Chapter 523
Mond had not yet left Ansu City, and she could still find her, eliminating the threat in advance... but Shaer was unsure whether such a direct approach would provoke Mond's so-called "teacher."
If it could be resolved, it would be better to deal with it all at once in the simulation... after all, simulations are meant for trial and error.
Shaer's spirit was rapidly being consumed by the ability known as [Death Reversal], and she needed to make a decision quickly.
Fortunately, before she could decide, she noticed Imogen's hesitation... it seemed that Imogen could no longer use her mental attacks to alter memories.
“If you want to have a proper conversation,” Shaer said calmly, a smile slowly curling at the corners of her mouth, “it would be best to show some sincerity and lift your ability... my body really can’t handle this level of interference.”
“If you don’t want to talk... then I’ll just have to give up this life.”
Perhaps due to her numerous conversations with the Pope of Order and other high-ranking individuals, Shaer had become more adept at pretending to be one of them.
Having faced life-and-death tests countless times, and considering this was merely a simulation of the future, she was not one to falter in "acting."
Hearing Shaer’s calm words, Imogen, who had been wavering, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
She didn’t know what trouble she had stirred up; her initial goal was simply to help that esteemed individual resolve an issue while playing with the little toy gifted by them... Imogen certainly didn’t want that esteemed individual to find out she had caused a mess.
Imogen’s troubles were minor, but if she disrupted that person’s replication ritual, it would be a significant problem.
“Hey...”
Imogen shrugged her shoulders, feigning nonchalance as she spoke, “I didn’t mean to target you... I just wanted to have some fun.”
Clap, clap.
Imogen lightly clapped her hands, and the pink candles behind her instantly turned to dust and vanished.
As a Level 4 "Listener," she could naturally discern whether the other party was genuinely speaking without fear.
Then, to Imogen’s astonishment, a silver halo began to flicker around the girl before her.
The original wounds were healing rapidly, and the plant roots that had nearly filled her head were being swiftly expelled. The girl... stood before her once again, whole and unharmed.
An ability she had never seen before...
For a moment, Imogen doubted whether she had been dragged into some kind of dream.
“Please wait a moment, I’ll be right with you.” Imogen nodded slightly at Shaer, letting out a soft sigh before her body began to disintegrate.
Every inch of her skin started to crack, scattering like black dust, resembling a nightmare creature made of dark mist.
And everything before Shaer began to crumble as well, the ground shaking...
...
“Whoa...”
Shaer suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.
She quickly scanned her surroundings.
The original Imogen and Mond had vanished... she was alone in this room.
The cataclysmic scene she had just witnessed seemed like nothing more than an illusion, its sole purpose appearing to be to "wake her up."
She looked toward the spot where the pink candles had been... the table that had held the candles was now completely empty.
She hurried out of the room, retracing her steps toward the Prime Minister's residence, heading for the room that had been her own in the simulation.
Shaer opened the door and saw Aveline and Tara, both dressed in light sleepwear, turning to look at her.
“What's wrong? Shaer?” Aveline asked slowly upon seeing her.
“Lady Shaer?” Tara echoed, sounding puzzled.
A pink candle, slowly burning, was stuck in Tara’s hair, while Aveline had one on her shoulder as well—previously, Shaer had been unable to notice the existence of these ethereal candles.
Were they still in a "dream state"?
Was what she had just experienced not a dream at all? It had all really happened?
This didn’t resemble the concrete dreams of a "Dream Thief," but rather felt like... a modification of subconsciousness and common sense.
Even the affected individuals wouldn’t realize any changes had occurred; to them, everything seemed like reality unfolding.
Shaer walked to the window and pulled back the curtains, letting sunlight pour in.
Below, she saw many men dressed in ridiculous women's clothing walking down the street, greeting each other in exaggerated tones, with one commonality... a burning pink candle stuck somewhere on their bodies.
Had this ability really influenced so many people at once?
The entire West District?
Or even all of Ansu City?
Was this something a Level 4 could achieve?
Or was it aided by some sealed object?
The thought of Charles possibly discussing state affairs with William while dressed in women's clothing made Shaer’s lips twitch involuntarily.
Regardless of the extent of this ability's influence... it was clear that the person wielding it had an unfathomable sense of dark humor.
No wonder they were a Level 4 of the Joyous Society... their mental state was indeed far more twisted than that of a Keybearer.
Now, Ansu City was in complete disarray, and Shaer couldn’t help but wonder how those Level 4s would react upon waking to these changes...
What puzzled Shaer the most was herself.
She had directly simulated the future, and logically, only her purest archive should have come through. Why had even the pure archive been directly affected? Why had it inherited the memories of previous influences?
To inherit the memories of her simulated self was something Shaer had always wanted to achieve but had never managed to do; until now, she could only understand what her simulated self had done through notes.
Could it be the "uniqueness"?
Or had she been instantly "infected" the moment she entered the simulation?
Meme infection?
Was she spreading a persona, story, and worldview she had artificially set up, allowing the infected to mimic it directly?
This was clearly not an ability that a "Nightmare" should possess... if it did, it would be far too powerful.
It resembled a fusion of "Nightmare" and some other ability... based on Shaer’s current deductions, the high-tier path of "Toxin Master" seemed the most likely.
This also aligned with the esteemed individual Imogen had mentioned, who was completing the replication ritual.
As Shaer pondered the scene outside the window, a figure cloaked in black robes caught her eye, standing out among the bustling crowd below—almost as if it existed on a different layer.
The figure adjusted their hat and looked up toward Shaer, slowly raising a hand to wave at her.
Imogen...
...
In the conference room of the Prime Minister's residence, Shaer sat at the head of the table, watching the extraordinary individual across from her, quietly waiting for her to speak.
“Your Excellency, I mean no offense to you or your organization,” Imogen began, breaking the silence. She looked at Shaer and continued, “I came here on a mission, but I may have gone a bit too far... I believe we have no fundamental conflicts of interest.”
Assuming the other party was also a powerful hidden organization, it would be unwise to let a minor friction lead to mutual destruction; that would not align with the flexible bottom line of the Joyous Society, nor would it serve any purpose for that esteemed individual’s replication ritual.
Now, Imogen was thinking about how she could make amends for this unintentional offense. She was quite certain she hadn’t killed many people and couldn’t have offended any extraordinary beings.
It was just that some Level 4s might become angry after waking up... but they wouldn’t know who was responsible, and after disrupting the repeal of the Grain Act, Imogen would have completed her task.
It was a pity that the "gifted" individual she could have taken was gone; that esteemed individual would still need to continue nurturing Mond.
But what Imogen didn’t know was that the moment she appeared in Shaer’s line of sight, it became difficult for them to negotiate, unless there was a way to ensure Imogen would never see Shaer again.
Their existence signified chaos, and chaos represented danger... and Shaer had always preferred to avoid danger, especially in reality.
Rather than resorting to violent killings, Shaer preferred to "neutralize" dangerous elements.
“Tell me your purpose.” Shaer made no verbal concessions, nodding slightly as she spoke, “I’ll consider it.”
So bold?
Shaer’s words made Imogen frown slightly. She had indeed come to negotiate, but the tone of the girl before her felt as if she held the power of life and death over her.
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