Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Noldrei's actions were always unpredictable. He actually wanted to open up the editing permissions for the Stigma Space to everyone.

Wasn't he worried someone would cause trouble?

Even the people of the Previous Era had never considered such a possibility. Their goal was to use Stigma to create an ideal world and then release the Stigma-based humans into reality. But if the editing permissions were open to everyone, how could they possibly accomplish this?

Were they going to set up a Minecraft server?

"In that case, everyone who gets the permissions will be doomed from that moment on."

Gray Serpent came to a firm conclusion. This wasn't just him talking nonsense; it was the result of careful consideration.

Think about it: the Stigma Space is a world where you can edit and soar freely. You are the god, the master there. The moment a person enters, it's highly likely they will never return to reality.

"They won't. I know better than you what will be born in such a world."

Noldrei was more certain about this situation than Gray Serpent, because history had already given him enough answers.

He spoke with such confidence that even the others present were unsure.

Hachiman Hikigaya actually agreed with Gray Serpent, especially about people going in and never coming out. Stigma is a reflection of the human heart, and the hardest thing for the human heart to do is satisfy its own needs.

Hachiman believed that if he were to enter such a world, he would most likely become addicted and never leave.

In fact, Noldrei knew better than them how this would work.

What determines the upper limit of a person's needs is not the person themself, but their class in society. Just as a Chinese farmer would never dream of a golden hoe-wielding empress, the same principle applies in the modern era.

Humans are born with the ability to distinguish between up, down, left, and right, and they will use this ability to achieve their own goals.

When a person's needs are met, they will constantly seek to expand them. When this expansion reaches a certain point, they will suddenly realize that their needs are not progressing at all, but are merely an infinite repetition of production within history.

Once this self-awareness arises, a person's desires will quickly fade to a very weak level. At this point, as their desires recede, people will gradually return to a state of simplicity, seeking new needs.

But without the development and comparison of society as a whole, a person alone cannot discover what they are truly missing.

This is why Noldrei was not at all worried about people getting lost in a "brain in a vat" world. "Boredom" would be the sharpest blade to shatter their most beautiful fantasies of this world.

"In fact, compared to managing these people, it would be much cheaper for us to just let them sleep while we arrange for nutrient pods to sustain their lives."

Noldrei's words were shocking, making Hachiman exclaim that this was far too cyberpunk.

Mobius was sweating bullets.

"We have to consider the common people. I have thoroughly studied the religion of this region. Their concept of suicide is flawed; they believe it absolutely bars them from heaven. So, we shouldn't let them commit suicide. Instead, we'll provide them with the best nutrient pods and let them live in the Stigma Space. And if they get bored? We'll let them come out and work to create value, study hard, and become useful members of real society."

"And if they don't want to come out? We won't force them. Although we won't genetically modify them, they can still freely choose to die of old age."

"As long as they die of old age, it doesn't count as suicide, does it?"

Noldrei knew that some people in this world would inevitably choose to escape. After all, everyone here was involved in religion, so they all understood the inner logic. Some religions advocate for this world, for secularization, while others advocate for the spiritual world, for Stigmatization.

It was the first time Gray Serpent had ever heard such a 'brilliant' theory. It gave people full autonomy, the power to choose freely, and provided a sufficient basic guarantee for their daily lives.

In modern society, you could only say that the local people had played themselves to death in a game. Gray Serpent even faintly saw a "+999 Merit" notification appear above Noldrei's head.

Son of a bitch. He's preparing the ultimate gaming experience for humanity, and then letting them play themselves to death, isn't he?

'In that case, I, Gray Serpent, have no choice but to show my meager skills!'

Gray Serpent had to stand up and say, "Then what are we keeping these people for?"

Noldrei looked at Gray Serpent in shock. "Are you planning to kill them?" he asked, incredulous. "You are far too extreme. How can we prove our high moral standing if we don't keep them?"

Hachiman couldn't help but applaud this conclusion.

As expected of the supreme leader of Academy City, he had mastered a new level of the art of governance.

"Not only must we ensure these people's nutrition, but we must also give them the ability to procreate when necessary. This way, they will think about how to create new life. When these children grow up, we will tell them that their parents are living happily in the Stigma Space and have abandoned them in reality."

"This way, they will despise their parents and embrace the ideals we need them to. The religious ideas of the previous generation will also come to a true end with the hatred of these children. Only this generation will be sacrificed."

"Of course, if these people have an awakening, we will naturally let them out. To ensure that we have done nothing to tamper with those who enter the Stigma Space, I suggest we find a way to make their lives inside the Stigma Space visible to the real world. It would be best to livestream it for the common people of the world to see. Maybe they'll like virtual reality games too?"

"Let the virtual return to the virtual, and the real return to the real. As they say, one ball, two systems. It's just like that."

'Did you just say virtual reality games? You definitely said it, right?!'

Hachiman was speechless.

Noldrei's accomplishments were truly commendable, especially his favorite tactic of using human needs against humans themselves.

Senti-Mobius felt she was unworthy of the title "Herrscher of Sentience." The title should be given to Noldrei instead. The moment the virtual is perceived by reality, the virtual has, in fact, become a result of reality.

With this one move, Noldrei had completely sealed off any possibility of the Stigma Project unfolding and had hammered the final nail into its coffin.