward courses during her last lecture... Though this didn't involve political details.

She just added, "In the first three layers of communication modes, the HexaEar simply needs to decode the information flow coming in. The Simulator layer, on the other hand, involves the sharing of energy. That is, thousands upon thousands of people's psychic power are jointly used to support an enormous virtual world. The transmission of energy and information in this world is extremely efficient."

"Like last time when we faced... Well, who was the fellow who controlled the Human-Faced Arachnid?"

Luo Nan nearly blurted out the name 'Mo Lun'. This was back during the operation against Jack. Elder Mo Lun of the Bloodflame Order brought a Human-Faced Arachnid over to hunt and feed, giving the Human-Faced Arachnid and others a lot of trouble. In the end, He Yueyin borrowed Ouyang Chen's power through the Psychic Wave Network to repel the Human-Faced Arachnid.

The scene was fresh in Luo Nan's memory. He couldn't refrain from asking, "Is anything possible as long as one enters the Simulator layer?"

"Theoretically, yes, but the burden is quite heavy. The required privileges are extremely high. Perhaps there will be improvements made in the future. This is because the integration of the Logic World gave the Psychic Wave Network a fundamental change. What we are going to do next is to conduct a comprehensive analysis of this place before the majority of people come in."

He Yueyin's reminder made Luo Nan suddenly realize that although he was standing at the entrance to the Wilderness, he didn't see anyone else at all. "Are there normally a lot of people coming here?"

"There is on average 800 people online at any point during the day."

"That's a lot. Just how many Awakened are there in Xia City?"

"I'm talking globally."

"..."

He Yueyin added to her explanation, "If one isn't a mentally enhanced ability user with the ability to send one's soul out of the body, the vast majority of people have to be at or above the Architect level in order to enter this place and to access this plane. The ability to send one's soul out of the body is rarely seen in your typical Awakened. Therefore, every person you make contact with here in normal times is a veteran."

Luo Nan was a bit stunned. "Then, isn't it a bit early for me to come here?"

He Yueyin didn't answer him. She just walked slowly, entering the Wilderness from the border with a single step. Her glowing, translucent figure caused the dark red background to light up.

Then, she turned around to look at Luo Nan. "The name of the Society is The Wilderness Explorers Society. The Wilderness is our main direction. Of course, the far more dangerous ocean is also included. President Ouyang used the interface of the Ten Days in the Wilderness game not just by random choice, but because it is an excellent place to learn basic tactics."

"Today, we will focus on you adapting to this place. If there aren't any abnormal reactions, Crag Burst will guide you in this place to learn about tactical commands over the next few days. He is also the only one of your course instructors who can enter the fourth communication layer of the HexaEar. The other courses will be interspersed as you progress."

Luo Nan knew that the time to chat was over and nodded in agreement.

"One more thing."

He Yueyin suddenly chuckled. Her smile came out of nowhere. It was bright and dazzling under the virtual rays of light. It made one feel dazed. Abruptly, her arm slashed across empty air and a mirror appeared on the boundary line to the Wilderness a second later.

A mass of fuzzy, faint light shone in the mirror like drifting mist. At the center, one could faintly see the shape of a tetrahedron.

This... Luo Nan suddenly realized something while looking into the mirror.

"Is this me?"