Abnormal Moon

It's only been a few days, is it just my imagination?

"Claudia, who is my guest?"

Roy looked at Claudia and saw her staring suspiciously at Kirin as she walked away. He coughed lightly to get her attention.

"It can't be the CEO of a multinational corporation or anything like that, I don't plan to meet that type of person, can I?"

"Of course not, the school wouldn't easily let someone like that in."

Claudia snapped out of her reverie and smiled as she listened to Roy's remarks.

“It’s Aenesta from the Alcant Institute. She says she has something important to discuss with you and hopes to meet you immediately.”

Aeneasa?

The creator of Aldi and Limshi, a very lively genius of the century?

Roy recalled the girl with an incredibly imposing bust he had seen during the semi-finals, and a question lingered in his mind.

Aeneasa's reputation is extraordinary. Her achievements in Falling Star Engineering are extremely high, surpassing many older generation scientists. She and another genius girl named Hilda Jane Rowlands, commonly known as "The Great Doctor," are known as the two century-level geniuses in Falling Star Engineering.

What could she want from me? Or is it something important that I must meet with immediately?

However, Roy had long wanted to get in touch with Aeneasa, and although her approaching him was unexpected, it was a good opportunity.

Student Union Office.

"Oh, it's been a long time, champion!"

As Roy followed Claudia into the office, he saw Anessa leap up from the sofa, waving at him with a bright smile that she couldn't stop once she saw him.

“Aeneasa Junai, it’s quite an honor to have you come all this way to see me.”

"Just call me Aeneasa, I don't like those formal greetings, they're so boring!"

"Alright, Aeneasa."

Roy sat down on the sofa opposite her.

Claudia sat down next to Roy with a wary expression.

"I heard you need to speak with me about something important?"

"Well, I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll just say it directly!"

Aeneas nodded, then looked at Roy with an expectant expression, her eyes blinking as she looked at him.

What are your thoughts on pseudo-actions?

"What do you mean?"

Roy tilted his head. "What are you saying out of the blue?"

"Haha, my bad, my bad! I was referring to your views on the social status of anthropomorphic beings!"

Aeneas exclaimed "Oh dear!" and patted her forehead with a laugh.

"I have always had a wish, which is to give anthropomorphic beings with their own identities the same status as ordinary humans!"

Upon hearing this, Roy lowered his eyes slightly.

"But nowadays, humans only see anthropomorphic beings as weapons, as disposable expendable items. They not only fail to accept the ideas of anthropomorphic beings with their own consciousness, such as Aldi and Limshi, but also believe that they may threaten their status as humans... Are anthropomorphic beings with their own consciousness still just tools? Can they be regarded as beings equal to humans? That's what I want to ask you!"

Aeneas stared intently at Roy, her heart pounding for the first time in her life as she looked at a man, as nervous as if she were about to confess her feelings.

The eagerness in her eyes suggested she was really hoping to get a positive answer from him.

Claudia looked at her with a strange and confused expression, unable to understand why she would have such a wish.

As a human being, why do I take anthropomorphic entities so seriously?

"...Does this question really need to be answered?"

Roy was silent for a moment before frowning and asking a question.

Aeneas tilted her head and thought for a moment before giving a sincere answer.

"Rather than saying it has to be answered, it's more accurate to say it's a prerequisite for the important things we're going to discuss next."

"Is that so... Then I'll give you my personal answer."

Roy let out a soft sigh, leaned back slightly against the sofa, his face showing no emotion toward Anessa's wish, neither admiration nor disdain.

“I regard the anthropomorphic entity that possesses its own self as an equal life form.”

"Oh, I knew it! You really are different from everyone else!"

Aeneasa jumped up excitedly, her face slightly flushed.

She had expected Roy to give a different answer than others, but she never imagined that Roy would be so much more open-minded than she had imagined!

This is such a huge surprise!

"But don't misunderstand, I'm just treating self-aware anthropomorphic beings—like Aldi and Rimshi—as beings of equal intelligence, not equal status."

But Roy immediately poured cold water on her emotions, giving an answer that was neither affirmation nor denial, which instantly calmed Anessa down.

“In other words…?”

"You said you wanted to know my attitude towards pseudo-entities, so I'll tell you straight up."

Roy considered his words carefully before continuing to speak without any joy or sorrow.

