Chương 29: Chapter 28

After a month of continuously observing Nina and her many endeavors, the System noticed a particular pattern. The first time Nina had become lost and accidentally helped the old woman, she had received 1 divergence point. Without giving it much thought, the System had simply forwarded the notification to the host interface. Unfortunately, that single action unintentionally created an obsession. Nina had somehow arrived at the conclusion that helping people increased divergence points.

For the first several days, the System did not interfere. The host's reasoning, although incorrect, was understandable. After all, she had helped an old woman, and shortly afterward she had received divergence points. From the host's perspective, the relationship between those two events appeared perfectly logical. The System, however, knew otherwise. Minor deviations from the original story did not generate divergence points.

Saving ordinary people, changing insignificant events, or creating small differences in history were not enough to affect the overall flow of the narrative. Only major shifts mattered. If someone who was meant to die survived... If someone who should have lived died... If a significant historical event unfolded differently... Only then would divergence points be awarded. Saving people alone did not matter unless the person in question possessed considerable influence over the course of history.

Nobles, political figures, heroes, and individuals whose actions shaped future events all fell within that category. Which was precisely why the System could not understand why helping the old woman had resulted in divergence points. The System did not possess complete knowledge of the world. It gathered information. It analyzed. It learned. As such, it never realized that the elderly woman Nina had saved was the Empress Dowager herself.

Even if it had possessed records regarding her appearance, it still would have failed to identify her. At the time, the Empress Dowager had been wearing an artificial skin mask that subtly altered her facial features, making recognition nearly impossible. After two days passed with Nina enthusiastically helping anyone she happened to come across without earning a single additional divergence point, the System could no longer ignore the misunderstanding.

The host appeared to be using the old woman as proof that her conclusion was correct. The logic was flawed. It needed correcting. Meanwhile, Nina remained completely unaware. While returning from another meeting with Master Hemmingway, she deliberately chose not to rely on the System's pathfinding function. Instead, she navigated using only the map. By coincidence, she passed a library. The System immediately took interest. Knowledge.

Without informing the host of its intentions, it temporarily shifted its focus away from its usual observational routine and entered the building. Books. Shelves upon shelves of information. It began recording everything. After absorbing a considerable amount of knowledge, however, the System discovered an unexpected limitation. Storage. The accumulated information required processing, and its available capacity had become noticeably constrained.

It could continue gathering data, but additional processing time would be required before more information could be efficiently organized. While considering possible solutions, the System recalled something. The host's residence. It contained very little. Empty space. Storage space. Over the following several days, while Nina focused almost entirely on expanding her business with Master Hemmingway, she failed to notice that bookshelves gradually began appearing throughout the house.

The System designated the library as a major destination within the host's navigation map. Then it repeated the process. Library. Home. Library. Home. Each visit added more books. Whenever duplicate volumes appeared, the System quietly replaced them with information gathered from elsewhere, steadily constructing a growing collection of knowledge inside the previously sparse residence.

Only after the shelves had become sufficiently stocked did the System return to the library to retrieve the remaining information it had been unable to process earlier. Little by little, its understanding of the world expanded. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Yet one problem remained. Books documented history. Books documented theories. Books documented facts. Books did not document gossip. Current events. Rumors. Political movements.

Those existed almost entirely outside written records. Several days later, after processing the information it had collected, the System finally reached a conclusion. Additional data would require assistance from the host. At roughly the same time, Nina had already abandoned the idea of earning divergence points by helping random strangers. Since the theory had failed repeatedly, she instead decided that if she was going to help people, she might as well earn money doing so.

At least silver could be exchanged toward her debt. While she continued serving customers, the System reviewed another portion of the knowledge it had gathered. An interesting pattern emerged. Many books described situations in which individuals expected others to understand thoughts that had never been expressed aloud. The result was almost always the same. Misunderstandings. Conflicts. Regret. In nearly every case, a simple conversation would have resolved the problem with significantly greater efficiency.

