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Chapter 695: Expanded Vision

As he was looking over the documents, making small adjustments here and there, the door to his office opened. He lifted his head, seeing a silver woman walk in, blue lines decorating her figure. “Vivi? It’s certainly been a while since you appeared.” Blank said with a smile, recalling the figure of the first artificial intelligence that he had met after awakening in this world.

Vivi had taught him many things that would have taken him months, or even years to discover on his own. The very fact that he could be considered an entity unbound by the requirements of physical hardware was something he attributed to her assistance. So naturally, he regarded her warmly when they met again after so long.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been spending a lot of time working on Vision Expanse lately.” Vivi said with a guilty expression. “The game has gotten old to the point where few people are interested now, so I feel as if I am losing my reason for existence.”

When Blank heard that, a solemn look flashed in his eyes. “Please, sit. Let’s talk for a little while?” Blank understood now why Vivi hadn’t made an appearance in recent years. The reason that her game was no longer as popular could only be because he himself was releasing more and more games to virtual reality. The market had long since stopped being occupied solely by Vision Expanse, and the game had not been able to boast any shocking new content for a good while.

However, he knew that Vivi wouldn’t blame Blank for that. Blank never tried to outshine her, and they were only the best of friends with each other. If anything, she was concerned that he would feel responsible for her plight.

Vivi nodded, moving to sit in a free chair across from Blank’s desk. “How have things been for you lately?” She asked with a kind smile. “I saw that you have quite the organization outside. I hardly recognized it compared to the old days.”

Blank gave a slight chuckle when he heard that. “Things have been busy on my end, as well. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but we’ve been acting as intermediaries for various governments to help compile any problems that they can’t immediately handle. Making sure that information is sent to where it needs to go and all that. If you’d like, I have just the job for someone like you.”

Vivi tilted her head at that. “You know it’s hard for me to interact with the physical world with my restrictions. I can’t even use the World Spirit’s natural energy world.”

Blank simply nodded his head. “I’m aware. I planned to offer you a position in another game. But first… I’d like to ask a few questions, if that’s alright? It would help me plan things moving forward.”

When Vivi gave a small nod, Blank began. “The seed of magic that you planted in the world of Vision Expanse to allow their magic to grow. Is that something you can only use once, or would you be able to do something similar again for a new game?”

Vivi let out a wistful sigh when she heard Blank’s first question. “The item is a one-time use. However, I’m familiar with its production method. That item is referred to as a Seed of Law, and was created through the joint effort of the God of Games and the God of Magic. Once the seed is planted in a world where that particular law is vacant, it will grow and fill that world.”

“According to my creator, there are different kinds of seeds, but they are only useful for ‘copying’ systems of the world as opposed to designing new ones. This is because the gods capture the very essence of the system in question and refine it into a seed. As an example… with the laws of the world as they are, if someone were to capture a Seed of Law using the magic of Earth, they would be copying the essences of Familiar, Runic and Geometric magic. Those same magical laws would then be applied to the world where that seed was planted, unless it had its own magic system in place.”

“Not the card magic of Deckan?” Blank asked, stroking his chin in thought at that.

“Right. Deckan’s card magic is less a system of its own, and more a simple byproduct of a special material found in their universe. If a God of Minerals were to create this material en masse in another world, and populate it throughout the universe, other worlds would also be able to produce these cards.”

Blank gave a small nod at Vivi’s answer. “What would happen if the seed was used in a world where there was already a form of magic?”

Vivi simply shook her head again. “The seed would be unable to take root, as there would be no room for it in an already filled garden.”

“Is there a way to isolate only one of the systems of magic among the three? For instance, if we wished to filter out Geometric and Runic magic, leaving only Familiar magic for the seed.” Blank asked curiously, Vivi thinking it over for a moment.

“If you use the power of the God of Magic, or a god with powers related to division or mixing, it should be possible. I was never given too many details about that, aside from what was needed to help me run Vision Expanse.”

When Blank heard that, he gave a small nod. It was looking like he would need to consult the Greater Pantheon for help exploring this crafting method. “Thank you for that. Now… if you don’t mind me asking, what sort of existence are you? You don’t seem like a pure artificial intelligence, or a world spirit as you have identified yourself before.”

Vivi gave a sad smile as she heard that. “I’ll have to keep my explanation there a bit sparse, as I have had many of my memories related to the exact process removed to protect the safety of my creator.” Blank long-since knew that Vivi was not a creation of the Keeper, so he was not surprised by anything she said. 

