Chapter Ten: Cage of Memories
Grotesqueries and Grotesquery Apostles.
Luo Ling certainly wouldn’t categorize herself and Elsa within this group. She felt more human than Grotesquery. A key distinction was that Grotesqueries were limited by their abilities and Paths, even if they developed their own will. Her sister was the perfect example.
Luo Ling had no such shackles. She was more like a human who had acquired Grotesquery abilities, at least for now.
In fact, whether Grotesqueries themselves could be classified in this group was questionable. After all, the essence of a Grotesquery was a conceptualized disaster, not a monster in the conventional sense. Luo Ling understood this better than anyone.
However, the heinous acts of Grotesquery Apostles were undeniable. In the Company’s archives, the calamities caused by the Harbingers of Calamity didn’t even amount to a tenth of the Apostles’, the true enemies of humanity.
Luo Ling chose not to voice her speculation, not out of any intention to deceive, but because it was just a theory. It was more important to resolve this memory predicament first.
“Memory, huh…”
Eve pondered, considering the likelihood of this theory.
While searching for the boundary, she had certainly walked along routes she’d never taken before, yet they were all passable, unobstructed by any force.
From this perspective, the theory seemed… unlikely?
But what if it was pieced together from memory fragments of other places? This was impossible to verify.
Without having walked those paths before, how could they know if there were discrepancies with reality? There was no way to compare.
Most importantly…
“If this is true, Miss Luo Ling, how do you propose we escape this predicament?” Eve said gravely. “I don’t have much time left. Once the medicine wears off, I have to fall asleep. And I only have one Sacred Medicine capsule left, best saved for when I’m truly needed, otherwise it’s a waste.”
As the team leader, Eve was the least adaptable to this environment. The consequences of cognitive dissonance were severe, leaving no room for error. In this current situation, where they were stumbling around blindly, Eve was useless even while awake. Therefore, she couldn’t afford to use her last capsule.
Luo Ling continued observing her surroundings, comparing the differences between the reflected world and the real world through reflective surfaces.
She didn’t immediately answer Eve’s question. After a moment of silence, she said,
“I still need to verify a few things.”
Even now, Luo Ling couldn’t be entirely certain that this was a world within their memories.
If it wasn’t, her escape plan would be meaningless…
“What should we do?”
Eve didn’t try to dictate or question Luo Ling’s specifics, simply nodding in agreement.
As a veteran who had experienced a Boundary collapse, although she couldn’t barbeque, she knew that in such situations, trusting her teammates’ judgment was crucial. A decisive choice, even if it led to death, was better than lingering uncertainty.
The people of Wellington either charged head-on or ran without hesitation.
“You should lose consciousness first,” Luo Ling calmly rolled up her sleeves. “It’s more troublesome if you’re awake.”
“Alright.” Eve nodded slightly. “I’ll do it myself.”
With that, Eve punched herself in the forehead and collapsed.
Their exchange was brief, ending with Eve’s sudden fall. Cen Xiangyun stared, dumbfounded.
“…Tsk.”
Miss Luo Ling, you just clicked your tongue, didn’t you! You looked disappointed! You regret not doing it yourself!
“Petty…”
Cen Xiangyun blurted out involuntarily.
“Hmm?”
Luo Ling turned to her.
“Nothing, nothing…”
Cen Xiangyun waved her hands dismissively, then hoisted the unconscious Eve onto her back. Although Eve had tempted Lu Manqing with the photography manual, as the only honest person on the team (self-proclaimed), Cen Xiangyun naturally assumed the role of the pack mule.
“I’m not doing this out of spite. It really is more troublesome if Miss Eve is awake.” Luo Ling said calmly. “She’s a local, with strong memories of Victoria. If she’s awake, her memories will overlay the surroundings, making it difficult for me to determine whether this is memory or something else.”
Luo Ling was certain that this Grotesquery couldn’t read true memories, at most only thoughts, or what could be called immediate memories.
If it could read true memories, the surrounding scene wouldn’t have such obvious discrepancies.
