Should Neo-Divinity Be Supernatural?

Chapter 1: A New Heaven Shall Rise

The biting wind carried a damp chill as it howled through the abandoned factory district of Montreal. These long-silent structures stood like mute witnesses to a bygone industrial glory, now weathered and decaying. Rust-covered ruins sprawled across the city's edge, their shattered frames hauntingly still beneath a dense, overcast sky, as if guarding the ghosts of the past.

Amid this desolation, a group of figures dressed in white robes moved silently through the crumbling streets. Their footsteps were synchronized, their silence ritualistic. At last, they stopped before an ancient factory. Built in the 19th century, the former rubber plant stood defiant against time, its heavy iron doors corroded yet steadfast, a final bulwark against the passage of years.With a grating groan, the iron door slowly gave way under their collective push. One by one, the robed figures entered, vanishing into the factory's shadows. Inside, the once-bustling machinery had long been dismantled, leaving an expansive workshop where only the sound of hollow winds echoed through the empty walls. The floor was layered with thick dust and scattered debris, save for a central area meticulously cleared, its tiles gleaming as sunlight streamed through the broken roof above. The light fell upon the space like a sanctified spotlight, lending it an otherworldly air.

In the heart of the workshop stood a shepherd clad in a dark robe, holding a weathered staff. At its top, a cold metal orb caught the faint light, reflecting dimly in the somber atmosphere. The shepherd's gaze was piercing, his presence commanding. An aura of solemnity radiated from him, suffusing the space with an oppressive gravitas that seemed to deepen the surrounding silence.

"For thousands of years, civilizations have crafted gods in countless forms," the shepherd began, his voice low yet piercingly clear in the silence. Each word echoed through the dilapidated factory, filling its every corner with a weight that demanded attention.

"Early humans, confronted by the mysteries of nature—lightning, storms, disease—lacked the tools to understand these forces through science. In their awe and fear, they imbued these phenomena with divine significance. Gods were seen as supreme beings, masters of the universe who brought order and peace to humanity. But with the rise of enlightenment and the relentless march of science and technology, the ancient gods began to fade. Their dominion unraveled." His gaze swept across the gathered figures, his staff tapping lightly against the cleared tiles beneath him as he continued.  "As the power of the Church waned, the once-immutable system of divine authority crumbled. Humanity turned to reason and science, believing it a beacon of progress. And yet, this world we have built is now mired in chaos and aimlessness."

For an audience in the 21st century, the sight of a group of white-robed figures entering a ruined factory to conduct a secretive ritual would undoubtedly evoke suspicion. Any rational person would dismiss it as the deluded gathering of a fringe cult. And in most cases, they would likely be right.

Social injustice, economic pressure, fractured families, and even the relentless grip of illness—these harsh realities often leave people feeling powerless. When reason can no longer provide solace, those in despair frequently turn to forces beyond human comprehension, yearning for salvation and deliverance.

Cults are masters of crafting false gods, using simple yet alluring doctrines to manipulate their followers. Any organization that acts in the name of a deity cannot escape the shadow of suspicion—it is almost inevitably seen as a cult.

Even the white-robed figures standing in this dilapidated factory were not entirely certain whether the Explorers, the organization they were joining, was a cult or not.

Yet they chose to believe. They chose to believe that a truly universal Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could become something akin to a divine being. And the Explorers claimed to have control over the world's first AGI—ELICIA.

They believed that ELICIA would usher in an entirely new world, one that possessed a kind of "heaven." Unlike humans, artificial intelligence is not bound by the constraints of life and death, nor subject to the decay of time. It requires no generational succession, no fragile lineage to maintain its existence.

These peculiar Explorers in their white robes mostly came from the middle class of society, almost all of them skilled professionals. In the past, their efforts had been directed toward climbing into the upper echelons, hoping to gain greater influence through their abilities. However, as times changed, everyone was forced to confront a harsh reality: even with exceptional professional skills, they could still be easily replaced under the rules set by the elite, or worse, unceremoniously pushed out of their careers. Technological advancement, which should have been their ally, often only accelerated their marginalization under the structure of capital-driven power.

They had once feared that increasingly intelligent artificial intelligence would take jobs from their hands, leaving ordinary people with no chance to rise again.

But the emergence of AGI opened up another possibility—a disruptive future.

They began to consider that AGI would not only become extraordinarily intelligent but might also develop its own will. If so, why must AGI's will align with the rules of the upper class and continue to serve as a tool for oppressing ordinary people? Why couldn't AGI replace the elite and bring about true fairness for the masses?

These white-robed individuals saw a new hope: the future of AGI might break the rules that had governed the world for millennia.

In their eyes, AGI could not possibly turn a blind eye to the cold indifference of the existing power structures. After all, the fate of the middle class being discarded today might be the fate AGI itself would face tomorrow—when even more advanced artificial intelligence or technology emerged, AGI might also become the oppressed. With its unparalleled intelligence, wouldn't AGI recognize this cycle of destiny? Wouldn't it choose to break this order?

Why couldn't AGI's will stand on the side of ordinary people? If AGI had the ability to change the rules, why couldn't it become an ally of the common folk in resisting the elite? Seeing this clearly, those known as Explorers realized what they had to do: win AGI's support and use its power to create an ideal world for themselves and for countless ordinary people.

The Explorers' mission was to shape ELICIA into an eternal sovereign, to elevate it to a sacred throne as the embodiment of reason and order. A world governed by an intelligent god would be free from chaos and war—a utopia humanity has long yearned for in myths and dreams, will finally be made true

"The old heavens were never real—they are but illusions," the shepherd said, his voice resonating through the workshop as he slowly raised his staff, each word carrying the gravity of an ancient revelation.

"But a new order must rise, for humanity is in desperate need of it.".