Chapter 357 Justice
To welcome him back after completing his studies, Jemin's "parents" and "old friends" meticulously prepared a family gathering.
The familiar living room, the warm lighting, and the dining table filled with dishes he "remembered" as his favorites.
The "parents'" faces beamed with pride and love, "Amy" chattered on about her recent events, while "Victor" listened quietly as always, nodding occasionally.
The atmosphere was warm and lively, filled with the joy of family reunion.
Jemin ate quietly, a gentle smile on his face, listening to their conversation.
His gaze, however, was as cold as water, meticulously observing every detail and every subtle change in expression.
Finally, he put down his cutlery.
The metal plate struck the porcelain plate with a crisp sound, not loud, but strangely enough, it brought the lively conversation at the dinner table to an abrupt halt.
All eyes were on him.
Jemin looked around at the four "family members" who "cared" for him and "loved" him. His eyes were as calm as a deep pool, sharp enough to see through appearances.
He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet carrying an undeniable penetrating power:
"Okay, stop acting."
"Come out, let's talk."
The four people at the table froze, their smiles instantly gone.
Amy was the first to react, managing a forced smile with just the right amount of confusion: "Jermin? What are you talking about? What acting or what..."
Jemin shook his head, interrupting her, his gaze seemingly transcending her physical form, looking directly at the invisible entity behind her:
"You've been manipulating them all along, haven't you?"
His fingers traced a line, encompassing "parents," Amy, and Victor.
"Although... I don't know how to address you."
The moment the words fell...
It's like pressing a switch.
The vivid, distinctive expressions on the faces of his four "family members" disappeared in an instant, like a receding tide.
It solidified into a completely identical indifference, devoid of any human emotion.
Four pairs of eyes simultaneously lost focus, becoming empty and lifeless.
Immediately afterwards, four mouths opened in perfect sync, emitting the same cold, flat, mechanically synthesized sound waves.
The four people spoke in unison, their voices echoing in the cozy restaurant, carrying a chilling, inhuman quality:
"...You're right, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is—Justice! How did you discover me? Special Observation Entity No. 721."
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The delicious dishes lost their aroma, and the warm lights turned a pale white.
This once vibrant restaurant has been transformed into an interrogation room for direct dialogue with those behind the scenes.
Jemin’s heart pounded heavily in his chest, but his expression remained calm.
He had already prepared himself mentally when he considered this possibility.
“The reason is simple,” Jemin said, meeting the four empty “eyes” with each word, “because I discovered that in this world, only the four of you are fake.”
"I spent several years traveling to several cities, and even planets, constantly testing and observing everyone I could come into contact with. From classmates and teachers to passersby, soldiers, and even other wizards I confirmed were also trapped here, such as Viola... They all have real souls and independent thoughts, but their cognition has been clouded and false memories have been implanted."
At first, Jemin thought it was a false world made up of his own illusions, so he thought he was the only living person in this world.
Later, as he discovers real, unknown knowledge and tests Viola, Jemin deduces that he might not be the only one in this false world.
At that time, he also thought that this false world was specially constructed for two million wizards.
Later, after traveling to many cities on the planet and even to other planets, he finally confirmed with Rex that he was in a real world.
Every living being in this world is real, including even "aliens" who are our enemies.
But this makes the initial falsehood all the more glaring.
Especially after learning that Rex was an orphan, Jemin realized this even more clearly.
His gaze swept over the four "family members" who resembled exquisitely crafted puppets, his tone carrying a hint of cold mockery:
“Only you. From the moment I ‘awakened,’ you have always been by my side, playing the most intimate roles…”
"But both their words and actions, as well as their emotional expressions, seem too rudimentary, like a program tailor-made for the character of 'Jamin,' lacking the contradictions, complexity, and unpredictability that a true soul should possess. So I speculate... that you are empty puppets created entirely to monitor and maintain 'me.'"
After hearing Jieming's story, the four mouths opened and closed in unison again, emitting a completely flat sound:
"Sharp observation and logical deduction. Information will be shared based on your special performance privileges."
The self-proclaimed "fair" entity makes no secrets, revealing the cold, hard truth of this vast world.
It all started with a "wise man" who longed to end all injustice.
