Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 540 - 539: Immersed in the Network

Amber circled the oddly shaped, bizarrely styled chair several times, looking at Gawain with suspicion in her eyes: "You mean, this thing can infiltrate the Eternal Sleepers’ mind network?"

Gawain chuckled: "Not just infiltrate the Eternal Sleepers’ mind network—it’s merely a connection device. If we wish, we can use it to establish our own ’mind network.’ Of course, that would require many of these devices."

"It looks creepy..." Amber muttered, "Feels like some sacrificial apparatus from an evil ritual, you sit on it, flames erupt, and you’re immediately sacrificed to an Evil God."

Who knows where she gets her wild imagination...

Gawain ignored Amber’s quiet mumbling beside him and turned to Pittman: "Is this thing operational now?"

"The human testing for connecting to the Magic Web has passed—after all, both the neural cords and communication Runes are relatively mature technologies, so there’s basically no issue in ’connecting.’ However, we haven’t tested connecting to the mind network yet," Pittman said, "Connecting to the mind network... involves additional risks."

Gawain understood what Pittman meant by "additional risks."

This set of connection devices would be considered advanced technology on planet Earth, but in this world, it’s merely an assembly of mature technology. Although advanced, it’s not cutting-edge technology. With Pittman, an industry expert, handling the processes personally, the operational risks of the equipment itself aren’t high. The real caution is necessary for the exposure risk when using this device to connect to the Eternal Sleepers’ mind network.

Gawain was never afraid of exposure when connecting to the mind network because he possesses a genuine Eternal Sleeper "identification port" (obtained by assimilation), and later on, he forcefully cracked and reconstructed the database to arrange a "legal identity" for himself. No matter how the Eternal Sleepers upgrade their security mechanisms, he remains in the blind spot of their security systems. However, can this device successfully bypass the mind network’s security mechanisms?

Gawain had once arranged for Daniel to enter the higher ranks of the Eternal Sleepers and used this level of access to establish all the security mechanisms of the mind network, leaving a backdoor in it. Yet, so far, no third-party port, except for himself, has tested whether these "backdoors" can be utilized.

Although theoretically, there shouldn’t be a problem, this is the first test. Both Pittman and Gawain himself must be cautious at this moment.

If the attempt fails and the higher echelons of the Eternal Sleepers detect the network intrusion, Gawain’s various schemes via the mind network wouldn’t be fully exposed but would inevitably increase many risks.

Gawain slowly surveyed the entire laboratory.

Besides Kamel, Pittman, Rebecca, and Jenni, the "four giants of research," there were a dozen or so researchers present.

All were relatively familiar faces.

They were elites personally selected by Kamel and others, long-cultivated apprentices and assistants, and to be involved in such a highly confidential project, their loyalty has surely been confirmed. Looking at these people’s eyes, Gawain asked: "Who will test first?"

He himself couldn’t be the test subject—his own mental structure is far too special, having long exceeded the range of a "human being," and he inherently holds high-level permissions in the mind network. Testing with himself would be meaningless, so the first person to sit on the chair and immerse into the mind network must be one of the others present.

"I’ll do it."

Pittman stepped forward effortlessly with his signature, irreverent smile.

Judging by the reactions of others present, this was clearly a result they had discussed and agreed upon.

"You?" Gawain glanced at the small old man, "What’s your reason?"

"The most core component of this device was made by me; nobody understands it better than I do," Pittman said unhurriedly, "And as for other reasons... You should have guessed them as well."

Gawain nodded slightly, understanding Pittman’s meaning.

To some extent, Pittman was once an Eternal Sleeper himself, though he lost that power, his knowledge remains.

If the network invasion goes awry, he possesses that knowledge to at least anticipate danger in advance and at least knows how to retreat.

"Then make the preparations," Gawain breathed a sigh, "I’ll ensure ’the other side’ is prepared as well."

...

In the city center of Dream City, within the palace district’s opulent halls, Daniel, clad in a black robe, walked quietly.

In this dream realm where everyone wore masks, he was no longer the hunched, old and ugly aging Mage but a tall, robust, graceful, and dignified middle-aged man.

He wore a classic yet luxurious black magic robe, his expression solemn, his steps steady, and a thick magic tome floated beside him. Respectful voices continually emerged from the book: "All second batch address indexes have been fully imported... The new database test completed successfully... The cause of the sudden interruption in block 63 has been pinpointed; a Nightmare Mentor accidentally fell into a trap and died while exploring ancient ruins, he was executing a block transfer operation at that time..."

Daniel paused slightly: "...Executing major operations in the mind network while exploring ancient ruins?"

"That Nightmare Mentor has always been skillful..."

"From now on, such dangerous actions are prohibited. All operations involving network commands must be conducted in a stable environment," Daniel said sternly, "Furthermore, all major operations involving database changes or network restructuring shall require the collaboration of two or more operators to prevent network malfunctions due to similar ’sudden death.’"

