"The materialization of concepts... that's something Otto and I discussed privately."
"That's what the Imaginary is. Once you strip away all its outer layers, you discover its essence. The power it provides originates from humanity's perception of the material universe beyond life itself."
"To be honest, while I suspected it at the time, I couldn't confirm the existence of the 'Imaginary.' It's a strange and dangerous thing, but Imaginary energy can't complete the final step, the most crucial step in life. This is the conclusion Otto reached after his research into the Imaginary..."
Bronya found the situation a bit strange. How could Noldrei, after... doing what they did... be so calm while discussing these bizarre topics?
"The philosophy here has taken an unexpected turn. When it reached the chapter on spiritual will, logically, it should have returned to the material world, heading down a path of materialism, and then, after fermenting through geneticism, paved the way for the next generation of new humans."
"But things went off course. An accident occurred in the chapter on spiritual will. It suddenly borrowed the power of the Imaginary to move from concept to reality, completing its own material manifestation from the virtual."
"Otto and I compared the development of humanity in our two worlds, and we arrived at a conclusion that left me somewhat bewildered."
Noldrei sighed with emotion. He hadn't expected such an outcome either.
According to the normal course of development, he should have led the new humans forward until they had exhausted this virgin territory called Earth, and then moved on to a new planet to cultivate the next generation.
It was the same principle as the people of northwest Shenzhou migrating after their land turned to desert.
"I am not a future human from this world."
This conclusion from Noldrei stunned Bronya. She had grown accustomed to Noldrei's constant assertion that he was a new human from the future, the ultimate solution to conflict.
But now, he had suddenly denied his own claim, catching Bronya completely off guard.
"Go on, Bro. I'm listening. Whether you're a future human or not has nothing to do with the you I know."
Bronya thought she was probably the first person to know this...
No, wait, Otto was the first person to know! Maybe Otto was also helping Noldrei think about these things.
The thought left Bronya with a strange feeling. She wondered if Noldrei and Otto had some kind of special, private relationship she didn't understand.
"Is that what I want? I want your brain! I thought you were the smartest one under my command, Bronya. I can't believe you thought I needed your emotional validation!"
Noldrei was deeply disappointed. He pointed a finger at her. "No, I need you to help me think about more things."
But you've already worn me out so much that I don't have the energy to think about this stuff.
Bronya felt Noldrei was being too demanding, trying to squeeze her brain dry after everything else. All she wanted now was a warm embrace and a place to fall into a deep sleep.
"You talk, I'll help you think."
"Imaginary power can make concepts real. Let's start from this basic logic and expand our understanding. Concepts are born from the cognitive activity of material life regarding the material universe. In the process of forming a concept, a life form's ideology automatically comes into play." Noldrei's initial explanation was relatively clear and easy to understand.
Soon, Bronya understood why Noldrei said dialectics and Imaginary power were opposed.
"But this is where the problem lies. If a concept materializes itself, it means the concept has detached from the process of life's cognition. This is equivalent to the existence of a 'Stigma life form.' Is a 'Stigma life form' alive? Of course! But this kind of Imaginary life is spawned from the concept itself. The new concepts it perceives cannot change the 'concept' that formed it. Do you understand this process?"
Bronya's head was spinning, but she managed to grasp the gist of it.
"I understand. Continue."
"Good. Now let's go a step further. We must first admit that human life, constructed from matter, is very foolish. Most human lives can only perceive what they are capable of perceiving, meaning human cognition is limited by its own material basis. This leads to a very interesting result: the concepts derived from human life are allowed to be wrong and will definitely be wrong! They can modify, add to, or delete their own perceptions, then dust themselves off and continue moving forward."
Bronya was very familiar with what Noldrei was saying. This was part of materialist dialectics, something she had studied before.
But what Noldrei said next was terrifying.
"Humans can modify the conceptualization process of a concept. So, what happens is: humans decide on a concept, the concept materializes and grants power to humans, and humans then continue to perceive the world with this tool that is full of their own limitations. But this limited conceptual tool is bound to be flawed, because human cognition is limited by material reality. However, Imaginary power ignores this process and directly causes the materialization and crystallization of concepts into 'Stigmas,' while another form becomes the 'Imaginary Renormalization Swarm,' also known as the 'Honkai.'"
"But this is where the problem lies. The conceptualization of a concept is itself part of the concept. Do you understand? In other words, this process becomes a 'living,' 'moving,' 'real' material force, which is Imaginary power."
"The very principle by which the Imaginary is born should cause the Imaginary to return to the Imaginary, making it revert to the process of conceptualization. An existence that must destroy itself in order to be born—this is something that did not exist in my future. Are you getting it now?"
Bronya's eyes were spinning. She felt she had fallen into an unprecedented contradiction.
This contradiction filled her with a genuine fear, a fear more profound than what she felt when considering concepts like order and chaos.
An existence that must destroy itself in order to be born.
This was the Imaginary?
This was the essence of the Imaginary?
Bro, you drop this bombshell on me right after we... you know... I'm not sure I can handle it!
"Bro, how about... I do something for you? A naked backflip?"
Bronya thought for a long time before finally uttering those words.
She felt that such a bizarre issue shouldn't be for her to ponder. If the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up. What did it have to do with her? She was just a powerless little bureaucrat in Academy City, who only came to Noldrei for a good time now and then.
"How about we call a meeting and discuss it with everyone?"
Bronya had a flash of inspiration, thinking she could pass the buck to the group. But she was quickly frightened by Noldrei's tentacles, which wrapped around her and hoisted her up like a silkworm cocoon.
Only then did Bronya realize that Noldrei was genuinely angry. She said frantically:
"Don't, don't do this... My legs are still weak. I'll think! I'll think, okay?! I'm using my brain right now!"