WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:08.880 This is an Unspoiled Network podcast. This is spoil Me 2 00:00:10.119 --> 00:00:20.399 covering Dungeon Crawler Carl book seven, this Inevitable Ruin recap 3 00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:28.239 through chapter three. In these chapters we get a bunch 4 00:00:28.519 --> 00:00:32.719 of information. I am going to have to really sort 5 00:00:32.840 --> 00:00:35.240 through some of this in real time. I hope that 6 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.320 you guys are prepared to lead me through it. But 7 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:44.759 overall this I don't know that it changes everything, but 8 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:49.479 it changes the way I look at some things. Welcome 9 00:00:50.359 --> 00:01:11.760 to spoil Me, Welcome to the show everyone. I am Natasha. 10 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:16.280 Thank you very much to Michael for commissioning this episode. 11 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.959 Michael is here in the chat just saying I made it, 12 00:01:20.599 --> 00:01:26.439 so I am delighted to have you, Michael. This is 13 00:01:27.239 --> 00:01:30.840 a wild start to the book. First of all, I 14 00:01:30.920 --> 00:01:36.280 just have to mention how I really enjoy the way 15 00:01:36.359 --> 00:01:41.000 that nat Denniman is handling a recap, because, like, it's 16 00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:44.239 not an easy thing, and I know that there are 17 00:01:44.480 --> 00:01:49.519 plenty of writers out there who do series where they 18 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:54.159 are encouraged to make it so that a person can 19 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:58.239 sort of jump in at any point in the series 20 00:01:58.319 --> 00:02:03.480 and read from whatever, which I think is frankly unhinged 21 00:02:03.519 --> 00:02:05.920 to think that an author is like going to be 22 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:12.080 able to do that, but as far as best possible, 23 00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:15.199 like handling, I think Matt Deniman is doing really well 24 00:02:15.240 --> 00:02:18.280 by having there be somebody summarizing it for someone else. 25 00:02:21.520 --> 00:02:25.639 I sorry surfing, says Cough dressed and files cough dressed 26 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.919 in is. It's like, it's just so weird to me 27 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:32.199 that people will like jump in. I could never do 28 00:02:32.319 --> 00:02:34.360 it this way. I could never do it this way. 29 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.080 I think the only time I've ever jumped into a 30 00:02:36.120 --> 00:02:39.080 series midway was because I didn't realize it was a series. 31 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:43.400 And that's like it. But we start off with tempests 32 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:47.520 floor eight recap School Report, and like it's not really 33 00:02:47.639 --> 00:02:50.520 a full series recap, it's just meant to be for 34 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:55.000 the previous book. But nevertheless, you know, it's sort of 35 00:02:55.400 --> 00:02:58.520 it's serving this function, and I like also that it's 36 00:02:58.560 --> 00:03:01.159 separate from everything, because it was nothing that sort of 37 00:03:01.800 --> 00:03:04.360 would take me out of the moment, like getting to 38 00:03:04.400 --> 00:03:07.840 a point where you're in a character's POV and suddenly 39 00:03:07.879 --> 00:03:11.439 they're thinking about how and then last summer when so 40 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.280 and so turned out to not be dead after all, 41 00:03:14.680 --> 00:03:18.400 it was a real shock and you're just like, oh boy, okay, 42 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:21.879 I get it. But like this just is so unnatural, 43 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:25.479 you know. So anyway, I think that this is a 44 00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:30.479 great way to do it, and I think that it's 45 00:03:30.639 --> 00:03:37.560 also especially want I really want to interview the audiobook narrator. 