Chapter 1114: Turning One's Attention to Someone
"Is there actually a way to save people like this in the world?"
Mrs. Manas's angry shout had become faint and indistinct. In fact, even though the corridor remained eerily quiet, when the thousands of landmines swallowed her up like a tsunami, she couldn't hear anything clearly, except for her own continuous shouts.
"Magus, let's go now!"
After the final shout, she couldn't even hear her own voice. The moment of darkness was so deep, like it had a sticky quality that sucked her consciousness in.
"Is there actually a way to save people like this in the world?"
In her hazy state, she seemed to hear that sentence again. Slowly regaining her senses, she realized that the two sentences were not exactly the same, just processed by her own brain. However, unlike Mrs. Manas, this voice sounded gentle and calm, with no anger and even a hint of amusement.
Lin Sanjiu suddenly opened her eyes.
In her newly clear vision, the pitch-black night sky resembled pure black velvet, with a building lying softly. After spitting her out, one of the square blocks had just closed the door, rapidly receding in her field of view and returning to the inside of the building.
Her own feet were suspended high in the air, and in her peripheral vision, there was another pair of feet floating on the left—after a moment of realization, she noticed her collar being grabbed from behind in the Astral Plane, rapidly retreating.
Turning her head, she saw the grand prize not far from her, also being grabbed by the collar in the same manner—only he was too scared to even open his eyes, and his little face was all scrunched up.
"Magus?" Lin Sanjiu asked hesitantly, unable to see behind her.
The person who had spoken just now, paused for a moment after hearing the words, then chuckled, "Who else but me?"
That's right, it was the long-lost voice of Magus. Her voice, like herself, lingered in people's minds, even after a brief encounter.
The grip on her collar suddenly loosened, and Lin Sanjiu quickly steadied herself, grabbing the flailing grand prize. She immediately turned to look at her.
No matter when or where, you could always recognize Magus.
Even after being pursued and trapped for so long, even in the midst of panic as her memories melted like snow, even right after escaping from a dire situation—she was still the same Magus: slender, elegant, with an iron-like backbone and a soft, misty smile like a wisp of fog.
"You really heard it," Lin Sanjiu could hardly believe her eyes. She had searched for Magus for so long, and to suddenly find her behind the door was like a dream come true. "You really heard it!"
"Of course, I heard it," Magus smiled and a few lines at the corners of her eyes swayed softly like the hem of a silk skirt. "That person trapped me but couldn't find me. He made some changes within the Branch, so even footsteps can be heard throughout the entire Branch. Besides, you were shouting so loudly, you almost burst my eardrums."
Lin Sanjiu couldn't help but glance at the grand prize—he only flashed her a row of small white teeth, and it was impossible to tell if he had guessed what was going on earlier.
"That's great," she exclaimed several times in her excitement before finding her words, "I heard about you from Bohemia... I've been looking for you for so long! In theory, that person's power shouldn't be able to last this long. Qing Jiuliu might still be reliable..."
"Slow down," Magus's mouth still had a slight upward curve, but her sapphire eyes grew gradually colder and more collected, reminding one of a lurking clouded leopard assessing an intruder. "Who is Qing Jiuliu?"
It seemed she had even forgotten that. "Since you were attacked, he has been taking care of your body."
"What kind of attack did I suffer?"
The message she had conveyed to Bohemia seemed to have been lost. Lin Sanjiu had to start from the beginning, explaining how they had met, the Meat Elysium, [Concept Mishmash], and the enigmatic figure whose true identity they still didn't know. She told Magus everything. As she spoke, she couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive.
If Magus wanted her to prove herself, she couldn't provide any evidence, and the grand prize by her side was of no use. However, after she finished speaking, Magus simply gazed at her for a while, then calmly said, "I understand."
Lin Sanjiu felt a bit foolish.
"Uh, do you not doubt me..." she began.
"My dear," Magus gently shook her head, her short, wavy golden hair falling like sunlight through a window, casting a warm and enchanting smile on her face. "When you've lived as long as I have, you only need to take a few glances and hear a few words from someone to get a rough idea of who they are."
As if a heavy burden had suddenly been lifted from her shoulders, Lin Sanjiu heaved a long sigh. She knew that to Magus, she was still a stranger she had just met. But her feelings were as if she had returned to the time in the Meat Elysium. "Do you know why you can't return to your body?" she asked.
