CHIH 421-430 (Patreon)

Sorry for the late update.

[Chapter 421: Bringing the Genius Home]

When a person's past is played out like a video, it's not a difficult task for a Genius.

It's simply a matter of mental processing, memory, or information gathering.

However, when a person's life is projected as an imaginary number, a Genius begins to consider the true strength of the person who accomplished this.

There's no way this is happening naturally.

It's like an NPC in a game suddenly gaining self-awareness and being able to modify game data, even delving into historical records.

Different perspectives and different methods can achieve the same result, but the meaning behind that result is completely different.

Everyone has their own storyline. Time propels the story forward, and people's consciousness strives to weave a more distant future for their own storylines. This is crucial proof of existence and survival.

Bronie proved these possibilities, albeit a minuscule one, but that chance is enough for geniuses to seize and allow it to continue!

Chadwick's physical body had vanished for several Amber Eras, a span so vast for an era of civilization.

"You... are you a god?" Screwllum carefully considered his thoughts before finally asking the question.

He had realized something.

Bronie was fundamentally different from himself, from Herta, and from other geniuses.

As Herta had said before, was Bronie first a Masked Fool and then Genius Society member, or did she become a genius first and then choose to act as a fool?

Now, the significance of this question was increasing.

Because when observing the same question from different perspectives, even if the result is the same, the underlying meaning is completely different.

"I do have this title on Earth because of my immense power, but if you're talking about this authority... if you're exploring the truth of the Aeons, isn't possessing such a thing a given?"

The Aeons walked on the Tree of Existence, leaving footprints that became the Paths and providing the power of Paths to those who followed, the Pathstriders. That was also a kind of Imaginary Number Rule.

Reality was rewritten by the power of the Paths, forming various phenomena, which was also part of the Imaginary Number Authority.

But what Bronie displayed was as insignificant as a grain of sand on a beach.

Therefore, Bronie's current behavior resembled that of a fool flaunting a precious treasure without any apparent concern.

Undoubtedly, such behavior easily ignites the jealousy of geniuses.

Unfortunately, jealousy of the geniuses is merely a driving force, not an obstacle to their self-destruction. Curiosity quickly took over their intellect, and the two began to actively explore the nature of this power.

Seeing their increasingly bright eyes, Bronie knew she had truly become the clown…

“Alright! This power will be used to build a Simulated Universe in the future. Now you can believe in my determination to create a completely new Tree of Existence, right?”

Bronie's behavior at this moment was like casually writing E=mc² and saying she would use that formula to build a nuclear bomb.

The possibility certainly existed, but the road ahead was still long.

"Alright, you're the most bizarre Genius I've ever seen! I acknowledge you!" Herta still stubbornly maintained her superior attitude, but even Ellie beside her could sense Herta's unease.

"I didn't do all this for your approval, but I'm really looking forward to the day we can cooperate! Next, why don't we bring that genius back? Maybe in the future we'll have leverage to counterbalance and deter the IPC."

Forgetting her clownish appearance and the loud laughter emanating from behind her mask, Bronie changed the subject, opening the door to the TARDIS.

"No matter how many times I've seen it, I'm always amazed by your masterpiece, Ms. Bronie. The TARDIS combines the seemingly contradictory concepts of the small and the grand. If possible in the future, I also look forward to creating something similar." Screwllum entered the TARDIS without another word.

He was a fervent enthusiast of wonders; even Screwllum himself was a giant difference engine, a unique creation in the current universe.

Screwllum was proud of his home planet, but now a far more magnificent work of art lay before him, though it appeared so small in comparison.

Why would Bronie do this?

Perhaps it was one of Bronie's core philosophies to continuously ascend along a spiral of contradictions.

This temperament fundamentally stemmed from Lady Vill-V, yet transcended her.

“Spectacles are a waste of time and energy, but when you’ve truly finished, you must let me see them. I love seeing interesting things!”

“Of course, I look forward to your arrival.”

“Screwllum, Bronie, just the two of you go. Screwllum has enough influence; the Family wouldn’t dare offend Screwllum. I’ll prepare an empty room in the sealed section for Chadwick, and Ruan Mei will also be coming.”

She had heard Chadwick could be saved, but she didn’t know how. However, Ruan Mei was a super expert in life sciences, so Herta would definitely invite her to help observe anything that might have been overlooked.

In truth, there were many things Bronie herself couldn't explain.

Therefore, Bronie had no objection to Herta's invitation to Ruan Mei.

Entering the TARDIS and then activating it.

"From what I've observed, Ms. Bronie, your TARDIS should be able to be remotely activated."

"Operating it personally, that's a kind of indescribable romance. This ritualistic act helps us establish a connection and emotional bond with the TARDIS that has been with us for so long. To put it more bluntly, the storylines become more tightly interwoven."

"Every word and action has its meaning. In your eyes, each storyline intertwines to form an invisible bond, which will become your reliance for continuing onward?"

"It's also an important means of expanding your own story!"

"I understand." Screwllum suddenly realized.

Looking at Bronie's smug expression, although it sounded a bit nonsensical, who could guarantee that Bronie wasn't telling the truth?

She was ahead of many geniuses, possessing a completely different perspective from others.

Calling her a god wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But this god always enjoyed being human and even reveled in it.

That was good.

The TARDIS made a breathing sound, a sound that always occurred when it was operating, but neither Screwllum nor Ellie considered it noise.

For some reason, the TARDIS's breathing sound seemed to give it life. Just as Bronie had said, it had self-awareness, emotions, and was a companion on its future journey.

The beautiful rhythm of life was conveyed to everyone through this breathing sound.

"We're here!" Bronie opened the door. The Family members had been waiting for a long time.

Less than ten minutes had passed since Bronie left, and the Family staff clearly hadn't expected Bronie to return so quickly; their cigarettes were still half-smoked.

"It's truly amazing. Neither the power of exploration nor the most advanced spaceships in the universe can achieve the kind of speed that your TARDIS surpasses."

"Actually... there are also modifications made by moving away from a portion of the reference-domain anchor... and so far, the results seem quite good!"

Bronie was quite pleased with the praise. After all, Screwllum had generously shared a lot of knowledge, ensuring Earth's development wouldn't be a concern for a long time to come.

It could only be said that Screwllum, as the ruler of Planet Screwllum, was exceptionally outstanding in the field of public technology. Although this was only a small part of his talent, casually given to Bronie, for mortals it was already technology that could be studied for a lifetime.

Having witnessed Screwllum's talent and acknowledged his technology, the weight of his praise naturally increased.

"Hello, Ms. Bronie and Ms. Elysia, welcome back to Penacony. This is..."

Upon arriving at the hotel reception, someone quickly came to greet the three.

But two people had just gone out, and now a third had returned with them?

“My name is Screwllum, madam. Please forgive my uninvited arrival and lack of check-in, but my name should be on your Family's permanent VIP list.”

Upon hearing the name Screwllum, the lobby manager, with years of cultivated professionalism, did her best to maintain a businesslike smile.

However, even Bronie who didn't possess Screwllum's precise mechanical eyes noticed the twitching at the corner of her mouth.

“I’ll investigate right away!”

Who didn't know Screwllum?

And Bronie?

The newly emerged Genius.

The Family thought they were about to snag a bargain, perhaps even gaining entry into a powerful circle.

But then something unexpected happened, and Screwllum appeared.

This sense of impending doom was something even the experienced lobby manager had never witnessed before.

“I’ve confirmed that your name is indeed on the permanent VIP list. Welcome back to Penacony, Mr. Screwllum. How may I help you?”

“Ms. Bronie and I are here to visit a guest, Dr. Calderon Chadwick. Could you arrange a meeting with him? As far as I know, he has been staying in Penacony for quite some time.”

Because Chadwick had been in Penacony for at least two Amber Eras, which was equivalent to at least two generations, the lobby manager didn’t recognize the name.

She searched for a while before finding a useful piece of information from a vast sea of names.

There were simply too many people with the same name in the universe, and those who came to Penacony and didn’t leave were relatively easy to find.

But she quickly realized a fact.

She didn’t have enough authority to handle the current situation.

The lobby manager gave them an apologetic look and immediately began contacting her superiors.

“In the Family’s mind, Chadwick is practically dead, right?” Ellie reminded her.

“That’s right. This is our hidden advantage in negotiations. Even if everyone in Penacony put their heads down the toilet, they wouldn’t imagine I have that kind of ability.”

“Question: Why put their heads down the toilet?”

“Because when you flush, you’ll realize how stupid you are! Hahaha! The moment most people realize their own stupidity is when their IQ is at its highest.”

“A very philosophical statement.”

Next, two members of the Bloodhound Family approached aggressively.

“I heard someone is looking for Dr. Chadwick? I have some regretful news for you: Dr. Chadwick is unavailable to receive visitors.”

“It’s the person responsible for monitoring Chadwick in the dream…”

Clearly, this Bloodhound Family member looked unwell, most likely realizing their oversight—they had been monitoring Chadwick constantly but hadn’t noticed him contacting someone else.

This was a very serious mistake.

So this frustration turned into displaced anger. Although she subconsciously suppressed her rage, her domineering nature still shone through.

"As far as I know, Calderon Chadwick is not an immortal being, and my last conversation with him occurred two Amber Eras ago!"

*Question: What methods did your Family use to extend Calderon Chadwick's lifespan? Were these methods approved by the interstellar medical organization and in accordance with the rules set by Penacony itself?"

Suddenly, Screwllum became assertive, his regal nature once again evident.

A single question instantly diminished the other's imposing manner. The Bloodhound lowered her head and remained silent for a moment. Finally, her tone softened.

“I have no right to answer your question, sir, nor do I have the authority to allow anyone to visit Dr. Chadwick without permission. Please leave; there is no room for compromise here.”

“Wow… Screwllum is so assertive… I always thought he was a gentleman.”

“Didn’t I tell you before? He’s a king, a king!”

Screwllum, receiving this response, knew that the person before him couldn’t make a decision, but he could use rhetoric to force the person behind the scenes to do so.

So he first expressed his understanding of the other party’s loyalty to the Family and then applied pressure again.

“Then may I assume that, in order to uphold principles, you are willing to push the entire Family to the opposite side of Screwllum? And are you able to bear the consequences of becoming an enemy of the Genius Society?”

One is an Intellitron.

The other is a genius.

Two powerful organizations that even corporations cannot ignore—what makes you think you can offend them?

This completely intimidated the other party.

After waiting for a long time, the Bloodhound lowered her proud head and led the three to Chadwick’s room.

Perhaps in the Family's eyes, Chadwick had long since lost all value and was not worth offending two geniuses for.

And two of them at that.

Upon entering the room, the stench of decay accumulated over a century assaulted the senses. While the room was spotless, a small suitcase lying to one side looked as if it had been there for centuries and was on the verge of complete decay.

Bronie quickly began scanning the Dream Pool, separating the portion belonging to Chadwick. The quiet operation allowed Screwllum time to drift away.

To the time when he warned Chadwick.

'Chadwick's condition has been checked. His memory retains the genetic blueprint, allowing him to recreate the body. The remaining issues with consciousness and memory can be remedied through the physical body; the repair difficulty is not high.'

To avoid being overheard, Bronie used internal consciousness communication. Screwllum was slightly surprised, but for the time being, he set aside Bronie's unauthorized hacking.

'I'll deal with the head of the Penacony Family. Until then, I'll leave Dr. Chadwick's body in your care.'

Bronie then projected a feather.

'The power of Harmony is too domineering and bizarre. Be careful. This will protect you.'

'Thank you very much. I have received your concern. I will keep it safe.'

The two geniuses then divided their tasks and began trying to completely remove Chadwick from this cage forged from dreams.

---

Author's Thoughts:

Gallagher was indeed one of the traitors; death was the only way to reach the location of the Watchmaker's legacy.

I've changed my opinion of Aventurine; he really dares to gamble with his life.

Robin was sent away by Gallagher; the two were probably accomplices, preparing to betray Sunday.

Sunday was ultimately stabbed in the back by Death, likely because Gallagher thought Robin had already obtained the legacy.

As for Sparkle, Robin was probably the employer…

Acheron was probably truly innocent; her true nature was so powerful that she startled everyone. Finally, the enemy is definitely a sympathizer.

As for the Watchmaker's legacy... I suspect it's some kind of Stellaron that came to life and became Clockie for the protagonist to play with?

These are all just guesses; take them as entertainment...

---

[Chapter 422: The Resurrected Genius]

What exactly did Screwllum discuss with his family, and what kind of exchange of benefits did they make?

This had virtually nothing to do with Bronie.

Although Bronie possessed many valuable items, many of them were difficult to openly discuss.

Therefore, Bronie was currently in a state of being both rich and poor, and sometimes she even laughed at this contradictory situation.

Once she found the planet Jarilo-VI, she would have to try begging for a meal there.

For no other reason than to play around with Bronya from that world and, incidentally, tease Sampo.

After all, Sampo dared to stand her up on this trip to Penacony.

Bronie had never been treated so rudely before.

All she wanted was for him to come over for a few drinks and then hold a proper event, so why was he acting like a mouse before a cat?

Finally, feeling bored, Bronie could only silently collect Chadwick's remaining memories and wait in Chadwick's room for thirty minutes before finally receiving permission to take them away.

Seeing the little beagle sister sighing from time to time, Bronie comforted her.

“Relax, this isn't your fault. The Family's control over dreams is less than I imagined. The secrets hidden in this dream are practically nonexistent in my eyes. Tell your boss this; he knows what to do. To be honest, I quite like Clockwork Boy.”

Returning to the TARDIS with the memory bubble, the TARDIS automatically closed its doors and started operating.

Although they had already seen how the TARDIS worked, the Family staff couldn't help but marvel at how unique the vehicles of geniuses were.

They wondered if this technology, where the interior space appeared larger than the exterior, would become widespread in the future.

After all, if that were the case, housing prices would definitely drop, right?

“How is it? Normally, Dr. Chadwick in his current state would be practically unable to recover.”

“Specific memetic information has been detected interfering with some memories. Decrypting the encryption will take some time. Whose work is this? Constructing memories into encrypted memes through the brain and even replicating the past while preserving the memory mass.”

“Yes. Before Chadwick came to me for help, he sought out another genius's work—a special drug called a selection blocker. It can block specific information in the brain and allow recovery under specific future treatment. I didn't expect the drug he took back then to still be effective.”

