After the academic conference, Xing Chen rushed back to his rented apartment.
His neighbor, Brother Wang, saw him return and informed him that many unfamiliar faces had appeared in the vicinity during his absence.
“You must be working on some secret research lately. I won’t ask, but be careful. If you need help, just ask me.”
“Okay, thank you, Brother Wang, I’ll be careful.”
Closing the door and putting away his luggage, Theresa gave Xing Chen good news: a program she had written herself was ready for trial.
“With this program, I can temporarily use the continuation of civilization as an interface to access the Internalized Universe in one go.”
Theresa took out her laptop and excitedly introduced her achievement to Xing Chen.
“As you said, Originium records all information from its arrival. If someone bypasses you to access it, they will definitely leave a trace in the Internalized Universe.”
“But the information in the Internalized Universe is so complex; even if both our brains burned to charcoal, we wouldn’t be able to go through it all.”
When Xing Chen said this, Theresa looked as if a basin of cold water had been poured over her. Then, she asked Xing Chen what they should do next, looking very disappointed.
What could they do? For now, they should give up. It would be a waste of time and might not even yield results.
To be honest, it would be easier for him to personally find someone to get clues from the island nation.
“Let’s address your needs first.”
“But Xing Chen, you…”
“I’m not in a hurry,” Xing Chen said to Theresa with a smile. “I’m not such an extreme person, and I haven’t completely denied your ideals. We are still on the path to saving Terra and saving the Sarkaz, aren’t we?”
“You’re right,” Theresa perked up after hearing Xing Chen say this.
Xing Chen tried to influence Theresa, and Theresa also wanted to change Xing Chen. She was naturally very happy that he was willing to go along with her this time.
The two of them weren’t enemies. Besides, enemies could even turn into friends under certain circumstances.
The two exchanged a smile. Xing Chen sat in front, holding Theresa’s laptop, while Theresa sat behind him with her legs crossed, her hands pressed to either side of his head, looking very much like someone imparting power.
Suddenly, everything went dark. When they opened their eyes again, they were standing in a pure white library.
Man-high bookshelves were regularly arranged in four directions, with a path in each direction, extending infinitely into the distance.
In the very center of the bookshelves, there was an open space with a table and two chairs.
“Are you sure this is the Internalized Universe?” Xing Chen had never seen such a scene, or more accurately, had never seen similar scenery on Terra.
“Doesn’t the continuation of civilization link to the Internalized Universe?” Theresa took back her laptop, watching the program run smoothly with the aid of her Originium Arts.
“But I never said that the continuation of civilization could only link to the Internalized Universe; it can also link to other places, such as the Pre-civilization database.”
But wasn’t the Pre-civilization database a gigantic structure in space? What connection did this library have with that megastructure?
“Let’s explore first,” Xing Chen was also at a loss.
After a brief observation of the bookshelves closest to the open space, Xing Chen found that the bookshelves in all four directions had identical numbering. The content of the books corresponding to the numbers was also exactly the same—every word was recognizable, but when combined, they made no sense.
“It seems we have no choice but to explore deeper,” Theresa put the book back, and used Originium Arts to create a thread, which she wrapped around both their wrists.
“You take this path, and I’ll take the one next to yours,” Xing Chen shared his idea with Theresa. “I have a feeling that the arrangement of these bookshelves must have its unique symbolic meaning.”
Symbolic meaning is also a way of expressing information; this method might even be more efficient.
Theresa agreed with Xing Chen’s idea, and the two immediately began to act separately.
They agreed that if one of them made a unique discovery, they would tug the string three times to alert the other… After parting with Theresa, Xing Chen walked down a seemingly endless path.
Speaking of which, the height of the bookshelves here was just right; he only needed to reach up to grab the book he wanted.
Was it a physical model of an alien space, or a reflection of the inner mind?
He didn’t know how far he had walked when suddenly, all the books on one bookshelf turned into black and red bricks.
An anomaly was a good thing; perfection meant a ceiling, while flaws indicated room for breakthrough.
He couldn’t figure out the reason for now, so he could only continue forward.
After passing this anomaly, the bookshelves ahead gradually began to display content he could understand.
The arrangement of the text was still unparsable, but as soon as Xing Chen opened a book, the information it intended to convey would enter his mind.
This saved the time required for reading, but it wasn't always beneficial.
“Ugh,” Xing Chen tried his best to suppress the urge to vomit. The book he had just opened contained detailed information about a monster.
However, some of its physiological characteristics were recorded in excessively minute detail. For example, it was like you went to an all-you-can-eat buffet with automatic feeding enabled, and then someone served you a plate of elephant dung.
At this moment, the thread on his hand moved three times, indicating that Theresa had also made her discovery.
When a book was removed a certain distance from the bookshelf, an identical book would regenerate on the shelf. At this point, if the book was placed back, the one that had been taken out would disappear.
This meant that communicating while holding books was feasible.
Xing Chen took the book that had nauseated him and returned to the table in the open space. Soon after, Theresa also walked over slowly, holding a book.
Their eyes met, and then they tacitly asked each other for the book’s number.
“We really are on the same wavelength,” indeed, both of them had the same book. “Let’s look at the content.”
Xing Chen handed the book to Theresa, and he also took the other’s book.
With the first shock as preparation, the second instance of physical discomfort was much less.
It was still a dark, twisted monster with many hands and feet, but Theresa’s book contained two things that everyone was very familiar with.
“Sarkota’s halo and wings.”
Theresa closed the book. The same number, minor differences—there must be some connection between them.
For example, official history, unofficial history, or parallel dimensions, or something of that sort.
“I didn’t know what the Tikaz tribe that encountered the law looked like back then, so I can’t confirm if this is the ancestor of the Sarkota, nor can I confirm which one is correct.”
“It’s also possible that all of them are wrong.” Hearing Xing Chen’s statement, Theresa nodded.
“But I can confirm that a part of them is definitely in my blood.”
“Good thing it’s only a part. You Tikaz are truly ugly.” Looking at Theresa in front of him, Xing Chen truly praised Prythian and the Seer.
“Am I not pretty?” Theresa deliberately put on an angry expression.
“Alright, I admit our ancestors were indeed a bit abstract…”