Chapter 4

"Welcome to the Church." The King said as we stepped out of the carriage.

Getting a good look at it, it was obvious that the society who built it had been somewhat more advanced than my own at the time I left it. The steel was thin, but geometrically complex enough for structural flexibility. It hadn't degraded at all either, meaning it was all made of the same non-reactive alloy. The glass was worn and scratched, but not broken.

The durability was impressive, but as a whole, it was obviously the fever-dream of someone taking out his frustrations on the eyes and wallets of the general public. A tasteful display of architecture this was not.

"So, how long has this building been 'The Church'? I asked, hoping for a recent answer.

"Nobody really knows. The site, and the Five Goddesses within were discovered before records were kept. A town and later the nation was built around it by dint of proximity. Eventually the town was no longer necessary. Now only the monks and a few innkeepers live there. The population increases in times of pilgrimage though, so most of the buildings are maintained."

Not the answer I'd hoped for.

"So your religion is based on something within this relic of the previous civilization."

"The Five are not 'something'!" B-man asserted.

"Everything is 'something', but I get your meaning. I meant no offence. My point was that your culture started here, essentially."

They nodded in accession. We continued our walk to the Church door, entering a sort of chapel which, to my eyes, had clearly been an office lobby originally.

"Are there any other ancient structures you know of that are similar to this one?"

"There have been found a great many remnants of such monolithic creations, but no others with the divine protection of the Five. They maintain their home, as they maintain the nation. This temple stands as a symbol of their power, and an inspiration to their followers."

A man who had begun approaching when we entered finally made it over to the group. He bowed to the king, who bowed back in silence. The man gestured over to what used to be the reception desk. We were greeted there by the voice of a young woman.

"Welcome to The Church."

Before me appeared a projection of a girl in a summer dress. The others gazed upon her as though they were in the presence of a spirit. I suppose that makes sense given the rest of their culture. I see a hologram, a non-reflective projection of convergent lasers. This was technology which had been often theoretical in my world, but was still many years away from reality.

"Hello." I said. "If I may be so bold, what was this building known as before 'The Church'?"

The others looked at me like I had three heads, but the projection answered without hesitation.

"The Church was once the Global Headquarters of Advanced Nano Technology Incorporated. It was colloquially known by employees as 'The ANT Farm'."

"When did the name change."

"After a fallow period of no human presence, The Lab was discovered by a primitive culture and defined as a sacred location 734 years and 5 months ago. The Five Goddesses allowed the habitation and permitted the change of name."

"How long was this fallow period?"

"Approximately 1472 years. Further details are not within my database."

"Thank you. I'll have to ask the Five the rest of my questions."

While the others composed themselves, I asked the man from earlier to lead the way to where I could speak with the Five Goddeses. He looked to the King for confirmation, who nodded in response.

We made our way down corridors and through open rooms which originally had been offices. The building was tall, but also deep. As we made our way downstairs I commented on the structural standards of my world as compared to this building. It was obviously significantly advanced over that, but the stylings were similar. Despite the obvious depth, it felt very light down here. The halls and rooms were sufficiently large as to not feel claustrophobic, and were well lit, though I couldn't quite determine how.

The sound of chanting could be heard from the end of the current corridor. It opened into a delta shaped room, with a stage on the lowest portion, where five large display cases were placed, facing the seats. Monks, filling the seats, looked up from their meditation and watched us as we walked down to speak with the Five.

Word had spread through the building by now and a significant number was also filing in behind us to witness the event. The approach to the stage was adorned with what appeared to be offerings made by pilgrims. Watching not to disturb them, I walked up the narrow path left in the stairs, and entered the inner stage zone.

"Who comes before us?" A sweet voice inquired.

"I am known as Jean. I would inquire about the history of this world."

"What would you know?"

"I would like to know of the world that created you, and how it ended."

The stage was enveloped in the same kind of hologram responsible for the girl upstairs. Instead of one character though, there was a tech demonstration going on.

"Thank you all for coming. Today we're unveiling the apex of technology. The Arrow 3 line of craft will dynamically serve the military, civilian, and extra-terrestrial exploration industries. Our first prototype is the Arrow 3 fighter.