“Normally, some of Chadwick’s desires and thoughts would serve as the key, but years of struggle and mental confusion caused him to lose that key.”

“Yes, as long as this fighting spirit hasn’t dissipated, the shield remains. Dr. Chadwick has persisted for two Amber Eras, and that was with only a sliver of consciousness remaining. However, I imagine the most difficult period was while his physical body still existed.”

“Luckily, I’m a hacker by trade, so I’m very familiar with decryption. And memes... these things, if turned into weapons, would be terrifying. Normal civilizations have no way to deal with them. Once we find a collective subconscious network and plant memes, things will get really interesting!”

“I sincerely hope that such a weapon will never be openly available in the future.”

Screwllum was silent for a moment, calculating the possibility of Bronie creating it, and finally issued a relatively mild warning.

“It's pointless. If everyone dies, there's no fun left. I hope my games can bring more laughter to everyone in the future. But if someone says you possess a weapon of mass destruction, you'd better actually have it.”

“I understand how you feel.”

Games...

Screwllum remembered that Bronie loved making games, often creating fun single-player games for Earth's civilization to play and later commissioning Giovanni to distribute them through the Interastral Peace Corporation.

To understand what kind of person Bronie really was, Screwllum had also played some of those games.

The heartwarming Undertale, the reflections on death in Soufarer, and various other games brimming with Trailblazing spirit had all been created by her.

It could only be said that geniuses possessed countless inspirations, and Bronie always excelled at expressing them, only to forget them later.

But one thing was certain.

As a Fool, she wouldn't easily build her happiness on the suffering of others.

And as a genius, she wouldn't be like Chadwick, causing the loss of billions of lives simply to prove her talent.

The TARDIS quickly arrived at Herta's office.

Herta, already used to this, had begun having Asta renovate her office specifically to create a TARDIS parking area.

This also prevented Bronie from parking haphazardly and accidentally getting her head and body stuck.

Of course, a sealed compartment also needed to be built.

“How is it? Where is he?” Herta asked, hands on her hips and looking quite smug.

Ruan Mei sat quietly beside her, calmly making herself a cup of tea.

“Here. The memetic encryption inside the memory took a little time to decrypt, so after recovery, Dr. Chadwick will be a healthy young man.”

Bronie took out a jar containing a memory bubble, exactly the same as the ones Herta had seen before.

A normal memory bubble, when placed in the open air, would dissipate quickly and leave nothing behind.

But the current state of the memory bubble...

“Isn’t this practically the same as being dead?”

Herta couldn’t help but complain.

It wasn’t just a few cellular remnants.

It was dead beyond any possibility of recovery, reduced to a few atoms or something even less substantial, not even retaining cellular genes.

Ruan Mei, standing nearby, was also somewhat moved.

She hadn’t expected a genius to have reduced to such state.

A memory bubble?

It was like Bronie pulling out a photograph and saying she was going to resurrect the person in it.

The idea was somewhat absurd.

Ruan Mei slowly stood up and came to Bronie’s side.

She observed her closely and wanted to reach out and touch her.

“Yes, it’s almost the same as being dead. The difference lies in existence and in the story. Humanity’s greatest power lies in storytelling, in using one’s own story to write more stories. Dr. Chadwick did the same. Perhaps it’s the special nature of dreams, or perhaps it’s the special nature of the Bubble World in the Sea of Quanta. Nothing is over yet.”

Bronie gave Ruan Mei a strange look.

“Hello, Ms. Bronie. My name is Ruan Mei. May I touch you?”

“I have many secrets. Basic deconstruction can't possibly reveal all the information about my life. But if you're curious, you can try.”

Bronie placed her hand on Ruan Mei's.

Ruan Mei's gloves emitted a pale blue light, a deconstruction ability similar to the Herrscher of Reason's power that Bronie was very familiar with.

A look of shock appeared on Ruan Mei's face.

Ellie, on the other hand, angrily grabbed Bronie's waist.

“Bronie!”

“Hey, Ellie is already an expert in Finality and the Herrschers. Touching her hand won't make me pregnant, will it?”

“Ahem, saving lives is the priority. Stop fooling around!”

Herta sensed that once Bronie and Ellie started flirting, it wouldn't end anytime soon.

More importantly, Herta didn't want to see the two of them openly showing affection.

“Alright, alright. Watch my amazing power!”

With that, Bronie crushed the jar and the memory bubble in one motion.

Immediately afterward, numerous panels appeared before her, displaying countless pieces of information that gradually formed a human body.

“Let's set the age to twenty. People this age usually have very active brains. Next is the appearance. It absolutely can't be related to the old Chadwick, otherwise the IPC will hunt me down to the ends of the earth. Then there's this and this...”

The Herrscher of Rebirth activated its power again, decomposing the information from the residual Etheric data within the memory bubble and beginning to weave a new life-form from the genetic blueprint.

Then it connected with the storyline within the memory bubble through this Imaginary energy.

And then came the moment of free creation!

“There was a guy on Earth who lived as a mortal for nearly four Amber Eras, all to resurrect a girl who had once redeemed him. Later, he tried everything, refusing to accept simple cloning and memory transplantation as resurrection. Instead, he set his sights on the Imaginary Tree. Ellie, you know him. That guy is Otto.”

“Kallen... the final resurrection was done by you, Bronie, but I still don’t understand exactly how.”

“Just think of it as time travel. But before that plan was implemented, he devised another plan. The broken storyline was almost impossible to reconnect across so much time, so he chose to go back to that fork in the road and create a completely new branch world.”

Actually, Otto couldn’t come back after going there, so he had no choice but to create a completely new branch.

Herta, Ruan Mei, and Screwllum listened quietly to Bronie’s explanation.

“So, as long as Chadwick’s storyline hasn’t ended, it means he’s still alive, thanks to his continued activity in the dream world. Or rather, the Family never dared to stop monitoring Chadwick.”

After listening to Bronie’s explanation, Herta analyzed it and asked, “Are you saying that Chadwick’s storyline on the Imaginary Tree continues entirely because of the Family members’ attention?”

“It’s like everyone is running on a racetrack, but Chadwick has no strength left to move forward and is being dragged along by the rest of the Family. Even if his body wears down from friction on the track, he’s still undoubtedly on the track. Death, on the other hand, means leaving the track and no longer connecting with anything.”

“A very interesting theory. Can I assume that, in a sense, you believe the soul exists? How do you define the soul?”

Ruan Mei knew about the power of destiny and the concept of the Imaginary Tree; she also had her own unique understanding of the soul.

“Generally speaking, what supports the concept of a soul is still ‘existence.’ As long as consciousness has a carrier and possesses uniqueness, like this impure memory bubble, then it exists regardless. I'm not sure if this is a soul because I only observed its continued existence from the perspective of the Imaginary Tree.”

Chadwick's treatment was over. Ruan Mei immediately stepped forward to examine his body.

Life information flowed into Ruan Mei's mind, and she then examined the remnants of memory matter again.

There was indeed Chadwick's DNA information on it.

“Why is Chadwick's genetic makeup completely identical, yet his face is different?”

“A little memetic interference after Etheric editing. Although it would trigger an alarm at Herta Space Station, I still disguised it. A routine IPC inspection certainly wouldn't detect it.”

As the saying goes, help someone all the way.

Since Chadwick had irreconcilable conflicts with the IPC, Bronie would naturally help him conceal his identity.

Moreover, the memetic disguise also included a suggestion that people Chadwick didn't know would never associate him with a genius.

This suggestion was silent, almost imperceptible, and impossible to observe directly.

It was as insidious and deadly as a Trojan virus.

“What an amazing operation.”

Ruan Mei couldn't help but exclaim while occasionally observing Bronie's body.

This made Ellie slightly uneasy.

Because she could tell that Ruan Mei genuinely wanted to use Bronie's body as experimental material.

She was holding herself back.

And for some reason, Ellie had a feeling that this genius was extremely dangerous.

“This is the inevitable result of having sufficient knowledge. I was born a hacker, and I've been engaged in various hacking jobs since I was a child. Later, I was no longer limited to hacking electronic devices. But after the rules of the world changed, everything became different.”

Reality changed because of her, and the rules were rewritten because of her.

Bronie knew from the beginning that her potential was high, but she still felt somewhat moved that she had climbed to this level without realizing it.

“Born a hacker...”

Screwllum was still shocked.

If she truly went down this path to its ultimate conclusion, stealing the power of the Imaginary Tree... perhaps this was the true essence of her genius.

No, it should be said that she had already done it.

“How much longer will he sleep?”

Herta clearly lacked any compassion.

After confirming that Chadwick had indeed been resurrected, she was eager to know what was in his mind.

At least Bronie had already neutralized the effects of the Genius' selective blocking agent; there had to be relevant knowledge in his mind.

“Maybe two days, maybe three. Chadwick needs time to adjust to his brain and relive his story within his consciousness. Two Amber Eras is a very long process. If you want him to be able to answer your questions clearly and retain his past talents, then it's best not to force it.”

Bronie projected a tablet computer onto Chadwick's bedside table.

The computer screen displayed a golden line extending from left to right, its right end branching out and seemingly weaving itself into an even larger line.

Currently, this line appeared so weak that it could be disrupted by the slightest breeze.

Above and below this line were dotted lines.

“This represents the fluctuation range of a normal person's storyline. Once he surpasses this dotted line, he will essentially have the ability to become active. Then, let's just wait and see.”

 - - - -

[Chapter 423: The Compass of the Heart]

Leaving three geniuses bewildered around one another, Bronie hurriedly returned to the TARDIS and glanced at Ruan Mei again before entering.

"Is she pretty?"

"She's alright, but she is a little dangerous, and she was hesitating about something." Closing the TARDIS door, Bronie instinctively responded to Ellie.

Suddenly, Bronie felt something was off about Ellie's question.

"Is she pretty?"

"Alright?"

"Um... Ellie, I'm not a womanizer. Let me explain. Ruan Mei, as a genius, might be even more shameless than Mobius. She was just hesitating over whether to give me the pastry next to her, and in the end, she didn't share it with anyone else, which means it might have been drugged!"

Hearing Bronie's rapid-fire chatter, Ellie stopped her wandering hands on Bronie.

"Oh, I see..."

Greatly disappointed?

Then Bronie felt a pang of regret...

Does the answer even matter?

The atmosphere had already reached this point!

Forget it, the past is the past. What I should focus on now is Penacony's gaming activities!

Returning to Penacony via the TARDIS, the Family staff greeted her with smiles as always.

But the family members had no idea that the remnants of Dr. Chadwicks they had been monitoring for two Amber Eras had actually left right under their noses and then resurrected!

Will that Imaginary Pulse device reappear in the universe in the future?

Or, when the IPC decides to replicate that terrifying weapon and begins using it, will a shield specifically designed to counter Imaginary Pulses suddenly appear?

The seeds had been sown; all that was left was for the Antimatter Legion's war in the universe to escalate completely.

Only then would everything be revealed.

Bronie, however, was quite looking forward to that moment.

"Hey, Bronie, is Penacony's gaming activity really worth all this effort? Why do I have this feeling you're conducting some kind of experiment again?"

Back in Penacony's hotel room, Ellie saw that Bronie wasn't in a hurry to enter the Dream Pool. Instead, she projected paper and a pen, seemingly preparing to write a very formal letter.

The recipient was a person Ellie didn't recognize.

"Dr. Ratio? Did you meet a weirdo online or at a bar again?"

Ellie thought the name sounded masculine, so she wasn't wary of him.

To be honest, Ellie rarely saw Bronie write letters to other people, especially not in such a formal manner.

"He has a nickname, 'Mundanite.' He's a professor at the Genius Society, which has close ties to the Interastral Peace Corporation. He's one of the best among mortals. Because his path isn't purely intellectual, he hasn't received the attention of Nous, but his talent is still considerable. He's just one step away from achieving it."

He's a genius, a genius who might be slightly inferior to the geniuses in the Genius Society.

"Hmm—there must be many people like him in the universe, right?"

"Yes, many, but he's definitely one of the best. I've thought a lot about what kind of research topic to pursue, and finally, I came up with something: what would happen if everyone could walk the path to becoming an Aeon? He's one of my research subjects."

This was Bronie's first attempt at conducting research independently.

Breaking free from Vill-V, breaking free from Mobius, breaking free from Dr. Mei, and breaking free from Prometheus. Breaking away from their intellectual influence. 

Bronie wanted to know whether her so-called true talent was a joke in the Genius Society or whether she was truly on the path recognized by Nous.

Although Bronie didn't expect the approval of the so-called Wisdomwalker, nor that of The Elation.

But... isn't it always worth trying?

Curiosity, that very mindset, is a crucial driving force behind human progress.

"Human experimentation?"

"Philosophical and imaginary number experiments, verifying how the power of personal will and thought affects an individual's storyline. Perhaps... it's like cultivating immortality. Or perhaps it's the fundamental reason why the Aeons ignore mortals."

"It feels like those things can't be categorized together..."

"The Imaginary Tree can be connected to everything; nothing is impossible. So your understanding of the Imaginary Tree is still a little lacking... As for why I invited this Mundanite in this way... perhaps I'm a little guilty..."

"It really is human experimentation!"

"The worst that can happen is psychological trauma!"

Bronie immediately retorted.

"What kind of experiment would leave such psychological trauma, especially the kind that leads someone down the path to becoming an Aeon?"

"Questioning meaning, self-examination—in short, a relatively stimulating process, but far inferior to the Elysian Realm." The Elysian Realm holds invaluable memories, which Bronie doesn't intend to share lightly. Therefore, Bronie chose an ultimate labyrinth called the Compass of Repentance.

It's far from truly creating a world, but it guarantees the participant an infinite cycle of death and resurrection.

The entire experiment is incredibly brutal; without a foundation of intelligence, it's impossible to complete.

For geniuses, their focus isn't solely on themselves but on the countless truths of the universe.

Although they've forged their own paths, they're still within the realm of seeking truth.

It's the Path of Erudition.

It's a path that's already traversed.

"I don't quite understand..."

"Dr. Ratio is a very thoughtful person, perhaps capable of forging a different path. I'm curious about his motivation for wanting to cure all forms of dullness in the universe." He carefully placed the letter into an envelope and then sent it directly through the Imaginary Tree.

The methods once used on geniuses were being used on Dr. Ratio again.

