From the end of the world

Chapter 691 Let’s start again

This experience, which originated from the silver light and is intertwined with my spirit, can help me find the right path in the illusory and chaotic labyrinth of time and space.

Unlike the insights and experiences Xuanming imparted to me, the experience clusters that Xugou gave me allowed me to grasp all of their contents in an instant.

This also seems to be an effect of Xu Gou's special ability. I recall that back at the Luoshan branch base, Xu Gou had pasted cut-out pieces of history into the present—this shows that his ability involves not only "cutting" but also "pasting." What's manifesting now is the power to paste his insights and experiences onto others.

Because it doesn't involve forcibly integrating one's own subjective experience into another person's consciousness, but merely attaching it to the surface of their consciousness, it doesn't create a negative mental impact. However, perhaps precisely because of this, my understanding of this insight inevitably feels somewhat superficial.

While both Dog and I understand how to navigate the time-space maze, Dog might find it easy, while I'll face more difficulties. To put it another way, it's like playing a computer game: even if you memorize a pro's brilliant moves, it's hard to perfectly replicate them in practice. Fortunately, it's better than nothing; imitation should be manageable.

After completing its mission, Xu Gou bid us farewell, then dragged its weakened body into the air and flew away from the barrier surrounding the city.

Next up is the small bowl.

Thanks to the guidance of the Dog (戌狗), I can now return the small bowl to the outside world. Before that, I had some questions.

“Little Bowl, you should understand, right? There are serious hidden dangers in the matter of you helping Xu Gou ‘revive’ Ai Ye,” I said.

“I understand, that’s not a true resurrection; Ms. Ai Ye is still dead,” Xiao Wan said. “It probably won’t show for several years, but after a long time, Mr. Xu Gou will truly understand the difference between the dead and the living. He might become dissatisfied and resentful towards us and try again to truly resurrect Ms. Ai Ye.”

"However, this is already the best known solution, especially for Mr. Dog and Ms. Ai. They could not have coexisted in the first place, but now they can communicate and get along in this way. Therefore, Mr. Dog may be content with this situation in the future."

"I don't intend to deceive him about this. After we leave here, I will explain things clearly to him to avoid sowing the seeds of discord between us. After all, anyone with a deep understanding of the occult can see the problem. If we don't make things clear beforehand, the enemy might point it out on the battlefield in the future. That would be the real trouble."

"Just now, in order to allow him to wholeheartedly help Brother Zhuang Cheng conquer this illusory and chaotic spacetime maze, I didn't rush to explain all the details... The spacetime here is really too troublesome. Without his help, I'm afraid we won't be able to find any clues to the strategy no matter how long we spend."

After hearing her explanation, I shook my head.

“That’s not what I wanted to say,” I said. “Even if it’s still a dead person, it’s undoubtedly Ai Ye herself. Her personality will no longer grow or change; from another perspective, it can be understood as a special mental state. Rather than an ending where only one person can survive, I think Xu Gou would be more willing to accept the current situation where the two of them coexist.”

"The problem is... Little Bowl, you can't maintain Ai Ye's psychic state forever, can you?"

It's not that Xiaowan subjectively wanted to stop maintaining Aiye's psychic state. There is an objective limit to this.

To maintain Ai Ye's spiritual state, two conditions are required: one is the power of the small bowl's proper position in relation to Heaven and Earth, and the other is the power of the fragments of the divine seal.

Xiao Wan may not be able to keep either of these things indefinitely, especially the former.

If Xiaowan fulfills her mission as the embodiment of dreams, her soul will automatically disintegrate due to the loss of its purpose. Although I know the direction in which to strive for Xiaowan's continued existence, after that, Xiaowan will undoubtedly lose the soul components of Zhu Jiu and Zhu Shi. Among these, the power of the Correct Position Law of Heaven and Earth originates from the part of Zhu Shi from her childhood.

The little bowl, no longer the embodiment of dreams, will also cease to be a child of divinity, becoming even more powerless to maintain the spirit-connected state of the mugwort.

Secondly, there's the power of the Divine Seal fragments. If one wants to save the world but doesn't want to acknowledge the Gospel House's plan to slaughter humanity, then ultimately, one must collect all the Divine Seal fragments and fully repair the Divine Seal. At that point, Xiao Wan will no longer be able to possess the Divine Seal fragments, nor will she be able to use their power.

There are some points to consider regarding this part. If one possesses the complete Divine Seal, there's naturally no need to worry about various issues. But what if the Divine Seal is obtained by someone other than us? On the other hand, I personally do not intend to save the world, nor do I need to collect all the fragments of the Divine Seal myself. I might even stop those who intend to collect all the fragments of the Divine Seal to save the world. However, if Xiaowan is no longer the Child of Divinity, even with the fragments of the Divine Seal, she will not be able to continue communicating with Ai Ye.

