Martin

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Martin (马丁)
Alias(es)	Speaker Lord 137
Species/Race	Human; also identifies himself as a Relic 1158 1229
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Former collaborator in the Core's Correction Plan; later partner of Lu Youqi in journeys through the Abyss 137 1235
Occupation/Role	Scientist, developer of Blood Exchange Therapy, dream-realm explorer, and unrecorded “Savior” 125 1235
Status	Active 1272
First Appearance	Chapter 124 124

Background / History

Blood Exchange Therapy

Martin was a scientist associated with a sanatorium when he discovered the phenomenon later catalogued as the Relic Martin. His animal testing found that blood mixed with sodium cyanide did not kill mice; instead, the mice became immune to the toxin and began secreting it. The Relic's recorded cost was blood, while its effect could alter a living being's species, form, age, and other properties; substances mixed into the blood would coexist with the recipient. 125

His early Blood Exchange Therapy visibly transformed patients. One female patient's gray hair fell out and regrew brown after treatment, alongside other rejuvenating changes that alarmed Martin rather than reassuring him. 124

After learning about the Great Cataclysm from sanatorium patients, Martin disappeared from official records. The database later listed the same ability as the Blood Exchange Syringe, discovered by Doctor Beller, with Martin's name and history entirely removed. 125 157

Speaker Lord of the Black Tower

Martin later became the Speaker Lord who assisted the Core's Correction Plan. He built a castle within the Stone Gate to teach Robe Wearers correct pronunciation; this settlement eventually developed into Black Tower City, where sign language was adopted to avoid further pronunciation distortion. 137

He wrote a book that used Blood Exchange Therapy to impart knowledge and screen Robe Wearers for the plan. Its recorded plants could strengthen physiques, cleanse blood, or guide readers to the Stone Gate and its opening method. The Robe Wearers copied and altered the book themselves, reducing the therapy's success rate and contributing to their self-mutilation. 138

Martin treated the Core with unusual detachment, telling Bai Zhou that it would not resist being killed and casually damaging its crystal shell himself. He nevertheless showed Bai Zhou and Li Luo the Core's location and later led Mo Ling through the World of Sound in search of another Core. 138 140

The Dream-Realm Martins

When the Black Tower was unsealed, the Martins across different dream layers re-established contact. They share an origin, circumstances, and Blood Exchange ability, and can exchange information across layered dreams; the existence of a Martin in Layer 1 was considered an unexplained variable. 153

Martin eventually described himself and his “brothers” as souls that escaped separate layers of the Dream Realm. Their shared dream connection lets them investigate divergent realities, travel across the Abyss, and act as a coordinated collective despite appearing as separate individuals. 1160 1163

Investigation of the Text Canopy

For much of his journey, Martin believed the world was a novel governed by the Text Canopy. Seeing reality change when a giant hand altered its text reinforced this belief, and he stored memories of altered realities in Dream City's Infinite so they would not be lost as his power depleted. 1160

His certainty weakened after he observed multiple distinct “Creators.” By tracing the changes each made, Martin concluded that they were humans from destroyed worlds attempting to save their original realities; their limited understanding instead worsened or destroyed those worlds. He began to suspect that the Text Canopy was itself a Relic or part of a larger deception. 1161 1162 1163

Journeys with Lu Youqi

Martin travelled with Lu Youqi through worlds threatened by the Abyss, helping search for an object with true Uniqueness that could serve as Mo Ling's Container. Their interventions caused them to be called “Saviors,” but Martin's contributions were repeatedly forgotten or attributed to Lu Youqi after he departed. 1235 1237

Using dream travel, Martin traced the Abyss to its earliest “poker card”—the point at which it was first defined as the Abyss. He spent two years searching through the Infinite Dream Realm before returning with its location, then guided Lu Youqi through the dream-based root system linking countless worlds. 1242 1244

In a world without formed dreams, Martin's powers began fading and left him only three days to escape. During this journey, he became entangled with a mine disaster, repeatedly entering the moment of an explosion through consciousness-field phantoms and saving individual victims by taking control of their bodies long enough to flee. 1246 1259 1260

Dawn City and the Fire Seed Project

After the Abyss was sealed, Martin survived by dispersing his pixel points through Abyss Heart Technology's Abyss Virus vaccines. The points connected vaccinated Dawn City residents' dreams to him, allowing him to harvest small amounts of dream energy from each person and later gather himself back into a complete Martin. 1229

While accompanying Lu Youqi in another world, Martin identified Old Quan as a Relic that imposed unconditional trust on others but could not lie. By having Martins from different dream layers confront Old Quans outside their own layers, he bypassed the trust effect and exposed that the Fire Seed Project required a human sacrifice. 1271

Appearance

Martin usually appears as a human-shaped figure in a cloak, but his body has been described as an empty, hollow shell rather than a normal physical form. He can become illusory enough for himself and others to pass through solid opponents. 138 883

• A glass jar associated with his body contains kimchi and colorful Dream Realm tentacles. 888 901
• The jar cracks when he suffers backlash from revealing forbidden information or overextending himself. 901 902
• His “brothers” appear as identical Martins and can manifest in large numbers within dreams. 884 885
• He has stated that his body is not truly physical. 1272

