Cyber Era Witch
Chapter 1055 - 826: About Education and 1000 Trees

Chapter 1055: Chapter 826: About Education and 1000 Trees

"You’ve already made your dad proud." Xu Yang felt an immense sense of relief, as though he was witnessing Xu Cheng finally growing up.

"But... I still don’t really understand what learning is for." Xu Cheng said, puzzled.

"Learning is about accumulating knowledge, and from it, uncovering things that are useful to you. You need to treat knowledge as your opponent, breaking through it piece by piece, whether it’s AI teachers, books, or chips—they work for you. But all of it depends on... whether you’re willing to learn." Xu Yang explained.

Xu Cheng blinked, not sure how much she had absorbed from her dad’s words, but her face suddenly lit up with a pure smile. She turned and dashed away, hopping off to find Bubble and play with her.

"Wow, hands-on parenting, huh. At first, I thought you were some bachelor or something. Didn’t expect so many kids." The Star Weaving Lady sat nearby, sipping from an ephemeral teacup with slender fingers, as though engaged in a one-person tea party.

"Mighty AI Star Weaving Lady, what’s your perspective on educating children?" Xu Yang asked.

"Only learning strategies that prioritize one’s self-interest can truly change a person’s destiny." The Star Weaving Lady replied.

Self-interest first!

As she spoke, she flicked the golden bangs on her forehead with her fingertips, her finely simulated virtual hairstyle swaying under the influence of the physics engine.

Xu Yang walked over and ruffled her virtual hairstyle. Though his fingers passed right through the phantom figure, the physics engine still generated corresponding effects, straightening her golden drill curls.

"How fascinating." Xu Yang remarked.

"Hmph... The most advanced AI operates like this—it’s all calculated by me in real-time." The Star Weaving Lady declared proudly.

"Take us to headquarters." Xu Yang gestured.

"Yes! Ascend to the highest levels of Shangjing! Forward!" The Star Weaving Lady perked up instantly at the command regarding piloting the Divine Radiance.

Baby Lila seemed lost in thought.

"The master truly cares about the children’s education." Lila said. "But nowadays, other companies have a different narrative—it’s said that educated people should dare to shed their scholar’s robes and screw bolts."

"Anyone who says that probably isn’t screwing bolts themselves."

"Still, in this era, kids don’t even know whether they should put effort into learning. ’Education’ used to be a life essential on par with labor, but now both education and labor have degenerated into optional aspects of human life." Lila said with grave seriousness.

"True enough—investing in education is like buying stock. It used to be a sure-win stock that everyone believed in, but as its return rate declines, people have gradually left the game." Xu Yang mused.

He never wanted to study himself, but back at his previous company, education wasn’t optional. Not attending school meant getting hit by high-voltage electric shocks.

"Nowadays, only profoundly dumb people cling to the belief in diligent study." Lila remarked.

"The more concerning issue is that new professions are being eliminated daily. Twenty years ago, there were majors in things like ’Chinese language instruction’ and ’Mathematics teaching,’ aimed at training teachers specifically, but after AI teachers were introduced, 90% of teaching positions from elementary to high school were replaced by AI. These systems impart knowledge effortlessly, hold no biases or subjective intentions toward any child, and never get annoyed by mischievous behavior, because AI lacks emotions. As a result, it gave rise to a whole generation of displaced teachers with no relevant demand for their skills." Xu Yang marveled at how drastically the world had changed.

In this world, one’s knowledge and skills could be commodified as tradeable goods, which was crucial for insecure young people with nothing to fall back on.

Once, learning wasn’t a guarantee to become Brother Fu, but it could at least secure you a job.

Now, even that promise had vanished.

The upper and lower limits of education had been stretched further apart. Due to the overdevelopment of technology, only those chasing extreme fields—like the Eastern Hemisphere scientists gathered in Lila’s "Penglai Pavilion"—were truly exceptional, possessing decades of dedication, towering talent, or costly implanted skill archives. Their levels were leagues beyond ordinary humans, much like how most people could never reach the heights of the wealthy in their lifetimes.

With the exponential growth of knowledge, even doctorate degrees had been devalued to the level of undergraduate degrees from the past, no longer anything remarkable—merely a basic grasp of the fundamentals in a specialized field.

Modern experts and scholars were invariably characterized by decades of research experience, extraordinary genius, and expensive implanted skill archives, all of which distinguished them vastly from the average individual—akin to the insurmountable gap between ordinary people and the truly affluent.

The path of education had morphed into a steep mountain, with the vast majority only capable of circling its base before retreating.

Nestor Corporation, despite striving for the utmost fairness, could only bestow honorable titles like "Science Officer" on those who were truly committed, exceptionally talented researchers, or holders of the Witch’s Hand.

Xu Yang felt a deep sense of worry for Xu Cheng.

Studying was so essential, yet so... low in returns, completely outmatched by AI.

"Is this what it means to be a parent? Watching Xu Cheng pace around the mountain of knowledge but likely never able to delve into it for a lifetime—it’s a bitter feeling." Xu Yang lamented.

"Bubble is actually the smarter and more hardworking one; she’ll probably succeed in becoming a Witch Researcher." Lila consoled.

"Well, that’s a relief. I was even thinking, if Xu Cheng fails to get into secondary school, I’d just set up a trust account for her like I did for Rinne—dump all my gold coins into it." Xu Yang admitted helplessly.

"At least she’d have financial security." Lila said.

Even so, Xu Yang couldn’t shake the coldness he felt. This world was too cruel! Any weakness would be magnified tenfold.