"Understood."

Having been promoted to Nightmare Bishop, Daniel nodded slightly and continued listening to reports from his lower-ranking followers, pacing forward unhurriedly.

To travel to the imperial capital and complete the tasks assigned by his master regarding entry to the Typhon Research Department, he rarely had the chance to enter the mind network during this time. Occasional connections were to report his status to the upper echelons of the Eternal Sleepers Cult to avoid suspicion or affecting his cult position. Now he’s finally settled, having secured stable accommodation in Aldernon and built his secret laboratory for a relatively safe and stable environment, he finally had the chance to return to the mind network to continue handling cult affairs—and completing his master’s orders.

All along the way, many powerful followers passed through the corridor, most pausing by Daniel’s side to offer brief greetings:

"May your soul find peace, Bishop."

"May you forever enjoy sweet dreams, Bishop."

"I salute you, Master Daniel."

Daniel responded to these greetings according to his mood.

Lower-ranked cultists would respectfully address him as Bishop, while bishops of equal standing might refer to each other as Bishop, or address him as Master — within the Eternal Sleepers cult, these titles signify a status worthy of envy. Daniel was once a cultist who yearned for this status, passionately delving into dark magic and striving to climb upward.

But now that he had attained these statuses, he found himself indifferent to them.

He was the rising star of the Eternal Sleepers cult in recent times, a pioneer who had proposed several groundbreaking concepts in the realm of the mind network, a genius scholar valued by the Supreme Council of Bishops, and even noticed by His Holiness the Pope. Yet when compared to being the "outlander emissary," these identities meant nothing.

He maintained a proud demeanor as he walked through the hall’s corridor, and this prideful stance did not arouse any suspicion among other cultists — because he was always this way, and entitled to be.

Suddenly, Daniel’s steps came to a halt.

He stood still for a moment, then slightly tilted his head and spoke to the Magic Guidebook that kept emitting sounds: "Stop the report here; I shall go there personally."

"Yes, Bishop."

The Magic Guidebook slowly dissipated into the air, and Daniel calmly approached a crystal at the end of the corridor, placing his hand upon it.

In the next second, his figure shifted from the corridor to a vast room.

Rather than calling it a "room," it would be more apt to describe it as a peculiar space. While it had a white floor and a pale golden roof, the surroundings had no walls, but rather a layer of persistent mist. Numerous light blue or light purple crystal prisms slantedly grew out of the persistent mist, forming a neatly structured Crystal Array around the space, while many Eternal Sleepers in pale golden or white robes busied themselves around these crystals, monitoring the large data flow of the entire mind network.

This doorless and windowless space was quite a special place in the world of mind network; it required special teleport codes and identification numbers to enter. It was also a place Daniel took great pride in —

This was the "network security and data center" he built for the Eternal Sleepers.

Built at the behest of the master.

Most cultists in the room did not leave their posts upon Daniel’s arrival; they respectfully turned to salute him and returned to their work. Only a few approached Daniel, and one of them lowered his head: "Bishop."

Daniel raised his hand: "Continue with your tasks; I’ll personally check the recent security records. Do not disturb me."

"Yes."

The irrelevant personnel withdrew, and Daniel casually walked to one of the crystal prisms growing out of the fog, placing his hand at the top of the crystal, which then brightened and projected a large number of complex tables and magic symbols.

Here, no one would question any operations by "Bishop Daniel"; they were the most loyal Eternal Sleepers under him. Yet even these most loyal subordinates were not entitled to access the endeavors concerning the Wanderers from Outer Realm.

Daniel quietly browsed those data, monitoring all the secure channels, while amid the numerous jumping symbols and tags, an annotation that only he would notice suddenly popped out.

The entire system had no reaction to this unregistered information.

His facial expression remained unchanged, and an unfamiliar voice suddenly sounded from behind him: "Oh, impressive... They really managed to put all this together..."

Daniel turned around to see a stranger dressed in a brown robe, a face full of wrinkles, hunched over, with messy hair and beard standing behind him. The stranger wore a mocking expression as he looked around, standing there openly, yet the bustling Eternal Sleepers seemed not to see this "intruder" and continued with their tasks.

Data disguises in this area have already been activated.

Daniel left the crystal control console and walked over to Pittman — yet in the eyes of other Eternal Sleepers, he still appeared to be standing where he was, browsing through the vast records, without anything unusual.

Is this another subordinate of the leader?

Is this another emissary of the Wanderers from Outer Realm?

Pittman and Daniel looked at each other, and similar thoughts flashed in their minds.

Then the two old foxes both laughed.

Pittman’s wrinkles stretched: "For safety, let’s exchange code words."

Daniel nodded slightly: "A hymn of loyalty."

"A hymn of loyalty."

Their hands clasped tightly together, their voices speaking in unison: "For the great cause."