Chapter 1963 - 10: If Only I Were One of the People of Silverpeak

Chapter 1963: Chapter 10: If Only I Were One of the People of Silverpeak

"I understand. As long as it’s not a mandatory imposition of personality, or a direct insertion of a personality seed, preventing my child from thinking independently and being unable to change, I agree."

"Hmm. Your approval is just one link in the chain."

As he slowly sat back down, Ian had no intention of doing anything for Marquis Grant. He merely planned to make the other party understand that in the face of absolute power, anything the strong say is indoctrination for the weak.

When humans begin to feel distressed and upset, angry and disappointed because of another human’s words, they become that person’s slave.

Conversely, isn’t joy and delight the same?

The fundamental difference is whether the emotions arise because ’that person’s words’ cause them, or because that person’s actions meet ’my expectations’ and reveal various emotions.

The former is subjugation, the latter is understanding.

In facing the strong, even if forced to submit against one’s own heart, one must understand why the opponent’s actions are unacceptable, and why one opposes them, rather than simply opposing because ’whatever he says, I must oppose’. Similarly, even if forced to submit, one must understand whether it’s to save one’s life, for a greater goal, or because the respect and love for the other surpasses one’s self-recognition, rather than just because the other is strong and can kill, so one submits.

Only by thinking with ’I’ as the core, can people understand themselves and thus understand others; otherwise, they cannot empathize or put themselves in others’ shoes.

Because they don’t even know what they themselves are thinking, being merely slaves submitting to others.

"Cometes, everything should center around ’you’. What ’you want’ is what belongs to you. And what I say ’you should’ have is not what you truly need."

Looking sideways at his student, Ian did not expect the child to understand his words: "In the future, I will assign you some tasks which you can choose to complete or not. Completing them will bring no reward, and not completing them will incur no penalty."

"But whether willing or not, you must explain to me ’your thoughts.’ Why you do or don’t want to complete them. I hope you can understand the root of ’your thoughts’."

"Only this way can I build a ’moral algorithm’, a ’thinking model’, with you at the center."

"Cometes..."

Saying this, Ian smiled and pinched the face of the seriously listening child who didn’t understand, and he said softly, "Although you don’t understand now.’

"But a brand new society might start with your name."

"I... I don’t quite understand what the teacher is saying, nor do I know what the right thing to do is, but I will try my best!"

At this moment, Cometes also smiled: "Because the teacher smiles so beautifully now, I feel the teacher is very kind and takes good care of me. So I am willing to listen!"

"Haha," Ian couldn’t help but laugh. He stroked the child’s head: "Not bad, although it’s still somewhat simple and shallow, but this is your ’reason’ for listening to me, and not just because I am your ’teacher’."

"Moreover, being willing to say ’I don’t understand’ or ’I don’t know’ are among the best virtues in this world, so keep it up."

Wanting to become a scientist, a big star, playing games all day long, or wanting to become a wise and conscientious good person.

All these aspirations are equivalent.

Whether noble or vulgar, longing for the sublime, coveting wealth or the pursuit of happiness, none of these are bad things.

The only focus is on how to persist and achieve.

If you can’t persist, you can’t confirm your dreams, can’t head towards the future you desire... This is the most crucial ’will of the self’ for humans, the so-called virtue of ’perseverance’.

This is what differentiates Ian’s technology from school education and training camp training.

In today’s Terra, you can certainly reject school, refuse training camps, abandon all this, and follow your own will, choosing a possibility that others see as ’terrible failure’.

At least, there is a chance to regret.

But if it’s Ian’s technology, then there would be no chance of regret—once personality reconstruction starts, the reconstructed person would never have any desire to ’return to the past’.

"Let’s leave it at that."

Ian realized that the most important aspect of his ’Artificial Saint’ plan is not to include the condition of ’perseverance’ in the thinking model.

The perseverance and persistence given by others is not true virtue, but a form of numbness.

’Perseverance’ must be self-motivated, from one’s fundamental desires deep within; it represents ’self-choice’.

Just like training, doing exercises, and working out under coercion quickly disappear when the coercion is absent.

Similarly, jobs undertaken for survival are the same. As soon as one has money, they give up, rather than genuinely wanting to achieve their dreams this way.

On the Earth where Ian once lived, working was an option one could choose to forgo, unrelated to survival but tied to self-acknowledgment... No matter how difficult or painful, it is one’s perseverance.

This so-called ’self-belief’ is fundamentally about such an ’absolute self’.

——As long as one can rely on oneself to achieve the sublimation of one’s cognitive personality... then progressing to the Third Energy Level will likely encounter no obstacles.

——After all, this is about reshaping oneself, where body and soul are seamlessly integrated, firm as steel... the foundation of future immortality.

——So this is where the doorway to the Third Energy Level is...

Ian knew very clearly that the current Arcane Pathway could already artificially create Sublimators of the First and Second Energy Levels... and now it seems that he is gradually opening the door for everyone to walk the path to the Third Energy Level as well.

This is, the next step on the Arcane Pathway.

The interaction between Ian and Marquis Grant concluded.

This time, Marquis Grant came primarily to send his child to Ian as a student, essentially a hostage placed by the Grant Family with the Duke of Silverpeak.

As for the reconstruction of the Southern Sea Great Labyrinth and various policies, Marquis Grant had no reason to refuse at all, having already agreed to Ian’s development plans, which were to be managed by specific departments without upper management needing to interfere.

Next, Ian could focus more intently on another very important matter.

That is, the pre-promotion regarding Fiery Flame Land.

As of now, Ian’s plan to conquer the territory under Abassalom’s bloodline has been put on the agenda, so naturally, the entire territory needs to operate accordingly.

It’s not through military force; in this era, no one would deploy armies to conquer others; the main duty of military forces is to maintain public order, conduct emergency rescues, and build local infrastructures.

However, while others were transforming their military forces into local security forces, Ian established an entirely new unit.

Its name is ’Propaganda Legion.’

This army would engage in nothing related to force; their mission was merely to use Silver Peak’s resources to help Silver Peak’s merchants bring all the ’beautiful’ things of Silver Peak to distant lands.

Soda, delicious food, convenient gadgets... beautiful and good-looking clothing, durable and practical apparel... jeans, stockings, aesthetically new (all borrowed from the Earth) designs...

Silver Peak absolutely does not hide any of its beauty.

Contrary, it wants to showcase—to show everyone—demonstrating its strength, beauty, and all its brilliance and magnificence.

In an era where commoners have virtually no entertainment or aesthetic sense, everything Silver Peak creates is a definite dimensional reduction blow to any national entity.

And the Propaganda Legion, will not overthrow any forces or promote rebellion; their goal is only one.

It is, to make everyone know everything about Silver Peak.

Then...

Read Silver Peak’s novels.

Eat Silver Peak’s food.

Wear Silver Peak’s clothes.

Watch Silver Peak’s movies.

Play Silver Peak’s games.

Envy everything about Silver Peak.

Then, in their hearts, plant a seed.

"—If only I were a person of Silver Peak."