Secrets: Priestess

Chapter 188 Analytical Engine

At three o'clock in the afternoon, after a thorough rest, Claire changed into the uniform dark clergy uniform.

According to the church training arrangement, Claire came to the parish's teaching location. There were more than 20 people sitting in the entire teaching hall, and Claire did not find any acquaintances among them.

Xijia, the only person Xijia knew, took the initiative to sit next to Claire when he saw her come in, while Ms. Gray, who was familiar with Xijia, sat on the other side of Xijia.

This environment and atmosphere reminded Claire of her school days, but with even better order.

Even if they are precocious, most students still find it difficult to truly find the meaning of learning.

Among the trainees sitting here, some are about to join the "Red Gloves," who have the highest sacrifice rate, while others are about to become captains of the Night Watch, who are responsible for the safety of their teammates.

Regardless of the choice, the people here are carrying a lot of heavy burdens, which makes them cherish the training time and learning opportunities.

The first training instructor was a "necromancer instructor" and the course content focused on "making corpses speak". Whether it was the Night Watchmen or the Red Gloves, they would basically use means of communicating with spirits when handling cases.

But apart from the extreme cases where the spirits are completely cleared, there are many times when the perpetrators will arrange interference or misleading means when they cannot clear the spirits.

These interference methods vary greatly depending on the serial path of the perpetrator.

How to deal with these skills has gradually become a specialized means of investigation.

The training instructor on stage had extensive experience in this area, and used actual case studies to analyze specific approaches. His explanation also touched upon some of the abilities and characteristics of Mid-Sequence Beyonders, which was quite valuable.

But for Claire, to be honest, if it was a course like this, it would be more efficient for her to learn by reading the book herself.

The training instructor for the second class was a "Requiem Master," but in order to cater to the trainees, who were generally Sequence 7, he mainly focused on disassembling the abilities and practical applications of "Nightmare."

Claire had heard most of this from Dunn.

"I can learn a lot, but it's also a bit of a waste of time." During the break in class, Claire sighed in distress.

Gray, who was standing next to Xiga, heard Claire's whisper and looked over. Seeing Claire, who hadn't even taken out a pen and paper, she softly retorted:

"Ms. Galadilla, a weak foundation and unrealistic ambitions are both fatal. Especially after becoming a captain, the slightest mistake could lead to the sacrifice of your teammates."

"The training instructors here are all Red Glove captains or veteran Nighthawk captains who were temporarily invited back from the front lines. There is so much we can learn from them."

Although Gray's words were harsh, her tone and that calming smile made it hard to anger anyone.

Claire looked over and saw Gray's sincere expression through Xijia in the middle, and also saw the notes in front of Gray.

Grey's handwriting was neat and detailed. In addition to the content explained by the training instructors, there were also many annotations by Grey herself. Claire glanced at it and found that they were similar cases Grey had encountered or related cases she had seen in the Night Watchman's log report.

It can be seen that this intellectual-looking lady has excellent writing and tidying habits similar to the Fool.

In comparison, at first glance, Claire, who didn't even bring a pen, seemed particularly unfocused.

But... these cases had long been firmly memorized in Claire's mind. They were so familiar that she could recall every detail of them without even writing them down.

The archives in Tingen and Backlund were the places Claire visited most often.

Claire didn't say anything. She just picked up the pen that Xiga had placed beside her and quickly made a few changes to Gray's notes.

What Claire changed were all the details of the case that Gray had misremembered.

Gray's originally puzzled look turned into realization and surprise after seeing the changes made by Claire!

"These cases! Ms. Galadilla has seen them all? And remembers them so clearly?" Gray exclaimed in a low voice.

Even if they were both Extraordinary Beings, the ability of the "Universal" to remember everything at a glance far surpassed that of those with other paths. Moreover, compared to Extraordinary Beings with other "Universal" paths, Claire, who had a memory library, could organize all her memories into categories.

Therefore, Claire is essentially a walking archive of the Church of Evernight.

Claire returned the pen to Xijia and said with a smile, "I agree with your ideas, Gray. That's why I often stay in the archives to observe and study various types of case reports."

