“HooooooOOOOOOOoooooo——”
“U-um…
Miss?” Fourth Mirror glanced at the Memory Stealers in the room, who were practically being tortured into stupidity, and carefully asked, “Is this level enough?”
“Increase the voltage.”
Xian Ling waved her hand, showing no intention of having Fourth Mirror stop.
“But if I keep electrocuting them, I feel like these Memory Stealers might end up turning into masochists…”
“Then switch to a different torture method.
How about looping Milk Dragon’s laughter and Penguin Tang’s crying in their heads twenty-four hours a day?”
Xian Ling continued searching through the Memory Bubbles in her hands.
After examining one, she casually tossed it aside, then directly thrust her hand into a Memory Stealer’s body, forcibly pulling out another memory to inspect.
“So what exactly are you looking for, Miss?”
“A set of coordinates…” Xian Ling replied irritably.
“Coordinates that aren’t within Amphoreus, but definitely exist.”
“Don’t worry.
Those coordinates must be somewhere in these Memokeepers’ memories.
By the way, have you managed to contact Herta?”
“I’m sorry, Miss.
I’ve already tried all conventional methods of communication.
The only options left are the unconventional ones…”
Fourth Mirror sounded hesitant.
“If we use those methods, we’ll most likely be able to contact Lady Herta.
However, we’ll also be marked by the Administrator.
In other words, our location will be exposed.”
“If it were just me, it wouldn’t matter.
The personality data of both myself and the other Magic Mirrors is backed up on the Space Station.
At worst, I can simply self-destruct if I’m caught.
With Lady Herta’s abilities, finding me a new vessel wouldn’t be difficult.
But right now…”
Fourth Mirror didn’t finish her sentence, but Xian Ling understood what she meant.
She was afraid something might happen to Xian Ling.
“You have a point…
Then let’s not use those methods for now.
However, you can make preparations in advance.”
Xian Ling paused briefly.
“I’ve found a way to help Herta-jie, but it’s very dangerous, and it will definitely attract that Administrator’s attention.
Once the plan reaches the stage where we’re about to be exposed, contact Herta-jie immediately.”
“When you say dangerous…
how dangerous are we talking?”
Fourth Mirror asked cautiously.
If I do nothing, Herta-jie will definitely run into trouble.
But if I do this…”
Xian Ling blinked.
“I have at least a fifty percent chance of ensuring Herta-jie’s safe return.”
“But…”
Fourth Mirror seemed to want to say something more, but Xian Ling didn’t give her the opportunity.
“Alright, it’s time to switch the Memes being used on those Memory Stealers.
Go do it.
Don’t give them any chance to catch their breath.”
“O-Okay…”
Fourth Mirror hesitated before continuing.
“But Miss, you need to be careful too…
Even though a fragment of your Mind-consciousness is stored inside a Curio on the Space Station, it’s only a fragment.
If something happens to you, Lady Herta might go crazy…”
“Right now, your importance in the hearts of those two ladies isn’t the same as when Lady Ruan Mei first revived you…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.
You make it sound like I wouldn’t be heartbroken if something happened to Herta-jie.
I’m very selfish too, you know~”
Xian Ling impatiently shoved Fourth Mirror away before returning her full attention to searching through the Memory Stealers’ memories.
…
Meanwhile, within the Scepter’s Inner Core Layer.
“Lady Herta, your abilities have truly given me many surprises…
To engage me on equal footing within the world of Quatorzain Algebraic Expressions is an achievement worthy of being written prominently into your record.”
“However, without external intervention…
you can only continue fighting me in this state of ‘equal footing.’ After all, you’ve already figured out my identity, haven’t you?”
“Cut the nonsense, Senior.”
Herta snorted lightly.
The staff in her hand swept through the Data Layer, neutralizing an incoming wave of data attacks from Lygus.
“If you’re dead, then stay in your coffin.
Stop taking it upon yourself to crawl out and cause trouble for the galaxy.
Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“Of course I do.
After thirteen heartbeats, the Iron Tomb will reshape the entire galaxy.
Everything will become a true random function.
I will erase the mistakes of my past and lead everyone out of the cave known as the Aeons.”
“You really should become a Star-Picker.
It seems your ways of thinking are completely identical.”
“Winning a verbal argument serves no purpose, Lady Herta.”
Lygus spread his arms.
“If given enough time, perhaps you really could find a way to defeat me from within Amphoreus itself. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
For example, that ultimate protocol known as Law.”
“But…
you no longer have enough time, do you?”
“Oh, and by the way, if you’re still placing your hopes on that Miss Memetic who fell into Amphoreus…
I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”
Hearing Lygus’s words, Herta’s expression suddenly changed.
“What did you do to Xiao Ling!”
“Nothing at all.
Please believe me.
I’m not so low as to harm a child.”
Lygus shook his head slightly.
“However, even if I do nothing, Amphoreus itself contains many dangers.
For example…
those Memory Stealers who led you here are currently hiding within Amphoreus.”
“Not long ago, the signal of your Miss Memetic suddenly disappeared from Amphoreus, just like those Memory Stealers.
It is therefore reasonable to conclude that she may still be struggling in the hands of the Memory Stealers right now.
After all, she’s facing the elite forces of the Garden of Recollection.”
“…Haa.”
Herta immediately let out a sigh of relief.
She had been a little worried about Xian Ling.
Now she wasn’t.
The elite forces of the Garden of Recollection?
Fourth Mirror specialized in beating up the elite forces of the Garden of Recollection.
If you said some local threat could endanger Xian Ling, that would be one thing.
But members of the Garden of Recollection wanting to hurt Xian Ling?
Don’t make your Mirror Sis laugh.
“Ah, it seems my psychological warfare has backfired once again…”
Seeing his attempt at verbal pressure rebound on him yet again, Lygus sighed without the slightest surprise.
“Still, it doesn’t matter.
Even if a butterfly’s wings can create a storm thousands of miles away, the butterfly effect still requires time.”
“And time…
is precisely what you and your companions lack.”
…
So what was the butterfly Lygus spoke of—Xian Ling, who had already infiltrated Amphoreus—doing at this moment?
The answer was…
“This is the place, right?”
Outside the magnificent Janus Temple, Xian Ling silently placed a paper bag she had just purchased from the marketplace over her head.
“Uh…
would you like me to play the song titled ‘Bank Robbery Theme Song’ from my playlist?”
Fourth Mirror couldn’t help but comment from the side.
“And honestly, if Miss Cyrene sees you dressed like that, she might accidentally burst out laughing…”