Chapter 421 Variables
The target valley was deathly silent.
The steep rock face was barren, with only large patches of dark gray mineral veins, like solidified ash, exposed to the light, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen in the dim light.
This is the typical landform of "ash crystal mine".
Based on the coordinates recorded in the crystal, Jemin precisely located the specific area where the previous round of collection had taken place.
That was the middle section of a nearly vertical rock face.
“This is it.” Jemin raised his hand, and a faint alchemical glow emanated from his fingertips.
With his exquisite control, he guided the earth and rock elements to "remove" from the rock wall like flowing water.
The hard rock before him seemed to turn into soft sand, being peeled away layer by layer by an invisible hand.
As the excavation deepened, an extremely abrupt scene unfolded before the three of them.
The dark gray vein, which should have been continuous and evenly extended, now has a huge cavity with unusually smooth edges.
The cavity is roughly an irregular cuboid, about ten meters long, five meters wide, and more than eight meters deep.
Its inner wall is as smooth as a mirror, as if it were instantly cut by some absolutely sharp tool, forming a stark contrast with the rough and natural mineral vein cross-sections around it.
The volume of the cavity perfectly matches the volume of the raw ore collected in Jemin's records.
Jemin took out the batch of ash crystal ore from his inner cave and suspended it in mid-air.
The grayish-brown pile of ore and the smooth gap in the rock wall create an eerie visual echo.
Without the need for precise measurements, a mere mental scan is enough to confirm that the two are highly matched in terms of volume and shape.
“Look here.” Vivian pointed to the junction of the gap and the normal ore vein. “There are no signs of compression or stretching at this fault, nor any signs of energy erosion or high-temperature melting. Normally, if such a large cavity were formed naturally, there should be various special traces.”
Roland crouched down, his fingers tracing the smooth inner wall of the notch, releasing a microscopic material structure analysis technique:
"The composition is completely consistent with the surrounding veins, and the crystal growth lines are not naturally cut off at the edge of the gap... It is indeed a sudden 'gap' rather than a 'void that appears for some reason'."
Jemin nodded and put the ore back into the cave.
The result is already obvious.
Non-living primordial matter, after being moved as a whole into an independent spacetime, will not appear as "never having existed here" in the current timeline of reincarnation, unlike living organisms.
The gaps in the rock face prove that this vein did not appear in its "original state" due to some coincidence, but rather that a genuine and abrupt gap appeared.
This is fundamentally different from the phenomenon where an individual member of the Scythe-Skull Clan is completely erased after being stored as a whole.
Moreover, like those instruments, the extracted substances are not immediately erased by the paradox.
"So, the key difference really lies in 'life' versus 'non-life'?" Vivian pondered. "Or rather, in whether or not one possesses an 'independent soul,' 'complex causal relationships,' and 'collective social memory'?"
Roland proposed another possibility: "It could also be a difference in time scale. Although the Scythe-Skull Clan has existed for a long time, it is definitely not as long as the mineral vein has existed. Therefore, the way to determine the time paradox is very likely to be based on the differentiation of things before and after the appearance of this special ability of time reversal."
As Jemin listened to his companion's analysis, the puzzle in his mind became more complete.
"The current evidence at least supports part of our hypothesis: the reason why the Scythe-Skull Clan's memories were corrected after triggering the paradox is likely because they are living beings and a highly social civilization," Jemin concluded.
"As living beings, they possess individual and collective memory networks. As civilizations, their history, social relations, and even the possible 'civilizational will' are woven into a vast causal network. When an individual is completely deleted from the timeline, in order to maintain the logical consistency of the entire 'story,' this network will automatically 'repair' the relevant memory nodes, making the 'missing' reasonable."
“But instruments and ores,” he continued, “have no soul, no social memory. Their ‘existence’ is closer to a simple material record. Once deleted, what remains is the most direct physical void.”
Vivian's eyes sharpened: "If this inference holds true, it means... the possible 'ruling will' behind the Scythe Skull Clan—whether it's some kind of super-individual, collective consciousness, or the reincarnation device itself—its control over the entire civilization extends to the level of causality and memory!"
"It can not only reset time, but also, in the process of resetting, 'revise' the historical memory of an entire civilization, just like editing text, to ensure the 'coherence' of the story!"
Just then, the magic network terminals carried by the three of them vibrated simultaneously, projecting scarlet runes representing the highest level of emergency.
It was a mass combat situation report from the main camp command, personally signed by Frost.
The message was brief, but its content was weighty:
[Attention all reconnaissance units: An unusually large-scale assembly and high-speed maneuver of the main force of the Scythe-Skull Clan has been detected from multiple directions, and their movement trajectory clearly shows a concentric encirclement pattern.]
[Estimated targets: Our main camp and surrounding major forward operating bases. The troop size far exceeds the estimates of any previous general offensive.]
[Based on comprehensive assessment, the Scythe-Skull Clan has initiated the final phase of its combat plan ahead of schedule, and a full-scale war will break out within 24 to 48 standard hours. All deployed units must immediately cease missions and regroup at the main camp or the nearest fortress as quickly as possible. Repeat: Immediately cease operations and return at full speed!]
"It's ahead of schedule... so fast!" Roland's face darkened.
“It seems our investigation, and the previous large-scale cleanups, may have really hit a nerve,” Vivian quickly analyzed. “They’re no longer giving us time to ‘boil the frog in lukewarm water.’”
Jemin put away his terminal and took one last look at the smooth ore gap in the rock wall, as if through it he could see a shadow that might exist deep inside, manipulating memories and time.
“Let’s go.” He turned around, his voice calm but resolute. “The variable experiment needs more rounds to be perfected, but right now, we have more pressing matters to deal with.”
"Bringing our findings and conjectures back is perfect, as we need to move on to the next round quickly to verify our conjectures."
The three figures no longer concealed their presence, transforming into streaks of light that shot into the sky, tearing through the air at top speed as they sped towards the main camp.
(End of this chapter)
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