Chapter 609
The selected books of Lei Mei Dai Si could save Sha Er a lot of time.
While waiting for the library administrator to fetch the books, Sha Er approached a bookshelf, casually pulled out a book, and began to flip through it quickly.
**"Flesh and Alchemy: The Ethical Paradox of Biological Engineering"**
**"Forbidden Spells or Scientific Agreements? The Controversy of 'Soul Binding' in Alchemical Life Forms"**
...
This was an academic journal named simply "Nature," a rather amusing coincidence given its focus.
The theme of this issue seemed to revolve entirely around "flesh alchemy," with discussions throughout the journal dedicated to this topic.
Sha Er glanced through it and quickly grasped the gist.
It detailed an experiment utilizing the abilities of a "coroner" to transform living beings, merging them with sealed objects to create new life. This experiment appeared to be highly controversial within the confines of the tower.
One article, in particular, caught Sha Er's attention.
**"From Raven to Quill: Life Reconstruction in Flesh Alchemy"**
Raven... quill?
"The Touch of Fate's Betrayal"?
Sha Er skimmed through the paper, almost certain it was a surgical summary regarding "The Touch of Fate's Betrayal," detailing the entire process of dissecting and suturing a raven.
Her eyes scanned the list of authors, memorizing all the names before she returned the journal to its place.
The library administrator had already brought over some books, and Sha Er found a table to sit at, starting to peruse the texts. Meanwhile, Lei Mei Dai Si, as if on a picnic, began to unpack snacks, filling the table with an array of treats.
If one were to say she disrespected the library, she was still careful to muffle the crinkly snacks before eating them. Yet, if one claimed she respected the library, her munching contradicted that notion.
Regardless, Sha Er flipped through the books at an astonishing speed, even making Sa Da Na and Lei Mei Dai Si wonder if she was merely pretending.
The more Sha Er read, the more perplexed she became.
She understood most of the religious terminology... the system had drilled it into her. But what puzzled her was the complete absence of well-known churches like the "Church of the God of Order" or the "Church of the Savior Goddess."
Had these churches not yet emerged in this timeline?
That seemed unlikely...
If the transition from the Age of Chaos to the Age of Holy Wars had been marked by a cataclysm, one would expect the more powerful churches to have a better chance of survival.
Even if they were battered and bruised by the cataclysm, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse; the resources and manpower left behind would be sufficient for the larger churches to win subsequent holy wars.
After flipping through all the religious texts and still finding no connections to real-world organizations or religions, Sha Er fell into deep thought.
Could it be... that she had completely misjudged the situation?
It wasn't that they survived the cataclysm because they were too strong...
But rather, they were weak enough?
The outcome of the cataclysm was that the Ascendants were all drawn into the Otherworld, and the stronger ones found it harder to survive.
Not just the Ascendants, but the major organizations and religious nations as well? Was this the reason for the tower's downfall?
This could also explain why the small organization created by Hei Ni managed to endure through the cataclysm and the Age of Holy Wars, surviving into Sha Er's time... perhaps it was precisely because they posed no threat that they could continue to exist.
This hypothesis furrowed Sha Er's brow.
She had initially hoped to find a reference for why the "Church of the Savior Goddess" had managed to survive, but it seemed that reference was entirely absent.
In fact, the "Church of the Savior Goddess" might have been created after the tower's fall by someone who obtained the "Cocoon of Light"... and that person could very well be Sa Da Na.
Moreover, without her own influence, why would people from the Otherworld think Sa Da Na resembled her? From what it looked like now, Sa Da Na and Sha Er were completely independent beings; there was no situation where Sa Da Na was merely the old version of herself.
Unless...
Unless some information or history had been erased...
The pocket watch was also a "uniqueness," and fragments of this "uniqueness" existed within the Tower Academy!
Suddenly, Sha Er recalled how the quill, or "The Touch of Fate's Betrayal," had obtained the "Exceeding Gear."