These aren't just a few simple cases! They must be the product of a huge amount of accumulation!

Through Claire's corrections, Grey recalled the details she had misremembered, but it was also through Claire's corrections that Grey truly realized what an amazing memory this woman next to her, who didn't even bring a pen and paper, possessed.

"Your memory is beyond my reach," Gray exclaimed in sincere admiration. "More importantly, Galadilla, you must have spent a considerable amount of energy and time memorizing these cases... Few people could endure such tedium."

No matter how clever one is, they still need to read through a voluminous case report at least once before they can memorize it. This is something that cannot be faked...

Their genuine respect and mutual admiration caused them to dispense with polite formalities and formalities. Xijia, who sat in the middle, shrugged and said, "You two really have similar personalities. If Claire were here, she'd surely suit your temperament."

Everyone sitting here had lost teammates and friends before, and Gray was no exception. Hearing Xijia's nostalgic words, she said, "So, I will do my best to avoid tragedy around me as much as possible."

After saying this, Gray didn't want to exaggerate the tragic atmosphere and changed the subject to Claire. "Galadia, with such abundant knowledge and extraordinary memory, it's no wonder you dare to say that sitting here is a waste of time. If I had your ability, I would definitely say something even more outrageous."

After Gray finished laughing, she lightly tapped the notebook in front of her and said to Claire:
"Except for the trials and assessments, the rest of the courses here are not mandatory. If you have more pressing matters, Galadilla, you can skip these courses. I will share my notes with you after class to help you identify any gaps. I can guarantee that my notes will not miss any of the instructors' key points."

"Oh?" Claire had never expected that showing off her little skill would earn her the most sincere admiration from a Nighthawk, and that he would take the initiative to help her solve the current troubles that she was facing, which were neither good nor worth throwing away.

Wanting to save time, Claire didn't refuse the other party's kindness and said frankly, "Gray, I'll leave it to you."

With Gray's help, Claire no longer had to waste time on these inefficient classes. After leaving the rather small lecture hall alone, Claire applied to the parish administrators for a separate small alchemy room, intending to focus on figuring out how to integrate the "Requiem Master" attribute into the Nightmare Doll.

This assignment assigned by Her Highness Arianna was the focus of Claire's current stay in the Holy Court.

Since her understanding of the Requiem Master wasn't deep enough, Claire only used her Mechanical Expert ability to completely reassess the Nightmare Doll's current condition.

Having a deep understanding of nightmares and having successfully been promoted, Clay assessed that the Nightmare Doll was in a very good state:

When in Backlund, the integration of the "Nightmare" Beyonder characteristic gave the Nightmare Doll the ability to enter dreams comparable to that of a "Nightmare". Combined with its own ability to create nightmares, the two combined even reached the level of a senior "Nightmare".

Not much worse than Captain Dunn during the Tingen era.

However, even with the integration of new extraordinary characteristics, the vengeful spirit "Yuffie" still lacks much consciousness. The real Yuffie has long been dead, and even most of her spirit has dissipated, leaving only a small part of the instinct for revenge.

Because of this revenge instinct, the Nightmare Doll will harm all creatures in its sight. Even Claire is basically unaffected by the Nightmare Doll only because the Goddess's gift can greatly weaken the nightmare effect.

"The integration of the 'Nightmare' trait has already enhanced the Nightmare Doll's spirituality. Of course, this spirituality can't help Yuffie regain her sanity and consciousness. Instead, it amplifies the Nightmare Doll's danger."

"If I continue to add the 'Requiem Master' attribute to the Nightmare Doll, I'm afraid even the Heart of the Goddess within me won't be able to suppress the unrest of this Sealed Artifact. Even if I don't suffer too much negative impact then, a Sealed Artifact I can't control won't be able to be used against enemies or disguised."

"Therefore, before integrating new Beyonder properties, we need to first strengthen our control over this seal."

Whether it is a "craftsman" or a "mechanical expert", they all have the ability to weaken the negative effects of magical items, which in itself strengthens the user's control over the extraordinary characteristics of the magical items.