I only thought of this now, while Xiaowan is much smarter than me; she must have thought of it from the very beginning.

Could it be that she intends to deceive Xu Gou for the time being, and that it would be enough to tie Xu Gou to the war chariot to attack the Gospel Institute, and it wouldn't matter what happens to Xu Gou and Ai Ye afterwards?
Although this cold-blooded approach is different from Xiaowan's usual demeanor, I think it's possible for Xiaowan to do such a thing.

I didn't explain my thoughts aloud, but Xiaowan seemed to understand everything I was thinking instantly. Then, she said, half-laughing and half-crying, "Brother Zhuangcheng, what kind of person do you take me for... How could I possibly do something so cruel to Mr. Xugou?" "So what are your plans?" I asked curiously.

"The current Ms. Aiye is not simply a dead person summoned by my power, but also the consciousness of Mr. Xugou running with a part of his own soul," Xiaowan said. "Although she will still need to rely on me to maintain her existence for a long time, as long as she runs long enough, she can naturally break free from my support and constraints and transform into the local consciousness inherent in that part of her soul—like grafting between plants. This is something I plan to tell Mr. Xugou in a while."

"At that time, even if I lose my status as the Child of God and the power of the Divine Seal Fragment, Ms. Ai Ye's consciousness will not suddenly disappear from Mr. Xu Gou's side."

After some thought, I raised a question: "Does it really transform into the consciousness of that part of the soul, or does that part of the soul, having operated the mugwort consciousness for a long time, learn how to recreate it after the mugwort consciousness disappears?"

That might not mean Ai Ye became the second personality of Xu Gou, but rather that Xu Gou split off a second personality that looked very much like Ai Ye.

Xiao Wan shook her head and said, "In other cases, it might indeed turn out that way, but Ms. Ai Ye is different. Don't forget, Ms. Ai Ye was originally an indispensable cornerstone that made up Mr. Xu Gou today. She was the inherent consciousness of that part of the soul from the very beginning."

In this light, it seems that the "resurrection" of Ai Ye was only possible due to a combination of many special conditions.

It's just about resurrecting an ordinary person, yet it took so much effort, and in the end, they weren't even truly resurrected... Thinking about it this way, the result Xiaowan mentioned seems to be nothing more than a consolation prize.

I accepted this theory and said, "So you've already arranged all the 'after-sales service' for the Dog side."

"Of course. Brother Zhuang Cheng, you actually misunderstood me as that kind of irresponsible bad girl, I'm so sad." Xiao Wan said with a smile.

"It was my fault. I will definitely make it up to you," I said sincerely.

"As long as you can come back alive from the battles to come, that will be the greatest gift in my heart," Xiao Wan said seriously. "Then, it won't be convenient for me to stay on the battlefield any longer, otherwise I'll just continue to be a burden to you. Send me away, Brother Zhuang Cheng."

"Okay, see you later," I said.

The little bowl nodded vigorously.

Then, I summoned flames. The orange-red flames surrounded the small bowl, then vanished completely. I returned the small bowl to the Luoshan headquarters.

I turned around and moved towards the depths of the city center, in the direction from which the magical fluctuations of the Water Master Xuanwu were emanating.

Although the spacetime here has changed significantly, the core logic remains largely the same as before. The rules of strict entry and lenient exit still apply, so the further out of the city you go, the less difficult it becomes; conversely, the deeper you go into the city center, the easier it is to get lost.

Of course, this is based on having the experience of the Dog (戌狗) as a guide. Without it, one will get lost whether going out or in. The current state of the Naval Black Tortoise is probably like that.

While moving, I continuously fed flame energy into the slag weapon. After the battles with Xuanming, Xugou, and the five Mengzhang avatars, the slag weapon had lost a significant amount of its flame reserves.

Fortunately, the fire reserves of the slag weapon were only insufficient during combat. Outside of combat, the fire reserves of the slag weapon recovered very quickly. After only walking around for a short while, the fire reserves had been restored to about 70-80%, returning to a level where combat could be fought with confidence.

At the same time, I also arrived near the area where the naval commander Xuanwu was located.

Just as I can sense him, he should be able to sense me now. I can clearly feel a heavy gaze falling upon me. The incompatibility between the Vermilion Bird successor and the Black Tortoise successor isn't just reflected in their magical power. His gaze itself seems to possess a strange suppressive force, capable of putting me at a disadvantage.

But in my heart, I felt a sense of reunion after a long separation. Although I had only known Xuanwu the naval commander for a day, his unwavering commitment to his promise until the very last moment of his life left a deep impression on me. To be frank, I respect him. He is a role model in my heart, in a different sense than Xuanming.

I stood in the middle of a street when suddenly, a black water cannon shot out from one corner of the street and hurtled towards me.

(End of this chapter)