"Human consciousness was an extraordinarily intricate system. The slightest problem anywhere could trigger a chain reaction, and if someone chose such a radical way to abandon their former self and reshape their personality, they could not possibly do so without paying a price."
Bruce sighed and said, "Every completed transformation of one's personality was like shedding a layer of skin, except it was far more painful and drawn-out than that. Sometimes, it could last for years. Every one of us had gone through such a period in life: adolescent rebellion."
"Some people emerged perfectly from their cocoons, shedding their immaturity and gaining maturity. But fragments of the cocoon always remained on others, accompanying them for the rest of their lives until they blended into their personalities and became part of them."
"Whether a transformation succeeded depended on many factors: family environment, interpersonal relationships, one's own temperament. And most people only experienced one such major transformation in their lives."
"But if someone transformed this way many times, then several of those transformations would inevitably leave traces on them. The more fragments accumulated on them, the more they wanted to cast off those burdens."
"Then they would have no choice but to undergo a complete transformation—one that thoroughly washed away the burdens of the past and completely reshaped their personality."
"Yes, that was the simplest method." Arthur's expression became somewhat unreadable. He said, "When you were no longer yourself, when you gave yourself a new identity, you no longer had to care about the things you once cared about. After all, they did not care about you."
"Then you would arrive in a New World and gain a bigger stage. Looking forward to such a future would make you feel incomparably fulfilled. You would almost joyfully smash yourself to pieces, then paste