Abyssal Wanderer.

In other words, will this competition for the Dionysian framework still be an open contest?
After listening to AR's explanation, Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

No, according to her previous statements, it's not just about the struggle for the Dionysian framework...

The last wish left by the super artificial intelligence Eros has now reached the edge of ascension; and when He truly ascends, He will leave behind another being that resembles His last wish for all mankind.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhou recalled Janus's words once again.

Janus suggested that he try his luck, at least to make sure that the item didn't fall into the hands of an antisocial personality.

Not me... If this were an open competition, how could I, who is only at Depth 3 and would be struck by lightning if I tried to advance, compete with those elite adjusters from giant corporations, the King of Mercenaries, and all sorts of veteran adjusters?

Can a death reconnaissance of up to 24 hours really make up for such a large gap in hard power?
It's important to know that Theta is a veteran of Deep7, and the other contenders that Olympus Corporation will send out will certainly not be simple characters. Add to that the mercenary lone wolves who need deep-diving interfaces to break through the limits of human intelligence, and there might even be some horses enhanced by dark web artificial intelligence trying to take advantage of the chaos...

Will it win?
Why ask such detailed questions? Do you want to participate too?

At this moment, AR suddenly asked a question.

At this moment, the cleanup program of the West Tower had been activated. Under the constant warnings and urging of the flashing ice wall, Jiang Zhou should have logged off. However, for some reason, the surrounding data was forcibly stabilized by an order, and the cleanup program's detection and removal no longer worked on the two of them.

It was AR who stabilized the surrounding network environment—she was indeed a powerful hacker, or an adjuster of some network warfare path.

Regarding the AR issue, Jiang Zhou simply smiled wryly:
"Is Depth 3 a level I can participate in?"

“But you are the adjuster of the Theseus path, and cannot be discussed with common sense. Perhaps, under the revelation of the Holy Trinity, a miracle can really be triggered.”

AR follows this principle.

That's really optimistic...

Jiang Zhou shook his head at this and said:

"If you pin your hopes on a miracle from the start, it doesn't look like you can win."

"But the reward is an Alpha-level deep-diving interface and a relic at the level of super artificial intelligence. Any normal person would want to try it, right? Even if you're not the direct winner of the game, just being on the same side as the winner will pave a smooth path to breaking through the limits of human intelligence and advancing to Depth 8... If it weren't for this, why did you ask so many questions before?"

AR continued.

No, wait, this guy is trying to win me over!

Jiang Zhou, who was originally going to continue refusing, suddenly realized the meaning behind the other party's words.

So, he thought for a moment and said:

"To be honest, I have no interest in either the Dionysian framework or Bacchus's legacy... It's not that I have no interest, but rather that things at this level are too far removed from me, making it difficult for me to feel any sense of reality."

Upon hearing his words, AR showed a hint of disappointment.

But just as she was about to unblock the connection and end the conversation, the "embalmer" in front of her continued:

"But there are also aspects of this matter that resonate with me—whether it's the Dionysian framework or the legacy left behind by the Bacchus Order after their ascension, who will ultimately possess them; and what changes will the people or forces that win them use to alter the world... I think this matter is closely related to me, to you, and to most people of this era."

After listening to the mortician's speech, AR immediately spoke up:

“Venus Digital Media, Juno Financial, Mars Wars, and Minerva Information Technology—these four Olympian companies will undoubtedly devote all their efforts to this struggle. They may be trying to maintain their position among the gods, or they may be trying to realize their ideals through the framework of Dionysus… But whichever of them wins, the fragile balance of human society will be shattered.”

"And other forces or individuals besides those giant corporations are even more chaotic and unpredictable... Although the Olympian gods are capricious, their actions still follow certain patterns. But if those legendary mercenaries who advocate the survival of the fittest, or those civilian organizations that believe in certain extreme ideologies, were to win, it could be a terrible catastrophe for all mankind."

So, who is the best choice?
Jiang Zhou silently prepared a narration for the other person in his mind.

"And of all the forces, Theta is definitely the best choice."

As Jiang Zhou had predicted, AR resolutely decided to build the tunnel.

Jiang Zhou waited quietly for her to continue, but the other party suddenly stopped talking.

"So... why is Ms. Theta the best choice?"

Jiang Zhou couldn't help but ask.

AR smiled mysteriously, then said:
"How can I tell outsiders about her specific ideals... You only need to know that I chose to come and help her precisely because of her noble ideals."

It's about time...

Jiang Zhou figured the time was right, so he deliberately said:
“I understand. I will explain today’s conversation to Ms. Christie when I get back, and I will do my best to persuade her to provide you with support… As I said before, although I don’t think I can gain anything from this battle, it is our responsibility to prevent the Dionysian Structure and the relics of the Bacchus Order from falling into the hands of those madmen.”

AR opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just nodded.

This seemingly unspoken detail naturally did not escape Jiang Zhou's notice.

This believer in the Holy Trinity is not seeking the support of Christie or New Prison Studios.

What she truly wanted to fight for was to be the original Theseus path adjuster herself.

"Well then, I'm leaving."

Jiang Zhou waved his hand as he spoke, pretending to leave.

"Wait a moment!"

As Jiang Zhou had expected, AR called out to him.

"if……"

AR hesitated for a moment before saying:

"If Ms. Christie is not willing to participate, you can actually join our team as a free mercenary... In return, we will provide you with printing privileges and materials for further upgrades."

I've been waiting for you to say that!

Jiang Zhou was secretly delighted, but at the same time spoke righteously:
"I will definitely give your suggestion a good consideration. As for upgrading printing permissions, if I do end up fighting alongside you in the future, it will definitely not be for that reason."

If obtaining printing permissions from a zombie underground network is bait, then obtaining printing permissions from the Dionysian cult must have a plausible origin, right?

