Chapter 915: Deep Web (4)
“As you may have heard from Cunningham, the Deep Web isn’t a term for a specific network area.”
Krrrrrr…!!!
Flickering electrical signals and complex codes undulated like waves, covering everything.
In the dark cyberspace, only the erratically flashing lights of the code illuminated the path.
It was a bizarre scene, like walking through the deep-sea tunnel of a giant aquarium.
It literally felt like traversing the depths of the sea of information on his own two feet.
“If you had to define it, it’s a concept closer to the scattered data residue in cyberspace,” Raktasha said, leading Lennok from the front.
“Any data that has ever existed on the network can be located within the Deep Web. The important thing is that you need authority to find the information.”
“Hoh, so this is the man they say is the maddest wizard in Vulcan?”
Hoo-wook!!
From within the vast waves of electrical signals, humanoid figures began to appear one by one.
A mechanical robot, a fur-covered beast, a human in a full-body suit.
Individuals of different shapes and forms effortlessly broke through the viruses and malware of the Deep Web, intruding into the same space as Lennok.
The moment Lennok realized they were administrators who, like Raktasha, had entrusted their consciousness to cyberspace, they surrounded him and began to chime in.
“I watched the hearing you attended. It was very impressive. Just as the rumors said, you live up to your name. Those stern city councilors were floundering like children.”
“I’m curious just how much you’ve run wild in this city that they can’t even lay a finger on you.”
“Given your notoriety, I thought your cyberspace avatar would be hideous, but you’re more composed than I expected.”
“To be able to connect to the network so stably, yet hide your access point. What kind of bypass method did you use?”
“…”
Is spouting whatever comes to mind a shared trait among all administrators?
Ignoring the administrators who had naturally started to accompany him, Lennok questioned Raktasha.
“Are you saying it’s difficult for you administrators to find information with your authority, so you need my help?”
“We refine the parts of the network that are interpretable and use them as a community, but that’s meaningless in the overlay network outside.”
Raktasha gave a bitter smile.
“Wizards like you call the outside of this world… the Outer Sea, was it?”
“…”
“It’s the same for us. The uninterpretable cyberspace outside our community holds that same meaning.”
“Then what good is this ‘authority’ you speak of?”
“The authority we speak of isn’t the authority to view the information we want.”
As Raktasha said this and raised her hand, the cyberspace, composed of all sorts of electrical signal flows, split apart.
Kugugugu!!!
“The particle theory that states different concepts coexist before observation. A great wizard like you has surely heard of it, right?” Raktasha asked as she constructed a massive cyberspace passage with one raised hand.
“The principle is different, but a similar theory exists in cyberspace. To explain in detail-”
“Briefly,” Lennok retorted with a look of indifference.
“Are you planning to lecture me on theory right now?”
“…In short, the important part is the moment we observe the information,” Raktasha said, pointing to her own eyes.
“What’s needed to view desired information on the Deep Web isn’t an encryption key or access rights. The most important thing is the search authority to find that information.”
“Search authority.”
“It’s the ability to accurately search for the location of the desired information, pinpointing its address down to the spirit-particle level to access it.”
Raktasha smiled.
“If such a search authority truly existed, what use would all the security and passwords in this world be?”
“…”
Although Raktasha’s explanation was quite abstruse, Lennok could still understand what she was trying to say.
In cyberspace, what mattered wasn’t the authority to view, but the authority to search.
Did she mean the search capability itself, the power to accurately specify the desired information?
And only after hearing Raktasha’s explanation did Lennok understand what the Deep Web administrators wanted.
“Somewhere in this abandoned network, there exists something with an incredibly powerful search capability,” Lennok said.
“Is that the legacy of Ars Nova you mentioned?”
“It’s been a long time since we discovered it,” Raktasha said quietly.
“We found an address beyond the external network where the information processing speed was extremely slow and began our investigation. At first, we couldn’t even guess its identity, but it wasn’t long before we realized that an incredibly complex and vast algorithm was piled up there.”
“…”
“Analyzing the structure and form of an algorithm built with Spell-Word circuits was an extremely difficult task. Nevertheless, we persisted, taking our time to analyze the algorithm, and we succeeded… and finally, we found out.”
Thump!!
At that moment, a vast darkness spread out from beyond the passage made of information waves.
Within the darkness, which glowed and sank like a black jewel, a presence so profound it seemed to calm the heart just by facing it.
Beyond the sinking darkness, like a temple of shadows, stood a single, golden, shining statue.
A statue with three arms, sitting cross-legged with one hand raised.
As Lennok paused at the sight of its unusual appearance and gentle smile, Raktasha spoke in a low voice.
“The fact that what we discovered was a search engine software used in Ars Nova.”
“A search engine from Ars Nova…”
Ars Nova, the central city that fell decades ago.
