Chapter 1460: Everything Fine With You?
For Lin Sanjiu, [Planar World] was essentially her life and all her assets. As for Advaita, the humanoid ability she lost was truly her life and all she had — perhaps even multiple lives' worth.
"I don't understand," the Life Coach said again.
"The ability to make humanoid figures leap out of corners to attack is just one way to utilize it. Its primary function isn't for attacking," Lin Sanjiu said and searched for the right words to explain. "Suppose you're not a humanoid Special Item but a real person. If Caster had encountered you just now and pulled you into a crack, then two outcomes might befall you."
"What are they?"
"One is to digest you as nutrients," Lin Sanjiu said, looking discomforted. "Once fully digested, the person naturally disappears. I don't know what benefits there might be from this, and honestly, I don't want to. The other outcome is to strip you of your identity, leaving only your... original form."
"You're becoming harder to understand."
Lin Sanjiu could admit the concept was tricky to explain. "Take drawing as an example. When a beginner wants to draw a character, they don't start by sketching long eyelashes or a scar on the face, right? They begin with general outlines, a circle for the head, an oval for the body."
"You're not very good at drawing, are you?" the Life Coach remarked.
"Don't distract me. What I mean is, only after having a general humanoid outline can one add details like facial features and hair, eventually creating a unique character. This ability does the opposite — once you're captured, it erases your personality and details, reverting you to a humanoid... original form."
Ads by PubFuture After pondering for a moment, the Life Coach asked, "What's the point of reverting to the original form?"
Lin Sanjiu recalled the humanoid and human figures that attacked her and Silvan in the mall. Their skin had an inorganic gray tint; other than their shape, they had no distinctive features. The face that emerged from the merchandise was just a standard human face — eyes neither large nor small, cheekbones neither broad nor narrow, neither male nor female. It could be anyone's face or no one's at all.
Now, she finally understood what was happening.
"After reverting you to the original form, other than using this form to continue attacking, there's another crucial point." Lin Sanjiu involuntarily lowered her voice, even though the nearby streets were completely deserted. "Since it's the original form and no longer a unique individual, it now has the foundation to grow into another person."
This statement took the Life Coach by surprise. So much so that he even stopped in his tracks.
"Grow into another person? Why?"
Lin Sanjiu felt around for the sensation of that ability within her. It was an odd sensation; fundamentally, it wasn't an evolved ability. It was like when she had bone wings; she knew she could fold and spread them. It existed there, gradually merging, becoming a new part of her.
Admittedly, she found this new part a bit nauseating.
"The first time I met Advaita, I couldn't help but think of plants, forests, leaves, and such. Seems my intuition was right. There was a reason for those thoughts," Lin Sanjiu said. "You can consider these original forms as 'seeds' of Advaita."
"Seeds?" the Life Coach echoed, baffled.
"If there are enough raw materials — or nutrients — she can use these seed forms to grow a new version of herself," Lin Sanjiu explained, finding the idea quite unbelievable. "The Advaita grown from these seeds isn't a clone or a newborn version of her, but Advaita herself. For instance, if Advaita sustains a fatal injury and knows she has little chance of surviving, she can allow another original form to start changing, preparing it to grow into a complete version of herself, and let the injured version of herself die."
"Ah, I get it," the Life Coach said, slapping his forehead. "One original form is like an extra life for her."
"Yes, the newly grown Advaita is still Advaita herself, with memories, abilities, skills, and personality unchanged. And of course, she's free of any injuries since she's grown from a new original form."
Once the explanation was over, the Life Coach seemed lost in thought. The two silently crossed another street until they were stopped by a massive skyscraper — an obstacle Lin Sanjiu couldn't overcome.
Fortunately, a glass wall of the building's lobby was right before her. Though thick and sturdy, breaking it shouldn't be a problem.
Just as she wrapped her right hand with a metallic fist, the Life Coach suddenly said, "Hey, I just realized something... In that case, her losing some advantages doesn't matter! She must have some seeds on hand. She can initiate the growth of these seeds, and if needed, she can end her life. When the new Advaita emerges, these advantages would naturally return with her."
