Chapter 528 Little Bowl's Awareness
"Excuse me, I don't quite understand... what do you mean by 'teleportation' not working, but walking does?" I asked. "Can we walk directly across the void between ourselves and the fifteenth-floor basement?"
“Yes… provided we find the direction of the basement first.” Little Bowl actually nodded.
She then added, "To be precise, we don't actually need to cross this void... the obstacle itself doesn't exist."
"It doesn't exist..." I think I understand now.
Xiaowan continued to explain: "The first thing we can be sure of is that the essence of nothingness is non-existence. It has neither space nor time, nor matter or energy; it cannot be entered or blocked by others, and therefore cannot become an obstacle to anything."
"On the other hand, the basement on the fifteenth floor is also close to the post-apocalyptic era. If we combine these two clues, we can draw the following conclusion—"
Hearing this, I followed up: "The basement on the fifteenth floor... is adjacent to the land of the apocalypse?"
“That’s right,” Xiao Wan nodded.
“But I once punched through the wall of the fifteenth-floor basement and peered out. From there, I couldn’t see the apocalyptic land, only endless darkness,” I said.
“It’s a fact that the 15th-floor basement is a space in nothingness; and it may also be a fact that it borders the land of the apocalypse. Perhaps it exists in such a mysterious superposition state,” Xiaowan said. “This is my speculation: in general, the 15th-floor basement may be an isolated island lost in nothingness, with no connection to the real world. Only under certain special circumstances will the attribute of ‘bordering the real world’ appear.”
“In certain special circumstances…” I thought for a moment, “I still find it hard to believe. Xiaowan, are these speculations you've made merely baseless conjectures, or are they predictions based on your extraordinary intuition? Or are these speculations actually supported by facts?”
"Of course it's not conjecture. As for intuition... my True Position Law of Heaven and Earth is based on the power of the real world, and it cannot be used to predict things related to nothingness."
Xiao Wan first showed a regretful expression, then said seriously, "What I said is supported by facts. The 'special circumstances' I just mentioned are also related to your past experiences, Brother Zhuang Cheng."
"The fifteenth-floor basement, lost in nothingness, will only come into contact with the real world under one condition: when it is connected to people in the real world."
Her analysis made everything clear to me. Yes, her speculation was supported by factual evidence. In the modern world, the entrance to the basement only appears when Chang'an and I approach the fifteenth-floor apartment. In my past reasoning, this was because I had a connection with the fragments of the divine seal that were hidden inside the basement, and Chang'an was likely in the same situation.
To bring lost things back to reality requires the power of fate... This theory sounds like it could be connected to the impermanence of loss when fate is lost.
Regardless of whether my previous reasoning was correct, it's an undeniable fact that the entrance will appear as I or Chang'an approach. This means that as long as I actually move to the point where the spacetime juncture between the apocalyptic era and the fifteenth-floor basement, the entrance to it will likely appear as well. This is why Xiaowan said that walking might actually work.
Upon closer reflection, something seemed amiss about the vast, dark space of the fifteenth-floor basement. My flames couldn't exist in nothingness; even space itself didn't exist there. Yet, I had once wandered in that darkness with my fireballs. This non-nothingness seemed to corroborate the superposition of nothingness and reality in the fifteenth-floor basement.
"But... why can that basement exist in nothingness?" I wondered.
Even the Great Impermanence cannot maintain its existence in nothingness, and although I can do so based on my special nature, it is hard to say that it can last long.
I hadn't intended to ask Xiaowan this question, but since we were in a state of mental synchronization at the moment, Xiaowan seemed to have sensed this strong question as well.
Then, she actually gave her own analysis: "The only special thing about the fifteenth-floor basement is that it used to be a 'container' for storing fragments of the Divine Seal."
"Regardless of why the fragment of the divine seal that was initially bound to you, Brother Zhuang Cheng, ended up there, since you can exist in the void to a certain extent, the fragment of the divine seal shouldn't be something that can be easily destroyed in the void. And perhaps the basement space itself has also received some kind of blessing, allowing it to continue to exist."
I naturally raised a question: "But I've already taken the fragments of the divine seal there, so how do you explain that space can still exist?"
“Although the fragments of the divine seal have been taken away, the Void Apostles bound to the fragments are still in the basement and haven’t come out yet,” Xiao Wan said.
It took me a moment to grasp the logic behind it.
My body is my flame, my flame is my spirit, and where the flame is, there I am. In other words, since the white candle in the fifteenth-floor basement has not yet gone out, it means that my existence is actually always confined to that space.
