I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Chapter Sixty: Faced with Rion's probing, what will Sensei choose...?

"Sensei, have you heard the story of the 'Ark'?"

The ark... refers to Noah's Ark from the Bible?

It has nothing to do with the Noah who was talking about salt at the seminar... it's Noah's Ark from the Bible.

It was built to escape the great flood that God brought down to punish humanity.

After picking up the document that Akane handed him, Amamiya glanced at the title page and then paused for a very slight moment.

The document's title page features the logo of the Millennium Technology Academy, nothing special.

What's special is the label below the file logo, or rather, the document title.

Amamiya did not respond to Akane's words about relaying Rion's message, but instead began to peruse the file titled "[Fortress City - Elido]".

The document begins with a description of the famous, abandoned area known as the "Ruins" of the Millennium Science Academy.

After being sealed off by the [Federal Student Council President], many secrets of this ruin were buried.

Under the premise that "technological development relies on archaeology", anyone with even a little bit of self-thinking ability can clearly realize what kind of treasures are buried in this sealed forbidden land, and what kind of dangers are also hidden there.

It feels very similar to places like the "forbidden lands of living beings" or "ruins of pre-civilizations" unique to cultivation novels and most fantasy world novels.

It is filled with so-called opportunities and secrets, but it also harbors the danger of easily destroying anyone who touches it.

Amamiya continued reading. After finishing the description of the "ruins," the document finally got to the point, describing some information about the "fortress city."

However, compared to the detailed description of the millennia-old ruins, the description of the 'fortified city' is somewhat vague, or even glossed over.

From the information revealed by Rion through this document, Amamiya could only know that Rion was building a fortress city called 'Elidoo'.

In order to combat "color," and in order to find clues to the "name of the cross god"...

Basically, they all use various excuses like "to prevent potential future dangers".

In fact, the vast majority of students from thousands of years ago did not know about the construction of 'Eridu'.

"The Ark...?"

After reading the entire document, Amamiya frowned deeply.

From the document Rion sent through the maid club alone, Amamiya learned that the other party must be someone who was 'rational to an extreme'.

But precisely because of taking an extreme stance, it is easy to "do good things but end up doing bad things".

Amamiya admires and agrees with Rion's "prevention is better than cure" mentality.

But whether it was the information he got from the shadows of the 'maid club members' in another world, or the 'cautious way of contact' he was currently experiencing, Amamiya had a premonition that the other party might be a little too neurotic.

However, from the perspective of the person in charge of a college, this is quite normal.

As the chairman of the academy's board of directors, there are simply too many things to consider, which inevitably makes one's thinking more complex.

As the saying goes, "The higher a person stands, the farther they can see, but at the same time, they also become colder."

From Rion's perspective, Amamiya's "method of the crime" (how she steals hearts) is [unknown].

Who can guarantee that just by meeting Amamiya alone, one won't have their "heart stolen"?

What if that so-called "heart-stealing" is done secretly in front of you, without your knowledge, through some kind of "special method"?

Out of caution, Rion did not contact Amamiya directly, but instead delegated the maids' club to act as intermediaries.

At least... this can significantly reduce the probability of having your heart stolen.

"Regarding the main contents of the document..."

Amamiya sighed, put her hands behind her head, leaned back in the ergonomic chair, closed her eyes, and pondered for a dozen seconds.

"I'm done reading."

“Then…Sensei.”

Zhu Yin subtly and quietly put the document away, then asked unhurriedly, "Sensei, is there anything you want us to convey to President Rion?"

As Amamiya reclined in her chair, she really wanted to say: I think it's over.

But he obviously can't be so unreliable.

After all, this is a very formal affair (seven) (- [matters, teachers, houses, land, contact each other...]

After a moment's thought, Amamiya picked up the shoulder bag hanging on the back of the chair, a bag she always carried when traveling.

After (pretending) rummaging through his shoulder bag, Amamiya took out a piece of 'crystal' that was as thin as a cicada's wing and looked like some kind of exquisitely crafted natural crystal that emitted a greenish glow.

“I don’t have any words to convey to President Rion. However, there is a ‘gift’ that I must give her… which may help her solve her immediate problem, or perhaps, it may allow her to see a future she has never seen before.”

After saying that mysteriously, Amamiya's tone immediately became relaxed.

He placed the 'crystal plate' that emitted a mesmerizing, eerie green light on the table.

The strange crystal, resembling a 'feather fragment', instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

"This is a special material that I obtained... It looks like crystal or some other mineral, but it is actually a material that possesses the properties of both matter and information."

"Its name is [Twilight Feather], a peculiar vessel that is 'like to be alive, but actually not alive'."

