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1092 Words
Oliver shrugged. “It’s great for its Tier. Your search function is indexing in a very interesting way. Also, the way it locating special identifiable features is great. I can’t tell you why they were acting like that, but your AI is a great low Tier data point.”
That raised a question Matt hadn’t thought of. “Am I not the only one with it? At my Tier, at least?”
Oliver waved him off. “Of course not. But you are the only one I know of that isn’t being supported by TrueMind. Most need mana to keep the AI running, so they’re focused on making them more effective. Your AI hasn’t decreased usage in the slightest. That’s why it’s such a great data point. Your testing of our simulations is going at more than twice the speed we thought it would.”
“So, how is my AI different? I never got an answer for that when I got it.”
“Easy. Your AI is just a rewrite of the original skill. A reset to zero, if you will. The new AIs are so many generations old that we started using two letters. Your AI is closer to the skill itself, though with some rather notable bits chopped off to get it to work for low Tiers. It’s still based on a Tier 26 skill, and we can’t replicate something that advanced with mass produced means.”
Matt questioned the helpful tech a little more as he was a wealth of information he had been wanting to know. “Is there anything else I could work toward? I never got any of the extra modules like the ID function, and I felt kinda dumb that I didn’t even think to buy that.”
Oliver waved his hands around wildly. “No! No. Don’t do that. If you use the premade modules, your AI will change them for sure, but it won’t be as interesting for us as your AI recreating them from scratch. If you want some suggestions on what to make, have it start learning about whatever profession you like.”
“Yeah, I was looking into an enchanting module, but they are way too expensive.”
Oliver looked aghast. “Noooo! I can’t stop you from doing that, but just buy and download the books, then have your AI simulate the results from the lessons. I’m sure you’ll learn a lot, and so will your AI. This is a really unique data point here. Please don’t ruin it with the store-bought stuff. And if it doesn’t work well, you can always buy the module later.”
Oliver then launched into a tirade about how a different approach could revolutionize the computing fields.
Matt thought it over while tuning the man out as he strayed off topic.
The idea had merit. The AI modules would help someone enchant with overlays and show where to carve or embed mana. But they were restricted and ruinously expensive. None were on the open market, and they were all made by various companies, organizations, noble families, or guilds and each was said to work differently, and have their own advantages.
Some were better at weapons enchantments, and others were better at larger defensive formations. Each was made for the guilds that used them, which led to them being jealously guarded. Rivals could glean a lot from knowing what their AI guides did.
Smithing techniques and other professions were mostly open at Tier 5 and below, as it was mostly mundane materials being used. But the higher the Tier, the more exotic the materials were, and the more ways there were to use them and that’s when things became hidden and proprietary information.
Not a single power wanted to give all of their hard-earned secrets away. Matt could understand that, but he really didn’t care about the intricacies of enchanting. He would love to automate it with his AI, and only provide the mana.
He would never get a cooking one. He had talked to Aunt Helen about it. She wasn’t as dismissive as he thought she would be, but she pointed out that a lot of cooking was doing things to taste. You could measure and be perfect all day, but then everything would come out the same.
Each piece of meat, vegetable, or other ingredient was different, and should be treated as such. He knew the same applied to enchanting, but he really didn’t enjoy it. Everything in his life was about producing mana.
It was nice to have something not dependent on it for once.
“Oliver, is there anything else?”
While the man was rambling and Matt ruminating, the chair was beeping at him to get up and leave.
The technician coughed slightly. “Ah. Go ahead. Sorry. Your AI is so fascinating, I could talk about it all day.”
Saying their goodbyes, they left TrueMind and meandered back to their suite for the night.
“So, what was that about not getting the AI skill?”
Liz shrugged. “One. I was on the path. Two, I and most other kids born from higher Tiers get special AIs made from our parents’ AIs. The AIs become unique and better at the higher Tiers when there’s been time for them to grow and evolve. Over Tier 25, maybe up to Tier 30ish, no one sells that info like you did. Too much can be gleaned by the shape of the AIs structure. My parents had an AI made for me when I was conceived. I had it implanted from birth. It was just inactive. That’s why it didn’t convert when I got my Talent. It was already there.”
Matt thought it over. “This isn’t a mark on you, but that feels like such bullshit. Isn’t the whole point of The Path to stop that?”
Liz looked awkward, and Matt had to tamp down on his annoyance. She didn’t choose who her parents were, and he couldn’t say he wouldn’t try to do the best for any future children. Ascenders knew that his parents tried their best.
It still grated the wrong way to find out that there was yet another advantage from having higher Tier parents.
“Is there anything else that comes from having higher Tier parents?”
Liz looked wronged, so he rubbed his face. “Sorry, that was accusing. I just don’t like finding out that I’m starting even lower.”
He gave her a smile, and the tension disappeared.
- Writer
