A sneeze destroys a magical civilization

Inside the shell ship, a large number of mind flayers and goblin, orc, and gnoll slaves were busy setting up some psychic devices.

As the fourth natural disaster plan unfolds, this semi-living magic ship powered by psychic energy needs to be transformed into a huge mobile signal transmitter so that it can move between different planes, crystal walls, and even the universe. .

What these guys are currently doing is to carry out a series of complex and bold modifications to the shell ship, temporarily abandoning all speed, defense and attack capabilities, and only pursuing signal stability and coverage.

Of course, it's not easy.

Because although the mind flayers' psychic technology is the most advanced and powerful in the universe, not every mind flayer community has mastered all the technologies of the entire race.

Especially the original mastermind of this shell ship that was captured by the mad mage and trapped in Leyline Maze, its original mastermind had already been destroyed once under a crazy attack by the Githyanki.

Although the mind-destroying demon Eth Amidon recovered most of the knowledge and technology afterwards, a lot of it was inevitably lost.

In order to make up for the poor performance of some psychic equipment caused by the loss of this part of knowledge and technology, the only thing that can be done at present is to enlarge the size of the equipment, and then use quantity to make up for the lack of quality.

At a glance, the interior corridors of the ship were almost covered by densely packed energy transmission lines and signal amplifiers that looked like octopus tentacles.

On the top of the huge conch-shaped shell outside, there is a biological antenna with automatic telescopic function, which is specially used to amplify psychic signals.

However, Zuo Si obviously didn't come here today to check the progress of the entire plan, so he just took a quick glance and then walked directly into the room where Nao Chi was.

The moment he crossed the threshold and entered the interior, several mind flayers who were busy one second immediately knelt down on one knee in unison and issued greetings in an extremely respectful tone.

"Owner!"

Isadora, who became the mastermind, also wanted to say something through the spiritual connection.

But before she could speak, Zuo Si raised his head and revealed a pair of cold eyes. He slowly walked up to one of the mind flayers, stretched out his hand and grabbed the guy's neck. With a strength of thirty-one points, attribute, forcibly lifted it up from the ground, and asked with a cold face: "Do you remember what I told you before?"

"No... you are not allowed to reveal the information about the Fourth Natural Disaster Plan to anyone." The Mind Flayer, whose neck was stuck, stammered in reply.

He was not a fool. He could feel the anger hidden under his calm and cold appearance, and he did not dare to make even the slightest move of struggle or resistance.

"Very good! Then tell me, have you obeyed the orders I gave?" Zuo Si narrowed his eyes and continued to ask.

The Mind Flayer was obviously frightened by this attitude and quickly defended himself: "Master, please calm down and listen to my explanation. Because the new mastermind had too many uncontrollable features, I thought of letting the most rational, The calm Isadora replaced him as the new mastermind. Only in this way can the entire plan smoothly transition to the next stage..."

"That's enough! I'm not interested in hearing the explanation, and I don't want to know your motives and reasons for doing this. I just need to confirm that you violated my order."

As the last word blurted out, Zuo Si suddenly raised his right index finger and shot a dazzling green light at the mind flayer's head.

moment!

This unlucky guy turned into a puddle of useless green dust and didn't even have time to scream.

Six-ring magic [dissociation]!

A truly terrifying magic that can kill a person's body.

Any creature that does not have high enough magic resistance or strong enough vitality will become what it is now in minutes once it is hit.

If calculated solely in terms of lethality, the sixth-level [Dissociation Technique] is even more amazing than the seventh-level [Finger of Death].

After killing this self-inflicted guy, Zuo Si glanced at the other mind flayers with murderous eyes, and said in a cold voice without any fluctuation: "Listen to me! Although I don't exclude you from showing off. I have subjective initiative to solve some problems on my own, but this does not mean that I can violate the orders I gave. There can only be one voice here, and that is my voice. There can only be one absolute master, and it is also me. Do you understand now?"

"Understood!"

The remaining mind flayers immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look into those eyes as deep as black holes.

At this moment, they finally realized how strong their young master was. He was like a tyrant who would never allow his subordinates to obey him.

Any self-righteous little moves and calculations may be severely punished.

"From now on, you will take over the plan for the fourth natural disaster."

Zuo Si randomly designated a mind flayer to replace the guy who was beaten to dust by the dissociation spell.

He obviously knew very well that behind Isadora's action of replacing the mastermind, the last mind flayer responsible for the fourth natural disaster plan must be secretly fueling the fire.

"As you wish, Master."

The designated mind flayer responded quickly, then took several other people of his kind and turned around to leave the room where Brain Pool was.

After they all walked away, Zuo Si turned his attention to the enlarged version of the human brain in the brain pool. After a full minute, he asked: "Do you know what it means to be the master brain?"

