Siberia, the snowfields.
He walked to the familiar place with ease. This was the fourth time, yet he was much calmer than the previous times. Lin Wei skillfully dug a large hole in the pristine white snow at the foot of the mountain, which seemed to be able to bury the entire world, and soon, the familiar low cave was revealed.
"Ahem..."
Lin Wei cleared his throat with a slight cough, then ducked his head in and reached out with his walking stick, tapping it a few times against the rock wall. Seeing no reaction, he poked a huge creature in front of him and whispered, "Brother Bear, wake up, wake up!"
The fat giant bear, which had been disturbed by Lin Wei three times, opened its sleepy eyes for the fourth time. This time, it finally saw clearly who this uninvited guest was, who had disturbed its sweet dreams.
"Roar..."
The giant bear turned its upper body and let out a low growl as a warning.
"Shh, quiet, don't be nervous."
Seeing that it had woken up, Lin Wei immediately pulled back and threw three beasts he had hunted on the way into the cave, thump, thump, thump, they landed on it, making the giant bear, who was still grumpy from waking up, dizzy.
What the hell?
"I apologize for the previous intrusions. Thank you very much, Brother Bear, for lending me your place to stay three times. I'm here to pay the rent this time."
Lin Wei politely explained the reason, not caring whether the other party understood or not. "Alright, it's nothing. You can go back to sleep now."
After confirming that the other party had received his "rent," Lin Wei waved goodbye and left before the "landlord named Bear" had a chance to say he was welcome.
What kind of gibberish was that? the wild bear thought. With a "ROAR," it rushed out of the cave, but there was no one in sight.
Was I dreaming?
The giant bear looked back in confusion. The three prey lying in the cave silently reminded it of the reality of the strange scene just now, and at the same time, aroused its voracious appetite, which had been dormant for several months.
What a psycho!
The giant bear roared in indignation, then turned its grief into appetite and prepared to have another big meal.
"Should I say you're still a child at heart?"
As the aircraft flew rapidly along the rock wall, Schrödinger said with a hint of speechlessness in Lin Wei's ear.
Although Lin Wei had righteously said that he wanted to express his "apology and gratitude," she felt that his actions just now seemed more like he simply wanted to play a trick on that poor bear again.
It was more of a prank, wasn't it?
"For someone of your age, this is truly a rare quality," Schrödinger concluded.
"Is that so? Thank you for the compliment."
Lin Wei smiled, pretending not to have heard that it wasn't a compliment at all. Then he carefully operated the aircraft and headed straight for the orphanage.
The severe cold and snow, which had once troubled Lin Wei to the point of being unable to move, were no longer an unbearable predicament for her.
Although she could clearly feel her body temperature rapidly dropping in the biting cold wind, at the same time, she could also feel a furnace burning in a certain part of her body, pumping out a steady stream of warmth and power, flowing through the lines on her back to her limbs, helping her resist the most ruthless invasion of nature.
"Heh..."
Lin Wei let out another long sigh, releasing the indescribable and complicated emotions in his heart. They were almost there.
Rustle, rustle, rustle
Using a portable device to filter out Cocolia's ubiquitous surveillance system, and then another black feather to disperse all the guards on duty in the gatehouse, Lin Wei gently pushed open the old gate and quietly closed it again, without causing any disturbance. Even the footprints left in the snow were smoothed over by the power of the Fourth Divine Key.
"Using the power of multiple Divine Keys for such a small thing, I'm really..."
As Lin Wei was mocking himself, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, making him stop in his tracks and hold his breath, trying his best to grasp the inspiration that made his scalp tingle for a moment. He could feel that it was an extremely important discovery.
"...Phew."
After a long silence, Lin Wei let out a long breath. "One Divine Key being able to use the authority of all Divine Keys is already very troublesome. But if... there was a Herrscher who could freely use the authority of all Herrschers—Dr. Schrödinger, what kind of scene would that be?"
"A very bold assumption, and also a very terrifying hypothesis," Schrödinger commented very pertinently. "If such a Herrscher really appeared, she would probably become an unprecedented enemy of the entire civilization and cause an unimaginable disaster."
"Hehe, yes, the former Herrscher of the Void possessed six different Herrscher authorities and almost single-handedly overturned the entire world. If she has the chance to fuse more Herrscher Cores in the future, and even fuse all the authorities into one, it's almost unimaginable what kind of existence she will become. Of course, the difficulty of realizing this idea should be very high, but..."
