263: Whispers from the Heart and the Challenges of Child Rearing

The nascent, ignorant collective consciousness of the "heart module" was like a stone thrown into calm water, sending ripples through the core circle of the "Spark" base.

Surprise, curiosity, worry, confusion... a mix of emotions intertwined.

"What's there to worry about?" Zhao Iron Pillar was the first to offer his opinion. He circled the slowly pulsating "heart module" twice, then waved his large hand. "Isn't it just having a bit of 'spirit' now? It's like our pet cats and dogs getting smarter; just teach it properly, right? I think this is a good thing—it means our 'ship' will be able to understand people in the future, making communication easier!"

Wang Wu was much more cautious. "That may be true, but we can roughly guess what cats and dogs are thinking. This 'heart module' consciousness is made up of a hundred thousand 'Flowing Silver' units. What logic does it use to think? Does it use the 'Flowing Silver' logic? Or the 'Star Pattern' logic? Or did it just make up its own set of rules? What if it thinks 'violent pulsation' feels great and suddenly causes an energy overload for the whole ship? Who would we complain to then?"

Senior Brother Li and Senior Brother Zhang, the two technology fanatics, were completely caught up in an excited research state.

"A sample! This is the perfect sample for studying the formation of 'Flowing Silver' collective consciousness!" Senior Brother Li's eyes gleamed as he picked up a recording Magical Artifact, intending to go up and scan it, but he was held back firmly by Xiao Wu. "Engineer Li! Take it easy! It's still a 'baby'! Don't scare it!"

Senior Brother Zhang muttered to himself, looking at the consciousness fluctuation data recorded on the light screen. "The fluctuation frequency is slowly stabilizing... there are signs of simple learning and memory... it has feedback on external energy input and instructions... it preliminarily possesses the basis for conditioned reflexes... My god, this is simply a natural prototype of artificial intelligence, no, it's 'Flowing Silver' intelligence!"

Mu Wanqing looked at Wen Youyi, her gaze filled with inquiry. "Youyi, what do you think? How should we... get along with it?"

Wen Youyi didn't answer immediately. He gently extended his Mental Energy toward the "heart module" once more. This time, he didn't probe the internal structure but instead sent a simple thought, like a friend saying hello: [Hello, how are you feeling?]

The pulsation rhythm of the "heart module" seemed to have a tiny, almost imperceptible change for a split second. A moment later, a vague, sluggish, and ignorant thought, as if it had just woken up from a nap, slowly "floated" back: [...Flowing... comfortable... rhythm... good...]

It expressed itself very simply, just a comfortable feedback on the stable flow of its own energy.

Wen Youyi thought for a moment and then sent another thought: [If you need more energy, or if something feels uncomfortable, you can tell me.]

This time, the response from the "heart module" was a little faster, but also a bit more chaotic: [Energy... not enough? Now... enough... there... a bit tight...]

Along with the thought, Wen Youyi felt an uncomfortable sensation of being "restricted" coming from a local area of a secondary energy pipe inside the "heart module". He "looked" closely and found that the status of several "Flowing Silver" units carrying the "flexible Star Pattern" there was not quite right, seemingly too "tight".

He tried to guide those "Flowing Silver" units to fine-tune their state and sent the thought: [Try to relax here.]

Soon, that feeling of "tightness" disappeared. The "heart module" sent a wave of pleasure: [Okay... thank you...]

Although the communication was still very primitive, this was undoubtedly a huge Breakthrough! This nascent consciousness could not only perceive its own state but also perform simple "calls for help" and "feedback"!

"It can communicate!" Xiao Wu was so excited he almost jumped up. "Although it's like a babbling baby, it can understand what we mean!"

"Not only that," Wen Youyi said thoughtfully, "it seems to have a simple 'proprioception', able to sense where it is 'uncomfortable', and... it has a rudimentary form of 'gratitude'."

What does this mean? It means this collective consciousness is not just a purely mechanical reaction; it has begun to develop the most basic "self-awareness" and "social tendencies"!

"This is an opportunity," Wen Youyi decided. "We must treat it as a real 'newborn'. Not as a tool, not as a program, but as a 'child' that needs guidance and education."