"Of course! I will be your assistant, the core and most important tool in your hand. I can help you realize and complete miracles that are impossible in the eyes of countless outsiders, and help you create a brand new civilization from scratch. Build you a powerful army that can never be truly destroyed. From now on, I will become the most important thing around you, and I will always be by your side, and that is enough."

Isadora, who became the mastermind, gave the answer through spiritual connection.

Obviously, she knew all about the Fourth Natural Disaster Plan and the horrific effects that this plan would bring if it advanced to the final stage, so she chose to actively integrate with the Mastermind.

In this way, he can not only prevent this part of his personality from being swallowed up by the other three Isadoras, but also ensure that his status will never be shaken.

As for the "little thing" of giving up human identity, it is trivial.

After understanding the other party's thoughts, Zuo Si held his forehead and sighed speechlessly: "Alas - your seriously distorted personality and outlook on life make me don't know what to say."

Isadora responded nonchalantly: "You don't need to say anything. These are all decisions and choices I made myself. And after becoming the mastermind, I have no matter whether it is my psychic ability or my talent for learning arcane magic. They have all been greatly improved. And...I already have some insights into the spiritual arcane master you mentioned before."

"Oh? What is your current psychic level? What is your arcane spell casting level?" Zuo Si asked in an uncertain tone.

"I now have a LV17 Psion level, a LV20 Warlock level, and a LV11 Mage level.

When the first phase of the Fourth Natural Disaster Plan is completed and 50,000 new mind flayer brains are absorbed, I can raise the level of the Psion to above LV25 and become a truly legendary mastermind.

Not only that!

As my intelligence level increases significantly, my learning speed in arcane magic will also become very fast.

And it can also become more and more powerful through the thoughts, memories, experiences of those souls and the information transmitted back by their control of the body's external activities. "

When she said these words, Isadora's originally calm tone was obviously filled with excitement and excitement.

Because after so long, he was finally able to help Zuo Si.

"The total professional level has reached forty-eight?" Zuo Si was obviously surprised.

Isadora replied without thinking: "That's right. The LV15 Psion level and the LV11 Mage level were both obtained after the previous clones devoured each other. After replacing the master brain's consciousness, my Psion level The level has been increased by two levels, and I have also obtained the LV20 warlock level."

"I see!"

Zuo Si instantly realized that the LV20 warlock level was actually one of the many powerful abilities possessed by the mastermind.

In addition, this legendary creature can also perform a series of psychic powers at will, such as astral projection, charming monsters, detecting thoughts, controlling humans, group suggestions, plane teleportation, psychic blasting, etc.

It can be said that when ordinary adventurers or adventure teams encounter the mastermind, they will not even have a chance to resist. They will be charmed and controlled in minutes, and eventually become slaves or food for the mind flayers.

This is also the reason why Zuo Si has been unable to make up his mind to strengthen the new mastermind.

Without him, the power of this thing is really too powerful. If it is not controlled well, it will create a powerful enemy out of thin air.

Of course, with Isadora becoming the mastermind's consciousness, this hidden danger has now been eliminated.

After realizing this, Zuo Si quickly took out the box full of outstanding talents from his pocket and gently threw it into the cage built with tentacles and granules next to it.

moment!

A tentacle reached in and opened the sealed box, and thirty souls from the earth's elites from all walks of life were released.

But before they could react to what was happening, they were immediately pulled into an extremely real illusion by the powerful psychic power of the mastermind.

…

"This... this looks like a medieval tavern?"

Dr. White stared at the unfamiliar surroundings with his mouth open, his face full of shock and disbelief.

Not only him, but the other twenty-nine people had similar reactions.

Because they all remembered very clearly that they were 100% dead, but their souls were retained.

But now, not only can they be seen by others just like when they were alive, but they can also touch things with their hands, and even smell the weird smell of food, wine, tobacco and sweat.

The most important thing is that this tavern doesn't look like it's on Earth.

The guests on the first, second and third floors are not only dressed in medieval style, but also have species such as dwarves, elves, halflings, gnomes, orcs that only appear in myths and legends.

There was a bear larger than an ox lying at the feet of one of the druids.

All of this made thirty souls from the earth fall into deep thinking.

who I am?

where am I?

Is everything I see in front of me an illusion or real?

Fortunately, Zuo Si did not confuse these people for too long. He soon appeared next to the bar out of thin air, raised a cup filled with drinks and asked with a smile: "Would any of you want to have a drink?"

"Oh - damn! You finally showed up! Where on earth is this place? Why do we still seem alive even though we are all dead?"

Dr. White was the first to come closer and expressed all the doubts and confusion in his heart.

Zuo Si did not answer immediately, but made a gesture to Isadora, who was standing at the bar and regained her human form.

The latter understood instantly, raised his hand and lightly snapped his fingers.

Snapped!

