Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 81
“It’s a great honor to meet you, Your Excellency the Governor.” Alois hurriedly bowed to the man on the floating carpet, who raised his palm to indicate that the formality was unnecessary.
“The honor is mine.” Nolin Titian’s voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable force. He looked at Alois with interest, as if admiring a piece of art, yet with the discernment of a merchant assessing value. Alois noticed that his irises were silver, shining with a captivating, sword-like cold light.
The Governor turned to David and said, “Is this the esteemed guest whom Giorgione’s cabinet sent the Socrates to find?”
David clasped his hands inside his sleeves and bowed slightly. “He is one of them. The other is currently discussing with Giorgione in the third greenhouse.”
“Is that so.” Nolin Titian’s lips curled up slightly as he looked towards the distant hemispherical greenhouse, taking his time before his gaze settled back on Alois. “I heard that both of you ‘were’ under Joanna Begrel’s command?”
He emphasized “were” as if to underscore Joanna’s passing, which ignited an unnamed anger in Alois. “Even now, I’m still her subordinate.” His voice hardened. “Joanna lives on even in death.”
“Where does she exist?” the Governor asked maliciously.
Alois pressed his hand to his chest.
Nolin Titian’s mocking smile faded, and he spoke with unexpected respect. “I also regret Joanna’s death. Years ago, before I was elected Governor, I met her once when she came to Neo Athens to take the ‘Lady of the Night’ we had built for her.”
He gazed at the sky. “I still clearly remember her valiant figure. It’s unfortunate that years later, she would fall at the hands of lesser men.”
Alois didn’t respond.
Titian didn’t seem to expect a reply, continuing, “I still remember the scene when the ‘Lady of the Night’ launched. She was like a noble lady in black, also resembling a witch adorned with night and stars. You know, we not only hired first-rate designers to craft her appearance but also applied our top technology. Even the three aircraft carriers of Neo Athens couldn’t match her beauty, intricacy, advancement, or lethality. What we invested was far beyond what Joanna Begrel paid.”
He lowered his eyes. “Do you know why?”
“Why?” Alois asked.
“Because she was to carry the universe’s most powerful artificial intelligence. In order to reclaim what was once lost to us and later returned, Leonard.”
“So you mean, Leonard was created to rule the Yasha?”
“That’s right.”
“But Leonard was later loaded onto the Dante, along with the third batch of Earth refugees who came to the colony,” Joshua said. “He didn’t stay to rule the Yasha. Why is that?”
“Because something unexpected happened.” The old man leaned back in his recliner. His voice became weary. “Leonard was too intelligent, possessing all human traits—logic, wisdom, creativity—except a physical body, he was no different from humans—perhaps even a superior existence. He even developed emotions, learning love and hate, which is very dangerous for an AI, especially one meant to rule the Yasha. He could act on these emotions and potentially destroy humanity.”
Joshua remained silent. What would Leonard think if he heard their conversation? Would he calmly admit his own impulses, or laugh off Giorgione’s words as nonsense?
“Back then, opinions within our ranks varied. Some thought it better to have Leonard rule the Yasha than let that monster roam free, while others believed combining the strongest AI with the ultimate killing machine could overturn the entire cosmic order. Leonard might betray his creators, becoming a tyrant enslaving mankind. Humanity must not be led by machines. I don’t know what Kester thought, but I advised him to give up on Leo and instead create a new AI loyal to humanity, devoid of excess emotion.”
“Ultimately, Kester took my advice. Moreover, the circumstances at the time forced him to do so. Earth was on the brink. With resources depleted and natural disasters frequent, the mother planet was no longer suitable for her children. Thus, Kester loaded Leo onto the Dante to navigate, taking us, the ‘third batch of Earth refugees’, to the colony, while Kester remained on Earth to continue his research. What happened after that, I do not know.”
The old man looked at Joshua, who had left Earth later, perhaps knowing some secrets he didn’t. But Joshua only shook his head, indicating he knew no more.
“It’s strange,” he said. “If the Yasha is as powerful as you say, able to traverse all time and space, why didn’t it come to the colony? Why did it obediently stay on Earth?”
“Kester created a ‘field’ that bound its range of activity to the laboratory,” Giorgione answered. “Within the ‘field’, Yasha is the master of time and space, yet it cannot leave the ‘field’.”
“What if one day the ‘field’ disappears?”
“The ‘field’ is generated by a special device, sustained by solar energy. I think the generator is still operating well. Otherwise, the Yasha would have escaped long ago.” The old man joked, trying to lighten the serious mood, but to no avail.
