Super Righteous Player
Chapter 883 - 420: The Incorporeal Reminiscence and the Chariot’s Ruts

Chapter 883: Chapter 420: The Incorporeal Reminiscence and the Chariot’s Ruts

...Nicolas Flamel?

Annan raised an eyebrow.

Isn’t this just too much of a coincidence—almost like a convenience propped up by fate?

Unlike the Eldest Princess, Annan, who knew more of the truth, was not that panicked.

This Kafney’s former teacher, who had founded the corrupted Transcendent organization called "Hermes’ School" in Capital Noah... was in fact neither Nicolas himself, nor a clone or synthetic human of his.

He wasn’t even human, but merely a thought entity from the days of "Nicolas Flamel."

The so-called thought entity is a segment of consciousness extracted from a nightmare.

It’s a "memory fragment" living within a false script, possessing false or incomplete memories and a certain degree of free will. Because it has been given a physical body, it won’t realize in the short term that it is just a non-existent illusion.

—In non-"memory" type nightmares, nightmares aren’t events that have actually happened. Even if they seem real, they always contain expressions of personal will, and all other nightmares with special characteristics are completely abstract.

The resentment and will of the nightmare’s owner have already unilaterally "anchored" this record stored in the world of dreams.

It is indeed real, but it is neither comprehensive nor exaggerated—the simplest truth is that it’s impossible for there to be so many "puzzles" in reality.

This usually signifies the materialization of a certain subconscious aspect of the nightmare owner.

For example, the "storage lockers" and those haunting paintings in the gallery represent Morrison’s embodied fears at the time. He might have felt extreme fear while being chased... but since the nightmare cannot convey this "emotion" to the Cleanser, it creates a Jumpscare to "startle" the Cleanser or make them feel fear.

Just like the "Big Hammer Brother" in the gallery, who completely lacks the ability to communicate.

If he could escape that nightmare, becoming manifested in the outside world, then he would become a thought entity.

Human emotions are not absolutely stable, but a thought entity is different. The emotions of a thought entity are absolutely consistent with the emotions of that moment in history.

To give an example... Benjamin in the "White Tower" nightmare also possesses almost all of his memories, but if the real Benjamin and the "Benjamin" in the nightmare were to make the same decision, the answers would most likely be different.

If Benjamin were to play "Benjamin" in the "White Tower nightmare" ten times without retaining his memories, then each time, what he says and does would probably be different.

Because his mood might be affected by thinking about something, or this time he might turn his head at a wider angle, suddenly seeing something that gives him new inspiration.

But a thought entity’s actions and words each time will inevitably be completely identical, not a single word different.

If left untouched, even the angle of the eyeballs’ movement would not differ in the slightest; and even with interference, a thought entity will subconsciously aim to "bring the script full circle" rather than thinking and acting based on its own memories and worldviews.

—These are the contents copied from the "Principles of Nightmare Studies" before Heath Tower of Black was burned down by Longjing Tea.

The book refers to this force as "the corrective power of nightmares."

In other words, every independent consciousness in a nightmare subconsciously prioritizes "completing the script" in its actions.

For example, suppose in a nightmare with the backdrop implying impending battles, one encounters a Sergeant closely related to the nightmare’s plot in a tavern.

If you tell him "Your XX superior is looking for you" in reality, he might leave with a degree of skepticism—uncertain, but likely to ask around... After all, the tavern can be visited anytime, but ignoring a superior’s summon could be lethal.

But if it were in a nightmare, such a reason would certainly not stand. Because if he left, what followed would not happen. Then he would find various reasons to refuse.

In a certain sense,

they are the true "NPCs" of this world.

And this is the real "logical basis" used by seasoned wizards to determine whether they are in a nightmare.

The Nightmare Studies techniques taught at Heath Tower of Black equip wizards with the use of logic to deconstruct and dissolve a nightmare.

It’s not about forcefully dismantling a nightmare with Divine Arts, but rather, observing, guessing, and uncovering a person’s true identity, then subtly presenting them with many choices.

By observing their tendencies towards these "choices" and whether those match or obviously defy their character, one can ascertain their significance within the nightmare "script."

That is to say, without investigating the nightmare itself or considering solving the puzzle of the nightmare, they look directly for answers in the "game mechanics"—that indeed is in the wizards’ style.

And Nicholas Flamell now is such a memory-construct.

The real Nicholas had long been dead.

The method used was so extreme that it could be described as reducing him to ashes... Not even a body or soul remained, not even a portion of the memory-construct’s memories, specifically to prevent any possibility of him playing a trick after death.

At first, they even gave him the identity of a "homunculus," letting him name himself "Nicholas II," and left some flaws for him to "discover" himself that he was, in fact, the real Nicholas...

By using such a ruse, Nicholas would wholeheartedly believe in the possibility he conceived himself. Once he truly thought he was Nicholas, he then had the potential to become a mirror.

The fact that even the gods were so wary of him could also be seen as a testament to his extraordinary abilities.

And after going through such a huge roundabout method, utilizing the power of so many gods to awaken Nicholas... Although Annan believed it might be because the gods needed him to refine the formula for "Hermes’s Dust of Poison," it might also be to aid Annan in creating a mirror.

—Since the Silver Baron and that "leaky poet" neither tipped off Annan nor stopped him, it indicated that everything unfolding was within their expectations.

In other words—

The dust has already been created.

...which means Nicholas could be killed.

And after he lost his worth, he immediately appeared before Annan—even giving Annan an undeniable reason to kill him.

He took Philip’s head, forcing Kafney to be subject to investigation... Although the investigation involved the Church of the Silver Baron, ensuring fairness,

sometimes people do not care about the truth—as rumors are slower to be refuted than to spread.

If Annan did nothing, the Royal throne of Noah would certainly fall to the Eldest Princess.

This meant that even if Annan had not yet deduced that "Nicholas is the fourth mirror," now Annan had to find him, and then kill him.

This is probably what they call...

—Fate is the ruts of heaven’s chariot.