In the bubbly bathtub, Dr. Ratio, his face covered by a book, noticed a strange sensation as he washed away the grime.

As before, an envelope appeared on the head of a little yellow duck floating on the surface of the tub.

The envelope landed delicately on the duck's head, its balance so fragile that it seemed about to collapse, yet it held firm until Dr. Ratio placed his hand on it.

Bronie, a renowned new genius.

Recently, she had been making headlines in Penacony, but she had been sending out invitations under the guise of a Masked Fool, seemingly wanting to host some kind of gaming event.

Originally, Dr. Ratio had no interest whatsoever.

But now it was different.

"Want to know the meaning of life?"

"Do you want to truly live?"

"Do you want to be noticed by an Aeon?"

Three questions in a row.

This completely stumped Dr. Ratio.

In the eyes of a genius...

Am I really that worthless?

No, that's not right!

My perspective on the three questions is wrong!

The most crucial one is the last question, which is already explicitly stated!

Aeon, look at me.

In other words, the first two questions were actually posed from an Aeon's perspective.

In an Aeon's eyes, mortals don't know the meaning of life, and mortals aren't truly living.

Therefore, mortals will never enter an Aeon's sight.

Only a select few who have clearly defined their path and firmly believe in themselves have the chance to receive a glance from an Aeon.

And those who walk the path of destiny closer to an Aeon than most have the chance to become Emanators.

This was an invitation to an experiment.

And the subject of the experiment was Dr. Ratio himself!

As for how this letter was delivered?

A genius's methods were still beyond his comprehension.

But... should he accept?

Sitting in the bathtub, Dr. Ratio's mind raced.

This genius was also a Masked Fool—what did this contradictory identity signify?

And what kind of person was Bronie, really?

Too many questions flooded Dr. Ratio's mind, but the allure of knowledge was immense.

So, this invitation...

He accepted!

He just didn't know how to reply, so he could only go to Penacony in person.

Dr. Ratio carefully put the envelope away, waiting to analyze how it had ended up in his hands.

Next, he dressed and prepared himself, then thoroughly reviewed most of the knowledge he possessed.

Then he set off!

...

"I must say, Giovanni and Edward's combined efforts were quite effective, and the livestream was excellent. The overall game atmosphere was very realistic and fun."

A few days later, Bronie took Ellie on a wonderful tour of Penacony.

It must be said that Penacony has a rich cultural heritage, quite different from that of the United States.

Watching the Clockie anime, Bronie felt a strong sense of changing times, which also made her fully understand Clockie's position in the family's eyes.

A Traitor.

An interesting point.

A traitor had appeared within a family where no one had ever left before.

A mist lingered around the edge of this dreamlike Sea of Quanta, a vast treasure lurking within, trying to escape her sight.

It wasn't time yet. Many strange things were watching him, not Aha, nor Nous.

Perhaps it was a delusion?

Or perhaps Finality?

When these questions were set aside, everything became peaceful and beautiful, except for a purple bird that kept trying to find its own reflection in the dream.

Perhaps it was the kidnapping of the little genius imprisoned by the family that made the chicken-wing boy unable to hold back anymore; that was understandable.

But finding her was destined to be impossible.

She might not be able to handle an Aeon, but couldn't she deal with this mere person with an earring in his chicken wing?

The revelry belonged to everyone in Penacony, except for the control freak named Sunday.

"So many people were scared to tears! This stuff isn't for kids!"

"Ellie, you need to understand, Golden Hour isn't for minors. There are casinos, bars, and entertainment for adults, so a little gore is fine, I think. Besides, the universe isn't short of grotesque enthusiasts."

...

And among the Masked Fools, there's no shortage of such people.

Looking online, strategy forums for the three games had started popping up, focusing on finding hidden items. No one had succeeded yet.

Judging by the progress, completing these three games would likely take a lot of time, but Penacony was experiencing a tourism boom.

This was something that had never happened outside the Charmony Festival.

But if it was done by a Genius, then it made sense.

Unfortunately, this didn't make Sunday happy; instead, it made him even more anxious about finding Bronie.

What does that genius want?

"Isn't giving you Chadwick enough?!"

Is this revenge?!

What exactly does the other party want from me?!

Unable to figure it out and unable to explicitly kick him out, the chicken-winged boy could only sit anxiously and observe everything unusual in his dream, nipping any emerging signs in the bud.

However, he didn't know...

Sunday was always in Bronie's eyes.

... 

"It seems you've chosen to participate in my experiment, but the way you replied to me was slightly... well, unexpected."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

Dr. Ratio finally found Bronie in the dream.

The family didn't know Bronie was there, and the event was still going strong, but Bronie showed no intention of showing himself off.

Until Dr. Ratio saw the girl flirting with Ellie in the Fool's Tavern.

To be honest, Dr. Ratio's first impression of her was very bad.

But stereotypes and labels are things only the dull-witted cling to. If you bring those into a conversation, your own prejudices will easily influence your judgment.

So, Dr. Ratio suppressed his rising blood pressure and sat steadily opposite Bronie.

"The reply was on paper, just a simple little riddle, but you simply set it aside as if you didn't notice anything unusual... or are you just not sensitive to things like imaginary numbers?"

"I was taking a shower at the time."

"Fate is fickle... it seems you sometimes have bad luck. It looks like the upcoming experiment might be quite difficult. Please try your best to get through it."

Bronie then took out a golden compass.

"This is..."

"The Compass of Repentance, the Compass of Interrogation, the Compass of Inquiry—call it whatever you want, depending on how you use it. Right now, I prefer to call it the Compass of Inquiry. Remember my previous two questions?"

"The meaning of life, and what it truly means to live..."

"These are things most people don't know, but every Aeon knows their own: an indestructible body, inexhaustible energy, an uncorrupted soul, and an immortal will. Try to take that step, and then try to understand what a single second of eternity truly is. Only by understanding eternity can you become eternity. I believe you are the most likely to succeed."

Bronie tapped her fingers lightly on the table beside the compass, gesturing for Dr. Ratio to place his hand on it.

Dr. Ratio realized that Bronie wanted to try to create an Aeon, or at least open a path toward becoming one.

"Why me?"

"Perhaps it's because of your philosophy of wanting everyone to escape the symptoms of dullness. Geniuses never focus their attention on mortals, while I aspire for everyone to be like dragons, or perhaps even more unpredictable. Or maybe I want to break Nous's calculations by increasing the variables, and you are the most likely candidate."

"What's the probability of success?"

"Five percent. Failure will only leave a psychological scar and self-doubt. If things go badly, I can provide memory-erasure services, with no aftereffects and no harm."

"Then the reward..."

"This compass is something I meticulously crafted; it will absolutely satisfy you. Even if the path to an uncorrupted soul doesn't succeed, the remaining three paths are all contained within it. With your intelligence, it might take a considerable amount of time, but it should... be manageable, right?"

Bronie wasn't entirely sure of the other's talent, but he had indeed achieved many things, some of which even Herta occasionally mentioned.

"Is there a tutorial?"

"Five hundred system hours."

"Deal!"

 - - - -

[Chapter 424: The Cause of Dullness]

“A second of eternity? The meaning of life? What truly constitutes living?”

Contemplating these questions, Dr. Ratio found himself transported to a teleportation receiver.

The book was still in his hand, but he couldn't connect to any network. Sand lay at his feet. Analysis of the book revealed its main component was calcium phosphate.

Looking back at where he had arrived, he saw a teleportation receiver resembling an elevator—technology currently still in the theoretical stage within the Academy of Veritas.

Teleportation comes in many forms. For example, the teleportation of matter can compress objects and transport them to their destination through higher dimensions.

Teleportation of living beings typically involves traversing imaginary space, similar to moving directly along the Imaginary Tree. However, this method presents numerous challenges and is currently beyond the capabilities of the Genius Society.

Dr. Ratio approached the teleportation portal and gently stroked the device, self-deprecatingly remarking on the difference between geniuses and mortals.

What mortals struggle with, geniuses have already created and utilized.

"Teleportation is one-way, and I'm running out of energy. But what's with the continuous surge of power within me? Am I missing some memories?"

Dr. Ratio approached the control panel, finding only a receive button. Pressing it yielded no response, prompting him to assess his current situation.

A Compass of Inquiry?

A Compass of Torture?

A Compass of Repentance?

Dr. Ratio quickly realized that upon arriving here, he would face questioning.

Like a teacher to a student.

An interrogator to a prisoner.

To further confirm his surroundings, Dr. Ratio bit his finger. Pain shot through his fingertip, and a drop of blood fell onto the strange calcium phosphate dust on the ground, leaving a conspicuous red stain.

“Blood is dripping down. This isn’t Penacony's dream, but we can’t rule out a hallucination or the brain-in-a-vat scenario. Let’s treat it as the real world for now. So, what questions do you have? Or who should ask them?”

The teleportation receiver was in a small room. When Dr. Ratio reached the door, he realized he seemed to have entered an ancient castle.

The corridor had many windows. Through them, Dr. Ratio could smell a salty, damp odor. Outside, a tall tower stood in the center of the castle, and the entire building was constructed around it, connected by a thin bridge, resembling a donut.

Below the outer edge leading to the center tower was a bottomless abyss, though he could vaguely see some water.

The castle corridors had many active electronic screens. When Dr. Ratio returned from the window and focused his attention on a screen, his own image appeared on it.

No, was this something observing him from a first-person perspective?

Following the clues on the screen, Dr. Ratio focused his gaze on the source of the vision.

Just across the window, on the other side of the castle.

A nightmarish figure, buried deep within Dr. Ratio's past memories, appeared before him.

The figure was incredibly far away, at the very end of the castle.

But the images on the screen kept telling Dr. Ratio that the figure was slowly approaching.

"Stupidity is a chronic ailment, a common disease among mortals. Did Bronie read my memories and display this part before my eyes?"

Dr. Ratio opened his book and began recording everything he observed.

As the saying goes, a bad pen is worse than a good memory. Dr. Ratio knew he wasn't a genius, so he always kept many things written in his book.

Some were facts; others were things he might forget.

Quietly waiting for the monster's arrival and seeing that its speed posed no threat whatsoever, Dr. Ratio chose to observe the monster more closely and learn about the surrounding environment.

"Fifty-seven minutes passed between the monster's appearance and its approach toward me. If I hadn't acted, it would have taken sixty minutes. The monster reeked of decay. The flies were a vivid detail from my past memories. Upon seeing it, I had an instinctive feeling: rash contact would likely result in an attack, and if attacked, death!"

He took out his electronic pen and used it as a weapon, attempting to attack.

Unfortunately, the pen passed right through the monster's body, as if it had no physical form at all.

"There's no projection error. The monster left no trace in the dust it passed through. The flies aren't real. What kind of monster are you?"

Dr. Ratio slowly retreated, observing the surrounding path again. The passage was narrow and long, making it impossible to get close enough to bypass the monster.

There were forks in the path. A skybridge led to the castle's central tower. If he jogged the entire way, he could increase the distance between himself and the monster and avoid contact.

What was Bronie's purpose in designing it this way?

What is the true nature of this monster?

And then there was the problem.

What was the issue?

Unfortunately, no matter what questions Dr. Ratio asked, he received no answer. The monster silently advanced, and he followed it for a long time, circling the top floor of the castle, but couldn't find a way down.

Finally, Dr. Ratio determined that the way down was definitely through the central tower.

Having confirmed the route, he began his journey to the tower.

Everything was planned perfectly, ensuring the monster was as far away as possible so that if the end of the bridge led to his escape route, he could quickly return while the monster remained blocked from reaching him.

But he never expected that Bronie had considered this when designing the monster's mechanics.

Upon reaching the end of the bridge, he saw a screen, only to find the monster blocking the exit from a first-person perspective.

Opening the wooden door at the end of the bridge, he found only a tightly sealed brick wall.

Dr. Ratio held his breath. The shadow of death transformed into overwhelming fear that surged into his heart.

That monster...

“That was my first social practice class. My advisor said there was almost nothing left to teach me on the topic, but some things can't be taught in a classroom.”

Dr. Ratio picked up his book, ready to let the monster taste the so-called power of knowledge.

“Social practice, or rather, a volunteer activity, was a period of teaching in a remote star system on the edge of a desert. Unfortunately, the teaching lasted only one-twentieth of the planned duration, less than three days, before it was completely canceled.”

The book slammed into the monster, but the monster was as hard as steel. Its decaying hand merely touched Dr. Ratio's arm, causing horrific injuries.

Poison?

Or some kind of corrosion?

This startled Dr. Ratio, and with death looming behind him, he dared not risk his life to test the truth of this world.

"The reason it failed is simple: the people there generally believed that studying was useless. They would rather waste time collecting trash than attend class.

At first, I insisted on completing the teaching, but all I got in return was endless ridicule... and a child's corpse.

Three days after I lost track of the child, I found a tattered rag covering the body by the roadside. The rag bore traces of the family's saliva, and the flies buzzing around it told me he had been dead for some time.

The cause of death was secondary inflammation from an infected leg fracture. Such a small injury, yet he died in less than three days."

He looked back, continuing to observe his surroundings and trying to think of a way out.

Answer.

Answer what question?

He had to say something; perhaps then there would be new progress.

He needed to cultivate the habit of talking to himself. Maybe he would stumble upon the answer.

The monster before him was the nightmare he had after his first encounter with a dead person.

Dr. Ratio remembered it very clearly.

"Later, I pondered for a long time, trying to figure out what caused all of this.

In the end, I attributed it all to dullness—my own dullness in failing to perceive the social environment at that time.

That dullness of the desolate frontier, refusing to let knowledge flow into the brain just to live a more humble life.

And the death that followed dullness...

Fine. I have nowhere to escape now. I can't find the answer. It turns out I'm still so dull. The puzzle is right in front of me, and I still can't find the answer... What I hate isn't dullness, but the fear of death."

It was death.

The most primal fear in human life.

It comes no matter what. How it comes and when it comes are questions people often ponder.

The moment Dr. Ratio uttered those words, the monster froze before him.

"The meaning of life... huh... I've answered half the question? So you've stopped?"

He was still a little nervous. The monster before him had stopped moving, but he didn't know how to leave this hellish place.

Soon, however, the entire castle began to tremble.

The skybridge began to rotate, and the castle floors rotated as well. New paths appeared on the walls due to the rotation.

