Chapter 456: The First Day's Conversation (3) |
The conversation time allotted to the Urban Alliance delegation ended quickly.
Their total time had been less than ten hours to begin with, and with multiple pauses, interruptions, and unstable emotions among delegates, they hadn’t made full use of it; the information gleaned from the talks was also insufficient.
When their time was up, they were promptly replaced by the Xisiya delegation.
The latter twelve hours of the first day belonged to Xisiya. This was a full twelve hours, and having learned from the Urban Alliance delegation’s mistakes, the Xisiya delegates were better prepared.
What surprised them — and even the entire Human Consortium — was that after the Xisiya delegation took their places, the individual who called themself the Dialoguer voluntarily paused the conversation.
“Like you humans, I need appropriate rest after prolonged discussion. I will be happy to speak with you again in five hours.”
After saying this, the Dialoguer sat cross-legged, closed its eyes as if entering meditation, and gave no further opportunity for humans to negotiate.
The Xisiya delegates looked awkward; they had not expected this when their turn arrived.
Members of Xisiya’s think tank watching the scene on the large screen also felt displeased.
“Isn’t it an alien? How can it need the same long rest as a human?”
“If this thing insists on resting five hours every twelve hours, we should ask the Human Consortium to reallocate the remaining time.”
“That’s enough.” Yelanka spoke, and everyone’s eyes turned to her.
“In that case, let the delegation rest as well. They just watched twelve hours of live streaming; a few hours of sleep will restore their energy.”
Following Yelanka’s order, the Xisiya delegates found a patch of shade and lay down at the site. Five hours later they returned on time to face the Dialoguer.
“Oh great deity, if you have rested enough, please take pity and converse with your servants.”
One delegate spoke, his tone laced with blatant sarcasm, showing little respect for the alien intelligence calling itself the Dialoguer.
The speaker was a burly, oily-faced man with a beard, wearing a loose wool sweater. He neither looked like a professor nor a scholar, and was far from a highbrow debater… he was a writer.
Kalinga was a world-famous writer from Xisiya. In peaceful times he had produced multiple works spanning many social fields; readers said only those with great wisdom could write as he did.
After the Age of Doomsday Rules began, he had also written several short stories in the following two years depicting the era’s cruelty, which resonated deeply with readers. His meticulous social observations and strong deductive skills were why he had been recommended into the delegation.
The Dialoguer opened its eyes, stood, glanced at the group, and said, “Constantly swapping people to speak is not wise. It only disrupts continuity, and I have no desire to repeat what has already been said.”
“You can rest assured on that.” Another delegate said, “We watched the earlier talks in full. Now please answer one question we are all curious about: would you lie to and deceive humanity?”
Dialoguer: “That question is unfalsifiable and therefore meaningless.”
Kalinga smiled at the questioner. “See? I said it was redundant... Let me put it this way. You know we are human, but we still do not know what you are. If this is an equal exchange, you should not hide beneath a human guise; you should reveal your true form.”
This was not just Kalinga’s curiosity; countless viewers in front of screens also wanted to know what the Dialoguer’s true body looked like. Frankly, people cared more about this than the content of the talks.
The Dialoguer shook its head. “I am restricted and cannot display my true form. That is also beneficial for humans.”
Kalinga: “You mean you were coerced by the Fire Thief to come here? Why would that be beneficial for humans?”
Dialoguer: “Coerced? No, that is not coercion. As for the threat posed by my true form, it is better that humans remain ignorant. If an opportunity arises in the future, you will see it.”
The delegates wanted to pursue the question, but the Dialoguer cut them off: “My true appearance is unrelated to your current survival problems, and there is no need to elaborate. Should you not focus on the latter?”
“We naturally care more about survival!” one delegate shouted. “But when you talked to the previous delegation you rejected one of our self-rescue proposals, didn’t you?”
Dialoguer: “Digitizing and storing memory is not an outstanding self-rescue plan. As I said, survival hinges on individual awakening, and the key to individual awakening is eliminating friction; that is what humanity should do.”
