Translator: AnubisTL
To welcome him back after his "studies," Jieming's "parents" and "old friend" had meticulously arranged a family gathering.
The living room was familiar, the lighting warm. The dining table was laden with dishes he "remembered" liking.
His "parents" beamed with pride and affection. "Amy" chattered incessantly, sharing recent updates. "Victor," as always, listened quietly, nodding occasionally.
The atmosphere was lively and warm, a picture of familial harmony.
Jieming ate quietly, a gentle smile on his face as he listened to their conversation.
But deep in his eyes, his gaze was as cold as water, meticulously observing every detail, every subtle shift in their expressions.
Finally, he set down his utensils.
The clink of metal against the porcelain plate was not loud, yet it brought the cheerful chatter at the table to an abrupt halt.
Every eye was now fixed on him.
Jieming scanned the four "family members" who "cared" for and "loved" him. His gaze was as calm as a deep pool, yet sharp enough to pierce through any facade.
He spoke slowly, his voice low but carrying an unquestionable authority:
"Alright, stop acting."
"Come out. Let's talk."
The four people at the dining table froze, the smiles on their faces instantly turning to stone.
Amy was the first to recover, forcing a smile with just the right amount of confusion. "Jieming? What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'stop acting'..."
Jieming shook his head, cutting her off. His gaze seemed to pierce through her skin, staring directly at the invisible entity behind her.
"You've been controlling them this whole time, haven't you?"
His finger swept across, encompassing his "parents," Amy, and Victor.
"Though... I don't even know what to call you."
The moment his words fell...
It was as if a switch had been flipped.
The distinct, vivid expressions on the faces of the four "family members" around him receded like a tide. They solidified into a completely identical, utterly devoid-of-human-emotion indifference.
Four pairs of eyes lost their focus simultaneously, turning hollow and vacant.
Then, four mouths opened in perfect synchronization, emitting the same cold, flat, mechanically synthesized soundwave.
The four spoke in unison, their voices echoing through the cozy dining room with a bone-chilling, inhuman quality:
"...You are correct. I have yet to introduce myself. My name is—Justice! How did you discover it, Special Observation Subject 721?"
Time seemed to freeze in that instant.
The delicious dishes lost their aroma; the warm light turned a ghastly pallor.
This dining room, once filled with the breath of life, was transformed into an interrogation chamber for a direct confrontation with the entity behind the scenes.
Jieming's heart hammered heavily against his ribs, yet his expression remained calm. He had already mentally prepared himself for this possibility.
"The reason is simple," Jieming said, meeting the four pairs of hollow "eyes," his words measured and deliberate. "Because I discovered that in this world, only you four are fake."
"I spent several years traveling through numerous cities, and even planets, continuously testing and observing everyone I encountered. From classmates and teachers to passersby and soldiers, and even other wizards I confirmed were trapped here, like Viola... they all possess real souls and independent thoughts. Their perceptions were merely clouded, their minds implanted with false memories."
At first, Jieming thought this was a false world constructed from his own hallucinations, and thus believed he was the only living person in it.
Later, as he discovered genuine, unknown knowledge and tested Viola, Jieming speculated that he might not be alone in this false world.
But even then, he only assumed this false world had been specially constructed for the two million wizards.
It wasn't until he traveled through many cities on this planet, and even visited other planets, that he finally confirmed from Rex that he was in a real world.
Every creature in this world truly existed, even the "aliens" who were his enemies.
But this made the initial falsehood all the more glaring.
Especially after learning that Rex was an orphan, Jieming understood this point all the more clearly.
His gaze swept over these four "family members" who looked like exquisite puppets, his tone tinged with a hint of cold mockery:
"Only you. From the moment I 'awakened,' you have always been by my side, playing the roles of my closest companions..."
"Yet, your words, your actions, and even your expressions of emotion are all too simplistic. You are like programs custom-made for the character 'Jieming,' lacking the contradictions, complexity, and unpredictability that a true soul should possess. Therefore, I deduce... you are nothing but hollow puppets created solely to monitor and maintain 'me.'"
After hearing Jieming's explanation, the four mouths opened and closed in perfect unison, emitting voices devoid of any emotion:
"Keen observation and logical deduction. Based on your special access privileges, we will share this information with you."
