Day 30: Sage Lehan's test ground.
This was a barren expanse with no object or objective in sight. It made Eren remember his guild's property before it was turned into White Raven City.
The participants had been summoned here after they had passed through the spatial tunnel. They kept a safe distance from each other while trying to find out more about the location.
Representatives of the 11 teams that had initiated a siege against the White Raven crew were also there. Gondel was one of 11 representatives.
These 11 representatives looked at Eren as if they would attack him at any time. The butcher didn't react to their silent aggression. It wasn't the right time for him to do so.
"Welcome, participants."
A calm and clear female voice was heard by the participants all of a sudden, which made the participants stop in their tracks. They looked at each other before trying to find the source of that voice using their senses. All of them turned in a particular direction in the distance when they felt an unknown presence appear.
This young woman looked to be in her early 20s.
She had a graceful figure and a relatively tall stature. She had black hair, clear skin, and attractive facial features. She wore an elegant black dress with golden embroidery on it. She was holding a staff in her left hand that seemed quite mysterious.
This young woman looked at the participants with an expressionless face. As if their existence didn't make a difference to her mood.
There was certainly a peculiar intelligence reflected in the woman's eyes. However, the butcher felt that she was not as lively as a real woman. It was as if someone was talking to the spectral image of a dead woman who was made to move. However, the difference was so minute that almost nobody could spot it.
While keeping their distance, the participants abandoned their positions and gathered around the young woman. They were all amazed by the fact that it was a young woman who had come to greet them.
"Hm? Sage Lehan is a woman? I thought…"
"Cut it out, you bastard. Don't make us suffer by saying something absurd about a Sage."
"But…"
"Don't assume anything. Let's hear what My Lady has to say first."
The participants whispered among each other while making their own assumptions at first. But then it was mutually decided that they would let the staff-holding woman speak.
The young woman smiled lightly before speaking up.
pA ɴ,da-nᴏᴠᴇʟ.cᴏm "I am not Sage Lin Lehan. My name is Maya. I am one of Sage Lehan's creations. I have been given the responsibility to conduct Sage Lehan's Legacy."
The participants looked at Maya with puzzled expressions. They certainly had a lot of questions to ask her.
"Lady Maya, are you a homunculus?"
Eren was the first person to ask Maya a direct question. He felt like Maya's presence was a lot like a homunculus, but not quite. Having dealt with two homunculi closely, the butcher could spot the difference between the two kinds right away.
Maya looked at Eren peculiarly and looked him in the eyes. She took her time answering his question.
"No. Not really. A homunculus creation requires an existing soul. The body and consciousness I possess are both created by Sage Lehan- completely artificial. So I can't be called a homunculus.
The Sage calls me his daughter. One that he birthed into existence using all his expertise as an array master."
Eren was taken aback when he confirmed his guess. The others were also shocked to find out that Maya's consciousness was artificial.
The injection of artificial intelligence into arrays wasn't a novel concept. The capital city of Edin's security protocols were run by arrays with artificial intelligence installed in them.
However, one could always tell the difference between artificial intelligence and real consciousness. It was the first time the rankers encountered an artificial body containing artificial intelligence speaking to them without giving away its unnatural origins.
"Where is the vestige of Sage Lehan's soul? Will he not bless us with his presence?"
Gondel didn't want to create a fuss in front of Maya. But he also didn't want to stay behind Eren in asking questions. He felt that this test was his turf– his platform to showcase his skills. He wouldn't let a close combat brute overshadow him in Sage Lehan's test.
Maya looked a bit irritated when she heard Gondel's question. As if she didn't like the idea of participants not being satisfied with her presence alone. She looked at the geek with a tinge of annoyance before answering his question.
"Why would Sage Lehan harm his soul to leave his Legacy behind on the continent of Anfang? He is not like the rest of the three Sages.
He created me as his representative to do his bidding in this world. Let me tell you that my father is doing much better outside the world of Anfang than the other three Sages.
Do you know why he was given the title of Sansara Sage? He is trying to create his own real mini-world with the Sasara World array as a foundation. His projects keep him very busy. So he obviously doesn't have time for you.
I, his daughter, am perfectly capable of handling trivial matters like these. But you may wish to quit the test if you are not happy with Sage Lehan's absence."
The participants were too stunned to speak.
They had expected the fourth Sage Legacy test to be handled by the vestige of Sansara Sage's soul. After all, they had seen that happening with the previous three Sages. However, it looked like Sansara Sage wasn't as interested in the land of Anfang as the other three Sages. Or it may be that he just wasn't interested in passing down his Legacy to the younger generation.
Either way, Sansara Sage was a different kind of Sage than the land of Anfang had ever produced. It looked like he was trying to research the genesis of Creation by creating someone like Maya.
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