After taking the potion, Claire also gained a lot of related abilities and knowledge, such as directing the danger of the nightmare doll further to its eyes. In this way, as long as the eyes are well protected, the nightmare doll can be greatly prevented from getting out of control and its power can be enhanced.

But Claire hoped for a more optimized solution. She didn't want the Nightmare Doll's usage to go back to the old way of operating, which required covering the eyes, after integrating the "Requiem Master" feature.

At low sequences, this behavior of unlocking the Nightmare Doll's eyes can still keep up with the rhythm of the battle, but as her sequence increases, the enemies she faces will become more and more dangerous.

This inferior and crude operation method is not only difficult to integrate into her combat style, but even the most basic camouflage function may be seen through by someone with ulterior motives because of the usual behavior of freeing the nightmare doll's eyes.

"While reducing the danger, we must also enhance the Nightmare Doll's agility..."

"If we can enhance Yuffie's autonomous consciousness, this difficulty will be easily resolved... Unfortunately, this ability already involves the realm of God, and can only be considered by demigods at least."

Unable to solve the problem spiritually, Claire thought of solving it mechanically.

"By pre-programming something, allowing an object to autonomously complete a task... this is the 'intelligence' of the information age. Although this era hasn't yet ushered in the information revolution, I personally, by some strange coincidence, have acquired the most advanced difference engine technology."

"No, this is no longer a Difference Engine, but a true Analytical Engine!"

The Hermothuin manuscript in Claire's mind was instilled with endless knowledge of mechanics and alchemy by a mysterious being when she passed through the spiritual world, allowing her to deduce the true analytical engine!

The materials needed to make a simple analyzer are very common, and there are enough materials in the alchemy room where Claire is.

"We have abundant resources, maybe we can give it a try first..."

Claire gathered all the materials and started working. At this moment, every idea and every step in her mind could be perfectly presented by her hands.

"My manual dexterity has been incredibly enhanced. This is the sequence ability granted by the potion..."

It didn't take long for Claire to use these materials to create a simple analytical machine.

An analytical machine that prints "hello, world" when a programming language is entered into it.

"Output statements, variable assignments... the practical applications of the knowledge bestowed upon me by the spirit world are surprisingly more advanced and convenient than I expected." Claire marveled at the exquisite little analyzer in front of her, her expression not concealing her admiration and surprise for this object at all.

"If gods didn't exist, the world would be changed by this object." Claire thought with a mixture of emotion and pity.

"But even if gods exist in this world, this object possesses the power to change the world. As my sequence improves, and as I gain a deeper understanding of the nature of this world, I might be able to push the Analytical Engine even further... The industrial revolution driven by Russell's 'steam engine' prompted the 'God of Craftsmen' to issue an oracle, changing the name of the church and even the honorific title of the gods. This indirectly shows that the gods are not unshakable."

"Maybe...an anchor?"

Claire's thoughts wandered, but she soon returned to the more realistic and immediate nightmare doll transformation.

"Based on the principles of the Analytical Engine, the Nightmare Doll is endowed with a certain degree of independence. Of course, while it's not independence, it's more accurate to say it's a 'pseudo-intelligence' that follows instructions and executes tasks..."

"Change the material structure of the nightmare doll and transform it into a small mechanical doll..."

"Set trigger conditions for Hunmo's vengeful spirit instincts, use material resources to limit the revenge instinct, and enhance the controllability of the nightmare doll..."

One feasible plan after another formed in Claire's mind.

"With this, the most crucial method of control and restriction has been basically established... Next, we need to gain a deeper understanding of the Requiem Master's characteristics and abilities, and adjust the modification plan for the Nightmare Doll based on the added abilities."

Having established her train of thought, Claire reached out and dismantled the ingenious little analyzer in front of her. Each epoch-making mechanical component was crushed into powder in her hands, which had undergone a qualitative change in their advancement.

"The Analytical Engine, it's not time for it to officially enter the stage..."

"Praise the goddess." Claire devoutly drew a crimson crescent shape on her chest.

Deep in the Amanda Mountains, the entire peaceful church stands quietly in the darkness, as if isolated from the world.

(End of this chapter)