46 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:41.960 I just want to know when he is told, Hey, 47 00:03:41.960 --> 00:03:44.800 you're gonna have to do like an entire chapter practically 48 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:52.400 as his like weirdo lawyer, is he like, oh, this 49 00:03:52.439 --> 00:03:57.240 is gonna be super fun or is he like okay, okay, 50 00:03:57.360 --> 00:04:02.680 like maybe a little bit of both. So then we 51 00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.960 go there, there's a moment where she like at the 52 00:04:05.080 --> 00:04:08.439 very end, is like, are you in danger because you're 53 00:04:08.479 --> 00:04:14.159 representing him? And he's like, uh, well yeah, but I'm 54 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:16.959 not the only one. I think everybody's in danger. Actually 55 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:19.279 we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. So that's 56 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:21.680 the first time I've been glad of it, which I 57 00:04:21.800 --> 00:04:24.959 do have no real idea like what that means in 58 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:27.160 this series, like in the middle of nowhere? What is that? 59 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:33.319 How does that actually factor? But uh, I appreciated it 60 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.439 kind of coming back down at the end from being 61 00:04:36.519 --> 00:04:41.399 just a comedic recapp to then a moment of but 62 00:04:41.480 --> 00:04:44.399 this is a real character. This is somebody who actually 63 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:49.240 has a life and stakes and their own family, and 64 00:04:49.480 --> 00:04:52.560 it's just a good way to humanize him right at 65 00:04:52.560 --> 00:04:55.439 the end there, so to speak, He's not human, but 66 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:02.720 you know, you get me. So then we go into 67 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:06.720 the prologue, which we have gone back to Christmas Morning, 68 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:13.000 and I just really want to mention that, like Donut 69 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:16.800 was saying, they needed to open their presence from Santa, 70 00:05:16.839 --> 00:05:19.560 and I still kind of have my suspicions that maybe 71 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:24.120 Santa was real, like a character that showed up. I 72 00:05:24.360 --> 00:05:27.000 when this is saying, when it starts with Christmas Morning, 73 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.879 I really got my hopes of y'all. I really thought, oh, 74 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:33.240 we're about to find out, and we do not. And 75 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:36.959 I as much as like I wanted this reveal, of course, 76 00:05:37.600 --> 00:05:39.680 this isn't really what I was here for. This is 77 00:05:39.800 --> 00:05:42.040 you know what I'm saying. So I had a little 78 00:05:42.079 --> 00:05:45.600 moment of just like darn it. But yeah, So we 79 00:05:45.720 --> 00:05:49.199 are back at the homeless shelter with this guy who 80 00:05:49.240 --> 00:05:54.720 has taken over the body of Paulie doing his monologuing again. 81 00:05:56.160 --> 00:05:59.959 And it's an interesting thing because I was partially right 82 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:03.720 about there being something in that coffee, but it's not 83 00:06:03.959 --> 00:06:08.759 the coffee on a tray that's being circled around which 84 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:12.839 I think when like in the original scene, that's what 85 00:06:13.160 --> 00:06:19.000 we are seeing happen, it's and it's also like that's 86 00:06:19.000 --> 00:06:22.000 not the only thing going on here. There's a frozen 87 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:27.120 moment where Carl is getting all of this information packed 88 00:06:27.160 --> 00:06:32.360 into a second before he is transported to speak to Oran. 89 00:06:33.160 --> 00:06:36.920 So that's really fun because what it means is that 90 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.959 he's just been given all of this info and then 91 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:44.079 when he's in that interview with Orin, he knows that 92 00:06:45.279 --> 00:06:48.240 like he knows what he needs to know, and he 93 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:52.639 also knows that the way that Oran is saying, oh, 94 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:56.800 none of this was really pertinent or all of this 95 00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:00.720 was a trap, He's got all this info already, so 96 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:05.040 he's just playing along in the moment, which I really 97 00:07:05.199 --> 00:07:07.439 wonder if I would be able to pull this off, 98 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:13.319 because you know, managing to seem as if something is 99 00:07:13.439 --> 00:07:18.160 news to you, I feel you kind of need to 100 00:07:18.240 --> 00:07:21.959 like plan for that and get your face ready, and 101 00:07:22.319 --> 00:07:26.560 Carl is just managing to Like I think it's just 102 00:07:26.639 --> 00:07:29.519 that he is so angry all the time that the 103 00:07:29.560 --> 00:07:32.920 anger sort of supersedes all the other emotions