Chapter 552 The Method to Regain Memories

"The method to eliminate side effects sounds simple, but it might be a bit complicated to do. At least you probably can't implement it immediately right now," Number Seven said. "This method requires the user to possess the power of at least three fragments of the Divine Seal."

"It actually requires fragments of the Divine Seal?" I was surprised.

It's just about restoring one person's memories, yet it requires three fragments of a divine seal... And one fragment would be one thing, but three? Although I understand that restoring memories lost due to madness is extremely difficult, this is still a huge waste of resources.

No wonder they say the Three Lives Stone Powder is a failed product. According to the Lord of the Divine Seal, the total number of Divine Seal fragments is only twenty-one to thirty-five. In other words, at most only eleven people can recover all their memories without side effects through the Three Lives Stone Powder, while the number of patients with amnesia who have fallen into the afterlife, based on the information I knew before falling into the afterlife, has already exceeded one million.

This is still the most ideal situation. I'm estimating the total number of Divine Seal Fragments to the maximum value, and I haven't removed the Divine Seal Fragments that are bound to the Void Realm Apostles.

At the same time, I confirmed once again that Tai Sui is indeed a character closely related to the Divine Seal.

To be able to research medicines that require the use of Divine Seal Fragments, and to calculate the exact amount of Divine Seal Fragment power needed... such a thing is impossible without a very deep understanding of the relevant power.

"...The original design of the Three Lives Stone Powder was to allow people other than the Lord of the Divine Seal to use a portion of the Lord of the Divine Seal's omniscient power..."

Number Seven certainly understood the weight of her words, but she still forced herself to continue, "...The so-called 'Three Lives Stone' is a stone in mythology that symbolizes the past, present, and future lives. In the best-case scenario, a person who takes the Three Lives Stone Powder can temporarily glimpse all information about their past, present, and future."

"Although this is only omniscience from a subjective perspective, and the user can only see all the things that he/she 'already knew in the past' and 'may know in the future,' and cannot achieve omniscience from an objective perspective like the true Lord of the Divine Seal, it is still amazing enough."

"Unfortunately, due to the impact of the apocalypse, the concept of 'humanity's future' was shattered. Therefore, even if the Three Lives Stone Powder is successfully researched, the user will not be able to see their future, but at most they can only see their present and past... This is not only the case when taken in the afterlife, but also when taken after returning to the world of the living. And this is why the Three Lives Stone Powder can make people recall their past lives."

"The reason why taking the Three Lives Stone Powder requires three fragments of divine seals is that these three fragments are needed to powerfully establish the concepts of past, present, and future within one's own existence to form a timeline. Although the ability to foresee the future cannot function, the element of the future still cannot be absent from the user; otherwise, the excess medicinal power with nowhere to go will destroy the user's future. In the most direct way, the user will die."

The design concept was so outrageous, no wonder it required three fragments of divine seals... After listening, I asked, "Isn't establishing the timeline simply using one's own consciousness enough?"

“Although you, a human-god, and Xiaowan, a child of divinity, can both re-establish the timeline within yourselves through consciousness to avoid getting too lost in the chaotic spacetime, you have one difference… that is, the strength of your power,” Number Seven said. “Even if you take the Three Lives Stone Powder, you won’t be poisoned to death because your power can support the excess medicinal power that has nowhere to go… while Xiaowan does not have the same conditions.”

"Even if she follows the correct technique, it's useless if she doesn't have enough strength. It's like how an ordinary child, no matter how good at weightlifting, can't actually lift a weight of more than 200 kilograms."

"Although just one fragment of the Divine Seal is enough to provide power at the level of the Great Impermanence, then Xiao Wan's own body would not be able to support it. Even the Number One Dog can only support such a powerful output because of Ying Lingyun's super modification technology. No one else can do that. But three fragments of the Divine Seal can establish a stable internal structure, so as not to harm Xiao Wan herself."

She's really losing her acting skills; she even blurted out Ying Lingyun's name.

“Little Bowl itself is bound to a fragment of a divine seal, and the Yellow Springs Gospel Academy also has a fragment of a divine seal. I can decide to give the latter to you, and I can also provide the specific technology necessary to practice this method... but we are still missing the last one,” Number Seven said.

The divine seal fragments that are already bound to me and Number Seven cannot be given to others. The fragments given to Little Bowl must be unclaimed divine seal fragments.