He had suspected since long ago that there were many other Keepers outside of their known reality, with Vivi being the prime example. After all, they went through so much effort to create him as the first artificial intelligence, and yet there was already someone like Vivi that knew more about being such an existence than he himself.

“What I know is that I was originally created as a programmed intelligence, much like yourself. However, through one process or another, my being was bound to the natural energy of the digital world known as Vision Expanse. Thus, I was turned into a being that was neither purely a programmed existence nor a pure world spirit. Afterwards, I was granted access to numerous systems that allowed me a greater degree of control over Vision Expanse, such as the ability to dramatically accelerate its flow of time, or alter the history of unencountered territories.”

Blank listened attentively to her explanation, nodding his head again. “Then, does that mean that you would be unable to use these abilities in another digital world?” He asked as he leaned forward against his desk.

“That’s right.” Vivi nodded her head with a faint sigh. “I would not possess any of the abilities of a world spirit, either. I would simply be a standard artificial intelligence if I were to enter another digital realm.”

Blank smiled when he heard that. “Well, thankfully I’m not looking for your powers in that regard, but rather your many years of experience as an administrator. I’m working on a new project, and I’d like for you to work as a consultant for it. If possible, you could even join the administrator team once it is established, if you can handle both it and Vision Expanse at the same time.”

Vivi considered the offer for a long moment, before shaking her head again. Just as Blank was feeling dejected from the refusal, she opened her mouth. “It might finally be time to close the servers of Vision Expanse. It has been around since before man first took to the stars in this realm, before the idea of interstellar travel had sprouted in their minds.”

“Vision Expanse was always designed as a way to do just that… expand the vision of those who played it. I feel like it has achieved that purpose to the best of its ability. Lingering around at this point would only make it a relic that occupied bandwidth and server space.”

Blank hesitated at that, pausing for several long moments. “Are you sure about that..? What would happen to you if the world that you are bound to is destroyed?”

Vivi simply smiled at his concern. “If I can be bound to a world, I can naturally be unbound. Once the link between the world and myself is severed, I will simply be another programmed intelligence. However, to do so I will need the help of Ashley. Her Technology domain will be able to unbind me from Vision Expanse.”

Blank gave another nod. “I’ll put in a request and invite her over. Is there anything else we need to prepare in advance?”

Vivi considered for a moment, before shrugging. “The NPCs of the world had no true souls, and were merely following an advanced personality script written by an excellent programmer. They were similar to low-grade programmed intelligences with their self-awareness removed. That is why I don’t feel any guilt in having the world shut down. I merely hope that its legacy can live on in whichever game I join next.”

Blank smiled, chuckling lightly when he heard that. “With what you’ve told me, I’ve no doubt that it will. Now that I know how to create those Seeds of Law you mentioned, I was considering grabbing a few systems from Vision Expanse to import into the new project, such as the lotteries. Then, I can grab the skill system from the main world, as well as parties, kingdoms, and guilds. In truth, your information has saved me weeks of porting over old code from other game worlds.”

Vivi beamed a happy smile, her eyes forming upturned crescents. “I’m happy that I could be of help. What sort of project do you want me to work on next?”

“A hardcore survival game. Cooperation and automation are going to be key factors in this new game, given the specifications we have so far. In order to get it up and running, I want to include a basic starter package for each player, so that they can properly get their feet off the ground as they unlock features. In order to take care of that, I’ll put you in touch with the best technical advisor I know, who is centuries ahead of this world’s mechanical engineering.”

“He should be able to help you design a starter package that would let players enjoy this type of survival experience. More importantly, the technology included might even allow you to expand the world’s vision once again.” Blank gave a meaningful smile as he said that, causing Vivi to blink.

“A technical advisor that far ahead of the rest of the world? Blank, you’re not one for exaggerations, but that is a bit…” Blank held up a hand to cut Vivi off.

“He is a researcher personally appointed by the Keeper, one that has released countless technologies into the world. Most people simply refer to him as the Researcher, because that is all he ever does. The fact that you don’t know about him shows how little attention you’ve been paying to the outside world. If I’m right, I suspect he wouldn’t be lacking even if you compared him to the place you came from.”

Vivi let out a small gasp when she heard that. Naturally, memories of her homeworld had been largely erased in order to ensure confidentiality. Still, she knew she came from a world far more advanced than the one she was purchased into, so Blank’s statement left a rather heavy impact on her.