This craft is capable of Mach 6, carries mono-particle cannons and implosion bombs, and most importantly, is driven by a magneto-gravitic drive. An array of Searle devices are responsible for both lift and power generation, allowing for omni-directional take-off, landing, and combat. The power generation requires no fuel and will continue indefinitely for as long as the device is physically intact.

Early tests revealed a staggering amount of data processing was required for smooth operation. While an ASIC module is capable of acquiring and processing this data, a human pilot is incapable of using it. As such we've had to develop an artificial co-pilot.

This artificial sentience processes the incoming data, analyses it, and informs the pilot of the available options and obstacles."

A voice from the audience raised concern.

"Have you built an A.I. Enabled weapons platform?!"

"No, and it should be noted that if we had, it wouldn't be the first. Traditional A.I. Was never going to work in the Arrow project. Acquisition and analysis of data is all well and good, but the discernment to make the kind of judgment call you want from a co-pilot isn't something you can just program."

A young girl walked onto the stage beside the man giving the presentation.

"As such, a new architecture was required. Meet Mary. Mary is the first generation Living Crystal Entity who serves as co-pilot of the Arrow 3 Fighter. Her personality and mentality is that of a human, and has been naturally developed in the same manner as any human child. The body you see before you is a complex weave of artificial crystalline tissue. Every cell is an independent processing unit, meaning her whole body is her brain. This allows her to interface directly with the Arrow 3, which then becomes an extension of her body."

The uproar from the crowd at this revelation was deafening. The man giving the presentation wasn't phased, but the girl looked upset. I guess rejection can be painful if you're not used to it.

The projection melted away after this, replaced with the voices of the Five.

"Our existence was not well received, but nevertheless many wanted our products. Full production was never achieved, due to unforeseen historical events."

A projection of a different nature soon filled the stage.

"Visual telemetry is unavailable, however sensor data can be interpreted into visual projection for the sake of human understanding. In what was then known as the late 22nd Century, many compound problems coalesced. Masses of floating plastic in the oceans of the time were bonded together by heat to become solid objects. Several colonies were attempted as experiments on these masses, but were met with failure.

37 elements and compound materials essential to the production of widely used technology became very scarce. It became commonplace to mine for them in disposal areas where they had previously been disposed of.

Advanced Nano Technology Incorporated began development on the 'Selective Magnetism' project to allow for cleaner and easier extraction of such materials. The project remains uncompleted.

The most significant singular event, and that most responsible for the current state of the world, was the arrival of an extra-dimensional being. As was predicted in Holy Books of the time, a being of immense power appeared in this world. Those who were deemed worthy were taken to the entity's home, and the rest were left.

This alone may have been insignificant, however the reaction was not. With undeniable proof that such things existed, many were angry at having been rejected. Still more were simply curious at the scientific implications.

The following attempts to forcefully enter the dimension in question were unsuccessful. The result, however, is that the barrier between thought and physicality was removed. Repeated attempts to create pathways through the inter-dimensional barrier resulted in damage to all similar barriers. The closest and weakest of these was the barrier between thought and physicality. As this was broken down, an increase in paranormal activity occurred.

By the time the correlation was made, the barrier was destroyed, and the damage was done. The resultant chaos eventually destroyed every nation. Disorganized thoughts combined with incomplete knowledge of higher functions resulted in even dreams causing mass destruction.

We Five prototype L.C.E.s were born before the situation made further development impossible. Those who remained in the company slowly died off, their progeny moving away, and it was not many generations before the projection of will was just another normal phenomenon.

Between the last ANT employees dying, and the first discovery by a new civilization, approximately 1472 years passed. In the absence of corporate structure, there was no present owner. Some of the new arrivals shared the genetic signatures of previous employees, and as such were granted permission to use the facility."

By this time I had of course noticed the similarities to the world from which I came. It was hard to deny the possibility, and impossible not to ask the question.

"Do you have records from the internet at the time originally known to be 2017, Gregorian calendar?"

"How do you know of that?"

