[Test Terminal 001, welcome to the Akasha Interconnected Network.]
As Nolan placed the Akasha Terminal on his ear, a line of text naturally appeared before his eyes.
When the text faded, a rounded, semi-transparent virtual interface with a blur effect appeared in front of him.
Displayed on it was the user manual for the Akasha Terminal.
First was a detailed introduction to the Akasha Terminal, followed by operation instructions for each function—functions that somewhat resembled smartphone apps on Earth.
Icons were shown on the interface, and tapping them allowed the user to access their respective features.
This design had been tested over time and proven both user-friendly and efficient. Each app came with a "Guide 1" operation walkthrough.
Basically, anyone with a normal level of comprehension could quickly learn how to use these software features.
Nolan dragged the rounded virtual interface to enlarge it—roughly the size of a tablet computer on Earth.
As he adjusted it, the software icons on the virtual screen automatically rearranged themselves into a horizontal row.
From left to right, the icons were:
Immersion Mode, Camera Device, Map Navigation, Knowledge Store, Akasha Bank, and Akasha Forum.
The first function, Immersion Mode, allowed the Akasha Terminal to switch to an immersive experience—meaning it would stop displaying the virtual interface, or only show minimal visual aids that didn't interfere with one's vision.
In this mode, all functions could be triggered just through thought.
This mode was obviously much more convenient, but because it lacked a visual interface, it was more difficult to use—making it less beginner-friendly.
Generally, users would only enable it once they were already proficient with the Akasha Terminal.
The second icon, the Camera Device, combined a wide range of features—photography, video/audio recording, photo album, video playback, projection, object recognition, and more. It was extremely comprehensive.
Nolan opened the Camera Device and found that the viewfinder was literally his field of vision—whatever he captured was exactly what he saw.
The clarity of the photos was indistinguishable from what the human eye could perceive—possibly even higher, though our eyes couldn't detect the difference.
It made sense—though the Akasha Terminal appeared similar to a phone on the surface, the technology behind it was fundamentally different.
There were no physical cameras or optical sensors; the absence of such hardware limitations was expected.
As far as Nolan could tell, the Camera Device had no drawbacks. He then tapped on the third icon—Map Navigation. As the name suggested, this app displayed maps of regions covered by the "Akasha" system and offered highly accurate navigation.
There was no denying the power of the supernatural.
On Earth, it had taken over twenty years—from the launch of the first GPS satellite—to develop a comprehensive satellite navigation system.
Yet Sumeru had no satellites at all, and still managed to deliver a map and navigation system more precise than satellite GPS. Only with miraculous powers could something like this be possible.
Next up was the Knowledge Store, which allowed users to upload knowledge to the "Akasha" system or download knowledge from it—a feature that had existed previously.
However, upon further consideration, this functionality had undergone some changes.
Downloading knowledge was no longer freely available—it now required Mora purchases. Moreover, downloadable knowledge had to pass evaluation to ensure it wouldn't cause societal harm.
If one wanted to obtain knowledge that involved sensitive or potentially hazardous content, they would have to apply for access. It would only be approved for scientific research and still be monitored by the "Akasha" system.
On the flip side, uploading valuable knowledge could earn Mora based on how well it sold—finally giving Sumeru scholars a direct channel for earning money!
This would greatly motivate scholars to explore new frontiers of knowledge.
Then came the Akasha Bank, essentially the online version of the Sumeru Bank. It could display one's current balance in real-time and allow online payments via the Akasha Terminal.
Online payments might seem like a hassle, but for Nahida, the only inconvenience was waiting for the bank to upload customers' account info to the "Akasha" system.
With such a convenient payment system, Sumeru's economic efficiency would drastically improve—and thanks to the monitoring of the "Akasha" system, it could also drastically reduce corruption.
Finally, the Akasha Forum—the very project that Lumine and Nahida had just completed. Nolan opened it as well.
A smooth, virtual interface popped up, followed by a detailed guide to all its features.