As Lin Wei spoke, he suddenly paused again, and then became inexplicably excited, as if he had accidentally glimpsed a treasure that no one had ever discovered before. "For example, if you, with the authority of the Herrscher of Reason and its almost infinite plasticity, could understand and learn the authority of other Herrschers... that should be a relatively more feasible solution, right?"
As we all know, our beloved Welt Yang, the most commendable thing about him, besides his respectable will to repeatedly come back to life, is that he managed to play the "Herrscher of Reason" account as the "Herrscher of Rock," controlling gravity with a raise of his hand, and even creating a pseudo-black hole with a little effort, making his enemies exclaim in disbelief.
Of course, besides that, he probably also self-taught a part of the authority of the Herrscher of Death—being able to create a brand new body with full health at any time and place, which indeed looked quite impressive...
"...Although I'd like to remind you that this has nothing to do with the problem we're facing now."
Schrödinger paused for a moment, then said, "Are you planning for the future? Do you want to become the next Herrscher of Reason? Or become a mentor on the path of the Herrschers?"
"..."
This sentence made Lin Wei's already flying brain calm down a little. "It's not really planning for the future, nor do I want to become the Herrscher of Reason, and I've never thought of becoming anyone's mentor. I just happened to think of it, after all, inspiration is rare, and if I miss it, it might not come a second time."
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
First, we do have a Herrscher of Reason on the same side. Second, he did successfully integrate the authority of gravity, which did not belong to him, into his DNA. Since he can master one authority, he can master a second, a third, and so on.
After successfully piercing that invisible window paper, Lin Wei's brain was like a runaway horse, leaving everything in the dust—
That's right! Since the Void Archives can use the forms and powers of all Divine Keys, why can't the Herrscher of Reason have lightning in her left hand, fire in her right, and with a glance, crush her enemies so they can't move, then kick open a portal, throw her enemies into the Imaginary Space, and finally, mercilessly fill the Imaginary Space with storms and snow?
Tsk, tsk, tsk, that scene would be brutal...
Welt obviously didn't have this opportunity. After all, he only had the Star of Eden, this one Divine Key, and he could only come into contact with this one Herrscher authority. But, our Bronya, she's different!
Raiden Mei, Kiana, and even the Herrscher of Sentience are her unquestionable companions. At least five Herrscher authorities are always by her side, within arm's reach.
As long as she has this awareness, would her good companions really drive her away?
Besides, Theresa probably wouldn't refuse to let her student study the Oath of Judah, and Einstein would probably be happy to lend her the Star of Eden for a few more days. Bronya's future is simply limitless!
"What a pity! Bronya is such a useless waste, I'm so angry..."
Lin Wei muttered resentfully in a strange language that Schrödinger couldn't quite understand. "She has no idea what a huge treasure trove of resources she possesses, but in the end, besides Project Bunny, she only learned how to ride a motorcycle!"
Even that motorcycle was just Project Bunny transformed.
"Tsk..."
Lin Wei thought about it and got even angrier.
Gaming is a scourge!
"Are you calling me?"
Just as Lin Wei's thoughts were wandering further and further away, a small girl with gray hair and twin tails quietly walked up to him. She tilted her head and looked at the strange stranger in front of her, her face full of question marks. "Do you know me?"
Bronya had noticed from upstairs that this person had been standing in the courtyard for a long time. Since they could appear here so calmly, they were probably not an enemy.
So, she went downstairs, intending to welcome her into a warm room to escape the snow and wind, because she felt that anyone who came here in such weather was probably a very important guest. She was even worried that she would disturb her while she was thinking about something important.
But as soon as she got downstairs, she vaguely heard this person seem to be cursing her, and her small face couldn't help but darken.
But she didn't feel angry at all, just a little strange, because the way they looked seemed more like "disappointed in her lack of progress." Only people who were very familiar with each other would speak in such a tone.
They know me?
Bronya tilted her head and thought for a long time, but she had no impression of this person at all, which made her feel even more strange.
"Uh..."
Lin Wei suddenly snapped out of it and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Getting caught talking bad about someone behind their back, how could this be?!
Although this person, strictly speaking, was not particularly "the person in question"...
"Ahem, it's nothing."