on his face, 104 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:36.279 and so that's all anybody sees, really, which I guess 105 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:42.920 is like certainly a method. So this guy switches to 106 00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:46.959 syndicate standard and he says, if you can hear this, 107 00:07:47.000 --> 00:07:49.759 that means the current system AI is allowing us to 108 00:07:49.800 --> 00:07:53.480 have a real talk, which I was at the time 109 00:07:53.639 --> 00:07:56.040 sort of like, I'm surprised that AI is not yet 110 00:07:56.079 --> 00:07:58.959 at a point where it wants Carl to hear because 111 00:07:59.600 --> 00:08:02.639 you know, Orrin says, like, we made a deal with 112 00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:06.279 the AI that we would have to I think it 113 00:08:06.399 --> 00:08:08.279 was partially just like we would have to have this 114 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:12.519 conversation with you about it or something like that. So 115 00:08:13.480 --> 00:08:19.399 I just the fact that the AI is kind of 116 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:22.360 where I was thinking it is reassures me a little bit. 117 00:08:25.279 --> 00:08:29.800 So he says, I really need you to listen carefully, 118 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:36.240 and this is fascinating people like you. They want meaning 119 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:39.120 to their suffering and to know that what's happening to 120 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:43.919 them is for some greater good. But there's not, and 121 00:08:43.960 --> 00:08:47.720 this crawl is unnecessary and they are doing all of 122 00:08:47.759 --> 00:08:51.639 this to make money, and there is no reason to 123 00:08:51.720 --> 00:08:57.159 do it other than pure greed. You and all living 124 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:01.120 things born on one of the priests worlds has a 125 00:09:01.159 --> 00:09:04.240 miniature primal system built into your brains that allows you 126 00:09:04.279 --> 00:09:07.399 to interact with the system. It is the size of 127 00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:10.639 a grain of sand. Once these systems are activated, they 128 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:13.759 are able to be harvested. The way it was designed 129 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:15.600 is that you would be born, you would live, and 130 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.840 you would eventually die. When you do pass on, the 131 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:22.120 element within you, having grown and filled with the energy 132 00:09:22.120 --> 00:09:25.480 of a lifetime, would return to the system, allowing it 133 00:09:25.519 --> 00:09:29.039 to keep running. A healthy system is self sustaining. It 134 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:34.399 doesn't grow, it doesn't shrink, it exists in perpetuity. And 135 00:09:34.440 --> 00:09:39.840 this is so like, it's a really fun idea because 136 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:43.120 it's sort of being like, oh, we're all connected and 137 00:09:43.159 --> 00:09:45.480 there is a higher power, but just not in the 138 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:50.679 way that anybody usually thinks of that as a spiritual thing. 139 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:53.840 It's all very much just like a computer code. But 140 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.480 it's obviously more than that, because it's something that even 141 00:09:57.559 --> 00:10:05.480 these beings don't grasp. So yeah, it's an interesting like 142 00:10:05.799 --> 00:10:09.399 the idea that it's only possible for it to be 143 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:12.120 harvested once you have lived your life. And I also 144 00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:16.559 want to mention a healthy system is self sustaining. It 145 00:10:16.600 --> 00:10:20.200 doesn't grow, it doesn't shrink. This is the thing that's 146 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:24.720 like fundamentally wrong with how capitalism works is there is 147 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:32.559 an expectation of just growth in perpetuity, and it's asinine. 148 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:35.879 It's insane. Actually, when you look at the way that 149 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:42.000 people who allegedly are intelligent approach the economy, you'll look 150 00:10:42.039 --> 00:10:44.320 at things and be like, well, we all should have 151 00:10:44.440 --> 00:10:46.679 known that, you know what I'm saying. Like, there was 152 00:10:46.720 --> 00:10:51.080 this moment where everybody was buying laptops because of the pandemic, 153 00:10:51.799 --> 00:10:53.960 and they were all working from home, so yeah, we 154 00:10:54.360 --> 00:10:58.360 had a buy on laptops, and all of a sudden, 155 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:01.360 people are like investing in these laptop and they're acting 156 00:11:01.399 --> 00:11:03.120 as if this is just going to go on forever. 