A Talk with Another Self?

Lin stopped Eden from getting closer, realizing the true nature of the distortions happening in the Imaginary Tree.

There are two Eden.

There may not even be two Eden. Judging from the fact that the previous Eden said they had rarely met recently, there may be multiple "fakes" in the Imaginary Tree.

The problem is that the previous Eden who gave him the key information was probably not a fake, and judging from the current Eden's reaction, it is also highly unlikely to be fake. That means someone is lying.

"Answer me one question first."

Lin considered it carefully but couldn't find any flaws in either of them. "Where did we first meet?"

Eden realized something from Lin's previous words, and she stopped and calmly replied, "Australia."

...no problem.

But this doesn't prove anything; at most, it suggests that both Eden have memories of the original entity.

"I can't trust you yet. Something is happening in the Imaginary Tree, and I need to investigate for a while. Whether you are really Eden or not, try to avoid contact with other people."

There's no way to determine whether the others are genuine or not right now; Lin will need to conduct an investigation for some time.

"Wait a minute, Lin, aren't you the Lin from the Imaginary Tree?"

Eden stared intently at Lin, then said something that Lin never expected.

"... That's right."

It seems that he is quite different now from before; Eden could recognize him at first glance.

"The things you asked me and Sakura to do before you left have been completed."

Eden smiled and said, "So your plan is almost complete?"

"... I'm sorry, I lied to you back then."

"Hehe..."

Eden didn't say much, but simply looked at Lin with a gentle smile.

"... I need you to do something for me."

"What's up?"

The cherry-haired girl asked.

"That plan is related to the Imaginary Tree, and I need you to implant these things into other people's terminals."

Lin took out two storage devices and handed them to Eden and Sakura respectively. Sakura silently put them away, while Eden calmly looked at Lin, waiting for him to continue.

Lin said it was a plan similar to the Constant Sand Project, but Eden noticed that his wording was a bit strange.

Lin did not mention that this was part of the plan assigned to him by the Fire-Chasing Moth.

Lin didn't explain further, so Eden slowly asked, "Why us? And why keep it from the others?"

Sakura also turned her gaze to Lin, who pondered for a moment before explaining—

"Because you two are the most suitable for this."

In Lin's view, most of the Thirteen Heroes had a good relationship with him, but Ying and Eden were special. Eden and Lin were friends who respected each other, but Ying... Lin was not sure whether Ying's relationship with him was good or bad, but after he visited Ying's house, they should be friends.

People who are too close to him, such as Elysia, Kevin, and Mobius, can easily arouse suspicion.

"Lin, I won't interfere with what you're doing."

The aloof assassin girl said in a detached tone, "I want to know, once you leave, will you come back?"

"... Yes, it will."

Lin looked at the two of them meaningfully.

"No matter how long it takes, no matter where we are, there will be a day when we meet again."

Lin had undoubtedly deceived them at that time, so after completing his plan, he returned to the Fire Moth willingly to be punished, partly to give an explanation to the survivors and partly to see his companions one last time.

Of course, it was to be expected that he would be killed by the remaining people afterward in a fit of rage. If there had been no one else to carry out the plan, Lin might have willingly died there.

"I never imagined that the reason that promise wasn't fulfilled wasn't because you died, but because we died."

Eden chuckled softly, a hint of sadness lurking in his bright eyes.

Eden died for the next era, remaining in their world and entrusting hope to Fu Hua.

No, the promise has been fulfilled.

Lin's words made Eden raise his head in confusion to meet his gaze, but Lin's eyes beneath his helmet remained calm and indifferent.

"Eden, perhaps you think our time has passed and that you and your art should sleep with it, but I don't think so."

"During this time, I have been living in a civilized society, visited many places, and made many friends. There is a very interesting place that you might find interesting."

What is it?

Eden asked a question as if possessed.

"That place is called Coral Island, an economic and cultural special zone established through the joint efforts of multiple countries. Its main purpose is to build a ladder to heaven so that people can reach out and touch the stars in the sky."

Reach out and touch the stars in the sky...

Eden was lost in thought about a giant tower connecting heaven and earth. People walked in with laughter and joy, and soon they arrived in the magnificent and silent space, as if they could reach out and touch the bright moon and the twinkling starlight.

It's so beautiful just to think about it.

The Moths of the Previous Civilization possessed scientific and technological advancements that even modern civilizations cannot match, but they poured everything into an arms race against the Honkai. Even when Vill-V finally created spaceships to explore the universe, it was all a means to ensure the continuation of their civilization.

The Fifth Divine Key that Vill-V once created was a terrifying weapon of extinction. Once activated, a cold wave would engulf all life. However, she later transformed it into a cryogenic chamber to prolong life, which also reflected a change in her thinking.

They had no choice; all they could do was feel helpless.

"I hope that one day you can see this era with your own eyes. It has things as beautiful as you, even if they are small, they still exist."

After Lin finished speaking, a long silence fell over him.

The woman with long, wine-red hair exhaled and gave Lin a captivating smile.

"It seems you've really been through a lot and changed a lot. The old you wouldn't have said these things to me."

At that time, he was saddened by the times and could utter words that Eden would approve of, but in a different style.

"No."

Lin's denial surprised Eden.

"Back then, I just didn't know how to express it to you. Now, maybe it's because I'm older, so I understand more."

