Chapter 391

Although it may seem like I'm being looked down upon, it doesn't seem so bad.

"Well, you two seem to know each other pretty well, so it's a good opportunity for you to keep each other company." Ai Yue chuckled, then changed the subject, "Anyway, is there any more intelligence now?"

"That's it. The company already sent a message saying they'd used Belobog's main server for 72 hours and found nothing." Himeko shook her head, somewhat helplessly. "It seems we really have to rely on ourselves this time."

"There's no need to be too nervous." Ai Yue smiled. "Let's set off first. Even if Onfaros is closed off, we'll find something when we get there, so we can deal with it then."

Ai Yue knew nothing about Onfaros, but his strength was enough to support him in saying those words—just as the Black Tower said, unless there really was a Star God hidden inside Onfaros, he could at least protect the safety of the train crew.

"It's about time we called the train conductor as well." Himeko nodded, a faint smile on her face. "Although it seems unnecessary now, let's hold a 'route meeting' as usual."

The route meeting was convened quickly. Black Swan and Sunday wisely refrained from participating, but with everyone already having expressed their intentions, the meeting soon came to an end.

The other two options competing with Onfaros are "Ocean World" Lusaka and "Agate World" Melustan.

The former is the hometown of Penacony and a watchmaker. It was affected by the stellar core, which caused global sea levels to rise. Its current status is unknown. The latter is not only the place of ascension of Idrila, the "Star God of Beauty," but also the epicenter of the stellar core disaster. Its current status is also unknown.

In conclusion, both of these worlds not only had a history of crisis, but also wore their crises on their sleeves, and compared to Onfaros, they certainly lacked some competitiveness.

However, Hoshi seemed quite interested in Lusaka, perhaps because she had never seen the real ocean.

With Onfaros officially designated as the next destination, Train Commander Pom-Pom quickly began the jump towards the coordinates given by the Black Swan, and the others also began preparations for the expedition.

Dan Heng returned to the train's think tank to start organizing intelligence, while March 7th went back to his room to start fiddling with the camera's memory. Even Himeko got to work. In the end, only Ai Yue remained sitting in front of the observation window, opening the huge data packet sent by the Black Tower.

Even Simulated Universe contains an astonishing amount of information. Therefore, even after the Black Tower's intelligent filtering process, this data package is still enormous. Ai Yue compared it and found that it is much larger than the total amount of data accumulated by the Solar System civilization.

Trying to manually sift out valuable information from such a massive amount of data is indeed quite difficult; even Ai Yue found it daunting.

It's not that it's impossible, but immersing one's consciousness in such a chaotic jumble of information is as terrifying as swimming in a cesspool. Unless absolutely necessary, Ai Yue clearly doesn't like doing such things.

Or should we just send it to Ai?

Just as Ai Yue was Ai Yue, a voice entered his ears.

"Attention passengers, the train is about to begin a jump. Please be seated and hold on tight!"

Accompanied by the train conductor's familiar warning, the train quickly entered a transition state, and as everything returned to calm, the scenery outside the window seemed quite ordinary.

There wasn't even a nearby planet at these coordinates, so Ai Yue's first reaction was that Black Swan had made a mistake.

But as he realized something, he frowned. A white light shone in his eyes, as if revealing another perspective.

In this view, a dazzling and extravagant celestial body finally appeared before him.

It was a white band of light that could not possibly form naturally under normal circumstances. It was shaped like the number "∞" and looked dazzling and mysterious.

Is this Onfaros?

Ai Yue quietly admired it for a few seconds, then took out his phone.

Take a picture and send it to Mobius.

"Gentlemen, we have arrived."

Meanwhile, the nameless passengers regrouped in the observation car. Although they didn't have Ai Yue's special vision, the Black Swan that could sense Onfaros helped them decipher the mystery, and thus they also observed the mysterious band of light.

"Behold, this is the world isolated from the rest of the world, a world that can only be reflected in the Id-court Mirror." The Black Swan floated before the viewing window, a mysterious smile on its face. "The Land of Eternity, Onfaros."

"My God—" Xing exclaimed in exaggerated admiration, "!"

Dan Heng, standing to the side, sighed, "Try to be normal."

"It seems this world is truly mysterious." Himeko frowned. "Has it been intentionally hidden by some being?"

