“Hmm?”
Just as Xian Ling and the System Sprite initiated the Warp, a candy-colored figure whose face could not be seen turned its gaze toward them from nearby.
Although the Warp lasted only an instant—so brief that it was almost impossible to capture—if that figure wished, the time would still be more than enough for her to cut Xian Ling apart and carve a flower afterward.
Should she attack her?
The thought flashed through Polka’s mind, and she quickly reached a decision.
Although every Zandar was troublesome, this incarnation of Zandar who walked the Path of Enigmata was unquestionably the most troublesome of them all.
For example, there was the simplest matter—just before his death, he had left Polka with a sentence while wearing an extremely eerie smile.
“Do you truly believe you succeeded?
Think carefully, Polka.
Did Zandar really leave behind only nine incarnations?
Compare it closely with your memories.
Don’t you think your memories and your common sense have created a contra…”
Although Zandar had been cut down by Polka before he could finish speaking, Polka nevertheless had no choice but to incorporate those words into her thoughts and carefully consider them.
The reason was simple.
As an Emanator of the Path of Enigmata and a former victor who had emerged from Hartopia’s Game of the Phantom Moon, nearly every ability possessed by this incarnation of Zandar had been created specifically to counter Polka’s Unknowable Domain.
Combined with his nature as an Enigmata, whether something he said was true or false was often no longer important.
That was why Polka had turned her gaze toward the Incubation Pod carrying Xian Ling as it Warped away.
As far as Xian Ling alone was concerned, Polka had already scanned her countless times earlier.
As one of Zandar’s creations, Xian Ling clearly possessed nothing particularly special.
As long as she did not involve herself with the Knowledge Singularity, Polka couldn’t be bothered to kill her.
But now…
Could this girl be Zandar?
Having developed a slight case of PTSD from the words Zandar of the Path of Enigmata had left behind before his death, Polka naturally found herself thinking, ‘Maybe he’s playing dead to trick me.jpg.’
“…”
After hesitating briefly, Polka stepped forward and raised the Scalpel in her hand.
Most of the time, Polka was willing to spare those who realized they had strayed and turned back, but this Zandar before her…
was simply far too bizarre.
She would not allow any accidents to occur in the process of killing Zandar.
Thus, from a considerable distance away, a silver-white blade-light gently swept downward.
“Hmm?!”
However, the moment the blade-light was unleashed, Polka seemed to suddenly notice something.
The blade-light that had already pierced through the Incubation Pod and even struck Xian Ling was forcibly deflected by Polka.
Yet that single moment of hesitation was enough for the Incubation Pod to disappear, leaving Polka staring blankly in the direction where it had vanished.
“That girl…
is actually a Moment anchored by Nous?!”
Why don’t I have any related memories?
And why did I only notice it just now…?”
Polka abruptly turned around and looked at the lifeless mechanical remains of Zandar.
“Was this also his doing?
Zandar…
Did he rewrite Nous’s Moments?
Or was that girl originally one of those Moments, only to have been hidden by him all this time?”
“No.
Regardless of which possibility is true, Zandar’s interference with Nous appears to have achieved a breakthrough…
I must hurry and find his other incarnations.”
…
[Little one, I have two pieces of news.
Which one would you like to hear first?]
Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the universe, inside a battered Incubation Pod that was on the verge of falling apart…
“I’m guessing they’re both bad news, so just pick one.”
[The bad news is that Polka spared you just now, but she didn’t completely spare you.
Even though she deliberately held back with that slash, she still almost turned you into 2.5 Gojos.]
[Without treatment, your life force will probably drain away completely after one system hour, leaving behind the corpse of a beautiful girl.]
“Then…
what’s the other piece of news?”
[The worse news is that we’ve already completed the Warp and arrived on a Desolate Planet.
According to the scans, no civilization exists on this planet, and there is only one intelligent life-form.]
“In other words, that person is the system’s intended destination—a Genius conducting experiments on a Desolate Planet?”
Xian Ling immediately felt a headache coming on.
A planet without civilization ruled out more than half of all Geniuses at once.
It also meant that Xian Ling could only hope this particular Genius would be willing to save her.
“Wait, a Desolate Planet…
You’re not about to tell me that this planet had an intelligent civilization a long time ago, only for it to disappear after this Genius arrived, are you?”
“Wouldn’t that fucking mean it’s Dr.
Primitive?!”
[Calm down.
The situation isn’t quite that hopeless.]
The System Sprite reassured her.
[In fact, after this Genius arrived, the ecological environment of this Desolate Planet improved considerably.
It could even be developed into a tourist planet now.]
The probability that she’ll choose to save you is approximately ninety percent.]
[The only problem is…]
“After she revives me, I might not remain the same species, right?”
The corner of Xian Ling’s mouth twitched slightly.
She had more or less guessed which Genius she had been transported near.
[Correct.
She has just noticed the commotion caused by your landing and is currently heading toward your Incubation Pod.]
[Considering that she won’t be able to arrive for a while…]
Several options appeared on the translucent pixel screen before Xian Ling.
[Why don’t you play a few rounds of games with me, little one?]
A few minutes later, on an unnamed planet situated in a remote corner of space yet inexplicably brimming with life…
Ruan Mei stared at the Incubation Pod that looked as though Lynette had touched it, then at the girl inside whose injuries were comparable to those of the natives of Adlivun, and fell into deep thought.
…
At the same time, inside a laboratory on Blue…
“Hah…
Don’t!”
Herta abruptly sat up in bed and opened her eyes.
Just now, she had inexplicably experienced a nightmare.
She had dreamed that, because of her stubborn insistence, she had brought Ruan Mei’s beloved adopted daughter to a battlefield fraught with danger.
Although the crisis capable of destroying the universe had been resolved, the child had died as a result.
Even though she could be revived, she had lost many of her memories—in the dream, Ruan Mei had not blamed Herta too harshly, but that only made Herta feel even guiltier.
“…Thank goodness it was only a dream.”
Herta sighed softly, then took out her communicator.
“Forget it.
Since I dreamed about her anyway, I might as well see what Ruan Mei is doing…”
“Hmm?
Her signal is being blocked?”
Herta was slightly stunned.
“Is she conducting some experiment that requires a high level of secrecy?
How unusual…”
“Sigh, I’ll ask her about it in a couple of days.
I suppose I was just overthinking things.
With Ruan Mei’s personality, how could she suddenly adopt a child?”
★ ★ ★
T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★
Shilling time!