Personality

Martin is intensely analytical and bases his conclusions on patterns, logic, and repeated observation. He studied the Text Canopy for long periods, memorized minute distinctions between different Creator shadows, and investigated altered realities rather than accepting his original worldview without question. 1161 1163

His conduct can be emotionally detached. During the Black Tower incident, he was indifferent to the Robe Wearers' distortion and treated the Core as something Bai Zhou could “play with.” His growing knowledge of failed worlds also made him pessimistic: unlike Lu Youqi, he judged hope by results and expected even heroic struggles to end in ashes. 138 1237

He remains capable of empathy and cooperation. He helped Hu Le return to Dream City, promised Old Ping he would search for his missing friends, and released a captured Robot after accepting that it only wanted freedom from Dream City. 882 888 892

Martin is also theatrical, mischievous, and prone to excited digressions. He boasts about his dream expertise, gives dramatic names to his attacks, and argues loudly with his own identical selves despite their shared mind. 882 884 902

Abilities & Skills

Blood Exchange Therapy

Martin's original Relic ability uses blood to transform living beings.

• Can alter a target's species, form, age, and other biological properties. 125
• Substances mixed into the exchanged blood coexist with the transformed life form, as shown by mice acquiring cyanide immunity and secretion. 125
• Requires blood as its recorded cost. 125
• Can be triggered through his written Blood Exchange textbook; altered copies may fail or produce harmful distortions. 138

Dream Realm Manipulation

Martin can navigate, enter, and exploit the layered structure of dreams.

• Moves freely through the Black Tower and travels between dream layers. 138 882
• Can guide others through dream spaces, including the World of Sound and the worlds connected by the root system. 140 1244
• Uses dreams to trace the history and trajectories of worlds across the Abyss. 1161 1242
• His travel must account for time synchronization between layers; otherwise, major time discrepancies can occur. 153
• His power weakens drastically in worlds without formed dreams. 1246

Multiplicity and Shared Consciousness

Martin exists through multiple linked instances across dream layers.

• His “brothers” share an origin and mental connection, allowing them to relay discoveries and compare events from different layers. 153 1160
• He can coordinate the Martins with near-perfect tacit understanding in combat. 885
• Cross-layer cooperation let him evade Old Quan's trust manipulation by having a Martin from a different layer conduct the confrontation. 1271

Dream Passages and Layer Division

Martin can create dividing lines that connect separate dream layers.

• Draws colored dividing lines that open passages into other dream worlds. 885 902
• Uses these passages to pursue enemies across layers and to return allies to a chosen location. 885 902
• Extensive use can fracture Dream City's reality into visible layers and destabilize the city. 885

Dream Combat and Restraint

Within dreams, Martin can overpower entities that would normally be formidable.

• Tore apart Chu Ti Troop robots with bare hands inside an illusory dream. 885
• Forced robots attempting to disperse into black fragments back into their original forms. 885
• Gathered multiple robot Doppelgangers into one restrained body, preventing them from escaping separately. 889
• His large-scale attacks endangered Dream City's stability and were halted by the Dream Qilin. 885

Forgotten Existence

Martin's presence and contributions are erased after separation.

• People gradually forget him once he leaves, regardless of the impression he made. 1235 1237
• Records, footage, and other traces are erased or rewritten so that his actions appear to have another cause. 1235
• This effect excluded him from a prophecy that acknowledged Lu Youqi but not Martin. 1269

Pixel-Point Dream Network

Martin can distribute pieces of himself through others and use their dreams as an energy source.

• Dispersed pixel points through Dawn City's Abyss Virus vaccines. 1229
• Connected vaccinated residents' dreams to himself and harvested the dream energy they generated while sleeping. 1229
• Can recover by gathering his dispersed pixel points after a designated triggering action. 1229

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Blood Exchange textbook — Martin's book of therapy conditions and plants, used to spread Blood Exchange Therapy among Black Tower Robe Wearers. 138
• Authority Tool — Temporarily used to release the captured Robot from Dream City. 892
• Glass jar — A recurring part of Martin's manifestation; contains kimchi and Dream Realm tentacles and visibly cracks under backlash. 901 902

Relationships

• Mo Ling — Martin guides him through dream worlds, shares his findings on the Text Canopy and Creators, and recognizes the Cube as the unique Container sought by him and Lu Youqi. 140 1161 1237
• Li Luo — Initially one of the “uncorrectable subjects” in the Black Tower; later accompanies Martin during the Dream City robot incident. 138 886
• Bai Zhou — Martin reveals the Core and encourages Bai Zhou to attempt killing it. 138
• The Core — Martin helped construct and accelerate its Correction Plan, but later treated it with indifference and sought to destroy it. 137 138 140
• Martin's brothers — Alternate-layer Martins connected by a shared consciousness; they cooperate, argue, and jointly investigate reality. 153 902
• Lu Youqi — Long-term travelling companion in the search for Uniqueness and Mo Ling's Container; their opposing attitudes toward hope define much of their partnership. 1235 1237
• Hu Le — Sought Martin's help at the Dream World Boundary; Martin agreed to return him to Dream City and confront the Robots. 882
• Old Ping — A cautious Dream City security worker who follows Martin during the robot pursuit and later entrusts him with deciding the captured Robot's fate. 887 892
• Old Quan — A Relic adversary whose trust-inducing ability Martin exposed through cross-layer planning. 1271