The Oracle Paths

951 Mirror World

"It's an excellent question," Oros commended with appreciation. "And you're absolutely right. An Oracle Noble indeed cannot be forced to fight and risk their life by the Oracle in ordinary circumstances. However, they cannot shirk their responsibilities either. The Oracle System might, for example, mobilize you to defend a specific position, facing a generally identified threat.

"Where the Oracle Noble distinguishes itself from the common Evolver is that it no longer has merely the status of a simple soldier. Ordinary Evolvers are generally free to act as they please and even flee when they feel threatened.

However, do not be deceived. This semblance of freedom is but a gossamer veil. They are, in reality, much less free than you.

"Firstly, let us discuss the Civilians. All Evolvers who have not participated in any Ordeal and whose Oracle Rank is below that of Staff Sergeant can be reduced to slavery with but a thought, as long as their buyer can afford to pay the price corresponding to their value estimated by the Oracle System. Never forget this.

Everything has value in the Mirror Universe, including you. The only difference between you and the others is that the Oracle System makes you 'non-purchasable' as long as you meet the conditions.

"For those actual Evolvers who have reached or even surpassed the Oracle Rank of Staff Sergeant, they are immune to immediate purchase via the Oracle Store but not to invasion or capture by enemy Evolvers. Once your life is in the hands of your enemy, it no longer belongs to you. They simply have to find a way to force you to sign an Oracle Slave Contract to do whatever they want with you. If these Evolvers and their factions want to continue enjoying their immunity after the end of the diplomatic immunity period, they will then need to be what is called active Evolvers or Players. In simple terms, Fourth-Ordeal Players like you are untouchable for three years following the end of your Fourth Ordeal. This period extends to 5 years for a Fifth-Ordeal Player. An Evolver can also benefit from this kind of immunity by enlisting in the Mirror Universe army, particularly by accepting risky missions involving territory security, such as joining one of the many battlefronts against the Digestor.

"This immunity applies only to those enemies who are much stronger than you. In your case, Fifth and Sixth Ordeal Evolvers are entirely free to attack you if the opportunity arises. The reason is obvious. I don't have enough Oracle Guardians and TX models to enforce the law on a planet as vast as B842. These crawling Digestors are already causing me enough problems. It means that the only thing stopping your law-defying enemies from attacking you immediately is the potential fine they will have to pay. But a fine is just a fine. In the end, the Oracle System does not want to deprive you of your free will, and consequently, the amount of this fine is also highly codified. Do I need to continue?"

Cho Min Ho and the others shook their heads to indicate that it was not necessary. Everyone here was intelligent.

The explanation was as follows. An ordinary Evolver was indeed free, but they were not as protected as the Oracle Nobles and active Players. The market value associated with them made them vulnerable.

Like fragile porcelain in a tempest, the Civilians had no choice but to join a faction or a nation to benefit from their protection. Even the Evolvers and active Players had to sooner or later seek a protector or voluntarily participate in these risky missions if they wanted to maintain their immunity. After all, post-Ordeal immunity did not last indefinitely either.

This meant that most Evolvers and Civilians ended up voluntarily joining a faction or nation of their choice, thereby already relinquishing some of their free will, according to the Oracle Contract they had signed.

And who governed these factions and nations most of the time? Oracle Nobles.

Thus, the cycle was complete. When the Oracle Knights received a mandatory mission with specific objectives, they merely had to dispatch their "subjects" to fulfill their duty. Since all Oracle Nobles regularly received such missions, these Civilians and Evolvers under their protection couldn't just seek better opportunities elsewhere.

In short, nothing was without cost. Freedom or protection - one had to choose.

The only Oracle Knight who frowned after these explanations was the one who came without companions. Having no faction or homeland, ha had no one to delegate these responsibilities to.

Seeing that they were all on the same page, Oros nodded with satisfaction and, out of pity for the disheartened Oracle Knight, continued on a more optimistic note.

