Humanity was reunited by the mega corporations during and after the Great Migration. While nation-states emphasized differences, global production and economy always led the way in eliminating them. States did not cease to exist, but their role significantly diminished. Their role was limited to keeping traditions and sociolinguistics alive, which defined a loose group identity. States did not possess significant productive forces, although they controlled the rights to utilize the lands within their territories.

  The Earth's population united under the universal banner of survival. Australia broke away from this unity thirteen years ago. They severed ties with the global corporations and used their own technological power instead of the corporations' resources. Since their goals did not radically differ from those of the united Earth, they did not face retaliation.

  The memory of the worldwide traumas that halved humanity was sought to be kept alive by the corporations and state politicians, so that something similar would not happen again. Humanity's attitude towards the planet changed radically. They no longer saw it as an inexhaustible resource, but as a sensitive system. They no longer called it Gaia, Mother Earth, but Sungsen, meaning "fussy god." No one wanted to anger it further.

  Bhicoog is the knowledge corporation, the new Church. It encompasses all previous knowledge, and its priests represent a human-centred religion that does not contradict any of the great old religions. The Founder is a successful and charismatic teacher and scientist who, at the end of the Era of Change, put all his energy into preventing an even greater tragedy for an increasingly fragmented and atomized humanity. He synthesized a meta-religion from the five great world religions, centred on humanity and community. In the escalating chaos, the ideas he proclaimed, and their simple community practices spread rapidly, but not enough to stop or reverse the processes.

  The Founder knew that without science, relying solely on religious practices, he could not achieve long-term results. Therefore, with the help of his community, he purchased one of the long-established IT giants, Google, to use its infrastructure and accumulated knowledge to build a new knowledge-based world. Using the initial letters of the four great world religions—Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity—he founded Bhicoog. Those who joined the network, renounced their discoveries for the benefit of the community; in return, the community provided for their livelihood and helped their work. The Knowledge Network developed from this network.

  Bhicoog purchased the first land and built the first self-sufficient, self-sustaining city for its members, which later became the prototype for other cities.

  Since then, Bhicoog's scientists and priests have overseen the Knowledge Network, programmed the artificial intelligence of the assistants, and their algorithms also calculated the remuneration for work performed. The religious character of the corporation remained in the Era of Reconstruction, although the historical churches were not abolished.

  Bhicoog operates most of the basic infrastructures: the energy network, and the food and clothing production complexes.

  Their scientists tirelessly explore the biological and inanimate world, and study society. They examine society through their network, at both individual and community levels, gently guiding it towards achieving formulated common goals. Their priests strengthen community cohesion and peace.

  Advanced Protection (AP). Humanity’s military organization.

  It was founded during the Era of Change by members of radical, green terrorist groups. Initially, their purpose was to eliminate technologies, by force, if necessary, that yielded short-term profit, but posed a visible threat to ecology. Later they sought to counteract the climate impacts affecting civilization, by building or destroying dams, blasting volcanoes, introducing phosphorus into open sea waters, and by causing algal blooms. Their social perception was decidedly negative. Bhicoog isolated some of their leaders, who were later diagnosed as mentally ill, and with the help of technology, put the organization at the service of humanity's long-term protection.

  Initially, Bhicoog built an intelligence organization that detected population movements, wars, famines, and self-proclaimed dictators, mitigating their effects as much as possible, not shying away from violence. Later, in the beginning of the Era of Reconstruction, they turned their attention to the future and established the first space colony. They received the resources necessary for their operation through Bhicoog's Knowledge Network.

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  Currently, they are responsible for the development of space travel. They possess extraterrestrial resources, mines on planets and moons, and they build space settlements and platforms. Their military force is prepared for an expected external attack or other external threat. But they also have small units deployable on Earth.

  The AP's last major intervention on Earth that caused a stir was the action preceding the Australian secession in 2179, which did not reverse but accelerated the continent's withdrawal from the Knowledge Network, thus severing it from most of humanity.

  Human Helper (HuH) – This organization is responsible for the development of human communities. Education, healing and entertainment fall under their control.

  After the first self-sufficient city had been built, it became necessary to provide for people according to age groups. Bhicoog recognized that it could not perform every task, so it founded Human Helper, to which it naturally provided with all the data collected and the intelligences having been developed. Since the level of automation in the city was unprecedented, HuH's primary task was to create entertainment at a level that engaged the masses of unemployed people, and moreover, did so in a way that their mental and physical condition did not significantly deteriorate. HuH’s secondary task was to organize education and select those who were worthy of work. The unemployed population was seen as a resource from which future scientists and leaders would emerge. The system supported social mobility with every means at its disposal.

  The entertainment industry grew into one of the largest industries. Sports, music, and the arts, especially performing arts, gained unprecedented importance in society. HuH became the primary guardian of social peace, seconded by the priests of Bhicoog.

  Mechanical Helper (MeH). A company developing robots. They develop all robots providing basic services.

  Bhicoog designed the first self-sustaining city alone, but it involved other large companies in its construction. Its expectation was that the companies would create machines that could autonomously perform various sub-tasks related to construction. The first-generation machines were classic 3D printers and self-propelled robots serving them.

  The same consortium also created the machine park necessary for the city's maintenance and operation, based on similar principles. Leveraging its economic power, Bhicoog merged its supporters into a single corporation, which became MeH, during the construction of subsequent cities.

  Due to technological advancement, it has also become true for machines that they had to function as part of a circular economy.

  Thus, machines have increasingly resembled flesh-and-blood beings as a result of breakthroughs in biology and material science; the raw material from which they have been created is hydrocarbon-based, just like in living organisms.

  MeH's activities include operating the operational network and organizing transportation. The operational network and its associated intelligence are physically and protocol-wise separated from the Knowledge Network, to ensure that neither the Knowledge Network nor the robots can cross certain boundaries. The operational network has a much stronger identification and authorization system than the Knowledge Network. However, it only uses specialized intelligences to ensure the system remained sufficiently controllable.

  Minereal – A consortium manufacturing mining and consumer products. Its product portfolio ranges from mining to finished products.

  After the majority of the industry, the services, and the population had joined the Knowledge Network, those performing production activities had no other choice. This led to the creation of Minereal. Their primary task is the extraction and recycling of raw materials, but they also manufacture finished and semi-finished products for other uses.

  Their production capacity is greater than required, and a portion is reserved for private use. Unique, premium products are manufactured in the same place and under the same principles as other, mass-produced goods. Their biggest challenge is the logistics of raw materials between cities, which is artificially restrained to minimize environmental damage.

  Minereal's task is to organize and conduct the dismantling in the zones and to recycle the raw materials recovered from them.

  Their mines are mostly in space, on other planets and moons. Humanity has ceased consuming its own planet.

  Mayors

  Independent cities are led by independent organizations. However, since the cities have been built on the infrastructure of large corporations, the mayors’ role is limited. Their main tasks are the first-level handling of error reports from the public, maintaining peace and order, and preserving the city's values.

  Individual cities can choose which of the different values they want to prioritize. These value choices are taken into account by the truth-stamp. It is important that no value could be chosen that would be suitable for excluding other groups. Thus, cities cannot define themselves against something; they can only choose a positive self-identity.