by Kmszin /Orions arm fan / olionjeuampaen
(translated from korean into english)

The following text was a parable popular in the orbitals and habitats of Atlantis (Zeta 1 Reticuli II), and nearby star systems during the 5th millennium AT. __________



— NoCoZo: The Foolish Sages of the Merrion System —

The Merrion system was the ceremonial capital of the Non-Coercive Zone or NoCoZo. Although official administrative functions had long been dispersed across hundreds of thousands of virtual spaces, Merrion remained the center in a physical sense. Hundreds of environmental habitat modules were lined up along the massive ring orbit of the gas giant, and within each of these modules, thousands to millions of sophonts lived, crafting their own worlds.

Eight sophonts were gathered in Sector 7 of the Argos Module, one of the habitats above the planet. They had arrived by different paths, but their purpose was singular: to ascend and become transapient; to step beyond the First Singularity, into a realm of intelligence which mere modosophonts could not even imagine.

The being who would tell them that process was supposed to appear here today.

The Avatar appeared exactly 0.0001 seconds before the appointed time. It took the form of a translucent sphere within which small, bright stars seemed to be orbiting silently. There was no sound. However, all eight of them could feel its presence on their skin. It was a sensation as if someone were silently scanning their entire lives from behind.

The Avatar opened its mouth. To be precise, it didn't have a mouth, but a sound was made. "Welcome, all of you. I am here on behalf of my Master. Even at this very moment, my Master is examining the entire history and psychological structure of each and every one of you. I am merely a mediator conveying His advice to you. However, I, too, have something to say to you." The light of the sphere slowly spread out in eight directions.

"I will begin."

The first was Gautam Stripe, the Tiger Rianth. He was a massive male with alternating orange and black striped fur, standing 2.3 meters tall on two legs. The characteristic pride of a tiger clade permeated every corner of his posture. His chin was held slightly high, and his tail swayed slowly from side to side, as if everything in the room was his kingdom.

The Avatar spoke to him.

"Gautam. Your problem is clear. You equate the accumulation of knowledge with intelligence. Over the past 47 years, you have consumed 24 million papers. However, your cognitive structure has evolved merely to store that information, rather than to connect it. Ascension is not knowing more; it is knowing differently. What you need now is not to accumulate more information, but the ability to reconstruct the connections between existing information in new ways. Let go of knowledge."

Gautam nodded deeply. His golden eyes shone intensely. "I understand." He said. "You need to understand the knowledge differently." said the Avatar.

—In other words, you mean that to achieve ascension, one needs to comprehend more." said Gautam.

Then the Avatar paused for a moment of silence.

"That is the exact opposite of what I said, but, in some way, that is also correct!" Exclaimed the Avatar.

Gautam stamped the floor forcefully with his arm. "I have only read 24 million so far. That was not enough. I will upgrade my subscription plan right now. How about 50 million? No, 100 million!"

Then he stood up and took out his information feed terminal. He was already searching for a new data subscription package.

The Avatar gazed at him quietly. The stars within it trembled ever so slightly.

The second was Corvin Shadowwing. He was a Raven Rianth. His feathers were black and glossy, and his eyes looked excessively clever. The Raven clade was known for shamanic wisdom and cunning. True to that reputation, Corvin always wore an expression that seemed to see right through everything. Although, in reality, that was rarely the case.

"Corbin," The Avatar said. "Your problem is metacognition. Your ability to think about how you think is overdeveloped. This in itself is not a bad thing. However, in your case, this ability forms an introverted loop. You observe yourself observing yourself observing your own thoughts. You must break this loop. Go out. Genuine contact with the outside world and encounters with unpredictable others will break your loop."

Corvin narrowed one eye and fell into thought. "Hmm," He said. "That is interesting. In other words, it means I need to look more deeply into my thinking."

"No, on the contrary—"

"It means I haven't fully grasped my inner loop yet. I need to dig deeper right now." Corvin folded his wings, crouched on the floor, and closed his eyes.
"I am currently observing myself, aware that I am listening. And I am observing another version of myself that is aware of it. This is quite interesting..."
He remained motionless in that state for the next two hours.