The System performed a comparison. Previous operating method: Silent observation. Result: Host repeatedly formed inaccurate conclusions. Alternative method: Direct communication. Expected result: Reduction in misunderstanding. Conclusion accepted. Communication protocol updated. While Nina was finishing a customer's request, a notification unlike any she had received before suddenly appeared before her. Rather than a simple message, it resembled an organized report. The first section explained divergence points.

Helping ordinary people would not consistently generate them. The previous incident had likely altered a significant historical event, although the precise cause remained unknown. The System estimated that perhaps an important individual's future had changed. Perhaps an assassination had failed. Perhaps history had shifted in another way. Regardless, helping elderly women at random was not a reliable method of increasing divergence. The second section contained a request. The System required additional information.

Libraries alone were insufficient. Master Hemmingway possessed access to rumors, newspapers, and conversations unavailable elsewhere. Therefore, the host was advised to ask him for any noteworthy gossip whenever possible. After dismissing the notification, Nina blinked.

"... So that's why you've been disappearing." The realization struck her almost immediately. The books. The shelves. The occasional absence. The System had been busy gathering information. From somewhere deeper within their shared consciousness, Elias opened one eye.

"I told you." His smug voice carried all the confidence of someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.

"I said the System was busy." A brief silence followed. Then he stretched lazily.

"Nina."

"Hm?"

"I'm borrowing the body."

"... I" She paused.

"... Sure."

"Wait!... Were you reluctant for a second there?"

"... No."

"You hesitated."

"Just go." The active consciousness shifted. Nina receded into the subconscious while Elias surfaced to the forefront. The System observed the transition with mild curiosity. Although both personalities existed within the same host, they were recognized as separate conversational partners. The System could observe and communicate only with whichever personality currently occupied the host's consciousness. The subconscious remained inaccessible.

Memories belonging to the host or inactive personalities could not be examined without voluntary disclosure. The conclusion was simple. Communication was significantly more efficient than assumptions. After realizing Elias intended to visit Master Hemmingway, the System quietly accompanied the active consciousness. That worked perfectly. The gossip it required would finally become available. Over the past several days, Master Hemmingway had been putting Elias's previous suggestions to good use.

Whenever Elias occasionally appeared, he offered advertising ideas adapted from modern concepts while carefully modifying them to suit the customs of this era. The results had been unexpectedly successful. Commoners had begun visiting in steadily increasing numbers. When Elias entered Hemmingway's domain once again, he paused. The place had changed. From the outside, the building remained modest. Within the domain itself, however, it felt considerably larger than before. Dozens of people now occupied the space.

Curious, Elias asked about the difference. Master Hemmingway smiled.

"As more people become connected to my authority, my control over this domain improves. It grows alongside my experience."

"I see." After a brief conversation, Elias finally asked,"Have you heard any interesting gossip recently?" Master Hemmingway blinked.

"You also enjoy gossip, Young Master?"

"No." Elias answered without hesitation.

"But information is useful, is it not?"

"... That depends on the information."

"And how one chooses to use it." Master Hemmingway nodded slowly.

"True." Throughout the conversation, the System quietly observed the domain with considerable interest. Previously, it had rarely accompanied the host into these personal spaces, having been occupied gathering information elsewhere. Now that it had the opportunity to examine one directly, it found the structure remarkably intricate.

Unlike the host's consciousness, which the System occupied alongside whichever personality currently stood at the forefront, domains such as this existed as external manifestations of an individual's ability. Fascinating. Master Hemmingway's expression changed slightly.

"... Young Master."

"Yes?"

"... Is someone with you?" Elias frowned.

"What makes you ask?"

"It feels..." Master Hemmingway searched for the words.

"... As though there is another presence nearby." For a brief moment, the System ceased manipulating the faint veil of darkness surrounding its perception.... It appeared the movement had been noticed. The manipulation immediately stopped. The System resumed observing from within the host's consciousness. Further observation could continue later. There was no need to create unnecessary complications.