Overturned Tower

Page 389

The plans of the dragon and the elves were completely unapproved by Russell.If you want to break the situation, you must find other paths.

Although the act of directly and actively transforming "all human beings" into Twilight always has a feeling of BE... But if the time really comes, this is also a helpless way.

It's like a person who is starving to death...and he can steal a piece of bread just by reaching out.Survive while being a sinner.

If this person is Russell himself, then he can choose to steal or not.

But if the person who is about to starve to death is a third party that has nothing to do with Russell, and the bread he stole does not belong to Russell... With Russell's character, he can't reach out to stop the other party's actions, and just watch "he" starve to death .

Russell wished to be able to provide him with a loaf of bread himself, if he could.

Let him live in an open and aboveboard manner without stealing or robbing.

"Then let me share with you. My plan."

Russell said in a deep voice: "So far, I have never mentioned it to anyone. You are the first."

"...Then should I be honored?"

"Be as honored as you can be."

Russell slowly closed his eyes, and whispered: "Because if everything goes well...it will be a way without sacrificing anyone."

Chapter 85 Russell's Plan of Salvation

"Without sacrificing anyone?"

Hearing Russell's words, he was concentrating on his promotion at first, but he laughed out loud: "There's no need to make a cake with us...Russell.

"We are all adults. Before such an extremely difficult and sufficiently dangerous catastrophe, the possibility of success of the plan, the consequences of failure and the price that must be paid are an impossible triangle.

"The big integration plan I proposed is that if there is a sufficient success rate and low enough risk, its price cannot be low-so I think this price must be paid.

"And if you want to reduce the cost, then there will be problems elsewhere. If you want to lower the adverse consequences of failure and try to have a safety guarantee, then the success of this plan may not be so high; similarly, If you want to do everything possible to increase the probability of success while reducing the cost...then when it fails, the consequences are absolutely unacceptable.

"So you might as well just say it, Russell—which side is your plan?"

"Probably the last one, I think."

Russell replied without hesitation.

The old man raised his brows with interest: "I see, you are this type."

"That's right. Although the price of its failure is completely unbearable, as long as it takes one wrong step, the whole game will be lost... But as long as the success rate is high enough, then there is no need to worry about the possibility of failure."

In front of the Pope, Russell slowly revealed his plan.

It was a plan that sounded very simple, but was extremely difficult to carry out - its first step was to give everyone in the world the same long-lasting, heartfelt, positive "wish ".

It is almost impossible to unite people against the disturbance of illusion.Then it's better to change the way of thinking... Let everyone gather hope for a certain matter from the bottom of their hearts.In this way, as the projection area of ​​the human subconscious, [-]% of the relevant areas will appear in the dream world.

For ordinary mages, this is probably simply "the dream world has changed", and new spells have appeared.Considering the popularity of this wish, the power of this spell should also be high.

But that's all.That's just one person after all.

Even if it monopolizes the entire area like the head of a deer... it cannot fully display its related abilities.Not to mention, the entire dream world is a remnant of the "First Psionic Network", which itself is an extension of the power of fantasy.

However, Russell has a distinctive feature.

— That is, Russell can directly dive into the sea of ​​group subconsciousness and influence the subconsciousness of others.

And the monkey-faced eagle has the ability to fuse - when Russell obtains the ability of the monkey-faced eagle, he can fuse himself with everyone's subconscious one by one in the sea of ​​group subconscious.

In this process, Russell may become twilight at any time.

Because he has devoured the monkey-faced eagle, which has been completed in the sense of the twilight egg.He only needs to "replenish nutrition" next, and the dusk species will hatch.

But because of the existence of that "common wish" - it transforms dreams into some kind of power.So Russell can transform all the power he got after expanding his scale into this spell.Because this is the person's wish, it will not damage the person's original personality... just like the person himself is a "mage with only this spell".

To put it simply, this "big wish" is an agreement to share computing power.And after downloading and passing this agreement, Russell can hijack other people's subconscious... But Russell will not control the other party for a long time, but hang the other party in the cloud, and after starting the auxiliary calculation through this agreement, he will directly re- Release control.

"My psychic power is the container of gods, and the psychic power of the monkey-faced eagle is the group god. And I have integrated the subconsciousness of all people... Then can I be called a 'complete god'?"

Russell's expression was solemn: "At that time, I will be a 'god'. Born from the sea of ​​group subconsciousness, the god who controls everyone's subconsciousness...and is a complete dusk that has absorbed all the nutrients and can break out of the shell at any time.

"In this way, I have a way to fight against the fantasy. After breaking the seal of the dream world, I just need to release the god hatched from my body, and then replace the original 'fantasy' and lock it in my body ...It's like I completely swallowed the fantasy. That is to say, I exchanged the ability and identity of the "phantom" with the identity of "the god hatched in everyone's subconscious" and the power of dusk that I originally possessed .