These paths led either downstairs or upstairs, but the upper area appeared to be a rooftop and a dead end, so going up was out of the question.

Furthermore, Dr. Ratio wasn't sure when the monster would begin moving again, so he chose to go downstairs.

"Can specific locations trigger actions, and can specific answers temporarily halt them? What about the castle's operation? The monster's image is a clue. The questions have already been raised: the meaning of life is about me... and eternity..."

He couldn't stop thinking.

Upon arriving here, Dr. Ratio witnessed many strange things.

Why did his body feel so much stronger?

Why did the monster use his past nightmares as its appearance?

How did fear arise?

Why was the castle moving?

Where was the exit?

Where was he?

The electronic pen returned to his hand, and Dr. Ratio wrote down all his conjectures in the book.

On a screen not far away, the monster's first-person perspective began moving again.

"The oil painting is quite old, and the plaster headdress has been here for a long time as well, but it's somewhat similar to the one I have. The flowers in the vase are fresh and real. Although they're varieties I've never seen before, their scent doesn't match my memory."

A musty smell wafted from behind him. He hadn't expected to find another clue as soon as he went downstairs.

Most rooms had only one entrance and one exit. If a monster blocked the doorway, his chances of survival would be slim.

The monster's footsteps were sometimes fast and sometimes slow. The screens placed throughout the castle weren't meant to pinpoint the monster's location but rather to instill fear and oppression.

Dr. Ratio understood the purpose of the Compass of Torture Bronie had mentioned.

Questioning one's own heart was also a form of self-torture.

Dr. Ratio picked up a chair from a desk and violently threw it out the window. Pulled by gravity, the chair plummeted downward and splashed into the water.

"Without a doubt, this world is real. The plaster head is ancient, but the flowers are fresh. The chair's splash took six seconds, and the gravitational acceleration calculated from the flower stem's impact was 8 m/s², exactly the same as in my hometown. Quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

Before the monster could get any closer, Dr. Ratio leaped out of the window without hesitation, landing gracefully and precisely in the deep sea within the castle's inner ring.

But when he opened his eyes underwater, bathed in sunlight, he saw an endless expanse of human skulls.

It seemed that countless corpses were buried here. Being caught by the monster meant certain death.

Upon reaching this conclusion, a chill ran through Dr. Ratio. He struggled to swim ashore and, looking down, realized the castle's immense size. Standing in the middle of it, he felt like a frog at the bottom of a well.

Soaked to the bone, Dr. Ratio entered the first room. A fireplace warmed the room, and next to it hung a clothes rack holding clothes identical to his own, which puzzled him.

After changing into dry clothes, he found that even the size was perfect. Dr. Ratio began to wonder whether the skulls he had seen earlier were fake.

Bronie had designed this castle specifically for him; perhaps the corpses weren't real...

But calcium phosphate?

Wasn't the calcium phosphate he had seen earlier someone's ashes?

The mysteries multiplied, but at least there was progress.

Dr. Ratio gradually understood what Bronie meant by causing psychological trauma.

But he refused to give up. He was determined to complete this escape room challenge and self-examination.

Hanging his wet clothes by the fireplace, Dr. Ratio continued his exploration. Screens throughout the castle consistently displayed first-person perspectives of the monster.

Torn robes obscured most of its form, and flies buzzed around it occasionally. The monster's steps were slow yet resolute, its sole purpose being to catch up and bring about death.

"What is true living? What is the meaning of life? Why does the Aeon never even glance at me... I've found my own answers."

Each room was numbered, and each had a different function.

The books in the study were meaningless, offering no clues whatsoever. They were entirely online novels.

Food sat on the dining table, appearing warm and non-toxic—not particularly delicious, but certainly filling.

The tool shed, the kitchen, the dressing room...

Every room in the castle exuded a sense of life, yet no one was ever seen until a room resembling a graveyard came into view.

Vegetation grew haphazardly there, but the soil in front of the central tombstone was very damp and loose, suggesting it had been recently disturbed.

A shovel lay nearby.

"Such an obvious clue. Is it trying to make me dig my own grave? Or is the next clue beneath it?"

The question went unanswered.

But loneliness and the fear of death forced Dr. Ratio to cope with his negative emotions in this way.

He was an ordinary man. As long as this method worked, that was enough.

The shovel scooped away the soil one shovelful at a time, while the images on the screen gradually pushed Dr. Ratio to hurry.

The tombstone before the grave had no name, but he began to recall his life and past, his reasons for sharing knowledge, and the meaning of curing dullness. As he dug, Dr. Ratio felt as if he were digging his own grave.

But the good news was...

There was indeed information written inside the grave.

'The exit is in Room 12.'

But now there was also bad news.

The monster had been lurking inside the grave and was now directly before him, ready to take his life at any moment.

As death approached, fear forced Dr. Ratio to concentrate. His brain worked at breakneck speed, as though time itself had slowed down.

The moment to answer the question had arrived.

He couldn't lie.

He couldn't be vague.

He couldn't deceive himself.

What, then, was the meaning of his life?

---

Chapter 425: The Sublimation of the Spirit

Dr. Ratio had never felt his thinking speed could be so fast.

But it was precisely because of this opportunity that Dr. Ratio was able to reflect on things he had pondered for a long time.

What is the meaning of his life?

The pursuit of truth?

The cure for dullness?

Why pursue truth?

Because truth is the best medicine for dullness.

Then why cure dullness?

Because dullness will lead to a foolish death.

Ultimately, his pursuit and collection of knowledge were actually intended to use truth to eliminate dullness, spare the world from the torment of dullness, and render dullness utterly worthless in his presence.

Dr. Ratio still often pondered alone—his own philosophy, the meaning of life, and the value of his own existence.

He held numerous doctorates, the first in mathematics and the second in philosophy.

Dr. Ratio didn't live a life of aimless wandering. He consistently followed the path he believed in, arming himself with knowledge and personally eradicating ignorance. This is why he concluded that the learned Aeon wouldn't even glance at him.

His own motivation for pursuing truth wasn't pure enough, nor was he walking the same path as geniuses. He was entangled in too many things, and his perspective wasn't from the Aeon's point of view.

Yes, from the Aeon's point of view.

Mortals can see the Aeon's greatness. They can't deceive themselves into placing themselves on the same level as the Aeon.

Geniuses know the gap between themselves and the Aeon, and similarly, they wouldn't presume to understand the Aeon's intentions.

But many facts are laid bare before everyone, just as truth is often simple and unshakable.

Truth One: The Aeon walks THEIR own destiny.

Truth Two: Paths have beginnings, ends, and directions, and so do destinies. Those who walk their destiny often have their own driving force propelling them forward.

In conclusion:

Why cure dullness? Why seek truth?

Dullness brings death. Truth triumphs over dullness.

"I confess, initially I gathered truth to cure the symptoms of dullness because I feared dullness appearing within me and bringing death upon myself." At the critical moment, Dr. Ratio finally uttered his answer.

But the monster appears unsatisfied with this answer.

Although it stopped its actions, it didn't, as before, enter a state of timelessness.

"Not enough? I aspire to use knowledge to become more perfect and to make everyone like me. It's a bit narcissistic, but I like to show off." The monster withdrew its hand, its body no longer obscuring the sky above the grave.

"The path of hunting to eliminate dullness is not pure. The path of seeking truth through intellect is not pure enough. Therefore, the stars cannot see me. I walk on a nearly deserted path; They will not look back." The monster moved aside from the grave's entrance and temporarily disappeared from Dr. Ratio's sight.

"The path I've walked... is the meaning of my life..." Dr. Ratio had a slight realization. He had pondered similar questions before, only to arrive at a meaningless conclusion.

Thinking about such things was pointless. He walked the path of eradicating ignorance, calling himself the Doctor Veritas, a belief that had persisted for half an Amber Era.

Eliminating ignorance and foolishness was the meaning of his existence.

That was what Dr. Ratio originally thought.

But the moment Bronie brought his nightmares to life before him...

Facing nothingness.

That's probably what it felt like.

After answering this new question, Dr. Ratio truly felt he should reflect on his own life.

Having been busy with work for a long time, Dr. Ratio suddenly realized he hadn't examined his life in a long time.

What does it mean to truly live?

That's another question.

And also the last question.

The truths and knowledge he had collected over the years had indeed proven effective. Even though Dr. Ratio couldn't immediately reach a conclusion, his intuition, after processing the information, told him that the answer was quite brutal.

It was like the difference between a genius and a mortal.

The difference between gods and humans.

In a human's eyes, does the existence of an ant have any meaning? Even if the ant itself had pondered the meaning of its existence.

In a human's eyes, is the ant's survival truly living?

Let's shift our perspective and then elevate it to that of an Aeon.

Yes, Bronie's meaning is very clear.

What exactly is the difference between an Aeon and a mortal?

And Bronie's conclusion consists of four elements.

An indestructible body, inexhaustible energy, an uncorrupted soul, and an immortal will—these are the elements given from a human perspective.

And it is rumored that some Aeons are beings who ascended from mortals. Only by possessing these elements can one perhaps be called human in the eyes of an Aeon.

Those Destiny Walkers glanced upon by an Aeon might have the potential to grow into gods, like wanting to linger for a second look at an adorable baby encountered on the roadside.

Or perhaps their actions are enough to alarm the Aeon.

The intense concentration had drained Dr. Ratio of considerable strength, and it took him quite a while to recover before he could finally move again.

"I searched most of the rooms, but I still couldn't find the so-called twelfth room. Every room is numbered, but every thirty minutes the entire castle changes. If I'm far from a room, that room resets... Yes, the entire castle is a prison of time. It rewinds and resets. The food I ate returns, broken windows and flowers are repaired, excavated graves are reburied—everything becomes what it was at a certain point in time."

Holding the book and pondering the problem, Dr. Ratio didn't stop exploring the entire castle.

The more he understood the castle, the greater his chances of survival and the more time he would have to think.

The monster began to move again, slowly hunting him down once more.

The monitor on the wall constantly reminded him of his arrival.

It was as if death was inevitable and time was ticking away.

To survive in this castle, Dr. Ratio had only fifty-six minutes to eat, fifty-six minutes to bathe, fifty-six minutes to rest, and then fifty-six minutes to sleep.

This lasted for about three days. After much deliberation, Dr. Ratio finally arrived at a clear conclusion.

Why hadn't he looked at the room he came from when he arrived here?

A person's birth, their origin, was also a crucial reference point for figuring out the answer.

Back in the teleportation receiving room, Dr. Ratio saw a head lying quietly in a hidden corner behind the control panel.

Wires were connected to the head, seemingly providing power to the teleportation receiver.

At the same time, behind this head, a hidden door that could only be triggered by approaching it was revealed.

Although Dr. Ratio wanted to approach, his attention ultimately fell on the writing left on the pile of calcium phosphate dust on the floor.

'Eternity.'

He almost forgot another thing Bronie had mentioned before.

How long is a second of eternity?

He severed the head, threw it into the sea, and then entered the hidden door.

Behind the hidden door, Dr. Ratio finally found door number twelve.

He opened the door.

The exit sign was there, and his arrival had triggered the monster's special pursuit mechanism.

The monster would speed up and approach him, forcing him to answer.

But before that, Dr. Ratio had plenty of time to carefully observe what was blocking the exit.

"It's a substance harder than diamond. It looks similar to diamond on the surface, but its hardness is extremely high, and its toughness is better... As for its thickness... I can see the scenery behind the wall. I estimate it's about twenty meters..."

This thick wall became the final obstacle to leaving this place.

What to do?

Gather tools and dig?

Turning around, the monster's figure made Dr. Ratio's breath catch in his throat.

He couldn't leave.

"For an Aeon, true living means walking one's own destiny and having a clear personal destiny."

The answer made the monster stop at the doorway.

Unfortunately, to escape, he had to encounter the monster. But Dr. Ratio knew that touching it meant facing death; his life force would be completely drained within three seconds. So, the remaining ten minutes of the countdown would be his final digging.

And then?

He didn't know.

Perhaps after his death, the entire castle would reset, even the initial room...

That head... it was his own head!

Finally, Dr. Ratio understood everything.

The head in the sea, the clues in the coffin, the calcium phosphate, the writing on the ashes, and the time loop!

This labyrinth was designed specifically for him; therefore, no other outsider could exist.

That ancient plaster head—it was the plaster head left by his past self, who had cycled through countless iterations. This was a crucial clue.

Perhaps it was left by his first self in the cycle.

After that, following all the guidance to this final exit, the answer was no longer enough to stop the monster; death was inevitable.

Accept death, transcend nothingness, fulfill his destiny, and then understand what a fleeting second of eternity truly is. For the next ten minutes, Dr. Ratio would relentlessly smash the wall leading to the exit with the book in his hand.

Although this would only cause negligible damage, if this cycle continued for an eternity of one second, the wall would inevitably be smashed through!

This was the experiment Bronie wanted to conduct.

Cycles, fulfilling one's destiny, traversing nothingness, and accumulating power... The path of the Aeon lies within!

The monster slowly approached, but Dr. Ratio no longer paid attention to its figure. His gaze was fixed only on the wall before him, and he understood why his physique seemed to have been enhanced.

It was the accumulation of countless cycles.

It was the imaginary energy generated after fulfilling one's destiny.

It was the power that all those who walk the path of destiny should naturally manifest.

It was also a path to physical evolution.

Death approached, and the eerie monster embraced Dr. Ratio.

Intense pain spread throughout his body. As Dr. Ratio's life dwindled to a flickering point, the monster departed completely.

Willpower.

Yes, this is the final test of will. Once he returns to that place and restarts the teleportation receiver, a new Dr. Ratio will emerge, inheriting everything and continuing to carve through the wall.

Until this destiny fully solidifies and causes a qualitative change.

“I... Veritas Ratio... will continuously collect truth to perfect myself, then become a doctor, eradicate ignorance, and spread knowledge widely—this is the path to enlightenment for mortals...”

With all his might, he crawled back to the original room.

He reached the connection point of the teleportation receiver.

He transmitted the energy from the book to the receiver via the wires.

Unfortunately, the energy contained in the book was insufficient to activate the teleporter; the notebook instantly vanished without a trace.

However, Dr. Ratio fully understood that anything the wire touched could be converted into energy to power the teleporter.

After the test of will came the true crossing of death.