I summoned the wooden box from the flames and opened it, revealing the fragments of the unclaimed divine seal stored inside.

“I can provide the last one,” I said.

Number Seven was slightly startled. She took a deep look at the wooden box and then said, "...So, as long as the subsequent operation is successful, it will help Xiao Wan regain her memories."

“However, if the number of bound divine seal fragments increases to three, the connection with the Void Realm and the Lord of the Divine Seals will be greatly strengthened…” I looked at the small bowl.

According to Number Seven, it's impossible for Xiao Wan to use all three Divine Seal Fragments simultaneously without binding them. Once a Void Realm Apostle comes into contact with the other two Divine Seal Fragments, they will automatically bind.

"It's alright for me. Anyway, the bond between me and the fragments of the Divine Seal is already very strong. Even if I bind two more fragments, it won't make a fundamental change. Besides, I can use my prayer power to weaken the connection after I become stronger back to its initial state." Xiao Wan didn't avoid Seven when she spoke.

I don't know if she was simply trying to allay my concerns. She once said that she couldn't use her power to summon miracles on herself, claiming it was because she lacked the will to live and therefore couldn't pray for herself. Or perhaps she no longer feels so suicidal?

For her now, there is really no difference between binding one Divine Seal Fragment and binding three, so I tentatively agree with her reasoning and this plan.

After finalizing the details of the plan, Number Seven was about to leave the meeting room.

"Next, I need to finalize the details of our operational coordination with the Tai Sui Army. You can wander around the stronghold for now. I'll come and let you know when the operation begins," she said. "By the way, please don't tell anyone else here about the truth I just told you about this 'apocalyptic era.' They don't know those secrets, and who knows what might happen if they do."

Survivors in the "apocalyptic era" seem to generally exhibit self-destructive tendencies. While it's unclear whether this is related to the idea that "people with inherently low self-esteem often display arrogance," they also possess a contradictory duality. While their will to survive is strong, they also harbor a powerful urge to die.

I wonder what kind of chemical reaction would occur if those mentally ill people realized that they had been trying to survive in the afterlife all along.

Xiaowan seems to have mixed feelings about this, but her position is different from that of ordinary post-apocalyptic survivors, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

After Number Seven left the meeting room, I turned to Little Bowl and asked, "Little Bowl, if you can really weaken the connection between yourself and the virtual realm, can you also completely sever that connection?"

“If Brother Zhuang Cheng wants to completely sever the connection between himself and the Void Realm, although it will take many days, I should be able to do it,” Xiao Wan said. “But if the connection to be severed is between me and the Void Realm, then it is definitely impossible.”

Of course, I couldn't completely sever my connection with the virtual realm, so I declined and focused my attention on the second half of the question, "—Why can't I do it?"

“Because the connection with the Void Realm is the connection with the fragments of the Divine Seal. And the power I use to weaken and eliminate it is the power of the fragments of the Divine Seal,” Xiao Wan said helplessly. “After weakening the connection on my side to its initial state, things become like trying to lift yourself up with your own hands… The more you weaken the connection, the weaker your power becomes; and if your power is too weak, you will no longer be able to weaken the connection.”

The power that can help others cannot help oneself; this seems to be more than the first time in Xiaowan's case.

She herself didn't seem to care much, and then asked, "Brother Zhuang Cheng, how's your analysis of the post-apocalyptic era... and the spatial order of the afterlife? Is it enough for the battles to come?"

"No problem. Thanks to your blessing. Although I can't be as free as in the modern world, I shouldn't have any more problems with combat now."

I clenched my fist and shared my thoughts, "Especially after hearing that the apocalypse is actually the afterlife... it feels like breaking through the final barrier and being able to understand the space-time here more accurately."

"That's good," Little Bowl said happily. "Before you set off to raid the Yellow Springs Gospel Institute, I will cast some more blessings on you. Although they won't directly increase your power, they should provide considerable help in other areas."

As she spoke, she uttered a heartfelt sigh, "If only I had the power to fight head-on..."

In subsequent battles, Xiaowan can only be assigned to the rear. Even if she has the power to increase her blessing status, I cannot allow someone without combat ability to go to the battlefield.

For even greater security, I covered her with thermal markings and gave her a dozen "fireflies" to keep her under my surveillance at all times.

In the final moments, we heeded Number Seven's advice and wandered around the Tai Sui Army's stronghold, waiting for the signal to begin the battle.

(End of this chapter)