Turing Mechanism

Chapter 153 Turing Mechanism

Uptown — if viewed from a certain peculiar perspective, it is indeed a good place.

Consumerism at its peak, and productivity almost reaching its final stage, will subject basic commodities like "food" to extreme selection and optimization: especially the demands made by giant corporations, which even the discerning fox himself has to admit —

These guys are really eating well.

Of course, even at a venue of the Golden Manor's caliber, there would be no such extravagant items as "secret recipe meals"—

After all, most of the people here are ordinary people.

However, the wide variety of synthetic foods, which have indeed been developed into new and innovative products, also proves that satisfying one's appetite is a fundamental human desire, and that everyone can derive universal pleasure from delicious food.

For example, Ai and Miya, after coming to the city, haven't eaten much high-end food except during their time at the Foundation. Even after becoming landowners in the suburbs and acquiring the title of Wing, they've only been around for a short time. Plus, after the little snake awakened its chef setting and unilaterally took over the family's cooking, the fox is too embarrassed to go out for a meal.

As for the latter—it's a pity. Ancient snakes couldn't compare to modern humans in terms of recipes. Even if Miya could make everyday dishes look amazing, she clearly hadn't witnessed the boundless expansion of human culinary knowledge by people with nothing better to do.

—For example, mango-flavored strawberry mousse and strawberry-flavored mango mousse.

Molecular gastronomy is what it is.

Of course, there are also more normal ones, such as various specially bred edible meats. With the support of giant companies' technology, the marbling of Hefei beef is even more uniform than real marble. As for the "creamy texture" that was previously only used to describe high-end meats, it can be described as "meaty cream" in the Uptown restaurant standards.

Although they all sound like bizarre dishes, they were actually quite good. At least four or five empty plates of various sizes had already piled up in front of Miya. The little snake was mostly focused on the various desserts. And since she had the same talent as a normal human girl, the food she ate probably all went to the other world.

Now, an excited Mia is trying to feed the fox something that looks like "chocolate cake," and the fox is shaking its head like a rattle drum.

"I can't eat this—" Faced with the approaching food offering, Ai Yi helplessly shrank back, while the little snake was unyielding.

"You try it, you try it! This just looks like chocolate, but it's actually coffee flavored. Isn't coffee your favorite?"

For some strange logic, the fox seems unable to eat chocolate. Although he no longer needs his original digestive system, he will suffer from a poisoning allergy as soon as he eats anything containing alkaline cocoa—his cheeks will swell up.

Therefore, the idea that dogs cannot eat chocolate is purely subjective.

Of course, this may be related to some of the nature of "beast-like characteristics." It must be said that even though the God of Life has died, the rules He left behind are still quite solid.

The banquet had been going on for half an hour, and the initial tentative phase was almost over—the reception hall was starting to get lively. As entrepreneurs invited to Golden Manor, the successful people from all over the city and from all walks of life around them were unlikely to have any social anxiety.

They quickly began chatting with each other, and in some magical and invisible process, they soon formed small groups distinguished by their professional fields and social status. While building relationships, they also began to pay attention to the target of their visit: a giant corporation.

As the pinnacle of the Upper City ecosystem, the core members of these giant corporations are naturally not so easy to get to know: in a country where connections equal power and social circles equal status, the largest share of "resources" has long been divided up by the top factions.

Giant corporations don't easily offer any genuine friendship, nor do they often adopt a posture of seeking cooperation: in addition to colleagues of the same level, there are also "wings" of a higher level, whose arrogance is never lowered compared to anyone else.

"What a grand display!"

Ai was steadily finishing off the food in front of her, while also dealing with the little snake's eager fork that was trying to feed her more "dark cuisine." She took a moment to comment on the noisy feast: "The food is pretty good, but it's also quite boring."

Although they were quite conspicuous, no one noticed the harmless fox and snake duo hiding there eating for half an hour.

An invisible influence lingered in the light-filled area, where even attention was forbidden. The obscure presence hidden behind the light curtain allowed Ai to leisurely carry out his "Muggle Observation Project" in a corner, while also saving energy for his previous behind-the-scenes operations.

It's like squatting on the main road watching ants foraging for food.

