"It makes sense for the two Hounds of Fulgrim to each contribute an eye to me, but I can't exactly split a Transformed Heart of a Demonic Wolf of Fog in half and give it to them, can I? Besides, Earth Mother might not be willing to give me an extra Transformed Heart of a Demonic Wolf of Fog."
Klein muttered a few words to himself, then controlled The World to nod, responding, and ending the topic.
After everyone exchanged some more information, today's Tarot Club was nearing its end. Before The Fool Klein announced the end of the gathering, Leyton raised his hand and tapped the table in front of him, smiling, "Everyone, are you interested in participating in a beta test?"
"Beta test?" "What's that?"
The members of the Tarot Club all cast curious, inquiring glances, looking very interested.
"As expected, the Savant and Savant pathways are truly suitable for developing technology trees..." Klein sighed inwardly. Ever since he discovered that Leyton had indeed built a network connecting the entire world by relying on his control over information, he could roughly guess the subsequent developments.
Leyton looked at Klein at the head of the mottled long table. After getting his permission, he directly displayed a nearly realistic light and shadow animation above the table in front of him:
There were giant dragons circling in the sky, strange birds burning with pale flames all over their bodies, one-eyed giants, eight-legged Mist Wolves, princes riding white horses, princesses running in the forest, large trees that could pull their roots out of the soil and run quickly on the ground, and thumb-sized blue little people dressed in simple burlap clothes.
After briefly showcasing some scenes from the information world he had created, he looked around at everyone and said, "This is similar to the imaginary worlds in Groselle's travels, but the difference is that it is constructed from enough, sufficiently rigorous information. For existences in the material realm, it is not real, just realistic enough."
"Because it is the result of a large amount of complex information accumulation and calculation, the operation of this world may have some loopholes, some Errors, which are unreasonable places."
"So I need some people to help me go in and see, experience it, and interact with the creatures in that world. This way, I can discover existing problems and fix them in time."
"This world is not entirely false; at least the knowledge within it is true, and your experiences are also true. The knowledge and experiences you gain within it will be my payment."
Except for Hermit Cattleya, The World Gehrman Sparrow, and Star Leonard, who had already logged into the World Tree, the other Tarot Club members were somewhat bewildered. Leyton's introduction made them feel as if they understood, but upon closer thought, they were still a bit confused.
Seeing this, Klein controlled his small account, The World, and chuckled, explaining further, "You can understand it as a completely immersive, stage play that lets you lose yourself in it. It's a very novel experience, worth trying. Just remember not to get addicted. No matter how wonderful the World Tree is, it's virtual; reality is what's true."
Hermit Cattleya, on the other hand, was thinking about another problem. She looked at Leyton with some uncertainty and asked, "Connecting a person's consciousness to the World Tree, and interacting with it, is completely different from our usual logging in to chat or read. This involves the interaction of wills. Without the protection of a physical body, will the user's spirit be corrupted?"
Furthermore, with a large number of ununified consciousnesses entering, will it truly not affect the state of the Hidden Sage, or be affected by the state of the Hidden Sage?
Leyton nodded slightly, then explained, "This interaction does not happen directly, but through the insertion of an identity. This is a form of protection for the spirit and soul, similar to a physical body."
"And the mental corruption accumulated from the interaction between numerous spiritual bodies will be cleaned by a pre-set purification program along with the accumulated information."
After a brief explanation, he looked at the other members of the Tarot Club and calmly said, "Everyone, if you are willing to participate in this beta test, you can perform a ritual to establish contact with the Hidden Sage. If you are worried about encountering danger, you can also transfer through The Fool, enter Gray Fog first, and then enter the World Tree."
As he spoke, with Klein's help, he had already materialized the specific procedure for the ritual, including the required materials and the prayer incantation.
Magician Fors raised her hand and asked curiously, "Why is it called the World Tree? Does this name have any special meaning?"
"Well, in my conception, its complete form should be like a giant tree rooted in the spirit world and reality, with its canopy extending into the astral world, connecting the entire world at the information level."
"Of course, it also has another name. Once it gains self-awareness, you can call it Yggdrasil."
Fors tilted her head slightly, imagining a giant tree covering the entire planet in her mind, then shook her head, shaking off that strange image.
The tree should just be a metaphor; it's impossible to actually grow such a large tree. Even the Church of the Earth Mother in Feynapotter couldn't do it.