"It's become obvious that this is not an independent universe from the one I came from. It's likely that I was brought forward in time somehow. I need to confirm it with information. Do you have records of the 4chan Archives from 2017?"

"Affirmative."

The hologram changed to display a series of flat screens in mid-air. Before me was the complete records of 4chan, from conception to the day it ceased to run. It lasted nearly 40 years after I left. The panels navigated to the archive of 2017 and opened up. I selected /b/ and was not disappointed.

"Heh, there it is. Everything from furry posting to Jane Douglas appreciation threads. My old world. I suppose I should say 'my time', shouldn't I?"

I trailed off nostalgically as I browsed the old archives for a few minutes.

"Ack, have to focus. Putting 4chan aside, there are a lot of things I need to know about at least the decade after I left. There's far too much for me to see it all here, do you have a way I could bring it with me to study?"

"Affirmative. Mary will accompany you."

"Mary?" I said, unsure of the implication.

The leftmost display case began to hiss and open, the front panel folding upwards as the central body opened at the top. It was the girl. The LCE from the presentation stood up in the box and stepped out toward me.

The gathered monks and priests fell to the floor in the presence of their goddess. The physical manifestation of one's deity is still quite an experience, even after they heard how and why she was made.

Mary stood silent for a moment gazing out at the bowing crowd. A look of embarrassment came upon her face as she realized what they were doing.

"Honoured Monks, please raise your heads." she said, bowing slightly to them in a very Japanese style.

I could tell she was more flustered than she let on. Being an object of worship for 7 centuries wasn't a substitute for actual interpersonal interaction. Not that I could judge, even my 3 decades of dealing with people hadn't done me much good. At least she would have far longer to develop than I. Even with this new body, the best I could realistically aim for is 120 total. 90 more years eh? In my old life I might have killed myself to avoid that, but now at least it would be an interesting 90 years.

The assemblage had risen to their feet by the time I was finished ruminating on this situation. Adding a goddess to my entourage was unexpected, but I suspect will be fortuitous. For the moment though, I still have inquiries to make.

"Good to have you aboard Mary. I look forward to working with you." I said, going for a handshake.

She skipped the handshake and went right in for a hug. She felt warm and soft "Just like a standard human." I thought to myself, hugging her back.

After a few seconds I tore myself away from her.

"Nice to meet you, Mary." I said, smiling down to her and patting her head.

After a moment Pip cleared his throat in a very deliberate manner. Mary turned and greeted him the same way she greeted me, then moved on to greet the king. He made a point of taking a knee and accepting her hug. This event would create ripples through the culture for many centuries. The ritual of hugging and head-patting the children of important families, those being knighted, and even the bride and groom at weddings all eventually had some variation on this event.

"Now that we've all been properly introduced, I still have a few topics of discussion." I said.

The Monks and royal assemblage gathered cushions and a low table for conference.

"Thank you all for agreeing to have this discussion. It will be unpleasant for some of you, but it's necessary. As I've explained to the King, this nation is facing a number of internal crises. The state of education, the condition of the working classes, the war to the south. These three are currently the most problematic situations in this nation. The lack of food security is also concerning, but can't be fixed until we solve the first three."

We discussed the issues at length. As predicted the changes were quite a shock to them. I didn't have to make too much noise about education. Once I explained the benefits of having education available, and a shared base of knowledge from every corner of the nation, they offered no resistance.

The condition of the working classes was a more hotly contested topic. It seems the church relies on donations from pilgrimage and regular parishioners among the nobles.

"If the line between nobility and peasantry is blurred, the donations of nobles will be reduced. The church has no business income, and donations from the yearly pilgrimage is not enough to keep the doors open."

"I promise you," I said with my hand held upright, "You'll be just fine. The nobles may have somewhat less flexibility in their spending, but they'll still donate. Also the peasantry will have both collectively and individually, a far greater range of financial flexibility. As long as your parishioners are loyal and not impoverished, you won't be in dire straits."

"Is this how it worked back in your original time?"

"Somewhat. At the time I left, there were many sects of many core religions. Many took their religions too far, forgetting the faith they were built on. Some actually became wealthy through trickery and manipulation. As religious organizations they were also not taxed, though many should have been.