“What an utterly awful game... When I get out, I'll definitely give Bronie a zero...” He connected the wires, left a message, and finally pulled the lever. Dr. Ratio's body vanished into nothingness, leaving only his head rolling unnoticed into a corner.

But a new Dr. Ratio appeared in the teleporter. For this new Dr. Ratio, everything was fresh and new, and he began to rethink his path.

The so-called immortal soul.

Naturally, it means forever walking its own destiny, inscribing the meaning of its existence on the Tree of Existence.

Time flowed. Dr. Ratio's storyline continuously expanded, then returned to its original state, intertwining with itself.

The marks he left on the Tree of Existence were tangible.

When these marks overlapped and intertwined, they also affected Dr. Ratio's body and power.

Accelerated thought, an active body, the spirit tangibly influencing the body, thus perfecting an immortal physique.

Each time he launched a full-force attack on the exit, it continued until the notebook could no longer withstand Dr. Ratio's digging force, after which Dr. Ratio directly attacked the wall with his fists.

Billions of cycles, exceeding billions of repetitions—within this eternal second, Dr. Ratio's growth was entirely natural.

And the wall being breached was equally natural!

The Compass of Inquiry completely released its restraints the moment Dr. Ratio broke through, freeing him from within.

"You've cycled within the Compass billions of times, while outside, time has flowed for over a week. The Penacony game event is over! It's a pity no one successfully completed it."

Upon opening his eyes after leaving the Compass, the first thing he saw was Bronie announcing his results.

"So, what were the results of the experiment?"

"The storyline did have an effect; your imaginary number is higher than most Pathstriders. But I think the efficiency was still a bit low, and the effect was far inferior... Perhaps we shouldn't have started with the seven steps of individual consciousness but rather focused on developing the physical aspect. The mind influencing the body is too inefficient; it's just building castles in the air. Matter is the foundation of everything, and then the mind can supplement it. I'll tell you properly after I've summarized all the data!"

Hearing Bronie's complete lack of concealment, Dr. Ratio felt that the billions of loops without memory didn't really matter.

Did he suffer any losses?

No.

Did he gain anything?

Too much!

For Dr. Ratio, although the memory only lasted for three days within the Compass, it was indeed equivalent to experiencing a second of eternity.

After stepping out of the Compass, Dr. Ratio could clearly perceive that his body was different from before.

His strength, spirit, and temperament were all completely different from before.

The nascent path of enlightenment, too, took root in his heart and might one day grow into a towering tree!

No longer pursuing hunting, no longer seeking truth.

In his spiritual realm, he had transcended mortality.

Before leaving, Dr. Ratio asked Bronie, "So, Bronie, what is your path?"

"Freedom."

"Arrogant."

"That's why I am both a fool and a genius."

"I will ponder the matter of physical evolution."

"Then I wish you a speedy step toward that goal!"

The experiment was completely over, and Bronie was extremely satisfied with the results.

As a genius's first experiment, it could be considered a resounding success!

At the same time, Bronie was certain that no one understood the Aeon better than she did, nor was anyone closer to the Aeon. No one understood better than Bronie how to become an Aeon.

----

[Chapter 426: Wanting a Planet Screwllum]

No, it wasn't that he'd completely changed, but rather that he'd grown, giving the impression that after the trials of time, even his will had solidified and shone brightly.

In the end, Bronie used the TARDIS to send Dr. Ratio back to his hometown.

"The Path of Enlightenment... I'd been following his progress, but I never expected him to choose this path. It's good."

"I don't understand it at all..." Ellie had witnessed almost the entirety of Bronie's experiment; she'd observed at least one cycle.

Dr. Ratio was being tortured, and often he was repeating the same things.

Why did repeating the same things trigger different changes?

And what had Dr. Ratio figured out?

"Philosophy still frequently appears in this world because it's closely related to the study of destiny and the path of life. It's just a pity that simply thinking about it doesn't change anything. It's like writing countless words on draft paper without publishing them; without practice, it's meaningless."

"Dr. Ratio has probably been doing those things all along, right? Teaching students. Although I've heard he's very strict and a bit sharp-tongued, he's always been practicing his own path, hasn't he?"

"He just happened to be practicing that path; he didn't fully understand it. What drove him forward was fear, not other emotions. So, repeating and clarifying his own path billions of times would bring him different results. However, billions of times is indeed a bit long. Perhaps it's a matter of talent."

"So, if it were Bronie, you might solve the problem more easily?"

"Hahaha, of course! Don't forget I'm a hacker! No matter how solid the cage, I can crack it; no matter what kind of secret, I can unlock it. That kind of cage can't hold me."

Ellie thought about it carefully and realized it was true.

Dr. Ratio's fighting strength seemed rather weak, making it virtually impossible for him to break free of this cage.

But for Bronie, whether through brute force or other methods, these things wouldn't be a problem.

From the perspective of the Aeons, those who haven't embarked on their own destiny aren't considered human, or are simply mortals—this view is undeniably cruel.

Will Bronie become like that in the future?

A sense of urgency arose within Ellie, and she too began to contemplate her own Path of Destiny.

However, forging one's own Path is an incredibly lonely path. Walking a road no one has ever walked before, regardless of who understands you, is merely a trace left by destiny.

It's a road of no return.

Ellie stayed by Bronie's side, watching her study these things. She might not understand the details, but Bronie always managed to weave them into stories for her.

After that, Ellie gained a deeper understanding.

Time is running out. Bronie is growing faster and faster. What if she really becomes an Aeon and runs off somewhere?

However, if she's on the Path of Freedom, then everything Bronie wants to do is her freedom, right?

This kind of thing is too broad, too ethereal, and contradictory. Dr. Ratio's assessment of Bronie's arrogance is quite objective.

That's right, without any emotional bias.

It gives off a very crazy feeling.

"Bronie, don't abandon me..."

"Of course not. Otherwise, why do you think we experimented on Dr. Ratio first? Developing one's own destiny is extremely difficult; it's not something that can be solved by repeating trillions of times. I'll take it slowly and wait for you. But I think that in developing one's own destiny, walking the path of development should provide a lot of inspiration, so I created TARDIS."

First, strengthen the body, then demonstrate one's own path in terms of destiny.

The two combined are the Path to the Future.

Bronie believed she was still primarily focused on building a foundation, that is, physical growth. However, through Dr. Ratio's experience, Bronie realized that pursuing a spiritual path wasn't impossible either.

Perhaps some Aeons had also gone through this process.

"Looks like I'll have to do a hundred push-ups, run ten kilometers, and do a hundred sit-ups every day?"

"There are many ways to become stronger. Ellie, you don't need to consider this method at all. Establishing your own conviction and path will make your journey much easier, meaning you'll avoid many detours. Herta sent a message saying Chadwick has woken up; let's go check it out."

TARDIS floated aimlessly in space, mainly because Bronie could directly take TARDIS to any location whose coordinates were known.

So, floating in space was like mapping the universe.

Occasionally, they would pass through one or two worlds, glance at them, and record the coordinates.

This way, TARDIS could continuously refine its cosmic star map, and then, in the future, when Bronie was bored, she could just throw a dart at it.

Creating a tourist destination.

Of course, the empty universe, devoid of anything, is also an excellent experimental site.

With no people, imaginary numbers are scarce, there's almost no Ether data, and the Sea of Quanta is completely empty.

This specific environment could help Bronie conduct some experiments related to the Imaginary Tree.

"Chadwick, he should have died of old age, right? Just bringing him back to life like this, I wonder if he'll be angry."

"Ellie, do you think you'd be angry if this happened to you?"

"Well... not really! After all, I didn't die of old age!"

After Bronie's reminder, Ellie realized she was probably overthinking it.

If given a chance to live, who would easily let it go?

Besides, Chadwick wasted so much time in Penacony; it's understandable that he has regrets.

"So as long as you're alive, there's hope. I usually won't refuse a chance to save my life if there's a way! It's just that Penacony..."

"The Family is a bit strange!"

Ellie also sensed the undercurrents within Penacony, but a real crisis was probably a long way off.

The problem shouldn't be too serious.

"It's not time yet. It's a pity I can't speed up time or time travel. Herta Space Station, here we come~"

Under Dr. Ratio's calculations, Penacony couldn't be moved recklessly, or she'd be the one to suffer.

Bronie didn't want to offend the Aeon before she had grown up.

"You're here! Is Penacony fun?"

Opening the TARDIS door, Bronie always saw Herta standing with her hands on her hips, looking up at her.

Damn it, she really wanted to pat Herta's head, seeing how easily Herta could make such cute little gestures.

"Everyone had a great time, and I'm quite satisfied. Besides, you can go check out Dr. Ratio; he's gotten quite a few good things from the hidden levels!"

Bronie said, taking out the Compass of Repentance and handing it to Herta.

"What's this?"

"A little gadget. If you figure it out, you could even build your own TARDIS. But its most important function is torture. Throw anyone you don't like in there, and it'll make them spill everything. Of course, if the person is too stupid, it might lead to death."

"Interesting. I thought the hidden levels you mentioned were your Game of the Brave. Now I understand why you inexplicably took one of my dolls back then—you actually wanted to learn some techniques!"

Herta was still thinking about her Game of the Brave!

But that thing, if lent to Herta, would probably be forgotten in the space station soon and thrown into some unknown corner.

Bronie found the Jumanji game very meaningful and didn't want to lend it out easily. She wanted to keep it at home so Lily could find it someday and play a proper round.

A great adventure, of course, starts young!

"So what if I studied it openly! Is it my skill to figure these things out, or did you add some kind of meme lock to the technology?"

"No, I didn't. I'm saying you owe me, so hurry up and make it up to me with your Jumanji game!"

"This Compass of Repentance is enough for you to play with! Don't underestimate this thing; it contains the core technology of my TARDIS. You can't possibly figure it out in a short time!"

"I'll take you seriously. You actually dared to challenge me with something like this... I'll show you how to crack it!"

Herta couldn't stand the provocation. Bronie claimed her talent was superior; could she tolerate such a challenge?

So she began to study the Compass of Repentance.

However, the imaginary energy contained within it and the methods of utilizing space did indeed give Herta a slight surprise.

If dismantled incorrectly, it might blow up the entire Herta Space Station.

Fortunately, Herta Space Station is full of dangerous items; one or two such things that could blow it to smithereens at any moment are hardly a problem.

So Herta was quite nonchalant, keeping the Compass of Repentance in her pocket as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, Chadwick's become a handsome young man. Enjoy your life from now on. One must always look forward. Although I don't know what kind of weapon your Imaginary Pulse is, I think as long as you continue researching the Imaginary Tree, you'll eventually find a way to counter it."

Bronie didn't yet know if the IPC possessed such a weapon, but for now, she'd assume they did.

To prevent such a weapon from reaching her homeland, Bronie would consider developing a device to defend against it.

"Thank you, Ms. Bronie. I thought I would spend the rest of my life in Penacony, a life of aimless drifting that would be my greatest punishment. I never imagined fate would be so kind as to let me meet a genius like you two Amber Ages later."

Despite his youthful body, Chadwick's movements and tone betrayed his advanced age, creating an incongruous effect.

"The forefront of technological development is ultimately used for weaponry. Your research isn't entirely sinful. The ideas behind weapon design can be applied to other technologies. If you feel guilty, then use your technology to benefit more people tenfold, a hundredfold."

Chadwick's story is quite moving.

To be fair, he did press the button to fire the weapon back then, but that was only because he was forced by his company.

Guilt was understandable, but it also became the driving force that propelled Chadwick to continue researching more technology.

And afterward, his technology benefited the people, which can be considered a good thing.

"Yes, atonement. If I were to end it all, it would merely be escaping the sins of the past. My development of weapons wasn't driven by a grand ambition to fight the Antimatter Legion; it was simply a desire to prove my talent..."

More than just a desire for fame, it was a desire to enjoy the glory of genius as soon as possible.

In just a few short years, he rapidly solved several problems that had plagued other scientists throughout the Amber Era.

While this caused a sensation in scientific circles, ordinary people simply didn't understand how brilliant he was.

This is what fueled Chadwick's resentment.

One could only say he was young and impetuous back then.

In his long period of repentance afterward, he finally realized the extent of the destruction and loss his momentary recklessness had brought.

"So, Herta, how's the Simulated Universe going?"

"You burned out the Simulated Universe's computing core. Now you'll have Screwllum redesign it on Screw Star. If you have any decent computing core architecture, I'll forgive you if you let me use it!"

"No thanks. I only have a quantum computer. When I lack computing power, I just cram in more power, never considering energy consumption. It's like adding more water to dough, or more dough to a bowl."

"Huh? I didn't expect you to use such a clumsy method?"

"After all, my daily computing needs aren't that great. I often experiment directly with many problems. The Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta—many things can't be calculated by a mere computer. How about you sponsor me with a decent computer? I can put it in TARDIS and brag about it, saying, 'This is a supercomputer sponsored by the lovely Lady Herta. With this computer, I can calculate answers comparable to those calculated by Nous!'"

"I love hearing that. Hmm... I can have Screwllum customize one for you, but you'll owe me a favor!"

A favor in exchange for a supercomputer...

That seems a bit unfair.

"Unless you get Screwllum to custom-build a super Screw Star for me inside TARDIS, it's too much of a loss for me to owe you a favor!"

"I just remembered, you took the Sun of Moonshield directly, and it's currently inside your TARDIS, right? So, will Planet Screwllum be built directly inside your TARDIS, or will it be placed somewhere else and taken away later?"

"Of course, I'll go get it myself! My TARDIS isn't a place just any cat or dog can easily enter!"

 - - - -

Chapter 427: Reflections on the Dream World

Herta gained a favor, Bronie gained a Planet Screwllum, and both have bright futures ahead.

Of course, favors are like that—they can be big or small.

The favors that Geniuses crave always maximize their benefits without easily damaging the friendship between the two parties.

Planet Screwllum can be used as a giant supercomputer or as a tourist attraction and production base.

Completing it will likely take a considerable amount of time.

However, for Screwllum and Herta, time is not an issue, and Screwllum guarantees the task can be completed within an Amber Era.

The Simulated Universe certainly can't be reopened anytime soon. Chadwick also participated in the Simulated Universe project. With his genius mind and knowledge of the Imaginary Tree, the Simulated Universe project will create a more realistic universe.

It might be more efficient and accurate in exploring the secrets of the Aeons.