"Isn't there anything important?" Miya tilted her head. She knew that this lazy fox had come out on a mission this time, and although he was slacking off now, it was possible that this unreliable guy had forgotten. So she kindly reminded him.

"It's all done."

Ai Yi yawned as she left home to sell goods, and she successfully achieved her goal. However, after the Moss Group's unilateral "table-flipping announcement," the purpose of this trip had changed.

Next, on the eve of impending turmoil, the tasks at hand became even more complicated: to deploy effective countermeasures as much as possible, and to build up more safeguards for their organization.

A manuscript newly created from pure white: "Faust," this is Ai's first attempt to transform the masses—originating from the spiraling upward projection of civilization's history, the essence of art and literature brought him inspiration—from the light of enlightenment, the glory of revival, he chose a symbolic vessel to house it, and planted the expectation of light within it.

【Faust】, a story of perseverance amidst the devil's temptations, an epic tale of spirit conquering the world.

The reversed enemy of the Beast of Exchange.

As for this story—whether it will receive a real response remains to be seen until the "turmoil" truly begins. Fortunately, he felt he might have picked a good "protagonist" and perhaps receive a positive response.

It's hard to say.

—But that's not the most important thing.

Ai sighed.

Unbeknownst to him, his own way of thinking seemed to be becoming increasingly "lazy"—a higher level of arrogance that even giant corporations might find hard to empathize with: he built the stage, selected the protagonists, and supported his nemesis in the fight against the beast of thought.

Every action is like an indispensable part of a sophisticated machine.

—At least there's a hint of gray in the sky now.

But Ai never placed all his hopes on this arrangement. Compared to Gray's "gamble that will surely win," Fox's attitude was much more casual. He simply chose an ordinary person lost in the tide of values ​​as the protagonist. If he could awaken from the filth, then he would be saved, and humanity would be saved.

But if he fails, Ai Yi thinks it's normal.

—If all else fails, I'll think of another way.

Wearing a white crown of withered leaves, symbolizing forgiveness and compassion, Ai Yi, while also hoping that humanity could find its own spiritual path through its own strength, could not force certain things. Ai Yi meticulously set up guidance and laid the foundation for them, like a patient mentor—he held hope for the future of all beings and placed the best expectations on them.

But it doesn't matter if they all fail.

—When toddlers are just learning to speak, adults will try to solve their problems until the toddlers truly master the ability to stand, walk, and even survive independently.

The more independent a spiritual force is, the less dependent it is on its environment. This is the process by which life becomes powerful. But before it has fully developed, the question of survival or destruction is indeed worth pondering.

What if the pressure is too great and humanity is crushed before it can react?

Sometimes, Ai suddenly finds herself inexplicably empathizing with the Foundation's way of thinking—perhaps those arrogant guys think the same way when everything is about to collapse.

I just don't know whether the foundation is strict and demanding or kind and compassionate like a parent.

As she stuffed the last piece of meat into her mouth, Ai rested her chin on her hand, her mind wandering as she started to daydream.

—We need to hurry. There's still time to collect the [Exploration] nutrients and climb the next level of the ladder.

This is an opportunity to increase our tolerance for failure—if we still need to cover for all of this ourselves.

—Fragments of the principles of the heart—shouldn't they be easy to find in the time when Mima was alive?

—However—I wanted to spend a few more days with Little Snake before coming to Shangcheng, and maybe even go on a trip. Would it be bad to cancel on that?

I feel that staying for two more nights would be the best option, and I can also observe the beast's development.

—So, what do I need to prepare for the next mission?—

After reviewing her recent schedule, Ai slowly raised her head. It wasn't because she was full, but because as the most important person at this banquet, it was really unbearable for her to hide here as a decoration and remain invisible.

Passing through the surrounding field of influence that shielded mortals from perception, a figure of average height silently took a seat opposite Ai Yi. Miya, who was squeezed next to him, nudged the fox's thigh to remind him that someone had arrived, and then pointed to herself and asked, "Should we avoid them?"

"Just eat, this is none of your business."

"Oh————" the little snake obediently responded, then switched places with Ai Yi, holding a new batch of desserts, and sat down on the side against the wall.

