Cat Ear Cafe.
After ordering a cup of hot chocolate, Liao Ji found a seat by the window and sat down. After a while, a middle-aged woman wearing a business suit pushed the door open and walked over quickly after seeing Liao Ji by the window.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Professor. I didn't expect you to arrive so early. I kept you waiting for a long time..."
The middle-aged woman kept apologizing until Liao Ji waved her hand several times before sitting down opposite Liao Ji.
"Mrs. Grand, before we get down to business, can I ask you a more personal question?"
"You...you mean...?"
"Don't be nervous, I'm just curious. I heard from William that your position in the Fantasy Supervision Bureau is not low, and you are also a department manager. If this is the case, why does your husband still..."
Liao Ji didn't need to go on, the meaning was very clear. In his opinion, even if Mrs. Grand's family was not wealthy, it was still middle class, right? In this case, why do you still want to work as an explorer in Fantasy Zero, doing such a high-risk job that involves exchanging lives for money?
The woman opposite paused for a moment, clenched her fists and unclenched them, then shook her head and smiled bitterly:
"Professor, you are from Magic City, so you think that agency personnel with my position have great power. But in fact, we don't have much decision-making power. The ones who really manage the Supervision Bureau...are the major companies."
"Major companies?"
"Well, the Mechanical Alliance was originally managed by the super omnic life "Zero", so there was no tradition of government. The current government was funded by major companies and chaebols at the time after "Zero" went dormant. We were just established. The taxes in Dream City are very low and we cannot afford the government at all. All our expenses and financial resources mainly rely on donations from companies and enterprises. "
After listening to Mrs. Grand's words, Liao Ji realized his preconceptions.
Indeed, it seems that the role of the government can be perfectly eliminated by a super AI like "Zero". Even Zero is more fair and just and comprehensive, but the consequences are like now. Without "Zero", a new government with no experience , directly became the puppet of the company and the chaebol.
"My husband used to work in the Supervision Bureau like me. In order to get married, we took out savings loans to buy a house together. The combined salary of the two of us was just enough to pay off the mortgage every month, and sometimes we could still save a little. Like it.”
"But then we had David. My husband said that he didn't want David to be as idle as us and wanted to give David a good education so that David could one day become an employee of the company, so we sold the house again. It took several times the loan to grab a house in the school district next to Kyle College. In this way, David would be eligible to attend the elementary school invested by Kyle Technology. As long as his grades are good, he can follow this path. Step by step, I got admitted to Kyle University, and then joined Kyle Technology..."
“But whether it’s the tuition fees of these private schools, the high mortgage payments for houses in the school district, or David’s daily needs, he can no longer eat cheap and non-nutritious synthetic foods like us, and needs to buy high-end teaching equipment required by private schools. This For the two of us agency staff, we simply cannot afford all kinds of expenses, and our savings are about to run out. Therefore, Bill will use his remaining connections in the Supervision Bureau to apply to Kyle Technology. ..”
After hearing this, Liao Ji couldn't help but interrupt: "Wait a minute, apply? Do you still need to apply for a job like this?"
"Yes, if it weren't for my husband, who is a member of the Fantasy Supervision Bureau, has experience related to fantasy, and can contact company executives like Mr. William through the Supervision Bureau, otherwise he would not be selected."
"Although this job is dangerous, its weekly pay may be more than the two of us combined for a month. There are countless people vying to join this job. I think my husband is also afraid of asking for leave. After that, the work will be squeezed out by others, so..."
Opposite me, Mrs. Grand's voice became softer and softer. The sad look on her face seemed to make her look many years older. Her whole back was bent, as if she was unable to straighten up due to the weight of life. This also explains why, Why does Mrs. Grand show a very humble attitude most of the time? It's because their family has reached its limit, and a slight accident may be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.
Through the microcosm of Mrs. Grand, Liao Ji almost understands the current situation of the City of Dreams better. If you want to live like a human being here, there are only two ways, or you can be a pure bottom person, with nothing and no extravagant expectations. You can rely on the high technology of Dream City to live a happy life, or you can only join a company and become an employee of a super enterprise or a chaebol.
Those who are caught in the middle like Mrs. Grand are the most painful, but in fact, such people are the largest number in the City of Dreams. The ending of most of them may be to declare bankruptcy and leave this prosperous city secretly. But the City of Dreams doesn't care. After all, this is the core of the Machinery Alliance. Every year, countless young people with fresh blood gather from all over the country to pursue their dreams.