"Well, it's too early to say for sure." The Black Swan shook its head slightly. "Although its appearance is indeed enveloped in a chaotic mass, it's difficult for me to determine whether this is an innate feature or a design feature."

"Where's Ai Yue?" Himeko asked, glancing to the side. "Did you notice anything?"

"It's highly likely to be man-made." Ai Yue frowned. His senses told him that something was very wrong with this celestial body. "I suggest we observe it first, or I can go in first and lead the way..."

As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed, and then his entire figure transformed into a stream of light, rushing towards the guest room carriage behind.

"What's going on?" Xing was stunned for a moment before realizing, "Wait, where's A Qi!"

Why hasn't the person most interested in the new journey shown up yet?

Chapter 93 How dare you kidnap someone right under my nose?

Yes, how could March 7th not be there?

As Xing's subconscious question arose, the others quickly realized what was going on.

As someone who enjoys documenting her pioneering journeys with a camera, March 7th is always exceptionally excited and energetic whenever she sets off for the next world. However, this time, even though everyone had gathered in the observation car, she was still nowhere to be seen, which was clearly not a good sign.

Realizing this, everyone followed Ai Yue to March 7th's room. At this time, March 7th's room was completely enveloped in white light, and only the outline of the original interior decoration could be vaguely seen. March 7th was sitting on the edge of the completely white bed, his face full of drowsiness and fatigue, which was obviously not right.

"A Qi? What's wrong?" Xinghuo rushed to the bedside, looking at his straight woman with concern, and even reached out to touch her forehead. "Do you have a fever?"

"Huh, why is everyone here?" March 7th weakly raised his head, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, it's just that after the jump ended, I suddenly felt a little weak..."

"Something that suddenly happened after the jump?" Himeko paused for a moment, then turned to Ai Yue beside her. "Ai Yue, can you find anything wrong?"

"Judging from the current situation, it's definitely related to Onfaros." Ai Yue took two steps to the side, making room for him. "Black Swan, and Sunday, you two should also give it a try."

Ai Yue already had a general idea in mind, but out of caution, he did not make a direct judgment, but only took some small precautions.

The surrounding white light enveloped the room, temporarily freezing the internal timeline at the moment Ai Yue entered. This prevented the situation from worsening and also allowed for probing into any potential sources of interference.

"I see."

The Black Swan nodded, then stepped forward and gently pressed its forehead against March 7th's forehead. Meanwhile, Sunday began to use its harmonic power to tune March 7th and the entire environment, trying to sense which part was producing a discordant note.

Ultimately, they all reached similar conclusions.

"Judging from March 7th's memories, she suddenly became very weak, as if something was pressing down on her body." Black Swan said slowly after releasing March 7th. "The change happened in an instant, so we can rule out pathological factors. I think the matter is indeed related to Onfaros, just as Mr. Ai Yue said."

Of course, that statement is obvious. After all, if March 7th was really just sick, Ai Yue would have been able to cure her in the short time before Xing and the others arrived.

"I didn't detect anything particularly obvious, but considering that some people have fallen into synesthetic hallucinations after jumping to the Asdener Star System due to the abundance of Idrit in the environment, this might be the same situation," Sunday added. "Given that the most unusual presence around us is Onfaros, I think my teacher's statement is correct."

"Anyway, let's go outside and talk." Ai Yue glanced at March 7th, who still showed no signs of improvement, then looked at Xing, "A Xing, I'll trouble you to stay here with March."

"I understand," Xing nodded sensibly at the crucial moment, "Leave it to me!"

"I'm sorry everyone, I've caused you all trouble." March 7th leaned against Xing and said softly, "Don't worry about me, maybe it's just temporary..."

The group quickly returned to the observation car and resumed their discussion of the issue.

"The question is, why was only March affected?" Himeko frowned and spoke first. "Or is it just that we haven't been affected yet?"

"No, I'm afraid that's not the case." Ai Yue's gaze never left March 7th. "I think the source of the problem is likely still with March 7th herself, with some kind of trait of hers, and the connection she had with Onfaros, which led to this result."

"You mean, the mystery of March 7th's origins?" Himeko naturally knew about March 7th's past. Upon hearing Ai Yue's words, she immediately recalled the girl being sealed within the Six-Phased Ice and drifting in space. "Could it be such a coincidence? I haven't seen any clues related to the Six-Phased Ice yet."