Collecting her thoughts, she looked at Leyton and nodded lightly, "I'd be very happy to try something like this. It sounds quite interesting."
After Magician Fors, the other Tarot Club members also nodded, expressing their willingness to try it when they had time.
"Given the personality Magician has shown, she will most likely become an internet addict in the future..." Klein sighed inwardly, then tapped the edge of the table twice, calmly saying, "That's all for today."
As his words fell, everyone quickly stood up and bowed. Streaks of crimson light rose, rapidly dissolving their bodies and taking them away from this ancient and magnificent palace, leaving only Leyton behind.
Klein removed the Gray Fog that was concealing him, let out a long breath, and leaned back in his chair, saying, "I've digested some of the Bizzaro Sorcerer potion in my body by creating horror legends at sea and in the city, but the progress isn't too fast. Moreover, I feel like I've been targeted by some forces in Intis."
Leyton nodded, not too surprised, "The Secret Order and the Intis authorities maintain a certain level of cooperation. They control the Seer pathway, so it's easy for them to guess that someone is role-playing a Bizzaro Sorcerer."
"I tried to intimidate two demigods, but they immediately summoned an angel through prayer. It's truly…"
At this point, Klein shook his head helplessly and sighed.
Leyton's mouth twitched slightly in embarrassment. The Intis army's reaction was not just due to necessary vigilance; it was more of a stress response after many demigods were killed in surprise attacks by the Moses Ascetic Order.
The Seer could quietly infiltrate as an information creature, then create a Concealment environment, kill demigod-level generals, and then quietly leave.
With the luck granted by Ouroboros, the coincidences arranged by the True Creator, and the Concealment provided by the Hidden Sage, the Intis authorities only reacted after losing three demigods in a row, making strict precautions and arrangements with mystical items created by the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery.
After a brief silence, Klein used the power of Gray Fog to materialize Azik's copper whistle, bringing it to his lips and blowing.
Soon, on the Gray Fog-shrouded ground, countless White Bone Messenger surged up like a fountain, quickly converging and reassembling into a White Bone Messenger that was almost completely prostrate on the ground, its body trembling slightly.
Looking at the messenger prostrate on the ground, not daring to lift its head, Leyton chuckled, "You scared it."
Klein didn't mind the small joke and went straight to the point, "Let's go find Azik now. You should be confident in waking him up now, right?"
"Yes."
Leyton nodded, stood up from his seat, walked to the White Bone Messenger, and patted its shoulder, saying calmly, "Take us to Azik. He should have given instructions about this before he fell asleep."
The White Bone Messenger nodded repeatedly, feeling as if its head was about to hit the floor.
After getting Klein's permission, its body instantly disintegrated, turning into countless white bones, surging downwards into the Gray Fog.
Leyton took two steps forward, placed his hand on Klein's shoulder, helped him transform into a torrent of information, and then, following the messenger's lead, quickly passed through the spirit world and arrived at the underground of a castle in reality.
After completing its task of leading the way, the White Bone Messenger left reality without stopping and returned to the underworld.
One after another, torrents of information in a phantom state, composed of complex knowledge, quickly converged and reassembled into the figures of Leyton and Klein.
Their bodies were semi-transparent and carried a chill, exhibiting characteristics similar to a Wraith or a phantom.
"Is this state okay? Do you need to return to your body first?" Klein asked with some concern.
Leyton shook his head, walked to the bronze coffin, and said calmly, "This doesn't affect me too much. The necessary characteristics and abilities will not become incomplete due to the absence of a body."
As he spoke, he pressed his right hand on the coffin in front of him, and a somewhat dim, not-so-bright light emanated.
Silently, the lid of the coffin began to disintegrate, turning into flakes of dust that fell to the ground with a sudden gust of wind, and even its color quickly dissipated as if evaporated.
Inside the coffin, Azik was quietly slumbering, as if immersed in a long, beautiful dream.
His hands were clasped over his chest, holding a grayish-white crystal ball the size of a baby's fist. A face identical to Azik's, but colder and paler, faintly emerged.
Leyton clenched his right hand into a fist, extended his index finger, and lightly tapped above Azik's head. Faint blue ripples spread out, and a drop of utterly black, lightless river water appeared out of thin air, dripping down and merging into Azik's forehead.