Kalinga then asked, “Why say ‘not coercion’? What exactly is your relationship with the Fire Thief? Why did you appear in the Doomsday Rules it released?”
Others were surprised; no one expected Kalinga to interrupt the Dialoguer. Previously, whenever the Dialoguer spoke everyone listened attentively and did not interrupt.
Kalinga knew clearly that he must learn from the previous delegation’s mistakes, repeatedly reminding himself not to be led astray by the Dialoguer’s words and to stick to his own line of questioning.
That self-reminder seemed to have worked, whereas the other delegates had already reverted to passively waiting for the Dialoguer’s replies.
“The opposite of coercion is, of course, willingness.”
The Dialoguer looked at Kalinga and answered his question.
Willingness!
Those words stunned everyone.
Until now people had assumed the Doomsday Rules were created and released by the Fire Thief; even any aliens that appeared had been taken and deployed by the Fire Thief.
But the Dialoguer’s statement made that assumption murky and uncertain.
Kalinga pressed on urgently: “Willingly? Why willingly? Do you know what the Fire Thief actually is? What is your relationship with it?”
His rapid questioning silenced the Dialoguer. Just as everyone was beginning to lose patience and considered changing the subject, the Dialoguer proposed something.
Dialoguer: “I have said twice I am not a teacher, and you are not students. But judging by your conversational tendencies, you treat me like a teacher and seek unknown information from me.”
...
There was silence. It was true.
On Tianshui Star they had finally encountered an alien intelligence capable of normal exchange, and it seemed to know many secrets about the Fire Thief; humanity would naturally seize any chance to extract as much information as possible.
Dialoguer: “If you insist on this approach, we can ask each other questions. You ask one question, then I ask one. You may decline to answer my questions, but if you deliberately refuse to discuss, I will adopt my own stance.”
“No problem!”
The delegation agreed immediately.
From their perspective, humanity had little valuable information to offer the Dialoguer, but the reverse was not true. In such an exchange, humans would certainly gain the upper hand.
Dialoguer: “Then I will first answer the question you asked earlier. Among several questions, I will address the relationship between me and what you call the Fire Thief; the answer is simple.”
Kalinga: “We call it the Fire Thief. Do you... have a different name for it?”
Dialoguer: “Our civilization calls it the Oracle of God. As far as I know, almost every distinct intelligent civilization gives it a different name.”
!!
Those present and the countless viewers fell silent.
Some had already speculated this: not only different names, but the Fire Thief’s manifestations might vary across civilizations.
The Dialoguer seemed to read their thoughts, and its next sentence was even more startling.
Dialoguer: “Not only does its name vary, the way it appears or exerts its power differs among civilizations, but fundamentally it is a chooser.”
Dialoguer: “As for the simple question about my relationship with the Fire Thief — to it, I am a qualified one.”
The Dialoguer’s smile never changed, even as shocked expressions spread across faces.
Dialoguer: “Yes, I passed its series of trials; I am a qualified one. Of course, you can call me a survivor as well, since only a few individuals pass the trials.”
Everyone gaped at the Dialoguer.
Whether qualified or survivor, one name dominated human thought at that moment: the Passer.
People often debated how many could “pass” — that is, survive after all forty-nine Doomsday Rules concluded.
If this seemingly humanlike being told the truth, then it would undeniably be a Passer in human terms.
Human settlements around the world erupted with excitement.
People clamored suggestions loudly, even if the on-site delegation could not hear them.
“Ask it how it passed! That’s the most important question!”
“Did it really get through all forty-nine Doomsday Rules?!”
“Quick, ask what happens after passing — what actually occurs!”
Why did this thing... after passing, become part of the Doomsday Rules and come to our planet? What does that mean...
“Aren’t the Xisiya delegates idiots? Ask clearly!”
Decision-makers urged Xisiya to press the on-site delegates to extract more information.
Administrator Yelanka also wanted more details. Kalinga had recovered from his shock and immediately asked, “You passed? Then what happened?”
Dialoguer: “Sorry, it seems to be my turn to ask a question now.”