"First, let me clarify—calling it a memory space is just to make it easier for you to understand, Id. In reality, an individual's memory space doesn't contain only memories. Memories are merely fragmentary carriers..."
"Mm, Conductor, could you simplify that a bit? I don't really understand the theoretical stuff."
Conductor adjusted her tone. "Human memory is itself a carrier of a portion of Truth."
"When individual humans invest their memories into action through practice, they are constructing the Sea of Human Consciousness—that is, the Truth of human civilization."
"..." Id's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. The term Sea of Human Consciousness was far too familiar to her—
It was something that felt both intimate and repulsive.
Too many memories—both beautiful and dark—were tied to it.
Seeing Id's conflicted expression, Conductor cut off her lengthy explanation and switched to a lighter tone. "Hey, being able to use the authority of the Herrscher of Wind is actually a nice bonus. Originally, I was prepared for us to all lose our memories, and only regain them later after accidentally coming into contact with the maple leaf bookmark."
Conductor's plans always carried a hint of gambling—that was her way of maximizing efficiency. Luck was also part of the plan.
Of course, even if it failed, she still had fallback measures. It would just be less efficient.
At the mention of Wendy, Id's expression softened slightly. "Oh right, speaking of that—why was Wendy so cooperative? Does that mean you've already managed to communicate with the consciousness inside the Herrscher Core of Wind, Conductor?"
If Wendy was like Planck, then she might soon meet the real Wendy. What kind of person was the original Wendy? It was strangely exciting to think about.
"No." Conductor shook her head and said frankly, "Since we can use the authority of the Herrscher Void of Core to create the Cosmic Juggernaut, it naturally means we can also use the authority of the Herrscher Core of Wind."
Id placed a finger against her lips, looking puzzled. "But... isn't the Herrscher Core of Wind alive?"
"Exactly. Which is why, under normal circumstances, we have no way of wresting control of the core from the Herrscher's consciousness."
"But have you forgotten, Id? Inside the Imaginary Terminus, nothing is normal. The boundary between life and death is blurred, and the singularity of the Herrscher Core exists there. That's also why Planck was able to transfer the authority of her core to you."
"You should know—Herrscher Cores from the Previous Era aren't like those of the Current Era, where they can just be passed around freely. Without Elysia acting as a mediator, Herrscher Cores are extremely inconvenient to deal with."
"The Herrscher Core of Wind is the same. Theoretically, you could have forcibly entered the core and seized control of it. But the risk was far too great, so I didn't let you do it."
After all, the Herrscher Core of Reason had Planck safeguarding it—but who knew what lay inside the Herrscher Core of Wind?
A direct clash between human consciousness and a Herrscher consciousness was no romantic encounter—it was a fight to the death.
Even if Vill-V won, the death of Wendy's consciousness was not something Id would want to see.
"Actually... I could try..."
"No!" Conductor refused immediately.
Letting Id become the Herrscher of Reason was already an enormous risk. If Conductor hadn't prepared comprehensive contingencies in advance, the Id who had reverted to her past-life state might have caused serious trouble.
Conductor knew very well that Id had a tendency to push herself. Even when Conductor had caused her to fall into amnesia, she hadn't blamed her.
But Conductor would not allow Id to be placed in danger endlessly. Everything she did was for Id's sake—how could she possibly put the cart before the horse?
As for the earlier amnesia, it wasn't that Conductor didn't want to take the trial of the Herrscher Core of Reason in Id's place. Unfortunately, those memories, that history, and that aptitude all belonged to Id. As derivative personalities, Conductor and the others simply lacked the capacity to bear the core.
Conductor also knew that Id's heart wasn't particularly steadfast—she herself wasn't even certain whether Id could pass the trial.
And the truth had indeed played out as she expected. Id was far too prone to empathizing with memories...
It was her strength—it allowed her to fully become another person.
And it was also her weakness—she was too easily influenced by others.
At that moment, Pure Evil spoke up with a mocking tone. "Heh, Conductor, exiling our consciousness through the Herrscher Core of Wind, then using Planck's pseudo Fenghuang Down to back up Id's memories—what a grand performance you've staged."
Clearly, Pure Evil was quite displeased that Id had regained her memories. She had been just a tiny step away from deceiving Id and replacing her entirely.
Conductor noticed that her connections with the other personalities had been restored. With Id's memories returning, the Vill-V Chat Group was back online.
Surprisingly, this time it wasn't Magician who seized the first post, but Pure Evil—the one who least liked interacting with the others.
Perhaps this was another little surprise arranged by Magician, though Conductor would have much preferred to hear Magician's enthusiastic greeting.
Id could tell that Pure Evil had something on her mind. "Is there a problem?"
"Of course there's a problem." Pure Evil smiled faintly. "You, who have regained Vill-V's copied memories, and whose body has been reconstructed by the Herrscher Core of Reason—are you still the Vill-V we know? Or are you... a Swampman?"
"Huh?"
Because nothing from the Time Fragment world could be brought into the original world, everything Vill-V had obtained there—oxygen, food, and so on—would vanish upon leaving. This meant her body would undergo sudden changes, and in severe cases, she could even die on the spot.
Therefore, when Vill-V left that world, the Herrscher of Reason Planck reconstructed a new body for her to ensure stability.
Meanwhile, Id Vill-V's memories had been completely worn away during Imaginary Assimilation. The memories she now possessed were copies created by Planck using the pseudo Fenghuang Down.
So then—was the current Id truly Vill-V, or merely a Swampman created by Planck using the Herrscher of Reason's authority, possessing Vill-V's memories and body?
Pure Evil clutched her stomach as she burst into laughter. "Hahaha! How amusing. Reanna was already a Ship of Theseus, but Id, you've gone even further than her."
Conductor pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Does this give you a headache, Conductor? Ha, I get it—I get it. There's never a perfect solution. You can only choose the lesser of two evils."
Conductor rolled her eyes at Pure Evil. "Honestly, you really love teasing Id, don't you? Next time, I won't let you join us."
"Hmph, fine by me. Who cares! (^^)" Pure Evil still maintained her tsundere attitude.
Of course, Conductor wasn't trying to provoke her. She understood that this was simply Pure Evil's own way of looking out for Id—even if it occasionally gave her a headache.
Seeing that Id had actually begun to seriously worry about it, Conductor flicked her on the forehead within the sea of consciousness.
"Alright, you little fool. What's there to overthink? Others might need to worry about this, but don't forget—you still have memories from your previous previous life."
"A newborn baby has no memories—does that mean they aren't human? Humans have never relied on memory to prove their existence."