[Heavenly Martial Capital, Heavenly Martial Training Base]
"So... this is the fragment of the special experimental subject you encountered in Tsukisan City. Let me see."
Inside the metallic training room, the cold light from the tactical lamps fell upon a black fragment on the table, reflecting an obscure luster.
Caroline's fingers hovered three centimeters above the fragment, pale green data streams rolling rapidly through her pupils. This was the manifestation of her data-matching process, connecting the Star Envoy Association's core database with the mysterious black fragment before her.
A moment later, Caroline withdrew her hand and frowned. "No matching records found. The energy reaction of this fragment is very peculiar. It bears both the erosion marks of the Abyss and the patterns of mechanical modification. It doesn't look like a product of the old era; it seems more like a new experiment from recent years."
She paused and looked at Tendo, her green eyes filled with professional rigor.
"Of course, there is another possibility... its data security clearance is higher than what I am currently authorized to access. I have no right to view it."
"As expected."
Tendo didn't seem too concerned; or rather, everything was within his expectations. Clearly, this was something intended to appear in the "next season." Therefore, it was perfectly normal for the current season's Caroline to be unaware of its true nature.
Thinking of this, Tendo leaned back on the sofa and casually flicked the black fragment toward the center of the table.
Seeing this, Caroline contemplated for a moment before asking, "Do I need to make a trip to headquarters to apply for higher data clearance?"
As the disciple of the General Chairman, Enite, Caroline naturally possessed such capability. However, Tendo declined.
"No need."
Caroline thought for a moment and then nodded. She understood that since Tendo had said so, he must have made a decision. Although she didn't know what his decision was, she never interfered with his thoughts.
While she wouldn't interfere, Caroline would still use her own methods to help Tendo minimize trouble. She turned to flip open the tactical tablet at her side, pulling up an encrypted file.
"The follow-up processing plan for Tsukisan City has been released. Headquarters will send personnel to take over the city's branch for three months until the selection of a new Branch Chairman is complete."
Caroline paused, tapping out a blurred photo of a corpse on the tactical tablet.
"Also, the true identity of that 'Branch Chairman' has been discovered. The real him died six months ago during an exploration of a fallen zone. The one who returned was an impostor. Its mimicry ability is very special; it can replicate the host's memories and even some Star Source fluctuations. Unfortunately, no one in the branch noticed."
"Normal. After all, most people were blinded by the 'gift of power.' Even if they noticed something, they pretended they hadn't."
Tendo cracked open a can of orange soda. The hiss of the bursting bubbles was exceptionally clear in the quiet training room. He tilted his head back and took a swig, the cold liquid sliding down his throat.
"I saw that thing in Elijah's memories. Unfortunately, that fellow seemed to know Tsukisan City wasn't safe and left three months ago. That's why I didn't stay there long. Alright, what I needed to do is done. The rest is for others to handle."
As his words fell, Tendo's gaze landed on Caroline. Since the trial on Longevity Island, the aura of Caroline's fusion with the Miracle Stone "Exchange" had become increasingly peculiar. Even his Star Eclipse Heavenly Eyes could not easily see through her.
With a hint of curiosity, Tendo asked, "Caroline, to what extent has your 'Law of Exchange' reached?"
Hearing this, Caroline made no extra movements; she simply slowly raised her right hand. At the moment she raised it, her arm suddenly took on a translucent sheen.
The training room lights shone through her forearm, casting a blurred shadow on the floor. Even the fabric of her clothes became as transparent as frosted glass.
Seeing this, Tendo immediately activated his Star Eclipse Heavenly Eyes. Within his azure eyes, Caroline's physical silhouette actually transformed into countless dancing quantum points of light. This left him secretly astonished.
He knew that even Law-level abilities would present clear energy trajectories to his Celestial Eyes. But the current Caroline seemed to exist in the gap between "reality" and "illusion." The points of light on her body would condense into form one moment and disperse into mist the next, making it impossible to lock onto her essence.
"This shouldn't be simple phasing," Tendo said, putting down his soda and leaning forward slightly, his tone carrying a rare curiosity. "What did you combine 'Exchange' with?"
"My 'Quantum Soul'."
