Chapter 19: Monica, the Supercomputer
*Whoosh—*
The tranquil air began to stir, and the hems of their garments fluttered as if caught in a draft, despite the lack of wind. This was a sacrificial temple at the bottom of the sea; every entrance and exit was sealed by barriers. Neither seawater nor air could penetrate this place. Thus, the source of this faint yet skin-pricking "demon wind" was blindingly obvious.
"Men... they always like to play around outside. As long as they remember to come home, it's fine."
Tanosi didn't stand up. She remained leaned back against the sofa, swirling the liquid in her glass.
"My Lord, forgive my bluntness! But there is an old saying in the land of Canghai: 'Wildflowers are always more fragrant than the flowers at home.' Perhaps there is some truth to the wisdom of the ancients."
Qinglan picked up the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea—meant to sober one up—and placed it before Tanosi.
"A relationship that cannot be brought into the light is destined to come to a bad end," Tanosi said expressionlessly. She made no move to touch the tea, instead draining her glass of red wine in a single gulp.
"It seems a bit early to say that. Divorcing a wife to promote a concubine... history is full of such examples, especially within royal families." Qinglan smiled thinly. She tore open a bag of brown sugar buns and set them directly in front of Tanosi without even bothering with a plate.
"A man's mouth is as deceitful as a ghost. All that talk of 'forever' is just a game! If some foolish woman takes it seriously, I can only call her pathetic!" Tanosi continued to pour more wine.
Qinglan, meanwhile, tore open a third bag of buns, showing no signs of stopping.
"And what if I *did* take it seriously? After all, I was a virgin until not too long ago; I don't have much experience. Unlike some people—thousands of years old and still treating their chastity like they're guarding a tomb. Don't you find yourself a bit childish?"
Qinglan suddenly ripped the plastic bag in her hand with such force that buns tumbled out one after another, thudding onto the floor. But such trifles no longer mattered. Two invisible gales had manifested in the room, and their violent collision was causing a minor catastrophe.
Cracks spider-webbed across mirrors and glass before they spontaneously shattered. The wooden furniture groaned and creaked—the ominous precursor to wood splintering under immense pressure.
Just as World War III was about to erupt, a third person stepped into the room, breaking the tension.
"Lady Tanosi, I have finished mapping the surrounding waters. Combined with Lady Qinglan's techniques, I have laid down eighty-one Spirit-Gathering Arrays."
"They will form nine undersea Dragon Veins, capturing and recycling dissipated mana to nourish this island. This should significantly reduce the strain on your divine power."
Monica placed her left hand over her heart and bowed her head slightly, reporting her progress to her master.
"Hmph!"
Tanosi and Qinglan snorted simultaneously, turning their eyes away from each other in perfect, bitter synchronicity.
"Good work," Tanosi said, slumping back onto the sofa and crossing her legs. "I'd like to give you a few days off, but the country is currently short-staffed. You'll likely have to work overtime for a while longer."
"It is my honor to share your burdens, My Lord! The purpose of my birth into this world is to serve the Great Gods. Please, do not hesitate to assign me as many tasks as possible!"
Monica's sincere words brought a look of great satisfaction to Tanosi's face.
"I've sent my Loyal Servant to find you. When you meet shortly, you can hand over the work to him."
"Understood!"
"And you over there..." Tanosi glanced sideways. "The 'wildflower' that someone already plucked. Have you notified the others?"
The veins on Qinglan's forehead pulsed. But work came first; she suppressed her emotions.
"The space-time rifts here are indeed more numerous than in other regions. During the moment of transition between sun and moon, I sent out the mana signal reserved for kin. Everyone on the other side received it; they are preparing."
"In four to five days—a week at most—the Sub-Azure Dragons, Tundra Direwolves, Sun Falcons, Five-Colored Jellyfish, and Shadow Blood-Fang Morays will migrate here in mass. They will settle on this land and fight alongside us."
"Additionally, the Jade Pool Immortals, Wisteria Dryads, and other smaller tribes have expressed interest in joining. The number of clans arriving may be greater than expected."
Qinglan delivered her report with cold, professional efficiency. As the second-in-command of the organization, she remained as excellent as ever.
They truly needed the numbers. Maintaining the front line in Xinshou City with only twenty-eight Tundra Direwolves and one Sun Falcon was already pushing their limits. With sufficient troops, they could expand the "Demon Soil," gradually consuming the surrounding areas. By this time next year, all of Erind would be in the palm of their hands.
"It seems the flames of human war have spread to the corners of the continent..." Tanosi mused. "Waging war day and night without end—truly, they are low-tier creatures comparable to cockroaches. One batch dies, and a horde more pops up the next year. I find it hard to believe the White Sand Divine Clan isn't intervening behind the scenes."
"...Furthermore," Qinglan added, her voice tight, "I have passed your orders to the various tribes. Whether they will obey, I cannot guarantee."