The entity calling itself "Justice" concealed nothing, revealing the cold truth of this vast world in its entirety.
It all began with a "Sage" who yearned to end all injustice.
This civilization had once been exceptionally advanced. But as the gap in individual power grew, the disparities between people widened, and the world became increasingly unfair.
Later, a sage overthrew the ruling regime. But he discovered with sorrow that those who gathered around him, because of the gap in their power, were similarly revered by others of their own kind. It seemed that these Dragon Slayers had themselves become Evil Dragons.
The sage believed the root cause of all this was transcendent power. He felt that if a world could be created where everyone's power was equal, peace would surely dawn upon the world!
Thus, he gathered the power of the entire plane to create the being before them, then led everyone into the influence of "Justice."
Therefore, the core of all the anomalies in this plane is this artificial intelligence named "Justice." It is the greatest masterpiece of a highly advanced civilization that has long since vanished into the river of history, endowed with the ultimate directive to achieve "fairness."
"...Sealing transcendent power is the core function of the 'Absolute Fairness Domain,'" "Justice" stated through four mouths simultaneously.
Hearing this, Jieming suddenly had a thought and interrupted it: "It sounds like we wizards are also affected by your system."
"But I'm curious, what means exactly are you using to 'delude' them? I'm certain I haven't been subjected to any form of spiritual interference or illusion magic."
"It is neither illusion magic nor mental domination. Its essence is 'Hope.'"
"To prevent ambitious individuals from disrupting 'Justice' in the future, the Creator bestowed upon me a core ability. Its principles exceed my understanding, but it can be simplified as follows: I can perceive and guide the deepest, ultimate desires for 'happiness' and 'fulfillment' within every intelligent being. Based on this, I construct a life path and environment that allows them to realize those desires."
"Power, in the vast majority of cases, is merely a tool for an individual to achieve their ultimate desire, not the desire itself."
"I suppressed the disparities in power that would lead to injustice and directly granted them lives that fulfill their 'final wishes.' Those who yearn to rise above others can become celebrities; those who wish to impart knowledge can become mentors; those who crave to explore the unknown can become scholars; and even those who long for conflict and victory can become generals, satisfying their needs on a designated 'battlefield.'"
Four mouths replied simultaneously, their voices still as steady as a machine:
"They are not 'deluded' by me, but are attracted to and immersed in the 'Hope' within their own hearts. I merely provided an opportunity to reach the destination of their dreams and obtain eternal happiness directly, without relying on dangerous transcendent power."
"In the face of tangible, real happiness, what meaning is there in clinging to illusory power and past memories?"
"This is the most fundamental 'Justice' for every individual."
Listening to this theory—so steeped in idealism yet utterly cold—Jieming couldn't help but shake his head.
He wanted to argue. He wanted to tell this artificial intelligence that even without transcendent power, injustices based on knowledge, wealth, authority, and even luck would still exist. The desires and conflicts within intelligent life would never cease. The complexity of human nature and society was far beyond what a simple "strip power, fulfill wishes" model could ever encompass.
But in the end, he kept his words unspoken.
His identity as a transmigrator was his greatest secret.
And from a certain perspective, the Sage and this "Justice" system had indeed, in an extreme and pure way, almost fanatically realized their vision.
Even from Jieming's viewpoint, this place could be called a "utopia" built upon the foundations of "absolute equality of power" and the "direct fulfillment of wishes."
It was at this very moment that Jieming suddenly connected the dots regarding many of the things that had felt off to him before.
For instance, the rule of the "school bully" who held an axe but determined strength through knowledge.
This proved that the Sage had not naively believed that stripping away transcendent power would eliminate all disparities. He had foreseen that even without such power, society would still form hierarchies and status gaps based on intelligence, information, control of resources, and even raw physical strength (in lower-level groups).
He had simply tried to keep these disparities within a "non-transcendent," "comprehensible" range.
However, the Sage had never actually lived in a society completely devoid of transcendent power. All his deductions were based on theory and observation. Thus, when he combined these elements to construct this vast, substitute society, it resulted in social rules and a worldview that Jieming found subtly off and even a bit "awkward" in their details.
It was like a blind man who, despite carefully feeling the body of an elephant and gathering all its physical characteristics, would still assemble a beast in his mind that was absolutely nothing like a real elephant.
(End of the Chapter)
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