"At least for now, it is indeed a very high possibility," Ai Yue said. "Of course, I'm not saying that Onfaros is necessarily related to March 7th's past memories, but rather that some characteristic hidden within March 7th resonates with Onfaros here."

"Mr. Ai Yue, I'm not questioning you," Dan Heng said at this moment, "I just want to know, what is the basis for your judgment?"

"A very good question," Ai Yue smiled, not angry at all. Instead, he looked at Dan Heng with approval. "The reason is simple—I sensed the power of the destiny of memories."

"How could this be?" The Black Swan's eyes widened upon hearing this. "But I didn't feel anything?"

"That's because the opponent's strength is probably far above yours, and compared to March 7th, you might not have enough value in their eyes," Ai Yue said calmly, completely unconcerned whether such words would hurt Black Swan's pride. "Do you remember what you said about the characteristics of the Id-court Mirror?"

"You mean, ordinary travelers of destiny won't leave any traces on it?" Black Swan realized, a worried look on her face. "Yes, that means that in this isolated world, at least three beings comparable to Envoys have been born..."

"It might even be more than that," Ai Yue added. "So, it's normal for things to go wrong that you can't control, right?"

"...I'm sorry." Under Ai Yue's gaze, Black Swan lowered her head, a rare occurrence for her. "Perhaps I made a wrong suggestion."

"There's no need for that, Miss Black Swan. Choosing Onfaros as our destination was the decision of all the Nameless Guests. Even if problems arise, it's impossible to blame it all on you; that would be far too irresponsible." Himeko shook her head and then said, "The most urgent thing is to find a way to solve the problem with Little March."

"Perhaps we could choose to leave directly?" Sunday said. "Even if Miss March 7th has now established some kind of connection with Onfaros, as long as we're far enough away, there shouldn't be any problem, right?"

"It's hard to say, because March 7th has clearly been noticed now, and even if we wanted to leave, they might not agree." Himeko shook her head. "Besides, if this matter is really related to Little March's past, then if we miss this opportunity, it might be difficult to encounter it again."

"Then let's face the challenge head-on and see what's really going on inside," Dan Heng said. "Whether it's memories, intellect, or even that hidden path of destiny—as pioneers, we can't give up halfway, right?"

"Leaving is absolutely out of the question, because that won't solve anything," Ai Yue concluded. "However, before facing the challenge, we should wait and see."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I'd like to use some special methods to test this place, is that alright?"

"Special methods?" Himeko paused, then sensed a certain emotion in Ai Yue's tone. "Ai Yue, you wouldn't be thinking of..."

The probing you're referring to isn't about directly attacking Onfaros and seeing how it reacts, is it?

"Don't overthink it, it's really just a test," Ai Yue saw through Himeko's thoughts and shook his head helplessly. "Of course I will abide by the rules of the Nameless Guest. Besides, I'm not that violent."

"So just how special is this special method?" Dan Heng asked curiously. "If it didn't have much impact, you certainly wouldn't be asking this, would you?"

"Simply put, we need to hide March 7th from here and see if anyone comes looking for her," Ai Yue explained briefly. "The reason I'm asking is because you need to be mentally prepared, as it might affect you later."

It didn't sound like anything special, but seeing Ai Yue's serious expression, everyone couldn't help but wonder what methods Ai Yue was going to use.

Of course, they wouldn't object to it no matter what, so everyone returned to March 7th's room and explained the matter to the other two people.

"Do we really have to go to such lengths?" March 7th said weakly. "Actually, I feel like I'm already a little better..."

"You're not just getting better, you've stopped getting worse, but that still requires external support," Ai Yue said. "We must find the root of the problem in order to reliably resolve this hidden danger."

"I understand." After a pause, March 7th nodded slowly. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Yue."

"Actually, it's not too bad." Ai Yue smiled, then said, "Pardo, is everything settled?"

In his heart, he heard Pardofelis's reply, "Everything is settled, Brother Yue. We can start anytime!"

"Okay." Ai Yue nodded, then reached out and tapped the Black Swan's forehead. "Take it. You might feel a little tightness in your chest or shortness of breath later, but that's normal."

Before Black Swan could react, she felt a warm force enveloping her. Before she could even wonder why Ai Yue was treating her specially, she heard him say, "Pure Mode, activate."

The next second, everyone heard a loud rumbling sound coming from the back of the train, as if something had happened to the carriages there.

