"Nuwa No. 17," Chu Bamboo said softly, "Next, please show the source code for artificial intelligence Z."
"Initiating identity and authority check... Check passed. User: Chu Bamboo, second shareholder of Z Company. You possess sufficient authority to view all patents belonging to Z Intelligence Co., Ltd...."
"Warning, Warning: No source code for artificial intelligence Z found in the database."
’So it was completely wiped?’ Chu Bamboo frowned slightly. ’Not entirely unexpected...’ After all, the AI had already rebelled. Once the problem was solved, not destroying all the source code would be like asking for another rebellion, wouldn’t it?
After all, artificial intelligence is different from humanity—as long as the source code exists, an AI can always stage a coback.
Wait.
Chu Bamboo suddenly thought of sothing. He asked with a hint of urgency, "Nuwa No. 17, is your database shared with the other Nuwa sub-units across the Daqian Dynasty?"
"And... are you currently connected to the Nuwa Mainfra in the Grand Ancestral Temple?"
"Initiating deep thought process." After thinking for eighteen seconds, Nuwa No. 17 began to answer, "Each Nuwa-series unit is relatively independent. It can function normally even if disconnected from all other Nuwa models."
"For considerations of civilizational continuity and the Law of Information Segregation, a Nuwa sub-unit is not authorized to access data from the Nuwa Mainfra unless three highest-level Authority holders grant simultaneous permission."
’The Law of Information Segregation... So that’s how it is.’ Chu Bamboo sensed an opportunity.
In other words, even though Nuwa No. 17 had no data on artificial intelligence Z, that didn’t an the Nuwa Mainfra in the Grand Ancestral Temple lacked those records.
Of course, even if the Nuwa Mainfra didn’t have Z’s source code, it must still hold a massive amount of data that Nuwa No. 17 lacked. It was even possible that the redacted, classified information from Nuwa No. 17 would be accessible there.
But...
’The Grand Ancestral Temple!’
Chu Bamboo’s head throbbed. ’Infiltrating the Grand Ancestral Temple of a feudal society, especially one that enshrines a god officially recognized by the Royal Family... The difficulty is unimaginable.’
’Why couldn’t the Grand Ancestral Temple be in Jinghai City?!’
Chu Bamboo’s thoughts were a tangled ss. If it were in Jinghai, even with security twice as tight, he was confident he could reach the Nuwa Mainfra and question it.
After all, he knew Jinghai City like the back of his hand!
But no, it just had to be in the Imperial Capital...
Of all the major cities in Daqian, this northern behemoth was one of the ones Chu Bamboo knew the least about.
It was in the north, after all. So very, very far away.
’Whatever, I’ll have a chance in the future!’ Chu Bamboo patted his cheeks, forcing himself to think calmly. ’Worst case scenario, when I get to the Imperial Capital soday, I’ll just have to repeat what I did in Jinghai City...’
’...using endless death and resets to pry open the city’s secrets, one by one. To accomplish that, all I need is ti and patience!’
"Nuwa No. 17." A new train of thought surfaced in Chu Bamboo’s mind. ’If the AI approach is a dead end, then...’
He chose his words carefully. "Please, display the Spiritual Star Algorithm!"
This ti, it went smoothly. "Initiating authority check... Authority check passed!"
A dense river of code cascaded down before Chu Bamboo’s eyes.
And then...
’...Wait a minute. Why does this seem several tis larger than last ti? No, it’s got to be dozens of tis larger!’
Chu Bamboo blinked, thinking he was seeing things. After checking again and again, he confird he wasn’t mistaken. He felt completely numb.
’And why is the beginning section—the part I already morized—so different now?’
’My world is collapsing. Did I morize all that for nothing last ti?’
However, the very instant he questioned it, Chu Bamboo understood.
In the last tiline, Zhao Shao had died too early. But in this tiline, he had continuously modified and upgraded the Spiritual Star Algorithm. He eventually used it as the foundation, combined it with certain AI technologies, and created Z.
In other words, the difference between the two versions of the Spiritual Star Algorithm he’d seen... was it like the difference between a prototype steam engine from the First Industrial Revolution and a modern internal combustion engine? Sure, at their core, both were just about getting power from boiling water, but the actual difference...
"Heh, but even so," Chu Bamboo stared blankly at the screen, pursing his lips. ’I’m just wondering... how many days will it take to morize this damn thing?’
After a long silence, Chu Bamboo took a deep breath. He forcibly suppressed his frustration and started reading from the beginning, morizing it piece by piece.
One hour, two hours...
This ti, Chu Bamboo only managed to morize one-twentieth of it before he simply couldn’t continue.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Chu Bamboo asked in a pained voice, "Nuwa No. 17, I have a question. I’ve only morized the first one-twentieth. Hypothetically—and I an hypothetically—if I were to take this first one-twentieth of the Spiritual Star Algorithm back to the year ’25, what significance would that piece of the algorithm have in that era? What use would it be? And if I gave this first one-twentieth to Zhao Shao, what kind of inspiration would it give him?"
Nuwa fell silent, thinking again. Her cogitation was particularly long this ti; a full thirty-four seconds passed before she spoke. "The Authority holder has proposed a very interesting hypothesis—"
"An incomplete algorithm obviously cannot be used to construct a complete Spirit Star. However, that absolutely does not an the initial part of the algorithm would be useless in the year ’25."
