Chapter 329 — Points of Doubt
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 4
"I have already constructed the first magic-net unit and the first compound rotary repulsion mechanism in the laboratory. I am striving to master the great knowledge you have bestowed," Daniel said, genuine reverence and a trace of excitement on his face. The old mage had indeed first pledged loyalty under Gaoyang's intimidation, but now the hot blood of a researcher was blazing fiercely within him, and the new knowledge exhilarated him beyond measure. "And I have also tested my apprentice. I have one named Mary; her talent in the mathematical sciences is excellent, and I believe she can serve as my assistant."
"Very good. What I require you to do in the real world is no simple matter; you cannot manage without an assistant," Gaoyang nodded. "Take your apprentice and delve thoroughly into the knowledge I have given you. Prepare all the materials from the research and development phase, but do not divulge them for now. Only when I require it may you let the world know of your research. By the way—is your apprentice reliable?"
"Reliable. They would never dare betray me, and I will not let them learn too many unnecessary secrets."
"Good." As he spoke, Gaoyang gave a casual wave of his hand, and at once a broad seat materialized out of thin air. He sat down quite at his ease and looked into Daniel's eyes. "The materials I had you gather last time—how goes the progress?"
"Under the pretext of building a test database, I assembled a batch of materials without arousing suspicion," Daniel said, and as he spoke he manifested in his hand an ancient scroll sealed with arcane magical runes. He handed the scroll to Gaoyang with the utmost deference. "I have done a preliminary sorting; you may read it directly."
A hint of approval appeared on Gaoyang's face. He reached out, took the scroll, and opened it before his eyes.
Upon the scroll there was only a hazy, swirling white light, yet vast quantities of data began pouring ceaselessly into Gaoyang's mind.
This was one of the ways individuals exchanged information within the mental network. In such a network, where minds were directly linked, the exchange of information took many different forms: one could manifest readable tomes, or compress data into specific "media" in mimetic form. Clearly, Daniel, as a traditional and elderly mage, had a particular fondness for the scroll format.
What Gaoyang had Daniel collect was knowledge of the most fundamental parts of the mental network: its physical architecture, the basic functions of the brain's neurons, and the corresponding role played by dream magic in the process.
He had obtained a great deal of knowledge after devouring that unfortunate Sleeper, but some of it had shattered into fragments in the process and vanished utterly with that Sleeper's death. As a result, he knew many Sleeper "skills" but possessed no systematic body of knowledge that could be studied. What he needed to do now was fill in these gaps.
He would sort through it starting from the most basic knowledge and see exactly which parts he was missing.
This knowledge was not rated especially high in secrecy within the Longmirk Order, but unless one captured the "experts" specifically responsible for constructing this network, it was very difficult to collect it in full. For this era, the mental network created by the Sleepers was an utterly enormous systematic undertaking. The knowledge required for this project—which in Gaoyang's eyes completely surpassed the age—was immensely complex, and it also demanded vast amounts of manpower to complete. Thus many Longmirk believers often knew only how a portion of the mental network's structure was to be realized, and few could grasp the whole picture.