The Avatar moved to the next person.

The third was Lena Greyhowl, the wolf rianth. Gray fur, sharp ears, yellow eyes. The wolf clades were proud and collective. Lena was deeply steeped in the NoCoZo's commercial culture. She thought of everything in the language of contracts.

"Lena," the Avatar said. "Your problem is that you perceive Ascension as a transaction. You think of superintelligence as a commodity that can be exchanged for something. However, Ascension is not a transaction. It is a fundamental reconstruction of oneself. What you must do is not make a contract, but let go of the impulse to make a contract itself. Relinquish control."

Lena pricked up her ears and slowly wagged her tail. "Okay," She said. "We must give up control. In other words, I mean that tighter contracts are needed." Lena said.

"......That is also different from what I said, though." the avatar pointed out.

Lena was already taking documents out from somewhere. "The reason I am unable to control this is that the contract is incomplete. I will draft a comprehensive implementation contract for my ascension process right now. I will include every variable. I suppose we can also specify a clause waiving control in the contract."

She began to write something down at a rapid pace. Her lips mumbled. "...including, but not limited to, A (Lena Greyhowl) has an obligation to B (the abstract concept of Ascension) to satisfy the following conditions..."

The fourth one was Piya Soft Foam, the rabbit rianth. Cream-colored fur, long ears, large brown eyes. The rabbit clade was known for being gentle, delicate, and sentimental. Piya was a beautiful being, and she knew it well.

"Piya," the Avatar said. "Your problem is your obsession with relationships. You want your current relationships with people to remain unchanged even after your ascension. However, the relationship between an ascended being and a modosophont is bound to change fundamentally. You need to practice letting go of your current relationships. Let go, not of the emotions, but the obsession with those emotions."

Piya tilted her head gently. Her long ears drooped slightly. "In other words," Piya whispered, "it means we have to love more."

"That's not it—" interjected the Avatar.

"I understand." Piya's eyes welled up with tears. "I haven't loved enough. I was too focused on myself. I need to contact everyone I know right now. I also need to build more new relationships. Oh, and I need to make plans for how my relationships will go after the Ascension, and prepare for the post-Ascension party in advance..." Piya was already sending messages. The recipients numbered 174, and the subject was "Let's stay friends even after my ascension! (Includes pre-confirmation questionnaire)."

The fifth was Crocs Deep Run, the crocodile rianth. He had a body covered in scales, a long, flat snout, and slow eyes. He was the oldest of these eight. It was rumored that he had lived for thousands of years. While the crocodile Clade was known to be aggressive and threatening, Crocs was the opposite. He appeared to possess infinite patience. He was so patient, in fact, that it was difficult to distinguish from him from doing nothing at all.

"Crocs, " the Avatar said. "You have waited a long time. Your problem is that waiting itself has become the goal. You are waiting for the 'right time,' but there is no right time for Ascension. Preparation is completed only through action. Start doing something right now."

Crocs blinked slowly. This alone seemed like a significant decision.

"Hmm," he said. His voice was deep and slow. "I see. We must start right now."

"Yes, right now."

"Understood." Crocs lowered his eyelids again. "I will start preparing right now."

A long silence followed.

"Preparation," Crocs said very slowly, "first, you have to make sure you are ready for preparation. To do that, you first need to check your condition, and to check your condition, you need time to calm your body and mind..."

Five minutes later, Crocs was asleep.

The sixth was Aera Cloud-pierce, an eagle rianth. She had a wingspan of 4 meters, sharp golden eyes, and feathers mixed with white and brown. Members of the eagle clade were famous for being proud and having a vast field of vision. Aera always looked at the world from a high place. The problem was that because she was looking from so high, she often missed what was right under her feet.

"Aera, " the Avatar said. "Your problem is abstraction. You are skilled at seeing everything as a grand pattern. However, ascension is not about disappearing into the grandeur. Rather, you need the practice of paying attention to the smallest and most concrete things—the details you are currently ignoring. Come down."

Aera spread her wings wide and then folded them.

"I understand," she said. "You mean we need to look at the bigger pattern."

"No, the small one—".