Thus, a new task with a unique style was added to the base—being an early childhood educator for the "heart module".

Xiao Wu was naturally the "head instructor," as his "Flowing Silver" language skills were the most fluent. He squatted next to the "heart module" at fixed times every day, tirelessly chatting with the "heart module" through the key and his thoughts.

"The weather today... oh wait, we don't have weather in the wreckage... the energy background is very stable today, huh!"

"Look, this is energy input, this is output, you need to keep it balanced, just like breathing, inhale—exhale—inhale—exhale—"

"If you feel 'hungry', it means there's not enough energy, you need to 'tell' us like this... If you feel 'bloated', it means there's too much energy, you need to adjust it like this..."

"The big guy walking back and forth over there is called Zhao Iron Pillar. He's a good person, just loud, don't be afraid..."

"This shiny thing is the key, it's the 'parent', you have to listen to it..."

The teaching method was extremely simple: repetition, feedback, and rewards (giving pure stellar energy). The process was also full of ridiculous surprises.

For example, when teaching "energy regulation," the "heart module" might interpret it as "playing with energy in different ways," so the energy flow at the output end started performing "wave dances," "pulse flashes," and even "brief interruptions," causing the connected testing equipment to blare alarms, nearly giving Senior Brother Li a heart attack.

When teaching "identifying danger signals," Xiao Wu simulated a tiny energy shock. The "heart module's" feedback was... the entire module contracted violently, almost "holding its breath" until it stopped, and then a wave of aggrieved and fearful thoughts came through: [Pain... afraid...]

Xiao Wu was so scared he hurriedly comforted it for a long time and adjusted the teaching intensity of "danger" from "poking lightly" to "touching gently."

Another time, Zhao Iron Pillar sneezed loudly while passing by. The "heart module" was startled by the sudden loud noise and airflow, its pulsation rhythm skipping a beat, and then a wary thought came through: [Big guy... noisy... dangerous?]

It took Xiao Wu a great deal of effort to explain that "sneezing is not an attack, it's a normal physiological phenomenon," and he asked Zhao Iron Pillar to try to be light-footed and control his volume when approaching in the future, which made Zhao Iron Pillar feel very aggrieved: "Can't I even sneeze freely in my own home?"

In addition to Xiao Wu's "cultural classes," Senior Brother Zhang and the others designed a set of "physical education classes" for the "heart module"—exercising its ability to output stably, respond to mutations, and self-fine-tune through controllable energy load tests. Senior Brother Li was responsible for "sensory development"—encoding external vibrations, temperature, energy field changes, and other information into simple signals that the "heart module" could understand and inputting them to it, expanding its cognitive range.

As days passed, the consciousness of the "heart module" grew at a visible speed (on the level of collective consciousness). It responded to instructions faster and more accurately, had stronger self-regulation capabilities, and even began to show signs of a "personality"—it seemed to prefer stable and orderly energy flows, showing mild "irritability" toward sudden, irregular interference; it was particularly "close" to Xiao Wu and Wen Youyi, who often "fed" it pure energy, with its thoughts carrying a sense of dependency; while it was a bit "wary" of Zhao Iron Pillar, who occasionally made "noise".

It even began to develop a hint of curiosity about things outside itself. When the "little bean sprouts" passed by, it would "watch" them (through energy perception) and send a vague question: [Those... small... similar kind?]

"It is trying to understand the world and establish relationships." Mu Wanqing concluded after observing. "Although it is still very Elementary, this is the hallmark of the growth of life consciousness."

Wen Youyi looked at the increasingly lively "heart module" with its ever more steady and powerful pulsations, feeling deeply moved. They were truly creating life, and they were also learning how to get along with new life forms.

This was not just to build a better ship; it was in itself a great practice regarding civilization, life, and coexistence.

The whispers of the "heart module" were a song of new life, as well as an examination paper for them, the "creators".

And at this moment, at the other end of the base, the keel of the "Dragon" scout ship had already taken shape. The team responsible for building the "Dragon" was also gearing up, preparing to apply the successful experience of the "heart module" to this smaller, yet more demanding, starship.

The real test would perhaps only truly begin the moment the "Dragon" was endowed with "life."