Chapter 261 Wishes and Costs 1

Unexpectedly, World Vision No. 4 asked questions related to the Soul Disorder without warning, and the Lord of the Seal's reply was even more intriguing.

The Lord of the Divine Seal cannot explain the origin of the Soul Loss Syndrome because he cannot answer questions related to the apocalypse. In other words, there is a clear causal relationship between the appearance of the Soul Loss Syndrome and the "apocalypse." I have always suspected that the souls of those suffering from the Soul Loss Syndrome might have traveled to the apocalyptic era, and this newly emerged clue seems to provide some support for that suspicion.

After receiving the reply, Number Four Xuanming did not ask any further questions. It was impossible to tell from his attitude whether he was surprised or had expected it. However, since Number Four Xuanming, who was obsessed with the apocalypse, would suddenly bring up the topic of soul loss, it meant that he was likely aware from the beginning that there was an intricate connection between soul loss and the apocalypse.

On the other hand, if the source of the Soul Disorder is the apocalypse, then the "cure for the Soul Disorder" that Asahi is so eager for is most likely unavailable through the channel of the Lord of the Divine Seal. This is because the method to completely eradicate the Soul Disorder might also involve the cause of its occurrence.

Given the absurd and bizarre origins of the Soul Loss Syndrome, it's hard to imagine that the Witcher's technology could possibly yield any meaningful results in studying a single case of a Soul Loss Syndrome patient like Ma Zao. Ultimately, the Soul Loss Syndrome isn't a true infectious disease, as there are no bacteria or viruses affecting the patient, so it's impossible to expect to develop a specific cure targeting the underlying cause.

This is more like an invisible natural disaster, and the disaster itself must be quelled, otherwise all those suffering from amnesia cannot be truly saved. This feeling seems to have been rooted in my heart for a long time, and after learning this information, my intuition has become even stronger.

Number Four, Xuanming, was probably organizing the information he had gathered and remained silent for a long time. Seeing this, Number Six stepped forward and asked the Lord of the Divine Seal, "I want to know how to open the 'Third Gate' and the 'Fourth Gate.' Can you answer that?"

“Yes,” said the Lord of the Seal. “You now know the answer.”

"Hmph... The fourth door does exist, and there is a way to open it..." Number Six said in a strange tone.

Although it is unclear what he refers to as the "third gate" and the "fourth gate," he is clearly following the same approach as Xuanming No. 4, trying to extract the information he wants from the Lord of the Divine Seal without consuming any fragments of the Divine Seal.

It was obvious that the Lord of the Divine Seal had also seen through the intentions of Number Four Xuanming and Number Six, but instead of being petty and trying to hide it, he was open and generous, letting the two of them take advantage of him.

So, could I try to extract information from the Lord of the Divine Seal using the same method? I thought about it for a moment, and realized it probably wouldn't work. Unlike those two, I need answers with concrete details.

Number One probably shared the same thought. He wanted the knowledge to resurrect others, a point he had already confirmed with the Lord of the Divine Seals last time, so he didn't repeat the confirmation this time like the other two. However, I'm certain he didn't have any extra Divine Seal fragments. He seemed somewhat agitated, his gaze darting around before finally settling on Number Five. More precisely, he was looking at the Divine Seal fragment in Number Five's hand.

Number Five was still hesitant, seemingly unsure whether to ask the Lord of the Divine Seal a question, but Number One's covetous gaze seemed to be the final straw. He suddenly seemed to have made up his mind and asked the Lord of the Divine Seal, "What I want to know is how to become strong enough to kill the Old Fist God. Even if it's just this question, can you tell me the answer?"

Old Fist God is one of the Great Impermanences standing at the peak of Mount Luo, and also one of the Great Impermanences who chose neutrality in the struggle between transcendence and hedonism.

Although I'm not very familiar with the theories of political struggle, and I don't know if they apply to this unpredictable world, I've heard it said before—those who choose not to take sides in a conflict often become the first victims attacked by all factions. This is because no one wants to be the one to reap the benefits while they and their enemies are both weakened.

Conversely, if someone can live comfortably while being a "fence-sitter," it means that person has extremely strong resources.

According to the information provided to me by Mr. Zhu, Old Fist God is the strongest among all the Great Impermanence.

As soon as Number Five finished speaking, even Number Six seemed to involuntarily turn his head to look, while Number Four, Xuan Ming, laughed: "Oh...you want to kill that old bastard whose head is full of muscles?"

This question seemed to be somewhat difficult even for the Lord of the Divine Seal. He paused for two or three seconds before saying, "—Okay."

"Then I will exchange this answer for a fragment of the Divine Seal."