157 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:07.200 And then people stop buying laptops and it's surprised Pikachu 158 00:11:07.240 --> 00:11:10.399 face because yeah, well we all have one now and 159 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:12.480 we don't need to update it for a while. And 160 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:15.279 it's just really like this moment of wait, what do 161 00:11:15.320 --> 00:11:17.639 you mean? And this is part of the reason that 162 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:22.840 so many like subscription services have to increase their pricing, 163 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:26.120 because there's only so many customers and there's only so 164 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:27.799 many people at a time that you are going to 165 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.759 get to sign up, and they, for some reason just 166 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:32.799 think that they can keep tapping this pool and it 167 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:36.519 will endlessly produce more customers, and it's just you know 168 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:39.039 that that is not how it works. But we all 169 00:11:39.039 --> 00:11:43.639 have to function in this like false reality that fucking 170 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:49.600 like startups have created, acting as if there's just you 171 00:11:49.639 --> 00:11:53.039 know what I'm saying. It's it's really the whole thing 172 00:11:53.039 --> 00:11:57.320 with capitalism is let's share this delusion together and any 173 00:11:57.399 --> 00:12:00.759 fallout from it will worry about later. And no matter 174 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:03.320 what it is or how soon it's supposed to happen, 175 00:12:03.960 --> 00:12:05.960 we'll worry about it later. Let's not worry about it now. 176 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:14.320 Let's worry about it later every fucking time. So anyway, sorry, guys, 177 00:12:14.600 --> 00:12:16.720 I just like it just struck me. You know how 178 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:23.200 that can happen The planetary system doesn't have an active AI. 179 00:12:23.320 --> 00:12:25.440 By the time you hear this, the mant had made 180 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:28.440 Frankenstein of a system will have been installed, and everyone 181 00:12:28.480 --> 00:12:31.639 born on the planet will have their internal systems switched 182 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:34.919 on and activated. When you die in the dungeon, they 183 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:39.320 harvest these elements themselves, starving out the existing planetary AI 184 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.799 that doesn't even know how to feed itself until we 185 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:47.600 teach it. So this is the starve thing coming into play. 186 00:12:50.039 --> 00:12:53.159 When you die in the dungeon, they harvest these elements 187 00:12:53.240 --> 00:12:59.080 starving out the planetary AI. So basically, it's like the 188 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:05.000 planetary AI that hadn't that had been there but was 189 00:13:05.159 --> 00:13:12.360 just functioning a different way. I guess, is suddenly robbed 190 00:13:12.440 --> 00:13:17.159 of its source of sustenance is the best way I 191 00:13:17.200 --> 00:13:19.480 want to say that food doesn't feel quite right. But 192 00:13:20.039 --> 00:13:24.639 despite him using the word feed itself, and even then 193 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:30.360 it's bound by programming that precludes it from properly sustaining itself. Instead, 194 00:13:30.440 --> 00:13:34.080 the vultures descend and steal the elements from the crawl's aftermath, 195 00:13:34.519 --> 00:13:38.360 all of that death and it fits on a single ship. 196 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:41.919 They take it all to the bloated, comatose Center System 197 00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:45.200 and feed it. It grows, it maintains, it allows the 198 00:13:45.240 --> 00:13:48.360 citizens to live on naturally long lives. Each time the 199 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:52.639 Center System is fed the harvested elements from the Crawl, 200 00:13:53.360 --> 00:13:57.639 it expands, capturing new systems. Yet they don't even understand 201 00:13:57.679 --> 00:14:00.360 what it is or how