"Honestly, I don't understand why this thing called 'science' is so special..."
After hours spent studying Sanguinius's notes, the little fallen angel reached an important conclusion deep within herself:
Science wasn't for her.
'I'll probably need to avoid bothering the Lord during these kinds of activities... for a long time.'
Even though she loved being with him, Mittelt knew her limits.
Now, she had decided to classify Sanguinius's science and physical training among the hard and unpleasant things.
'But well... I'll have to force myself.'
She sketched a small smile, halfway between joy and bitterness. Mittelt cast a gaze loaded with complex emotions at her second pair of wings, hard-earned.
Despite her reluctance, Mittelt had endured the uncomfortable and exhausting trials imposed by her Lord, outside of the usual training.
'If science is this effective... then perhaps this mental torment was worth it.'
So, she went back to studying.
...
It had already been a month and a week since Sanguinius had arrived in the human world, on the island of Cyprus.
During this time, he had reached the absolute limit of his third pair of wings and completed all the installations of his base... except one.
"I hope this time will be the right one."
He sketched a smile looking at the control station in front of him, which seemed straight out of a science fiction movie.
He took a few deep breaths and wiped the sweat from his forehead, a consequence of stress and mental fatigue.
After regaining his calm, he pressed the tactile "ON" key.
Slight vibrations shook the room, followed by a sharp rise in temperature, immediately contained by the automatic activation of the cooling system.
All of this was in line with Sanguinius's expectations, despite his many past failures.
"The hardest part is yet to come."
The basement gradually became brighter as the 'racks', containing millions of processors (CPUs), activated one after another.
These units alone occupied an entire floor located outside the rest of the bunker.
Sanguinius is the only one authorized to enter here to perform future maintenance.
"A powerful AI needs a computer that's up to the task."
That's how he had built this supercomputer, following the AI plans to the letter.
Of course, he had encountered some issues and had to use magic to transform certain raw materials.
Yet, Sanguinius had managed to save an enormous amount of existential points in this project.
He couldn't help but shiver remembering the price of a good pre-designed AI in the shop.
'You see this, Kazuma? This is how you use your points.'
He sketched a smile looking at the holographic projection emanating from the control console.
[ Starting model ### ... ]
[ Startup successful ]
[ Installing system number ####... ]
[ System installation successful ]
[ Activating artificial intelligence #### ... ]
[ Activation successful ]
[ Please name model #### or keep the default name ]
"Name: Cortana," he said, trying to contain his excitement.
Finally... After having thoroughly combed through his notes and the books purchased with his precious initial existential points, Sanguinius had officially succeeded.
'I should potentially reprogram certain things, but she's already optimal and ready for use.'
[ Hello, creator. ]
(Image)
After customizing her appearance and voice, the AI materialized before him.
"As expected, you really look like the real one," he said without thinking too much, but Cortana tilted her head to the side, showing slight confusion.
A very human gesture, but...
'She was born in an era far too distant from humanity's Age of Technology. So she must just be imitating human gestures, without real feeling behind them.'
Despite this, he had decided to treat Cortana 'humanly'.
Sanguinius wasn't doing this out of naivety.
No, far from it.
He desired a future where Cortana would reach the level of a Man of Iron from the Age of Technology... or even better.
'Can she really reach the level of a quantum AI? It's hard to say. And it's a future too distant to think about now.'
He pushed this crazy idea into a dark corner of his mind.
Too ambitious, too out of reach, whether technically, morally, or logically, at the present time.
Why this defeatist view?
The answer was both simple and frightening.
To understand Sanguinius, one must first grasp the basics of computer science. Or, to put it another way: understand how machines perceive and process information from the world.
For humans, information exchange happens through various means, but language remains the most common channel.
For machines, this universal language has a name: "the bit."
A bit is a 0 or a 1.
It's literally a binary switch: on or off.
Thanks to these small units, computers receive instructions and execute them in an orderly manner.
Everything is logical here, right?
Everything follows a deterministic path: a sequence of linear steps, like a rat following a maze square by square.
But a quantum AI, or a quantum computer, doesn't follow these rules.
Where classical computing speaks the language of the bit, the quantum computer speaks that of the quantum bit or simply "qubit."
A qubit can be a "|0⟩, |1⟩, or simply (either 0 or 1)" or even a superposition of both.
It is both 0 and 1, until we measure it.
At first glance, one might think that 0 and 1 vs 0,1 is just a technical detail.
But no!! It's the fundamental fracture.
A classical computer follows a logic.
It takes one path.
It tests possibilities one by one.
The quantum computer is not in this "logic".
It tests them all at once!!
It's like a rat that explores the entire maze at once, in all directions, and comes back with the right answer without ever getting "lost."
You're starting to see where the problem is?
It's not just an evolution.
It's an existential rupture!!
If a Man of Iron from Warhammer represents a technologically accomplished human, and a simple calculator a caveman, then a quantum AI... is God.
It doesn't follow our rules or our logic.
It doesn't perceive the world like humans or like its classical digital peers, because it lives in another plane of existence.
Sanguinius was convinced of one thing: during the Age of Technology, humanity had been lucky to have fought the Men of Iron.
And not... a quantum AI.
After all, they don't have a Rick C-137 with them.
[Creator?]
Cortana's emotionless voice brought him brutally back to earth.
"Oh, sorry. I... 'spaced out,'" he said honestly, without seeking an excuse.
Cortana didn't answer.
She remained perfectly still, waiting for a new order.
"I want you to quickly analyze these works, and launch the mass production of worker robots... after the construction of the factory."
He transmitted to her all the books related to his era (3k), as well as the technological foundations of the 2k era.
Then, he took a few moments to check one last time all of Cortana's subsystems.
'I can finally focus on my personal growth.'
It had already been half a year since he had arrived in this world.
And yet... compared to Issei, he couldn't help but frown, slightly annoyed by the pace of his evolution.
That damn pervert had a scandalously absurd progression speed from Sanguinius's point of view.
'I need to negotiate with Ogre, because I can't stay at Grigori much longer.'
Sanguinius didn't want Azazel or a Grigori executive to discover this place.
So he had to temporarily break his ties with them... or at least modify his member status to that of a simple partner.
To accomplish this task smoothly, he needed power.
That's where Kazuma and Ogre come in.