Nolan followed the instructions and explored for a while, discovering that all the functions expected from an online community were present: username, profile picture, adding friends, following others, creating group chats, posting updates, sharing videos, etc.
There were even official news updates, announcements, and support for live streaming!
Currently, though, the Akasha Forum hadn't entered testing yet, so there wasn't a single post. Despite the numerous features, the interface remained impressively clean.
Nolan found himself quite fond of it.
"How is it? Done reading? What do you think of the Akasha Terminal's current functions?" Nahida asked, hands on her hips and looking up at him.
Nolan paused in thought before responding:
"The experience your software provides has already surpassed that of similar apps back on Earth."
"As far as I'm concerned, I can't find any flaws."
Hearing this, Nahida's face lit up with a smile. It was clear she was in a great mood after receiving such high praise. She nodded and said:
"Since you think it's ready, then the 'Akasha Forum' can begin closed beta testing. Let's have the scholars from the Akademiya serve as the test users."
[Nahida Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 360 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (0/800)]
With that, despite not wearing a Akasha Terminal, Nahida summoned a green virtual interface before her and swiftly selected the test participants, immediately pushing out the update.
Nolan looked at the prompt that popped up on his character panel and couldn't help but smile in satisfaction. He chuckled and asked:
"Speaking of which, I've been thinking lately—would it be possible for scholars from other nations to log into the 'Akasha Interconnected Network' with a Akasha Terminal, allowing for remote communication at will?
"Besides obtaining more Gnoses, is there any other way to expand the coverage of the 'Akasha' system?"
"Hmm…" Nahida pressed a finger to her lips in thought, then explained, "A Gnosis's role in the 'Akasha' system is to provide a massive, renewable and sustainable energy source.
"So, if you want to expand the coverage area of the 'Akasha' system, you don't necessarily need other Gnoses. As long as you can find an energy core that's equal to a Gnosis in power and can supply energy continuously, it's possible to attempt expanding the system's reach."
Currently, the "Akasha" system covered all of Sumeru, and that was precisely the point where the Dendro Gnosis's energy output and recovery remained in balance.
It wasn't that further expansion was impossible—it was just that increasing the load would tip the balance, causing the energy consumption to exceed regeneration.
Once the Gnosis's energy was depleted, the "Akasha" system would have to temporarily shut down until it could recover.
"I see."
Nolan nodded in understanding. Energy cores? He had plenty of those.
A spatial rift cracked open beside him, and Nolan reached in and pulled out a bright glowing orb from the warehouse of his Wonderland.
"Nahida, what about this thing? Can it be hooked into the 'Akasha' system to provide energy?"
"Wait, isn't that the glowing eye from a Ruin Guard's forehead?" Paimon floated beside Lumine and easily recognized the item thanks to her experience.
"This doesn't meet the criteria for renewable automatic recovery," Lumine said, arms crossed in front of her partially exposed chest, shaking her head.
"Lumine's right," Nahida added. "Although the Ruin Guard's core can technically provide energy to the 'Akasha' terminal, its contribution is negligible. Even if you used ten thousand of them, they'd be drained in an instant and still wouldn't increase the range. The cost is just too high."
Nahida gave a detailed explanation.
"Well, worth asking anyway," Nolan said, and after a moment, he took out another object—a glass sphere similar to a Vision.
"What about this? Lisa developed it—an Elemental Storage Unit that can gradually absorb elemental energy from the surroundings over time to recharge itself."
"This one is usable," Nahida replied, "but it faces a similar problem: the amount of energy it stores is too little compared to a Gnosis, and its recovery speed is also too slow. To match a Gnosis, you'd need an astronomical number of these."
Nahida shook her head.
"I figured as much, so I'm thinking—what if I collect materials and craft a supersized elemental storage unit? That should at least have some effect, right?" Nolan suggested his idea.