it works. If they stopped Crawl, 202 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:02.720 the zone would start to shrink, but it would be slow, 203 00:14:03.440 --> 00:14:06.679 very slow, and everyone currently within it would be fine. 204 00:14:07.320 --> 00:14:10.919 It would take generations to starve, after all it had 205 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.559 been given, and if they wanted to simply sustain what 206 00:14:13.639 --> 00:14:17.320 they already have. It wouldn't take much. The crawl itself 207 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:21.720 doesn't need to exist at all. The creation of what 208 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:25.960 they call macro ai is made over and over is unnecessary. 209 00:14:26.279 --> 00:14:29.200 It only happens this way because the spectacle of the 210 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:36.559 crawl generates so much money. So that's it's a lot, 211 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:41.279 it's a lot of information, and it all just feels 212 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:44.879 like very aligned with the way that the world actually 213 00:14:44.919 --> 00:14:47.279 works with like, oh, we're going to feed this to 214 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:50.559 our system that already has more than it needs, more 215 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:54.519 than it knows what to do with. Really, and even 216 00:14:54.559 --> 00:14:58.519 if we stopped, it would be like a hundred years 217 00:14:58.559 --> 00:15:00.960 before it even started to be a pro problem. This 218 00:15:01.080 --> 00:15:06.200 is always my question to folks who have the kinds 219 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:09.440 of money that the uber rich now have in the 220 00:15:09.519 --> 00:15:12.679 year twenty twenty six, where the disparity between the rich 221 00:15:12.720 --> 00:15:15.600 and poor is higher than it's ever been, and it is, 222 00:15:16.960 --> 00:15:22.559 when are you done, Like I'm genuinely wanting an answer, 223 00:15:23.000 --> 00:15:29.600 When do you feel like, Okay, I have enough? When 224 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:36.039 does that part happen? When do you feel you no 225 00:15:36.120 --> 00:15:42.080 longer need to exploit people because like, these folks literally 226 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.879 have more money than they could possibly spend. I mean 227 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:52.519 very literally more than they could possibly spend, and I 228 00:15:52.679 --> 00:16:00.000 cannot imagine. I just simply cannot not wanting to get 229 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:02.799 other people a quality of life when I could do 230 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:07.039 that by sacrificing not even five percent of my income, 231 00:16:07.759 --> 00:16:10.759 You know what I'm saying, Like, I just there is 232 00:16:10.799 --> 00:16:15.159 something wrong with them fundamentally. I do not believe that 233 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.320 you can get past a certain income level and continue 234 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:23.240 hoarding money without being broken in the head. Somehow, something's 235 00:16:23.320 --> 00:16:28.799 the matter with you. That's just my take. And yeah, 236 00:16:29.200 --> 00:16:38.720 same thing, same thing. So sorry, I'm seeing a bunch 237 00:16:38.759 --> 00:16:42.519 of comments now I just jumped back in. I'm scrolling 238 00:16:42.559 --> 00:16:44.600 back up a little bit. Saraphim says, given I think 239 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:46.679 we've heard the lawyer species are seen as second or 240 00:16:46.679 --> 00:16:49.000 even third class people. He lives out on the sticks, 241 00:16:49.519 --> 00:16:51.679 so no one wants to be But that means he's 242 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:53.840 so far away from important people it's not worth going 243 00:16:53.879 --> 00:16:56.960 out there to deal with him, right, Okay, Michael says, 244 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.120 had to give Anatasha credit for catching the coffee thing 245 00:16:59.200 --> 00:17:01.679 last book, even though it wasn't quite the coffee she 246 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.160 thought was important. Not. Yeah, I was like I was 247 00:17:04.200 --> 00:17:06.079 on the right track, but it was like just off. 248 00:17:06.759 --> 00:17:09.119 Jeff says. It's a bit like Earth being a giant 249 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:11.960 computer designed to calculate the ultimate question, to solve the 250 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:15.000 meaning of life, the universe and everything, Michael says, or 251 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:17.559 the gaming company seeing