Though she loathed delivering that particular command, the slave contract bound her. Qinglan had no choice but to pass the message honestly.
"Very well! Since you're being so responsible, I suppose I can permit the Loyal Servant to come and 'play' with you occasionally. I grant my leave!"
"..."
Qinglan rolled her eyes. *Hah! Your husband is my husband! Since we're a family doing family harmony things, does a virgin like you really think you have a say?*
Bowing low, Qinglan ignored Tanosi's sour remarks and walked straight out of the room.
After Qinglan left the room, Tanosi turned to Monica. "His proposal... have you read it?"
"Naturally. Whether it was the 102 pages of hard copy or the 56MB digital file, I have reviewed it all. Data of this magnitude takes me a mere three seconds to analyze," Monica stated calmly.
"In your judgment, how is it written? Is it worth executing?"
Although Tanosi was not a "pure-blood" deity from the White Sand Divine Clan, she was still a being of supreme status. She had a clear understanding of her own lineage. No matter how bored she might be, she would never lower herself to study humans, let alone investigate the feasibility of their policies. Now that she had an intelligent subordinate at her disposal, there was no better time to use her.
Tanosi knew Tang Ping had his own little schemes; that didn't matter, as long as he didn't betray her. However, that didn't mean she didn't despise his plan, nor the idea of granting concessions to humanity. To her, humans were merely a hybrid race created specifically to be enslaved. They should thank the heavens just for the right to breathe.
*A happy life? Such a luxury. They don't deserve it.*
Monica immediately sensed the hidden meaning behind her master's words.
"Although it is not explicitly stated in the text, several policies are indeed biased toward human interests. This will consume many of our resources. However, it is also a fact that you will gain certain useful things in return."
Tanosi swirled the red wine in her glass, glancing at Monica. Despite the woman being a mechanical construct, she gave off the distinct impression of someone holding back her words. Tanosi gave her a look, signaling her to continue.
"The only strange thing is that these documents contain very little regarding his own personal benefit. Even regarding his future status in this nation, I see no sign of him striving for upward mobility."
"Of course, one cannot rule out that he already views himself as the 'Goddess's Consort.' Holding the supreme power of 'one below one, above ten thousand,' he naturally wouldn't be interested in these petty gains."
"In other words... it's a result of mixing 'grand justice' with 'obsession,' but the 'self' component within it is minimal. Is that the gist of it?" Tanosi asked.
"Correct."
"Hehe~ Bored persistence, meaningless gestures—what a pathetically stupid creature. But see? Isn't that interesting? With a clown like that around, life will never be dull. No wonder the Gods of Olympus spent all their time running off to the human world!"
The silver-haired Evil God laughed heartily. There was no trace of the intimacy she had shared with that "clown" just a short while ago; it was as if it had all been a dream.
"You are right, My Lord," Monica nodded in agreement.
But she had made a mistake.
**Smash!**
Tanosi hurled her wine glass at Monica's feet. Shards of glass and red wine splattered everywhere.
"What? You think he's a clown too?" Tanosi arched an eyebrow, her smile concealing an infinite well of fury.
Monica realized her error instantly. It was a primary mistake: there are things a master can say in self-mockery that a slave is never permitted to repeat.
"Your servant dares not! I merely used the wrong choice of words for a moment. Please forgive me, My Lord!" Monica dropped to all fours, sincerely pleading for the deity's mercy.
"Hmph!"
Tanosi returned to her seat and grabbed a bag of brown sugar buns, eating them as if nothing had happened. She began to recall the first time they met. Back then, his eyes were hollow, his hair a mess, and he radiated a gloomy aura. Now, he wore brand-new clothes, his face shone with confidence, and he had even managed to get his hands on his master's best friend.
The thought of a mere human daring to covet the power of a god to accomplish his own irrelevant tasks made Tanosi shake with laughter. It wasn't that "humanity" was interesting—it was that *Tang Ping* was interesting. As long as she kept him around, she was bound to have more fun.
"So... what do you think I should do? Should I sit upon a throne of blood and skulls, or tread a country path filled with flowers and mud?"
Tanosi swirled the crimson liquid in her new glass. Through the red tint, the entire world looked as if it had been submerged in a vat of blood. It was time to choose.
"You can grasp both. You can have it all!" Monica replied. "You are the supreme deity; everything in this world belongs to you. Regardless of justice or evil, you need only move forward. I will clear all obstacles for you and lay down a soft red carpet."
Without her master's permission, Monica didn't dare move. She remained prostrated on the floor in a show of total submission, but she had spoken her truth.
Tanosi was satisfied. She waved her hand, signaling Monica to stand.
"Hehehe~ Such a sweet tongue. I like it! Fine, we shall execute his plan. Monica, until I grow bored of him, support him with everything you have!"
"By your command!"