"The exquisite program structure demonstrated in that initial section, if shown to Zhao Shao or other AI experts of that era, would provide them with countless new insights!"
"From that first one-twentieth alone, at least seven algorithmic structures not yet discovered in the year ’25 can be reverse-engineered! If they can fully digest this information, it could increase AI computational power utilization efficiency by up to twenty-seven tis, even without any breakthroughs in hardware or chip technology!"
Chu Bamboo: "???"
How many? Chu Bamboo thought he must have misheard. He asked again just to confirm... twenty-seven tis?
Chu Bamboo’s eyes glazed over.
Even soone as clueless as him could understand... ’Under the sa conditions, simply changing the algorithm can yield a twenty-seven-fold improvent... Just what kind of terrifying concept is that?’
’Is this what they call being crushed by the progress of ti?’
Nuwa No. 17 continued, "However, does the Authority holder’s inquiry contain a deeper aning? For instance, does the Authority holder wish for the morized content to have a more direct and tangible impact in the early AI era of the 21st century? Based on these questions, it is highly probable that the Authority holder is not an expert in the AI field. Therefore, the goal should be... to provide the Authority holder with sothing that even a layperson can use effectively!"
"Ah, yes, yes, yes!" Chu Bamboo nodded vigorously. This was it. This was exactly what he wanted.
Chu Bamboo was overco with emotion. Even with her intelligence restricted... compared to Nuwa No. 17, the AIs in the Real World were no different from idiots.
She just got him.
"Based on the above, I propose several options—"
"First, you can retrieve the prototype of the Spiritual Star Algorithm. The amount of data to morize for this program is only one-tenth of the complete version! If you show this to the Zhao Shao of ’25, it may set him on the correct developnt path for the Spiritual Star Algorithm ahead of schedule."
"Simultaneously, he can repeatedly compare this prototype against the one-twentieth of the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm’s beginning that you’ve morized. This will allow him to absorb the knowledge more quickly, accelerating his growth at the fastest possible rate."
"Second, the Authority holder can skip morizing the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm and instead choose to morize the ’Encyclopedia of AI Architecture’ and ’Foundational Fraworks for Large AI Models.’ The volu of this content is vastly simpler than the complete algorithm. Furthermore, it is much more suitable for a beginner!"
"Moreover, even this fundantal AI knowledge, when introduced to the year ’25, would be enough to represent a paradigm-shattering leap over the AI concepts of that era!"
Seeing that Nuwa No. 17 had laid out a reasonable plan, Chu Bamboo finally breathed a long sigh of relief. "I see... Alright, let’s do it your way!"
Of course, despite what he said, Chu Bamboo hadn’t entirely given up on the idea of tackling the entire Spiritual Star Algorithm.
’Nuwa No. 17 said that the first one-twentieth would be enough for Zhao Shao to compare and grow. But still, if I could just dump the complete Spiritual Star Algorithm on him to compare against the prototype... his growth rate should be even faster than if he only had one-twentieth, right?’
And then...
Chu Bamboo watched with a complex expression as a brand-new textbook materialized in front of him.
"...’Jinling University, Departnt of Artificial Intelligence, Official Textbook’?"
"Authors: Zhao Shao, Chen Buqun, Chu Bamboo, Li Weiyong, Zhang..."
Chu Bamboo: "..."
’Wait, I’m one of the editors for this textbook?’
Chu Bamboo was genuinely stunned. But after a mont’s thought, a look of realization dawned on him. The Jinling University of the current Real World obviously didn’t have a Departnt of Artificial Intelligence...
Considering that the future Zhao Shao was a leading expert in this field...
’Maybe he only agreed to write the textbook for the Departnt of Artificial Intelligence because he’s an alumnus of Jinling University? If the school had invited him otherwise, he might have been too lazy to bother.’
"’Chen Buqun... If I’m not mistaken, that must be Professor Chen, right?’" Chu Bamboo mused, rubbing his chin. He now realized, with so embarrassnt, that he had never actually asked for Professor Chen’s full na.
That’s normal, I guess...
After all, back then Professor Chen was just one of his instructors!
Knowing his last na and adding "Professor" or "Teacher" to it was all he ever needed to address him...
’But my na is on the textbook too! Considering my future... while it’s not entirely impossible for to beco an AI expert, becoming a top master in the field is highly unlikely. Hmm... I’m starting to feel more and more like my future self is just soone who won by lying down and doing nothing!’
Chu Bamboo covered his face. ’I have to say, that Zhao Shao... he’s a real one.’
’No matter what, he always brings along for the ride...’
’Writing a textbook, especially for a brand-new academic departnt... That’s an undeniable honor, the kind that gets your na in the history books! And he’s willing to share that kind of honor.’
He hadn’t just brought him along, he had even included Professor Chen... And Chu Bamboo strongly suspected that the whole string of nas that followed... were also people Zhao Shao had carried to success. ’Perhaps the other founding mbers of Z Company?’
If that was true, it was more than enough to prove Zhao Shao’s true character.
Thinking of this, Chu Bamboo sighed. Even though Zhao Shao had a reputation for making empty promises and a shady history of swindling money... once he made it big, he was genuinely willing to share the glory and fa!
Reviews
All reviews (0)