Hyperdimensional Warlock

Chapter 4307 A New Choice
Not obsessed with prolonging life, but simply about long-term existence?

Liriel always felt that there was something strange about this statement: how can one exist for a long time without extending one's lifespan?

Perhaps sensing Lillie's confusion, Normfins said calmly, "If you have any doubts, you can look at me."

"Since you have heard of my name, you must know my fate in the abyss."

The withered one and Liriel exchanged a glance, then nodded to Normefens: "Rumor has it that Your Excellency is... dead."

Normfins: "The rumor is true."

"My physical body has indeed died, but my consciousness has transformed into a new individual... and has become what it is today."

"Do you understand what I mean now?"

Normefens paused there, offering no further explanation. But the withered ones and Liriel already understood its meaning.

The physical body perishes, but it can live on in another way.

The withered one's understanding was more profound, because it thought of Elam, whose current state was most likely what Normefens described as "eternal existence."

...the perpetuation of consciousness.

In a sense, this can be considered a form of life extension, but will Lillie accept such an outcome?

The withered one turned to look at Liriel.

Liriel already understood Normefens's meaning: abandon her old form and live on in a new one. She certainly seemed to have survived, but... was this really her?

Normfins: "Why not her? Consciousness governs all selves; it was just that it was previously attached to the raft of the body, and now it has changed to a new raft."

Liriel: "But..."

Normfins interrupted directly: "No buts. Although I enjoyed the show earlier, rules are rules... You two each have one question. If you keep asking, then I can only count the question I gave you as this one."

Lillie had a lot of questions she wanted to ask, but she didn't dare to say anything more at this moment.

Nomefens snorted coldly: "In short, to live in a form similar to mine is a way to prolong life, but it also has some side effects."

"But I won't go into what those side effects are for now."

“If you want Astrid to take this path, you should consider it carefully before the labyrinth ends.” Nomefens paused, looking at Liriel. “Of course, I won’t provide this method for nothing. If you want her to take this path, you will need to pay the corresponding price.”

"Contact me again once you've thought it through."

"If you still have questions, you can choose to use your questions to ask me later, or you can pass the test of my other clones and let them answer them."

After saying this, Normeffens said no more.

Meanwhile, Lillie's mind was in turmoil, and she never expected to encounter a new solution here.

But this solution clearly requires a lot of effort—not from myself, but from Astrotec.

Astrids's decision to abandon her past body and exist in the new world as a consciousness is tantamount to directly overturning the tower of the wizarding system built over the past centuries and opening up a new path.

The wizarding system is an extremely powerful system, directly targeting miracles.

This new path is unlikely to be comparable to the Wizard's Path.

In other words, this is choosing the smaller over the larger.

However, this is Liriel's perspective from her own point of view. Astrid, who is nearing the end of her life, may have different thoughts.

Liriel's mind was in turmoil, with all sorts of thoughts popping up like mushrooms after rain.

She didn't know whether she should make this decision.

Will Astrid agree?

What if I switch methods, but Astrid disagrees?
Moreover, she couldn't discuss it with Astrid because Normefens had made it clear that a decision had to be made before the labyrinth ended... Should she take a gamble, or play it safe?
Furthermore, Normefens also mentioned that the longevity of consciousness has side effects. What are these side effects? And what should be done if they are significant?
Liriel had so many questions she wanted to ask, but the rules set by Normiffens prevented her from asking any more.

At that moment, the voice of the withered one rang out from the side.

"It's your turn. Don't keep Lord Normfins waiting."

When Liriel came to her senses, she realized that Normfins was staring intently at her with his murky eyes. Although he didn't urge her, the daggers in his eyes were already flying.

"Ask what you most want to ask first. If you still have questions, we'll have more opportunities later," the withered one whispered. "There are at least thirty more walls of questions. Ask them one by one; that should be enough."

