The Doctor's Past / Surtr's Memories

"Ah, it really is you, Little Typhoon."

This felt like reality. Magellan blinked, the palpitation gone, replaced by a sense of peace that came with being in reality. Of course, what made her even more certain that she was in reality was another person—an Aegir.

Magellan for a moment, then guessed the other person's identity.

"Sea Siren?"

"Sea Siren #999, just call me Sanjiu. It seems you didn't get lost in that trap, which is a good thing."

Sea Siren Sanjiu reached out and helped Magellan up, then touched the crystal-clear yet exceptionally warm "ice crystal" on her chest, seemingly relaxing a little.

"It's alright, the key is fine. You didn't call out Izumik's name in your dream, otherwise it would have been terrible."

Magellan now fully understands that Izumik is equivalent to Mizuki, but she didn't expect that she couldn't even call Mizuki's name in her dreams. This seems to be much more serious than she thought.

"What would happen if... I called out Mizuki's name in my dream?"

"Then we won't need this key. The being we've always feared will simply lock onto the coordinates of this world and head straight for us."

Sea Siren Sanjiu, pondering what the scene would be like.

"First, the rift in the Warp expands, the seal on the gate is broken, and countless tentacles emerge from all around to grab Terra, dragging the entire planet into the Warp or smashing Terra to pieces. The conflict between Izumik and the enemy might even affect the surrounding planets... Well, I can't even imagine what the outcome would be."

Just hearing those few sentences was enough to send chills down Magellan's spine. Good heavens, he almost caused a major disaster! Could shouting in a dream really cause something like this?

No one could have imagined that a mere dream could nearly lead Terra to its doom. Magellan quickly patted his face.

"Thank goodness I wasn't dreaming... Oh my god, I don't think I'll be able to sleep at all right now."

Magellan felt that she should probably avoid sleeping in the future. Fortunately, she woke up in time from this dream. She had been more careful at the time. Typhon clearly didn't understand Magellan. After traveling in the Snowfield for so long and experiencing the Sami journey, her knowledge had also increased considerably.

The most important thing when facing the Warp is to remain calm. The cries of the Warp are essentially a mirror, reflecting people's inner fears, anxieties, and nihilism. This is what Mizuki told everyone at the Columbia Institute in Sami back then.

"Don't worry, just sleep when you need to, and make sure you're in good spirits. I'll help you; I'll take care of anything that might cause auditory hallucinations or nightmares."

"So you're going to be my bodyguard?"

"I guess so, but it's more like true close-quarters protection."

Magellan's nightmare stemmed from the call of the Warp. Following the last probe, the rift in the Warp widened once more, but it was merely a rat hole. The real door was locked by Mizuki, and it wouldn't be so easy for the other side to get in. After learning about Mizuki's trip to Sami, the Sea Siren couldn't help but give her a thumbs up in admiration. Mizuki was definitely the craziest one in the family.

Can you hear auditory hallucinations?

"... There was something, not very clear, that sounded like someone was calling my name."

Magellan felt a little uneasy as the siren gently patted her ear, but Sea Siren 999 took her hand and, under Magellan's gaze, transformed into transparent water that clung to her skin and flowed to every part of her body.

"It's just a little trick, don't be so nervous. You're not hallucinating anymore, are you?"

Halfway through his sentence, Magellan's voice suddenly switched to the same style as Sea Siren #999's, a true form of close protection learned from Mizuki.

There was indeed no noise around him. Magellan clenched his fist and suddenly felt his strength increase significantly. Although he couldn't hear the call from the Warp, an uncontrollable thought rose in his mind.

"It looks like a mouthful of lava."

Chapter 254 The Doctor's Past

"Mizuki."

The Doctor reached out and poked Mizuki's cheek, but he just rolled his eyes and turned back to continue helping the Doctor with her work.

"Oh, Mizuki, I really know I was wrong, please forgive me, okay?"

He lay sprawled on the table in a coquettish manner, his heavy chest pressing Mizuki's hand down onto the table, and finally turned his gaze back to Doctor.

"Oh."

If someone saw this, they would definitely wonder if there was something wrong with their eyes or if something was wrong with Mizuki. How could Mizuki be so indifferent to the Doctor? This is something they would never dream of.

