Chapter 1104: A Battle of Wits With Lin Sanjiu
Lin Sanjiu genuinely sympathized with him.
Pig Eyes' capacity to endure frustration seemed rather average. He was screaming and cursing like a trapped wild beast, and if he could, he'd probably have caused quite a mess. Lin Sanjiu quietly waited for about ten minutes until he finally calmed down.
"You can't get out, right? You're stuck, right? You filled up your pockets with my Potential Growth Value but can't take it back to your own body, right?" Her tone was gentle, almost grandmotherly as if she were advising her grandson to study hard. "You recklessly put your own Higher Consciousness into someone else's body; that's so dangerous... and you're still so proud of yourself. Now, you need to learn to accept reality."
"I... I don't understand..."
"Sorry about this. I haven't been successful on the path of cultivation for quite a while," Lin Sanjiu sighed contentedly in her mind. "It's been so long; my Higher Consciousness hasn't upgraded at all. So, I can't enter the Astral Plane on my own."
"Then, how did you..." Pig Eyes said, his voice turning into a mournful howl. "Ah, it's your friend! It's that woman, who used some method to bring you in!"
"Yes, if not for that, how could I have had the pleasure of hosting a guest like you? We're quite fated, don't you think?"
Pig Eyes fell silent. After a while, he spoke in a low and harsh tone, like he was grinding his teeth, "I'm not finished yet, sweetheart. Your friend seems to be really worried about you, waiting nearby, right? I just need to wait patiently for a little longer."
"What do you mean?"
"I've occupied your sea of consciousness, making it impossible for your own consciousness to function normally. This is why your body can't move. The longer this situation persists, the more anxious your friend will become... I think you two are close, so she'll definitely become worried. When it drags on for a while, she'll take action. What can she do? There aren't many options. I'm just waiting for the moment when she brings you back into the Astral Plane—by that time, I'll still be able to take away all your Potential Growth Value! Then you can truly experience what it means to gain and lose!"
It was indeed possible if Bohemia was truly panicking.
While Lin Sanjiu was deep in thought, she suddenly felt an itching sensation on her face, as if something prickly was sweeping across her skin. The next moment, she heard Dr. Hu leaning over her face and speaking, his beard lightly brushing her skin, "Did you see that? Her eyelids are twitching."
In Lin Sanjiu's mind, both sides in the standoff fell silent at the same time.
"That's true. But what does it mean?" Bohemia asked.
"Her eyes are showing signs of movement, indicating that her brain is currently in an active state. The concern you had probably hasn't materialized yet."
Bohemia let out a heavy sigh, "You're a real doctor!"
That was just the beginning. Afterward, Meowie Hu seemed to accept several minutes of effusive praise calmly, as if he hadn't changed his expression at all. Pig Eyes muttered a series of curses under his breath. Finally, Bohemia spoke again, "Since she hasn't lost consciousness, let's wait patiently."
At this point, Pig Eyes was probably at a loss as he didn't say anything for several minutes.
However, Lin Sanjiu was starting to feel a faint worry. Although Dr. Hu had confirmed that her consciousness was still intact, it wasn't a true solution. If the stalemate persisted for a long time, Bohemia's patience would eventually run out. When that happened, as Pig Eyes had mentioned, there wouldn't be much she could do, but she might try to pull Lin Sanjiu back into the Astral Plane to assess the situation.
"The [School of Higher Consciousness], right?"
Suddenly, she heard him mention this name, startling her.
"Oh? You found out?"
"I've said that as long as I have a trace of your Higher Consciousness, I can analyze your cultivation path. Let me see... Hmm, you've reached high school. What a waste."
Lin Sanjiu could sense that he was planning something. Her mind became somewhat settled as Pig Eyes spoke. His voice had a calmness that seemed forced as if he were concentrating on something.
"What does that matter?"
"To enter the Astral Plane, you need to graduate from university. You still have at least two levels to go... The higher you climb, the harder it becomes. At your current pace, it might take you another ten or twenty years!"
He was clearly setting the stage for what he was about to say. Fortunately, her years of interaction with the Puppeteer had taught her what to say to frustrate someone like him, "It's alright. The road to knowledge is a steep one; the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold."
"These two sentences aren't related!" Pig Eyes had maintained his composure earlier but was now agitated by this minor detail. "What does that have to do with what I said? Forget it. I'll just ask you, are you willing to make a deal?"
Upon closer inspection, one might notice that his confidence didn't seem as strong as it appeared on the surface.
Lin Sanjiu had a significant advantage which was that she possessed strong self-control, especially when it came to her focus. When she needed to concentrate, she could be more focused than anyone else. When she needed to shift her thoughts, her mind could quickly fill up with trivial matters. While she had casually conversed with Pig Eyes, she had thought about many unrelated things: baking small cakes, the audiobook version of the grand prize, what shoe size Mrs. Manas would wear if she had a physical body, and so on.
Even if Pig Eyes put forth his full effort to read her mind, he would only glean information like Hei Zeji's love for frosted cookies. Perhaps it was because he hadn't figured out her thoughts during this time that he kept trying to threaten and cooperate in various ways.