"Thank you, Mrs. Grand. I believe that life will get better. After your husband finishes work, if it is convenient, I will treat you to a meal together. After all, for a man like your husband who has rich experience in the old world, I am very I’d like to get acquainted.”
"No, no, no, no, how, how can I let the professor...Thank you, thank you so much. It is an honor for Bill to know a great professor of ancient studies like you. You are willing to put down your identity and eat with people like us. I ...How can we still..."
In the eyes of Mrs. Grand, Liao Ji was someone who could be personally introduced by Chief William. In addition, he also had the title of professor. These were high-ranking figures that were out of reach for ordinary people. That’s why he was so polite when seeing Liao Ji. Finally, Mrs. Grand was a little flattered and kept thanking Liao Ji. She was so nervous that her face turned red and she didn't know what to say.
】
It was Liao Ji who quickly changed the subject, which made Mrs. Grande, who was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say, breathe a sigh of relief.
Liao Jixian pretended to ask some other basic questions about Fantasy Zero, such as the time of emergence, scale, control policies at the time, etc., as if he was really researching the market for the Ques Group.
When Mrs. Grand finally mentioned the concept of "dream expansion", Liao Jicai seemed to be aroused and asked for details. Mrs. Grand nodded and said:
"Yes, when this phenomenon was discovered at the time, it caused panic among the Supervisory Bureau and companies, because according to expert calculations, once a certain critical value is exceeded, everyone will be forced to digital life and inhale the Zero Dream. Fortunately, after It seems that the abnormality of Dream Zero has also been detected, and two hundred omnic AIs took the initiative to communicate with us and entered Dream Zero to curb the expansion."
"These two hundred intelligent mechanical life forms are recorded to be copies produced by Zero a hundred years ago to imitate themselves. We don't know their specific uses. Moreover, such life forms seem to exist not only in the Mechanical Alliance, but also all over the world. worldwide. "
"After two hundred omnics handed over the core chips to us for storage, they sneaked into Dream Zero. After that, the expansion trend of Dream Zero stopped immediately, and the crisis was resolved. After that, every once in a while, the company's Scientific researchers came over to maintain the chips and maintain the stability of Dream Zero."
Listening to Mrs. Grand's information, Liao Ji thought secretly.
There are two key points. One is the number "two hundred." But according to the data he obtained from Control No. 1, the number of servitors in Dream Zero must be at least tens of thousands.
In line with the number two hundred, it should be a servitor of the "Control Machine" series.
Combined with the information previously obtained from 86, the number of observation objects dropped by Zero in the world should be consistent with tens of thousands, and the outline of the matter becomes clear.
All the "observation objects" on the mainland have "dreamed" and turned into servitors. However, only in the City of Dreams, the two hundred observation objects closest to zero have retained high computing power and are used as intelligent "control machines". Command model.
The rest of the observation bodies are combat bodies or other logistics models that mainly follow orders and do not have autonomous consciousness.
No wonder Reina said she couldn't let these "observers" wake up from their dreams. They were no longer observers, but turned into emotionless killing machines during the battles over and over again in their dreams. Servitor.
If they don't correct it, they will only bring destruction when they return to reality.
The second important information is that the company will regularly maintain the chips of the two hundred control machines. After Liao Ji asked in detail, Mrs. Grand told him that Kyle Technology is the main force, and the second one is... Emergency team.
"Okay, Mrs. Grand, what you provided me today is very helpful. Thank you very much. I think it's getting late. How about we do this today?" After chatting for a while, Liao Ji He took the initiative to end the encounter.
"Okay, okay professor, then I won't disturb your work, I..."
He was about to get up when he saw Mrs. Grand. Before leaving, Liao Ji handed over the package he had kept next to the seat.
It was obvious that Mrs. Grand was surprised and confused. After opening the package, she even showed a confused expression, because all she saw inside was a... gift box containing toys?
"I happened to see this when I was passing by the mall, so I bought it. This mecha toy seems to be very popular now and is very popular among children. Since it's David's birthday soon, let's consider it as a birthday gift. .”
Liao Ji's seemingly casual words shocked Mrs. Grand. She stared blankly at the mecha toy in her hand. She never imagined that the young professor opposite could be so careful and without any pretensions. No, this It's still a problem with the shelf. It's simply...