The essence of a civilization shrouded in a veil, blocked by a curtain that denied all access.
Was she saying that the search engine of the city that boasted the greatest power and technology on the continent had been abandoned somewhere in the Deep Web?
While he gazed at the statue wrapped in an auspicious glow, Raktasha slowly approached it.
Woooong…!!!
As she drew closer, an unknown vibration emanating from the statue blocked her approach.
Raktasha, who had been staring blankly up at the statue, spoke.
“Despite countless preliminary investigations, we couldn’t figure out why this program was abandoned here.”
“…”
“But one thing was certain.”
Raktasha turned to Lennok and said,
“Someone brought Ars Nova’s search engine to the city government’s central network and used it. And after achieving their goal, they discarded it whole somewhere in the Deep Web.”
“…”
“Just because this search engine is here doesn’t mean you can freely search for Ars Nova’s forgotten technology or classified data. Most of the central city’s database is likely dormant within that city along with its fall. But…”
“You’re saying the search capability itself is real.”
“Yes.”
Raktasha nodded.
“If we can use this search engine properly, we can find and view any information that ever existed in the Deep Web. This is the legacy of a civilization with that level of capability.”
While it couldn’t search Ars Nova’s data, its search capability alone was likely second to none.
Even if this search engine were connected to another database, that search capability itself would not diminish.
“Right now, this search engine is completely blocking any external access. With our abilities, it’s impossible to even elicit a meaningful feedback.”
“…”
“However, after analyzing the algorithm, we were able to confirm that an artificial intelligence that controls the search engine’s functions is embedded within the Spell-Word circuit.”
“A search engine from the central city, equipped with an AI…”
“Like I said before, we need your ability to directly intervene with the central network.”
With a firm expression, Raktasha turned completely towards the statue and said,
“Enter the central network, bypass the search engine’s firewall, and activate the embedded artificial intelligence. That’s the only way for us to satisfy the engine’s prerequisite activation conditions.”
He understood that the statue erected in this dark temple was a search engine created in the central city.
He also understood that an AI was embedded within the search engine to protect the program, and that they needed to activate it to find out how to acquire the authority.
But the reason Lennok hesitated to make a decision in front of the search engine lay elsewhere.
‘Raktasha said that Ars Nova’s database doesn’t exist on the Deep Web, but surely…’
Alejandro Murphy, the vampire doctor hiding in the shadows of Vulcan.
He was one of the very few survivors from the central city and a doctor with outstanding knowledge in genetic and life engineering.
The life support device that Lennok always carried as Adamant Thunder was also his creation.
But wasn’t the reason Lennok could get help from Murphy for his physical condition because Murphy possessed medical records from Ars Nova?
The medical records of the central city. A medical database holding a large amount of patient data.
If he could get this search engine running properly and connect it to the database Murphy possessed,
might he not also find out why Lennok’s profile existed in Ars Nova’s database?
From the moment he heard Raktasha’s explanation about the search engine, Lennok had been thinking about it.
“I should tell you, just because you help doesn’t guarantee success. Even if we’re lucky and the strong AI awakens, we don’t know what happens next.”
“…”
“If you give up or fail midway, there’s nothing to be done, but if you succeed, the shares of the search engine will be split fifty-fifty between you and us. And that’s a high valuation, considering your reputation-”
“I understand. It seems worth a try.”
Cutting Raktasha off, Lennok nodded and stepped forward.
“But there is one condition.”
Glancing at the statue, Lennok said,
“After this is over, I’ll need to receive a copy of the search engine. That should be possible, right?”
“The size of the search engine is beyond what any existing storage device can hold. Even using a quantum computing device, it would take a full month to make a copy.”
“I’ll take care of that part myself.”
Saying so, Lennok began to walk toward the statue.
Wooong…!!
The strange vibration emanating from the statue spread out, trying to push Lennok back, but he stood before the statue unfazed.
As he closed his eyes and focused his mind, he could feel the Cyberspace Spirit using him as a medium to connect to cyberspace.
‘Davi.’
[I’m watching. This thing is more incredible than I thought.]
From within Lennok, Davi replied, unable to hide her surprise.
[Among all the spirit-particle algorithms I’ve seen in this Deep Web, this one is the most complete. To think an organism could write a Spell-Word computation device this complex and organic….]
‘Can you acquire the usage rights for the search engine right away?’
[Hmm… that’ll be tough.]
It was rare to see Davi lack confidence.
[It’s set up so that the framework of the Spell-Word circuit changes under specific conditions, and the number of times that condition can be executed exceeds 50,000. Considering the duality of mana particles, you’d have to calculate over a billion variables to hijack the command. It’ll be difficult to do within the time Master and I can maintain the Domain.]
“…”
So it’s more a matter of time and efficiency than of possibility.