"That kind of dream is the 'dream in a cage'. It will no longer be a conceptual dusk that has no consciousness or rationality, and only acts on instinct... but a dusk species with a personality. Since it has a personality, it also can be controlled.

"Although I have lost my identity as a god, I also possess the power of a god. Naturally, I will not harm myself... and lose the threat of the phantom dream that is close at hand, so we naturally don't have to rush around and escape the planet.

"At that time, we can stay on this planet for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. After the gray dome is lifted, we can explore the universe; and after the 'Tower of the End' is lifted, we can Make more 'dragon engines', extract energy from parallel worlds, and try to enter other parallel worlds.

"If the sealed fantasy dream and my initial scale are both 1, then after completely devouring the fantasy dream, my scale will definitely increase. Even if there are twilight species in other worlds, I may not be unable to fight. This will be absolutely Victory, the best ending."

Russell unreservedly stated all his plans: "And the 'big wish' in my plan is to let everyone know that 'resources are about to run out'... Even if you tell me this may be a lie, I will It is also intended to be promoted as such.

"Then, I'll spread the word about how many possibilities there are in the outside world. I'm going to attack the dragon as the warden who 'imprisoned us on this planet', as an enemy... although it is true.

"When people think that all problems can be solved by leaving the planet, and happiness can be obtained by defeating the rule of the dragon, I just need to defeat the dragon in front of everyone, and people's desire to explore the star sea will be unprecedentedly high. And I only need Need to get this done before people cool off...it just doesn't have any risk.

"So, join us... promoted."

Russell held out his hand sincerely.

But looking at Russell's outstretched hand, the Pope fell into long-term thinking and silence.

"——Sorry. Although I have heard your plan... But now, I don't plan to help you."

The Pope said slowly and word by word: "The future you outlined is really full of hope... Your plan is indeed executable.

"But, I can't trust you.

"Contrary to what you said, your plan is full of risks...

"After merging everyone's subconscious mind, don't act recklessly without evil intentions; after sublimating into a god, don't degenerate into a perfect body and swallow the planet at dusk; when devouring dreams, don't be infected by him in reverse... and most importantly, After becoming a more powerful 'Dream in a Cage', you will not be able to attack us - if there is any problem in the middle, we will be lost forever. Because we have no countermeasures against you, you only need to move an evil thought, and you Anyone can be wiped out easily.

"How can I put the future of the whole world on the balance and bet on your character and morality? How can I believe that in the long-term future, you will not change, degenerate, or succumb to the instinct of the twilight?

"—How can you let me trust you?"

Chapter 86 The next time we meet, we will be enemies

Russell's outstretched hand suddenly froze in the air.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, and slowly retracted his hand.

"His Excellency the Pope... seems not very friendly."

"It's very simple, I can give many reasons..."

As he spoke, he slowly stood up from the chair.

The surrounding simulated environment was originally Russell's home... It was his cramped one-person room on Sogo Island, which was the environment that made him feel most relaxed.

But now... At this moment, it suddenly changed.

The room belonging to Russell suddenly collapsed and turned into a solemn sanctuary.

There are two rows of huge stone statues of angels - wearing halos on their heads and wings of light behind them. The shapes of each angel are completely different, and the common point is that they all have no face.

The seat where Russell was sitting was a pure white throne like a throne.

In front of him, a red carpet stretched out until the gate.There is no one in this church, only the candlesticks are always burning.

There was the roar of a thunderstorm outside.

Through the windows on both sides, lightning illuminates the interior of the sanctuary from time to time.The low and long rolling thunder coming from afar, the torrential rain outside the window, and the damp coolness made Russell unable to feel the slightest warmth from those candlelights.

And on the body of "Promotion", he also put on the full set of pure white Pope's robes.

Russell sat in his place while he stood on the ground.There were three steps between them, which made the promotion look like Russell's courtier.

The old pope wore a jewel-encrusted triple crown on his head and two sacred golden sash on his shoulders.His hair is pale and slightly dry, and his emerald green pupils, which are very similar to Russell's, are full of calm.

"Because you also have the possibility of being Twilight. Because you never had the need to save the world.

"—It's because, since you were born, you haven't received much kindness from this world."

His voice was loud and clear, not like chatting, but like announcing something... and like praying alone in a temple under heavy rain.

Russell maintained the posture of sitting on the holy seat, slowly leaning back and leaning on the backrest.

He looked at the old man and said to himself word by word: "I can see clearly, Russell. I have lived for more than 100 years, and I have seen countless people, countless ugliness, and countless saints. I am very sure that you are definitely not the kind A fool who sacrificed himself to save the world... You are not a born saint, you are not a savior who has grown up through countless sufferings, and you are not a madman who is willing to gamble everything for your mission.

"In the final analysis, the first thing you care about is yourself. You are not a selfless person... Even if you really want to save the world, it is only because you do it easily. It is because you can do it easily, so you will Do it; not that you have to do it, at all costs."

"Oh, I don't deny it."

Russell nodded and admitted easily.