Caroline walked to the table and picked up a red apple resting beside the training equipment. She lifted the apple above her head and then suddenly let go. The apple accelerated under gravity, yet it passed directly through her palm hanging below without any collision.
However, a second before the apple hit the table, Caroline's palm suddenly solidified from its translucent state, steadily catching the apple.
"The core of the Law of Exchange is 'Equivalent Substitution.' Using the energy of the Miracle Stone as a medium, I have set 'physical form' and 'quantum form' as equivalent terms that can be converted bi-directionally."
She placed the apple on the table, her fingertip sliding across its surface and leaving a pale green light trail. At the trail, the apple's skin briefly became transparent, revealing the core inside.
"The trigger conditions are clear. It requires consuming 10% of my base Star Energy, and the conversion takes 0.033 seconds. This gap... is currently my only weakness. Once the conversion is successful, I turn into a cluster of quantum state light points, completely bypassing physical collisions and energy impacts. Because the carriers of these attacks are 'matter,' they cannot act on the quantum level."
She paused and demonstrated, her forearm becoming translucent again.
"But in the quantum state, I cannot actively attack. I must spend 0.033 seconds solidifying to generate physical contact—just like when I caught the apple earlier. I quantized first to let the apple pass through, then instantly solidified to catch it."
0.033 seconds was effectively "one frame" in common terms. This meant the current Caroline had only a fleeting one-frame window of vulnerability; the rest of the time, she could completely ignore enemy attacks. It was an overbearing power.
And her abilities did not stop there.
Caroline's figure suddenly transformed into a silver-white stream of light, diving into the tactical tablet on the table like a signal. In the next second, the tablet's screen lit up. Caroline's virtual avatar appeared in the center of the screen, her voice transmitting through the speakers.
"The quantum form also allows me to traverse any carrier possessing quantum attributes. Networks, optical computers, even Star Energy transmission lines can become my 'carrier'."
The silver-white stream shot out from the tablet again, and Caroline condensed back into form. The light particles in her hair melted into her skin, leaving a faint fluorescent mark.
"This is a derivative ability of my quantization. I call it 'Quantum Shuttling'."
She pointed to the interface of the tactical tablet and said, "As long as there is a quantum signal flow inside the carrier—such as the circuits of an optical computer or the energy waves of a Star Energy pipe—I can merge my quantum body into the signal stream and move at a speed of 300 meters per second. But the restrictions are also strict. The carrier must be in an active state; powered-down equipment is impassable. A single shuttle distance cannot exceed 5 kilometers, or the quantum points will begin to dissipate."
She raised her hand to activate the Star Energy detector on her wrist. The screen displayed: Quantum Conversion Cooldown: 30 seconds.
"Furthermore, there is a 30-second cooldown between two conversions. This is to avoid the loss of form control due to Star Energy disorder."
"Since you can control quantum attributes, what about information storage?" Tendo's question went straight to the heart of the matter.
He knew well that one of the most powerful traits of the quantum realm was information-carrying capacity. If Caroline could store her consciousness in the form of quantum information, she would be virtually immortal.
Hearing this, Caroline's expression darkened. She walked to the window, gazing at the artificial forest outside the training base, her fingertip absentmindedly tracing a trail of quantum light points across the glass.
"Theoretically, it is possible, because the core trait of quantum is information bearing. As long as the core database of the Star Envoy Association stores three core datasets containing my memories, personality, and Star Energy fluctuation frequency... then even if my physical body is destroyed, I could reconstruct the quantum cluster through the template and condense back into a physical entity. Only..."
She turned around, a hint of confusion in her green eyes.
"...The database stores 'information.' In my self-consciousness, there is a part that belongs uniquely to the 'emotional frequency' of the soul. This non-digitized trait simply cannot be replicated by quantum means. Therefore, I have a feeling that if I were to die now, the 'me' who is resurrected would have my memories, but she would not have my soul. At best, she would be a perfect copy, not the original me."
"I see."
Tendo pondered for a moment and offered his own analysis.
"If you want to achieve data immortality and soul permanence in the quantum sense, you need to find an anchor in the spiritual domain. For example, use the Miracle Stone's 'Exchange' ability to convert 'emotional frequency' into a storable quantum signal, and then completely bind your 'soul consciousness' with the 'quantum information.' Only then can you be fully restored during reconstruction."