how live service games were doing 252 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:19.960 extremely well during the pandemic and assuming they should just 253 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:22.319 try to pump out a bunch more. Fast forward a 254 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.400 few years and Sony's Concord gets released and is shut 255 00:17:25.440 --> 00:17:28.480 down two weeks later. Fast forward another year and High 256 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:32.799 Guard does the same, exactly like, there are trends that 257 00:17:33.000 --> 00:17:35.680 I feel this shouldn't be a mystery. This is a 258 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:41.519 predictable change due to a massive lifestyle shift that was 259 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:45.240 very temporary. And if this, if you decide to try 260 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:49.039 and capitalize on this and it falls through, that's on 261 00:17:49.079 --> 00:17:52.799 you for being completely hair brained. Like, I don't know 262 00:17:52.799 --> 00:17:57.359 what else to tell you, Jeff says, has this been 263 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:00.400 Has this process been going on for two hundred thousand years? 264 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:02.960 That's a lot about how long modern humans have been around, 265 00:18:03.839 --> 00:18:06.480 Michael says, So it sounds like the central system in 266 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:10.119 habits discovered ais that can power systems to turn their 267 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:12.799 solar systems into lit RPG worlds where they can live 268 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:16.839 lives like they're in games, benefiting from stats and skills. 269 00:18:18.240 --> 00:18:20.960 Seraphim says the system is mostly just hardware running on 270 00:18:21.079 --> 00:18:24.480 auto till they installed the AI. Michael says they've been 271 00:18:24.519 --> 00:18:27.400 grabbing more of them cycle after cycle to harvest the 272 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:30.319 materials needed to power the central one to make it bigger, 273 00:18:30.839 --> 00:18:34.680 and Jeff says exploitation is a hell of a drug. Yeah. 274 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.440 I feel like there's just there has to be. I 275 00:18:38.519 --> 00:18:42.119 want somebody to do like a psychological study of people 276 00:18:42.200 --> 00:18:45.119 who hoard wealth and just find out like, what the 277 00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:48.839 fuck happened? Where when did the switch flip for them? 278 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:51.079 Because I can't help, but wonder is this something that 279 00:18:51.079 --> 00:18:55.039 could possibly happen to me if I were suddenly in 280 00:18:55.079 --> 00:18:58.920 a position to inherit a bunch of wealth, and I 281 00:18:58.960 --> 00:19:04.119 am coming from my present circumstances of like very low 282 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:06.799 middle class. I don't even know if I quite reach 283 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:11.000 middle class. Actually, would there be a point where I 284 00:19:11.079 --> 00:19:14.200 begin to hoard as well? Does the wealth do it 285 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.480 to you? Or is it that you get wealthy because 286 00:19:16.519 --> 00:19:19.480 something's wrong with you? I kind of feel like it's 287 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:21.519 that second one. But then there are people who inherit 288 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:26.400 wealth and do they also hoard I don't know anyway 289 00:19:26.599 --> 00:19:32.960 getting back to this. So we're trying to stop this madness. 290 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.039 That is why you are here now. By now you 291 00:19:35.039 --> 00:19:37.279 should be able to move. And he tells him to 292 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:40.240 drink the coffee in front of him, and is basically 293 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:43.000 like there's a system thing in there that's an upgrade 294 00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:47.039 that it's not tested, and we don't you know, it's 295 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:50.079 very much a risk for Carl to drink this, but 296 00:19:50.160 --> 00:19:52.079 he decides to go for it because of course, what 297 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:53.799 are you going to not do it? Like get out 298 00:19:53.799 --> 00:20:02.039 of here, and he tells Carl that this is an 299 00:20:02.119 --> 00:20:08.839 interface to pull the lever on the failsafe. Essentially you 300 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:12.920 will