The Oracle Paths

952 Mirror World (part 2)

Jake immediately noticed he wasn't the only one left dumbstruck by this latest revelation. It wasn't the concept of a virtual universe within the Mirror Universe that was astounding, but rather their utter ignorance of it until now.

In truth, numerous virtual reality options already existed in most civilizations that had surpassed the information age. Hell, he even worked at a VR center before receiving his own bracelet!

Thus, any modern faction or nation of consequence would eventually develop such technology within their territories, whether for facilitating information transfer, socializing, entertainment, or military purposes like New Earth and its Trial Worlds game.

The enigma didn't lie there. The true peculiarity was Jake's complete unawareness of a unified virtual reality network connecting every corner of the Mirror Universe. The reason for this was evident: cost.

When millions, even billions of AP (Aether Points) had to be spent to contact someone on the same planet, Jake dared not fathom the astronomical fees that would be charged to support the maintenance costs of a network exponentially more advanced and demanding.

Until now, if an Earth game designer wanted to sell their creation to other races, they had to go through the Oracle Store or an official announcement. But if they wanted to expand their online game network to other planets and civilizations, they were left to their own devices.

Jake knew from Will's account that New Earth had restored and even enhanced its virtual reality network on its main Floating Island, but to connect and benefit from it, one had to be located nearby. Beyond a few million kilometers away, lags emerged, exponentially diminishing its appeal.

But now, Oros was declaring that a virtual reality world connecting the entirety of the Mirror Universe and even 'beyond' existed? Was this some twisted jest?

"It's no jest. This Mirror Universe also extends to other Mirror Universes. It's a collaborative creation," Oros sighed, gazing at their disbelieving expressions. Everyone reacted the same way upon hearing about the Mirror World for the first time.

"There's a common misconception regarding the Oracle System. Some things require copious amounts of Aether or energy, such as longdistance travel. Conversely, transmitting information across vast distances instantaneously doesn't burden a structure as advanced and sophisticated as the Oracle System. I could delve into the details, but that's not today's topic. Apart from the few Aetherists among you, I doubt you'd grasp much of it."

Jake understood that Oros was referring to the Aetherdream. When he observed the Oracle System directly through it, he had long noticed that there was a sort of presence within the packets of Aether Runes that made up its network. It closely resembled the mental sense of Evolvers.

So, he had theorized for some time that if the body of the Oracle System could be perceived as a vast Spirit Body, then it was indeed very easy for it to transmit information from one point to another within the Mirror Universe, as it all took place within itself. Its consciousness was already everywhere.

However, despite his Lucid Aetherdreamer vision, Jake had never identified any parallel network to that of the Oracle System that could correspond to this mysterious Mirror World.

Obviously, it didn't use the same channels. Oros confirmed this point immediately after, "The Mirror World network is connected to the public Oracle System through various nodes, but operates in parallel using a separate Aether network from the rest. Its existence is directly managed by the Oracles themselves. When a Mirror Universe reaches a certain level of development, its Oracle eventually connects its consciousness and its own virtual network to this global multiversal network. I don't have time mention today what directly concerns you.

"The first point to remember is that, unlike the conventional Oracle System, communications and long-distance travel within the Mirror Universe will not cost you much. Of course, 'not much' is a relative term. At least within the Mirror Universe, the cost can be considered negligible compared to what it would cost you to call someone residing in another System.

"The second point is that from here, you can access an interface containing all sorts of missions and objectives reserved for Oracle Nobles and high-ranking authorized Evolvers from different Mirror Universes. Each has its own contribution system, and it's also within the Mirror Universe that most of the showdowns between Oracle Nobles take place. This avoids unnecessary damage and collateral casualties during conflicts between multiple Nobles and their factions.

"The third point, which should interest you more, is its absolute simulation potential, mimicking reality to 99.999%. No one knows who created the Mirror World, but it is also managed by a sentient artificial entity that we simplify as the High Oracle. God spare you, but I doubt you'll have the chance to interact with it one day. Even for the Ancient Designers, our Oracle System and their Oracle Als are the only things they interact with on a daily basis. It goes without saying, but the understanding of Aether and the physical laws that the Mirror World attained surpasses anything you can find in our Mirror Universe, and its network is neithe created nor maintained by our own Oracle.

"Fourth point, the entertainment, services, business, financial, relational, and military opportunities are nearly infinite. Unlike the Oracle System and the conventional Oracle Store, you can easily sell your creations and advertise them throughout the Mirror World. Managing your alliances with factions from distant Systems or even branches of your companies is much simpler from here. But believe me, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

"And finally... Fifth and last point..." At this moment, Oros became solemn. "The Digestors are not entirely excluded from it."

Seeing their expressions change, he waved his small hands and exclaimed, "Don't panic! In the Mirror World, Digestors cannot hide who they are and must follow the rules just like everyone else."

Aware once again that this was a lot of information for these new Oracle Knights to digest, Oros clapped his hands and said, "Nothing beats a good demonstration. Let's continue our discussion in the Mirror World. Consult your Oracle AIS. You should now have access to the Mirror World."

[Hmm.. Damn it, I can't believe it! He's telling the truth.] Xi cursed with understandable frustration. It might have been the first time Jake had heard her swear like that.

Rather than unlocking a new authorization, it was as if she had just awakened a very ancient memory. It was as if the Mirror World had always been there in a corner of her mind, but she couldn't notice its existence before. It was enough to drive her mad, and this kind of thing reminded her every morning that she didn't have full control over herself, even after merging her consciousness with Jake.

"Can you connect us to it?" Jake asked patiently, with a hint of concern in his voice.

[Sigh... It's as good as done. It's so simple it's depressing.] Xi lamented wryly, feeling a great sense of overwhelm.

In the blink of an eye, Jake's vision, along with the other Oracle Knights and their companions, shifted abruptly before stabilizing in a room identical to the Oracle Chamber they had just left. If it weren't for the floating pseudonyms above their heads indicating their identity, they probably wouldn't have noticed the difference.

"Welcome to the Mirror World." Oros smiled, spreading his arms in an inviting gesture. "The remainder of the ceremony will take place here. To access the other privileges you have, open the interface concerning you with the help of your Oracle Al or ask the Oracle's main module directly. Unlike the real-world Oracle System, it will respond to you here."

Jake didn't hesitate and mentally ordered, "Xi, I'll leave it to you."

"Don't worry, I got this." Xi whispered in his ear, making him jump in place.

If he hadn't been in such good health, he would have surely perished on the spot when his blood pressure spiked to 150. Turning his head, he noticed that other people had indeed appeared with them in the room.

Recognizing the holographic form of Xi, he immediately deduced that these strangers were the Oracle Als of the other Oracle Knights and their companions. Clearly, they were all as shocked as he was. Ulfar, in particular, stared at the young woman serving as his Oracle Al for a long time as if he had just seen a ghost.

However, most of these figures were blurred, as if their owners didn't want to reveal their appearances. Or was this choice made by the Oracle Als themselves? After casting a curious glance at the other Oracle AIS, Jake turned his attention to the interface that Xi had just opened before his eyes.

In addition to the various features and services offered by the Mirror World, everything he needed to know about his status as an Oracle Knight was clearly spelled out in black and white. With a quick downward sweep of his gaze, he read its entire content and closed the interface with an excited expression.

Just for the Mirror World alone, becoming an Oracle Knight was worth its weight in gold!