BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

1155  The Research Race

The Chimaeric Demons got their brain crystals when Erik modified the Astral Wolf and merged it with the brain crystal power.

Instead of creating the giant mana wolf, Erik asked the biological supercomputer to make a mana brain crystal.

It wasn't anything physical; it was something that couldn't be found in their brains. It was just a lump of mana that worked exactly like the real deal, but with some differences.

The problem was that to maintain and use all that mana was not as straightforward as for humans. Mana was not a simple substance. It was intangible, impossible to see.

It behaved like a gas, like a liquid, even like a solid. The first time it appeared, people had no idea what it was, and they only learned of their presence after the first brain-crystal-equipped human appeared, and that only by feelings.

It took a while for people to understand, more or less, what they were dealing with.

The Astral brain crystal wasn't optimized to make the same substance composing it flow because the thing itself wasn't exactly a brain crystal.

The neural links themselves were not as stable as those inside a person's brain. It was like building an unstable bridge over unstable land. All of this made making new ones extremely hard and slow for the Chimaeric Demons.

That was why Erik needed a new technique. The one they got from Erik was fast and powerful, but it was still too slow for the clones, especially considering how strong the enemy was growing. Since the clones had to work, had to fight, had to explore, and had to spy, the time needed for them to train was too little.

<Well, I mean, we talked about this like three or four months ago. What did I say back then?>

<Is this a real question?> Erik asked. The biological supercomputer had a perfect memory. It knew what it said.

<It is.>

Erik sighed. <You said: INSUFFICIENT DNA POINTS.> Erik said, mimicking the biological supercomputer AI voice.

<Hilarious…>

<Yes, but I also said that unless you had 100 million DNA points, I wouldn't have the required energy to do fast research.>

<An instantaneous one, you said.> The difference was important. If the biological supercomputer could make an instantaneous research, he would solve the problem right now, and the New Chimaeric Demons would be able to get the technique. Of course, he could still teach the old ones.

If there was no way for him to get the technique, if one could even be made, a fast one was still going to be better than nothing.

<Yes.>

There was a brief pause. <So, I have 77,369,671 DNA points. Even if I can't ask you to make an instantaneous research, a short one should still be possible.>

The biological supercomputer's imaginary face got a blank look. Then it turned embarrassed.

<Well… Yes but…>

The system paused again. It was almost as if it was trying to avoid answering Erik.

<System, you are strangely avoiding answering me... Just tell me what the problem is.>

The system mentally sighed. In truth, it wasn't trying to avoid answering, but it was for sure hard.

<Well, the research would still take three months at a minimum. The Chimaeric Demons' brain crystals are something never seen, something we created and about which we ourselves have basically no information. The research would involve not only finding a wonderful technique but even trying to understand the astral brain crystals themselves. Even at that, we won't be able to know everything about it or make the best technique possible, as it is for human brain crystals. We would need several years to do that and hundreds of billions of DNA points.>

"Fuck…"

A Chimaeric Demon halted mid-step, his head tilting as he turned to watch Erik. Confusion radiated from the face behind the mask. Erik's movement was odd—meandering, uncharacteristic. He wasn't striding with the earlier purpose but was instead wandering without direction.

Erik walked, his head bowed, the edges of his cloak trailing along the uneven terrain. His thoughts were elsewhere, buried deep in some labyrinth that none of his clones could penetrate. He was silent.

Yet none of the clones dared break the silence or approach him despite them having things to discuss and countless issues to resolve: orders to clarify, strategies to execute.

<So, this means we won't be able to prepare before Mur.>

<Yeah,> the biological supercomputer said. <Maybe if we bunker down somewhere there, we might be able to prepare, but this would give the Blackguards a lot of time to do the same, if not worse.>

Erik's shoulders slumped, his face etched with a blend of dismay and vexation. A flicker of fatigue crossed his eyes as he mulled over the obstacles he had to face.

<What do you suggest, then?>

In truth, the biological supercomputer wasn't sure how to proceed. For all its capabilities, there were too many variables and too many unknowns affecting its calculations.

The AI wasn't omnipotent. Despite those not having to deal with it, Erik might believe. It couldn't peer into the future; it couldn't divine the outcomes of every choice.

It wasn't even particularly "intelligent," at least not in the way most would imagine. The supercomputer was basically a person. Sure, not a dumb one, but instead a brilliant mind. But that wasn't enough.

What it had, instead, was raw computational power—a capacity to process data at speeds and depths that could turn centuries of problem-solving into mere moments of work.

The biological supercomputer was something with a lot of computational power that allowed it to do the things that others would have made in years, centuries, or millennia, which required energy.

The DNA points gave the system the energy, the capacity, to analyze different data at a fast time. Fractions of seconds.

But that, too, had its limits. It could analyze countless scenarios, but it couldn't do so forever. There were constraints and bottlenecks. And what use was boundless power when the data itself was incomplete? No amount of processing could fill in the blanks where variables were missing or riddled with uncertainty. Unless it focused on finding those data.

When that energy wasn't supplied, its mightiness was severely lowered. However, it got an opinion on the things to do, like everyone.

<I will work on the technique. Even if we might end up completing everything late, we would still gain something. I will spend 70 million DNA points. It is more than I would have asked for a quick search, but I will take some more to speed things up. Aside from that, there are three things I suggest you do.>

The system paused. <First, is doing as many Chimaeric Demons as you can; make those born from the eggs focus on Monica's power. This way, you might be able to build your army much faster on Mur, and you won't go there without enough forces. Keep in mind you will still lose a lot of clones there, at least until the clones themselves conquer some of the Thaids on Mur.>

<I know,> Erik said. <That was exactly my plan…>

There was a short pause.

<Second, start preparing to give Mira, Amber, and Emily their powers. I left you with enough DNA points to merge how many powers you want and to edit them as needed. Just keep in mind that sharing the powers will require at least 500 thousand DNA points for each of the girls.>

<Yeah, I will ask the Chimaeric Demons to send as many blood samples and brain crystals as possible here, just to prepare for their choice. I will also tell them about the new possible choices. Maybe having a list of potential brain crystal powers will help them with their choices.>

Erik was already thinking about the conversation he planned to have with Noah. There were many brain crystal powers he could gain from the Thaids in Frant—abilities that he knew were powerful, despite having a low rank, and that he knew he could merge to get something even more powerful.

But Frant wasn't the only source from which he could do that. Hin had its own collection of rare and powerful abilities.

The other countries were more problematic. Erik wasn't sure if he could safely get anything from them. Even Etrium had brain crystal powers that caught his interest.

Besides, unlike Frant or Hin, Etrium's treasures were straightforward to get. Erik could always ask the Chimaeric Demons to get those things, but if he wanted to, he could hire mercenaries to retrieve the brain crystals he needed.

They were expendable, efficient, and unlikely to ask too many questions—a perfect solution for someone who valued discretion as much as he did.

If mercenaries weren't the right choice, there were always the black markets to consider. It wouldn't take much effort to track down a seller and make the exchange.

Last, Erik valued Noah's input. His firstborn's ideas and unique perspective often provided fresh angles, especially in rather complex situations such as this. He showed it when planning Erik's father's rescue operation. The biological supercomputer mentally nodded. <Excellent. As for the last suggestion, this is it: Ask Emily to check the future.>

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