He coughed awkwardly, continuing his narration. “After arriving at the colony, we found that the technology we brought was ahead of the current level. It seems the post-war decline really set back human civilization. We were all scientists, not good at much else, so we established an academy to spread the technology we brought, trying to help our fellow humans… our descendants’ children. Using Leonard as a model, we created three more high-end AIs—Beatrice, David, and Mona Lisa. Leo requested to self-destruct. But for the galaxy’s most advanced AI, he couldn’t destroy himself, nor could we destroy him, so we let him hibernate. Then I stored all his data on a chip, kept in the academy’s most secret chamber. However, you’ve also discovered…”
He paused, allowing Joshua to continue. His student complied smoothly. “Leo isn’t lying there sleeping. Not only did he escape from the secret chamber, but he also boarded the Lady of the Night with Joanna. How did this happen, Teacher?”
“You mean, Leo… the AI Leonard was once the property of Neo Athens?” Alois asked incredulously.
Nolin Titian nodded, then shook his head. “Saying ‘property’ might not be quite appropriate. Although Leonard is an AI, he is different from typical AIs. He has his own personality and emotions, almost indistinguishable from humans. We didn’t treat him as ‘property’, but as an independent ‘person’. He was a service program for humanity, but also a friend to humans. We would command him, but also respect his will—as we did for all high-end AIs.”
“Why did Leo leave Neo Athens?”
“For some reason, Leonard was sealed in a storage chip. But over twenty years ago, this chip was stolen.”
“Are you suggesting Joanna stole the chip?”
“How could that be?” The Governor laughed, spreading his hands to show he had no such thought. “How old was Joanna Begrel at that time? How could she have stolen it? It’s impossible she could have instigated others to do it either.”
Alois blushed. Although he didn’t know Joanna’s exact age (asking her would certainly have caused an uproar), over twenty years ago, she must have been just a little girl, likely not even knowing what an AI was. How could she have stolen the chip from Neo Athens?
“So you’re saying… someone else stole Leo?”
“That seems to be the case.” Nolin Titian withdrew his hands into his sleeves. “Leonard was stolen by a master thief, and after years of drifting and perhaps unspeakable black market dealings, eventually ended up in the hands of the female pirate Joanna. About nine years ago, Joanna came to Neo Athens, asking us to build a ship capable of carrying high-end AI. We originally dismissed her, but unexpectedly…”
“She brought back Leonard.” Giorgione picked up a teacup from the cat-footed table, sipped the red tea. “If it were for building a ship to carry Leonard, all the technicians of Neo Athens would agree. Beatrice and others fanned the flames, even threatening to strike against the then Dean and Governor.” The old man smiled warmly, lost in memories. “Moreover, it was a challenging task. Before, AIs were carried on giant aircraft carriers like the Socrates. How to condense a carrier into a tiny spaceship really troubled the technicians for a while. But in the end, everyone overcame the difficulties. Not only that, we spent the best manpower, creating the most beautiful, most advanced spaceship in the entire galaxy. The ‘Lady of the Night’ is a true work of art, Joshua.”
“I know. I’ve seen her,” Joshua said. “She’s indeed beautiful.”
“Not only that!” The old man’s tone was passionate and wistful. “She embodies the essence of technology from Old Earth to Neo Athens over a thousand years. She’s the most perfect, unrivaled for at least a hundred years.”
The old man put down the teacup. “Perhaps only someone like Joanna Begrel is worthy of her, to be her rightful owner.”
“And Leo?” Joshua asked. “Did you really load Leo onto the spaceship? I thought you would have tried every means to take Leo back.”
“If Leo wished to return, no one could stop him. But he didn’t want to stay in Neo Athens. He wanted to adventure in the universe, voluntarily following Joanna. What could we do?” The old man seemed quite helpless. “We could only let him go.”
Joshua couldn’t help but laugh. Leo, although diligently serving the Lady of the Night and the people of Milantu, had an inherent rebelliousness and exuberance that time couldn’t change. For an AI, was this luck or misfortune?
“Joanna Begrel and Kester are quite similar, aren’t they? I mean their personalities.” The old man also laughed. “Both are crazy, stubborn, willing to do anything for their ideals, yet sometimes hesitate over small things. Am I right?”
At that moment, something stirred in Joshua’s heart—a spark of intuition. He sat up straight, cautiously saying, “Teacher, there’s something I’ve suspected for a long time but never dared to confirm. Leo, like a human, has emotions. Could it be…” Joshua hesitated for a while before asking the question that had troubled him for a long time. “Could it be that he… that he likes Kester?”
The old man’s gaze was tender. “Shouldn’t you ask Leo that?”
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