The boundless green plain rose and fell slightly, and a breeze mixed with the fresh scent of soil and grass blew gently across it with a soothing, relaxing strength. Norris stood in this world that was still far from being "completed," feeling the ease and comfort spreading through every part of his body, a feeling he had not had for decades, and he could not help but take a deep, intoxicated breath.

"This really is a good place, Your Majesty," he turned back with a smile and said to Gawain, "I only hope that in the future, the young people who enter the network for entertainment won’t get too addicted to it."

Gawain smiled. "We’ll establish corresponding management measures and safeguards—after all, entertainment is a part of human civilization, but any form of entertainment can intoxicate people."

"You always prepare thoroughly for everything you do," Norris said with emotion. "The Immortals... that really is a bold idea..."

"Since ancient times, Transcendents have always had all sorts of ways to extend their lives, even to gain something close to immortality—from necromantic Spells to elemental ascension, and even ’resurrections’ like mine brought about by coincidence... A long life has become another privilege for Transcendents besides power itself, and that privilege is linked solely to ’power,’" Gawain said slowly, shaking his head. "As long as one masters sufficiently powerful Transcendent strength, there’s a chance to become a long-lived one, and if they abandon their humanity and choose those ruthless paths, their odds of securing a long life become much higher—the dark sects are full of ’ancients’ who have lived for several centuries. The life-substitution forbidden art that Beltira showed you is only one of the traditional Transcendents’ methods of prolonging life, and it’s not even the worst of them...

"If not for the fact that all these ’traditional methods’ have low success rates and many come with side effects like memory disorders and loss of personality, then the Transcendents willing to take desperate risks would surely be far more than just those people in the dark sects.

"Beyond that, there are many races whose lifespans are originally long, even close to immortal. Their long lives do not even require a price to be paid. And the only reason these powerful, ancient races have not yet wiped out human beings and taken over the entire world is simply because—for the time being—the world is still... livable enough.

"From ancient times to now, death has never descended fairly upon each and every mortal—this is an iron rule of this world, and it is also the greatest unfairness in the competition between human beings and other races, and even within humanity itself. The Immortals Project is an attempt to enhance human development capabilities, and in the distant future... perhaps it will also be the opportunity for a fundamental metamorphosis of humanity as a whole."

"I’m not good at imagining things that are too far away, especially in this kind of field," Norris shook his head. "But as I see it, at least your Immortals Project doesn’t extend some people’s lives by harming others. Although the chance to preserve one’s soul can easily become a ’privilege’ in itself, dangers of that level are at least still within the scope that institutions can deal with. What’s more..."

Norris paused here. He gazed into the distance at the city still under construction, at this world that, on the whole, remained quite desolate, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "It seems being an ’Immortal’ is not exactly a cushy job either..."

"Indeed. You’re likely to be serving the Empire for a much longer time," Gawain laughed, looking into Norris’s deep and tranquil eyes. "It might be a little late to ask this now, but I still want to: are you willing to become one of the Immortals, Norris?"

"Of course." The wrinkles on the old man’s face eased. "One way or another, it’s still a chance to ’stay alive’—it’s not as if I rejected Madam Beltira’s suggestion because I was seeking death."

"A very honest answer," Gawain raised an eyebrow. "But... it’s also the best answer."

...

In the real world, Gawain opened his eyes.

The flower-vines under Beltira’s control writhed and began removing the hastily assembled Neural Couplers one by one. As he felt his somewhat numb nerves quickly regaining vitality, Gawain gently rolled his neck, then stood up and looked at the people in the small room.

Rebecca, Amber, and Margarita were standing in front of him, their faces showing undisguised tension and worry.

"It’s already succeeded," Gawain did not string anyone along in matters like this. He announced the good news at once. "Norris will become the Empire’s first ’Immortal,’ and also the first ’ordinary person’ in human history to have his soul preserved through Magic Guide Technology."

Rebecca was the first to leap up with a cheer, followed immediately by Amber. Margarita could not help pressing a hand to her chest as a sincere smile appeared on her face, and as the technicians who had personally taken part in the event, the Archbishops of the Eternal Sleepers present could not help but excitedly congratulate one another.

—No one was particularly shaken just because they had personally witnessed the birth of a soul-based immortal, because in this world, extending one’s lifespan through Transcendent techniques is not something unimaginable. Norris may be an ordinary man whose soul was preserved by new technology, but in essence this did not exceed anyone’s expectations. Especially in the eyes of the Eternal Sleepers, this was in the category of something worth celebrating but not worth making a huge fuss over.

After all, in the imperial capital of Cecil Clan itself there was a sea demon with an unlimited lifespan who died and revived all day long, an arcane creature that had lived for more than a thousand years, a big iron sphere publicly claimed to be the soul container of an ancient Master Mage, a Dragonborn with a lifespan of hundreds or even thousands of years, and an emperor who had been dead for seven hundred years and then dug up and resurrected—people of the Cecil Clan had always been well-traveled and broad-minded, and the Eternal Sleepers had managed to adapt to local customs in this regard as well.

"He still needs to spend some time in the network to adapt and adjust, and we also have to conduct a short-term follow-up observation of his mental state," Gawain spoke only after everyone had finished congratulating each other and quieted down. "This process won’t be very long. In a few days you’ll be able to see him—through Magic Web Communication, or via an Immersion Capsule connected to the Magic Web.

"In addition, as of today Norris will no longer serve as Minister of Agriculture, and the appointment and dismissal procedures for the new Minister of Agriculture will proceed unaffected—Margarita, prepare yourself to receive notifications from the Administrative Office. You’ll need to follow up and make some adjustments to the work in the reconstruction zones."

Margarita was taken aback for a moment. After understanding what Gawain meant, she immediately nodded. "Yes, I understand."

