Monolith World 31

*I want to go find an information center, but... I regret my outburst.*

I had been too brash. Even if my presumption was objectively accurate, there was a slim chance of her taking kindly to me afterwards. This was one of my negative qualities. Some may say I have no filter.

*Acting negatively towards her may have negative consequences in the future... I need to rectify this blunder. But how? Apologize?*

I usually readily admit my faults. After all, it's one of the keys to self-improvement and success. Success doesn't come automatically; it's the product of many failures. Of course, failures extremely close to success are still categorized as failures. This is why improvement can be seen as burdensome to many.

A basic example would be a 100 meter dash. Let's say your goal is to run it in 10 seconds. Most likely, you'll need to have a run that is 11 seconds before you can reach the 10 second mark. Not only that, but you'll need to achieve 11 second runs numerous times before you can score the 10 second run. In a way, the 10 second run is infinitely times more valuable than the 11 second run.

I know what it takes to stand at the pinnacle of ability, therefore success and improvement is something I am no stranger to. But begging for forgiveness to someone with as much pride as me...

*That's something I can't do.*

In fact, she might even have more pride than me, which is quite an accomplishment.

*... I can't apologize...*

It would be a blow to my pride.

*If I get a second chance... No, stop.*

What would I do with a second chance? I definitely wouldn't change my mind. It's better to be decisive and leave no room for regrets; if there ever was a second chance, I wouldn't change anything.

With the hotel room's door behind me and a brand new device on my wrist, I ventured down the hallway in search of some semblance of an information center. As I walked, I looked down at my wrist to inspect this new device that did not exist on Earth.

I rotated my wrist to inspect the screen, which turned bright as soon as it was parallel to the floor. The screen was relatively bright and full-color. A dynamic background of stars slowly traversed through the screen, even though the only important thing displayed on it was the time.

*What sort of watch is this... Isn't this a bit overkill just to display the time?*

In a technologically advanced society, my thoughts wandered to the term "smart.w.a.tch". Although concepts for these types of watches had existed, the current technology wasn't advanced enough to produce something like a fully functional general computer the size of a watch. The current best smart.w.a.tch was merely a monochrome screen that housed rudimentary black pixels. If this was a smart.w.a.tch, the "smart.w.a.tches" back on Earth wouldn't even compare; it would be an insult to even describe the two objects using the same word.

*And this is just from a glance. I'm pretty sure... this isn't even the thing's full capabilities.*

If the device on my wrist was merely a time-teller, why would somebody take the time to animate a background of stars? That would be a waste of time and manpower.

*This thing is in my hands. I wonder how powerful it is...*

Nothing was for certain, but my mind was already wandering off into the realm of fantasy.

*A fully functional general computer in the palm of my hands... No one will be able to stop me!.. Okay, I need to calm down...*

My expectations were already so high; I was already over the moon. It would be a shame if they amounted to nothing. The higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Amidst my daydreaming, I had pa.s.sed through the breakfast hall and arrived at what looked like a reception desk. I hadn't pa.s.sed any sort of library on my way here, so my next choice was to ask the woman at the desk. As I approached her, she put on a smile and nodded at me.

"Greetings, customer. How may I be of service?"

This woman's appearance was more proof I wasn't on Earth. Her skin looked as if it used to be white but was now heavily tan. Her eyes were a normal shade of brown, but her hair was a deep crimson, and she spoke with an accent I had never heard.

*What a strange accent. Is that Gaelic with a spritz of Mexican? Well... at least I can understand what she's saying.*

I couldn't tell why such a combination of accents would even exist, so I had to merely chalk it up to the fact that this was a foreign world.

"Yes, miss. Is there anywhere nearby I can find a library?"

"Pardon?"

*What? Does she not know what a library is, or did she not hear me properly?*

I cleared my throat and tried again.

"Uhm. Is there a library nearby, or anywhere I can go to quickly gather information about facilities nearby?"

After a pause, a nearly unnoticeable trace of shock flashed on her face, but she suppressed it immediately.