There were things known as 'megachurches'. Thousands of members, millions of dollars, no taxes, and most of them had no charity in their own towns. Now that I think of it, some measures should be put in place to prevent such things here. I'd say any church over a certain size or income must actively engage in some sort of local charity or public service."

"To let their greed overcome their faith. Shameful!" The head Monk admonished. "I agree with your proposal in that regard. It will become policy that all churches engage in charity."

With that settled I decided it was time to address the war. As a war waged on religious pretenses, it would be a rather charged topic.

"So, the main course is of course the war to the south. Simply put, the war is a waste of resources, completely unnecessary, and ruinous to the stability of the continent."

A buzz rose about the assemblage, feverish negotiation and bickering, as what seemed like an old argument started up again. One monk broke the silence with a question.

"What do you mean by the war being ruinous to stability?"

"Good question. As two large powers on a single continent exhaust themselves and each-other at war, they both become open to influence and conquest. Forces both within and without will begin to exert their wills, eventually bending the government to their own devices. At best one of the nations will undergo a revolution and a coup. At worst both nations will have exhausted themselves and be conquered militarily and with great damage to the lands.

To be honest I'm surprised you've not asked why it's a waste."

"In truth, it's already gone on longer than we anticipated. The southern nations are a loose confederation of nomadic tribes, without a unified standing army. We made the assumption that they could be corralled, but they're always gone before we arrive. Our assaults on their established way-stations were met with silence. They even evacuated large cities..."

"They're leading you on a wild goose chase."

"It would seem so."

"Probably for the best, in the end. It's time to call it quits on the warfront. Out of curiosity, why did the war start in the first place?"

What followed was a solid hour of storytelling. In short, a group of missionaries had been greatly insulted whilst on an excursion to spread the word of the Five Goddesses. They were largely ignored, occasionally mocked, and mugged a few times. They were also approached by elders of the local temples at every location and told that 'The Spirits were guidance enough'.

"Taken aback by the implication that these people needed no gods, let alone The Five, the missionaries left halfway through their planned tour in a huff. Their report was taken as a great insult, and the nobility demanded a response, which got out of hand almost immediately."

"History repeats itself I see." I said after they had finished their explanation. "Even in the most religiously or ideologically motivated situations, it's always politics that decides whether to go to war."

There was a reluctant consensus among the gathered. Mary had been surprisingly quiet during this discussion. I wished to hear her take on the whole situation, but this was clearly not the time to pry.

Our business concluded, we prepared to leave the Church. I inquired about lodging on the way out and was informed that some of the inns are operational year-round. Even outside the pilgrimage and a few annual holy events, there are still travellers on the highway who need lodging in the area.

As we passed through the town, we naturally drew a bit of attention. There was nothing to be gained from hiding at this point, and we'd be more likely to find suitable lodgings if we displayed some status.

This was really the first time I noticed our elevation, which surprised me.

"We're technically in the mountains aren't we?"

"I suppose so. We know this region as a Highlands area. There are no peaks to speak of, but we're quite high up and there are a few hot springs nearby."

"We're going to a hot spring!" I declared, marching over to a nearby kid and asking directions to the nearest open hot spring inn.

As it turns out, most of the hot springs were open. Volcanic activity being independent of both the time of year and the weather, they were always a popular option.

The place was a mixed bath in a strange style. I say strange, but perhaps my own expectations were at fault. I didn't expect tatami mats and sliding paper doors like some anime clichè, but I was surprised at the building interior. While the exterior had matched the surrounding buildings with a sort of victorian-style stucco, the interior had clearly been made to a specific person's ideals.

It was like I'd stepped through another time-warp, this time into the 1970's. Spruce wood panelling, or something similar, and a multicoloured flooring I couldn't describe on a library's worth of paper. It was strangely beautiful in it's design, but there was simply too much of it. I suspect that it was built by a descendant of whoever had built the ANT HQ way back in the day.

"So Mary, you never left the Church all this time?"

"No. I never had reason to before now."

"So we get to share a first. I've never been to a real hot spring before, even in my old life."