"I won't do it again next time."

"You want a next time?"

"Gulp." The Doctor suddenly felt that the pressure from Mizuki's gaze was much heavier than the pressure on his chest. "Hey, don't nitpick like that. I'm fine, so don't worry."

"You've scared me to death, and you won't even let me be angry?"

To place the Continuance of Civilization of Doctor on one's own head without any confirmation or research is not an act of adventure, but rather suicidal.

The key issue is that this person is planning to secretly divert the flow from her side without Mizuki's knowledge, which is undoubtedly suicidal. Although she had just checked inside and out and found no problems, it was impossible for her not to be worried at all. Under these circumstances, Mizuki couldn't scold her, let alone bring herself to do it, so she simply decided to let it go.

"I was just trying to help you, sorry, sorry, don't be angry... If it really comes down to it, you can hit me."

The Doctor knew that Mizuki definitely wouldn't lay a hand on her. Although it might sound a bit despicable, she was just taking advantage of Mizuki's favoritism to act with impunity. However, this time she had indeed gone too far. If something really happened to her, Mizuki would definitely go crazy.

If nothing is wrong, it could be a potential risk that Mizuki couldn't detect herself. Doctor, there can't be any accidents.

"Um... Mizuki, since that's the case, how about we connect again? This time, you connect to me."

"You want to divert traffic again?"

"No, no, it's just that there are some things about my past that I feel are hard to say, so I'd rather show them to you."

She lifted herself from the table, took Mizuki's hand, and Doctor eyes were full of sincerity and determination, with a hint of shyness. This was even more unusual than Mizuki ignoring her earlier. Everyone on Rhodes Island knew that the Doctor was shameless. In all of Mizuki's memories, the Doctor had only been shy a handful of times. Most of the time, the Doctor was either frighteningly rational or speechless with her eccentricities.

"May I?"

"... Don't do anything reckless."

Mizuki couldn't resist the Doctor's gaze and had to agree to her idea. He was also very curious about the Doctor's past. The Old Civilization was once glorious, far surpassing Terra in many ways. He wanted to see what it was like through the Doctor's memories.

Moreover, Mizuki had been hesitant for a long time. In parallel worlds, it wasn't that no Doctor had regained their memories, but the results were mostly not good. They were either overwhelmed by excessive guilt or forced to become cold-blooded by a heavy sense of responsibility. He really didn't want the Doctor to become like that.

"I definitely won't do anything reckless." The Doctor quickly shook her head. Mizuki's cold face and ignoring her just now really made her feel uncomfortable. There was no way she could make Mizuki unhappy.

Mizuki gripped the Doctor's hand, pondered for a moment, and temporarily suspended the information transmission to the Sea of Life. The Doctor's past might involve some things that were inconvenient to tell others, and uploading it to the Sea of Life would also let the Sea Siren know.

Black Crown appeared above the Doctor's head, enveloping the two of them in consciousness. The Doctor's consciousness was much stronger than others, at least stronger than Mr. K's. This level of mental strength allowed her to use the crown at will. Mizuki even had reason to believe that the Old Civilization was already trying to break free from the shackles of the material world and attempting to transform into a pure energy life form or a higher dimension.

Her consciousness was instantly covered by blackness—the consciousness of the Doctor. Now, if he so desired, she could imprint her mark on Mizuki's consciousness, making Mizuki completely submit to her.

Just as Friston said, Terra is not without a chance of winning. The Doctor's words can indeed use this crown to unify the will of all life on Terra, forcibly uniting them to fight against Originium, against the Warp, and even... perhaps even against the Observers in the stars.

(Speaking of Mizuki's hands feel really nice to the touch. Can water really have such a feel?)

At this point, he's still thinking about these inappropriate things. It seems the Doctor really only wants to share a part of his memories with Mizuki and doesn't intend to do anything else. But Mizuki still needs to be prepared in case the Doctor makes any mistakes. This guy has only been wearing this crown for a few days.

As her consciousness shifted and she descended, Mizuki actively entered the Doctor's consciousness. However, his consciousness was now too vast, causing the Doctor some discomfort. Fortunately, Mizuki's movements were very gentle.

