The second drop of water from the River of Eternal Darkness landed on the grayish-white crystal ball and quickly seeped into it.
Crack Crack
Fine cracks appeared on the surface of the grayish-white crystal ball, and pale white mist continuously surged out, drilling into Azik's body thread by thread, merging into his soul.
Leyton observed quietly for a while, and within his eyes, pale blue light converged into one complex and illusory symbol after another, as a large amount of complex, living knowledge poured into the other half of Azik's soul.
Under his manipulation, this activated knowledge rapidly melted away the memories in the other half of Azik's soul, erasing the insane and suppressed parts, while the remaining parts were directly sealed, to be digested little by little after Azik merged with this half of the soul.
In the deep slumber created by the water of the River of Eternal Darkness, both Azik's own consciousness and the other half of his soul completed their fusion with hardly any resistance, and the disharmony between the torn souls was also mended by the aura emanating from the river water.
After completing all this, Leyton snapped his fingers, and clear, pure starlight appeared out of thin air, scattering throughout the entire basement.
Under the impregnation of the starlight, Azik's eyelids twitched, and he gradually awakened from his slumber.
After a brief period of confusion, Azik's consciousness quickly recovered, and he rose from the sarcophagus, looking at Leyton and Klein standing by his side.
Frowning and remaining silent for a moment, after mostly digesting the memories in his mind, he smiled warmly and said:
"Long time no see, Klein, and this Mr. Tines, it seems you are already a Knowledge Emperor."
The fusion with the other half of his soul added a touch of sharpness to his soft features, and the inherent sense of vicissitude in his eyes was now tinged with indifference, as if he was trying hard to suppress numerous emotions and madness.
Azik closed his eyes, let out a long breath, then stepped out of the sarcophagus. He looked at Klein and nodded lightly, saying:
"I need some time to adapt to the suppressed madness in the other half of my soul and to sort out my own memories. I will come find you after a while."
Klein nodded, originally intending to take out a Yesterday Reproduction Charm from his pocket. This would allow Mr. Azik to directly retrieve memories and emotions from his past self, better stabilizing his condition.
However, his hand passed directly through his body. Only then did he remember that he was only a Spirit Body and had not brought any charms with him.
He had no choice but to stop his movement and look at Azik, saying:
"Mr. Azik, I have made two Yesterday Reproduction Charms. They can allow you to borrow strength and memories from your past self. After I return, I will have a messenger deliver one to you."
"Mm, thank you for the trouble."
Azik rubbed his forehead with one hand, nodding deeply in response.
Klein turned his head to Leyton and whispered, "Let's leave first."
Leyton nodded, placed a hand on Klein's shoulder, helping him transform into a torrent of information, which quickly surged into the Spirit World, rushed towards the Gray Fog above the Spirit World, and returned to the grand, ancient palace above the Gray Fog.
After a brief exchange, Leyton left the Gray Fog and woke up in the armchair on the second floor of the manor.
In the evening, layered, illusory prayers suddenly echoed in his ears.
So fast, I wonder who was the first to join the immersive game experience. Sighing inwardly, he patted Bugs Bunny, who was lying beside him, shaking him awake from his sweet dream and saying:
"You can play games today. Remember to call Anu and the two cats as well."
"Oh, is it finally time? I'm going now."
Bugs Bunny woke up groggily, rubbing his eyes while quickly jumping out of the window and running towards the garden behind the manor.
After greeting Bugs Bunny, he finally responded to the prayers directed at him, and using the connection established by the ritual, he projected his consciousness.
In the Hall family villa in Empress Borough, Backlund, Audrey watched the quietly burning candle in front of her with some trepidation.
While she was still wondering what kind of response she would receive, the dim candlelight suddenly took on a layer of ethereal blue, the temperature in the room abruptly dropped several degrees, the light became dim, and a wailing wind roared, but it was not violent, only stirring her skirt and the room's hanging decorations.
Clear starlight spilled out from the ethereal blue candlelight, little by little, quickly moving and outlining a pair of cold, indifferent, lashless eyes containing countless dazzling stars.
These eyes seemed like a living thing; their gaze scrutinized Audrey up and down for a while, then shattered, turning into points of starlight that merged into Audrey's right palm, where they outlined the pattern of an eye surrounded by stars.
"...This is?" Audrey hesitated. Some information appeared in her mind regarding the usage and precautions for this imprint.
This was a bit like strict product instructions; Mr. Tower was really rigid in this regard. Well, it might also be a habit left over from frequently reading information.