Nomifens snorted coldly: "Alright, if you don't want me to make things difficult for you in the discussion between the clones, hurry up and ask your questions. I have no interest in wasting any more time on you."

It must be said that this statement is very intimidating.

Normefens' clones seem to be able to share all the information from the conversations. The answer from the previous wall of questions is clearly known to Normefens' clones when they meet on the next wall of questions.

In other words, they genuinely do exchange information and hold group discussions in private. If this clone were to add a few negative comments about them during the discussion, it would be virtually impossible for them to get another chance to ask questions from Normefens.

Even the Wall of Questions set up by Normefens later might become more difficult for no reason!

Therefore, the most important thing now is not to think about those tedious questions, but to ask questions quickly!
Liriel suppressed her racing thoughts: "My question is..."

Liriel paused, many questions flashing through her mind, and finally, guided by her heart, she spoke: "Regarding the civilization of the Decayers... is there still a solution?"

Yes, Liriel did not ask about Astrid or about the longevity of consciousness; she chose to follow her heart and help the withered find a solution.

It's like the withered one helping himself find answers.

This question surprised everyone, especially the withered one... A warm feeling first washed over it, but it was quickly replaced by helplessness.

I'm moved, but the "solution" has already been found!

Asking this question now is pointless!
However, the Decaying One could not speak out, after all, it involved Angor, and it could only watch helplessly as Liriel wasted the opportunity.

After a long silence, Normeffens slowly said, "This question is too broad, and I cannot answer it in detail."

"The question of civilization is too broad, while the question of the individual is too personal. The answer to the former is general, while the answer to the latter varies from person to person."

"The problems of the decaying one focus on both the former and the latter, which makes this question very difficult to answer."

"Moreover, even the answers are very subjective."

"This may not be suitable for the withered."

Normfins then looked at Liriel and asked, "If your parents were to set the course for the major events in your life, would you be willing?"

Liriel shook her head in silence.

Normfins: "So you don't want others to interfere with your path; you want to forge your own path."

"Similarly, the withered one probably doesn't need my guidance, because the fire in its eyes has never been extinguished."

"I have always believed that resilient weeds will constantly adapt to changes in the soil, and life, like weeds, will always find its own way out."

"The withered one already has the answer, and this answer does not need to be pointed out by others."

After speaking, Normefens closed his eyes without waiting for their reaction.

This also means that the wall of questions has been completely passed.

Treasure Chest Icons: 11/99

"Lion icon: 6/36"

……

After a brief silence, Liriel, who had resumed her journey with the Decaying One, spoke first: "Originally, we agreed that the Wall of Inquiry would first inquire about this world's information, but I got selfish..."

The withered one: "It was my own willfulness that started it."

Lillie quickly shook her head: "No, your question is an extra question. You can ask anything you want."

The Decaying One: "I can return the same words to you."

Liriel remained silent.

The Decaying One: "So, since the question has already been asked and the decision has already been made, there's no need for reflection. Besides, we've both gained something, haven't we?"

Liriel recalled Normefens's earlier answer.

"I did learn something from what you said, but you..."

The Decaying One: "My gain is not in getting a precise answer, but in gaining new insights."

"New insights?"

The Decaying One nodded, not only in response to Normefens's answer, but also because it had gained a new understanding of Liriel herself.

However, the withered one did not explain further, but changed the subject and asked, "Speaking of which, what do you think of the method that Normefens just provided?"

Liriel hesitated for a while before slowly speaking: "I can't make decisions for Astrid, but as her teacher, I want to give her more options."

The Decaying One: "You mean..."

Lillie: "Astrid can do without this method; but I cannot do without it."

In Liriel's view, the best approach is to directly extend Astrid's lifespan so that she can continue living in human form, rather than replacing her with an unknown consciousness and gambling on an unknown future.

but.

Liriel was also well aware of one thing: Astrid's time was running out, and she might not be able to wait for the true method of prolonging life to arrive.