Lin turned around; he had important matters to attend to and could not linger any longer.

In the end, he left out a single sentence.

"I really enjoy listening to your songs, so I consider myself a fan. You haven't released a new album in 50,000 years, and I can't even find someone to promote your album."

The woman with long, wine-red hair stared at Lin's retreating figure for a long time, until he disappeared, before revealing a gentle smile.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Negotiations with Another Self?

Lin's current plan is to observe without contacting anyone. He still needs to investigate how many fakes are in the Imaginary Tree and whether they are hostile.

It's astonishing that such a small Imaginary Tree could simultaneously produce Herrscher of Erosion. I wonder if Kevin outside has noticed.

We still need to be careful and try not to expose ourselves.

Lin used what he had on hand and returned to Pardo's stall. After searching for a while, he quickly found what he wanted.

A light refraction device.

One of the pieces of equipment he used in the Previous Civilization, but it was phased out due to the increasingly larger scale of the later large- Honkai and the increasingly unreasonable abilities of the Herrscher.

In the Previous Civilization era, the technological development of the Firemoth was entirely focused on the Divine Key and Flame-Chaser, resulting in an extreme development situation where everyone was racing down the destructive path of the arms race, and no one could stop it.

Because the Honkai's evolution speed is terrifyingly fast, and no one knows its limit.

Um?

Lin discovered that the light refraction device he received was different from the previous ones; it had been improved.

It seems that Vill-V has found some enjoyment in her long time in the Imaginary Tree.

Lin put the devices on his neck, hands, and feet, and tried to synchronize them with the helmet's system terminal, which was completed almost instantly.

Then the man's figure became transparent until it disappeared completely.

"It's not true?"

Mobius's mind was incredibly sharp; he immediately understood Eden's meaning. "You suspect that something else has infiltrated the Imaginary Tree, and that the reappearing Lin might not be real?"

"That's right."

Eden nodded.

"But here's the problem: how can I trust that you're selling genuine products? And how can you trust that I'm selling genuine products? What you're saying might not even be true, but rather misleading me."

This kind of meaningless and troublesome chain of suspicion is what Mobius least wants to deal with, which is why she rarely gets involved in political decision-making in The Moth.

"Of course I don't know either, but telling everyone will at least make everyone more cautious."

"This is unnecessary."

That's what they say, but Mobius also knows that the current situation is indeed complicated. She still needs to continue investigating what happened to Lin. Everyone else seems to have developed a kind of reclusive syndrome and is nowhere to be seen. It's impossible to find anyone to ask them about certain things.

Speaking of which, Raiden Mei could try asking her; she's been wandering Imaginary Tree and has been looking for things related to Rin.

At first, Mobius was very interested in Mei. After all, she was a complete and living Herrscher, and there had never been any opportunity to study her before. The separation of the core and consciousness of the Herrscher of Reason limited the things that she could study, while Mei was an ascended Herrscher of Thunder of Lightning, and even possessed human consciousness and emotions.

But as Mei gradually got to know Rin better, Mobius's disgust for her increased dramatically. She really didn't understand why everyone who came into contact with Rin would be so interested in him. Why couldn't they learn from her? At first, she couldn't care less about Rin's life or death, treating him like a complete stranger who wouldn't care even if he died tomorrow.

Do we have to find that arrogant Herrscher of Thunder again? This is so troublesome.

"However, I don't think this is a big problem."

Mobius tidied up the documents on the table. "It's been a long time since we last met, but nothing has happened in the Imaginary Tree. Although such a simple judgment is not in my nature, to be honest, nothing would covet us who are already dead."

Even though they are the memory bodies of the Thirteen Heroes of the Previous Civilization, and releasing any one of them could cause a huge uproar, they themselves are of little value, and Kevin in reality has never done anything to them.

They can only do what they want in the Imaginary Tree. If they weren't all not themselves, retirement would probably be a more appropriate term now.

"Most likely, it's because Vill-V has come up with something strange again."

"While I am pleased that you Mobius, have described me as extraordinary, I would still like to use better words to describe me."

The magician, wearing a top hat, arrived in this space. Eden and Mobius were both on alert, since they had just learned that there were evil things in the Imaginary Tree, and it was better to be wary of everyone.

Mobius scoffed at Vill-V, "Extraordinary? I mean you're out of your mind."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Vill-V stroked her chin, a smug smile spreading across her face. "And it's the truth."

"..."

Therefore, Mobius really had no way to deal with Vill-V. Her mind was like it had a cognitive filter. If her friends said good things about her, then she was right. If her enemies said bad things about her, then she was even more right. If her friends said bad things about her, then they were joking. If her enemies said good things about her, then she was so good that even her enemies recognized her.

There are only people in this world who praise Vill-V; if they don't praise her, she'll just change her personality to face the problem.

"So, do you know what happened?"

Mobius, too lazy to even comment on her, rubbed his forehead and asked.

"You've come to the right person."

Without any hesitation, Vill-V picked up the coffee next to her and took a big gulp, making Mobius's eyelids twitch. "Then I'll get straight to the point."

"I've met another version of myself."

"...What?"

Vill-V's opening remarks stunned Mobius and Eden.

"Huh? You don't need to be so surprised. I usually have many of them, don't I?"

"... That's true."

"But that's precisely what interests me."