When the two opened their eyes, their surroundings had changed completely. Even the Doctor himself had changed from silver hair to black hair. His face shape was the same as before, but he had more freckles, and his figure was more normal. He looked to be no more than fifteen or sixteen years old.

"Hmm, I thought it would be even earlier than that, but it turned out to be high school... on graduation day. I didn't think I would miss my high school that much, since what I remember most is that the cafeteria here is so much better than the university cafeteria."

The first thing the Doctor saw when she looked around was the white teaching building, the banners with wishes for the college entrance examination, and the cafeteria that she missed the most every time she ate in college.

"Is this a school? It feels similar to most schools in Terra."

"That's about right. Have you guessed where we are?"

"The Doctor's hometown, right?" Mizuki took a few steps back. The Doctor's consciousness had shaped this school. "It's not quite what I expected. Is it another world?"

Based on Mizuki's understanding of the technological level of the Old Civilization, such a campus was probably deliberately made to look retro. However, the city not far away looks quite similar to Terra, so it's unlikely to be the level of science that the Old Civilization should have. Considering that even the Doctor's appearance has changed, Mizuki can guess what's going on.

"You actually guessed it! Hmm, this is indeed my past life."

"Because you slipped up earlier, Doctor, asking yourself if you'd time-traveled again, that's why I said it wasn't hard to guess... a time traveler... huh?!"

Mizuki suddenly realized why the newly awakened Doctor knew so many people on Rhodes Island, and could even be said to be able to foresee the future.

"Didn't expect that, did you? Oh, let's try something else."

He casually tapped the air a few times, and the surrounding buildings exploded like bubbles, enveloping the Doctor and Mizuki. Their vision went black and then bright, and they found themselves in a bedroom.

The room, about ten square meters, isn't big. It has a bed, a small sofa, a computer desk and chair, a small bookshelf, a computer, and a display case for figurines. It gives off an indescribable sense of warmth. Well, it would be even better if the clothes on the bed weren't scattered everywhere, the snacks on the table could be tidied up, and the various toys weren't thrown around.

Even the Doctor herself was a little stunned. She had simply pulled out her own memories without checking them at all, and she had never thought anything of it before, but why did it feel so strange now that she was with Mizuki?

Is my room really that messy?

"It is quite messy. Amiya has complained to me more than once about how troublesome it is to tidy up your room."

Mizuki scanned the entire room. Because this was the Doctor's consciousness world, the information available was very limited. At least he couldn't discern the various details of this world. However, he could tell from the surrounding equipment that this was not Terra, as there were no traces of Originium.

"Sometimes we're just too busy, there's nothing we can do about it."

"But Amash and I did all your work for you, and you even have games on your computer."

Mizuki pointed to the Doctor's computer screen, where the game interface was still open. Mizuki even saw a doll rabbit that seemed to be modeled after herself. Well, an unsurprising discovery.

"This... Mizuki, your reaction is so calm. Couldn't you have shown more surprise?"

In the Doctor's mind, Mizuki should have been more surprised to see these things again, since this was a world completely different from Terra. But he... acted like he was a guest in someone else's home, and was even quite polite.

"What's so surprising?" Mizuki spread her hands. "Doctor, have you forgotten? I am now an aggregate of Mizuki from at least hundreds of millions of worlds."

Oh no! Miss Doctor suddenly realized she had completely forgotten this. This was mainly because Mizuki had acted so normally, showing absolutely no signs of mental abnormality, that she had almost forgotten Mizuki herself knew about the existence of other worlds.

"However... it's clear that the Doctor's world is very peaceful."

"It's hard to say, but the country I live in is quite peaceful."

The Doctor sat on the sofa, feeling a sense of security far beyond anything Rhodes Island could offer. However, she only sat there for a short while before getting up and dispelling all the lingering images of the past that her consciousness had constructed.

The feeling of exiting the world of consciousness was a bit awful, like motion sickness. After all, she had only received the crown not long ago. Before the Doctor could say anything, Mizuki reached out and removed the crown from her head.

"I'll confiscate this now, and give it to you after I've checked it."