As for the old city... Liriel had to admit that the withered one was right. Even if there were miracles there, they weren't necessarily miracles for her and Astrid. Perhaps from the very beginning, it was just a move on the demon's chessboard.

Of course, Liriel is not going to abandon the old city.

She will still wait and search for clues to unlock it; but now she is more rational and more aware that it is unwise to place all her hopes on the old city.

Having more options and grasping more possibilities gives you more confidence.

At least when the end comes, she won't be left helplessly watching Astrid's life slip away without any chance to stop it.

"However, although I have decided to obtain this method from Normefens... before that, I still want to carefully inquire about the possible drawbacks of this method."

“So…” A hint of guilt flashed in Liriel’s eyes, and her tone softened a bit: “If we encounter the Wall of Questions in the future, and Normefens allows us to ask questions, I hope to prioritize understanding all the advantages and disadvantages of this method.”

“Of course, I don’t intend to monopolize the question-asking opportunities,” Lillie quickly added. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask them anytime. If I end up using up more question-asking opportunities than I should, I will definitely find a way to compensate you.”

The withered one waved his hand: "No need to draw such clear lines. It's just a few issues, I don't care."

"Besides, I didn't really lose out."

"This method may be most useful to Astrid at the moment, but it is also a potential option for us?" The Decayer said, "After all, we will also reach the end of our lives one day."

Hearing the withered one's answer, Liriel finally felt relieved and smiled with ease.

After a moment of silence, Liriel looked at the dark corridor ahead and murmured, "When I first came to this unfamiliar maze, I was full of worries. But I never expected that I would find a new solution here."

“As Normefenes said, life will find its own way.” The Decayer: “But the prerequisite is that you must first take a step forward.”

Liriel nodded.

She had been staying at the Dream Experience Center all along, making it difficult for her to find new opportunities. Only by stepping out of the room did she encounter this new turning point.

"I owe you a lot this time. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to come into contact with this source of strange dreams."

"Speaking of which, what kind of world is this strange dream?" Liriel: "Such a realistic labyrinth, and a way to bring Nomephons back from the dead..."

The sudden shift in topic made the withered man's heart skip a beat.

It remained silent for a moment before asking, "What do you think this place might be?"

Liriel shook her head: "I don't know either, I have absolutely no clue."

"You're a dream wizard, do you really have no idea what's going on here?" the withered one asked again.

Liriel pondered for a while before speaking: "To say that I had no guesses at all would be a lie. However, my guesses are somewhat outrageous, and I myself think they are impossible."

"Oh?" the withered one asked. "Could you tell me about it?"

Liriel thought for a moment, and since she had nothing else to do, she nodded and said, "Okay."

After a pause, Liriel leaned closer and whispered in a voice barely above a whisper, "Have you ever heard of the Deep Dream Civilization?"

The Decaying One: "!!!"

The withered creature's pupils contracted slightly, but fortunately, Liriel didn't turn to look at it. It quickly composed itself and said, "I once heard the Scholar mention it. It is said to be a civilization located in a dream."

Liriel: "It can be understood as a civilization in a dream, but to be more accurate, it should be described as a civilization in the dream world."

The Decayer: "You think this is the Deep Dream Civilization?"

Liriel nodded, then shook her head: "I don't know, it's just a guess. But it's probably not true, after all, the Deep Dream Civilization is a legend even in the Dream Witch circle, and the top Dream Witches have never seen it in person."

"Someone like me, a middling dream sorceress, treats the Deep Dream Civilization as nothing more than a myth."

The withered one said softly, "Then why did you guess that this is the Deep Dream Civilization?"

Lillie shrugged: "Because I can't think of any other answer... I've been wandering in dreams for years, and all I see are bizarre and strange environments. Stable dreams do exist, but if you look closely, you can still see the flaws."

"And this maze was completely flawless, just like a real physical environment."

(End of this chapter)