Aozaki Aoko [610-611] (Patreon)

Chapter 610: University Campus Arc

However, the Three Wise Men have an edge that AI models based on deep neural networks don't: they work right out of the box without training or upgrades—fundamentally different from the traditional abstract AI large models that require vast datasets for training.

Given that Naoko Akagi's engineering and Aoko's past-life machine learning algorithms for deep neural networks aren't worlds apart, she's very confident she can leverage this near-future world's powerful computing hardware to train an AI model that surpasses the Three Wise Men.

At the very least, it won't require custom brain-mimicking hardware, so its manufacturing cost would be far lower than the Three Wise Men system's. That kind of technical route is far easier to promote in this post-apocalyptic era.

"What are you thinking about?" Alice asked beside her. "You totally tuned out while I was talking with Touko, didn't you?"

"…I was thinking about what kind of tech results to dangle as bait to hook SEELE," Aoko blinked and answered. "And the conclusion is: artificial intelligence."

"You're going to compete with that Naoko Akagi?" Touko looked at Aoko in surprise. "The technology here is so advanced. Will your outdated results even catch SEELE's eye?"

"I've already learned part of this world's technical roadmap from the Golgotha Object's information logs," Aoko blinked and flashed a sly smile. "All I need to do is differentiated competition—put forth a technical route this world doesn't have and gamble for a bit of clout."

"All right, I get it," Touko nodded, agreeing with Aoko's idea. "By that logic, I'll probably try something similar. Saving effort is always nice."

"By the way, I just noticed a feature of this world…" Touko suddenly lowered her voice. "…and I bet you two noticed it as well, right?"

"…The Greater Source here hasn't diminished at all, has it?" Alice spoke, stating the consensus among the three.

"Yeah," Aoko extended her hand. Even though, as a Law Circuit capable of generating limitless magical energy, it didn't matter to her personally, her magic circuits still greedily drank in mana from the Greater Source. "I mean, half of the primate population was erased and converted into pure soul forms. If the planet's Greater Source still declined after that, that would be ridiculous."

"That means our magecraft will work unimpeded, and we don't have to worry about Mystery being diluted by exposure, right?" Touko leaned back happily and took a sip of juice. "If I didn't know this world is trapped in a loop, I'd be tempted to live here forever~"

"So, what tech are you planning to use to lure SEELE?" Aoko asked. "Reminder: both soul transfer and body cloning are already very mature here, you know? You're not seriously going to bust out the Third Magic, Materialization of the Soul, right now, are you?"

"Of course not." Touko crossed her arms in an 'X'—it actually looked kind of cute. "It's not the right time to bring out that kind of thing. Right now I'll show my bread-and-butter: Human Engineering!"

"Huh?"

"Ho ho ho, you don't get it, do you?" Touko said smugly, then tossed a book onto the table. The cover read "An Introduction to Metabiology." "Take a look first."

Aoko picked up the university textbook Touko had just bought from a street-side bookstore, flipped it open, and skimmed it with Alice. Very quickly, they understood what Touko meant.

In a world governed purely by science and technology, the theories in this field would be utter nonsense.

But in this world—where Mystery and technology fuse seamlessly behind the scenes—Metabiology is the discipline that comes closest to the truth.

Since the three of their magecraft systems operate perfectly here, Touko could package her own Human Engineering into a subfield of this world's "Metabiology."

And a lot of theory in Human Engineering actually aligns with this world's Metabiology… Aoko could already imagine the excitement of those old SEELE geezers when they discovered Touko as a talent.

She'd expected this outcome, but losing to Touko still stung!

"With great power comes great responsibility," Aoko said with mock sanctimony. "Since Lady Touko is like a fish in water here, the main mission going forward is all yours, right?"

"No problem." Unexpectedly, Touko didn't get mad. She just stared at Aoko and Alice with a steady smile. "I have a hunch: in this world, I can find an opportunity to push my Third Magic further."

