Chapter 619
"You see, the potions of your era and what I’ve been studying are fundamentally different things," Remedais stated directly, revealing her discovery. "I believe that the so-called 'Otherworld' is not about 'containment,' but rather 'protection.'"
"And the one responsible for the 'destruction' is someone else."
Not containment... but protection?
Remedais's research inadvertently added some nuance to Shar's previous theories.
"After listening to Lex's account, I think the cataclysm might be a 'reshuffling' point," Shar said slowly. "The cataclysm is merely organizing all the chaotic timelines into a single line."
Remedais pondered Shar's words for a moment before responding, "So, you believe that no matter what you do now, the 'future' won't change?"
"I'm not sure," Shar shook his head.
If Shar and Remedais's theories are correct, then there’s only one possibility.
The Ascendant, or some deity facilitating all of this, desires a future that aligns with the one Shar currently inhabits.
A "low-magic" world devoid of Ascendants, symbionts, and complete "uniqueness."
A world without gods...
"What do you plan to do?" Remedais asked, looking at Shar.
What the witch intended to do was crucial.
Would she focus on crafting a more refined plan to relay more information to the future?
Or would she stir up the world's storms, wreaking havoc on the cataclysm just to draw the other party out?
"I don't have much time left," Shar replied, shaking his head. "The issue with Sadana remains unresolved, and my future self is still in danger."
Upon hearing this, Remedais fell into a brief contemplation.
However, she soon lifted her gaze to Shar.
During this time, she had also been considering how to address the "madness of Sadana" that Shar mentioned.
In fact, Remedais already had some answers in mind; she just hadn’t shared them with the witch because she lacked a better plan.
But since the witch said her time in this world was running out, even if the plan was not fully developed, Remedais felt she had to speak up.
"We designed this church based on the future 'Goddess of Salvation Church,' right?"
Remedais looked at Shar, and after receiving a nod from him, she continued thoughtfully, "To solve the issue with Sadana, we can start with this church..."
"Instead of allowing Sadana to manage the church as a 'symbiont' deity, we should have her maintain its operations as a 'proxy.'"
"But to prevent the church from becoming too powerful, the faith of the followers cannot focus on any particular symbiont deity; it needs to be represented by a symbol instead."
"You mentioned before that all the power of faith, during the passage of time, wouldn’t reach you, but once you arrive in the future, it would surge in..."
At this point, Remedais paused briefly before continuing, "I can have the Academy of Nature create a faceless statue that directly points to you, which will require your mark to absorb the faith."
"And this delayed arrival of faith can allow you to bypass the reshuffling of the cataclysm, gaining faith in the future you inhabit, becoming the sole deity."
"I will also do my best to maintain Sadana's mental state, and if the Sadana existing as a proxy in the future retains even a shred of sanity, she will recognize you. Even if she cannot identify you, she will sense the faith of the deity within you."
Using my own system to delay the distribution of faith... bypassing the cleansing of the cataclysm?
Remedais's line of thought opened a new perspective for Shar, but soon he realized another issue.
His path and uniqueness clearly did not align with the "Cocoon of Light," so how could he bear the weight of this delayed faith?
Perhaps... he could directly attempt to absorb this power using his save file?
Suddenly, a vivid image flashed through Shar's mind.
It was the first time he heard Sadana's words, when she drew power from the blood of Keles and spoke to him.
"You can never replace me..."
If he acted according to Remedais's plan now, it would seem as if he completely replaced Sadana, becoming the "Goddess of Salvation"...
This feeling of following a script made Shar feel as if he were wading through a quagmire, each step forward pulling him deeper into the mire.
"But for this plan to succeed, you must be able to absorb the power of faith," Remedais said, looking at Shar. "Are you willing to give it a try?"
"Give it a try?" Shar looked at Remedais, a hint of confusion on his face.
In truth, he hadn’t even considered what Remedais had just said; he was still lost in his own confusion about the "script."
"I have an extra 'seed' for researching the paths of light and darkness," Remedais said, looking at Shar. "You can absorb it using your power to convert between light and darkness."
I’m supposed to... absorb another "uniqueness"? Using my save file to absorb it?
Remedais's audacious suggestion made Shar's eyelids twitch slightly, but soon he began to seriously contemplate the validity of her words.
He had indeed felt trapped in a script, as if every step was meticulously designed...
But acquiring another "uniqueness" was undoubtedly something that had never happened in the future.
If a "script" truly existed, Remedais's whimsical idea was the most powerful way to tear it apart.
However, all of this hinged on whether his "save file" could genuinely absorb another "uniqueness."
"Are you willing to try?" Remedais asked, looking at Shar. "Though I haven't tried this myself..."
Shar looked at Remedais, clearly seeing a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes.
She seemed genuinely interested in this matter; Remedais had long been researching how to obtain the power of the "seed" without relying on faith. Her suggestion to Shar was actually an idea she had conceived a long time ago.
This idea was to split the "seed" in two, with one half responsible for collecting faith and the other for spreading power.
But the challenge of this idea was that the "seed" could not independently absorb faith without a host. Even if a "seed" without a host was created for people to believe in, it would not change or grant power to the faithful.
However, the appearance of this "future person" gave Remedais a renewed perspective on this idea, revealing its feasibility.
At least, during the time the "witch" was absent, one half of the "seed" might exist in an unclaimed state capable of absorbing faith... whether it would work or not still required further experimentation.
Moreover, this experiment was not a complete one; she was not using a full "seed," just two fragments of it.
"We can give it a try," Shar nodded.
Having the save file absorb different "uniquenesses" was something Shar had considered before, but it had only remained a thought, as the future's "uniquenesses" were indeed scarce...
"I'll go prepare; just wait a moment..."
After saying this, Remedais stood up.
She left the meeting room to instruct Sadana outside to retrieve the requested "seed," while Remedais headed alone toward the laboratory.
After about two hours in Remedais's meeting room, both she and Sadana returned to her home, and Remedais had also brought Hecate along.
Hecate was a genius in flesh alchemy; she could observe the upcoming ritual and suggest improvements.
Inside the conference room, Remedais took out a fragment of the "Cocoon of Light."
It was an irregularly shaped shard that appeared pitch black in Remedais's hand, as if it could swallow all surrounding colors.
Black flames flickered upon it, but as Remedais placed the shard on the table, it began to change, the darkness rapidly fading away.
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