Standing in the center of the research institute's conference room, looking at the huge 3D projection in front of her, Meredith covered her mouth and let out a soft gasp of amazement.
“Todd, I knew you had a secret, but I never imagined it was this kind of secret…”
In the soul space, Todd, who had taken human form, took two cans of beer from the freezer, tossed one to Meredith, and casually opened his own.
Meredith followed suit, pulled open the beer tab, stared blankly at the foam that kept rising inside for a long time, and finally said, "This makes a lot of things make sense."
Todd sat down in his office chair and asked, "What could possibly make sense?"
"How could a nobody with no connections build a powerful kingdom in just five years? And how could he create such a revolutionary instrument as the microscope? And..."
Todd reached out to interrupt Meredith: "Let's get down to business. I'd like to ask about Crystal Palace."
Meredith carefully sat down in the swivel chair, twisted her body, then pushed off with her feet, turning her body 360 degrees in the chair, and said with a laugh, "As someone from another, more advanced world, shouldn't you know more about Crystal Nest than I do?"
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I don't know Jing Su any better than you do."
"By the way! Tell me, what's your world like?"
"Just as described in the scroll, there were giant birds made of steel, tall buildings made of stone, and iron carts moving at high speeds."
Meredith stopped and turned his gaze to Todd, tentatively asking, "Do you think that the world that Chief Muaiyed arrived in is actually your world?"
Todd pursed his lips. "Maybe, maybe not. What I really care about is how the Black Tower works and how it's controlled."
Meredith ignored Todd's question and instead followed up on the topic of the other world, asking, "There's something I'm very curious about. If the Black Tower really could transport people to your world, would you leave here forever in order to go back?"
Todd was silent for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "There's no point in discussing this now. I need to know the details of those scrolls."
Meredith took a sip of beer, frowned, and put it down again, not pressing the matter further: "Those scrolls were hidden in the Elders' Council's underground chamber, and they should be under Elder Iliad's care now. I only glanced at them a long time ago, and I can't recount all the details."
Seeing Todd's annoyed eyes widen, Meredith smiled and said, "Don't rush, I haven't finished speaking yet. Although I can't remember all the details, I have copied down and memorized some fragments about the symbols displayed on the crystal screen, which I can write down for you."
Todd pointed to the 3D projection in front of him: "In the Soul Space, you can project any memory into the center in the form of pictures and words."
Meredith did as instructed, and a small piece of tattered parchment immediately appeared on the 3D projection in the center of the conference room, with some strange, incomplete symbols on it.
The first character has a horizontal line on top, a circle in the middle, and another horizontal line at the bottom.
The second character has a circle on top and two horizontal lines below.
The third character has two circles on top and a horizontal line at the bottom.
Todd stared at the strange symbols, his head spinning: "You mean, these symbols all appeared in the rooms of the Black Tower?"
"That's right, those are the symbols that appeared on the crystal screen. Because these symbols are relatively simple in structure, I couldn't possibly be mistaken."
As Todd carefully examined the symbols, Meredith observed his expression. A moment later, the woman said with a wry smile, "It seems you don't know the meaning of these symbols either."
Todd frowned, staring at the screen for a long time, before finally saying helplessly, "These symbols are simple in structure, but among the writing systems I know, none of them match."
Meredith fiddled with the raven feathers on her body, her tone sounding somewhat disappointed: "I originally thought you could decipher these symbols, but it seems that's not the case... Actually, if you want to understand those scrolls, you might have a better candidate."
Meredith's words stunned Todd, who then asked, "A better candidate? Who are you referring to?"
Meredith's expression was smiling, but her words were icy cold, devoid of any warmth: "Who else could it be but Rachel, of course."
“Meredis, I know what you’re trying to say… Rachel, she is indeed from the Elder Council, and she is indeed a member of the Legion of Strife.” Todd stared into Meredis’s eyes and said decisively, “But she had the opportunity to abandon me, betray me, and seize power in the kingdom, yet she didn’t. Even during our time in the Shadow Kingdom, she risked her life to stay by my side. So, she had no reason to test my limits with lies.”
Meredith ignored the anger implied in Todd's words and said softly, "Todd, women... especially beautiful and intelligent women, have always been vengeful creatures. They will bury their hatred in their hearts and take every opportunity to achieve their goal of revenge."
Todd gripped the edge of the table tightly with both hands, almost spitting out a sentence through gritted teeth: "What evidence do you have against Rachel?"
Meredith withdrew her finger from the black raven feather and placed it between her brows, calmly saying, "One of the abilities of the Soul Link is the power to forcibly read another person's memories and thoughts. If you use this ability on Rachel, you will naturally know the truth."
Todd's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "You should understand that I could never do that."
“If that’s the case, then please keep this to yourself.” Meredith shook his head helplessly. “No wonder there’s a saying in my hometown that even the most loving couples have some little secrets they can’t keep to themselves.”
After saying this, she stood up and walked towards the door of the conference room, when Todd suddenly called out from behind her.
"stop!"
Meredith slowly turned her head, her lake-blue eyes beneath the raven mask looking at the man before her, filled with emotions that were difficult to describe in words.
Todd stared into the woman's eyes and said in a deep voice, "You are an ancient Tyro, a mutant, and so familiar with the affairs of the Elders... Tell me! Who exactly are you?!"
Meredith sighed softly: "Who am I...who am I really? My name and identity have long lost their meaning. I am nothing more than a ghost who has lived for a thousand years but still cannot escape the nightmare..."
Before she finished speaking, Meredith's figure disappeared through the doorway and left the soul space.
Looking at the empty doorway, Todd, lost in thought, sat back down in his chair and fell into deep contemplation.
m.
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