Originally, she didn't have high hopes, but Magus, who was gradually losing her memory, responded crisply, "My pathway has been separated by some kind of force."
"Separated?" Lin Sanjiu inquired.
"Yes, every time it's about to manifest, it's covered by a barrier-like force. No matter how many times I try, I can't enter my Higher Consciousness cultivation path."
"Can you find out where this force comes from?" Lin Sanjiu furrowed her brow.
"No, because it doesn't seem like the power of an individual, like Higher Consciousness or something," Magus unexpectedly replied. "I've always felt that it's more like a natural force... You just told me about [Concept Mishmash], and I have a vague understanding now. What's blocking my pathway should be the rule established by that person using this power."
To establish a highly resilient rule through one's individual power—what kind of formidable evolutionary ability could that be?
"According to what you said earlier, all of you were affected by the [Concept Mishmash] at that time, but now, only I am still under its effects." As Magus said this, she slowly raised the corner of her mouth, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery. "Since I didn't recognize that person in the Meat Elysium, it means we didn't know each other... It seems there's something he absolutely must obtain from me."
Lin Sanjiu and the grand prize, as the parties involved, couldn't help but discuss this topic for a while. They were now far enough from the Concrete World Branch, and the building was no longer visible. In the distance, there were sporadic flashes of consciousness starlight. This location was ideal for their conversation: it was open all around, so if anyone approached, they would be immediately visible. Moreover, there were people in the distance, so if they were pursued, they could quickly blend into the crowd.
"If we want to find out who the owner of that building is, defeat him, and unravel his power... I don't have much confidence. And your situation can't be delayed; the sooner you return to your body, the better," Lin Sanjiu openly told Magus about her inability to produce a corresponding condition. Then she said, "I've thought of a method that might be worth trying. The grand prize now has an analytical ability..."
Even if Ji Shanqing took a long time to analyze her, it would still be more reliable than trying to find that unknown building's owner. Lin Sanjiu briefly introduced the grand prize's ability, and almost before she finished her last sentence, Magus flatly refused, "No."
"Why?" Lin Sanjiu asked.
Magus looked at the grand prize. To her, both of them were strangers at this moment. But while she had quickly accepted Lin Sanjiu's words after just a few glances, she had scrutinized the grand prize repeatedly before finally saying, "It's not about trust. I'm not a book; I don't need others to read my content."
Her tone was resolute, and it was clear that she would not change her mind. But Lin Sanjiu couldn't give up, "Even in this special situation...?"
"If principles can't withstand exceptional circumstances, then they can't be called principles."
"Well... do you have any other ideas?" Ji Shanqing couldn't help but interject. If you wanted to say when he most resembled an ordinary grown-up child, it was definitely during their time in the Meat Elysium, when they stayed in the hotel with Qing Jiuliu and Magus—they were probably the closest to friends that Ji Shanqing had in his life.
Magus furrowed her brow and remained silent for a while. Lin Sanjiu could see that she had a thought in her mind that was churning and sizzling, causing her to hesitate about the consequences of this thought. After a while, she slowly raised her eyes and asked an unrelated question, "You clearly haven't reached the highest level. How did you enter the Astral Plane? Did someone help you?"
"Yes, Bohemia did."
"How did she help?" Magus seemed very interested in this question.
"It was a Special Item, like a necklace, worn around the neck."
Magus nodded slightly, and it seemed that her idea was gradually taking shape and stabilizing. "From your conversation just now, I sense that you always have many friends around you, probably because of your personality and mindset," she observed with apparent keenness. "And a person's nature doesn't change easily... Tell me, do you have friends with you now? I mean, outside of the Astral Plane."
"Yes," Lin Sanjiu replied honestly, "I have Bohemia and a cat. The cat is our doctor and quite capable, even using disinfected claws when there's no surgical knife."
Even Magus, upon hearing these dreamlike words, couldn't help but give her an extra look. Then, a faint disappointment appeared on her face. "Just like that? People with Higher Consciousness won't work, and neither will a cat."
Lin Sanjiu hesitated for a long time. The grand prize's gaze beside her felt heavy on her shoulder, like a waterlogged sandbag.
"There's... there's one more person. I doubt he has much Higher Consciousness..." she said quietly. "If he doesn't kill me after hearing me say this, then maybe he can be considered my friend as well."