And so, within that secret chamber, the developmental path of the **Republic of Tanosi Ranch** was finalized. Future history books would record this day as the beginning of the rise of the Evil Divine Kingdom.
Meanwhile, in the outside world, not a single soul knew what was coming.
*Tap... tap... tap...*
Tang Ping's footsteps echoed sharply in the empty stairwell. He had returned to his room first to take a shower and change into fresh clothes before heading down to the hotel's basement. Standing at the entrance, he took a deep breath before finally stepping inside.
He had actually noticed something wrong a while ago, but work and Tanosi's constant antics had consumed all of his attention. It wasn't until he was in the shower that it hit him: the hotel and TOSTTO still had running water and electricity.
Initially, he assumed these buildings had been tucked away in a storage dimension and pulled out once they reached the island. But thinking about it now, that didn't make sense. Running water could be explained by water towers on the roof, but what about the power? These massive structures, severed from the national grid, wouldn't last two days on emergency generators alone. It had been over a week since they arrived.
There was only one logical—if mind-bending—explanation: these buildings were still connected to Xinshou City across the ocean.
To confirm this, Tang Ping had inspected the hotel's water tower and electrical room earlier. Sure enough, he found strange magic circles etched onto them. These circles linked the spaces between both locations, allowing them to siphon a continuous supply of water and power.
However, this wasn't a permanent solution. Eventually, the Republic of Erind would cut off the utilities on the other side, leaving these buildings as useless concrete shells. When he called Tanosi to voice his concerns, she simply told him that she already had a strategy in place—right in the hotel basement.
*"Go there, and you will learn the truth."*
As Tang Ping descended, he scanned his surroundings. The walls and floors weren't tiled; it looked as if the earth had been hollowed out by divine arts and then compressed into a solid state. Unlike the grey volcanic ash outside, the soil here was a deep brownish-red. The entire tunnel looked like a massive, throbbing vein.
Wall lamps were embedded every few meters. Encased in glass were finger-length white candles; their orange glow illuminated the passage with a steady light. It wasn't as bright as modern LED bulbs, but it was enough to keep the shadows at bay.
Finally, Tang Ping reached the bottom.
"Was there always a basement here? When was this built?"
He was stunned. He estimated he had descended at least five or six stories. Before him was a wide corridor lined with metal plates set into the walls at regular intervals. No... on closer inspection, they looked like reinforced metal doors that couldn't be opened from the outside.
He pulled his hand away from the cold metal and kept walking. The faint sound of crashing waves reached his ears. *Is this connected to the ocean?*
At the end of the corridor, Tang Ping stepped into a space that took his breath away.
"It's huge!!!"
The chamber was gargantuan—at least the size of an indoor football stadium. Industrial-grade lights hung from the ceiling, bathing the area in artificial daylight. Half of the room was solid ground, while the other half was a deep pool of seawater where a massive cargo ship was docked.
The hull of the ship had a giant notch in the middle, making it look as though it had been snapped in half. Dozens of black drones hovered in the air, laser-cutting the hull into manageable sections before stacking them in the corner. On the ground, numerous "mailbox-shaped" robots scurried about, some dismantling machinery while others sorted scrap metal.
It was, for all intents and purposes, a world-class ship-breaking yard. The sci-fi atmosphere reminded Tang Ping of those secret facilities in the western GCP, where rumors of UFOs and military pacts with alien races were common.
Then, a cold, feminine voice drifted from behind him.
"Are you Tang Ping?"
He spun around, and the moment he saw her face, he froze.
She was the epitome of an "Ice Queen." Her long hair was as black as ink, adorned with a pair of dark red horns. Her eyes, like deep amethysts, possessed a depth that could swallow a person whole. She stood about 165cm tall—just slightly shorter than Tang Ping—and wore a sharp, professional women's suit. On her left lapel, a tree and a gear were embroidered in gold thread: symbols of the world and civilization.
The moment Tang Ping looked at her, a searing pain exploded in his skull.
*Husband...*
*Delia Sophia...*
*If you like black, I'll wear it...*
*Is this Earth? What a wonderful place...*
Fragmented memories flashed through his mind, threatening to make his head burst.
"ARGH!!!"
Tang Ping collapsed to his knees, clutching his head. Sweat poured down his face as veins bulged at his temples. *Who... who is she? Have I seen her before? But something feels different... Ugh! My head... it hurts so much!*
The woman showed no reaction to his agony. She simply reached out her right hand and placed it on his forehead.
"Basic Healing Art."
A flash of purple light swept through him, and the "noise" in his brain vanished instantly. He entered a state of mental emptiness—neither pleasant nor unpleasant, just... silent. The tranquility was divine.
Seeing that he had calmed down, the woman extended her hand again, this time in a gesture of friendship.
"I am Monica. The masterpiece created by Mephisto, the God of Wisdom. In terms you can understand: I am a Super AI Computer. We will be working together from now on. I look forward to your guidance."