Is this really acceptable? Although I've always advocated for it, does it really make sense?
"Brother Zhuang Cheng, let's stop observing the basement on the fifteenth floor for now," Xiao Wan suggested.
I ended the observation as she suggested and then exited the state of mental synchronization.
Xiao Wan opened her eyes, and the color of her eyes had returned from the unusual lake blue to the ordinary black.
She didn't immediately let go of my hand, but instead, as if clinging to a sense of security, she continued to gently hold it with both hands, while explaining her suggestion: "Although I don't know the exact speed of time flow in the basement, at least when we observed it there, the white candle was burning normally. From what I can see, it can only burn for another hour at most."
"I also saw whole candles stored in other locations, which, even if burned from the beginning, would only burn for two or three hours at most. And Brother Zhuang Cheng, you've been in the apocalypse for far longer than that."
"This might suggest that even when you're not observing, time flows at a standstill or at an extremely slow pace over there, even if your connection to the other side is still maintained. And once the candle there burns out completely, your hope of returning to the modern world vanishes."
"Moreover, the reason why the basement I analyzed earlier could exist in nothingness was at most a conjecture I made under the condition of lacking clues, and it cannot be used directly as the truth. Even if the candle is still burning, it may be in a state of being like sea foam, ready to disappear at any time."
"Therefore, before we reach the point where the basement meets the real world, we should not make any further observations of that area... it is best not to even make any connection between our perception and the candlelight there."
Her thinking was remarkably meticulous, and her reasoning ability was clearly superior to mine... As I assessed her intellectual performance, I asked, "So... do you have a way to find that junction?"
“It’s not possible yet.” Xiao Wan shook her head. “At this stage, you can either try to further strengthen your connection with the candlelight, or rely on the affinity between you and the candlelight to try your luck and see if you can get closer.”
"I'll continue to think of solutions for the former, as for the latter..."
“If we can do it by chance, perhaps the power of the jinx can help us,” I said. “Little Bowl, can you use your senses to see if I still have Ma Zao’s jinx power?”
“Are you worried that your experience in the void has washed away Asahi-neechan’s cursed power? You can rest assured that the power is still on you for now.” Xiaowan nodded. “It’s probably because my prayer was mixed into your relationship with Asahi-neechan, and this prayer has a strong power of divine seal fragments… The cursed power was thus preserved to a considerable extent because of this relationship.”
"However, it is probably because she has been separated from Asaha-neechan for too long that this power of misfortune has become like water without a source and is declining."
"Recession..." I instinctively felt a sense of panic.
As if sensing my emotions, Xiaowan tightened her grip on my hands and soothed me gently, saying, "Don't worry, Brother Zhuangcheng. As long as we return to the modern world as soon as possible and reunite with Sister Mazao, this problem will naturally be solved. I will definitely stand by your side and do everything I can to help you."
Returning to the modern world... I have no answer.
As if sensing something again, Xiao Wan paused slightly and said suspiciously, "Brother Zhuang Cheng, could it be that you..."
I immediately thought about how to respond to Xiaowan, but after a moment of silence, Xiaowan sighed softly and said, "...Brother Zhuangcheng, I'll have to have a good talk with you later..."
"...Do as you please."
Sometimes when adults do bad things and are criticized by other adults, they don't take it seriously, and may even come up with many Machiavellian "philosophies of life" in their minds, believing that they are right.
However, if you are directly and righteously criticized by an innocent child, you will inexplicably feel ashamed.
Perhaps there are also those common-sense elements in my inner world. Some selfish thoughts were caught by the young girl who gently held my hand and made close contact with me. I felt as if I hadn't been exposed to the sun for a long time and suddenly stepped into the sunlight, and I couldn't help but feel ashamed.
Xiao Wan didn't immediately lecture me, but instead let it go for the time being and changed the subject: "By the way, Brother Zhuang Cheng, there's something I need to report to you..."
"What is it?" I followed up smoothly.
“It’s about the question of the gods and the underworld,” Xiaowan said. “You mentioned at the beginning that the reason you came to the end times was because the underworld banished you to nothingness by taking you with it… Is that right?”
“Yes. I feel there might be something fishy about this. Huang Quan is, after all, one of the supreme gods and men of the Gospel House. I can't understand what reason such a character would have for making such a sacrifice in a conflict with me.” I said, “Do you perhaps have some thoughts on this?”
"Well... to state the conclusion first, I believe Huang Quan is not truly dead," Xiao Wan said.
(End of this chapter)
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