Dongfang Qiqing quickly reached a conclusion.
"Maybe during the search we would eventually notice the underground levels… and if things went smoothly, we might reach the bottom of the tower."
Then she immediately continued, as if answering a quiz.
"But judging by the energy markers, the bottom is brighter than the top—yet still weaker than the floor we're currently on."
"So it could also be a decoy or trap."
She paused.
"Sir… is this a case of hiding in plain sight?"
"Is the truly important thing right beneath our noses?"
Lin Yi smiled slightly.
"Maybe."
"But now the contradiction returns to this very floor."
"What do you think stands out the most?"
Qiqing thought for a while.
"…Those strange patterns."
"And the carvings on the walls and doors."
"Excellent."
Lin Yi nodded.
"A complete storyline is forming."
"Next we can verify whether events really unfold this way."
"Want to make a bet?"
"We'll investigate in the order of our reasoning and see whether the outcome matches your deduction."
Qiqing immediately pulled out a card.
"I bet 100 billion credits that the result will be completely different."
"This tower is so tightly guarded—there's no way the truth could be guessed so casually."
Lin Yi chuckled.
"I actually agree with you."
"But since you already bet different, I'll bet the same."
"If I lose, I'll give you a small gift."
"How about it?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Then I'm looking forward to it."
After finishing the little game, Lin Yi raised his staff and lightly drew a line through the air.
A spatial gate silently opened.
"Let's go verify the truth."
He stepped toward the invisible doorway with leisurely confidence.
But just before crossing it, he stopped.
"Though before that…"
"There are two things to deal with."
Lin Yi tapped the ground with his staff several times.
The 3,600 spatial nodes lit up in a precise sequence.
Then they collapsed inward simultaneously.
A special Shattered Mirror of the Past appeared in Lin Yi's hand.
Through Moment Eternal, the same instant had been judged simultaneously at 3,600 spatial points.
The memory recorded inside this mirror was now almost indistinguishable from reality itself.
"First."
"I need to send this to Screwllum."
Lin Yi opened his phone.
Screwllum:
Logic: the deviation value this time is even larger than the first.
Conclusion: your Phase Walker still requires calibration.
Lin Yi:
No choice.
(Catcake shaking head emoji)
Long-distance fixed-point teleportation simply cannot be precisely controlled.
Every attempt feels like it's being interfered with by some unknown force.
I've tried countless times but can't eliminate it.
That's why the Phase Walker can only be classified as a half-finished product.
Anyway—let's change the topic.
What exactly is this mental interference here?
Screwllum:
So you noticed it as well?
Reasoning: being on site does make anomalies easier to detect.
Lin Yi:
I tested it using Dongfang Qiqing.
Screwllum:
...
Lin Yi:
She subconsciously showed protectiveness toward the tower and ignored the Stellaron fragment.
Even her wording subtly tried to mislead me.
Screwllum:
It appears your progress is faster than expected.
Lin Yi:
Naturally.
If I'm slower than you while being on site, that would be embarrassing.
I only contacted you for additional verification.
Screwllum:
Happy to assist.
Conclusion: following this case should produce many valuable questions and examples.
Lin Yi:
...
Let's keep this short.
Give me the conclusion first.
I'll investigate further here while you continue analyzing new data.
We can combine details later.
Screwllum:
Conclusion:
This tower emits a special mental interference wave.
There are three sources.
The strongest originates underground.
There should be additional structures below the tower.
Recommend investigating there first.
(Attachment 1 sent)
(Attachment 2 sent)
Lin Yi:
Reliable as always.
(Pom-Pom thumbs-up emoji)
There really is a structure underground.
The mirror I sent contains the terrain data.
The entire tower structure embodies an extreme symmetry of balance.
Also—I found a fragmented Stellaron on this middle level.
Pretty amazing.
A Stellaron shattered… yet didn't explode.
Screwllum:
Indeed fascinating.
If Herta learns about this, she will certainly be interested.
Lin Yi:
Makes sense.
This tower is black.
Herta is also "Black Tower".
Of course Black Tower would be interested in a black tower.
(Herta spinning emoji – created by Aha after hacking into the company database and made undeletable)
Screwllum:
...
Lin Yi:
Not funny?
Fine.
Ending the chat.
Please inform Herta.
If she's interested, she can join the investigation.
Lin Yi put away his phone.
Then he looked toward an empty space behind Dongfang Qiqing.
"The second matter…"
"…is dealing with a certain little mouse hiding in the shadows."
"So—are you going to show yourself?"
"Or should I do it personally?"
"Memory Keeper of the Garden of Recollection."
A clear female voice answered.
"I am a Memory Keeper of the Garden of Recollection—Zhili."
"I remained hidden earlier because I feared causing misunderstanding."
"Please believe me."
"I have no malicious intent."
Dongfang Qiqing stared in surprise as the figure appeared.
Then she quietly moved behind Lin Yi.
Lin Yi's tone remained calm.
"Then you must first earn my trust."
"Tell me—why are you here?"
"And why approach me?"
Despite the calm tone, Zhili felt a chill.
When she hesitated too long, Lin Yi's voice grew colder.
"My methods depend on your attitude."
"I happen to be short on memetic test subjects."
"You should understand the value of a memetic lifeform as experimental material."
Then he added casually—
"If you don't understand…"
"I can always let you experience it firsthand."
Zhili instinctively stepped back.
Though she knew it wouldn't help.
"Please calm your anger."
"Allowing emotions to dominate isn't something a genius of Erudition should do."
"I came here for a precious memory."
"The story is long."
"I know you dislike Memory Keepers."
"But I hope you will listen before making your decision."
"After all…"
"Now that I've appeared…"
"…escape is impossible anyway, isn't it?"
