Chapter 227: Fuli Stays Silent and Gives You a Wink
However, Ruan Mei's experiment ended in failure.
Or rather, it presented a scene that completely shattered her expectations. Inside the sterile containment vessel, Leon's cells had silently and effortlessly devoured the active substances belonging to the remains of The Propagation.
These were no ordinary biological samples. They were the terrifying remnants of The Propagation, an entity synonymous with endless, consuming swarms. This impossible phenomenon forced the elegant researcher to form a startling hypothesis. Leon's fundamental level of existence might actually sit far above the remains of The Propagation.
Following that terrifying logic, could it be inferred that his life level eclipsed even that of an Aeon?
The mere thought was incredibly bold. Even someone as composed and detached as Ruan Mei found her breath catching in her throat.
After all, Aeons sat at the absolute apex of their respective Paths. They were cosmic existences that utterly transcended all living beings. This was the unquestionable consensus of the universe. Aeons were not even considered life in the traditional biological sense. They were ultimate forms that had ascended from mortal constraints, existing purely to symbolize and enforce specific philosophical concepts across the stars.
Yet, the residual substance left behind by such a supreme existence had been casually treated as food by Leon's cells., these were the remains of The Propagation, a Path that literally symbolized infinite proliferation and unstoppable evolution.
Faced with the obvious data displayed on her monitors, Ruan Mei had no choice but to follow this terrifying line of reasoning to its end.
If Leon truly was a higher-dimensional existence far surpassing an Aeon, then the deep secrets of the universe would naturally no longer hold his absolute attention. Once she accepted this staggering premise, everything else began to fall into place. It suddenly seemed perfectly logical that Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, would cast its heavy gaze upon Cocolia and the others simply because Leon willed it so.
Ruan Mei shifted her attention, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as she thought of Cocolia. Although she could not precisely measure the exact amount of divine blessing each of the four women had received, her sharp intuition told her that the Supreme Guardian of Belobog had claimed the largest share.
More, Ruan Mei could tell at a single glance that among that particular group, only Cocolia stood out in a very specific way. She subconsciously found herself comparing her own traits to the blonde ruler. Their personal styles were completely opposed. On this particular subject, Leon was undoubtedly the one with the most experience to draw from.
Ruan Mei knew her own personality leaned heavily toward being introverted, quiet, and elegantly gentle. Yet, during moments of scientific breakthrough, she would inevitably reveal a researcher's characteristic obsession, displaying an almost paranoid focus that bordered on madness. Cocolia, on the other hand, was fiercely extroverted, commanding, and highly active. Yet, behind closed doors, the proud Guardian would display an entirely different, deeply submissive kind of obedience.
"Sometimes, I am truly curious..." Ruan Mei sighed softly. Her slender finger unconsciously traced the holographic silhouette of the man in question on her display terminal. "What kind of existence are you, exactly?"
He possessed a life level potentially higher than an Aeon, yet he displayed so much humanity. He was grounded, humorous, and intimately close to the comforting warmth of mortal life. She often felt incredibly fortunate. Fortunate to have crossed paths with him, and even more fortunate that she had been decisive enough at the very beginning to secure her place by his side.
Hearing Ruan Mei's murmured words through their shared connection, Leon paused, genuinely taken aback. He rubbed his chin, a dryly amused smile tugging at his lips.
Ruan Mei truly was a peerless genius. She had probably suspected his true nature for a long time now. She had simply chosen never to pry.
Leon smiled, his voice transmitting directly to her. "What if I told you I am actually not from this world?"
"I believe you." Ruan Mei nodded without a single second of hesitation. Her gaze remained calm and clear. "In fact, I have harbored suspicions for quite some time that you might originate from completely outside our known reality. A god from another universe entirely, descending upon our local cluster."
The cosmos was infinitely vast, and nothing was truly impossible. It was already a known fact that Welt Yang, the seasoned senior of the Astral Express, hailed from a completely different universe.
"Then..." Pure, unadulterated curiosity and a rare, genuine tenderness rippled in her beautiful eyes. "Would you be willing to tell me stories of your home?"
...
"Thank you so much for your help, Lady Fu Xuan!"
March 7th let out a long breath, finally recovering from her previous spike of tension. She quickly offered her bright, energetic thanks to the Master Diviner.
Shortly after stepping into the grand operational center of the Matrix of Prescience, the pink-haired girl had encountered a mysterious, veiled figure claiming to be a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection. The enigmatic entity had actually advised her to immediately stop tracing her lost past and leave the matrix. The Memokeeper claimed that digging up those buried memories would bring her nothing but deep harm.
Naturally, March completely refused to back down. She had planted her hands on her hips and retorted directly. "You are the one who should leave! I am never going to give up on finding out who I am!"