If we shift our perspective to the universe and observe the Stellar Train from a third-person viewpoint, we can see that at this very moment, the last carriage of the train, which belongs exclusively to Ai Yue, is slowly opening.

On the rectangular carriage, every edge shone with a blinding white light, making it resemble a flower bud slowly blooming from the rear of the carriage—but the blooming was not the end of the transformation.

After unfolding, the four "carriages" began to wrap around the carriages in front of them, extending to a larger area and a more complex structure, thus enveloping the entire train.

As the last carriage tipped over and closed, the entire train was plunged into complete darkness, shutting out all external light, leaving only the train's internal lighting system functioning normally.

"What... what is this?" Xing stared at the pitch-black window, her face full of questions. "Pure mode? Sounds like it's used to clear browsing history..."

But at this moment, someone else reacted much more intensely than she did.

"What's going on?" Sunday suddenly frowned. "I can't feel... the power of harmonious destiny anymore."

"Me too, the power to remember my destiny has completely disappeared, even myself..." The Black Swan showed a hint of pain, but it was mixed with understanding. "No wonder you provided me with extra protection, so that's why."

"The so-called Pure Mode is the power that isolates all destinies, is that right?" Himeko naturally made her judgment as well. "Are we really still in our original universe now?"

"Physically speaking, of course we're still here; we haven't even moved." Ai Yue smiled. "But from another perspective, we have indeed separated from the original universe, which was permeated with the power of destiny."

"In other words, we're now in a universe where there's no concept of destiny?" Dan Heng's eyes widened, clearly understanding Ai Yue's meaning. "This is truly... an unimaginable situation."

Without experiencing all of this firsthand, it's hard to imagine that anyone could actually do such a thing.

Ai Yue simply smiled at this, because it was nothing more than a small trick invented based on the Cocoon of Finality, and this method was quite drastic and costly, so it was not worth mentioning at all.

March 7th, who had been leaning on Xing, slowly straightened up, a look of surprise on her face. "Huh, I feel... much better?"

"After all, you're no longer in your original universe. Unless there's a Star God inside Onfaros, it's impossible for him to cross the universe to influence you." Ai Yue smiled. "This also eliminates the possibility of a Star God causing trouble."

"So, it really is the Envoy?" Black Swan frowned. "The Envoy of Memories... which one could it be?"

"No need to overthink it, just ask him directly later." Ai Yue smiled slightly, then reached out and made a grasping motion in the air, as if he had grabbed something. "It seems the other party really values March 7th; they're not willing to give up on it."

As he tightened his grip, a faint, illusory figure gradually appeared in everyone's field of vision.

Chapter Ninety-Four: I Will Attack in the Form of the Memory User

As the phantom gradually solidified, everyone present drew their weapons, even March 7th, who had just recovered some strength, drew his bow and aimed at it.

"Is this guy the reason I almost couldn't go to Onfaros?" The girl gritted her teeth in anger. "Make your eyes clearer! I'll shoot your gall bladder!"

"Calm down, March 7th." As a memory traveler, the Black Swan had discerned some clues. "It won't become clearer... or rather, this is probably their limit."

And just as the Black Swan had predicted, despite Ai Yue's continued infusion of his power, the phantom remained in its current blurry state, unable to solidify further.

But Ai Yue didn't care, because he had already anticipated this situation. As the Power of Light continued to pour in, the blurry phantom in front of him finally began to emit a pure white light. When Ai Yue let go, it finally had a clearer outline and looked like a pure white shadow.

However, even so, this pure white shadow continued to change, sometimes appearing as a woman's figure, sometimes as a child's silhouette, and sometimes as a hunched old man... If it were truly regarded as a shadow cast by the Power of Light, then its owner would seem to be constantly changing.

"So, what's going on?" Xing poked it curiously, but couldn't feel anything solid, so she turned her gaze to the Black Swan beside her. "You just said, them?"

"Yes, this isn't the consciousness of a single individual, but a collective of a group of people, and they are all Memory User." The Black Swan frowned, observing the shadows before her. "However, they all appear very... sparse, so they should only be a part of consciousness?"

"Well, it seems like this search is more like a subconscious behavior of some kind of group, and it's probably going to be difficult to find the mastermind behind it all." Ai Yue also showed a somewhat regretful expression, after all, it seemed that his fishing plan had come to nothing. "Let's see if we can get any valuable information out of them."