Number Five said this as he walked closer to the Lord of the Divine Seal.

Who could have predicted that the first person present to exchange a fragment of the Divine Seal for the answer would be the most inconspicuous person among them?

The Lord of the Divine Seal first confirmed: "Do you intend for everyone to hear this answer, or do you hope it's just you?"

"Of course, it's just me alone."

Number Five clearly did not want the precious answer he had mustered the courage to exchange for with the fragments of the Divine Seal to be obtained by everyone present without any cost.

The Lord of the Divine Seal nodded slightly, and the fragment of the Divine Seal in Number Five's hand disappeared. Then the Lord of the Divine Seal said, "I have transferred all the knowledge into your mind."

Number Five seemed to have been struck by lightning, nearly falling to the ground. Then, as if drunk, he staggered to the rock seat corresponding to his number and sat down.

He fell into a very long silence, as if he was carefully digesting the knowledge he had gained, while muttering to himself, "So... so this is how it's done..."

At the same time, the second bowl spoke to me in words: "Mr. Third, Mr. Fifth, the connection between you and the virtual world has been greatly deepened."

Indeed, transactions can deepen relationships.

Number One seemed unable to hold back any longer and said to Number Four, "Number Four... no, Xuanming, do you have any extra fragments of divine seals? I hope you can lend me one, and I will repay you handsomely in the future."

“That’s impossible. The fragments of the divine seal are of great use to me,” said Number Four Xuanming.

"Do you want to increase your power by relying on the power of the Divine Seal fragments?" Number One asked.

“You probably haven’t obtained a second Divine Seal Fragment, so you don’t know. We so-called chosen ones can only use the first Divine Seal Fragment bound to us to enhance our power. Even if we obtain more Divine Seal Fragments afterward, we cannot enhance ourselves further,” Number Four Xuanming said. “However, even if we could, I wouldn’t collect Divine Seal Fragments for that reason. Moreover, I don’t even intend to use the power of the first Divine Seal Fragment bound to me.”

"Moreover... even if I really wanted to lend you the extra fragments of the divine seal, you were destined to never get them."

"What?" Number One was stunned.

Without offering further explanation, Xuanming No. 4 simply raised his hand, summoned a fragment of a divine seal from his palm, and threw it towards No. 1.

Seeing this, Number One immediately reached out to catch it, but failed. The fragment of the divine seal passed right through his palm as if it were a holographic projection.

Immediately afterward, before it could even land on his feet, the fragment of the divine seal vanished into thin air. Number Four Xuanming flipped his hand, and the fragment of the divine seal automatically returned to his hand.

This scene was truly unexpected. Although we were summoned to the virtual realm in shadow form, we should still be able to normally touch other matter and each other. Number Two Little Bowl is shaking hands with me now, and the soft touch of a normal young girl's hand is what I feel; if I look closely, I can even feel her body temperature. But Number Five can't touch the fragment of the divine seal, and it doesn't seem like Number Four Xuanming did anything to tamper with it.

"This phenomenon is..." Number One seemed to realize something.

"Have you ever seen others in the real world trying to access the fragments of the Divine Seal? If you have, you should understand what this phenomenon is. Those who are not destined to possess the fragments of the Divine Seal cannot obtain them," said Number Four. "Although you are also a person destined to be bound to your own fragment of the Divine Seal, you still cannot access the fragments of the Divine Seal of other chosen ones."

"Because in essence, the bond between us and our own divine seal fragments strengthens the 'affinity' between us to the extreme. Conversely, the affinity between these divine seal fragments and others, or even with other chosen ones, is diluted to the extreme."

"If the connection is so weak, even meeting someone is incredibly difficult, and even if you do meet them, you can't make contact with them. The phenomenon just now is proof of that."

He demonstrated a profound understanding of the fragments of the Divine Seal, while Number One voiced his resentment but ultimately had no choice but to accept it.

This is the first time I've seen a concrete example of the statement "No one with the relevant destiny can obtain the Divine Seal Fragment." Previously, I thought "unable to obtain" meant the Divine Seal Fragment was like the Sword in the Stone in the Arthurian legend—impossible for anyone to lift. No wonder Fufeng said that they couldn't move the Divine Seal Fragment; they could only build a base at the location where it was found and guard it. If you can't even touch it, then moving it is out of the question.

Wait a minute...

I suddenly realized something was amiss. Without someone connected to the destiny, even touching a fragment of the divine seal is impossible. If this is true, then things are far too strange.

It seemed that the second bowl realized the problem before I did, and when I turned to look at her, our eyes met.

I think she, like me, must have thought of someone who had once broken this logic.

(End of this chapter)