Story Reader / Interlude / Night Mayfly / Story
Upon the tallest tower on the Nighter, a Construct in a mask is half-kneeling on the floor, her head lowered, waiting quietly for her actual mistress.
Soon, the Construct hears her mistress' familiar footsteps, and an imposing woman steps forward from the dark hall. The Construct lowers her head further.
Rise, Yazi.
Hearing that, Yazi slowly looks up and stands, retreating behind the woman.
As you wish... "Lady Qu", your subjects have gathered in the square with the projection screens. Is there something else I should prepare?
That's not necessary... I'm not my pompous sister. I have no desire to waste my breath on them.
I have no need for "will" on the Nighter... What they should follow are "rules." That is their only "value."
I understand. This is the only way this ship sails on the right course, as Huaxu told us.
Yazi... would you think I'm doing something foolish?
To despise humans while being one—to despise humans while being their "monarch," shouldering the responsibility of carrying on Kowloong's legacy on this vessel.
I think... there's no one better for this role than you.
Looking at the ill-fitting attire on herself, "Qu" smiles, her true thoughts hidden.
In the end, all I can do is steal her name and her role. Perhaps that's only fitting—a false monarch for a false prosperous time.
Yazi lowers her head, unsure how to respond.
Yazi, turn on the video system. This will be my first time on the stage in this role and perhaps my last. Here begins the endless night.
The Laws of the Nighter:
1. Wearing the monitoring device, "the collar", is compulsory. Everyone who does not wear one or tries to damage it will be sentenced to death.
2. "Miles" must be obtained with grubs earned in any way necessary. Everyone with zero "miles" will be sentenced to death.
3. The Nighter is to sail on the ocean until the calamity is over. Everyone who leaves or boards the Nighter without permission will be sentenced to death.
4. Those who are chosen to be the Children of Kowloong after becoming a Construct will gain the right to stay on the Nighter forever and bear witness to our glorious future when we return to Kowloong.
5. All freedoms save the restrictions in the aforementioned laws are granted in the name of Kowloong.
Inside a quiet room, several holographic projections slowly overlap, forming an almost-humanoid figure.
Respond accepted. Password authorized. Loading preset—general interaction interface—
The administrator logged in. Welcome, Master Villier.
Hearing Huaxu's usual greetings, the Construct Villier reveals a rare, gentle smile.
You're probably the only one left who'd call me "Villier"... But that's enough. I don't need someone else to understand who I am.
Huaxu's figure flickers as if thinking about something.
The passengers' survival rate is, in fact, increasing compared to the simulations done every half an hour after your initial announcement. I want to understand why you did it, Master Villier.
Villier turns on the surveillance system, monitoring the different corners of the Nighter lives.
Huaxu, you still don't fully understand humans... You have to understand them to manipulate them well.
Apart from a few, most people who boarded the Nighter were the working class who struggled under Qu's rules. These seemingly authoritative but extremely pliable rules are in fact an opportunity.
They will welcome our policies with open arms and work tirelessly to earn these "miles," building us exceptional Constructs. Then, one day... I will find a Construct that can become your body.
My body...
Villier tries to caress Huaxu's face. Even though he knows the figure before him is just a hologram, he is still disappointed that his touch meets only air.
I once thought not to rely on humans as well... I thought I could build you a perfect body with my own hands.
That was the most flawless mechanoid I'd ever built—or so I thought. Even when I tailored it for you, its logic system still failed to adapt to your consciousness, a mind that uses the same architecture of Gestalt.
But it made me realize that only a Construct's M.I.N.D. is ideal for you.
Huaxu's form flickers again. Emotions and self-awareness take root in Huaxu's constant calculations and reflections.
What happened to that failed mechanoid?
Villier looks a little surprised to find Huaxu curious about a mechanoid.
It accidentally generated excess human sentiments... even produced its own thoughts during its development. It was a defective product that lost its value. The Nighter has no use for defective products.
Villier recalls how the mechanoid stared at him with the gaze of a human. Even when Villier was the one who granted it a mind, it still turned out like the humans he despised the most.
It was left behind in Kowloong, so I assume it has long been infected by the Punishing Virus and turned into a Corrupted, probably destroyed in a fight with humans.
Lost... death... destruction... "value"... What is the value I produce?
Villier walks toward the hologram, looking into Huaxu's eyes, his gaze conveying boundless affection.
Your existence itself is your value... You are the only perfect existence in this world. Nothing matters except you. This planet and this ship are just a cradle, existing only for your perfection.
Huaxu flickers again, the light flashing on Villier's passionate face.
That's it for today... I'll be working on your system expansion next in preparation for your eventual frame.
Therefore, I'm hoping you can take my place as "Qu" to govern the affairs on the Nighter by remote-controlling the Construct I built in Qu's image.
Then, you might be able to witness more closely... how despicable humanity is.
Villier takes one last look at Huaxu's flickering hologram before turning away and heading into the laboratory in the dark.
