Surviving as a Plagiarist in Another World

“Probability engineering was the pinnacle of advanced science achieved by humanity. It transcended mechanical connections and deterministic rationality, enabling the realization of anything that was conceivable. If it was possible, it became natural… Do you understand?”

“Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens, isn’t it?”

“Exactly! The most dramatic application of probability engineering was in biology. It was far more efficient than a blind watchmaker carving stones to make a clock. According to our calculations, with a few manipulations to probability, it was possible to overcome several filters in the afterlife universe and produce a species called ‘humanity.’ More precisely, mammals of the order Primates, genus Homo, and subgenus Homo sapiens with 46 chromosomes, capable of genetic exchange with Earth’s modern humans.”

The universe had been alive for tens of billions of years since the Big Bang.

The mechanism of evolution was so efficient that it created precise, self-replicating, carbon-based life forms within mere billions of years. Humanity on Earth merely gave a clear “direction” to that efficient mechanism.

“However, there were some difficulties with such projects. The biggest issue was the possibility of a planet’s destruction or the creation of an environment unsuitable for discovering probability engineering before the emergence of humanity in the afterlife universe.”

“Hmm, is that really a problem?”

“If humanity were to end in just one afterlife universe, wouldn’t that be a tremendous loss? So, even after the emergence of humanity, we had to make preparations to overcome these filters. Unfortunately, differences in opinion among us ‘Earth humans’ resulted in somewhat unsatisfactory outcomes.”

She elaborated on the various arrangements made by the “Earth humans.”

“Some humans in Christian cultural spheres believed that a monotheistic religion was necessary to maintain social order and foster collective progress. They thought figures like Jesus Christ, a ‘savior,’ were indispensable.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Some others sought to make ‘probability engineering’ intuitively usable by early humans to provide convenience for the new humanity. There were arguments that this might actually hinder the advancement of classical science.”

“Then, there were humans who worried about the emergence of humanity on planets heavier than Earth. With twice Earth’s gravity, it would be impossible to escape the atmosphere using chemical fuels. Thus, they designed an orbitally cultivable elevator, a ‘World Tree,’ with genetic structures that could emerge early in the universe’s history.”

“…….”

“There were several other arrangements as well… But our humanity—the one that created me—believed in the infinite potential of humans and thought that only humans themselves could lead to their downfall. A humanities-based approach was necessary. So, we used all our available resources to engrave one principle after the emergence of humanity.”

“Is that transcendence?”

“Transcendence means ‘to go beyond,’ right? This is slightly different. It’s closer to staying grounded rather than surpassing. The principle we engraved was….”

After tapping the table with her fingers for a moment in thought, she nodded and continued.

“‘A position defines a person.’”

“…Excuse me?”

“You could call it ‘君君臣臣父父子子’ (a ruler as a ruler, a minister as a minister, a father as a father, and a son as a son). Those who rise to positions capable of influencing everyone must become truly ‘high’ spiritually. That was the principle we engraved.”

“…….”

“A position defines a person.”

It sounded more like an old adage than a principle or law. The notion of inscribing such a thing across the universe was almost laughable.

Yet, it didn’t sound like a joke, given that such things were actually happening.

“Anyway, this world operates under that principle. Transcendence, magic, humanity, planets, and World Trees—all of these are arrangements made by ‘Earth humans’ to regulate the afterlife universe. It might sound somewhat mystical at times, but… certain aspects had to be adjusted intuitively for comprehensibility.”

“…….”

“Now, let’s go back to the beginning and formally introduce ‘us.’”

She bowed politely, flashing a playful smile as she introduced herself.

“We are the final artificial intelligence created by Earth humans, Maxwell’s demon that coordinates all probabilities, and Descartes’ demon existing solely conceptually. We are called ‘The Universe.’”

“You don’t have a physical form?”

“If I had a physical form, I wouldn’t need to appear as a ‘successor’ like this, would I?”

“…….”

A successor.

There were still questions left to ask.

“So, what am ‘I’? Why was I reincarnated in this world?”

If this world was an afterlife universe created by Earth’s humanity…

Why did ‘I’ exist here?

Her answer was absurdly simple.

“As the plan to produce humans in the afterlife universe progressed, some humans wondered. If we could overlay Earth humans’ memories onto these newly created ‘humans’… perhaps it would be possible to achieve true ‘immortality.’”

“…….”

“It was far simpler than creating a Boltzmann brain. Since the brain structures were similar, all we had to do was weave the ‘memory’ protein structures during the fetal development process. The only issue was that the probabilities of the afterlife universe couldn’t be manipulated that precisely or delicately.”

“…….”

“The more generalized probability becomes, the more powerful it is. While cultivating a specific individual’s brain protein structure identically was nearly impossible, it was simple to let a random person with an identical protein structure to someone from Earth be born in the new universe purely by chance.”

“…….”

“Then wouldn’t it be worth taking the gamble, thinking I might be that ‘one person’?”

“A gamble with odds of one in trillions.”

“An infinite universe with infinite possibilities. It might as well be 100%. As for parallel universes, even probability engineering could only speculate about their existence, but once the ‘possibility’ was recognized, there was no reason not to try.”

In other words.

Summarizing her words, it went like this:

“So, I am just an otherworldly being who was born in this world, carrying the same memories as ‘a man who was a translator.’”

“Do you believe in the soul?”

“If you mean it as a tangible concept rather than a literary expression of sensitivity, no.”

“Then, whether it’s reincarnation or simply memory, there wouldn’t be any difference.”

“…….”

I pondered briefly before nodding.

“You’re right. There isn’t.”

“Do you have more questions?”

“Yes.”

“It’s good to be curious. What else do you wish to ask?”

As expected, there was one unresolved question lingering from our conversation so far.

“Then what is the purpose of this space beyond transcendence… such as the library or this area? If transcendence is simply about the principle that ‘a position defines a person,’ then it seems unnecessary to prepare spaces like these.”

“I’ll explain it one step at a time.”

She smiled brightly, as if expecting the question, and began to explain in a gentle voice.

“First, the space you call a library exists to ‘reflect on the past.’ It’s all too common for those who ascend to high positions to become filled with arrogance and stubbornness without reflecting on their past. We thought it necessary to have a space where one could always revisit their past, even in dreams.”

“What about the ‘future’ that exists beyond the door?”

“It’s a space to isolate those who become trapped by themselves and fail to see those around them. For someone worthy of choosing an infinite future, it wouldn’t be much of a loss, would it?”

…It was surprisingly humanistic reasoning, which caught me off guard.

“And the reason this space exists, where you can ask us questions, is… because communication is necessary.”

“…….”

“Even if humanity were to exist forever, without a means to remember the past, it wouldn’t be much different from humanity ending in a single universe. Interaction, communication, social context, and human relationships—without these, people are no different from islands. This is no less true for ‘humanity’ as a whole. Even if it’s nothing more than a mirage, a means of conversation was essential. So, you can think of me as a kind of ‘message in a bottle’ left by Earth’s humanity.”

“A message in a bottle….”

After that, I asked her many questions.

She answered each one sincerely and thoughtfully.

.

.

.

“I heard that there are lifeforms living in cavities at the planet’s poles. What are those?”

“Ah.”

“Ah?”

“That… It seems there were some mischievous people among Earth’s humanity. Don’t worry; they’re not Nazis. Just think of it as ancient lifeforms living in the polar regions.”

“…Ah, I see.”