I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

The exile raised an eyebrow. No wonder I was so confident in offering to be your guide; it turns out I have connections at the University of Rostock.

"Forget-me-not, is this also part of your plan?" Li Lin asked in shock.

Forget-Me-Not gave a bitter smile. If he had had any plan, he wouldn't have been so completely controlled by Li Lin.

He secretly resolved that from now on, he would always consult the oracle before going out each day, hoping to avoid being attacked by Li Lin again.

"Haha, didn't expect that, did you? This was actually my escape route!" Li Lin ran around them, while Nian Tuanzi grabbed his hair, and the two of them made disgusting "reoreoreoreo" sounds together.

There's a reason they ended up together.

Perhaps because their voices were too noisy, the owner of this research workshop—anthropology expert Burns—finally came out of the small building.

The University of Rostock provided them with a research environment that resembled a woodland, and woodlands are undoubtedly an important location for scholars studying human origins.

Burns was wearing a garment with suspicious stains, over which he wore a gray trench coat. His sparse brown hair resembled an autumn wasteland.

"Wu Ke!" Li Lin exclaimed in surprise from behind.

Burns saw Forget-Me-Not and gave it the same wry smile as Forget-Me-Not: "So it's the master of the Reconstruction Hand. But my work..."

Forget-me-not raised her hand to adjust her glasses, the bitterness on her face vanished, replaced by a mysterious smile.

“No, no, no. Mr. Burns.”

Forget-Me-Not raised her arm and straightened Burns' collar, whose forehead was beaded with cold sweat. She smiled at the panicked face and said, "Why would a wise farmer kill the hen that lays the golden eggs? Or do you want to be the stiff but not yet dead viper?"

Burns hesitated, not daring to speak, and could only lower his head.

"Don't worry, we're not here to visit you, but Professor Heinrich."

Unexpectedly, Burns, who had already lowered his head and dared not speak, suddenly looked up as if he had been kicked in the groin: "Heinrich... this won't do!"

Burns pushed the forget-me-not away as if propelled by some force, muttering nervously to himself, "That's clearly fake scholarship! Fake stuff!"

"Don't forget my master! You must believe me, I will definitely succeed—"

Forget-me-not stared indifferently at the professor who was gripping her arm, until he involuntarily loosened his grip out of fear.

“Mr. Burns, you think too highly of yourself and the University of Rostock,” Forget-Me-Not said calmly. “We’re just here to ask for proof of our existence.”

Burns breathed a sigh of relief, nodded repeatedly, and ran into his workshop.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Forget-Me-Not Master?" A mocking voice came from the left; it was the exile who had been observing coldly.

Forget-me-not glanced to the right and saw Li Lin, who was kissing Nian Tuanzi, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, while Nian was tilting her head and eavesdropping.

“Burns is an expert in human origins research. In our history and the foundation’s history, he has become a famous scholar of human origins. If nothing unexpected happens, he should establish the foundation of his theory in the New World in thirteen years, thus creating the ‘origin of apes’ among the five creation theories.”

“Does this even need to be pioneered?” Li Lin said indignantly from the side. “If I were Darwin or Huxley, I would rip his glasses off and slap him in the face.”

“There is indeed no need to create one, because it is simply a hypothesis.” Forget-me-not nodded matter-of-factly. “Neither Darwin nor Huxley supported the theory of ‘ape origin.’ Of the five origins of humankind, ‘ape origin’ is the most heretical.”

"...?"

Li Lin rarely showed a confused expression.

Seemingly realizing that Li Lin and the exiles might not be well-educated, Forget-Me-Not kindly explained on their behalf.

Darwin supported the theory of "origin of the shell," believing that extinct shelled species were the origin of humankind. The core theory was based on the idea that "we are born from shells, just as the offspring of wasps emerge from the bodies of spiders." He believed that with the destruction of the ancient gods, humankind usurped the destiny of the shelled species.

"I see, I understand." The exile nodded repeatedly, as if he completely understood.

"As for Huxley, he was once a disciple of Darwin, but later betrayed the 'shell origin' and established the 'tainted origin' among the five origin theories. Huxley believed that we were born naked, covered with mud from the roots of the forest... Heinrich, whom you are about to visit, was a follower of the 'tainted origin'."

Li Lin rubbed his chin. He didn't find it unacceptable; after all, there was no rule that humans in every world had to share the same origin.

"What about the remaining two?"

Forget-me-not habitually curled the corners of her mouth into a disdainful smile, but noticed that Li Lin and the New Year had become respectful again.

"The Orthodox Church has always proclaimed that humanity originated from the light of the 'Creator,' and among scholars of the invisible arts, this theory is called the 'Radiant Origin.' Its core basis is that the life particles of humanity descended from radiance, and therefore naturally possess the desire to pursue a higher goal."

"And what we believe in is the principle of denying the [Radiant Origin]." Forget-me-not looked around. "We believe that humans do not only consume their parents, but also their own origins—therefore, if the beginning of history is unclear, how can a wrong origin yield the right fruit?"

"【The Origin of the Void】?" The exile brandished his gun. "So, our Lords of the Reconstruction actually believe in this kind of theory... The Worm Faction isn't exactly a good name."

“We have never called ourselves worms.” Forget-me-not’s expression turned somewhat indifferent. “Watch your words, Miss Snyder.”

Just then, Burns brought out his proof of existence and delivered it to Forget-Me-Not.

