“Whoa!”
“Wow…”
Jinpok gasped and so did Garent. Doral, Graham, and Joonbum were also shocked as they looked through the door.
“This here is fine. It’s amazing.”
Countless years had passed, but this area seemed to have been preserved perfectly. There was no sign of aging.
“It’s noisy.”
Jinpok frowned at the warning noise that kept ringing. But the inside was peculiar. That’s when they felt a weird vibration. Then a blue light quickly scanned through Graham.
“Huh?!”
Graham raised his hand to stop everyone from following in.
“It’s nothing much. I think it’s some kind of scan.”
“Scan?” Joonbum replied. The light then moved over to Garent, then scanned every other individual. Soon, an unfamiliar voice spoke.
-Living organism detected. Altered human form… Norse-Confirmed.
“This is our language,” Doral spoke.
-Living Organism Detected. Confirmed – Ainos – Evolved form of Human.
“Whoa, did it check on it just like that?”
The voice then died down and everyone waited. That’s when a door from the other side of the room opened. Graham took some steps forward and everyone moved over.
“Huh?!”
“This is…”
A hologram was waiting for them within the room.
[Welcome, everyone!]
“What!”
Everyone took a step back from shock.
“I-it’s our language!”
The hologram man smiled at Jinpok’s reaction.
[Surprised?]
Everyone became more surprised at the hologram reacting to them.
“Y-yes! How do you know our language?”
Graham asked back, and the man began to explain.
[Let me introduce myself first. I am Ponus, the maintenance of Menonis. I am speaking in your language that I studied and learned from you as you walked through here. Your language is primitive and easy to understand. And…]
The man began to explain with a long answer. Everyone became more shocked.
‘I thought there’s nothing that will shock me anymore.’
Jinpok laughed. He thought he had experienced everything in the world, but it seemed like there were still more things to be surprised about.
“I am Graham.”
“Jinpok Bane.”
“Doral.”
“I am Garent.”
“I’m Joonbum.”
Everyone introduced themselves. Ponus then nodded and replied.
[Why don’t we talk to each other first?]
Something in the middle tried to move, but only made a noisy clicks.
[Hmm… it seems like it’s broken because it’s been in a long slumber. Why don’t you all sit down while we talk?]
The hologram spoke. Jinpok then frowned and asked, “What are you?”
[I am Ponus.]
“No, we didn’t ask that. Are you a living being?”
Graham asked again and Ponus waited for a second before answering.
[I am not like you. But I can think.]
“What do you mean?”
[I am Ponus.]
The conversation wasn’t going well between them. Ponus then pointed somewhere to small box. From within, something gray moved out of it and slid across the floor as if itwere a liquid. Then it began to form a small doll-like shape.
Ponus spoke again.
[Conversation!]
The gray thing then moved over to Joonbum and was suddenly absorbed into Joonbum’s body.
“What!”
“What was that?!”
Ponus did not do anything. Joonbum felt a weird sensation within, but it soon went away.
“What was that?!”
Jinpok shouted and Joonbum turned to Ponus.
[I am sorry. I had to take this process in order for better conversation. Let me introduce myself again. I am Ponus, an artificial intelligence in charge of Spaceship Menonis. The word Ponus means artificial intelligence in your language. But it is better if you just address me as Ponus.]
“Spaceship!”
Jinpok shouted with excitement. Everyone had been guessing the same thing, and it was now confirmed.
End of Chapter