Mrs. Grand found that she couldn't describe it with her own poor words. Perhaps it was because she had never met such a kind stranger in the City of Dreams for more than 30 years.
Especially when Mrs. Grand's peripheral vision saw the label that had not been removed from the mecha toy. The four-digit price of the toy on it made her dare not even think about such a high-end toy. Just lying in the window and taking a look at it, David, although he is young, is very sensible and knows that his family cannot afford to buy it. As a result, now...
"Mrs. Grand?" Liao Ji looked at the dull middle-aged woman opposite and reminded him.
She was suddenly excited, and subconsciously she couldn't accept such an expensive gift. But then, she thought that for a young and prestigious professor like Liao Ji, maybe this was nothing, just a thought, so she thanked her profusely. Accepted it.
Before the final farewell, Mrs. Grand stared into Liao Ji's eyes very sincerely and said word by word: "Professor, I believe this birthday gift from you will be the most important part of David's life, and I will use it to teach him well." He, I don’t expect David to reach your height, but I hope that David can become a good person like you in the future.”
Mrs. Grand left with the gift. Looking at the other person's retreating back, and remembering the other person's grateful words just now, Liao Ji shook his head a little self-deprecatingly. After all, whether it was the Dragon Kingdom at the time or the Machinery Kingdom now. Alliance, tracing it back to the source, is inseparable from him. Some responsibilities... really need to be completed by oneself.
Thinking of this, Liao Ji couldn't help but think of a certain pink-haired succubus.
He now seems to understand a little bit why Reina has not come to meet him for so long, and she even seems to be guiding him on his journey from country to country.
Liao Ji had this feeling when he was in the Dragon Kingdom. Now that he is here with Mrs. Grand, it is even clearer.
Everyone he met during his journey, even if they were of different nationalities or identities, seemed to be Lena's microphone, as if the pink-haired succubus was using them to scold him for five hundred years. The scumbag emperor who disappears without saying a word.
This kind of arrogance and daring to show off one's temper towards the Emperor was indeed something that only Rena could do among "them".
but...
Liao Ji flipped his wrist, and there was a capsule-like object lying quietly in his hand. This was the "Zero" patch given by Reina, the seed that could bring new vitality to the Mechanical Alliance.
This kind of behavior of scolding oneself, but also assisting oneself, constantly secretly paving the way for oneself, for fear of overturning, is indeed far less popular in the eyes of ordinary people than a "free gift".
No wonder there is no market for tsundere.
But that's just right.
It's enough to be alone.
And Liao Ji does need such a process. After all, he is no longer the Great Emperor Hui Jin. Now he is... Liao Ji. He no longer uses the identity of Emperor Hui Jin, but more as "Liao Ji". To find them again, this is what he has been doing.
This is why, when talking to Manager William before, Liao Ji would use "symbol" to describe Emperor Hui Jin. He didn't want "them" to like him. What he loved was just the symbol, but...his person. For this reason, Liao Ji Ji is willing to take more actions to completely eliminate the inherent impression brought by this symbol.
...
...
Two days later, Kyle Technology's press conference was held as scheduled. Under the overwhelming publicity, and Kyle Technology was already a high-profile super enterprise, at this moment, various media and countless journalists gathered at Kyle. square.
Under the spotlights, a grand open-air press conference was about to begin in five minutes.
In order to ensure the safety of the press conference, there were strict admission restrictions in Kyle Square that day. It was difficult for ordinary people to enter the square. In addition to the media, those invited to participate were basically practitioners in related industries. Academic experts, and government agencies, such as the Fantasy Inspectorate.
If other people in Dream City want to watch the press conference, they can only rely on the live broadcast of major radio stations, so for the radio industry, today is also crucial.
Almost every radio station is broadcasting Kyle Technology's press conference, hoping to grab today's huge audience traffic. To this end, almost every radio station has its own ace host on stage.
Now accompanying Liao Ji as a guest, Yin Lin, who was bored waiting, was secretly watching the live broadcast using a smart virtual machine.
This feeling of being on TV made Yin Lin very excited.
The channel she is currently watching is Radio Night Love, which used to focus on all kinds of mysterious stories and once broadcast the "Murderer" program.
This radio station is said to come from the most chaotic 13th district. It is a spontaneous enterprise established by the private sector. Therefore, unlike other radio stations, it has to be more official and pay attention to the wording of sentences. The main theme of Night Love Radio is a fun style, with cheerful explanations. , bringing smiles to the audience.