After returning to Earth, Bronie suddenly remembered that she seemed to have a child.

"We're back! Eden and Aponia, thank you for taking care of the child!"

The TARDIS arrived at the Golden Courtyard and discreetly parked on the top floor. Eden rarely spent time in the Golden Courtyard due to work.

But Elysia and Bronie had entrusted Eden with childcare, so for over a week, Eden had turned down all work to focus on spending time with Aponia and the child in the Golden Courtyard.

Of course, he would occasionally visit the other children in the Golden Courtyard.

Sin often came over, stubbornly claiming she disliked children, but she would be very kind when Lily approached.

The sound of the TARDIS landing was barely audible, but Bronie's voice carrying out of the Golden Courtyard echoed throughout the entire space as she emerged.

"Lily, slow down."

"Mommy!"

A small white figure rushed into Bronie's arms, clearly having missed her dearly after so long.

Bronie immediately felt guilty.

Carrying a child around outside like that was a bit... shameful...

But honestly, Penacony wasn't really suitable for young children, especially underage ones.

Because inside, all the visitors could see things adults didn't want to see.

Endless overtime hell, indifferent assembly-line factories, or the numb people.

Frankly, most visitors probably didn't care, but if Penacony's dream was maintained by the Family, what if that dream brought them pain instead of happiness?

Could the dream really continue?

Just like in Project Stigma, what sustains the entire dream is people's attachment to beauty. As long as life in the dream is beautiful enough, Project Stigma's dream is indestructible.

But can Penacony's dream truly bring beauty to everyone?

These scenes aren't really suitable for children; they might leave many psychological scars.

Even if children can't understand these things, remembering them will subtly have a negative impact.

After convincing herself not to feel guilty, Bronie projected a photo.

"Lily, you'd better grow up quickly so you can go on adventures in space with your mommy and Mommy Elysia!"

The scenery in Penacony was quite beautiful, and the joy of the tavern could be conveyed to Lily through the photo.

Elysia came out carrying bags and packages.

"Eden! Look what I brought you!"

"Oh? This is..." Eden opened the gift box, and a black disc appeared in his hand.

It was a vinyl record!

The universe is truly wondrous. No matter how advanced technology becomes, vinyl records still exist in the cosmos, with new albums being released every now and then.

"A work by the renowned cosmic singer, Miss Robin. It's a pity that although there was a performance at the Grand Theater, it turned out to be a Clockie stage play. Fortunately, Penacony's shopping district is large enough that you can find almost anything, so I bought Miss Robin's work. I'm sure you'll love it!"

Eden couldn't understand the text, but the image of the winged girl on the album cover, engrossed in the music, slightly moved her.

Eden easily empathized with the emotions expressed in art, so she was very happy with the gift prepared by Elysia and Bronie.

"Thank you for the gift. I must say, I've indeed developed a great interest in cosmic art."

Unfortunately, the IPC is a murky place. If she became an artist under its banner, she might be sold out without even realizing it.

So Eden could only suppress her longing to sing in the universe and focus on honing her singing skills.

"The universe is vast, and as a genius, I still have some influence. If you want to sing, if you want to become famous, I do have some connections. But before that, listen to Robin's songs. A song with a touch of resonance will resonate more with the audience, and it might give you some inspiration."

Bronie noticed Eden's longing, though the subtle expression vanished in an instant. Could it escape Bronie's notice?

"Yes, I will definitely consider it carefully." Eden nodded. Next was Aponia.

"Aponia! This gift is also a special one from Penacony. It's something called a Dream Bubble. Place it on your head, and you can personally experience dreams compiled by Dr. Edward from Penacony's famous Dream Shop. However, I've slightly modified its functions. Besides dreams, you'll also obtain the rarest Light Cone in the entire universe."

The Light Cone is a technology of the Garden of Recollection, but Bronie could also obtain one from Herta to study.

Herta hadn't fully grasped the principles of the Light Cone, only being able to create some simple ones, but Bronie was intimately familiar with it.

With powerful Ether editing technology, the secrets of the Light Cone were laid bare before Bronie, and she naturally had her own logic for creating it.

First, there's memory. Find a precious and deeply ingrained memory, resonate it with Ether, and create something like a Dream Bubble.

Aponia's life was filled with many beautiful memories and many painful ones. Those memories were profound and precious, but the passage of time always erodes them, causing people to forget their past.

This is where the Light Cone's power comes in.

"It can help you remember past memories, recreate past feelings, and recover some skills and experiences you might have forgotten. Of course, you can also use the Light Cone as a photograph!"

Besides Ether techniques, Light Cone technology also utilizes the rules of imaginary numbers.

Predetermined past events are presented on the Light Cone as if time has stood still at that moment—something no photograph can achieve.

If Bronie were to create a Light Cone from Kallen's memories and show it to Otto, she guaranteed Otto would be possessed by a demon.

The Light Cone is indeed such a magical thing.

"I know the value of this gift. Thank you very much. It seems you had a great time in Penacony. So, have you decided to create a beautiful dream?"

There are many reasons to go to Penacony. Besides having fun, Aponia heard from Mobius that Bronie probably wanted to use Project Stigma to construct a dream world.

To create a huge amusement park centered around the dream world.

To be honest, everyone is quite hesitant. After all, the subconscious mind is very dangerous, and Project Stigma is also very complex and dangerous.

To create such a dream world and ensure that everyone within it is safe from any danger is, frankly, quite difficult.

"No."

"Oh... Penacony, what happened?"

"The Pepeshi constantly squeeze their imaginations to create dream souvenirs. They work in their dreams except when they wake up in real life. The Pepeshi of the Financial District live numb lives, oblivious to everything around them. An Intellitron is auctioning itself off at a convention, but no one is willing to buy the right to use it."

She briefly recounted what she had seen. These were all very common scenes, yet they sent chills down Aponia and Eden's spines.

The so-called best tourist destination in the universe, a dreamlike place forever in a state of revelry, actually had such scenes.

"The Family has a big problem... Perhaps we can see it in the Clockie cartoon series? Tens of thousands of episodes—it feels like we might never finish watching them in a lifetime."

Elysia also sensed something was wrong with the Family, but she couldn't be sure whether it was the Association or the Family that had the problem.

Moreover, the Family dared to imprison a genius, let him die of old age in Penacony, and even rip out his brain to transform it into memory matter.

According to the covenant terms of the IPC's economic system, such a thing is explicitly forbidden.

But it happened anyway.

"I see. Pure dreams are impossible. The dark side of human nature is always greater than the person themselves. The way to solidify a dream is to make everyone unwilling to let it disappear. But when those who built the dream no longer enjoy it, the dream's shattering becomes inevitable." Aponia finally understood. From this seemingly insignificant scene, one could see the immense destruction hidden behind Penacony's prosperity.

"However, it's quite impressive that this dream has lasted this long. I'm wondering how long Project Stigma can last if Kevin maintains it."

An Amber Era is seventy to two hundred years, representing the number of times the Amber Lord has struck with Their giant hammer since the IPC's founding.

This method of recording time in the universe also represents the IPC's influence throughout the universe, but it's still quite cumbersome and ambiguous.

Bronie suspected that someone with a mysterious Path was manipulating things.

Using the name of the Amber Lord to obscure history in the universe.

However, the concept of an Amber Era was so deeply ingrained in the universe that Bronie felt herself being influenced and subconsciously wanted to ask Kevin how many Amber Eras he could maintain.

Fortunately, she didn't say it aloud.

"As for Kevin, I believe he can maintain it for at least several thousand years, but after that, I can't say for sure." Eden was quite confident in Kevin.

Aponia, however, shook her head.

"No, Kevin can maintain it for several thousand years, but the people in Project Stigma can't maintain it that long. Perhaps in two hundred years, people will begin to reject the dream."

The reason why This Worldly Beast born from Project Stigma is indestructible is entirely because of people's attachment to the dream. But if the so-called dream no longer brings them joy, then This Worldly Beast will naturally disintegrate.

How much imagination can a group of people who have lost their future possess?

When everything in the world becomes beautiful, then so-called beauty and suffering become meaningless.

Therefore, Aponia concluded that this project was inherently unsustainable; two hundred years was already the limit.

"I do believe Kevin can persevere," Elysia said, but after witnessing Penacony's actions firsthand, she agreed with Aponia.

Kevin certainly had a strong will, but how would he fare against the entirety of Earth's civilization?

It was hard to say. After all, not everyone on Earth was a pushover. Take Durandal, for example; her willpower would definitely outweigh Kevin's.

"So, let's leave the dream world aside for now. But every Earthling possesses the latent Stigmata gene, and I don't think it should be completely abandoned. I need to figure out how to utilize it quickly."

"I think Dr. Mobius thinks the same way."

Eden didn't have much of a concept of Project Stigma, but if it were Mobius, she would definitely care deeply about the legacy left by the previous era.

"Mommy, I want to hear a story! A Penacony story!" Lily, seemingly having replenished her maternal energy, wanted to talk to Bronie about the outside world after everyone seemed to have finished their stories.

Lily was curious about everything, and Bronie naturally wouldn't be stingy.

"Hahaha! Then I'll tell you about Dr. Chadwick! In the Dreamjolt Trope of Penacony, there was an old man who always gazed at the sunset. His gaze was serene, like that of a wise monk..."

Because Elysia was with her during the trip, Bronie's attention was mostly focused on her, and her adventurous spirit wasn't fully utilized.

Fortunately, there was the story of Dr. Chadwick to tell, so the child could learn a small lesson from it.

Perhaps Dr. Chadwick would be happy to see such a scene?

---

 [Chapter 428: Old Yang's Trailblazing Spirit Begins to Emerge]

Bronie piloted the TARDIS back to the solar system.

This news of Bronie's return to the moon naturally reached the ears of all the high-ranking officials in Earth's ruling class.

Everyone was very concerned about the whereabouts of this God of the Earth.

However, after realizing that this God of the Earth didn't enjoy staying in the solar system as much as everyone had imagined, everyone began to reflect on their own roles.

Should they worship the gods?

Should they beg for divine favor?

Or perhaps, should they persuade the gods in order to achieve the effect of enslaving them?

Fortunately, Welt and Theresa were no pushovers either. If anyone harbored any ill intentions, their powerful intelligence networks would instantly contact the other side and issue a warning.

Don't truly regard her as a god; she's merely a relatively free and powerful individual life form.

Her mere existence within the solar system has the power to benefit the entire civilization, granting it the ability to develop rapidly.

So, after Bronie brought Lily back to the lunar base, everyone basically acted as if nothing had happened. Of course, occasionally, some curious researchers would ask what the outside world was like, and Bronie wouldn't hesitate to answer.

Herta's attempt to decipher the Compass of Repentance would undoubtedly consume a considerable amount of time. Bronie assured everyone that, with Herta's level, mastering it shouldn't be a problem, but it would certainly require a significant investment of energy and time.

Bronie, meanwhile, began to ponder how to strengthen the TARDIS.

In the past, when the Aeon of Trailblaze still existed, there wasn't just one Astral Express in the universe.

The Trailblaze would occasionally transfer to other trains to accompany these Nameless on their explorations.

If possible, Bronie considered trying to guide the TARDIS onto a path of exploration, much like the Astral Express.

However, just as Bronie was at a loss, the old homebody Mobius actually called her.

"Hey, long time no see, my lovely white rat! The sample of the Denizens of Abundance you gave me has made some progress!"

"Let me guess. Does each cell have some kind of thought, or perhaps self-awareness?"

"How do you know!?"

Mobius was also taken aback by Bronie's question.

Wasn't she the only one researching the Denizens of Abundance? How did Bronie find out about these things?

"If you're only focusing on biology, researching the Denizens of Abundance can easily lead to getting stuck in a rut. If you ever go to Senti and let her experience this Denizens of Abundance, she'll definitely complain that you're blaring a megaphone at her."

"Herrscher of Sentience! I should have known! You didn't tell me beforehand. Instead, you made me spend so much time in the lab doing so many verifications before I finally found the answer myself!"

Mobius's words sounded like she was gritting her teeth. She felt all her previous work had been for nothing, all that trouble just to prove that the Denizens of Abundance's cells had some kind of self-awareness.

This was truly outrageous.

"Oh, relax. Only conclusions you reach yourself truly define your path. Isn't that good? Don't hide in your lab all day reinventing the wheel. Many in the universe have already surpassed you. If you want to catch up, you should go out and see what they've accomplished, then learn from them."

Even Vill-V and Dr. Mei did the same, entering the library of the Genius Society as geniuses to catch up on their studies.

These two geniuses could easily solve problems that most mortals might not be able to solve in a lifetime, but problems that mortals have spent generations trying to solve still have considerable value.

Mobius, however, didn't like going out. She preferred to ponder her various experiments.

Honkai Beasts and Denizens of Abundance were certainly amazing, but there were countless amazing life forms out there.

Why not venture out into the universe?

"You really went to great lengths to get me out of the lab. Did Elysia send you?"

"No, it's just that I feel you've fallen behind. It's not because Nous isn't watching you, but because THEY are flustered after glancing at Vill-V and Dr. Mei. Nous's criteria for glancing are geniuses who are on the path of seeking the truth. You're pursuing Infinity, not on Nous's path. Your talent is still undeniable."

As for the memory replica Mobius...

Alright, two geniuses at double the power is honestly quite outrageous. Leaving it alone gives Bronie a feeling that Mobius will suddenly cause a big stir someday.

Since that's the case, it's better to leave a planet in the TARDIS, let Ruan Mei cultivate a complete ecosystem, then put some clones in it to develop naturally, and then conduct a round of human experiments.

That way, no one will know what happens, and it won't harm Earth's civilization.

"You've said all the nice things, but you're right. I'm still just a mortal, after all. It's strange that I'm flustered by something like this. But compared to this boring stuff, when can I come down and have my blood drawn?"

"Let's do that after I've finished building the research center inside the TARDIS. Let's put the Mara-struck issue aside for now. It's a hurdle we must overcome in the future, and I desperately need your talent."

"The Mara-struck issue is a hurdle we must overcome in the future? Hahahaha, so you're also walking the path of infinity, but it's an infinity that belongs only to you..."

Hearing Bronie say this, Mobius immediately understood what Bronie wanted to do.

She wasn't satisfied. She really wanted to take herself a step further.

To what extent? To what level did she want to evolve?

Then Mobius thought of the Aeons.