"Unless you build it entirely out of high-grade golden-quality elemental materials and design it as a divine artifact specifically for storing elemental energy, it won't have much of an impact.
"Even if you do manage to build such a divine artifact, it would still be far inferior to a Gnosis. Don't expect it to expand coverage all the way to Liyue.
"Covering a single town would already be an achievement."
Nahida knew the energy requirements of the "Akasha" system better than anyone. Expanding its reach was no simple task.
"Then what if I made several of them? Hmm… Sure, it's more expensive, but once they're up and running, they'll generate a steady stream of benefits. Not impossible," Nolan said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
In any case, expanding the "Akasha" system's coverage was necessary. The cost wasn't a huge issue—the bigger problem was finding enough golden-quality materials.
As for stealing a Gnosis from the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya… well, unless he was strong enough to knock her out cold and slap a Command Seal on her to force obedience, it wasn't worth the risk.
Even if their powers were evenly matched, he'd hesitate—there was always the fear that she'd lash out at the people close to him in retaliation, or worse, start a war with Mondstadt or Liyue. That would be disastrous.
He wanted to elevate Teyvat's technological level, yes—but only under peaceful and stable conditions. He had all the time in the world, after all, so there was no need to do something so dangerous.
Noticing the hint of disappointment on Nolan's face, Nahida smiled and said:
"I actually know of something that would be a perfect match for the 'Akasha' system. If we had it, then expanding the system to eventually cover all of Teyvat wouldn't be a problem!"
Her words immediately grabbed the attention of Nolan, Lumine, and Paimon. Curious, they all looked at her.
"What is it?"
"Have you heard of Fontaine's Regulation-Compensated Hybrid Energy?" Nahida asked, looking up at the taller trio.
"Regulation... Compensated Hybrid Energy?" they echoed in confusion—they clearly hadn't heard of it.
"Fontaine is a highly advanced nation, and this form of energy supports its citizens' daily lives and keeps its cities running. The way it's produced is quite fascinating."
As the God of Wisdom, Nahida was naturally very well-informed about the other nations.
"It's fascinating?" Paimon spread her hands, puzzled.
"You've probably heard that Fontaine is also called the Nation of Justice, right? That's because its people are deeply passionate about watching courtroom trials, and that includes their Hydro Archon, Furina.
"The system that powers all of Fontaine's cities—the Regulation-Compensated Hybrid Energy—relies primarily on a miraculous machine called the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale.
"It's said that this device collects people's belief in 'justice' and converts it into the immense energy needed to run an entire city. That energy is what they call the Regulation-Compensated Hybrid Energy (Pneuma, Ousia and, Indemnitium)."
Nahida didn't keep them in suspense—she shared everything she knew.
"Collecting faith and converting it into energy…" Nolan's mind worked quickly, and he seemed to grasp something.
"Nahida, you're suggesting we find a way to connect the Oratrice to the 'Akasha' system, letting it supply energy to it.
"Then, we let the 'Akasha' system spread stories and concepts of 'justice,' which in turn boosts the Oratrice by generating more faith.
"The more people believe in justice, the more energy it produces. With that kind of positive feedback loop, the coverage of the 'Akasha' system would grow larger and larger!"
"Whoa, there's actually a machine that amazing?!" Paimon gasped in astonishment.
"So to sum it up: more people equals more belief, more belief equals more energy, and more energy means a larger coverage range for the 'Akasha' system," Lumine mused.
"Exactly. The Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale is located in Fontaine's Opera Epiclese. Even if it holds court every day to a packed audience, the amount of faith generated wouldn't seem like much.
"But the reality is that this amount of belief is somehow sufficient to power all of Fontaine's major cities.
"If we can find a way to collect faith through the 'Akasha Interconnected Network'... hmm, I have a feeling even a Gnosis might not be able to match its potential."
The God of Wisdom, Nahida, shared a bold and ambitious idea.
And bold it was—after all, she was talking about tapping into the very heart of what powered an entire nation.
(End of Chapter)
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