"That's right." Aera was already staring somewhere. Her gaze drifted into the distance. "Right now, I am thinking about how the collective stream of consciousness throughout the entire Merrion system connects to the dynamics of Ascension. If I can identify my position within that pattern—"

"Aera..." called the Avatar.

"—Furthermore, if we trace how this resonates with the NoCoZo's overall economic philosophy ——".

"Aera!" called the Avatar again.

"—Furthermore, if we analyze the current frequency of ascension within the topographical distribution of the entire galactic civilization using big data——".

After that, no one could speak to her. She was floating alone in her own massive thoughts.

The seventh was Skitter Gaines, a rat rianth. Small, fast, and clever. The rat clade-member was known as an adaptable survivor in the back alleys of the Outer Sector. Skitter had built a small empire within the NoCoZo commercial system. Clever and affectionate, yet ruthless.

"Skitter," the Avatar said. "Your problem is that you view Ascension as an investment. You are calculating the 'profit' after Ascension. However, your current values are unsuitable for the post-Ascension being. You must let go of your obsession with your current goals—wealth, reputation, and market dominance."

Skitter twitched his beard quickly. "So you're saying the ROI is bad?" he asked.

"The concept of ROI does not suit Ascension."

"Ah, I understand." Skitter nodded and quickly wrote something down. "In other words, you are saying that it is difficult to measure using existing value indicators. You are saying that a new metric is needed. Alright. I will develop a 'post-superintelligence asset valuation model. If we approach this using a futures contract structure based on the cognitive ability ascent curve before and after ascension..."

He had already started writing a business plan. The title was "Super-intelligence Ascension Pre- IPO: Future Self Stock Offering Methodology."

The eighth was Sheldon Millennium, a turtle rianth. He had a heavy shell, a wrinkled neck, and slow, deep eyes. Members of the turtle clade were known to be prudent and long-lived. Sheldon had already lived for 1,400 years. Most of his life had been filled with "let's do it next time" and "let's wait and see."

"Sheldon," Avatar said.

"Your problem is your concept of time. You believe you can wait forever. However, this is an illusion. The belief that you have plenty of time is actually holding you back. You must overcome the fear of change. Try making a decision that puts what you currently have at risk." Sheldon slowly, very slowly, raised his head.
"Hmm," He murmured. There was a long, drawn-out breath between every single word. "......I understand. I will......think about it thoroughly."

"You must do it right now." Said the Avatar

"Of course. ......I am currently......very seriously......considering it."

"Sheldon, this very moment—."

"That is correct. This moment... is important. I... will take action... after... having fully deliberated on this fact... for the next 50 years."

Sheldon slowly pulled his head back into his shell.

The Avatar, having quietly watched the eight failures, moved to the module's window. Outside, the golden clouds of the gas giant were swirling endlessly.
The stars inside the Avatar's sphere gradually brightened.

"This is the sixteenth," thought the Avatar. 'This is the sixteenth group since we took on this role in Merrion. My master once said that advice is always accurate, but the way it is received always reflects the deepest distortions within a being. Tigers translate sheep into wolves, crows reflect light into mirrors, and wolves turn freedom into contracts. This is not the limit of the modosophonts. This is the reason they are still here. The very way advice is distorted reveals exactly where they are."

The Avatar turned toward the eight again.

Gautam was still subscribing to data feeds. He had already paid for three additional plans and was searching for ten more.

With his eyes closed, Corbin was going deeper into his inner loop. He had already passed through eight layers of metacognition.

Lena was filling out a 47-page contract. In the section for the counter-party, it read 'The Universe Itself'.

After sending questionnaires to 174 people, Piya received no reply, so she was sending reminder messages to another 214 people.

Crocs was sleeping.

Aera was picturing the epistemological topography of the entire galactic civilization in his mind.

Skitter had already submitted a business plan for the 'Super-Intelligence Ascension Pre-IPO' to three venture capital firms.

Sheldon was still inside his shell.

The Avatar remained silent for a moment. It was not a judgment. E sincerely wanted the best for each of them. That was the reason the super-intelligent Avatar conversed with modosophonts. Helping without coercion. It was also the core philosophy of NoCoZo. However, the Avatar also knew that helping does not always mean having an immediate effect.