"In theory, it's indeed like that," Lin Sanjiu said, having considered this point. She flexed her fist a few times, regretting that her Higher Consciousness consumed too much energy to suppress the sound of shattering glass. "However, there's a prerequisite — that this seed ability itself still exists."
The Life Coach also caught on and exclaimed with realization. Ads by PubFuture
"If she lost this ability, even with seeds, she could only watch them in frustration. The seeds wouldn't be able to grow into a new Advaita, and she wouldn't recover the lost advantages," Lin Sanjiu continued, having a realization herself. "Its importance is second only to the roots; it should be the second light point I obtained."
Regrettably, although this ability was vital for Advaita, for Lin Sanjiu, it was almost useless. For her to absorb and assimilate other humans would be unthinkable; it would mean abandoning her identity as a human.
Even if she didn't have to absorb humans and was given a ready-made original form, she wouldn't be able to grow a new Lin Sanjiu as Advaita could.
"Why not?" the Life Coach asked as she prepared to punch.
Before answering, Lin Sanjiu slammed her fist powerfully into the glass wall.
The glass was instantly covered in a layer of white, holding its form for half a second within the frame, before it could no longer bear the pressure. Like a wave crashing down from a cliff, it thunderously collapsed into the lobby, turning into fragments as large as droplets, glinting brilliantly under the daylight.
She didn't remove her metal fist, brushed herself off, and stepped in.
Her combat boots made a crunching noise on the broken glass. She answered the Life Coach's question as she walked, "The reason is simple; I'm not like her. I'm a completely normal human, an animal raised by parents. I can't grow from a damn seed. Don't ask me why she can; I don't know."
The Life Coach's shoulders drooped slightly as he followed her into the building.
"I thought we gained a significant advantage," he said, unable to help but express his disappointment.
The ability to traverse dimensions and space was already a massive advantage — Lin Sanjiu glanced at him, surprised that she had to reassure a humanoid Special Item. "This is just a rough feeling I have. Maybe I can discover other uses in the future."
The Life Coach nodded. "Right, we shouldn't lose hope. Your perseverance and determination to pursue are commendable."
"Thanks," she replied.
It was a typical large commercial office building designed to exude a sense of luxury everywhere. Even if the world had ended, the marble floors were still shiny enough to reflect human figures. The front door on the first floor was locked tightly. After all this time, there wasn't much dust; if it weren't for the dead potted plants in the corners, Lin Sanjiu would have felt someone might pop up from behind the reception desk at any moment.
Of course, there was no one left.
In the direction she needed to head, there was a wall directly in front of her, and behind the corner was an elevator lobby. The wall was so thick that one couldn't help but sigh upon seeing it; if it were a load-bearing wall, breaking through would be a lot of work. Lin Sanjiu walked towards the wall while taking out her [eBay] card.
Breaking through walls like this was inefficient. If she could fly over them, she could save more than half of the time. Although she didn't have a small flying vehicle, it wasn't a rare item, and she could surely purchase one on [eBay].
Ever since she saw Gong Daoyi's message on [eBay], she had become a bit wary. After opening [eBay] and ensuring everything was fine, she sent out a purchase request for a personal flying device and fuel.
After sending out the message, she thought for a moment and sent a message to Peppy Lil' Sesame.
She didn't know if the other party was still using this [eBay] account, but it wouldn't hurt to try. After carefully considering her words, Lin Sanjiu wrote a slightly awkward message.
Meatball Peach: Are you doing well? I'm temporarily in a game world. I have a suggestion. How about we both go to the Karma Museum next? We can meet there.
After a pause, she sent another.
Meatball Peach: Did you bring Bohemia with you? Remember to bring her this time. We agreed to move together, didn't we? Ads by PubFuture
She wasn't overly concerned about how much Puppeteer would tease her for this message once they met.
Before she got her hands on the flying vehicle, there was still a wall to break through.
Lin Sanjiu took a deep breath, and a hefty axe appeared in her hand. She had pieced it together using various materials and temporarily modified it with [The Power Of Word Picture]. By the time the item's effect wore off, the wall would probably have been shattered.
Just as she was about to swing the axe, a crisp "ding" sounded from the nearby elevator lobby— an elevator had just arrived on the first floor.