"Where did the anthropomorphic beings ultimately come from? Did they appear out of thin air? Did they originate from nature? No, they were created by humans. Their body parts and intelligence were all given by humans. They are things created by humans. They think they can easily gain an equal status with humans with just a few words. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"

Aeneasa remained silent, but her brows were furrowed deeply.

Logically speaking, Roy is absolutely right.

However, these words were very unpleasant to her ears.

"You say it's easy?"

But she still keenly grasped another layer of meaning in Roy's words.

That's quite rational.

Roy nodded secretly, showing a hint of appreciation that Anessa hadn't immediately lost her temper in front of him.

“That’s right. When I said that we can’t easily obtain the same status as humans, I didn’t mean that anthropomorphic beings can’t obtain the same status as humans. It just means there’s a prerequisite.”

Roy nodded naturally, acknowledging the other layer of meaning that Aeneas had grasped.

"Take a human family as an example. Children born into a family have an obligation to support their parents in their old age. Why should an anthropomorphic being created by humans not fulfill any of its responsibilities and yet want to have the same status as humans?"

"If you want your parents' approval, you have to support them, right?"

Chapter 253 The real purpose

Aeneasa vaguely understood Roy's perspective.

He does not discriminate against anthropomorphic beings, nor does he believe that anthropomorphic beings should never have the same status as humans, but he also does not agree that anthropomorphic beings can immediately obtain the same status as humans.

In his view, for anthropomorphic beings to achieve the same status as humans, they must—

"Fulfilling obligations to humanity?"

Aeneas nodded thoughtfully. After clearly understanding Roy's words, she realized his true opinion.

Only those anthropomorphic entities that are useful to humans deserve to be given status.

"That's what I mean."

Roy nodded approvingly; Aeneasa's mind was indeed quick.

Nowadays, quasi-objects have long entered every household. However, these quasi-objects are essentially just machines, just a kind of furniture, a kind of commodity. They have no self. Humans use the tools as a matter of course. If they break, they repair them. If they can't be repaired, they throw them away. There is no problem with that.

But what should be done with a phenomenology that has acquired its own identity?

Do these anthropomorphic beings possess life? If these anthropomorphic beings want to achieve equal status with humans, what choices should humanity make?

Most people would scoff at this, or even be so angry that it wouldn't be surprising if protests and demonstrations broke out.

However, if these anthropomorphic entities voluntarily take on dangerous and dirty social work and become a part of serving humanity, such as going to the battlefield or working as cleaners, it is believed that humanity's aversion to them will be greatly reduced. Although current anthropomorphic entities can also go to the battlefield, they are ultimately procedural and can only serve as cannon fodder. But if an anthropomorphic entity with its own will, such as Aldi, went to the battlefield, it might be able to destroy the enemy's stronghold in one fell swoop, making it completely different in terms of efficiency.

Imagine if humanity possessed countless Aldi-like weapons of mass destruction—of course, without any intention of being anti-human—and could sit comfortably at home while the Aldi could help them sweep away all enemies with unstoppable force. What would it matter if they were given the same status as humans?

Ultimately, humans are profit-driven creatures. It's wishful thinking to expect to gain the same status as me without any benefits. But if enough benefits are given, then turning a blind eye is perfectly acceptable.

However, even so, it can only be said that the obstacles to making these anthropomorphic beings have the same status as humans have been reduced considerably. To truly be on par with humans, it will inevitably take a long time to work hard and strive to make everyone aware of the benefits of anthropomorphic beings.

Occasionally, political correctness is added, such as saying that the lives of animists are also lives, along with propaganda that a certain animist sacrificed itself to save humanity, as well as value output, and Hollywood movies... cough cough.

Claudia listened and nodded repeatedly.

That's right. Even someone as indifferent as her would feel uncomfortable knowing that the anthropomorphic beings suddenly had the same status as humans. She wondered what right these anthropomorphic beings had. But if these anthropomorphic beings could become an indispensable help to her, then she could turn a blind eye.

In any case, there aren't many anthropomorphic entities that possess their own identity.

"I see, you're really amazing! This is not just a perspective, but also a method!"

Aeneas jumped up like a grasshopper and knelt on the coffee table, instantly closing the distance between herself and Roy. She held his hands tightly and shook them up and down as if deeply moved.

Her prominent bust jiggled like a hot water bottle.