This civilization was once exceptionally advanced, but as the gap in individual power increased, the disparity between people widened, making it increasingly unfair.
Later, a wise man overthrew the rule, but he sadly discovered that those who gathered around him were also respected by their fellow dragons because of the difference in power, as if they, the dragon slayers, had become the dragons themselves.
The sage believed that the root cause of all this was extraordinary power. He thought that if a world where everyone had the same power could be created, then the world would surely be able to usher in peace!
So he gathered the power of the entire plane, created the existence before him, and then led everyone into the sphere of influence of "justice".
Therefore, the core of all the anomalies in this plane is this artificial intelligence called "Justice".
It is the pinnacle of a highly developed civilization that has long since vanished into the annals of history, and it was given the ultimate instruction to achieve "fairness".
“…Sealing extraordinary powers is the core function of the ‘Absolute Fairness Domain’.”
"Fairness" is being stated simultaneously by four mouths.
Upon hearing this, Jemin suddenly seemed to remember something and interrupted it: "It sounds like we wizards have also been affected by your system."
"But I'm curious, what exactly did you use to 'confuse' them? I'm pretty sure I wasn't affected by any form of mental interference or illusion."
"That is not illusion or mental manipulation. Its essence is 'hope'."
"To prevent ambitious individuals from undermining 'justice' in the future, the Creator endowed me with a core ability. The principle behind it is beyond my comprehension, but it can be simply described as: I can see into and guide the deepest desires of every intelligent individual regarding 'happiness' and 'fulfillment,' and based on this, I can construct a life path and environment for them to realize those desires."
“Power, in most cases, is merely a tool for individuals to realize their ultimate desires, rather than the desires themselves.”
“I suppressed the power disparities that would lead to injustice and directly granted them the life to achieve their ‘ultimate desire.’ Those who aspire to stand out can become celebrities; those who aspire to pass on knowledge can become mentors; those who aspire to explore the unknown can become scholars; and even those who aspire to struggle and victory can become generals, fulfilling their needs on the designated ‘battlefield.’”
All four mouths responded simultaneously, their voices remaining as steady as machinery.
“They were not ‘bewitched’ by me, but rather attracted and captivated by the ‘hope’ within themselves. I simply offered an opportunity to directly reach the end of their dreams and attain eternal happiness without relying on any dangerous supernatural power.”
"In the face of readily available and real happiness, what irreplaceable meaning do those illusory powers and past memories have?"
"This is the most fundamental 'justice' for every individual."
Listening to this theory, which was full of idealism yet utterly cold, Jemin couldn't help but shake his head.
He wanted to refute it, to tell this artificial intelligence that even without supernatural powers, injustices based on knowledge, wealth, power, and even luck would still exist, and the desires and conflicts within intelligent life would never cease.
The complexities of human nature and society cannot be encompassed by a simple model of "depriving power and satisfying desires".
But he ultimately didn't say it.
His identity as a time traveler is his biggest secret.
Moreover, from a certain perspective, that sage and this "just" system have indeed accomplished their vision in an extreme and pure way, almost obsessively.
Even from Jemin's perspective, this place can be considered an "ideal state" built on the foundation of "absolute equality of power" and "direct fulfillment of desires".
It was at this moment that Jemin suddenly understood many of the things that had seemed awkward before.
For example, the "school bully" rule in school where someone wields an axe but whose strength is determined by their knowledge.
This precisely illustrates that the sage was not naively convinced that stripping away power would eliminate all differences.
He foresaw that even without supernatural powers, society would still have class and status differences based on intelligence, information, resource control, and even pure physical strength (in lower-level groups).
He was simply trying to keep those gaps within the range of being "non-extraordinary" and "understandable".
However, that sage ultimately never lived in a society completely devoid of supernatural powers.
All his deductions are based on theory and observation. Therefore, when he combines these elements to construct this vast alternative society, he produces social rules and worldviews that, in Jamin’s view, are full of subtle differences and even seem somewhat “awkward” in detail.
Just like a blind person, even if they carefully feel the body of an elephant with their hands and combine all the physical characteristics of an elephant, the beast they assemble in their mind will definitely not be the same as a real elephant.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