"Yes."
Caroline nodded, looking directly into Tendo's eyes as she replied, "Perhaps when I completely master the essence of 'Exchange,' I will find the answer I'm looking for."
Knowing this, Tendo leaned back into the sofa and opened another can of soda. He watched the quantum light points flowing around Caroline and suddenly smiled. "Caroline, the current you... even I find 'a bit threatening' now."
Although Tendo was joking, for the interdimensional audience, this evaluation infinitely raised Caroline's current "value."
Before Caroline could reply, the automatic door of the training room slid open, and Jing Liuli rushed in holding a plastic bag.
"Threatening? What threat? Is there a new snack enemy that needs me to eliminate it?"
Seeing both Tendo and Caroline looking at her with strange expressions, Liuli held up the plastic bag without a care.
"Ta-da! Look, I specifically brought you freshly baked matcha mochi!"
She ran to the table. Just as she was about to set the plastic bag down next to the black fragment, she was swiftly stopped by Caroline.
"Careful, Liuli. This thing is highly corrosive to ordinary objects."
As she spoke, Caroline used a specialized container to store the mysterious black fragment away. Liuli didn't mind too much; after all, she and Tendo had collected the thing together.
"So what? I feel like that thing is fine; it's not particularly dangerous."
"It's better to be careful."
Faced with Caroline's "rigor," Liuli eventually dropped the topic. She opened the plastic bag on the spot and shared some sweet potatoes inside with Tendo and Caroline. She then pinched one, stuffed it into her mouth, and mumbled with bulging cheeks.
"Caroline, when I was in the hallway just now, I felt a very strange Star Energy fluctuation coming from here. It wasn't Tendo's vector field, nor was it ordinary Star Energy. It was like... a lot of light points jumping around."
As she spoke, Liuli seemed to notice something. Her eyes widened as she looked at Caroline, her purple pupils shimmering.
"Wait, Caroline, why has your Star Energy become like this? I tried to touch it with my Dream Perception, but it felt like light I couldn't catch. What did you do?"
At this, Caroline revealed a rare, playful smile. Her figure became translucent again, and she lightly touched Tendo's soda can. The soda inside suddenly "vanished," only to condense into a floating glob of liquid above her palm in the next second.
Liuli leaned in close to Caroline and reached out to touch the floating liquid, but her finger passed right through it.
"Whoa, Caroline, what kind of magic is this?"
"A quantum state."
Caroline withdrew her Star Energy, and the floating liquid fell back into the soda can.
"I can briefly quantize myself and the objects I touch. Objects in a quantum state will not suffer any form of material-level damage."
"That powerful?!"
Liuli's eyes sparkled as she talked to herself. "Then in the future, after I trap the enemy with my Dream Domain, Caroline, you can use Quantum Shuttling to flank them while Tendo handles the frontal damage. No one will be a match for us!"
Her confident tone gave off a vibe of "If I cooperate with [Blank], we can slaughter everyone."
While watching the boisterous Liuli, Caroline glanced at her tactical tablet out of the corner of her eye. On the personal data column, the words Current Star Energy Remaining: 95% were clearly displayed. Obviously, just that brief demonstration had consumed 5% of her energy. In a real battle, the consumption would be even greater.
Liuli stuffed the last mochi into her mouth and wiped her lips with a tissue. Then, she suddenly pointed toward the black fragment Caroline had placed in the container and said, "Caroline, when I was in Tsukisan City earlier, I saw 'light points' similar to quantum data within its energy residue. Remember to keep an eye out for that later."
Hearing this, Tendo and Caroline exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in the other's eyes. Liuli's Dream Perception could capture the most fundamental emotions of energy; her discovery meant that the research field of that mysterious organization seemed to have also touched upon the quantum level.
"Anyway, regardless of what it is, let's eat some sweets to recharge first!"
Liuli changed the subject and pushed the plastic bag between the two of them. After all, the snacks in that bag weren't just matcha mochi.
"Caroline, try this new strawberry-flavored energy bar. It tastes great."
"Okay."
The sunlight poured through the porthole of the training room, falling upon the three of them. The black fragment inside the glass container on the table continued to emit an obscure luster, but the surrounding snack bags and laughter made that shadow seem utterly insignificant.
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