*She must be quite skilled in restraining her emotions, but... why is my request strange?*

According to my knowledge, I was in a hotel. Hotels often house travelers and foreigners. These types of people should be eager to browse information in a foreign place, so a request to gather information shouldn't be out of the ordinary...

"Yes, sir. There is a computer lounge down the hall on the far east side of the building. Continue through the hallway on your right, and upon reaching the end, make a left. The lounge should be immediately on your right."

"Thank you, miss."

After showing my grat.i.tude, I started down the hall, but before I could make it very far, she asked me an innocent, honest question.

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, where are you from?"

I paused.

"...Why?"

How was I supposed to answer this question? Obviously, I could just not answer her. But it was inevitable that others would ask me this in the future.

"It's unusual to see someone as young as you all alone. I've operated here for a very long time. I've never heard of a library before, and I've never heard your accent before, either. It's not necessary you answer me."

There was a problem. I didn't even know where I was from. Sure, I was from Earth, but something about giving that response felt off. In the end...

"Not from around here."

...I decided to give a nondescript answer.

"...Have a good day, sir."

I continued down the hall, taking heed of her directions.

Obviously, I didn't think a sixteen year old travelling alone was very unusual. It wasn't common, sure, but it wasn't unheard of. As for my accent, maybe it would be unheard of in remote parts of the world, but it really shouldn't be for someone working at the front desk of a hotel. As for never hearing of a library before... even I didn't have an answer to that predicament. If the lady was just incompetent and/or a new hire, it would be understandable, but she didn't appear to be either, which meant the character out of the ordinary in this situation would be me.

*Looks like strange things will just keep happening one after another...*

As long as I wasn't accustomed to this world, there would be endless occurrences that would seem strange to me, and I would seem strange to this world as well. With this thought, I picked up my pace and soon arrived in front of the "computer lounge" the receptionist had previously spoke of.

What appeared before me was a room that highly resembled an internet cafe with a lackl.u.s.ter selection of food, but one thing immediately stood out to me.

*What the heck are those computers?*

In this room were tens if not a hundred super-thin monitors lined neatly down the room, each with a super-thin keyboard. Computers this thin didn't exist on Earth and were only the products of imagination and science fiction. The room was spa.r.s.ely populated with only a few people typing away at the keyboards.

*It seems like even a light breeze will knock them over. As for the keyboards... they look really fragile, too.*

As I admired the technology from a distance, I heard a voice off to my right.

"Greetings, customer. How may I be of service?"

*Huh? Isn't that voice a bit too familiar...*

As I turned to look at the source of the voice... I nearly fell over from shock.

"How did you get here??"

Indeed, it was the same lady from before. Tanned skin with dark red hair. Even her business casual attire was identical.

*Wait, no...*

The attire was similar, but not identical. The tie she wore was a slightly darker shade of red, one that matched her hair a bit more.

"Pardon?"

*Oh, they're twins. They even speak the same way...*

The voices from the receptionist at the front desk and the receptionist at this lounge were identical; it was impossible to tell the two apart.

"I am unit V03. There are currently 4 units from the V-series in operation. Does this answer your question?"

"... What??"

*Unit?? This thing... is an AI?*

My mind was completely blown at this point. Who knew how many years away from human-like AI we were? Some experts even believed it wouldn't be until the year 2100, which was over 90 years away. But now, there was one in front of me...

"Never mind. Yes. That answers my question, thank you."

Even if it was an AI, it looked and sounded so real that I was still speaking to it as if I was speaking to a human who was older than me.

*This'll definitely take some time to get used to...*

The technologies of this world were too different from what I was used to. I had to begin research right away!

"One hour of use is complimentary with the booking of a room. Afterwards, we will charge you 14 Plate per hour. Enjoy your stay."

Unit V03 resumed staring at the wall.

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*I guess now that I look at it... it really does look like a robot.*

Its face was *too* unblemished, and its idle mannerisms were a bit odd. But without closer inspection, I wouldn't have thought twice about her true nature.

*Alright... let's get started. New world, I'm going to conquer all of you!*