With a crisp sound, thirty experts, including Dr. White, instantly had a glass in their hands, filled with dark red wine, and a plate of special flavored barbecue piled in a pyramid shape.

Since the time of death is relatively short, many people immediately try to take a bite or drink after seeing the wine and food.

It didn't matter if he didn't touch it. The moment he touched it, his subconscious desire for food and alcoholic beverages was immediately aroused. They all gathered around the bar and immersed themselves in eating.

One by one, they devoured the food like hungry ghosts reincarnated.

Dr. White ate the fastest, finishing all the barbecue on the plate in just a few minutes. Then while tasting the wine, he said with emotion: "I can't believe that I can still taste the taste of food and wine after death. If This is the world you mentioned, so I’m starting to look forward to my future.”

"That's right! Eating and drinking are the most basic needs of human beings, and they also produce a lot of happy emotions. If all this is true, then I think there will be many dying people on the earth rushing to sign that contract to gain another An identity and a form continue life." Chris, a sociologist with no hair on his head, nodded in agreement.

"Haha, what is your definition of true and false? If a computer or magic can perfectly simulate everything in the real world, including gravity, physical rules, smell, taste, touch, visual effects, and even things from scratch If people are created with independent personalities, memories, and logical thinking, what is the difference between such a virtual world and reality?"

Zuo Si put forward a hypothesis with a half-smile.

The experts and scholars present fell silent upon hearing this.

Because regarding virtual reality technology, someone on earth has proposed it a long time ago. The earliest embryonic stage can be traced back to 1963, which is the eighteenth year after the invention of the first electronic computer.

After 1990, virtual reality was no longer a vague concept on paper, but had entered the stage of practice, improvement and application.

Since everyone here is an elite in the field of scientific research, they are no strangers to the concept of virtual reality. They also know that with the current level of science and technology, let alone virtual reality, even those things that are manufactured regardless of cost in the aerospace field cannot be deceived. through human eyes.

Not to mention taste, touch, physical rules, gravity and the sheer difficulty of creating a virtual character.

Especially as a physicist, McCas has been observing every move of other guests around him. From time to time, he will pick up the empty plate and move it left and right, or gently lift it and throw it on the table, looking for possibilities. There are physical phenomena that do not conform to common sense.

But unfortunately, after trying it several times, he could not see even the slightest flaw.

In the end, sociologist Chris took a deep breath and said: "You are right. If everything in the real world can be perfectly simulated, then there will be no difference between reality and illusion. Even a virtual world that does not require too many resources It’s more attractive than the real world. But I’m still curious, is this the real world or the virtual world?”

"This is a virtual world, an illusion magic called Waterdeep City. Please stay here for a while before the clones prepared for you mature."

With that said, Zuo Si stood up and walked to the door, pushing open the closed door with all his strength.

The next second...

A complete waterdeep city was displayed in front of everyone.

Obviously, compared to Isemiton who has never been to the real Waterdeep City, Isadora has not only been there, but also lived in Waterdeep City for a period of time, so she can simulate the general appearance of the entire Waterdeep City.

Although there may be some flaws in some places, the problem is that these experts and professors are not natives of Waterdeep and cannot see anything wrong at all.

"You...you actually created a virtual city that is almost the same as the real world?"

Dr. White slowly walked out of the tavern and onto the street. Looking at the bustling crowds and various shops on both sides of the road, his whole body was trembling slightly with excitement.

But Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, this place was not created by me. Please allow me to introduce to you the creator and controller of this virtual city, and Isadora, who is also responsible for keeping your souls. "

moment!

Thirty pairs of eyes followed the direction of Zuo Si's finger and focused on the girl.

Isadora was not afraid of the stage, she walked straight out of the bar and gracefully made a lady's bow: "Welcome to the virtual world I created.

As talents selected by Soth, you can enjoy fine wine, food, and even some special services that satisfy your desires in the replica of Waterdeep.

If you are interested in magic, you can also go to the Mage Tower to read relevant books. I have instilled the relevant language into your memory.

But please note one thing, that is, never leave the scope of Waterdeep City, otherwise you will be responsible for the consequences. "

"Recreate Waterdeep City? In other words... there is really a place called Waterdeep City?" Dr. White's eyes shone slightly.

Zuo Si smiled and replied: "Yes. Waterdeep City is a famous city in the world we are in now. But don't worry about it, because it is not important. In a few hours at most, we will leave and go to another world. There is only This is where you need to contribute your talents.”

"Two worlds? Have you mastered some kind of time-space teleportation technology that allows you to teleport between two different planets regardless of distance?"

McCuston, a physicist, became excited.

Because since the physics community proposed the Einstein-Rosen Bridge, also known as a "wormhole," many scientists have been trying to find evidence of its existence.