As thoughts floated, she ended the ritual, then moved the unused materials to her dressing mirror. According to the knowledge in her mind, she used the mirror as a medium to summon a passage that could connect to the World Tree.
As the candle was lit again, she skillfully dripped in essential oils and hydrosols, sprinkled some herbal powder, then sat in front of the dressing mirror and softly chanted in ancient hermes:
"Sage who perceives the world, great Erudite, you are the essence of knowledge, the source of mysteries, the light of civilization, the upholder of truth."
"I implore you in the name of Justice;
I implore your gaze;
I implore the passage to the World Tree to descend here."
As the incantation was chanted, she was astonished to find that the dressing mirror in front of her became colorful, and there was also a faint sound of rushing water in her ears, as if there was a slowly flowing river inside the mirror.
"The passage to the World Tree is a river?"
With a slightly surprised exclamation, Audrey glanced in the direction of her bedroom door. With Susie guarding it, no one should disturb her at this time, and even if they did, Susie would cleverly divert them.
Collecting her thoughts, Audrey pressed her right palm, which bore the eye-shaped imprint, against the mirror surface. With a slight daze, she saw herself enveloped in a splendid rainbow, rapidly moving in a certain direction.
This process did not last too long. As the colorful light curtain fell, Audrey found that the surrounding scene had changed; it was no longer her bedroom, but a magnificent fountain plaza carved from what looked like a single piece of grayish-white marble.
In the center of the plaza, within the water curtain formed by intertwining fountain streams, stood a sculpture identical to the imprint on her right palm.
This sculpture was tens of meters high, seemingly inlaid with numerous gem-like grains of sand, emitting sparkling light under the refraction of light, as if containing a brilliant galaxy.
Leyton's figure quietly appeared before her. After nodding in greeting, he smiled and said:
"Good evening, Miss Justice, you are the first person to enter and experience today."
"The first place always has some privileges."
As his voice fell, he snapped his fingers, and brilliant starlight swept over Audrey. Her appearance rapidly changed:
Her golden hair was braided into a ponytail that wrapped from her left shoulder to the front of her body, and she appeared with a shimmering cape, a magnificent long dress, wearing crystal shoes, and thin gauze gloves, exquisitely beautiful like the most outstanding doll of a master Artisan.
"Your identity is a princess. Of course, as the first to enter, you can also choose other identities. This is your privilege."
As he spoke, Leyton raised his hand and swiped at the empty space in front of him. Cards the size of poker cards, depicting various creatures, outfits, and identities, appeared. They revolved around Audrey, allowing her to choose freely from them.
Audrey's eyes scanned the identity cards floating before her, and she asked curiously:
"Knight, Postman, Fisherman, Sheriff, Prince, Witch, and even Dragon, Hound, Giant..."
"Hmm, can identities be freely chosen here? Or rather, can one not use their original identity?"
"These are the rules of this place. Only by integrating into this world can one interact with it, and it is also a form of protection for everyone."
Leyton nodded lightly in response, while raising a hand to point towards the edge of the plaza.
Audrey subconsciously turned her gaze and saw a giant mechanical construct, three to four meters tall and somewhat round, with two very cute kittens sitting on it, as if driving this huge machine.
In mid-air, a strange bird, its body covered with feathers woven from pale flames and mysterious patterns, circled down.
On the other side, a rabbit wearing a crown, draped in a red cape, and holding a scepter inlaid with a large gem, walked out of the void.
It was dressed like an arrogant king, chin held high, striding forward, and behind it, a procession of rabbits dressed as ministers, guards, and servants followed.
Audrey observed these scenes with great astonishment, while exclaiming:
"I thought very few people would choose non-human creature experiences."
"Perhaps they weren't human to begin with."
Leyton chuckled in response. As he spoke, layered, illusory prayers once again echoed in his ears, somewhat noisy, like several people whispering simultaneously.
Why are there still people praying at the same time... In thought, he nodded lightly to Audrey, then his body became illusory and transparent, disappearing directly from the plaza.
With a curious mindset, Audrey approached the group of rabbits dressed like the kings, ministers, and attendants in the imperial palace.
The rabbit dressed as the king, walking at the forefront, stopped, propped its scepter on the ground, and looked up at Audrey, who was several times taller than itself, its expression solemn, and its voice authoritative as it asked:
"Esteemed princess of a neighboring country, what business do you have to seek an audience with me?"