In the midst of ruins, before an open portal, the creator of "The Touch of Fate's Betrayal," that golden-haired woman, had handed the "Exceeding Gear" to "The Touch of Fate's Betrayal"...
The academy had a pathway to the pocket watch's "uniqueness"!
At least it once did!
But now, there was no news of the pocket watch.
Sha Er abruptly stood up and walked back to the shelf where she had placed the journal, picking it up again and flipping to the page related to the quill.
Both the name and its purpose matched perfectly with "The Touch of Fate's Betrayal"... the person who created it must have once possessed the "Exceeding Gear."
If she could find her, perhaps most of Sha Er's questions could be answered.
"What’s wrong?" Sa Da Na asked, watching Sha Er suddenly get up and leave, puzzled.
"Huh? Huh?" Lei Mei Dai Si, with her head resting on the table, maintained that position while watching Sha Er until she saw her walking toward the library exit, at which point she sprang up.
She devoured the neatly arranged cookies on the table like a character from a video game, then raised her hand, and shadows swiftly began to clear the snacks from the table as she and Sa Da Na hurried to catch up with Sha Er.
"What's up, Witch? Where are you going?" Lei Mei Dai Si asked curiously, glancing at the journal Sha Er had just picked up. "Are you heading to the Nature Academy?"
"Yes, can you take me there?" Sha Er turned to Lei Mei Dai Si and asked.
"Um... I can, I guess..." A hint of embarrassment crept onto Lei Mei Dai Si's face.
"Uh... can I not go?" Sa Da Na timidly raised her hand and spoke.
"Don't avoid it, Sa Da Na. If you did something wrong, you should own up to it," Lei Mei Dai Si said earnestly. "You didn’t even try roasting the two-headed lion, so what are you afraid of?"
"What’s it to you? So you wanted to roast the two-headed lion, huh!" Sa Da Na couldn't help but raise her voice as they exited the library. "You... ugh—!"
Before Sa Da Na could finish her sentence, a shadow covered her mouth.
"Shh... keep it quiet in the library," Lei Mei Dai Si said sternly, then seamlessly shifted the topic, looking at Sha Er. "Witch, this way, follow me."
As they walked, Lei Mei Dai Si turned to Sha Er and asked, "So, did you find anything? Any insights from the library?"
"Yes," Sha Er nodded, then mentioned a name, "Hecate. I need to find this person."
"Why do you need her?" Lei Mei Dai Si seemed familiar with this individual and asked, puzzled.
"To ask some questions," Sha Er hesitated for a moment but eventually revealed her purpose. "I need to confirm whether she once possessed a fragment of a 'seed.'"
Whether it was the habit of preserving "uniqueness" through fragments or the images from the raven's memories, it was clear that Hecate had a deep connection to the pocket watch.
As long as Sha Er could confirm whether Hecate still retained memories of the "Exceeding Gear," it would be enough for her to deduce certain things...
Sha Er wanted to clarify two matters.
Whether the pocket watch had existed in ancient times in the Old World.
And whether she herself... had existed in the Old World since ancient times.
Lei Mei Dai Si seemed to sense the gravity of Sha Er's emotions; she knew Sha Er might have uncovered something troubling and quickened her pace.
They stepped into a lift, which whisked them swiftly upward toward the Nature Academy.
When the crystal doors opened again, a lush, verdant corridor, reminiscent of a jungle, appeared before Sha Er's eyes.
**Chapter 312: Must Become... an Ascendant (8092 words)**
"I need to tell you a few things to watch out for."
Standing at the entrance, Lei Mei Dai Si positioned herself in front of Sha Er and began to share some important tips.
"First, never pick and eat flowers, fruits, or plants from the roadside; they might be poisonous."
"Second, don’t catch passing anomalies or insects to eat; even a tiny piece of meat could get you caught."
"Third, never say I brought you in..."
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