Damn it… I never should have come here.
Lin Yi raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"A story?"
"You should've said so earlier."
"I like stories."
"You may begin."
Just as expected… none of these geniuses are normal.
Zhili adjusted her posture and regained her composure.
"This is an ancient story."
"I followed old traces here to reconstruct a memory buried in the dust of history."
"For that memory…"
"I would give everything."
She paused briefly.
"If you allow it, I would like to travel with you while recounting the story."
Lin Yi thought for a moment.
"…Zhili."
"That name sounds familiar."
Then he remembered.
"The campaign against Destruction Lord Zhuluo."
"You were one of the Memory Keepers present during that event?"
Zhili shook her head.
"I did not participate in the battle."
"I only observed."
"I witnessed, recorded, and preserved that precious memory."
"And the reason I am here now…"
"…is precisely because of that war."
"The war launched to eliminate the Destruction Lord Zhuluo, who ravaged the universe."
"In that war I encountered many interesting people."
"I learned many fascinating things."
"And obtained a very precious memory."
"You know how the Galaxy Rangers killed Zhuluo, don't you?"
Lin Yi answered immediately.
"Herta's archives contain records."
"The Rangers held Zhuluo back with their lives."
"Then they lured the Propagation swarm to clash with the Destruction Legion."
"In the end, Zhuluo, the Rangers, and the swarm all fell into the shadow of Nihility."
"But that's only a rough summary."
"The details were lost long ago among the fabricated histories written by Fictionologists."
He sighed slightly.
"Just a few lines of text…"
"…yet they represent a magnificent epic and countless lives."
Zhili nodded.
"That is exactly why memories—and Memory Keepers—exist."
"So history is not reduced to cold lines of text."
"Unfortunately…"
"there are Enigmata and the Fictionologists."
Lin Yi sighed.
"Yes."
"They make reliable history almost impossible."
Fictionologists loved weaving lies into historical gaps.
Soon the truth would be buried beneath layers of false narratives.
Which meant scholars could no longer rely on past records.
Everything had to be re-verified from the beginning.
Zhili continued.
"The existing records of Zhuluo's assassination are correct."
"But they are incomplete."
"I personally witnessed a Masked Fool pushing events forward behind the scenes."
"I secretly observed the entire process."
"Without that Fool…"
"The Galaxy Rangers' assassination of Zhuluo might never have happened."
Lin Yi became interested.
"Go on."
"Do we need a more comfortable place to talk?"
"No need."
"We can speak while walking."
"If you prefer a shorter version, I can summarize."
Lin Yi shook his head.
"Detailed is better."
"I like stories."
"But since we're walking…"
"…let's skip the teleportation."
He tapped the staff again.
The spatial gate disappeared.
Lin Yi walked ahead, guiding the way.
Dongfang Qiqing followed beside him.
Together they listened as the hidden-faced Memory Keeper began recounting an ancient epic.
"At that time, Zhuluo ravaged the universe."
"He and his legion were among the most aggressive forces of Destruction."
"The civilizations he destroyed sometimes left behind survivors."
"Those survivors carried unbearable hatred."
"The destruction of their worlds."
"The annihilation of their families."
"That hatred eventually formed the backbone of the Galaxy Rangers who later hunted Zhuluo."
"Some pursued justice."
"Others revenge."
"They hunted the Legion's traces across the stars."
"They helped civilizations resist Destruction."
"For a long time, that was their main mission."
"Until one day…"
"A Masked Fool appeared."
"The Fool asked them a simple question."
'If you hate Zhuluo so much…
why don't you just kill him?'
'Is it because you don't dare?'
'Or because you cannot?'
"The Rangers said nothing."
"The Fool left."
"But the Rangers took the words seriously."
"The idea took root in their hearts."
"And that…"
"…was the beginning of the Zhuluo Incident."
Lin Yi smiled.
"You have real talent as a storyteller."
Zhili inclined her head.
"When life is long enough, one naturally learns many things."
"Someone once complained that my storytelling was too dull."
"So I studied how to make people listen."
"My teacher…"
"…was that very Fool."
Zhili then glanced at Dongfang Qiqing.
"She has stayed inside this tower for too long."
"Should we send her outside first?"
Lin Yi looked amused.
"Are you underestimating a genius?"
"That was not my intention."
"I only fear the mental influence here has affected her."
"I didn't intervene earlier because I was verifying something."
"Now that the verification is complete, restoring her is trivial."
"The interference here is primitive—similar to the influence used by the Propagation swarm."
Lin Yi took out a small crystal.
Pure white.
Almost unreal.
Zhili immediately retreated three steps in shock.
Lin Yi handed the crystal to Dongfang Qiqing.
"This was supposed to be the gift from our bet."
"Unfortunately a certain Memory Keeper interfered, so you'll receive it early."
"Don't worry."
"I'll think of another gift later."
"This one is a Reverse-Meme Crystal."
"A paradoxical creation that shouldn't exist."
"Carry it, and you will become immune to almost all information-layer interference."
"Memory theft by Memory Keepers."
"The mental pollution of this tower."
"All ineffective."
"If you crush it…"
"…a reverse-meme storm will erupt."
"It deals massive damage to entities without physical bodies."
"For purely memetic lifeforms—like Memory Keepers…"
"…touching it means instant death."
When mentioning Memory Keepers, Lin Yi deliberately glanced at Zhili.
"And if you crush it inside the Sea of Memories…"
"That would be even more entertaining."
"The collision would create enormous repulsive force."
"A massive explosion."
"Big enough to blow a hole in the Sea of Memories itself."
"Best part?"
"It's harmless to normal physical beings."
"So feel free to use it."
"Or crush it for fun."
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