OBOM Vol 1 – Chapter 27: Naming Sense.
"Hoh? So this is what a Digital Soul is like..." Sapientia comments as she twirls around the Central Intelligence Console, eyeballing Iris' holographic form with keen interest.
Somehow, the Ember Goddess' usually unfocused eyes manage to convey that interested look perfectly just by narrowing her eyelids a tad.
The Artificial Intelligence in question, however, has her face twitching under the Goddess of Wisdom's scrutiny, clearly not expecting such unprofessionalism from someone of Divine status. As Iris directs a gaze filled with many questions and exasperation, the three of us, Reizen, Aurea, and I, can only offer her our silent consolation.
You'll get used to it.
Iris closes her blue eyes, as if resigning herself to Sapientia's marvelling and her thirst for knowledge. Although Iris has cut away the part of her Digital Soul that is capable of fine Psionic manipulation, it doesn't mean that the AI can't sense the prodding of Sapientia's faint Divine intent, hoping to glimpse more of Iris' ethereal makeup without actually being impolite. More than that, Sapientia indeed did ask for Iris' permission to skim around just a tad, so it's not like the AI can even call foul on that front.
It really is just a matter of Iris not expecting such enthusiasm from a Wisdom Goddess. But then again, Iris should have known better considering Sapientia is a Wisdom Goddess of an entirely different universe. Iris' common sense about cool and collected Gods and Goddesses of Wisdom doesn't necessarily apply here... Or it can be that Sapientia is but a big outlier case.
Once Sapientia has satisfied herself with peering through walls, circuitry, and ephemeral whatnot, the Ember Goddess stands straight, nodding with a bright, sunny smile.
"Umu! I must say, I am both impressed and amazed by how far mortals could reach into the realm of Divinity, if possessing adequate impetus and opportunities. Undoubtedly, Digital Souls and Psionic as a whole, the essence behind them all..." Sapientia smacks her tongue, holding a wistful expression on her face as she rubs her hands together as if savoring something only she can see. "That's the greatest delicacy and temptation one can ever hope to offer to any Divine of Wisdom, or at least to me."
I raise an eyebrow.
"Perhaps it's expected that someone of your stature could manage to understand the metaphysical things." I say with mild surprise and sincere compliment.
I have attended some lectures about Psionic from Reizen before, listening to the things Reizen is comfortable enough to say. Many of the things she said tend to go over Aurea's and my heads due to the sheer quantum-level complexity. Only Sapientia could have made it all look so easy.
"Believe me, I understand shit from it!" And then the Ember Goddess spouts the undecorated truth with a punchable smirk on her face.
"... I take back my appreciation." I look at her with my best attempt at dead fish eyes.
Never mind every good thing I have said; Sapientia is still a dork.
Reizen, who is next to me, has a look of someone who has been expecting this all along. She seems to have long lost all the reverence she may have had for Sapientia. I should do the same soon and keep my expectations of the Ember Goddess low.
Joking thoughts aside, Sapientia goes on to shrug with a wry smile.
"Don't look at me like that. I wasn't born in your particular universe where mortals dare to aim high, ok? Even when knowing there's a nudge here and there from certain Divines, I still find it absolutely amazing that the Eternal Reich could manage to play God with apparent ease. I do understand the general idea, but I can't even comprehend half of what I could see. If I push any harder, I may glean more, but that will be a showing of gross impoliteness on my part."
"Thanks, I guess..." Hearing Sapientia's words, Iris mutters before shaking her head. "Anyway, now that the Goddess is done ogling me, how about we get to the brass tack?"
"Before getting to either work or sleep," Reizen suddenly interjects with a raised hand. "Shouldn't we think about how we're supposed to call ourselves? And calling the Base of Operations the Base of Operations is gonna be a mouthful. We need a new name for it as well."
I nod in agreement. "That's a good point raised by Reizen. The formalization of our faction's identity will go a long way in shaping the direction of our plans."
"Sounds like an interesting and important topic, one that shall not have my input, by the way, as I don't want to intrude too much. Naming your faction is not something a ruler of another one gets to pitch in." Sapientia says with a wink as she steps away and sits down in the chair where I used to sit before this discussion.
I give her a thumbs-up in acknowledgement of her tactfulness before glancing at the ladies who will form the core of our faction's leadership in the future.
"For your interest, Aurea will be joining the brainstorming discussion, though I will be speaking on her behalf for the reason you all understand. So, any suggestions to kick things off?"
Reizen, standing by my side, chimes in. "Considering the fact that we are in a medieval world and that our faction is gonna be a technologically focused one, I suggest we not pick any name that will be too antiquated."
Iris hums in agreement.
"Yeah, from what I have learned from Reizen, we're obviously gonna need a standout name, something provoking and capable of garnering intrigue from the common kingdoms and dynasties dotted around the planet. Since we're supposed to spread the gospel of the Eternal Reich's Yggdrasil Pantheon and be an aggressive advocate of unity and advancement, the words that we pick to form our names must also reflect that."
I nod along with Iris' assessment. "Umu, that's a bit of a tall order, not gonna lie. I don't think I'm ever good with names, so I will put forward my undoubtedly bad suggestion..."
[And my as well...] Aurea interjects meekly in my head.
"Oh, and Aurea's as well." I forward my Other Me's participation before saying. "Right, here goes."
"My suggestion is Mechanical Vatican, whereas Aurea puts forward the name Automatus Babylon. So, what are your two cents on those names?"
While Reizen ponders her reply, Iris straight-up deadpans.
"Mechanical Vatican is a horrendous name, and you should be ashamed of yourself. The word Vatican itself is a piece of dark history where we came from, so I vehemently oppose its adoption."
