Study room on the second floor of the villa.

Ash sat on a brown soft chair near the window, holding a comic book in his hand. A crescent-shaped style lamp beside him turned on the soft light, illuminating the fantasy world in the book. The wind and snow were howling outside, and the cold wind was knocking on the windows, but only slight sounds were heard in the study, which made it seem even more peaceful.

Igula actually doesn't like reading. His taste is actually very close to that of a housewife. He especially likes to watch those eight o'clock family dramas with big conflicts and bloody plots, and he even watches them at 32 times the speed. Although his reason is that "this kind of work with the largest number of viewers can accurately reflect the current social situation and moral concepts", but when Ash found that he actually watched this kind of drama to kill time while taking a bath, all his arguments seemed so pale.

But he needed to force himself to read. After all, when you have a comic book idiot and a necromancer whose brain is soaked in preservatives in your team, it's hard not to feel the responsibility of collecting more information.

Just like in a group assignment, two teammates directly stated their attitude of "If you don't do this job well, the most you can do is give a speech on stage", and it was obvious that the only guy who didn't want to die completed the most work.

To be honest, Ash and his friends only stayed in this villa for one night, and the next day the three of them were locked in the Star Cage. But Ash still remembered that when he came to open the study the next day, he saw Igula sitting in his current position, flipping through a large history book that he would never touch.

When in Fuhui and Senluo, the fraudster always sat quietly reading books during the journey, collecting these seemingly useless information. However, they never got lost on the journey. Igula might not be able to give the correct answer, but he knew which direction to go.

Those who are lost are lost, and those who meet will meet again.

"This is the first time we've been apart for so long." Ash chuckled and said to himself, "I always thought I could find you two in a cardboard box under an overpass."

Although it sounds a bit like kidnapping small animals, if you think about it carefully, didn't he pick up those two bastards in the big cage of Blood Moon Prison? One is a black-bellied ragdoll cat, and the other is a scarred husky.

Although they certainly thought they had picked up Ash.

At this time, the lights were slightly swaying, and the warm light was quietly turning into a cool silver light. When Ash noticed the change in the environment, a pair of hands quietly wrapped around his neck, and the back of his head was resting on two plump and soft breasts, like the most wonderful pillow in the world.

"Any progress?" Weisser asked.

"Not yet." Ash patted the back of her hand gently, "You need me for something?"

"Is it okay for me to harass you?"

"Because I'm busy looking for traces now, and you never disturb me when I'm concentrating."

"Because I'm not a sword witch." Weisser said softly: "They have the qualifications to act like a spoiled child with you, but I don't."

"Although I can't say that you both have the same status in my heart," Ash turned his head and glanced at her, "but you do have the qualifications to be 'naughty' in my eyes."

"Then do you like me to be a little naughty?" Weisser blinked at him, with a hint of charm flowing on her eyebrows: "Like in the library?"

"So what do you want from me?" Ash closed the comic book. "I have to check the villa carefully tonight, so I may not even have time to sleep."

Weisser snorted and said, "Even if you can't find any traces, you still won't give up, right?"

"Of course." Ash said firmly: "It's not just for those two people, but also for you. If we don't stop the World Devouring Snake, we will be replaced sooner or later, and before that, your personalities will continue to change--"

"That's it."

Weisser turned in front of Ash, facing him and riding on his thighs, with her hands on his shoulders, and said seriously: "I suspect that Death Maniac has deceived you."

Because Yindeng straightened her back, she was almost looking down at Ash, so in front of Ash was the azure bow tied on her chest. Plus, it was so close that Ash didn't know where to put his head, let alone his sight.

But Weisser's words immediately attracted his full attention: "She lied to me? You mean... all of it?"

Ash was a little uneasy. He certainly didn't believe all of Death Crazy's information, but if Silver Lamp wanted to question all of the information provided by Death Crazy, then it would be more like questioning him rather than questioning Death Crazy - since Death Crazy's words were false, then why wasn't Death Crazy a figment of Ash's imagination?

"Of course not."

Weisser immediately noticed Ash's uneasiness and gently held his head, hugging him in her arms: "We are all people who once teamed up with you to explore the virtual world. Although we may not completely believe in your memory, we will at least give you enough patience until you prove it or give up."

"I think most of what Death Maniac said was true. He only lied about one thing."

"What's up?"

"Personality shift." Weisser said seriously, "This week, the witch, Weishi, and I have worked together to develop a 'Personality Analysis Model' to analyze whether we have any personality shift."

"What was the result?" Ash asked curiously, "No result?"

“No, we have,” Weisser’s answer was unexpected: “And it happens to us all the time.”

"But we also observed Felix and Deda Rose as a control group, and you can guess what we observed."

Ash had a vague expectation: "Their personalities change every day, too?"

"That's right."

Weisser stroked his hair as if complimenting him. "Except for Vichy, the young lives of us are still growing. Our personalities are far from being finalized. Every day's experiences will more or less affect our personalities. Especially since we are on the run, this kind of extraordinary adventure will inevitably have an indelible impact on us."

"I'm a deity, but you are demigods with souls and bodies. If 'personality shift' can forcibly modify the infiltration of your personality, it would be equivalent to a spiritual miracle, which would inevitably leave scars on your souls and bodies. Your souls will resist this change, and demigods are not so fragile that their personalities can be silently rewritten."