But unfortunately, so far this kind of space-time tunnel is still in the stage of hypothesis and conjecture.

At best, it provides material for some science fiction movies or novels and comics.

But now, McCas saw a living example right in front of him, how could he not be excited.

Perhaps the dead man would not be able to win the Nobel Prize even if he understood the knowledge and principles contained in it, but it would be good to be able to satisfy his curiosity and solve a problem that has plagued human civilization on earth for decades.

"No, Professor. Strictly speaking, the magical universe we live in is a little different from the universe you understand. Although there are concepts of space and planets here, they are not physically related to each other. In the same space. Can you understand what I mean?" Zuo Si tried to explain.

"In the same universe, but not in the same space in a physical sense?" Physicist McCas was stunned.

Zuo Si nodded slightly and responded in a very affirmative tone: "That's it.

There are additional concepts of planes and crystal walls here.

You can understand that the crystal wall is equivalent to an independent star system.

Some of them are large, some are small, and the outside is wrapped by a huge spherical shell.

The concept of planes is even more complicated.

The most typical one is the material plane, which is the planets and galaxies formed mainly of matter.

In addition, there are the elemental planes formed mainly by elements, the star realm formed mainly by spirits, and Baator Hell, the Abyss, the Seventh Heaven Mountain, the Sea of ​​Chaos, which are divided by the order of good and evil and the tendency of chaos. There are a series of outer planes such as the Mechanical Realm, the Elysian Realm, the Unrestrained Wilderness, the Gray Wilderness and so on.

Planes and planes, crystal walls and crystal walls are actually completely isolated. Only some powerful magic, portals and special magic ships can pass through.

Of course, these are all conclusions drawn from a magical perspective.

If you are interested in doing research from a scientific perspective, I would be more than happy to support you.

In fact, I myself am very curious about these specious things described in books. "

There is no doubt that the structure of the universe in which the world of Toril is located is not only complex, but also has as many as seventeen outer planes, many of which are kingdoms established by gods.

Even Zuo Si couldn't explain it well and could only do some general science popularization.

As for whether the other party can understand and understand, that is none of his business.

Fortunately, McCas was mentally prepared and immediately joked with a smile: "It sounds like I won't be short of research topics for a long time."

"Replacing [you] with [you] is more appropriate. Because what you are about to face is a world that has just experienced a catastrophe, and the entire human race is struggling on the verge of extinction. This also means that your The mission is to shoulder the responsibility of rekindling the fire of civilization." Zuo Si said meaningfully.

"No problem! We are all dead anyway and have almost unlimited time to complete this goal."

Monte, an expert in geology and materials science, shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

Sociologist Chris added: "If humans in that world are really on the verge of extinction, then our manpower alone will definitely not be enough. Apart from anything else, just restoring the population and avoiding the possible harm caused by inbreeding will It takes a lot of time and energy. We need more people, at least tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands or millions of immigrants."

Zuo Sishen nodded in agreement: "You are right. I have thought of this a long time ago. In fact, the reason why I recruited you is that I hope you can help me consult on the demographic structure of immigrants, the ratio of men to women, and Specific quantities required for various professional skills.”

"You don't want to get millions of souls directly from the earth and stuff them into clones, do you?

I suggest you don't do this.

Because these souls from the earth are very likely to have conflicts due to reasons such as country, ethnicity, religious beliefs, historical hatred, etc., or even directly tear the entire society apart.

After all, you don't have enough population base to assimilate them, and the result will be chaos. "

Chris warned with a serious expression.

To be sure, this is a challenge that many immigration countries have been facing.

"Don't worry, the situation you just mentioned will not happen.

First of all, I will eliminate racial discrimination and religious fanatics during the selection stage, and only retain those who have received higher education or have certain professional skills and skills.

Secondly, their memories will be tampered with, and most of them will not know the truth throughout their lives. Instead, they will be affected by illusion magic and think that they are still alive and just playing an extremely real virtual game.

Finally, and most importantly, the clones prepared for these people are not limited to humans.

There will also be elves, dwarves, orcs, half-orcs, gnolls, kobolds, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, trolls and other creatures, as well as hybrids born from the union between them.

I will even delete the words and languages ​​they originally mastered and re-instill a new language and writing system.

In this way, it is impossible for them to know who the other person is, which country and ethnicity they come from, and whether the color of their skin is white or dark.

You will only feel that the other party is a so-called player just like yourself.

In this way, complex national, racial, religious and historical conflicts will evolve into the simplest conflicts of interest, which are much simpler to deal with. "

When he said these words, the corners of Zuo Si's mouth raised slightly, revealing an enigmatic smile.

Obviously, the reason why he told these hand-selected high-end talents the truth was because he needed them to form a team to assist him in conducting a series of research.

As for the rest, let's just work hard on the promising job of "The Fourth Natural Disaster".