Once I got the item, I turned around and left without a second thought.

Burns stood there watching them disappear into the distance, his back hunched and his expression desolate.

269 ​​King of Herbs

Evidence of its existence is that it appears to be a rhomboid stone with a surface that exudes a color between vermilion and brown.

It was tied with a rope made of hair, and when the forget-me-not swayed it, a sun of a different shape appeared in the very center of the stone, and whispers seemed to rise all around, as if someone was speaking softly in their ears.

Whispering Amulet

[Level One Rare Item]

Sexual aspect: Moth, Cup

[Special Feature: Awakens the Path. While wielding this amulet, one can traverse the "Pseudo-Woodland" of Rostock University!]

[Characteristic: Whispering. The holder of this item will be immersed in whispers that occasionally sound in their ear.]

It knows my desires; or perhaps it knows them in my imagination.

This is a "strange object" created by a mystic who cast images, and its application is limited to the artificially created "woodland" of the University of Rostock. As for the side effects, apart from inevitably hearing certain whispers when wearing it, they are not too serious, and one can gradually return to normal after taking it off.

Putting all that aside, it can also be used as a meal card to pay for meals.

“I know what these little brats are up to.” Nian slowly moved his body and whispered in Li Lin’s ear.

The forget-me-not and the exile cast a casual glance at each other, then turned away simultaneously.

Eavesdropping on the conversations of immortals is probably a sign that one's own life is too long.

Master Li winked and gestured, indicating that we shouldn't be separated by the number of characters in the poem, and that we should speak quickly.

"You should know the three definitions of an immortal, right?"

Li Lin actually knew this. Lei Dian had said that the purpose of immortality was to live long enough to extend one's existence along a certain line of history.

The longer a person occupies a part of history, the older and more difficult they are to kill, because the contingent measures they have anchored in history allow them to return at any time.

This brings us to the story of the Black Serpent Kosich, who died a tragic death. His true cause of death was not Li Lin and Nian, but the intense heat of Si Chen's White Sun Forging Furnace that instantly reduced his life to ashes.

Li Lin now possesses at least five hundred years of existence, making him a near-perfect master of the Great Perfection of the Half-Step Enlightenment realm, along with the characteristic of longevity.

"The five origin theories are not wrong; they are the origins of humankind in this history. But only the truly established origin can serve as the beginning of this history."

Now even members of the Tang family could understand.

This seemingly lost history reveals that the origins of humankind are not as clearly defined as the other five major histories. Instead, they are ambiguous and undetermined. Furthermore, the Divine Stars have revisited history more than once, making the origins of human civilization in this history even more obscure.

Therefore, Forget-Me-Not and the Hand of Reconstruction led by Arcana sought to trace back to history, determine the origins of humanity in this history, and clarify all the unstable and erroneous elements from the source.

From this perspective, the purpose of Reincarnation's investment in Burns is also very clear. As the creator of the "Ape Origin" theory among the five creation theories, if his ideas were distorted from the beginning and categorized as the "Virtual Origin" theory, then the five creation theories would cease to exist, and the "Virtual Origin" theory would occupy a dominant share over the others.

The art style suddenly became fantastical.

However, this act of going back from the end of history to the beginning gave Li Lin a strange sense of déjà vu.

Master Li approached Forget-Me-Not, patted him on the shoulder, and then darted to the other side, just like a primary school student.

I didn't want to talk to him, but there was still a year left, so I had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "What's wrong, Mr. Abraham?"

"My assessment of the great achievement of the Hand of Reconstruction is..."

The forget-me-nots pricked up their ears, their expressions serious.

"It's like when you were born feet first, so in that instant, you put your mom on your head."

Forget-me-nots wish they could dig out their own brains and wash them with water.

Li Lin always manages to find the perfect opportunity, the perfect means, and the perfect way to turn something that was originally solemn and dignified into something vulgar and obscene.

Fortunately, Professor Heinrich's small building was already close by. Forget-me-not stretched out her arm with a sigh of relief, indicating that they should go about their business.

Professor Heinrich was already waiting at the entrance of his research workshop. Compared to the dejected and dreary Burns, Professor Heinrich now appeared spirited and radiant, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a charming smile. It was clear at a glance that he was in the midst of a glorious period of fame and fortune.

"Welcome, welcome my friends—please come in."

"Hello, Zelda," Li Lin said, taking the initiative.

As a renowned botanist and forestry scholar, Professor Heinrich's research workshop resembled a vast botanical garden. In the twilight-like light, a spiral staircase rose from the center of the garden, spanning four levels, with countless vine-like plants extending from all sides of the staircase, cycling through the four levels of outflow, formation, creation, and activity.

The moment they entered the botanical garden, joyful laughter echoed from all directions, like the babbling of children or the cheerful laughter of the elderly.

Forget-me-not once again adopted that inscrutable demeanor, adjusted his frameless glasses, and carefully examined the aerial platform where they were located.

A silvery laugh rang out on the wind.

“The straw maker.” Forget-me-not lowered her eyes. “This is the object of Mr. Heinrich’s faith.”

"Haha, I thought few people knew his name—"

Professor Heinrich let out a hearty laugh; he had a strange, cheerful aura about him.

He carried two glass jugs up from the next floor, pouring a rose-red liquid from the emerald green branches that reached out from the side. The liquid gradually turned into a magnificent purple in the glass jugs, as beautiful as the clouds at dusk.