Chapter 653
Inside, all the memories of Ai Ruige Ma were stored. With the "artificial divine essence" technology, Ai Ruige Ma could directly choose any empty shell at will for "rebirth."
This meant that the memories imprinted in her brain could be replicated onto an empty shell, creating a new "Ai Ruige Ma."
Thanks to this technology, Ai Ruige Ma had lived for nearly a century, making her the longest-lived extraordinary being that Xia Er had ever encountered.
Moreover, since each replicated "Ai Ruige Ma" was the original version, it seemed that any mental pollution would be reset.
They weren't even using the complete technology yet, but it always gave Xia Er a sense of déjà vu...
That was the idea he had previously considered in his mind, asking Ai Wei Na to help him preserve all his memories...
The thought that this technology might have been passed down from the Tower made Xia Er wonder if it was something "he" had created.
Artificial divine essence was almost another way to counter the backlash of faith power, gathering the mental strength of all believers to collectively bear the repercussions of faith. Theoretically, this method could absorb an infinite number of followers.
However... since this method had already been proposed, and neither the Tower nor he had produced a true deity... it indicated a high probability of failure.
"Let’s change direction; this technology should have been validated as a failure." Xia Er set down his research notes and pointed to the intact brain from the other realm. "Let’s use that one; it contains a wealth of knowledge."
When he said "a wealth," it might as well have been the knowledge of an entire Tower library, plus the research memories of some Tower researchers.
"Alright..."
Although she had prepared herself mentally, when Ai Ruige Ma heard Xia Er say "failure," it felt as if her head had been struck by a heavy hammer.
This was the culmination of her life's work... the only path to her becoming a deity...
She seemed a bit unwilling to accept it and asked, "Your Excellency Xia Er... is this experiment really a failure? I’ve witnessed several fragments of experiments with my own eyes. Although incomplete, what we’re doing now is far from the level shown in those fragments..."
"It’s failed." Xia Er shook his head and replied, "If it had succeeded, the world wouldn’t be like this now. Deities would have appeared long ago; it’s a simple truth."
Xia Er's response left Ai Ruige Ma speechless; she had no way to refute his words.
Indeed... if the people in those fragments had truly completed this research, would the world still be as it is now?
"Then... what about the other realm? Isn’t that great existence within the other realm a deity?" Ai Ruige Ma asked, somewhat lost in thought.
"That being?" Xia Er realized she was referring to the pure white armor. He shook his head and said, "For you, I suppose it counts."
Upon hearing this answer, Ai Ruige Ma fell silent.
Clearly, the perspective from which His Excellency Xia Er stood was on a completely different level from hers...
Suddenly, Ai Ruige Ma thought of something, as if grasping a lifeline. She looked up at Xia Er and asked, "What about the Church of the Savior Goddess? Is there evidence that the goddess of the Church of the Savior has truly awakened? Could that goddess also be a fabrication?"
"That goddess?" Xia Er turned to Ai Ruige Ma, observing the flickering green flames in her eyes, and said, "That’s me."
"......"
Ai Ruige Ma stood there, completely devoid of the strength to ask any further questions.
"Feeling down?" Xia Er looked at Ai Ruige Ma and said, "Right now, it’s just that there’s no way to become a deity; it doesn’t mean there’s no way to become an Ascendant."
An Ascendant was simply another term for a transcendent being, just a difference in modern translation.
Upon hearing this, Ai Ruige Ma, who seemed to have burned out, suddenly lifted her head and looked toward Xia Er again, the dim fire in her eyes reigniting.
"You mean..." Ai Ruige Ma asked, her voice trembling.
"There is a continuation to your path; it was indeed created by that being from the other realm." Xia Er looked at her and said, "As for the potion formula and the replication ritual, I will present them at the appropriate time."
A fifth-tier potion formula and replication ritual... Ascendants...
Xia Er's words rekindled hope in Ai Ruige Ma.
Gratefully, she escorted Xia Er, who had finished reviewing all the information and was about to leave, out. After leaving the Church of the God of Order, Xia Er returned home with the two brains.
This simulation... had provided Xia Er with a wealth of important information, and it also made him realize that causing widespread civilian casualties on this grand scale was insufficient to influence the arrival of the God of Existence.
Most importantly, it was the information that Sa Da Na wanted to leave behind.
Now, having completed everything, all Xia Er could do was wait for the pure white armor to bring news of the Ascendant from that other realm...
However, at this final moment before leaving the simulation, Xia Er still had some loose ends to tie up.
She sat in her home and slowly raised her right hand.
Crimson fungi, resembling mycelium, spread from beneath the wooden floor toward the palm of Xia Er's hand.
The mycelium covered her palm, writhing back and forth, seemingly expressing a "familiar" emotion.
Xia Er gently raised her left hand and lightly touched the crimson fungi on her right palm, softly saying, "Let’s begin..."
The crimson fungi coalesced in her palm, resembling a jelly-like mass of blood, gently swaying as if responding to her.
In the next moment, the mycelium in Xia Er's hand swiftly burrowed into the ground, merging into the vast underground network of fungal veins, rapidly spreading her information.
Simultaneously, in various corners of the continent, countless mycelia that had been pre-planted and were slowly developing underground burst forth, invading the bodies of all living beings in sight...
Countless crimson mycelia trampled the extraordinary beings in one city after another, erecting one crimson citadel after another...
...
"Reality"
"Year 741 of the Holy Era, July 28, 13:20"
"Evaluation: Wow! You did it!"
"In terms of the census, you were serious. From the initial 'empty streets' to now directly reporting a disappearance of 151,524,589 people, you’ve achieved a terrifying breakthrough!"
"The system now grants you the title of 'Billionaire Talent.' Keep up the good work!"
"However... you already know that this won’t change much. Gaining more destiny points in the future may not be so simple..."
"Accept this; it’s what you deserve based on your performance."
"Rewards: Destiny Points *1374, [Crimson Offspring], [Warehouse] +2, [Omniscient Lv.4], [Agility Lv.5], [Charm Lv.5], [Art of Conversation Lv.5], [Nemesis Lv.5]"
"Destiny Points: 1631"
Xia Er slowly opened her eyes, feeling her bodily senses gradually returning. She straightened her back, and the blanket that had been draped over her slid down to the floor.
"Lord Xia Er, you’re awake?" Tara, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward, crouched down, and picked up the blanket that had fallen, hugging it close to her chest, still carrying Xia Er's scent.
Though her expression seemed unchanged, Tara's breathing was noticeably clearer.
"Mm." Returning to reality brought a slight relaxation to Xia Er's previously tense heart.
This simulation had involved too many events that needed to be digested, and she needed to find ways to solve the problems... Xia Er was already prepared to return to the past, where she could put some of her thoughts into practice.
On one hand, she awaited the altar to light up again for summoning, and on the other, she waited for the pure white armor to search for her. It seemed that all Xia Er could do was wait...
As for other matters, like asking Adele to help research life alchemy, those tasks wouldn’t take much of Xia Er's time. She could even directly approach the Church of the God of Order for collaboration.
The Church of the God of Order already had partnerships with the Farloss Medical Society under the Natu Ra Medical Group, which had been infiltrated by the Joyous Society. The research Xia Er proposed would certainly be taken seriously and would receive substantial resources.
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