Marks and Bait

Chapter 427: Marks and Bait

Benjamin fell silent for a moment, digesting all the information.

Star-Forged's arrangement had never been a simple reinforcement effort from the very beginning, but a stress test aimed at a temporal-spatial weapon.

And they—the wizards struggling, researching, and fighting within the cycle—were all indispensable variables in this test, himself included.

A deduction naturally surfaced.

Benjamin raised his head and looked at the projection of the Level 8 Wizard before him. His tone was no longer one of simple inquiry, but carried an almost confirmatory probe:

"So, you specifically came to find me this time because... I, or rather, the effects produced by my actions, have caused the 'variables' accumulated within this plane to reach the brink of overload?"

He no longer used "variables" as a general term for the support forces, but pointed to himself.

Because he knew very well that his own existence—retaining his complete memories through the Internal Grotto-Heaven and the Body Tempering Method, then using that as the core to drive the entire research system through rapid iterations—was itself an unplanned "variable."

His behavioral patterns, the acceleration in research he had brought about, and the series of Paradox Experiments he had conducted had all added immeasurable weight beyond Artorius's formula for "variable injection."

A satisfied, approving smile appeared on Artorius's projected face.

"Your guess is correct." He admitted it frankly. "It is precisely because of your efforts, and the chain reactions you caused, that the 'informational contradictions' and 'rule disturbances' that need to be processed within this plane have surged sharply in a short period."

"According to my observations and calculations, the 'thing' controlling the reversal of time is already very close to its maximum load threshold. You are a delightful accident in my plan, and the key catalyst accelerating the process."