Ch. 335 - Into the Information Age (1)

The meeting brought together all the level-nine beings from the Mage World, including a projection of the Great Archmage Maxis, who was busy leading the war against the Devouring Diluses.

It took place in the Heart of the Mage World, the core of the Mage Network.

Most mages weren’t stubborn, but they struggled to understand ideas like information, data, and the cloud. This made sense; after the magic system revolution, the Great Archmages opened up an academic environment through the Mage Network for mages to share knowledge. Yet, the world hadn’t fully entered the information age, and sharing knowledge was still slow.

To put it simply: before the revolution, it was like being in an agricultural era; after it, they moved to an industrial era. Now, with personal chips and a broad mage network, the Mage World was on the brink of the information age.

Once the Great Archmages grasped this idea, they quickly recognized the significant benefits—benefits even the most stubborn mages couldn’t overlook.

Laura from the Third Tower understood this well. Personal chips were crucial for her tower, for it helps to optimize magic and assist learning. That would make it easier for new mages to adopt innovative spellcasting methods that had been hard to promote.

The Third Tower had always faced challenges in recruitment. Many mages had a negative view of them, and their strict requirements meant a long testing period for every member.

The chips’ data collection capabilities could help them pick better candidates. A big data plan could significantly enhance the Third Tower’s operations.

The meeting aimed to tackle three main questions: How much access should be given to the Mage Network? Where should the database be located? Who should oversee the project?

The third question was quickly settled. Since the magic revolution, the Third Tower and the World’s Guardian had handled such matters together, and this time was no different. 

However, opinions varied on the first two questions.

“I agree that placing the database at the Origin is the best choice, but the Origin is vital to every mage. If anything goes wrong, do we even have a coping mechanism?”

“I support Laura’s view. This proposal involves constant data uploads and downloads, meaning the Origin will be open during this. The risks are too high.”

“Maybe we can find a middle ground by using the Origin as the main database while setting up a secondary database. We could open the secondary one to the outside, connecting it to the Origin only for input.”

The moment the suggestion was made, everyone went silent. After a while, they nodded in agreement. 

This was indeed a solid solution, ensuring the Origin's secrecy and security while effectively moving the plan forward.

With the database question settled, the Great Archmages quickly discussed how much access to give the Mage Network. Their current permission system was thorough, and the personal chip could easily fit within it; they just needed to add new functions.

After a month of meetings, four full sessions led to a satisfactory outcome. Once the meeting wrapped up, the Great Archmages left and returned to their Towers to prepare for the upcoming changes. 

The Great Archmage Mayer then sought out Adam to share the results.

…

Adam realized that developing a chip suitable for all types of mages on his own was nearly impossible.

The challenge was not just technical; it stemmed from Adam’s limited knowledge. He excelled in electromagnetic magic and had a basic grasp of regular elemental magic, but that was it. 

When it came to body-refining mages, Adam felt completely lost about the knowledge needed for their advancement. His understanding of bloodline-related magic was also vague. More complex subjects left him feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Fields like pharmacology and alchemy required extensive knowledge—far beyond what Adam could manage with his scattered memory.

So, he decided to set aside the targeted chip research and focus on solving the core algorithm issues. 

This part was simpler, mainly involving mathematical problems. By adjusting the models to fit the mages' needs, he found he could tackle challenges without too much trouble.

During this time, Adam successfully created the most suitable personal chip for himself. 

The core of the chip was Garfield. Garfield gained a fifth identity in addition to being a devil, a virus entity, a magic staff, and a space Titan: Mindweaver.

Becoming a chip didn’t change Garfield’s daily life much. Even with this new identity, half of his soul remained pledged to Adam and was unavailable for use. 

Adam transformed that half of Garfield's soul, splitting his personality. One part stayed as it was, while the other fully shifted into logical thinking.

Adam’s computing power was already extraordinary. While the chip included all the intended functions, Adam valued data collection and interaction the most; he preferred to handle everything else himself.

As he experimented with various functions, the Great Archmage Mayer arrived at his laboratory door and gently knocked.

“Good day, Your Holiness.”

“Good day,” Mayer replied warmly, getting straight to the point. “The Mage Council approved your proposal, but you’ll need to make some concessions on the details.”

After listening carefully, Adam found the arrangement aligned with his expectations. He would be the initiator of the project, but he'd need to hand over management and oversight powers. He could have high permissions within the new network, but these would be virtual and wouldn’t grant him actual authority.

As for the profits from selling the chips, aside from necessary patent fees, all earnings would go directly to Adam, with the Mage Council taking nothing.

This was more than enough for Adam, and he accepted the Council's decision without any objections.

Mayer was pleased. “In that case, go ahead and do your work. If you run into any issues, we’ll support you. During this project, you can publish requests for any data or personnel you need under the Tower’s name. We will provide full backing and hope you achieve results soon.”

“Understood, Your Holiness.” After thanking Mayer, Adam asked, “Since the Heart of the Mage World can’t serve as the big data server, do you or other mages have any alternatives?”

Mayer nodded. “You should go to the Third Tower. They will provide you with an answer.”

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