——— dividing line ———

After some investigation and screening, the trio settled on Paris Sciences & Lettres Université—that is, PSL University.

This university is already very famous on their own Earth; in this world, it's a key research institution heavily funded by SEELE.

They worked their usual tricks, using suggestion magecraft to fabricate the necessary student records and became PhD candidates here.

Naturally, Touko chose Metabiology. Aoko took the expected path of Computer Science—Artificial Intelligence.

As for Alice, she didn't flash her Fairy Tale Magecraft to bluff anyone. Instead, she picked Folklore Studies based on her personal interests. As the Fairy Tale Witch, her depth of research into European fairy tales is far beyond ordinary scholars; she could toss off a few papers and graduate with a degree easily.

However, due to the Second Impact, funding for literary studies has been dwindling in this world. The whole Faculty of Letters building looked particularly shabby—quite a sigh.

"Want to invest a bit in the Faculty of Letters here?" Aoko looked at the worn-out building and suggested to Alice.

"…No need," Alice thought for a moment, then answered. "I don't dislike this kind of environment."

…It practically looked like a haunted house already. There weren't even a handful of students in the classrooms. Was this really okay?

But since Alice said it was fine, Aoko didn't press.

They had already exchanged gold for a large amount of cash and even bought a luxurious Western-style house near the university. Though the style differed from Kuonji Manor, it had its charm.

Rumor had it the former owner had died tragically during the Second Impact, and the place had sat empty until the three of them dropped a fortune on it.

The house itself was fine—the agency had maintained it well, and there were no issues from age or neglect.

Still, seeing the sales manager quietly breathe a sigh of relief made Aoko suspect they were being the suckers taking a hot potato. What—was the place haunted or something?

After securing the house, the next step was renovation before moving in. The three called in Morgan equally proficient in magecraft. The four of them layered the entire house with enchantment reinforcements and protective wards.

This turned the place into a sturdy fortress. Aoko judged that even if it took a direct hit from an Angel's beam cannon, it might hold out longer than NERV HQ in Tokyo-3.

Chapter 611: Those Who Wish, Take the Bait

"There's something off about this environment," Morgan said to Aoko after finishing the house's reinforcement, frowning. "I don't know why, but I keep feeling this world is rejecting me as a fae…"

"Seriously?" Aoko was taken aback, clearly not expecting that. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it!" Morgan raised a finger, eyes wide at Aoko. "How to put it… it's a bit like a Heroic Spirit forcing a manifestation in a world without Alaya."

"I see," Touko rubbed her chin, thinking aloud. "Could it be that fae are the planet's tendrils, an extension of Gaia's will—while the planet we're standing on has no Gaia? Or perhaps…"

"I'm not sure whether Gaia exists here," Aoko said. "But as the cradle of life's origin, Lilith's ark—the Black Moon—was buried underground. Is it possible fae are repelled by the Black Moon? After all, they aren't Lilith's creations."

"Aren't we also not Lilith's creations?" Touko asked. "Why aren't we repelled, while a fae can feel it?"

"Forget it—let's shelve that for now," Aoko waved it off. "Instead of guessing here, we should infiltrate SEELE and use their resources for our own research. Sooner or later, we'll get to the bottom of it."

"Then I'll head back first," Morgan smiled with perfect wifely grace. "I haven't finished lunch for little Gray and Melusine. They must be anxious by now."

With that, the Fairy Queen turned and vanished before their eyes, returning to the demi-plane—leaving the three staring at each other.

"Haha… looks like she's getting along pretty well with Artoria," Aoko said dryly.

"Pretty well indeed," Alice stared at Aoko. "Give it some time… and we may be receiving a wedding invitation."

——— dividing line ———

University life in France is a lot more laid-back than in Japan. Aoko was already pretty laid-back in Japan, but the vibe here is different.

Even with more than half the global population dead, the French still relax when it's time to relax, romance when it's time for romance—full-on unbothered. That's the upside of high automation, probably.

