Chapter 618
It was also the data from Lex that allowed the Dark School to finally establish a foothold within the Tower.
However, the event that truly made the Dark School the second most prominent faction within the Tower was Lex's acquisition of the "Cocoon of Light."
A forgotten world, a mad deity, a group of survivors struggling in the depths of darkness... and an Ascendant who used the "Cocoon of Light" to cultivate this world.
The crisis brought about by this event caused many high-ranking officials in the Tower to lean towards the Dark School. They had lingered too long in the cradle of the Storm School's "Theory of Balance," while outside forces had begun to interfere with the "Seeds" and "Symbionts."
"This is a significant event. You must have heard about it while being around Reimeides and Sadana. Countless high-ranking officials can attest to my words."
Lex looked at Charles and asked, "Do you have any questions about this?"
"How can you prove that Ascendant isn't you?" Charles's question left no room for politeness.
Though everything Lex said was reasonable, and he even added the context of the Dark School's growth to support his claims, none of it could prove the existence of the Ascendant he mentioned.
"Your question has been asked before in the Tower," Lex gently shook his head and replied, "All investigation records are archived. If you want to see them, you can go directly to Reimeides; she has access to those secret files."
Lex's answer was airtight. If this were all a conspiracy, the web woven would be too tight to escape.
For the time being, Charles chose to believe Lex's words. According to Lex, that Ascendant was indeed someone else...
"What have you discovered? For instance, who is that Ascendant?" Charles looked at Lex and asked, "What are their abilities, or what is the 'Seed'?"
"It’s my turn to ask a question, Miss Witch. One question each; that’s fair," Lex replied, looking at Charles. "My question remains the same as before."
"Why didn’t you take the 'Cocoon of Light'?"
Lex's question was quite simple, but it was difficult for Charles to answer.
He would have liked to keep a complete "uniqueness," but after breaking through the celestial dome of the Abyss, Charles had already died, leaving him no chance to follow up on anything.
Moreover, even now, Charles still couldn't figure out how to keep certain "Seeds" until the era he inhabited.
"After breaking through the celestial dome of the Abyss, my power was exhausted," Charles answered honestly. "I couldn't take the 'Seed' with me."
Lex seemed somewhat surprised by this answer, as it was too... normal, making Charles's words feel a bit distorted.
"So, your arrival this time was to find out the whereabouts of the 'Cocoon of Light' and the identity of that Ascendant?" Lex furrowed his brow, looking at Charles with some confusion.
"That's right, more or less," Charles nodded.
Lex's brow remained furrowed, as if he were hesitating over something. In the end, he seemed to choose to trust Charles.
"Regarding the identity of that Ascendant and the abilities of the 'Seed,' we high-ranking officials have had extensive discussions... Many believe that the Ascendant conducting experiments in the Abyss is none other than the Time Binder themselves..."
At this point, Lex shook his head. "But this argument doesn't hold water, as the Time Binder has no reason to expose themselves. If that Ascendant truly intended to conduct secret experiments in a closed world, they wouldn't have deliberately revealed themselves in the end."
Deliberately revealing...
Yes... If that Ascendant wanted to hide, Lex would never have been able to find the "Cocoon of Light."
In fact, Charles had initially doubted whether that Ascendant, the one who created the other realm, was perhaps a past or future version of himself... or even if there was another "Time Binder" in existence.
But if it were indeed another Time Binder or himself, why would they be so deliberate in their reminders? The experiences of this time nearly slapped the notion of "this is a cycle" right in front of Charles's face.
"So, have you found that Ascendant?" Charles looked at Lex and asked.
"No," Lex shook his head. "Based on the information provided by other Abyss dwellers, we speculate that the Ascendant completely abandoned that experimental site the moment Morros, the Eternal Silence's voice, left the Abyss."
"—Before I met you, I thought the same."
Lex looked at Charles and said, "But now, I lean towards the idea that your appearance made them abandon that experimental site."
Me? Made them give up the Abyss?
"If they directly abandoned that experimental site, they wouldn't care whether Morros came or went, whether they were mad or not."
"Even killing Morros and finding a successor for the 'Seed' would be easy; the Abyss would remain sealed underground, undiscovered."
"They might know they can't kill or deal with you, so they simply gave up on that place in the Abyss..."
Lex's words plunged Charles into deep thought.
No... Before he opened the Old Days, the future was like this. When he first opened the Old Days and brought the Abyss into the present, the world still didn't change much... His discovery of the Abyss didn't alter history at all.
Even if the Abyss were to be completely destroyed in the end, the "Cocoon of Light" would return to the Tower in some form.
That Ascendant was either someone from within the Tower or someone who knew what Charles intended to do... To avoid disturbing Charles, they guided the world to ultimately converge at the same node for a reshuffle—no matter what Charles did in the Old Days, they could steer everything back to the same point.
The great catastrophe could very well be that reshuffling node, which could reasonably erase all of Charles's changes and efforts in the Old Days.
"Thank you for your answer," Charles nodded slightly at Lex and said, "I think I need to go back and think for a while."
"Please," Lex did not stop Charles, merely raising his hand slightly, causing the maze of bookshelves behind Charles to vanish.
Charles remained silent as he turned to leave, quickly making his way toward the place where Reimeides was.
---
Chapter 316: To Become... a Deity? Me? (5107 words)
"You've arrived? Are you okay?"
Sadana opened the door and looked at the witch standing at the entrance, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
"I'm fine," Charles shook his head and asked directly, "Where's Reimeides?"
"She's in the reception room; you can go in and find her directly..." Sadana pointed to the nearby crystal door.
"Thank you."
Charles passed by Sadana and walked straight to the reception room he had visited the first time he came to Reimeides's home, pushing the door open.
As he opened the door, Reimeides was already seated inside, with a potion as dark as ink placed before her.
Upon seeing Charles enter, Reimeides turned to him and said, "You’re here? I was just about to look for you."
Charles closed the door and sat down beside Reimeides. They exchanged glances, both understanding that they had things to discuss.
"What did Lex tell you?" Reimeides was the first to ask, not mentioning her own discoveries yet.
"He talked about some matters regarding the Abyss and speculated about that Ascendant," Charles looked at Reimeides, not hiding anything, and said, "That great catastrophe might be different from what we previously anticipated."
"Really?" Reimeides's eyes lit up at his words.
What the witch was about to say seemed to align with some information Reimeides had just derived from her own research.
"I just tried a potion that closely resembles the formulas you mentioned," Reimeides raised her hand to show the black markings on her right hand.
Though the color had faded somewhat, the gray-black veins still looked alarming against her fair skin.
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