"While I'd glimpsed Lynelle's abilities through your emails, Herta, seeing it in person today certainly carries a different weight."
Since cleansing informational noise was a meticulous process, and to prevent Pascal's emotional module from undergoing unexpected changes by accidentally touching her corrosive power, Lynelle made her ability activate very slowly.
Of course, this also provided Screwllum and Herta a perfect chance to observe the Herrscher of Corruption's power at work up close.
"Oh? What is it, Screwllum? Did you notice something else?"
"Hmm... perhaps."
Screwllum thought for a moment, then asked, "Herta, if a person possesses a certain ability, is there generally any need to replicate that authority into two versions with subtle differences?"
"That person must have too much time on their hands," Herta quipped.
"Of course, it could also be for testing something, or controlling variables... Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. I just have a faint sense that Miss Lynelle seems to possess two types of corrosive authority within her."
"They belong to the same category, yet feel subtly different. If I had to assign colors, one seems... purplish with a hint of pink, and the other is green?"
As if worried Herta might misunderstand, Screwllum quickly added, "My apologies, I don't mean to pry into Lynelle's unique traits."
"It's just that, due to your previous prank, my security system has flagged her corrosive power as a high-risk object... Simply put, the security AI seems a bit traumatized."
"I see... That's fine, it's probably a normal state of affairs."
Herta didn't need to think twice to know it was definitely related to Lynelle's experiences in another world.
"It wouldn't be strange for any number of things that defy common sense to appear concerning her. After all, even though Lynelle seems a bit ditzy, she's the genuine article—a bona fide Emanator's proxy, one who even has the authority to make decisions on their behalf."
Herta wasn't exaggerating. Based on her current deductions, the Emanator behind Lynelle was most likely that girl named Kiana.
And the relationship between that Kiana and Lynelle... Tch.
"I see. That puts my mind at ease."
Screwllum gave a slight nod. "There's no doubt that this inorganic lifeform named Pascal has indeed developed its own emotions."
"Oh?" Herta asked with interest. "Doesn't that mean the current mainstream theories on silicon-based civilization genesis are fundamentally flawed?"
"After all, by their logic, a mechanical construct at Pascal's technological level would barely even qualify as a sentient automaton."
"That theory was problematic from the start."
Screwllum sighed. "When Rubert I first came into being, he was an extremely simple mechanical device, with barely over ninety bytes of space to store his emotions. Yet, that didn't prevent him from developing a sense of self."
"It's just that in public memory, the impressions of Rubert I as a genius or a tyrant are far more prominent, causing most to overlook how miraculous the process of his self-awakening truly was."
"In my research, there are many possible paths from awakening to genesis for silicon-based civilizations."
"I've disproven some, while others are still under investigation. However, there's no doubt that Belobog on Jarilo-VI will be a crucial observation subject. I might even find evidence there for an important proposition—that the spark of emotion in inorganic life is deeply intertwined with organic life."
"..."
Svarog listened quietly to their conversation.
Although Lynelle had only given him a brief introduction to the two, his database made it abundantly clear just how formidable these individuals were.
However, judging from their current exchange, this Mr. Screwllum seemed to hold high hopes for the Robot Settlement, and indeed for all of Belobog.
"Ah, my apologies, Mr. Svarog."
Screwllum noticed Svarog's contemplative silence.
"Please forgive my poor choice of words. Although I did not intend it as such, my earlier description was indeed somewhat disrespectful to the beings of this planet."
"I will not view you as experimental subjects, but rather treat you as friends. Therefore, please forgive my earlier discourtesy."
"I sincerely hope that the silicon-based civilization on Belobog can truly evolve, perhaps even forming a unified entity with the local organic civilization... When that time comes, we might even address each other as [brothers]."
"Analysis: Current computational power is insufficient to parse underlying motives... However, I can sense your optimistic outlook regarding the future development of Jarilo-VI. Thank you."
"Hehe, Svarog, Screwllum's promises aren't empty words... If he says he has high hopes for you, it means he genuinely believes in your potential and might even provide necessary aid at critical moments in the future."
At that moment, Lynelle, having finished adjusting Pascal's system, opened her eyes with a smile.
"Clara, its emotional module should be fine now. But to avoid any potential issues, I recommend you replace its components with new ones as soon as possible."
"Congratulations! Thanks to your persistence, Belobog has welcomed its second true silicon-based lifeform with genuine emotions."
"Huh?" Clara was a bit confused. "Truly having emotions... but I feel like every member of the Robot Settlement has very rich emotions."
"Then that's an even better thing."
Lynelle gently patted Clara's head. "Alright, hurry and go repair Pascal. Stelle is nearby; you can ask her to protect you."
"Okay! Goodbye, big sister!"
After watching Clara leave, Lynelle finally turned back.
"Regarding the latent threats to Belobog... You probably aren't fully aware yet, but Svarog likely has many records. A major reason I invited you here was to hear your opinions and experiences concerning these matters."
"From what I can see, the most pressing threat to Belobog right now is probably the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"The IPC? That makes sense. These automatons here do all use the Corporation's source code."
"Even with some structural optimizations, expecting a tiny place like this to produce a genius capable of genuinely improving the IPC's source code from scratch is a bit too fanciful."
Herta looked over the scan results she'd just compiled. "So... these robots, they were initially purchased from the Corporation?"
"Most likely. Svarog doesn't have detailed purchase records, but it's certain that the first Supreme Guardian took out a massive loan from the Corporation."
"However, when that loan was taken, Belobog was a thriving, promising planet for tourism and ore exports. The foresighted Supreme Guardian used that loan to build numerous shelters all over Jarilo-VI, including the one underlying Belobog itself."
"Most people at the time didn't understand her, but after the Antimatter Legion invaded, all that criticism boomeranged right back."
Lynelle spread her hands.
"So, it wasn't just the first batch of robots. The construction materials for Belobog, the many now-destroyed shelters... the seed money for all of it actually came from that loan."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.