It was only after the confrontation escalated that she fully realized the person blocking her path was a devoted follower of Fuli, the Aeon of Memory.
Wait a minute. The Aeon of Memory was currently physically present right here on the Xianzhou Luofu. Should she have been a little more tactful with her shouting? Thinking about the fact that Fuli was currently wandering around the very same flagship, March suddenly wondered if her unique amnesia was directly related to the Aeon. Could it be that her memories had been intentionally erased by Fuli itself?
What March did not know was that the veiled Memokeeper standing opposite her was currently scared completely out of her wits. The entity had merely been following her assigned mission to gently stop the pink-haired girl from seeking out her dangerous past.
But then, halfway through her cryptic warnings, she suddenly realized that Fuli, her supreme god, was standing right there in the distance. The Aeon of Memory was silently watching her every move, recording the entire interaction.
The Memokeeper's mind blanked.
She stared.
She panicked.
This particular Memokeeper naturally knew about the terrifying rumors circulating the cosmos. There were heavy suspicions that a literal gathering of Aeons was currently taking place on the Xianzhou Luofu. But absolutely no one had informed her that Fuli was participating in this absurd divine vacation. And why was her god looking directly at her?
Wait, according to the deepest secrets of the Garden, wasn't the true Aeon of Memory supposed to be in a state of conceptual dormancy? Which Nirvana Purity had suddenly hijacked her god's physical manifestation?
As an elite agent specifically dispatched to monitor and protect March, this Memokeeper knew several highly classified inside stories regarding the universe's true history. But it was precisely because she understood these terrifying secrets that she was currently paralyzed by shock.
The relationship between the Aeon of Memory and the concept of Nirvana Purity was by no means a gentle one. After all, the universal rule dictated that if a new life was to sprout, its original seed had to completely die. So, if a supreme entity of Nirvana Purity really had taken over Fuli's identity, then this new 'Fuli' would absolutely not be acting so peacefully toward a Memokeeper from the old regime.
Following this chaotic line of thought, the Memokeeper's mind shook violently. A sudden, overwhelming surge of excitement rushed into her ethereal heart. The Garden of Recollection was heavily divided, filled with various internal factions and fiercely differing political stances. Yet, at this exact moment, looking at the silent god in the distance, she felt that perhaps she had just done the exact right thing.
She cautiously looked toward Fuli.
The Aeon of Memory seemed to have perfectly sensed her internal panic. Slowly, deliberately, the supreme being actually gave her a gentle, highly uncharacteristic wink.
That single wink made the Memokeeper almost stop breathing entirely.
She was right! She really had chosen the correct path!
Just as her mind was reeling from the divine validation, Fu Xuan suddenly barged into the area, sternly reprimanding the veiled figure for trespassing. If things had gone according to her original plan, the Memokeeper might have stayed to verbally spar with the Master Diviner for a while to maintain her mysterious facade.
But under Fuli's heavy, silent gaze, her mind was already in complete disarray. She had absolutely no mental bandwidth left to respond calmly to a mortal official. Without uttering a single word of rebuttal, she immediately transformed into a brilliant stream of crystalline light and fled the Matrix, not daring to stay for even a second longer.
This abrupt, panicked retreat naturally led March to mistakenly believe that Fu Xuan had completely intimidated the mysterious messenger away with her sheer, overwhelming presence.
"Hmph. Since I promised to look after you, and having received the supreme favor of guidance from Nous the Erudition, how could I possibly allow others to secretly set up barriers in my domain?" Fu Xuan snorted lightly, crossing her arms. Her tone carried a heavy hint of natural, absolute pride. "No one obstructs a seeker of truth while I am watching."
"That person just now said they were a Memokeeper from the Garden of Recollection." March scratched the back of her head, her bright eyes filled with genuine puzzlement. "Why would the Garden of Recollection want to stop me from finding my own memories?"
"The Garden of Recollection?" Fu Xuan blinked, her proud demeanor slipping for a fraction of a second. "Wait. The Garden of Recollection that serves the Aeon of Memory? Could this obstruction be an order personally handed down by Lord Fuli?"
Hearing the full weight of the organization's name, Fu Xuan's chest suddenly tightened. When she had confidently barged into the projection space just a moment ago, she hadn't taken the time to properly confirm the trespasser's true identity. If that really was Fuli's personal envoy, and the Aeon of Memory was currently residing right here on the Luofu...
A cold bead of sweat formed on the back of the Master Diviner's neck.
She hadn't just accidentally committed a colossal, politically disastrous mistake against a literal god, had she?
Despite her outward composure, Fu Xuan was internally screaming.
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