A level that no one dared to even dream of.

The line between genius and madness is thin, and between the two, there are probably fools like Bronie.

But isn't this incredibly interesting?

"Actually, I'm also searching for my Path of Destiny, a path that allows ordinary people to transcend the mundane."

"I see... It seems there's something deeper involved, but are you confident?"

"No."

"You did it without confidence? You really are a fool!"

Mobius had gained a deeper understanding of the Aeon's destiny, but she still felt Bronie's actions were absurd.

"Before geniuses, I am a fool; before fools, I am a genius. I'm glad you have this realization. It seems you are a true genius."

"Mara-struck, cellular consciousness, hehehehe, you've really prepared some incredible things for me. I'll study carefully how to cross this mountain. Don't you dare sneak ahead!"

With that, Mobius hung up the video call. Before hanging up, looking at Klein's pitiful state as Mobius lifted him up, Bronie couldn't help but sigh that she truly was a woman of action, never stopping for a moment.

Not only was she tormenting Klein, but she was also tormenting herself.

Hopefully, Mobius won't mess things up.

However, Bronie is serious about the research center inside the TARDIS. The site, materials, and technology all need to be sourced from space—a very long process.

In the future, Bronie is also considering having a puppet housed within like Herta, ideally with a clone of Screwllum.

After all, it's an android; any mechanical body is essentially its main body to Screwllum, so multitasking is no problem for him.

Furthermore, Screwllum frequently upgrades his own body, always trying to add anything new he discovers.

This way, Bronie can also use some of the technology to modify the TARDIS.

Life back on Earth is going well.

Ellie edited photos and videos from their trip to Penacony into a vlog and released it, letting everyone on Earth witness the splendor of the Star of Festivities.

In the dream world, many scenes are unseen in real life, especially the flying ball-carts and towering buildings constructed entirely outside normal logic.

Tourists can even walk on the walls, creating a distinctly Inception-like dreamscape.

Of course, there are also the pitiful Family staff, their miserable nine-to-five lives, and the stark contrast between the hotel lobby and the dream world.

Ellie presents Penacony to the audience in a relatively objective way, but the average person's focus remains on Penacony's opulence.

As for Ellie's identity, everyone is already used to it; after all, she's the wife of the God of the Earth, so traveling through the universe with her is only natural, isn't it?

So, after the video was released, everyone was filled with envy and longing for the outside world.

Of course, some people worry that if an outside civilization is more powerful than Earth's, and even the God of the Earth cannot protect it, will life in the future become even worse?

Various discussions have emerged online. Anti-Entropy stated that the existence of cosmic civilizations cannot be concealed; future contact is inevitable. For now, it's better to openly discuss these matters while Earth's civilization remains temporarily isolated from the outside world.

Simply discussing them won't lead to anything disastrous. Even if someone spontaneously wanted to defect to another civilization, they would have no way to do so.

As for Schicksal, they continue to educate the public about the history and current state of Honkai. Human civilization can currently continue to develop using Honkai energy, but as Bronie is no longer on Earth, the Honkai energy will gradually fade, the power of the Honkai Beasts will gradually decrease, and they will eventually disappear from everyone's sight.

Therefore, Schicksal is also urging human civilization to prepare early and be ready for future changes in the universe.

The lessons of history are already there; isolationism has never ended well. Therefore, Theresa is under great pressure and wants everyone to develop properly.

But who can guarantee that the IPC won't drop a coin on Earth, directly collapsing Earth's economic system?

The IPC had a precedent for this. Bronie brought back all sorts of data, putting everyone under immense pressure.

Different civilizations, different languages, and different cultures—this data, through synesthetic beacons, allowed everyone to understand it all.

But knowing too much always has its problems.

"Hey, Old Yang, congratulations on your marriage! Why aren't you at home taking care of the kids? What are you doing here on the moon all of a sudden?"

Not long after Ellie posted the video, an extremely rare guest arrived at the lunar base.

Welt Yang, a cheerful old man, after shedding the burden of Anti-Entropy, actually turned around and married his adoptive mother.

Bronie had expected this, but when it actually happened, it still deeply shocked her.

Of course, Ellie also expressed being extremely shocked.

"Geoffrey has Tesla taking care of him, so there's nothing to worry about. I just saw Elysia's vlog, and it sparked a longing for cosmic adventure in my heart. So, I wanted to ask if I could join you on a cosmic adventure."

"Cosmic adventure, huh? Cosmic Juggernaut can take you between Earth and Phosphorus, allowing you to build relationships with the locals and get to know them. Usually, when I use the TARDIS in space, I'm just looking for suitable locations for tedious experiments; there are rarely any extraordinary adventures. Even so, you want to come?"

"Are your experiments usually quite tedious? Can I know what kind of experiments you're doing?"

"An experiment on the elements required for life to transcend into Aeons, searching for a path toward human transcendence. In fact, a Swarm Disaster once broke out in the universe, and the sudden transformation of insects into Aeons made me wonder if humans could achieve the same."

If insects can do it, why can't humans?

This question of "why" is also a driving force behind Bronie's actions.

No, most of the time, the reasons for seeking freedom are also based on the question of "why should I?" So when Bronie began researching the Paths of the Aeons, she was also pursuing her own Path of Freedom.

Even though Bronie put it relatively mildly, Welt sensed a hint of resentment in her words.

"The moment the TARDIS was completed, the Aeons' mere gaze exerted immense pressure on Earth's civilization. For such powerful beings, I am indeed very curious about their history."

To understand the civilization and history behind those who created the TARDIS, the Aeons naturally glanced at Earth.

And so, in that casual glance, many talented individuals sensed the Aeons' gaze.

Afterward, they did explain things about the Aeons, but it inevitably caused unease in people's hearts.

"The existence of Aeons varies in length, and every different civilization has some related records. It's rather unusual that Earth has so few records. Searching for the truth about Aeons in history... your thinking is somewhat similar to that of the members of the Genius Society."

"Oh?"

"Building a Simulated Universe, reviewing the history of Aeon activity, and then finding answers—it's inefficient, but compared to fruitless research, at least we have a direction. So, do you really want to come to the TARDIS and experience the tedious experimental process?"

"Yes, I want to try it."

"Hmph~ Maybe you'll find yourself on the Path of Trailblaze. Alright, since you're so curious, I'll definitely take you with me next time the TARDIS goes out. But to be honest, I can't guarantee when that will be. So, go back to Earth first. I'll definitely call you back once we find our target."

---

Chapter 429: The Invitation of Diamond

Bronie built a library in TARDIS.

It contained all the knowledge her civilization knew.

For ordinary people, entering this library and reading any book required an intelligence test, followed by a rationality test and an inspiration test.

Finally, there was a meme test.

Therefore, even outsiders who came to this library and wanted to learn something often paid a price.

The so-called madman's knowledge was precisely what allowed people to glimpse the truth of the world or directly drove them insane.

At this moment, in the library, Dr. Ratio, his head encased in plaster, shielded his senses and entered a state of deep contemplation.

It wasn't that there was some idiot within TARDIS whom he didn't want to see.

It was that Bronie's practical teaching was putting Dr. Ratio, who had never been exposed to this field before, in danger of falling behind.

That's just how things are in the Sea of Quanta, especially in Bronie's area of memes.

If the Genius Society wanted to counter the Garden of Recollection and expand its influence, it needed ample knowledge of memes and Ether, and that was why Dr. Ratio had come.

After thinking for a long time, Dr. Ratio removed the plaster from his head and saw Bronie reading a book beside him.

"Ms. Bronie, what are you reading?"

Dr. Ratio always felt that his experiment was just a tiny, insignificant part of Bronie's goal, while the book Bronie was reading at this moment seemed to be part of some kind of experiment.

"Ruan Mei's research notes, a part she left on the space station. I borrowed them to take a look. Recently, I noticed some problems that might arise after basic physical enhancement in Mara-Struck individuals. I want to see whether she considered this when she was cultivating the Emanator of Propagation."

Cultivating an Emanator of Propagation on the space station?

This was incredible!

"But now it seems she anticipated this. The sudden awakening of independent consciousness in each cell happened fifty-four seconds after the worm was born, causing it to dissipate on its own, not a second more, not a second less."

Closing the book, Bronie placed it on the table as casually as tossing aside a tabloid newspaper.

"What does it mean for each cell to awaken independent consciousness?"

"You asked the wrong question. You should ask why independent consciousness awakens."

At this moment, Dr. Ratio was the student, and Bronie was the teacher.

Of course, Bronie believed that Dr. Ratio still had a chance to become a member of the Genius Society, just as Herta only received the invitation in her old age. What Dr. Ratio needed was a process of accumulating knowledge and a clear goal.

Unfortunately, under Bronie's influence, Dr. Ratio had a more specific goal: the so-called Path of Enlightenment.

Perhaps one day he could truly become the Aeon of Enlightenment, specifically to cure the dull-witted.

"Why does independent consciousness awaken? Does the development of life necessarily involve going through...?"

"This involves the essence of life from a biological perspective: proliferation, metabolism, self-renewal, and self-regulation. When the power of cells is pushed to its limit, these tendencies naturally become more apparent. AI built from data also has the potential to awaken self-awareness, so what about cells whose power is pushed to the limit?"

"You're not saying that the Mara-Struck condition of the Xianzhou people is this kind of problem, are you?"

"That's right! Therefore, to overcome this, you need that state within you."

"A sufficiently strong self-awareness, an uncorrupted soul, and an immortal will... I see..."

The body and spirit complement each other. Strengthening either one alone is merely wishful thinking. But what if both were strengthened to their extremes and truly harmonized? Penacony, the territory of the Harmony family—had Bronie discovered something there?

"That concludes today's lesson. The path to exploring the Aeons is long. There's no need to ponder too many abstract matters. TARDIS has arrived at your house. Remember to activate the envelope if you wish to continue the lesson next time."

With that, Bronie projected a brand-new envelope and handed it to Dr. Ratio.

There was only one of its kind in the entire universe.

It would allow him to contact TARDIS, attract TARDIS's arrival, and then communicate with Bronie.

Dr. Ratio carefully tucked it into the book he always carried and began to savor the vast amount of knowledge he had learned.

If used properly, Ether data mining in the Sea of Quanta would become a completely new means of acquiring resources.

Of course, the IPC had previously had Penacony's prisoners perform the work of retrieving memory matter, but unfortunately, the Garden of Recollection kept this technology under very strict control and did not promote it easily.

Moreover, the technology for turning memory matter into physical objects was currently relatively inefficient and costly for the Garden of Recollection.

It was terrible, but the technology Bronie possessed seemed to have undergone incredibly sophisticated improvements.

With abundant resources, even ordinary IPC employees could probably enjoy a better life.

Dr. Ratio wasn't entirely sure, but generally speaking, increased resources were beneficial to society.

So he began to ponder how to minimize the problem of class monopolies on resources and then extend the benefits of this technology to ordinary people.

"Diamond, the head of the Strategic Investment Department, wants to contact you. He's the IPC's guardian, a true practitioner of preservation principles. If you're interested, you can visit Pier Point. Diamond says he knows you have concerns about some of the IPC's actions, but he can guarantee a win-win situation for both sides."

Holding the envelope, Dr. Ratio suddenly brought up the matter of the Interastral Peace Corporation.

Seeing that Bronie hadn't contacted anyone from the Interastral Peace Corporation, anyone with a modicum of sense could guess what was going on.

Her trip to Penacony, taking Chadwick away, and her close ties with Screwllum—Bronie was undoubtedly building her influence in the universe.

Would Bronie, possessing TARDIS, worry about being harmed?

The answer was naturally no.

So what were Bronie's considerations in doing all this?

Dr. Ratio immediately realized that Bronie's civilization, Earth, hadn't entered the Interastral Peace Corporation's economic system, and its technological development might not even be sufficient to develop other planets within its star system.

Expanding its influence was a way to protect Earth, giving it more influence in the universe.

At the very least, it wouldn't be exploited like other civilizations by the market.

Like the weak planets targeted by expansionist groups, they were completely subjugated by the IPC.

Having analyzed this point, Diamond, through Dr. Ratio, also indicated that the majority of the power he represented within the Interastral Peace Corporation would not easily go down that path.

Dr. Ratio then took out a letter, its envelope sealed with amber wax and prominently displaying the Interastral Peace Corporation's logo.

His fingers gently held the envelope. Even its softness seemed to convey sincerity.

Bronie raised an eyebrow slightly.

Then she nodded.

"I know what the Interastral Peace Corporation is thinking. Rather than all those miscellaneous matters, if you feel you have nothing else to do, you could try using imaginary energy to strengthen your body and then engage in cosmic sumo wrestling with powerful monsters on the edge of a world invaded by the Voidrangers while being battered by stellar winds. Life-or-death battles are more conducive to making the body aware of extreme combat environments and forcing it to adapt through repeated near-death experiences."

"Life-or-death battles make it easier to strengthen the body? I'll think about it carefully."

Seeing Bronie carefully put the envelope away, Dr. Ratio knew his mission was complete.

As long as there was communication, there was an opportunity for cooperation. Developing a limited partnership with a genius was generally a win-win situation.

At least in Dr. Ratio's eyes, the IPC was indeed doing its job properly. The details might be somewhat clumsy, but overall, there were no major problems.

Especially the people in the Strategic Investment Department.

After seeing Dr. Ratio off, Bronie opened the envelope.

Time, place, and even a synesthesia beacon—although Bronie wouldn't go so far as to include a synesthesia beacon herself. Not coming out in person was fine; the IPC's people were quite considerate.

As for the time and place, they were quite flexible. Bronie could inform the other party in advance through this envelope whenever she was willing to meet.

As for discussing cooperation, Bronie didn't particularly want to see Diamond, nor did she plan to.

She would leave that to Theresa.

It was good that Theresa had been working in Schicksal for so long recently. It wouldn't hurt for her to get away and relax. Let her and Welt go to the IPC together to see whether Earth's civilization was ready.

Welt wasn't too keen on the outside world either. Was that strange?

One represented Schicksal, the other Anti-Entropy. Together, they did indeed represent the entirety of Earth's civilization to some extent. Bronie trusted them to handle the matter.

The only question now was whether Earth's civilization was truly ready.

With Phosphorus and Salt Snow City, and Mars and Venus in the future, Bronie didn't believe the Seas of Quanta surrounding those planets were stagnant.