Facing the uninvited guest who had sat down, he waited for a long time but the other party did not clear away the "unrelated person," and a clear look of bewilderment appeared on his face.

As the visitor, he certainly couldn't ask the little girl next to him, who was engrossed in eating, to move away. After staring at Ai Yi, who was squinting and looked sleepy, for half a minute, he could only helplessly speak up.

"Sir—could we speak in private?"

"No," Ai replied with a half-smile, waving her hand casually. "Is there something shameful that can't be said here? Would that make me seem petty?"

"gentlemen."

The visitor took a deep breath, interlaced his fingers on the table, and leaned forward slightly. "Please don't make things difficult for us."

"Oh?" Ai narrowed her eyes.

—The Moss Group certainly won't publicize the news of the envoy's personal visit to the banquet. Therefore, whether Ai's lowest-ranking identity can be recognized depends not on the intelligence network, but on discerning it from the "mysterious" realm, just like that old vampire Agares.

Everything that needed to be discussed had already been explained at the bank headquarters, so the Midas clan shouldn't be so tactless as to disturb their peace and quiet.

Because of the cooperation with the bottom nest, Cardinal Heavy Industries, with whom they have always had a close relationship, was specifically told by Ai Yi not to disturb them.

So the company that can still find us like this is most likely one of the other three giant companies that we're not very familiar with yet.

It is well known in Upper City that the core members of Mizu Life almost never attend any external meetings or unofficial banquets, and they have little real feeling about the New Wing. Therefore, the person who comes will only be one of the Diamond Blue Passage and Turing Agency.

Diamond Blue Pass — In my impression, it's a very traditional giant that caters to the concept of win-win development, not the kind of powerful organization that would use this method to "invite guests to move over".

So only one is left.

The Turing Organization, an authority in the field of media and information, is, in Agares' words, the "Foundation's" human persona for think tanks in the Muggle world.

"Just a dog that doesn't even know what it is."

According to the old vampire's original words, from any perspective, the Turing Organization was just an "outsourced contractor" that the Foundation picked casually for the convenience of its operation. It was only by relying on the performance of the think tank that they were able to establish a firm foothold in the information field. Unfortunately, this young giant did not realize that it was just a layer of packaging that was being used, and it remained immersed in its arrogant prosperity.

Some of this intelligence was observed by Ankasha at the previous Golden Banquets, and some was discussed with Agares during casual conversations.

Due to differences in their business models and power structures, the five giant companies each possess their own "personality," leaning towards conservatism or radicalism to varying degrees.

For example, the Moss Group maintains its development potential by using incentives while keeping its power structure conservative; Mizu Life is extremely conservative, and you can hardly see any of its people in public; Diamond Blue Pass is also traditionally stable and has a weak presence.

Cardinal Heavy Industries is the most abstract of the giant companies. On the surface, it is the largest in size, which easily leads to the stereotype that "people who run real businesses are all honest kids." But in reality, as Huang Jinming learned during the in-depth cooperation, this heavy industry giant is like a nun playing with contrasts in private. It is more eccentric than anyone else. The core personnel composition from top to bottom changes every half month and is cleaned up every six months. Although this leads to complicated internal voices and a lack of unity, it has great potential and extremely strong internal drive.

It's no wonder they were able to create the prototype of the singularity.

As for the remaining Turing Organization, Ai didn't know much about it. This company, which had the shortest history and almost no heritage, gave the impression of being young and chaotic.

It perfectly fits the stereotype of a major internet company.

The Moss Group recognized the fundamental difference between "kings" and "agents" within this nest. Unfortunately, some people struggle to see that "this generation of companies born during the era of rapid change has lost the composure of the older generation—they are mostly impetuous, fickle, arrogant, and foolish—the Turing Organization, although ranked alongside us as one of the five giants, has at least not been recognized as legitimate by the Midas clan, unless they can truly understand what inheritance and "decency" mean."

The old vampires of the Zhengzi Banner are like this; their discrimination based on seniority is truly harsh and sharp. However, based on Ai's initial impression, he thinks Agares's evaluation is fairly fair.

Arrogant people who lack humility are ultimately annoying, especially when they possess power they clearly have no control over and fail to recognize the power of others.

So Ai's tone remained flat: "What if I don't want to?"

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