Similarly, when Lin Sanjiu asked, "What kind of deal?" her thoughts wandered to the question of whether Dr. Hu had ever taken a bath in his life. You might not believe it, considering how shiny and clean his fur was as if it could even withstand the scrutiny of a high-definition camera. However, he hated taking baths and would never voluntarily enter water.
"That's enough! I don't care about that cat!" Pig Eyes lost his cool once again and shouted, "I want to make a deal with you. Otherwise, I have a way to ensure that we both meet our demise!"
This statement finally caught Lin Sanjiu's attention.
"My knowledge and control of Higher Consciousness are far superior to yours. You admit that, right?"
"Yes."
"Your Potential Growth Value is very high," Pig-Eyes clearly didn't know Magus' numbers, "but I can see that you haven't fully utilized your innate talents. If you follow my method to cultivate the [School of Higher Consciousness], you'll be able to advance it by two levels to reach a university level in a short period of time."
"Then you'll be able to take my stuff back to the Astral Plane? Do you think I'm that gullible?"
"No, no, listen to me... The core of this deal is that I help you level up, and then you send me back to the Astral Plane. At that time, you won't be in danger of losing everything, I promise."
This person was inherently vile and sinister, and his promises were utterly useless. Lin Sanjiu didn't mind repeating this thought three or four times until she was sure the other party had heard it before lazily asking, "Why?"
"It's simple. You don't have any Higher Consciousness left at all!" Pig-Eyes swallowed his anger and explained, "Without Higher Consciousness, what can you use to cultivate? So, to ensure you have enough Higher Consciousness for cultivation, I have to give you some of my own."
The conversation was now heading in the direction that Lin Sanjiu liked.
"And then?"
"To advance two levels in one go, you need a vast amount of Higher Consciousness. Consider yourself lucky; my Higher Consciousness is quite abundant, enough to help you level up. When you reach the level where you can enter the Astral Plane, there won't be much of my Higher Consciousness left... by then, I won't be able to activate the corresponding condition and devour your Potential Growth Value."
He paused for a moment and added, "I help you rise, and as a result, I won't be a match for you anymore. What could I possibly do to you then?"
Lin Sanjiu thought for a moment without committing herself, "What if I refuse?"
"Then we both meet our demise," Pig Eyes replied without hesitation, as if he was prepared to face death. "I'm in your brain; I can use all my strength to attack your brain, and when it's destroyed, neither of us will survive."
This person was not only vile but also annoying.
As Lin Sanjiu pondered, Pig Eyes urged her once more with impatience, "What are you thinking about? Hurry up! You have no choice but to believe what I say now, right?"
Logically, Lin Sanjiu had no way to distinguish truth from falsehood. However, she felt that the essence of the matter was not about the truth—this was just her vague intuition, not a clear thought, and Pig Eyes didn't seem to have noticed it.
What was it?
Her thoughts drifted away like a small boat on the waves of her mind, trying to find that subtle clue. But just as she was starting to figure it out, Pig Eyes' irritated voice interrupted her, "Answer me quickly!"
Why was he in such a hurry?
This question suddenly emerged in Lin Sanjiu's mind.
That's right, it was this—yes, if you thought about it carefully, it all made sense. He had no reason to be in a hurry. In fact, Lin Sanjiu should be the one suggesting the deal, not Pig Eyes. He should be the one refusing to compromise and delaying the process.
Pig Eyes had mentioned it himself; Bohemia's patience had its limits. When her patience ran out, there was a high probability that she would bring Lin Sanjiu back into the Astral Plane again. Even if it took longer than expected, as long as Pig Eyes remained patient, he would still come out ahead.
After all, how long could Bohemia wait? A day, a week, maybe a couple of weeks? In the end, this was the apocalypse, not a well-equipped observation ward. Before entering the Astral Plane, Pig Eyes must have taken precautions for his physical body, so there was no immediate danger to his life. Could he really not wait this long?
So, when you think about it, Pig Eyes' sudden change in attitude after Bohemia's statement, "Let's wait patiently," was highly unreasonable—after all, it was just an extended waiting period, and his advantage had not disappeared.
So, why was he in such a hurry?
"Why did he suggest helping cultivate Higher Consciousness himself and even threaten mutual destruction if I refuse?
The reason for his urgency should have nothing to do with the outside world or Bohemia. The logic behind this conclusion is simple: just like Lin Sanjiu, Pig Eyes can only speculate about the outside world based on the snippets she hears through her ears. She hasn't sensed anything, but Pig Eyes has already become anxious. This indicates that he knows some information she doesn't—information that can't be from the outside.
Waiting for a short while is fine, but if the wait is too long, it will be very detrimental to Pig Eyes himself.
So, the answer seems to be related to his state.
When she was fully focused on thinking, she couldn't hear the voices of others. Pig Eyes' urging, scolding, and threats all faded away like the wind blowing through a distant forest. After thinking for a while, Lin Sanjiu finally spoke softly.
"Your Higher Consciousness, at this moment, has disconnected from your physical body... isn't that like a rootless duckweed? Does this mean that if you spend too much time in my brain, the consciousness you've formed will... " She paused for a moment, searching for the right words.
"Melt?"