"Also, what happened here today will be carefully publicized through official channels," Gawain went on. "So before the official narrative comes out, I don’t want to hear any rumors."

Amber had already thought of this and nodded at once. "Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on that."

Margarita immediately accepted the order. "I’ll take care of management on the camp’s side."

Gawain nodded slightly.

The emergence of the technology of the Immortals was indeed exciting and of great significance, but one also had to think in advance about the impact it might cause—although the people of this world were not unfamiliar with the idea that "mysterious and unfathomable Magic can create miraculous life, and powerful Transcendents have a chance at a longer lifespan," and most people should be able to accept that a certain high-ranking figure of the Empire might transform their life form through some "esoteric ritual," Gawain had to be on guard against this news becoming distorted in the process of dissemination.

After all, although this world possessed several kinds of Transcendent powers that could extend life, before the Eternal Sleepers’ network-mind technology took shape, all the other methods were either extremely restrictive or had enormous negative side effects: they either involved necromantic taboos, or completely annihilated the original humanity during the conversion. On top of that, the "transformation" Norris underwent was not truly resurrection or immortality—he had indeed died in the real world; it was only that his "network mind" was preserved within the data network. And for now, it was still impossible to determine whether this "preserved mind" would truly never decay. This form, so close to what one might call a "soul," was very likely to be misinterpreted as some kind of "spirit-summoning necromantic Spell." If the publicity was mishandled, it would be all too easy to leave behind massive hidden dangers for the future.

He also had to consider the question of guiding public opinion—he did not wish the "Immortals" to become a privilege that matched status and rank, but in the foreseeable future, such a tendency was bound to appear. After all, the relevant technology already existed and was on the verge of maturity, so in the future, even if one could only "survive" in the network as a string of data, there would undoubtedly be many people making an issue of it. And the struggle against this "tendency" would be one of the long-term tasks facing Gawain and the Administrative Office in the days to come.

Therefore, as the starting point of this long-term work, all matters revolving around the Empire’s first "Immortal" had to be handled in a way that left as few hidden dangers as possible.

In a brief few seconds of silence, Gawain thought through many things before finally letting out a soft breath.

Magic Guide Technology had shattered the barrier between Transcendents and mortals, and had also dragged many things that originally would never have become bargaining chips for desire into the vortex of human nature—technology allowed ordinary people to come into contact with many things they previously had no right to touch, yet the speed of technological development meant that all of this was destined to go through a process.

This "imbalance" in development was destined to become an increasingly frequent concern in his daily thoughts—after all, the Transcendent barrier had been broken, and the operating rules of the Cecil Empire made it inevitable that this barrier could never be rebuilt.

This even led him to some random associations—when human beings walked further and further along the path of civilization, with ever-increasing complexity in both thought and desire, those gods that were born from the collective ideological currents of human beings... had they perhaps faced the same kind of troubles?

Everyone noticed Gawain’s reaction, which was close to a sigh. At such a moment that should be celebrated, they could not help being a bit puzzled, yet no one dared to speak up. Only Rebecca was the first to jump out (in fact, Amber had also intended to jump out, but her speed was obviously no match for Rebecca, who had grown up relying on conditioned reflexes). "Ancestor, sir? Why are you sighing?"

"It’s nothing." Gawain paused for a moment, then suddenly relaxed and shook his head with a smile. "Just thought of some unrelated things. Anyway, the follow-up matters here will be left to Margarita. Make sure Norris’s... remains are handled properly. In the real world he is, after all, already dead. Our former Minister of Agriculture still needs a... properly conducted funeral in accordance with specifications."

As he said this, Gawain’s tone clearly faltered a bit, and his expression inevitably turned odd when he looked at the old man on the soft couch. Hearing his instructions, everyone present—including Margarita, Amber, and even Rebecca—also showed similarly subtle expressions. It was truly a situation that was complicated and hard to put into words. Margarita believed that even the old gentleman Wald Peric, whom she deeply respected, would definitely have no experience in dealing with such a case if he were here...

Only Yuri, Semyr, and the other Archbishops present from the Eternal Sleepers retained calm, indifferent expressions, even exchanging a knowing glance—they had experience...

An annoying loud voice sounded right by Yuri’s ear, appearing with impeccable timing. "Ah... this scene is familiar to me."

With those words, Magnan’s figure surfaced out of thin air.

"Shut up." Nearly all the Archbishops of the Eternal Sleepers present spoke in unison.

Gawain watched the scene, saying nothing. He merely shook his head with a smile and turned to leave the hut.

He walked to a secluded open space near the hut, letting his thoughts gradually calm along with the surrounding environment.

It was a small flower field. Unknown blossoms, brought forth by the Sorin Giant Tree, were in full bloom in the clearing. A breeze swept by, stirring a rustling murmur through the canopy of the Sorin Giant Tree, carrying a faint floral scent that lingered in this quiet corner.

Gawain raised his head, watching the layers upon layers of massive leaves take on a dreamlike luster under the glow of the Magic crystal lamps, and exhaled softly. "Beltira."

"I’m here." At once, the sound of vines squirming came from nearby, and Beltira’s figure emerged from within the vines. She came to Gawain’s side and dipped slightly in a bow. "Brother Gawain."

After a brief silence, Gawain shook his head. "...When there’s no one else around, you don’t have to force yourself to address me like that."

"You do, after all, possess almost all of his memories... and I must constantly remain mindful of my words and actions," Beltira replied with a blank expression. "I don’t wish to cause unnecessary trouble because of a single mistaken form of address or attitude."

Gawain made a sound of acknowledgment and nodded lightly. "Do as you see fit in that regard. Let’s set that aside for now and talk about what you reported earlier—you detected a regular, unfamiliar signal in the Crystal Array located at the Sorin Treetop?"