Lin Wei waved his hand calmly, looked at the small building behind Bronya, and directly stated his purpose. "Is Seele at home?"
"?!"
Bronya was immediately on guard. Her light gray eyes looked at Lin Wei without a trace, quickly locking onto several vital points where she could kill him with one blow.
"Don't be nervous, Bronya."
Lin Wei spread his hands to show that he had no ill intentions and said in a calm and gentle tone, "I'm not going anywhere. Could you please tell her that someone named Lin Wei is here?"
"..."
Bronya didn't budge. She just shouted, "Sin!"
After calling Sin from the building, she had her relay Lin Wei's message to Seele, while she herself remained on guard against this increasingly strange uninvited guest.
Sin reluctantly did as she was told, and soon, the blue-haired girl rushed down.
"That's great, Mr. Lin Wei, you're okay..."
Seele gasped for breath, her face full of relief. "Your experiment had an accident before, and then..."
Seele suddenly stopped. She remembered that this was a new loop. She had to swallow all her words and condense them into one sentence. "Anyway, it's good that you're okay."
She had been extremely anxious, not knowing if Lin Wei would be safe in the new loop after the obvious accident in the experiment.
This time, she didn't even have time to persuade Bronya to support her again. She just wanted to sneak out from behind when she and Sin weren't paying attention, just like in the first loop, and rush to the cave where Lin Wei had been staying to confirm that she was safe.
"Mhm, thank you for your concern, Seele. I'm fine. I knew you would be worried, so I rushed over as soon as possible this time."
Although there had been a small interlude, this time, she didn't have to be indecisive for various reasons. Lin Wei's speed was swift. Then he looked at Bronya, who seemed to have been treated as if she were air, and said meaningfully, "This probably isn't the right place to talk. Could you arrange a quiet room for us?"
"..."
Although Bronya was full of questions, Seele's relieved expression after seeing Lin Wei didn't seem fake, and her vigilance had also been greatly lowered. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and led them to a quieter room.
"Bronya Oneechan, I'm very sorry. I'll explain to you later, okay?"
"...Alright."
Although she wanted to stay and listen, since Seele had said so, although her mysterious appearance made her look like an outsider, and she felt a little sour in her heart, she just nodded, grabbed the foul-mouthed Sin, and gently closed the door.
Her appearance made Seele feel even more guilty.
"Hey, Seele!"
Veliona shouted in her consciousness, reminding her that there were more important things at hand.
Seele came to her senses and quickly asked Lin Wei about what she had experienced in the experiment and the final result.
Lin Wei didn't recount everything he had seen and heard. He just briefly summarized the cause and effect, and then concluded with a bitter expression, "The result can't be called a failure, but... hehe, it can't be called a success either."
The Stigmata had awakened, but the soul had not been able to return. It was as if a piece of his entire life had been peeled off, leaving him empty and uncomfortable.
The experiment was a success, but the loop had not been broken as hoped. They were still stuck in this strange circle.
"So... that's how it is..."
Seele clutched her chest, her expression also becoming empty. She murmured in a daze, "That... Miss Yae Sakura, is she really not coming back?"
Although she didn't know the girl Lin Wei called Yae Sakura, and she didn't know why this gentleman's Stigmata consciousness was a woman, she felt a strong empathy for Lin Wei's current mood.
Because, in her body, there was also another companion...
Seele's hands on her chest clenched even tighter. She had never felt so clearly how heavy a weight her other self was to her.
If she lost her, it would probably be as unacceptable as losing Bronya Oneechan. Seele thought to herself.
As for Veliona...
She had thought she would feel uneasy, angry, and panicked. But after hearing this result, she found that her heart was unexpectedly calm.
She could particularly understand that Yae Sakura's choice...
Seeing Lin Wei's lost expression, she actually felt an unexpected satisfaction. "If that day really comes, Seele will also be sad for me, right?"
That crybaby, if she started crying, it would never end!
Imagining Seele crying, she felt her heart ache again.
"Maybe there's another chance to get her back, but we have to leave this place first."
Lin Wei shook his head. She wouldn't dwell on things that couldn't be changed. "My experiment is over, but the loop isn't. So..."
Lin Wei conveyed a seemingly cruel conclusion to Seele in a gentle and calm voice. "Seele, the real key to breaking this loop might be on you."