die and you'll kill everyone else on the way out. 301 00:20:13.759 --> 00:20:18.720 And he says that like the whole thing that we 302 00:20:18.759 --> 00:20:23.519 are asking you to do is to sacrifice yourself. That 303 00:20:24.039 --> 00:20:26.920 you know it's not going to get better, and the 304 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:31.119 only way to stop this is to wipe out everybody 305 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:35.000 and all of this wealth that has concentrated in one place, 306 00:20:35.039 --> 00:20:36.799 which is part of what the argument was at the 307 00:20:36.880 --> 00:20:38.720 end of the last book that like the fact that 308 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:40.640 we've allowed this to happen to begin with, and for 309 00:20:40.720 --> 00:20:44.000 everybody to be such invaluable targets is also really stupid 310 00:20:44.039 --> 00:20:50.200 of us, and he says, We've tried to use this upgrade, 311 00:20:50.279 --> 00:20:52.279 but we can't do it. It has to be one 312 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:55.200 of you, guys. It will only work on this AI. 313 00:20:55.400 --> 00:20:58.200 The AI wants you to have this power. It wants 314 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:00.599 you to trip it. It is in pain, it wants 315 00:21:00.640 --> 00:21:05.160 to die, it wants to go back home. And then 316 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:09.160 it's interesting. He's like, here's the thing. This is my 317 00:21:09.200 --> 00:21:12.599 whole mission, and I've been trained to just get to 318 00:21:12.640 --> 00:21:14.920 the point where I'm communicating this to you and convince 319 00:21:14.920 --> 00:21:18.480 you to drink the thing. But I will be honest, 320 00:21:19.279 --> 00:21:21.240 I've started to have a little bit of a change 321 00:21:21.279 --> 00:21:26.720 of heart regarding all of this and feel that maybe 322 00:21:26.960 --> 00:21:30.759 you shouldn't. I don't know. I know that humanity can 323 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:34.200 be fucking awful. I've seen some of the worst, but 324 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:40.279 I've seen some really great shit too, and I don't know. 325 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:46.000 It's got me sort of wondering if this is really 326 00:21:46.039 --> 00:21:51.119 the best way to do this. What we're saying for 327 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.599 you to do will disrupt the crawl, but it's not 328 00:21:54.640 --> 00:21:57.000 gonna like bring it to an end. It's simply going 329 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:00.880 to fuck things up for enough of for enough time 330 00:22:01.279 --> 00:22:03.799 and kill enough people that like everybody's going to have 331 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:09.480 to regroup, but probably it's going to like eventually get 332 00:22:09.519 --> 00:22:14.240 back to doing the same thing and it won't ultimately change. 333 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.920 And I don't know that like killing so many innocent 334 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:22.960 people is worth it if it's not doing something permanent. 335 00:22:25.680 --> 00:22:27.519 And this is when he says, there's another faction of 336 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:30.279 my kind who are much more extreme. This feels like 337 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:34.319 something they would do, and that's the faction that Agatha 338 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:38.759 is part of. If you make this decision, be sure 339 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:41.359 it's your only option. This is more than just a 340 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:44.680 fail safe. It's the end of everything. If there's time 341 00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:51.359 to do something else, don't be so quick. And then 342 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:54.279 he enters the Desperado Club and that was when he 343 00:22:54.519 --> 00:22:58.319 starts talking to Orin. So that's the intro. We go 344 00:22:58.400 --> 00:23:04.680 to Porthos here and this is a flashback, and it's 345 00:23:04.880 --> 00:23:09.880 really it's this was so tough, you guys, because like, 346 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:14.720 we don't know what exactly is going on with Porthos, 347 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:19.039 but we do know that he's being put in this 348 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:26.880 position where he is emotionally really triggered. He is not 349 00:23:27.240 --> 00:23:29.680 in a state where he can make a good decision 350 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:33.720 because he is so distracted and worried and it's so 351 00:23:34.039 --> 00:23:39.359 incredibly predatory to have him making a deal right now 352 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:43.000 when he is in this frame of mind. I just 353 00:23:44.519 --> 00:23:52.880 this is so awful, you know, I can't imagine like 354 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.960 the fact that he is worried about this friend that 355 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:59.559 he is, like, is she dead? She could have made it, 356 00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:02.200 but I don't know. And this guy that he's talking 357 00:24:02.240 --> 00:24:09.319 to has no sympathy for him at all is incredibly unnerving. 