"Since the duty that falls upon you is clear to everyone, let us proceed to the topic of your responsibilities. Just now, I may have frightened you, but the Oracle is always fair. At least, usually. It's rare for it to force Fourth-Ordeal

Players like you to join an ultra-risky warfront. For now, you have nothing to fear. I spoke earlier of objectives to fulfill to retain your noble title, and shortly you'll see that there's nothing terrifying about it. As long as you meet your quotas, you'll have no worries.

"At your level, your duty to protect the Mirror Universe is limited only to B842, and more specifically to your territories. Your objectives mainly concern the latter, which in reality is a goal you should have pursued even without the Oracle's encouragement. Just as the Oracle

wants you to grow stronger by facing Ordeals, they also want your factions and territories to develop as much as possible."

Another Oracle Knight raised their hand, and Oros nodded for them to speak. Having received approval, the alien asked in a raspy voice, "Where can I see these objectives? I assume that, except for exceptions, we can choose the missions we want and that a certain value is attributed to them, right?"

"I'm getting to that," Oros smiled (or at least, that's how they imagined his expression if he had a face). "You'll understand better when I address the subject of your privileges. But before that, I want to return to the first point concerning your safety. As you've understood, nobody is entirely safe in this world. Evolvers and Civilians are forced to seek your protection, but you too need it. One not-so-distant day, the courage to enter the Red Cube to face a new Ordeal will leave you. Your diplomatic immunity will eventually end, and your territories and factions will once again become vulnerable prey for your enemies plotting in the shadows."

The hearts of the Oracle Knights in the room froze in their chests, imagining this near future. Some already had knots in their stomachs just thinking about the massacre awaiting them at their next Ordeal.

They didn't know how long immunity lasted after each Ordeal, but it couldn't be that long. After a century of immunity, would they have to risk their lives in an Eleventh or Twelfth Ordeal to maintain it? That was obviously unthinkable. The chance that they would be dead and buried long before facing such a dilemma was far more likely.

11. . . That is why Oracle Nobles can employ the principle of Vassalage, a method already used by numerous factions." Oros continued indifferently. "If a formidable foe seeks to harm you and has the means to circumvent fines and even disregard my Oracle Guardians, then you need only find an Oracle Noble with a higher title than yours who is willing to protect you. By becoming their vassal, you must pledge allegiance to them as your own Civilians do, for as long as you desire to bask in their protection."

Jake snorted upon hearing this disgraceful proposition. The problem with B842 was that it was a young planet. It was uncertain whether there was an Oracle Noble capable of truly protecting them when everything went to hell.

In any case, Jake couldn't care less. If it all went to pot, he could take refuge under the wings of his master, Cekt. He was unsure if Cekt held any noble titles, but he knew Cekt's Oracle Rank was more than sufficient to deter any foes.

In fact, if even Cekt's deterrence proved insufficient, then it would mean that B842 was likely doomed, and they'd need to skedaddle from there posthaste.

Oros knew that there was much to digest for these new Oracle Knights, so he clapped his hands to regain their attention and declared more cheerfully, "Onto your privileges!"

The Oracle Knights' eyes lit up upon hearing the last word mentioned, their burdens a distant memory. This was what they truly wanted to hear, not a series of depressing rules and tedious responsibilities.

". . . Your first privilege, which you have likely already experienced not too long ago, is the VIP Ordeal Store and the VIP Oracle Store." Oros announced knowingly. "Your noble status makes you eligible for a number of exceptional items and products not typically available through the standard distribution channels of the Oracle Store. Without a noble title, you would have needed an Oracle Rank of 21 as a General to unlock them, and I am only speaking of the VIP Oracle Store visible to an Oracle Knight here.

"Your second privilege... And by far the most precious and life-changing for you, is access to the Mirror World. A virtual reality that spans across the entire Mirror Universe and beyond. Considering the bad news I still have to share with you later... Sigh... Its significance in the future will only grow."