Once the IPC noticed the issues there, would it use them as a breakthrough point to further control Earth's civilization? No one could guarantee otherwise.

Or would it limit cooperation to individuals and corporations?

Forget it. Just thinking about it was troublesome. Even Herta seemed to avoid it like the plague. Bronie certainly didn't have a Miss Asta following her around to handle her work.

After making two copies of the IPC's invitation letter and sending them to Theresa's and Welt's offices, Bronie continued her research with Mobius, Vill-V, and Dr. Mei.

She was pushing forward on three fronts, strengthening TARDIS while also searching for a way to become an Aeon.

"The Mara-Struck condition... I guess I'll have to go to the Xianzhou and properly understand it..."

"Next, you're going to the Xianzhou?"

Ellie, hearing Bronie's muttering, was immediately drawn to the topic.

She had heard of the Xianzhou before. The enormous ark sailing through the universe had a very romantic feel to it.

So Ellie was very interested.

"I've considered going to the Xianzhou, but it might not welcome me. Both the Aeon of Abundance and the immortals are being watched. If I openly express my intentions, I'll likely be rejected immediately. If I really want to find experimental subjects, I think I should look within the sphere of influence outside the Xianzhou."

"You have to try everything, right?"

"You just want to travel to the Xianzhou, don't you?"

"Hehe You found out"

Ellie playfully stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it.

But she quickly grabbed Bronie's hand and started shaking it.

"Let's go together! My lovely viewers and fans are so curious about the outside world! Aren't you curious about what the Xianzhou civilization, from which the IPC hasn't gained much benefit, is like? It can be a good reference, can't it?"

Ellie's coaxing made Bronie unable to refuse.

Finally, Bronie nodded.

"Okay, our next travel destination in TARDIS will be the Xianzhou! The Xianzhou Luofu isn't too far from the Herta Space Station, and there aren't any particularly dangerous places there, so we can take Lily with us."

"Yay!"

Ellie immediately started thinking about packing her luggage.

Although TARDIS was large enough to hold all of Ellie's belongings, she still needed to consider the local culture and scenery when traveling to a new place and prepare different styles of clothing.

Soon, Ellie chose two cheongsams, which were immediately rejected by Bronie.

She then showed Ellie photos and explained that cheongsams were not everyday clothing worn by the people of the Xianzhou but rather relatively formal garments.

Ellie then threw a tantrum and insisted on seeing Bronie's cheongsam.

Unable to resist, Bronie had no choice but to agree.

As for Welt, that unlucky guy, seeing the IPC's invitation in one hand and Bronie's invitation to visit the Xianzhou in the other immediately made him frown.

Welt then dumped his work on Bronya, leaving her completely bewildered.

With Tesla and Einstein there to assist, Welt believed Bronya would definitely be able to represent Anti-Entropy and make the right choice.

Then he immediately grabbed his bags and began calling for Bronie's TARDIS, even taking the Star of Eden with him.

It wasn't that Welt didn't care about Earth's civilization. Rather, he believed in everyone's capabilities and trusted that Bronie would protect them.

If the IPC took any extreme measures, as long as they didn't threaten civilization itself or the lives of innocent people, Welt would consider it merely the beginning of a small-scale conflict involving civilization.

If anything serious happened, including loss of life, Bronie certainly wouldn't stand idly by.

Being semi-retired, Welt naturally didn't want to shoulder Anti-Entropy's responsibilities again so easily, especially since things hadn't reached that point yet.

It's just that Old Yang's Arahato x Entropy suitcase looked incredibly out of place.

"Let's go! I can't wait to see what the universe looks like!"

Welt adjusted his non-prescription glasses with a serious expression and stepped into TARDIS, adopting a mature and profound demeanor.

Looking at TARDIS, whose interior space was even larger than it appeared from the outside, Welt felt as though he no longer recognized Bronie at all.

The times were indeed changing rather quickly.

---

Chapter 430: The Alien Was Actually Me?

Before heading to the Xianzhou, Bronie naturally needed to know its exact location.

This was to prevent TARDIS from reaching a crucial point inside the Xianzhou and causing irreversible damage.

Therefore, Bronie chose to return to the Herta Space Station.

Herta's office has a dedicated area for guiding TARDIS landings. Asta clearly put a lot of thought into building this place. More importantly, the Herta Space Station itself doesn't have a fixed location, so TARDIS used to first observe the station's exact location and movement from the outer reaches of The Blue before teleporting to Herta's office.

Now that this step had been eliminated, Bronie was quite happy.

As soon as she stepped outside, Bronie saw the Herta puppet again, hands on hips and looking up at her.

From her perspective, it always seemed as though the enormous Herta was slowly rising on the distant horizon and then proudly looking down at her.

However, this time, the Herta with light in her eyes seemed different in spirit and atmosphere.

"Uh, good afternoon, Herta. You look a little... um... tired? Did you use the Compass?"

"Ah, you perverted Bronie. As you can see, this Compass... what a terrible experience. I'm giving all your games a zero!"

"Hey, come on. I warned you not to try this thing. Just checking the history is enough!"

"You'll see a red button that says 'Don't press it,' so just don't press it!"

Okay, Bronie's trick worked!

But she still had to play innocent.

So Bronie shrugged, feigning helplessness, and spoke, "See? I told you everything, but you just wouldn't believe it. So, what did you get out of it?"

"I saw that kid named Dr. Ratio's unfortunate state. I must say, you have a great idea, and a crazy one at that."

"See? It works! Everyone says the Aeons are bound by THEIR own primal force and unable to do anything outside THEIR destiny. But you saw it. Is that really a constraint?"

"A very interesting experiment, but I can't be completely sure. I'll discuss it with Ruan Mei and Screwllum in a while. You've really pioneered an incredible research topic. Even I'm deeply attracted to it. But what are you doing here? Trying to show off? And what's with that old man behind you?"

Hearing Herta call him an "old man," Welt felt as though he had suffered a heart attack.

He adjusted his glasses, forced a calm smile, and said, "Hello, Ms. Herta. I'm Welt Yang, a friend of Bronie's."

"Don't let his youth fool you. He's older than me. He cane is a black hole. He was once a leader on the front lines of Earth's fight against the Honkai catastrophe. He's out with me today to have some fun."

"Really just going to have some fun? What did you do in Penacony last time? How's the power of the Harmony?"

"So-so... cough, cough. I really just went to have some fun, nothing more."

Bronie quickly denied doing anything in Penacony. Looking at Penacony, it was completely undamaged. Aside from Chadwick coming out and now working for her, nothing else had really happened.

The revelry was happening all the time in Penacony, and Bronie's party was insignificant.

It was simply that the world felt real, the game was fun, the experience was exciting, and she wanted to do it again.

But Bronie left without a sound. Giovanni and Edward made a fortune, while the Masked Fools who arrived after hearing the news didn't even get to see Bronie's face.

This normalcy was the biggest anomaly to Herta, though she couldn't really discern much from it.

"Abundance, Harmony, the Compass of Repentance... spiritual and physical ascension going hand in hand... If anyone else said this to me, I'd just think they'd read too many silly novels and taken them seriously. But you actually managed to create a huge scandal for me without leaving a trace..."

Herta's tone sounded strained, but she quickly regained her expressionless demeanor, ignored even Welt, and then projected a star map.

"Take it and see for yourself. And where are you on your journey?"

"The issue of individual cellular consciousness needs to be resolved."

"Sympathy... I didn't expect it to be this fast already. No, I should say your own body has a very high foundation, so it's natural to face those problems. Don't move too fast. At least let the Simulated Universe be repaired first."

"Of course I know. Otherwise, why would I have children?"

"I'll have Screwllum speed things up."

The exchange between Herta and Bronie ended there. Welt had gleaned quite a bit, but the amount of information was overwhelming. He wondered if there was something wrong with his brain.

From the exchange between the two geniuses, it seemed that Bronie was leading the entire experiment.

Even though it was an experiment that occurred immediately after Finality, it had attracted the attention of other geniuses who wanted to get involved.

"Bronie..."

"Don't say things you've already guessed. The path of an Aeon is lonely and misunderstood, even for the Aeon of Trailblaze who traveled with the Nameless. Aeons don't communicate with others, even in the Simulated Universe, because those others aren't walking THEIR own unique paths and aren't considered one of THEIR own."

With Welt's intelligence, he should understand her words. Bronie's gaze then fell on the blackboard in the corner of the TARDIS cockpit.

Lily was creating something on it, following Ellie's lead. Ellie felt Lily needed a makeover, so she added a bun to her hair.

"Sometimes I don't even understand which one is the real you—the one who likes playing games with everyone, or the one who plans alone and quietly solves everything..."

"After all, this is my path of freedom, my path of carefree living. Finally, you've asked a decent question! So, our next target is the Xianzhou!"

Reaching the control panel, she pulled the lever. To be honest, watching Bronie operate the entire TARDIS made Welt feel an urge to try it himself.

It must be said that Bronie's aesthetic sense and sense of ritual were both on point. Even though there was a direct neural connection for mental control, Bronie still created buttons and levers.

It was clearly intentional.

But Welt enjoyed this sense of ritual. Watching Bronie create something like this gave him a slight sense of relief.

At least Bronie wasn't going further down the path of inhumanity. Her so-called path to freedom was probably related to her childhood.

That was understandable.

Listening to TARDIS's breathing, Welt felt his inspiration being constantly stirred.

On Earth, after the Honkai issue was resolved, Welt lived a mundane life, continuing to spread dreams throughout Earth's civilization through his creations.

Welt really enjoyed this kind of work. He never found it boring. But if such a pioneering opportunity presented itself, he wouldn't miss it.

Suddenly, the entire cockpit went dark.

Even TARDIS's breathing disappeared.

"Uh, is this normal?"

"Normally, TARDIS shouldn't have this kind of problem. The fact that it's happening means there's a huge problem with the imaginary space around here."

Welt sensed something unusual in Bronie's words.

Bronie started controlling TARDIS again, as if inputting some command. TARDIS lit up once more, but a huge centrifugal force began to generate inside the cockpit.

"Bronie! Lily's still in the cockpit!"

"Sorry, I forgot to balance the forces inside the cockpit."

Hearing Ellie's scream, Bronie realized her mistake and quickly entered another command.

Releasing his grip on the handrail, Welt straightened his slightly disheveled clothes.

"So the guardrail design does have a purpose inside the cockpit after all. Looks like you anticipated this problem?"

"Yes, I did. Welt, open the gate to TARDIS."

"Open it? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

Bronie checked the star map, confirming she was above a planet called Jarilo-VI. It was said to have been out of contact for several Amber Eras, and the IPC's personnel were almost incapable of returning to this star system, likely due to some special reason.

Now Bronie understood the reason.

Welt opened the gate to TARDIS.

Behind the gate was a snow-white planet, and beneath his feet was endless void.

The scene startled him.

"TARDIS scanned the entire planet and found only one city with human activity. The rest are mostly ruins and other things. It seems the obstacle to our progress is something on this planet. Interested in being the savior again?"

"Is TARDIS okay?"

"Hahaha, unless it's an Aeon, no one can open the gates of TARDIS without my permission. Even if someone throws TARDIS into the sun, it will definitely appear beside me unharmed. So there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

Hearing Bronie's confident words, Welt felt reassured.

A lonely city in an icy world, humanity barely surviving within its walls, while an unknown disaster loomed over the planet and threatened to extinguish the flame of civilization at any moment.

"I don't know what crisis this planet is facing. Normally, planets orbiting this star shouldn't be this cold."

"Good. You've figured out a connection between the cold wave and some mysterious force blocking our path. Now you need to consider why it's doing this and what the nature of this force is. Elysia, make sure Lily wears something warmer. It's freezing down there, colder than Siberia."

"Okay~"

Elysia led Lily back to the room, and Welt also thought it best to wear warmer clothes.

However, the Herrscher's physical enhancements were still there, so there was no need to bundle up like a dumpling.

As for Bronie?

Welt wasn't worried about her at all. He wouldn't be surprised if she went down in a swimsuit.

Did he even know the value of Finality?

"Next, TARDIS will re-enter the atmosphere and then land in an uninhabited area near that city. If you want to experience the feeling of a physical atmospheric re-entry, you can keep the door open. At least the inside of TARDIS is almost absolutely safe."

Since Bronie had said so, Welt had no reason to close the door.

It had to be said that the design of this TARDIS was truly ingenious. Even something as simple as direct atmospheric re-entry could be done with the door open.

Using the scene of TARDIS landing, Welt felt he could apply it to the new Arahato work.

This immersive feeling was undoubtedly the best source of inspiration for a creator.

"TARDIS is disguised as an abandoned igloo. Basically, no one will try to enter this godforsaken place. The synesthetic beacon will help us avoid any language barriers here. You could say we're now on a path of exploration. The essence of exploration can be summed up in four words: exploration, understanding, building, and connecting. Based on this, let's try to transform the power we inherited from the past into our own."

The power inherited from the past naturally referred to the power of the Herrscher of Reason.

After relinquishing the Herrscher Core, Welt retained only a small portion of the ability to project Eden's Star because its data was etched into his DNA.

But Bronie had actually said that he had a chance to regain his original abilities.

Interesting.

"Exploration, understanding, building, and connecting, right? I'll try to embark on that path. To be honest, I'm quite interested in what you've said."

"That's good, but for the Aeons, the power a Pathstrider can gain is negligible, like Honkai Beasts to Finality. So don't have expectations that are too high and then end up disappointed."

"Hehehe, how could I do such a thing?"

Welt shook his head, indicating that he wouldn't become what Bronie described. Still, her words were common sense, and he understood them completely.

Driven by a spirit of exploration, Welt was the first to step out of the warm TARDIS.

The cold wind struck his face like knives, but fortunately, he was prepared, and things hadn't become unbearable yet.

It was hard to imagine how the civilization on this planet had managed to survive. One could only say that most civilizations in the universe weren't doing so well either.

Every family had its own troubles.

"If we cross this mountain and follow this road, we can easily reach the outskirts of the city. I just wonder if they'll accept us extraterrestrial visitors. How does it feel to make first contact with them before Earth experiences it?"

"It's certainly quite strange..."

Hearing Bronie's words, Welt's feelings became complicated. He had never really considered the possibility that the alien was actually him.

He could only hope that this civilization in the icy wilderness would treat them with at least a little friendliness.