Ash: "What if our souls don't resist?"

"If you don't resist, it means you accept this change." Weisser spread his hands, "Isn't that the 'personality change' that countless people experience every day?"

Ash shook his head and rubbed against her chest. "You just set up a target that "personality deviation" is a fake, and then found evidence to prove that it is very likely not true."

"Ash, have you heard of 'self-fulfilling prophecy'?" Weisser said, "For example, someone predicts that he will die in a year, and he worries about it every day for the next year. As a result, when the day comes, he becomes sick and worried about death."

Ash was stunned: "Are you saying that "personality deviation" is a trick of self-fulfilling prophecy? I told you that personality deviation exists, and then you will really have personality deviation because of worrying about it?"

"We can't rule out this possibility." Weisser said, "But more importantly, if there is no threat of personality shift, don't you care about our personality changes, Ash?"

Ash blinked and raised his head to meet Weisser's gaze, "Yeah, whether this happened or not, I don't want you to be in a bad mood... I understand what you mean."

Weisser's meaning was very simple. Regardless of whether the personality shift was real or fake, they didn't need to care too much about it, and they should not let it affect their decision-making or even their mood.

For any psychological problem, being alert to fear is never the best solution. Living calmly and positively is the best solution.

"But there's no need for Death Maniac to lie about this." Ash asked doubtfully, "What good will it do her?"

"Because whether it's the destruction of the world or our replacement, it will take some time to happen, and you can't confirm it before then." Weisser said, "But "personality deviation" is different. It is an erosion that you may notice at any time. Once you find any signs, you will definitely rush to hell. Although I don't know what her purpose is, she must want you to enter hell again."

"If the World Devouring Snake is a bomb, then 'Personality Deviation' is a fuse that you can see. When Death Maniac said this, it was like lighting the fuse, making you, Ash, anxious."

Ash nodded repeatedly, "If that's possible, then we should..."

"You brought Deda Rose and Felix with you, didn't you want to pass the message to the Four Pillars and the Supreme Stars through them?" Weisser's voice became softer and softer, and she crossed her arms, making the two soft balls hidden in the bow more concentrated, like a trap that would make people fall into it. "They should start to act. You should hold off and wait for their news. We can make a long-term plan, okay?"

Ash was silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his arms and wrapped them around her waist, his head pressed tightly against the azure bow on her chest.

"You did so much preparation, but it was just to persuade me not to go to hell again?" Ash said softly, "I didn't expect that the heartbeat of a god would also speed up."

Weisser's face turned pink, and she glanced at the snow outside. "You've taken enough risks."

"If you are worried about personality drift, we will help you monitor everyone's personality model."

"If you are worried about us being replaced, then you must stop the World Devouring Serpent from completely digesting the Six Hells. Although I believe that you will become an existence that surpasses everything in the future, you are now just like us, a magician who has just entered the demigod level... You haven't even condensed the fifth virtual wing yet."

"And if this world is going to be destroyed, wouldn't the most anxious people be the Supreme Stars and the Four Great Gods?" Weisser said, "Aren't you also planning to let them be the vanguard? I just hope you don't have to be so anxious."

"As for your two friends..."

Weisser sighed softly, "The Sword Witch may also want to say this, but I'll say it for you... They are most likely dead."

Ash's body froze.

"I know it's hard for you to accept this possibility, but you still have us." Weisser said: "This is a very difficult decision, but we all hope that you will choose us... You just need to be a little cruel."

The study fell silent, and after a moment Ash's hoarse voice rang out: "What if it's you who's been forgotten? Do you want me to forget you, too?"

"Ash," Weisser didn't care about the sting hidden in his words at all, and her silver-glowing hands kept stroking his hair, "I hope you know... this is not just my idea."

Ash felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over his whole body.

Yes, who would want the person they like to risk their life for someone they don't know? Even if they have seen their memories and know that they have played too important a role in their lives, in the final analysis... they don't care about 'them'.

Even if the witch has not forgotten Aunt Borgin and Uncle Harvey, if she is asked to choose between Ash and Igula and Harvey, she will definitely not be stingy with her cruelty - she may cry, she may be too sad to sleep, but she is more decisive than anyone else.

As for Sword Princess and Silver Lantern, let alone them, and Vichy...she only cares about her own life.

They were just accommodating him. He was always insisting on his own way, but he forgot that he was no longer the death row inmate who had just escaped from Broken Lake Prison... He had formed deep ties with many people. He was like a balloon tied with many strings and was no longer qualified to fly away alone.

If he went into hell simply for Igula and Harvey, if something happened, Ash would have fulfilled his own moral purpose, but at the same time he would have betrayed their feelings.

Ash never expected that he would encounter such a clichéd and boring life test - choose friendship or love?

It’s such a simple multiple-choice question, right?

"Perfection only exists in fantasy. A magician who pursues perfection is like a crying child. He knows something is impossible, but he still gambles his hope on tears."

Fanxing's words once again stung his soul. It seemed as if she had foreseen at that moment that a magician who was unwilling to give up anything would eventually encounter a time when he had to be cruel.

"…I'll consider it."

After saying this, Ash seemed to have lost all his strength. Weisser hugged him gently and soothed his heart with the softness of the gods: "Thank you, Ash."

"I also have a question for you." Ash said suddenly.

"What's up?"

"Are you guys trying to exclude Sword Princess?"