Mary seemed surprisingly giddy at the prospect of new experiences. After centuries of observing the world through aging sensor nets and the reports of religious figures, experiencing things in-person would grant a unique perspective.

After sorting out rooms we were shown to the baths. They were sorted down the middle by gender. Mary and I were accompanied by a handful of female guards I hadn't been aware of.

"I didn't realize there were any other women in the caravan. The royal guards' armour is impressively uniform."

"Yes Ma'am." One of them said, I assume the highest ranked currently.

"I wish there were some difference." Said the youngest. "It's impossible to attract a husband when they can't tell the difference."

"I agree with the sentiment, but at least they're not putting you in a chainmail bikini."

"Bikini?"

"It was a common fantasy trope in my time. Fictional characters in 'fantasy' type stories were often depicted in form-fitting armour that wouldn't protect them in a boxing ring, let alone combat. A case could be made for some of the male armour, but the women in these stories usually had more skin showing than metal."

By this time we were mostly undressed. The guards, despite being nude, were still intimidating. Unmistakably employed in the task of defending royalty.

"That sounds very strange to me, but anyone whose job requires armour should still be able to fight without it. Even naked, rest assured, we will protect you here."

"Of that I have no doubt, but I would never order anyone into combat wearing iron underwear and nothing else. No matter how attractive the ensemble looked."

"They chose aesthetics over protection? Foolish."

"I'm sure nobody ever wore that kind of outfit in real life combat, but in fiction it was common fanservice. Not unlike hotspring episodes."

"Hotspring episodes?"

"Yeah. Also beach episodes, shopping episodes, beers on the roof scenes. Lots of different kinds of fanservice. Most of which are nonsense. Then of course you've got a lot of racism-analogues. Elves are primitive, but elegant forest-dwellers. Don't trust the shifty cat-person. Delinquent with a heart of gold. Stuff like that."

"The stories of your time sound quite complex."

"It was a complex time and a complex culture. We made great things in some fields. But from the perspective of this time, that was probably a large factor of their eventual collapse."

"You say 'their' collapse," Mary chimed in, "But that was your culture too wasn't it?"

I considered the question a while before answering: "I grew up in it, spent 30 years living in it, and yet I was never really part of it. Despite my best efforts I was always a foreign object in the organism. A mismatched gear in the machine. An extraneous variable in the equation of society..."

I drifted off in my response to an uncomfortable question. I hadn't thought about it yet, but even in this kind of world, am I going to find meaning? Am I going to have a real place here? This probably put a damper on the evening.

The mood lightened a bit after that as we entered the bath itself. It wasn't in the typical 'anime' style, but the concept was the same. Mary stood in the doorway beaming as she looked at the big bath itself, rimmed with flat stones worn smooth by what I assume to be decades worth of butts. The water smells heavily of minerals as well. It's truly a natural spring under here.

The guards and I turned to walk over to the shower stations, Mary looking confused.

"Come on Mary, I'll wash your hair." I said gesturing over.

She sat down happily and copied the rest of us scrubbing ourselves and washing our hair. As promised I washed hers for her. I don't know if she can feel pain, but she can certainly enjoy a good scalp massage. Her hair felt just like the finest human hair you could imagine, but didn't tangle and I got the impression that it, like the rest of her, was built to last.

Afterward we all sat in the spring pool soaking and talking. The guards mostly talked about their work, boys from their past, men of their present. Mary picked it up quickly, but I sat dumbfounded. Being sent to the far future wasn't a cure for social awkwardness after all.

After the bath we all retired to our shared rooms for the night. Or we would have if I could have slept. I wrestled with my new reality, one of my theories confirmed. It would dictate a few necessary paths now. It also posed new questions. Knowing that the barrier between mind and reality had been breached by human hands, I had to wonder how many other such barriers existed, and how many had been breached. Had I been pulled through one of those?

Sleep continued to elude me into the night, so I stepped outside to the courtyard. On a bench facing the valley below, a sea of trees softly reflective in the moonlight, sat Philip. I was not the only one for whom sleep was a stranger. I sat beside him wordlessly and just stared out into the wild.