I chuckle wryly, spreading my hands out. "Told you my naming sense is wacky. Hopefully, Aurea's suggestion receives a more favorable review than."
Reizen nods, saying. "Automatus Babylon can be loosely translated to self-operating hanging garden. Which does fit the nature of our faction when the Dolls come online."
"It's a much better input from Aurea than whatever Umbra just said earlier." Iris acknowledges the name.
[T-Thank you?] Aurea interjects from our shared mental space in an unsure manner.
I still maintain my smile as Iris puts forth her own idea.
"How about something with the word Syncra?"
"Syncra?" Both Reizen and I tilt our heads with looks of puzzlement.
Iris explains, showing us the holographic representation of the word and how to pronounce it.
"The word Syncra is my attempt at fusing mechanical precision with spiritual alignment, the two aspects that will form the core of our faction. It's unique, professional, and memorable. One should be hard-pressed to find a word like it on this watery planet."
[That... Makes sense?] Aurea echoes my sentiment, while Reizen hums in appreciation.
"Syncra is a two-syllable word. Derived from synch and cra, as in 'crane' and 'crystal' - implying structure and order... I guess you were thinking along that line, Iris?"
"You spoke my mind, Reizen dear." Iris claps her hands a few times.
[Syncra is a... I guess it's a cool name, Umbra? I think it's much better than whatever we can come up with, ahaha...] Aurea adds with a soft, wry chuckle.
[Yeah, let's jump at the name and take it for our faction.] I nod.
"Well, Aurea thinks Syncra is a nice name, and I concur with her. What about you, Reizen?"
The bluenette replies calmly. "I have no objection. It's indeed a good name... But we obviously can't just have only the word Syncra on our banner, right?"
Iris shrugs. "I don't know, what kind of government are we looking to run again? Are we talking about a full-on nation with parliament and all that, or just a normal loose conglomeration of interest and whatnot?"
Both Reizen and I share a knowing look before I go on to say.
"I think the correct answer is yes and no here."
"How so?" Iris asks curiously.
"Because you two are from the Eternal Reich, and this Syncra faction of ours has taken on a lot of DNA from the Reich, I think it's not a stretch to consider ourselves a splintered sub-faction of the Eternal Reich at this point. For courtesy's sake and future-proofing, I don't think it's alright to see ourselves as a true, standalone nation. And since we are aiming to expand and develop in the hope of one day reuniting with the Eternal Reich in another universe altogether, our name and the type of government we have must reflect that... So I suggest we form a military junta, with the name of Syncra Ascendency. The leading figure being a Grand Admiral with a group of trusted people around her."
Both Reizen and Iris mull over the suggestion.
"Considering this is an archipelago planet, an Admiralty-style leadership is fitting enough..."
"And Syncra Ascendancy is a catchy and meaningful name as well..."
"So our citizens should be called Syncrian singular and Syncrians for plurals?"
"Sound about right. Oh, and because we're talking about a military junta here, basically a dictatorship in all but name, the Dolls' loyalty is all but guaranteed."
"Although once you have the chance, Iris, see if you can adapt and draft Geass contracts. I know Digital Souls are inherently loyal to a fault, and I trust your craftsmanship, but it's best if we have failsafes upon failsafes."
"Hey, it's not that we AIs and Dolls have never signed Geass contracts before. But I do understand what you mean by taking additional precautions. But since we don't have access to the World Tree or its branches, I need to spend some time cooking up an alternative medium to make a foolproof Geass contract."
"It shall be an endeavor after you finish setting up the Revival Hub for the Dolls, then."
With the faction name basically all but set in stone, both Reizen and Iris then look at me next, the latter asking.
"If we are going forward with Syncrian Ascendancy and this whole military junta thingy, care to do the honor of giving this base an actual name, Grand Admiral Umbra?"
Iris stops for a beat before adding cheekily. "Try not to butcher the name this time, by the way."
I smirk. "No promise that I will be able to pull a good name off the top of my head, so I'll let Aurea have the stage. Aurea, dearie, you're up~!"
[H-Huh...?" Aurea's confusion is audible both inside our mentalscape and in reality when I push her gently to the forefront.
Reizen, seeing the meek and confused expression on Aurea's face, smiles warmly before walking closer, greeting her.
"Hi, Aurea. I guess Umbra ceded her spot a bit too suddenly, huh?"
"H-Hello, Reizen, Miss Iris!" Aurea, like the little polite angel she is, returns Reizen's greeting with bows to both the blue-haired girl and AI. "A-And Umbra is really bad with names, although the same can be said for me as well, I think...? I-I don't know if I will be of much help..."
"This is our first time meeting in person, but may I call you Aurea? I would love it if you just call me Iris, as well. And don't worry, your Automatus Babylon is still way better than what your counterpart has to offer, so we have high hopes for you."
I giggle in Aurea's mind after hearing Iris' jab as my dear Other Me nods, her cheeks turning a shade redder. "O-Ok, Iris... Ehm... Then, can I suggest Everlight as the name for our Base of Operations?"
"Everlight?" Reizen murmurs as she thinks, before a look of understanding appears on her face. "A city free of darkness... A lighthouse in the middle of the dark ocean... The burning hope in the dim medieval world... It's a good name."
Iris smiles, giving Aurea a thumbs up as she adds.
"The name is also good because it may as well say boldly that our capital in all but name at this point is a place that never sleeps, quite literally so, as most of our citizens will be energetic androids and our industries can run day and night thanks to them being highly automated."
Extending my disembodied hand, I pat Aurea gently on her head, saying proudly to my Other Me.
[I approve, Aurea. Everlight shall be the name of the Base of Operations, the capital city of the Syncra Ascendency.]