"As for its effects... it can grant 'heartless beings' a sense of mind... In other words, it can be understood as enabling 'weak AI that originally lacked intelligence' to transform into 'strong AI,' or even a special AI life form that surpasses AI."

"If the conditions are met, it is even possible to create a personality based on this."

"It records all the information about that personality..."

At this point, Amamiya's tone had become more amazed by the 'strange thing'.

"When a person's personality develops to a certain point, they can even maintain their personality even if their mechanical thought processes are destroyed."

Zhu Yin took out a pen from somewhere and wrote down Amamiya's words verbatim in a notebook.

"That is to say..."

Unlike Akane, who was diligently taking notes, Karin displayed an expression of curiosity and contemplation. She seemed eager to touch the peculiar object, but also hesitant, fearing it might trigger a chain reaction.

After a slight hesitation, Karin turned her gaze to Amamiya.

“Sensei, you mean…”

"It... allows ordinary AI to reside within it and truly give them 'life'?"

It sounds pretty far-fetched...

But considering that it was very likely some kind of 'mythical material' produced in another world, Hana Rin had no reason not to believe it.

The recent changes in the engineering department... were noticed and observed by their maid department immediately.

After receiving 'material support' from Amamiya, the engineering department's style changed almost every day.

The rapid pace of development naturally attracted the attention of nearly a hundred other clubs in the Millennium Technology Academy—and was immediately noticed by the seminar.

Naturally, the maids' club began to pay close attention to the engineering department's recent research directions.

"That sounds amazing..."

Asuna also did not attempt to 'touch' it—her intuition told her that this seemingly calm crystal possessed an unfathomable sense of unease and danger.

"If we use 'hardware' and 'software' as an analogy... the purpose of this thing is actually quite easy to understand."

Amamiya tapped the table and used a simpler analogy in a more understandable way.

"If we compare the body to the hardware that carries consciousness, then consciousness, or the soul, is the 'software'... And this 'twilight feather' is actually an 'extremely special piece of hardware'... It doesn't have any 'software' installed on it, but it can be compatible with almost any 'software'."

"Even if the 'software' runs on there, it may be able to optimize and upgrade itself."

“This ‘hardware’ is very special… It lacks the features that other hardware should have (various bodily senses and mobility), but apart from that, it is a perfect vessel.”

After describing all the characteristics of the 'Twilight Feather' in one go, Amamiya zipped up her shoulder bag and got up to leave.

"Take it to President Rion."

"I believe this can, to some extent, clear up President Rion's misunderstanding of me."

Amamiya, who had placed her hand on the doorknob and was pushing the door open, seemed to remember something and slowly added something else.

"I believe……"

"After seeing this 'miraculous creation,' she will choose to contact me."

Author's Note (Final Remarks)

A story that drags on for too long isn't a good thing either...

—After reviewing the sixty chapters of this volume and the recent noticeable decline in subscriptions, I should say this.

All I can say is that... from the perspective of writing a long novel, I still have a long way to go.

Whether it's controlling the pace or suppressing the idea of ​​superficial communication...

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To ensure the author's comfort in the writing software, and also as a turning point in the plot, let's divide this into 'volumes'.

Like the chapter on Abydos, the next volume will probably have around forty chapters.

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The next volume—"The Unse"—is the key to the universe.

— "Eternity" will ultimately liberate one's inner universe and lead to the search for one's true self.

— Borrowing lyrics from the opening theme of Ultraman Triga.

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Strength（ちから）をhold（も）ったmeans（いみ）をquest（もと）めて

Seeking the true meaning of power

戦（たたか）う为（ため）のREASON（りゆう）を探（さが）した

Seeking the Reasons for Battle

それぞれに梦（ゆめ）见（み）た

The Future Everyone Dreams

The future (みらい(一) Another instrument thinking five? Just〕?』Sijiu)はPU(ぼく)らをHU(よ)ぶ

It is calling us

Netsuke（ねず）く花（はな）のような

Enlightenment is like a flower rooted in the ground.

覚 Wu（かくご）を vow（ちか）い合（あ）って

We swear to one another

Ready to pull the trigg

Get ready to pull the trigger.

Burn(も)える闘之(とうし) Boil(わ)きrise(お)こして

The burning fighting spirit surged forth.

Now I can pull the trigg

Now I can pull the trigger.

Wind Cave（かぜあな）を开（あ）けろ呙àΔ譭幛ぃ�

Blast open the void of fate

Come on, let's pull the trigger.

Come on, let's pull the trigger together!

Cut（き）り开（ひら）けこの戦（たたか）いを

To set the stage for this battle