Due to the sensitivity of her field, Touko had recently signed a ton of NDAs and was busy in the lab from dawn till dusk, basically turning into an office worker. Aoko had teased her about it more than once.

Aoko had plenty of work too. She needed to organize the fundamentals of deep learning and deep neural networks and publish papers in academic journals—that would be her formal debut in this world's academic circles.

Even then, she still had more free time than Touko, which made Miss Touko very salty. She often threatened to throw down the gauntlet and quit, storm SEELE HQ, and just use suggestion magecraft to control those crusty old men—so much easier, right?

And Touko wasn't wrong—and they really did try it. But bizarrely, neither Aoko's prophetic magic nor Touko's rune magecraft could find any trace of SEELE's leader, "Chairman Keel," who appears in the Golgotha Object's records.

That means SEELE has definitely acquired some occult-level protection in this loop—at a fairly high tier. That intel means the waters here are deeper than they look, so they'd better proceed with caution.

To that end, Aoko even raised her holy symbol and prayed to the goddess of magic. But her bargain goddess-mom replied: "This world is interesting, but it's too far from the Divine realm. My divine power doesn't transmit well. I can't help—may fortune favor you."

Aoko didn't know whether Mystra was being straight with her, but it didn't change things. By Aoko's estimate, even if Mystra could directly interfere with this world's Mystery system, it would be a thankless, exhausting task. Auril exhausting her divine power in the mortal realm was a prime cautionary tale, so Aoko didn't push it.

Of the three, the most relaxed was Alice.

These days, she only needed to visit campus once a day, share her insights on fairy-tale literature with her advisor and classmates, then find some flower-scented, artful nook to sit, sip tea, and read the day away.

The Faculty of Letters at PSLU had been full of old-timers and bookworms. So when a young, beautiful female PhD candidate appeared, they practically held Alice in the palm of their hands. They wouldn't let her touch any grunt work.

All Alice had to do was dress prettily, show up at various meetings now and then as the face of the faculty, give the freshmen a little dazzle, and enjoy the quiet years.

…

Time flew. When Aoko and company arrived in this world and landed in Paris, it was about March. Now it was already October.

Touko's progress in Metabiology had skyrocketed. Her advisor had already connected her with the Artificial Evolution Research Institute—an organization with close ties to SEELE—and written her a recommendation.

As long as Touko finished her thesis and passed the defense, joining the Artificial Evolution Research Institute would be a sure thing—a bright future locked in.

Aoko's deep neural network paper had also been published, making ripples in the field.

For some reason, this world's AI development path had been skewed by Naoko Akagi. Everyone was focused on reproducing the human brain's neural structure at the hardware level—or going to extremes like MAGI and building a big mechanical brain out of non-flesh materials.

Aoko's theory injected fresh blood into AI research—constructing the brain's operational patterns at the abstract software level via specific algorithms. It undeniably opened a new path and became a hot topic.

Citations and impact factor for Aoko's paper shot up, and she received a flood of emails from scholars around the world interested in her new theory, all seeking academic exchange.

Aoko filtered for the valuable ones and replied—but her main goal was to attract the attention of important figures.

And she succeeded. She really did attract one of the important figures: an email from Naoko Akagi. Whatever her failures in romance, Naoko Akagi's talent and vision as a scientist are beyond question.

In her letter, she lavishly praised Aoko's pioneering mindset and the elegance of her deep neural network algorithms, but also voiced a concern: because Aoko's theory only needs general-purpose hardware and downplays specialized hardware, it would inevitably slow current AI hardware development.

Aoko neither agreed nor disagreed. In AI, both software and hardware matter—hardware is the foundation, software the soul; you can't lack either. To her mind, MAGI's algorithmic architecture simply went to the opposite extreme.

At the end, Naoko said she would bring her daughter to France for a conference in November and hoped to meet Aoko in person.

Aoko quietly put the letter away, a faint, "just as planned" sly smile tugging at her lips, looking forward to meeting Naoko Akagi and her daughter, Ritsuko Akagi.