Harmonic Leaping Note scanned it repeatedly with fifty layers of harmonics, reaching only one conclusion: "The Gatekeeper didn't write this. Its consciousness doesn't contain an encryption algorithm this complex."
Steel Curtain stood beside Lin Ye, the mixed colors within his silver-white outline fluctuating violently with tension. "Is it a trap?"
Lin Ye did not answer. He reached out, and the oldest star on his cloak-the one belonging to the previous era's Tuner-lit up. The moment its light touched the encrypted message, the message unlocked itself. This was not brute-force decryption, but recognition-the key to the encrypted message was the definition signature of the previous era's Tuner.
The complete contents appeared on Myriad Faces and Forms' mirror surface. It was a definition memory-not text, not images, but a complete, playable historical record on the level of definitions.
Lin Ye opened it.
In the scene, the previous era's Tuner stood at the center of the Definition Network. His body was covered in cracks like Lin Ye's, but his eyes were not multicolored. They were pure black-devoid of color, because he had used every color to remember others.
A translucent being floated before him, the embryonic form of the First Awakened-back then, it was still only a hazy mass of light, without a face or shape, with only a thought of "doubt" slowly taking form.
The Tuner spoke to that mass of light. "You shouldn't exist. But I have no right to destroy you. Because you are mine."
The mass of light shuddered.
The Tuner continued, "I've sealed all my memories in my cloak. You can't take them with you. But if you want to survive, go deep into the Definition Sea. There's something there called the Definition Mother. It can sustain you."
The mass of light absorbed those words and slowly dissipated.