He chuckled: "But there is one thing that is not right... If necessary, I would also be willing to sacrifice myself for others.

"But, I don't sacrifice for the world. I only sacrifice for those who love me, the people I love."

"Yes, that's why—I can't trust you."

The old Pope said word by word: "Because you are too much like a mortal.

"You already have an extraordinary temperament, but you still lack divinity. A divinity that can convince me to believe in you, a purity stripped of selfish desires and personal will.

"It is true that there have been many saints in this world. Even if they have not suffered the kindness of others, they are still willing to sacrifice everything for others; even if they are betrayed by justice, they are still willing to die to protect justice; even if they sacrifice themselves, or It is righteousness to kill relatives, kill people close to oneself with one's own hands, and can also die for the vast majority of people.

"But you're not that kind of person. And the world doesn't love you.

"You don't have a reason to protect the world, and you don't have a heart of protection that can last through thousands of years. What is the wedge that fixes you as the Twilight Seed on the ground? Love? That little girl named Flotie? Or your mother Alice?

"—If this is the case, then you are not worthy of being a god. Because you are on the side of humans, just because they are on the side of humans.

"So, what if one day you get tired of Flotie? What if one day you forget what Alice taught you? What if you change your heart and fall in love with the side that represents 'evil', or you simply fall in love with What about the other 'twilights'? Even, what if Flotie herself has fallen?"

Theoretically speaking, the Pope who serves the "god" said word by word: "If our god can be moved by the love of mortals and changed by the emotions of the world...such a god is too dangerous. I'd rather there be no gods in this world."

"What about you, Andrew the Deceiver?"

Russell sat on the holy seat belonging to the Pope, his clear and young voice echoed in the empty temple: "Do you think you can become such a god?"

"Of course I can't. But I don't think you can either . . . or anyone else."

The old voice sounded without hesitation: "Even if you 'possibly' make this world a better place, in the best case it is much better than the plans of the elves and dragons, and better than my plan ; but you're also 'likely' to make the outcome worse, and the odds aren't that low.

"You don't have the right to ask everyone to gamble with you, Russell. People need a solution that is the safest and most likely to succeed, even if everyone will pay the price. But since everyone has paid the price, it is still Fair.

"And since it is fair, safe, and reliable, then I must choose this choice. If mortals are rational enough, they will eventually choose this plan. In this case, all sacrifices made in it are 'A necessary evil'."

"I really can't ask everyone to gamble with me, but can you ask everyone to sacrifice with you?"

Russell asked without hesitation: "There is no turning back in thinking uploading, and it will definitely wear out; the big fusion is irreversible. Rather than saying that this is a human civilization that has abandoned the body, it is better to say that this is a civilization that has inherited human civilization... …a mechanical civilization with a hive mind.

"How many people are willing to give up everything they have as human beings, give up their name, life, body, future, death, descendants, ideals, and give everything just for survival?"

"That's because they are not rational enough, lack cognition, are lucky, and lack morality. Ordinary people can't understand the end of the future, let alone dedicate the present to the end that future generations will welcome. Even if the end has come On their faces, they will also think about waiting for a while, waiting for a while, expecting a miracle, or delaying for a while."

"—Since you also know that they expect a miracle, why can't I give them a miracle?"

"No. The so-called 'miracle' becomes a miracle because the possibility is too weak. From the perspective of data, the only reference indicator for the plan is 'probability'."

The old man replied solemnly: "But mortals must not understand the mystery. Because more than [-]% of the people in this world are ignorant people, and [-]% of the remaining [-]% ​​are still ignorant. Among them, [-]% There are still [-]% of them with their own inferiority. Repeating this, the ultimate wise must be very few.

"It is precisely because the vast majority of people are too stupid or too arrogant. They are trapped in mortal bodies, and their rationality is bound by private ownership and longevity. That's why they are short-sighted and unable to make the right choice. They will My own meaningless life is too important - and the fact is that everyone is so small that it has no meaning. If you look at the breadth of the world, no one's life is necessary."

"It's you who are arrogant, Andrew."

Russell sighed in disappointment, closed his eyes, and lowered his voice: "Forget it, different ways don't conspire.

"Maybe it's the uploading of thoughts that makes your heart cold... Now you are not much different from the dragon."

"Then, next time we meet you will be enemies, Russell."

"I can't ask for it."

Russell closed his eyes and replied in a low voice.

Chapter 87 Love the people, so love the world

—take a deep breath.

Slowly exhaling a foul breath, Russell took off the prayer device.His smooth light blond hair fluttered when he took off the blindfold, as if he was standing in the wind and looking in the direction the wind was blowing.

The prayer device was originally supposed to be a shelter that provides people with temporary peace... Everyone yearns for peace.Even if it is false happiness, people are willing to let themselves be deceived and heal their souls in a moment of tranquility.It is often only a short period of "psychological charging", which may allow people who are exhausted to the point of numbness to choose to survive and persevere.

But now, Russell who took off the prayer device can only sigh.