A few days later, the Avatar reappeared. This time, e met each of the eight people separately. When the Avatar met Gautam, he was designing a new data intake machine. It was a device that integrated information directly into the brain through a neural interface.

"Gautam, what you want is not more knowledge. What you want is the feeling that you are enough. Why do you feel that you are not enough?"

Gautam remained silent for a long time. Then he raised his eyes and looked at the Avatar. In those eyes, for the first time, something wavered.

"......When I was young," he said. "My clade-family said that one can only be respected if one possesses knowledge."

"That is the starting point," said Avatar.

However, the next day, Gautam ordered a larger brain implant. The temporary awakening could not overcome the habit.

When the Avatar met Corbin, the rianth was delighted to have finally discovered 24 layers of metacognition.

"Corbin, what are you looking for within yourself right now?"

After a long silence, Corvin spoke.

"......It is a conviction. The conviction that I am right."

"Stopping the search for that certainty is the beginning."

Corvin nodded. Then, he immediately began to analyze the act of his nodding.

The Avatar spoke to Lena.

"Contracts do not protect relationships. Trust protects relationships."

Tears welled up in Lena's eyes. They were real. But ten minutes later, she began drafting a 'Mutual Trust Agreement to Build Trust.'

The Avatar said to Piya "You can still love the people of today even after you ascend. However, the form of that love will change."

Piya nodded and wept. She then declared that she would form a "group preparing in advance for the changed forms of love after ascension."

The recruitment notice for founding members was posted that afternoon.

Avatar said to Crocs "What is your greatest fear?"

Crocs spoke, after a long pause.

"......A wrong decision."

"A wrong decision is better than no decision at all."

Crocs took those words to heart. And to avoid making a wrong decision, he decided to wait a little longer.

The Avatar told Aera to look at her feet. Aera looked down at the floor. Then she began to think about how the molecular structure of the floor connected to the macroscopic structure of the universe.

Skitter's IPO proposal was rejected by all three firms, but he was already looking for a fourth investor. The Avatar told him that rejection was not a sign that he was moving forward, but a sign to reconsider his direction. Hearing this, Skitter decided to pivot his business model.
The title of the new proposal was 'Superintelligence Ascension Subscription Service: Monthly Subscription Self-Transformation Package.'

Sheldon poked his head out of his shell a little. That alone was a huge step forward for him.

Finally, the Avatar left a short message for each of them. The content was the same, but it was translated into a language each of them could understand.

"To Gautam — Knowledge is a tool. Tools exist for a purpose. When you first know what your purpose is, the knowledge you need becomes visible.

To Corvin — You are already clever enough. Look outside.

To Lena — You can connect without a contract. Think about why that fact scares you.

To Piya — The tighter you hold love, the smaller it becomes. Letting go is not losing it.

To Crocs — The perfect time for you never comes. It might set you free.

To Aera — Did you have breakfast this morning?

To Skitter — Profit changes form. There is a higher dimension of profit. But it is not obtained through calculation.

To Sheldon — Stick your head out of your shell. That is enough for today."

After the Avatar departed and the module became quiet again.

The eight people continued to live in their own ways.

Gautam continued reading. Corvin continued thinking. Lena continued writing the contract. Piya continued to love. Crocs kept waiting. Aera kept looking at the sky. Skeeter kept making plans. Sheldon occasionally poked his head out of the shell.

No one ascended to transapience.

However, somewhere very far away—in a small habitation module orbiting elsewhere in the Merrion system—someone else who met the Avatar took the advice seriously. Really took it to heart. And very slowly, quietly, began to change themselves in all the ways required for ascension.

Superintelligence is not created all at once. It is something that sprouts very quietly somewhere between hundreds of failures and one genuine hearing. The Avatar knew this. So it kept returning. The sixteenth, the twenty-sixth, and probably the hundredth time. The stars kept spinning.

Everyone must follow their own path. Any attempt to retrace the footsteps of others merely erases one's self under the pretext of safety. I wrote this solely for you, leaving it as a lesson rather than a guide. — Golden Valley Warmth, Governor of the S1 Haster Binary System

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