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Translator: AnubisTL
The target valley was dead silent.
The steep rock walls were completely barren, with only vast patches of deep gray spirit stone veins, resembling solidified ash, exposed on the surface. Under the dim light, they gleamed with a cold, metallic luster.
This was the typical landscape of the "Ash Crystal Ore."
Using the coordinates from the recording crystal, Jieming pinpointed the exact area where the previous harvest had taken place.
It was the midsection of a nearly vertical rock wall.
"This is the spot," Jieming said, raising his hand as the faint glow of alchemy lit up his fingertips.
With his precise control, he guided the earth and stone elements to "peel away" from the rock wall like flowing water.
The hard rock seemed to turn into soft sand before him, stripped away layer by layer by an invisible hand.
As the excavation went deeper, a jarringly abrupt sight revealed itself to the three of them.
The deep gray spirit stone vein, which should have extended continuously and uniformly, now featured a massive cavity with unnaturally smooth and regular edges.
The cavity was roughly an irregular rectangular prism, measuring about ten meters in length, five meters in width, and over eight meters in depth.
Its inner walls were as smooth as a mirror, as if sliced instantly by an absolutely sharp tool, forming a stark contrast with the rough, natural fractures of the surrounding spirit stone vein.
The volume of the hollow space perfectly matched the volume of the raw ore Jieming had recorded.
Jieming retrieved the entire batch of Ash Crystal Ore from his internal grotto-heaven and suspended it in mid-air.
The dusty pile of ore and the smooth gap in the rock wall formed an eerie visual echo.
Without the need for precise measurement, a simple sweep of mental power confirmed that their volume and morphological characteristics were a perfect match.
"Look here," Vivian said, pointing to the junction where the gap's edge met the rest of the spirit stone vein. "This fault shows no signs of compression or stretching, nor any evidence of energy erosion or high-temperature melting. Normally, if a void of this size were formed naturally, there should be at least some kind of distinctive trace."
Roland crouched down, his fingers brushing the smooth inner wall of the gap as he cast a Micro-Material Structure Analysis spell:
"The composition is identical to the surrounding spirit stone vein, but the crystal growth patterns are not naturally terminated at the edge... This is indeed a sudden 'absence,' not a 'void formed for some reason.'"
Jieming nodded and returned the ore to his grotto-heaven.
The conclusion was already obvious.
Non-living matter native to this plane, when moved in its entirety into an independent space-time, does not—unlike biological organisms—appear as if it had "never existed here" within the current reincarnation's timeline.
The gap in the rock wall was proof. This section of the spirit stone vein was not in an "original state" where a cavity had formed by some coincidence; rather, it was a genuine, abrupt void.
This was fundamentally different from the phenomenon where the Scythe-Skull individuals' existence was completely erased after being stored in their entirety.
Furthermore, just like the instruments, the extracted matter was not immediately erased by the paradox.
"So, is the key difference really between 'life' and 'non-life'?" Vivian pondered. "Or rather, does it depend on whether one possesses an 'independent soul,' 'complex karmic threads,' and 'collective social memory'?"
Roland proposed another possibility: "It could also be a difference in time scale. Though the Scythe-Skull Race has existed for a long time, they are absolutely no match for the age of the spirit stone vein. Therefore, the judgment method for the time paradox might be differentiated based on whether a thing existed before or after the emergence of this special ability—time reversal."
Jieming listened to his companion's analysis, the puzzle in his mind falling further into place.
"The current evidence at least supports a part of our hypothesis," Jieming concluded. "The reason the Scythe-Skull Race's memories are revised along with them after triggering a paradox is likely because they are living beings and a highly socialized civilization."
"As living beings, they possess both individual and collective memory networks. As a civilization, their history, social relations, and even a possible 'civilizational will' are woven into a vast web of causality. When an individual is completely erased from the timeline, this web automatically 'repairs' the related memory nodes to maintain the logical consistency of the overall 'story,' making the 'absence' rationalized."
"Instruments and minerals, however," he continued, "have no souls, no social memory. Their 'existence' is closer to a simple material record. When erased, what remains is the most direct physical void."
Vivian's gaze sharpened. "If this hypothesis holds, it means... the potential 'Ruling Will' behind the Scythe-Skull Race—be it a super-individual, a collective consciousness, or the Reincarnation Device itself—exerts control over their entire civilization at the level of karma and memory!"
"It can not only reset time, but also 'revise' the historical memory of the entire civilization during the reset, much like editing a text, to ensure the 'coherence' of the narrative!"
Just then, the magic net terminals carried by the three of them all vibrated simultaneously, projecting crimson runes that represented the highest level of emergency.
It was a mass battle report from the Main Camp Command Center, personally issued by Frost.
The message was brief, but its contents were grave:
Attention all reconnaissance units: Abnormally large-scale concentrations and high-speed maneuvers of the Scythe-Skull Race's main forces have been detected from multiple directions. Their movement trajectories show a clear centripetal encirclement posture.
Estimated target: Our main camp and the major forward bases in its vicinity. The troop scale far exceeds any previous general offensive estimates.
Comprehensive Assessment: The Scythe-Skull Race has prematurely initiated their final-phase combat protocol. All-out war will erupt within 24 to 48 standard hours. All dispatched units are to abort missions immediately and regroup at the main camp or the nearest fortress at maximum speed. Repeat: Abort immediately, return at full speed!
"They've moved up their timeline... So soon!" Roland's expression darkened.
"It seems our reconnaissance and those large-scale purges we conducted earlier really struck a nerve," Vivian analyzed quickly. "They're done boiling the frog slowly."
Jieming stowed his terminal, taking one last look at the smooth ore gap in the rock wall. Through it, he seemed to glimpse the deeper shadow that might be manipulating memory and time.
"Let's go." He turned, his voice calm but filled with resolve. "The Variable Experiment needs more iterations to be perfected, but right now, we have more pressing matters to attend to."
"Bringing back our findings and hypotheses is exactly what we need. To verify them, we need to enter the next phase as quickly as possible."
The three figures ceased concealing their presence, transforming into streaks of light that tore through the air as they sped toward the main camp.
(End of the Chapter)
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