Thinking this, Jiang Zhou suppressed the urge to burst out laughing and waved goodbye to AR with a smile.

"Well then, I hope we can meet again soon... Here's what we'll do: whatever the final outcome, I'll give you a definite answer tomorrow."

Jiang Zhou said this.

At that moment, AR also had a faint, satisfied smile on his face.

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

…………

"The people from the Abyss are gone... Speaking of which, when I was performing the network cleanup program earlier, I felt resistance coming from your side. Did you talk to that kid from the Theseus Path, AR?"

With long purple hair, wearing a brown pencil skirt and a red vest, Sita swaggered in through the door.

In the room, AR, who was currently in deep-dive mode, suddenly stood up from the recliner.

"They barged in without knocking!"

After confirming the visitor's identity, AR couldn't help but complain.

"That's just the personality of the character I'm playing right now, please forgive me," Sita said with a grin, while reaching out to clutch the cross necklace on her chest.

AR rolled his eyes.

"Don't always blame your recklessness on role-playing, okay? If you ask me, this is just your true nature."

She said so.

Sita chuckled and didn't continue the topic. Instead, she plopped down on the bed and stared at AR with a mischievous grin, saying:
"So, did you enjoy your chat with that guy from the Theseus Path?"

"Well... after my sincere preaching and highly persuasive arguments, he expressed his willingness to join our ranks."

AR said with a hint of smugness.

Xita, who was about to make another joke, was stunned for a moment.

"You mean, he's just as clueless as you are?"

"After a moment of contemplation," said Sita.

Suddenly, AR erupted with a sharp, piercing sound. She got up and limped over to Sita, scratching at her like a yawning cat.

The two of them played around like that for a while, and then they both burst into laughter.

"After so many years, your Holy Trinity faith has finally had a Theseus Path Adjuster once again... I have observed him carefully before, and his adjustments and modifications are the original version."

Sita was very emotional.

"He hasn't agreed to join the church yet; he's only expressed his willingness to go to South America with us. Also, don't be so cynical. The Holy Trinity still has at least one Theseus Path at Depth 7 in Narcissus Plains, okay? Although his current fate is unknown, there's no evidence that he's dead."

AR follows this principle.

To attack Theta, she even brought up the heretic from the Holy Trinity.

"I doubt it... There's been no movement for so many years. But if he really is dead, it might be a good thing. At least this battle will have one less troublesome opponent."

Xita said without any politeness.

AR simply shrugged at this, but made no comment.

"You managed to seduce him so quickly... So did you tell him about the 'First Will' echo?"

Then, Sita asked with some concern.

Currently, the Dionysian Church and the Holy Trinity only have a cooperative relationship, and non-interference in each other's actions is a basic understanding and courtesy. However, in this matter, Theta is still worried that the other side might act impulsively and do something unwise.

For example, in order to recruit new members, they revealed the thing that was born under the influence of the "first will".

If the Olympian Order were to find out about this thing... forget about it, they'd be in for a world of thunder.

"Do you really think I'm stupid? How could I possibly tell someone I've only known for a short time this? I should at least wait until he has truly converted to the Holy Trinity before I would tell him these things."

AR rolled his eyes.

"That's good, that's good... But if you didn't tell him this, how did you manage to convince him?"

Sita breathed a sigh of relief, then asked curiously.

"Couldn't it be that I'm eloquent, and that person is kind, responsible, and has a spirit of sacrifice?"

AR couldn't help but sneer.

"What could someone who dived out of Pluto possibly have..."

Sita's taunts stopped halfway through.

She recalled how, even under the pressure of the Thunderbolts, Christie still insisted on taking her to the Nord resettlement area.

"Well... if she's that punk girl's subordinate, then it might actually be possible."

She murmured.

…………

Even with the experience from last time, plus the new information he obtained from AR, Jiang Zhou still couldn't persuade Christie to go all in on the Dionysian Cult.

Or perhaps, he could actually use some language manipulation techniques, along with some genuine emotions that have an element of performance, to complete this persuasion.

But when it came to actually doing it, he hesitated.

This is not Christie's battle...

Jiang Zhou thought to himself.

This battle belongs to me.

Whether it was to evade the temptations of the Olympian gods, to obtain the only currently unclaimed Alpha-class deep-sea interface, or simply to heed Janus's warning and ensure that the relics of the Bacchus Order would not fall into the hands of a madman.

These are all personal needs and personal responsibilities.

For Christie, this is not something that Depth 7 can easily resolve with his strength alone. It is foreseeable that this will be an extremely fierce battle, even one where Depth 7 could perish at any moment.

You shouldn't involve unrelated people and use them as shields or bargaining chips.

In particular, one should not use emotional performances that border on deception to achieve this goal.

Even if this might be the optimal solution.

Thinking of this, Jiang Zhou swallowed back the words he had prepared earlier.

“If that’s the case, then let me go to South America with Ms. Sita alone… in the name of free mercenaries.”

He said this.

…………

Olympus Space City, Mortal Temple.

The fourteen directors of the Jupiter Group gathered here to begin their final discussions on the impending war.

Are only those four gods confirmed to participate?

Only those four were qualified to participate.

Should we send members to participate?

[By participating, we naturally succeeded in seizing the power of Dionysus, and then what? Do we still have the capacity to hold more power over the Abyss Dark Web?]

No, what I mean is, sending members to ensure that the ultimate winner is the maintainer of the existing order.

No victor can be a maintainer; the existing order will inevitably be challenged, and this is something that cannot be changed.

[Compared to the fact that the new master of the Dionysian architecture can be controlled, what we really need to prioritize is ensuring that the legacy left behind by Bacchus after his ascension does not trigger a new cyberwar.] (End of Chapter)