While Lennok was lost in thought, Davi continued her explanation.
[But the algorithm itself seems to have been computed using the AI’s auto-casting. If that’s the case, it would be faster to find that AI and mess with it.]
Davi’s answer, a much deeper inference than Raktasha’s hypothesis, came from just a brief look at the statue.
‘So that’s what she meant by bypassing the search engine’s firewall to activate the AI.’
[Aha, I was wondering where the AI was, but it seems to be built into the search engine itself. Don’t worry.]
Davi nodded confidently.
[When it comes to my ability to flip the board and ruin everything, I won’t lose to anyone!]
“…”
Whiiirrrrr!!
Within the domain of the Dream-Thought Virtualscape, the rapidly condensing mana was instantly converted into cyberspace output through Davi’s will-thought.
Simultaneously, Davi’s will-thought bored relentlessly into the faintly glowing statue.
[…!!!]
At that moment, a strange sense of dissonance, as if something was pulsating inside the statue, echoed out.
A movement that seemed to be a reflexive reaction to perceiving an undeniable flow of information.
And Davi did not seem to miss that dissonance.
[There you are!]
F-f-f-f-f-flash!!!
The benevolent smile on the statue’s face instantly became expressionless.
One of its three arms, which had been open towards the sky, bent, and the afterimage of a complex circuit appeared on its transparent skin.
Wooooooong!!!
As the statue began to vibrate with an intensity incomparable to before, Raktasha shouted urgently.
“If the algorithm is completely broken, it can’t be restored! So-”
“No.”
Lennok spoke, taking his hand off the statue and stepping back.
“It’s over.”
“…What?”
Immediately after, the mouth of the statue with the benevolent smile opened, and a guide voice flowed out.
[Emergency protocol activated. Search engine’s embedded strong AI ‘Heiberk’ activation complete.]
Craaaash!!!
The statue shattered into pieces, and a whitish spirit form soared out from within.
[Beginning algorithm restoration.]
The moment the spirit form uttered the mechanical voice, the statue began to reassemble as if time were reversing.
“…I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”
Raktasha approached with a bewildered expression, muttering as she looked up at the spirit form floating above the statue’s head.
“The search engine that didn’t even react after I and other genius hackers tried for over a decade, like this…”
[Algorithm restoration complete. Full removal of external variables confirmed.]
Click!!
The broken statue was restored to its original form, standing upright in the dark cavity.
As the faintly glowing spirit form settled in, bright light entered the statue’s two eyes.
The statue slowly turned its gaze and spoke to Lennok and Raktasha.
[Welcome, users. This Ars Nova search engine, Heiberk, will not operate unless it recognizes a proper user. If you do not possess the appropriate authority or activation word, a test to change the operational authority will be conduct-]
“Change authority? What kind of test are you talking about?”
[The Heiberk search engine was completed with a powerful and superior performance-based spirit-particle circuit, but due to the nature of the Spell-Word circuit’s Domain circulation structure, errors are frequent.]
The strong AI answered Lennok’s question obediently without refusing.
[Frequent operational halts due to algorithm errors led to the addition of a procedure to update authority through a specific test in the latest updated version.]
“Latest update? You mean an update was recently added-”
“She means recent by the central city’s standards. Don’t get confused,” Lennok said, cutting Raktasha off.
“In short, you made a high-performance search engine, but it’s a program that breaks down unnecessarily, so you created a separate procedure for acquiring authority.”
[The Ars Nova search engine, Heiberk, possesses the performance to most effectively search multi-dimensional databases. That description is not appropriate.]
Ignoring the AI’s words, Lennok asked.
“What criteria must be passed to update the authority?”
[To calibrate the Heiberk search engine’s algorithm, one needs outstanding logical reasoning ability, multi-dimensional complex thinking ability, and a domain aptitude to calculate the restoration efficiency index relative to performance.]
The strong AI spoke in a mechanical voice.
[Therefore, this search engine’s strong AI, Heiberk, proposes a match of Obaekro against any challenger seeking to obtain user authority.]
“O-Obaekro?!”
“…”
As Raktasha stammered in response to the completely unexpected answer, the AI naturally began to explain.
[Obaekro is an abstract strategy board game created by the Ascendant Jindun Jaigis Idenor, where the objective is to occupy and capture territory on the board using black and white stones.]
[It is known to demand an uniquely high level of intellectual and reasoning ability among all existing board games, and its creator, Jindun, stated that he created this game to foster his successors.]
“…”
[After it became known that this board game was the most suitable method for learning complex spell formations, including barrier arts, it became highly popular among the nobles of Ars Nova, and this AI is also equipped with a computational circuit for Obaekro matches.]
Having explained this, the AI raised the statue’s hand and slowly beckoned to the people.
[Come. Will you play a game?]