At this stage, the Doctor is indeed the most suitable person for Rhodes Island to wear this crown, but Mizuki must ensure her safety, and he is not without other plans.

"Ah, you..." The Doctor was surprised that Mizuki had removed the crown from his head so easily, which meant that the crown was much more compatible with Mizuki than with her. "This thing is far too fickle!"

As a means left behind by Old Civilization, the Continuance of Civilization is certainly not something that can be taken off at will like an ornament. Usually, it will only reveal its true self in the material world after the host dies. At that time, anyone can touch it and possess it; otherwise, the user must transfer the authority himself.

The Doctor felt she still didn't have a clear understanding of Mizuki's current abilities, always feeling like he could do anything. Just now, Mizuki had directly grasped the "Continuance of Civilization" from another dimension.

"It's just that it's more obedient."

Mizuki reached out and placed her hand on the Doctor's head, checking her mental state once again. After confirming that there were no problems, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Since you forbid me from doing anything reckless, then you shouldn't do anything reckless either."

The Doctor's expression was extremely serious. She trusted Mizuki because Mizuki always acted with her on her side, but she was also worried about Mizuki because Mizuki didn't consider himself when he acted, just like when he went to see Mr. K disguised as Kal'tsit alone.

Even though she clearly sensed something was wrong, she still went alone. In this respect, Mizuki is the least qualified to say that she took the risk.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything reckless."

Well said, but unfortunately, Miss Doctor doesn't believe it at all. Mizuki's words are deceitful. Miss Doctor knows him too well. Someone once commented in her previous life that Mizuki is a person who is completely centered around the Doctor. Now, at most, he also Exusiai. He would do anything for these two. In parallel worlds, Mizuki also died for the Doctor.

But she was no match for Mizuki and could only watch helplessly as Mizuki left.

"You..." Miss Doctor couldn't help but clench her fists, "At least finish my work for today!"

Mizuki pretended not to hear. The Doctor sometimes needs to do his own work. Last night, Kal'tsit was discussing with him whether they should just pay the Doctor's salary to Mizuki and kick the Doctor to Lungmen to find a job and make a living on his own.

However, considering the Doctor's severe social incompetence, this idea was ultimately shelved.

Looking at the time, Mizuki realized it wasn't lunchtime yet, and she knew she still had a lot to do today.

First, Sami needs to send more troops, Seaborn preparing to land. Then, they also need to go to Londinium, the capital of Victoria. According to the Doctor's speculation, the Confessors under Theresis have already found a way to awaken the deceased Theresa. Her original consciousness was overwhelmed by the anger of the Sarkaz Souls and has now become a trump card among the Sarkaz.

Mizuki is currently facing some problems, namely how to revive Theresa. As for whether he should or shouldn't, he hasn't thought about it. The Doctor wants Theresa to live, so he will help. There's nothing else to consider.

"Hopefully, that body is still relatively well-preserved."

Shaking his head, Mizuki looked at the crown in his hand. He had taken it off the Doctor's head not just because he was worried about the Doctor's safety, but also because he had his own reasons.

He wanted to see what the Sarkaz's Sea of Consciousness looked like.

Chapter 255 Surtr's Memories

"Traveling to Sami? What, to see the Demons baring their teeth?"

Hearing this novel suggestion from Surtr, Mizuki, who was eating, was somewhat stunned. He knew that Surtr loved ice cream, but he couldn't very well say that he was going to Sami just for that.

"No, that's not it."

Surtr placed the food next to Mizuki and sat down, glancing at the people around her with a hint of doubt in her eyes. "I thought you'd be surrounded by people."

"I just arrived, and besides, everyone has probably already eaten by now."

The Rhodes Island cafeteria was nearly empty at this hour. Mizuki sometimes preferred quiet, as it was conducive to contemplation, but she never expected Surtr to choose this time as well.

"I see... I heard you've been to Sami?"

"That happened a year ago, so why did you go to Sami?"

Mizuki pondered that Surtr couldn't possibly have really gone to see the Demons baring its teeth, could he? It's hard to say how many mouths the Demons might have, and besides, Sami is practically under complete lockdown right now. Without Mizuki's help, getting in or out of there wouldn't be easy.