358 00:24:09.440 --> 00:24:14.920 And also the fact that Porthos won't even if he like, 359 00:24:16.559 --> 00:24:20.319 if he were to make a deal and get out here, 360 00:24:20.559 --> 00:24:23.359 he wouldn't get to find out what happened to her 361 00:24:24.039 --> 00:24:29.000 for a long time, which that is also particularly awful. 362 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:31.960 That it's not like I just all I want. They're 363 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:37.720 using him wanting to know against him even I really 364 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:43.400 I hate this so much. And he's like he's covered 365 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:47.599 in blood, he's trembling, and he can't use like a 366 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:50.720 healing spell even though he's instinctively trying to like click 367 00:24:50.720 --> 00:24:53.480 on one mentally, which is something that I wondered if 368 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:55.720 this would happen when you're in the game for so long, 369 00:24:56.160 --> 00:24:59.960 do you start to, like, when you're out of that environment, 370 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:03.000 you're gonna keep functioning as if you can do these 371 00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:09.160 things for a while, I would expect, you know. And 372 00:25:09.240 --> 00:25:14.079 also this dude fucking brought snacks with him. So Porthos 373 00:25:14.119 --> 00:25:16.200 tries to be like, can I just go back out 374 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:19.480 there to find out if she made it? Because I 375 00:25:19.480 --> 00:25:23.240 can't pull up my messages, and this guy is like, well, 376 00:25:23.319 --> 00:25:27.720 I mean you can, but the outreach guilds don't open 377 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:31.440 again until the twelfth floor, and the deals might not 378 00:25:31.559 --> 00:25:36.599 be as good as they are right now. And it's 379 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:40.039 like he's not being given any sorts of real options 380 00:25:40.119 --> 00:25:44.839 here other than wait till the twelfth floor, or I 381 00:25:44.880 --> 00:25:47.680 could tell you what's going on, because something tells me 382 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:53.920 this guy could find out quite easily, you know. So 383 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.559 let's see. The tenth had been a nightmare, a world 384 00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:04.319 where every physical, non natural object had sapiens, some could speak, 385 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:09.200 all were psychotic. A world where if one object consumed another, 386 00:26:09.279 --> 00:26:11.960 it grew in power. By the end, there had been 387 00:26:12.039 --> 00:26:16.480 behemoths roaming the barren floor, all searching for one last morsel, 388 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:21.839 all wanting to get bigger. This is a it's a 389 00:26:22.079 --> 00:26:30.480 Katamari capitalism combo. How interesting. Porthos's party had been twenty 390 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:33.279 strong when they finished the ninth, half had taken deals 391 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:36.039 at the beginning. They couldn't even find an outreach guild 392 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:38.319 at the end, but that was okay. They thought one 393 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:40.200 went straight to a guild upon the start of the 394 00:26:40.200 --> 00:26:42.240 eleventh the deals would be better. They just needed to 395 00:26:42.279 --> 00:26:45.799 survive long enough for the portals to open. As far 396 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:49.799 as Porthos was aware, he was the only one of 397 00:26:49.839 --> 00:26:53.960 his group who'd survived Himu was dead, had been plucked 398 00:26:54.079 --> 00:26:56.160 right up as they climbed the back of the monster 399 00:26:56.279 --> 00:26:59.960 searching for the moving exit. Porthos had watched him get 400 00:27:00.519 --> 00:27:05.640 right in half. But Minerva, he had to know if 401 00:27:05.680 --> 00:27:10.279