Chapter 606
She opened a semi-transparent crystal door, and a melodious song drifted out from within.
Outside, the scene behind the crystal door was obscured, as if even the sound could be shrouded.
Lei Mei Dai Si stood at the entrance, waiting for Xia Er to arrive. Once Xia Er entered the conference room, she closed the crystal door and locked it.
Xia Er surveyed the layout before her. The conference room was quite simply furnished, featuring only a crystal round table and a few chairs with backs. At the center of the table, a bouquet of flowers added a touch of color.
Against the wall, there was a square box that seemed to be a music player, from which melodies emerged through tiny holes in its surface.
Lei Mei Dai Si walked over to the player and pressed a button, silencing the music.
She turned and walked toward the conference table, casually choosing a seat before raising her right hand to Xia Er, signaling her to sit wherever she liked.
Xia Er understood that this was a sign they were about to discuss something serious.
She took a seat next to Lei Mei Dai Si; after all, it was a round table, and there was no need for formality.
"It seems the future... is quite different from what I imagined..."
Lei Mei Dai Si looked at Xia Er, pondering for a moment before continuing, "The existence of potions indicates that they still exist in the future, perhaps even becoming widespread."
"The Annihilation School has reached its end, yet I have transformed into something monstrous... From what you saw of Sa Da Na, it seems she will be your enemy in the future."
"But that doesn’t make sense."
As she spoke, Lei Mei Dai Si furrowed her brow slightly, troubled by the contradictions.
"If the Annihilation School has reached its conclusion and potions have become widespread, it means my theories were implemented within the Tower, and I should have had the last laugh. So why does my fate sound so grim?"
"In the future, I have become a monster, yet I forged some kind of pact to protect you, while Sa Da Na stands against you. Sa Da Na was once half my student and follower; did we end up at odds?"
Lei Mei Dai Si was deep in thought, while Xia Er quietly listened to her analysis, not interrupting, allowing her to reflect.
After a long while, Lei Mei Dai Si finally lifted her gaze to meet Xia Er's eyes, asking earnestly, "What kind of guarantee do I need to provide to obtain information about the future?"
"You came to the 'past' and have been waiting for me, which means you must want to change something here to alter the future."
"I can help you, but I can't do so without knowing anything."
Lei Mei Dai Si took the initiative to mention cooperation in exchange for more information about the future.
"You are a significant influencing factor," Xia Er replied, looking at Lei Mei Dai Si. "If you know too much, it could lead to drastic changes in the future, and I can't take that risk."
Xia Er maintained her usual negotiation style: if they were going to talk, they would talk openly. She wouldn’t hide key information but instead voiced her concerns directly.
If Lei Mei Dai Si truly needed Xia Er's help, addressing her worries would be something she had to work on.
"Thank goodness, it seems my actions are more impactful than my thesis," Lei Mei Dai Si said with a wry smile before continuing, "It looks like you're somewhat satisfied with the future world, so you don’t want to change it?"
That last statement struck at the heart of Xia Er's dilemma.
Indeed, Xia Er only wished for the mad Sa Da Na to simply disappear or stop entangling herself in her life; she had never considered making any significant changes to the future.
In reality, there were Xia Er's loved ones, her cherished people, her friends, familiar places, and well-known powers.
Xia Er had grown accustomed to her second chance at life and had the ability to control the current extraordinary situation, so she didn’t want any major upheavals in her reality.
Keeping everything under her control was fundamentally about protecting those around her and allowing herself the opportunity to live a life of occasional peace.
No one wants to live under the constant threat of death, and neither did Xia Er.
"Sort of," Xia Er nodded, not denying it.
"Has Sa Da Na posed a significant threat to you?" Lei Mei Dai Si pressed further.
"Yeah," Xia Er replied, still not denying it. After a moment's thought, she added, "She’s gone mad."
"Oh..." Lei Mei Dai Si nodded silently.
After a long silence, she looked up at Xia Er and asked, "Is this irreversible? Is there no way to prevent her from going insane?"
"I’m not sure why she went mad," Xia Er shook her head.
"Besides wanting to deal with Sa Da Na, what other purpose do you have for coming here?" Lei Mei Dai Si shifted the topic, moving past the issue of Sa Da Na.
"To establish an organization that can endure into my era, leaving behind more information and providing me with support," Xia Er stated.
"So, aside from that, you essentially still want to resolve the issue of Sa Da Na's madness, right?" Lei Mei Dai Si looked at Xia Er and said, "On this point, our interests align."
"I can help you with the organization, and we can work together on the Sa Da Na issue."
After hearing Xia Er's goals, Lei Mei Dai Si finally revealed her ultimate aim.
Moreover, in helping with the Sa Da Na situation, Lei Mei Dai Si indeed shared an interest with Xia Er.
If she had directly asked Xia Er to help resolve Sa Da Na's madness, Xia Er might have refused. But Lei Mei Dai Si cleverly reframed it as wanting to prevent Sa Da Na from going mad and interfering with Xia Er.
In doing so, Lei Mei Dai Si subtly bound herself to Xia Er, without provoking any resentment.
Xia Er understood Lei Mei Dai Si's intentions, and in the past, having Lei Mei Dai Si's assistance would indeed make her path smoother.
"Alright," Xia Er nodded, seemingly coming up with a good idea. "But our communication about the future can only be through writing."
A silvery light flickered in her hand, and a hefty notebook floated into Xia Er's grasp.
【The Endless Manual of Forgetting at a Glance】.
By using the Endless Manual for communication, Lei Mei Dai Si could learn about future information from Xia Er and offer her some advice.
However, once Xia Er closed the Endless Manual, all the information about the future would be instantly forgotten by Lei Mei Dai Si... just like how the "Fictionist" altered history.
After briefly explaining the function and side effects of the "Endless Manual of Forgetting at a Glance," Lei Mei Dai Si nodded gently, not rejecting Xia Er's proposal.
She didn’t ask Xia Er to prove herself or justify why she was worthy of trust.
The contract between Xia Er and the Anomaly Worm, along with Xia Er's consistent restraint in not directly harming the weakened Lei Mei Dai Si, indicated that she had no intention of causing harm or deception.
After a moment of contemplation, Lei Mei Dai Si began to write in the notebook.
【What exactly happened in the future? What could cause Sa Da Na to become like this?】
【—Lei Mei Dai Si】
After writing this question, she signed her name as a divider and then pushed the Endless Manual toward Xia Er.
【I don’t know if this future aligns with what the Annihilation School anticipated.】
【There exists a world closely related to the real world yet difficult to penetrate, called "Bi Jie" (the Other Side). All Ascenders are "contained" within it, and the stronger they are, the harder it is for them to descend from "Bi Jie" into reality...】
Xia Er detailed the situation regarding "Bi Jie," including the possibility of lower-tier beings from Bi Jie penetrating the barrier to reach reality, as well as the fact that both Lei Mei Dai Si and Sa Da Na were within it.
In addition, Xia Er listed the potions that existed in reality and the ritual systems for their replication, finally signing her name at the end, just like Lei Mei Dai Si.
She pushed the completed manual toward Lei Mei Dai Si.
Clearly, Lei Mei Dai Si had forgotten her earlier question; her gaze shifted to the first line, starting to read from her own written inquiry.
When she saw Xia Er's response below, her expression grew noticeably serious. She slowly furrowed her brow and said, "No... I was just thinking about containing the 'seeds'; this is too extreme..."
And...
The replication ritual...
Lei Mei Dai Si picked up her pen and began to write in the manual.
【This potion is very different from my potion research. My research aims to completely separate power and faith, which can be seen as stealing the power of the 'seeds.'】
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