Luo Ling had been observing the reflected Victoria. Even ninety years later, the differences from their current location were too significant. It could only be influenced by Eve’s immediate memories.
This theory also needed verification.
“Follow me, but don’t think about anything. Empty your minds.” Luo Ling instructed Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing.
They nodded, their expressions turning serious.
After making the arrangements, Luo Ling exhaled and looked into the distance.
“It’s time to test this…”
If Eve were awake, her familiarity with Victoria would make it impossible for her to truly empty her mind. It was an instinctive reaction.
Therefore, Luo Ling chose to knock her unconscious with half an hour of the medicine’s effect remaining, absolutely not out of revenge, but because it was necessary.
No choice, absolutely no choice…
Silence descended upon the team again. Luo Ling walked ahead, carrying Elsa on her back, the other two following close behind.
Luo Ling chose to walk through narrow alleyways. Gradually, the two behind her noticed something amiss.
“Why are there small ads in Chinese here? What the heck is ‘Traditional Chinese Medicine Massage’…”
“Hey, isn’t that a flyer from our hospital? Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital, welcoming all mentally ill individuals… who came up with that slogan?”
“Sorry, I only glanced at it. I didn’t memorize the details.” Luo Ling said softly.
She stopped at the entrance of an alley.
In front of her was an ordinary, small, dilapidated house, but it was the place she had lived for over ten years.
“Useless, can’t even conjure a person.” Luo Ling murmured, “I even brought out her memories…”
“Miss Luo Ling, what’s wrong?”
Cen Xiangyun, who was picking at the small ads, noticed something slightly off about Luo Ling’s muttering, a hint of sadness in her tone.
“I’m fine.”
Luo Ling’s voice returned to its usual flatness, as if the previous moment was just an illusion.
“So… are you done verifying?”
Lu Manqing, holding the flyer, looked up and asked.
“Yes.”
Luo Ling nodded, turned around, and walked towards the two.
Just as they were wondering what Luo Ling was planning, they saw the black-haired girl calmly pull out two daggers from her bosom and plunge them into their chests.
At such close range, there was no way to dodge.
Caught completely off guard, Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing felt their hearts pierced, staring at Luo Ling in shock and disbelief.
The sharp pain in their chests confirmed that this wasn’t an illusion. Miss Luo Ling… really intended to kill them.
“Wh…”
Before they could utter a word, Luo Ling released her grip.
They stumbled back a few steps and collapsed to the ground.
The breath of death approached, even their life flashed before their eyes. The last thing they saw was the black-haired girl’s indifferent expression and the silver strands framing her face.
The next moment, their figures faded, like old photographs losing their color, eventually turning to dust.
Looking at the empty ground, Luo Ling called out,
“Can you hear me?”
“Damn it! Miss Luo Ling, you’re trying to scare us to death!”
Cen Xiangyun’s voice echoed out of thin air, filled with resentment.
“So this is what it feels like to die? Heh, it’s quite a novel experience.”
Lu Manqing, on the other hand, seemed unfazed and rather intrigued.
“Sorry, if I had warned you, it wouldn’t have fooled it.” Luo Ling apologized without a hint of remorse in her voice.
“…You’re not getting revenge, are you?”
“No.”
Luo Ling nodded.
It seemed her theory was correct.
This was indeed a labyrinth constructed from memories. They had been wandering within their own constructed memories all along.
It was undeniably a difficult puzzle to solve.
Judging by its design, this barrier was meant to counter large groups of Awakened Ones, their immediate memories interwoven to form a cage. The more memories, the more complete the cage became.
Even if they perceived the reflected world, escape was impossible. Just like Eve, they would be trapped and perish in this desolate place.
Fortunately, Luo Ling and the others were unfamiliar with Victoria. Their memories were useless. Eve’s memories alone couldn’t complete the cage, hence the obvious flaws.
However, even with these flaws, escaping was still incredibly difficult.
But, what about death?
What if…
The entity reading their immediate memories detected their demise?
What would happen then?
Luo Ling decided to find out.
Of course, she didn’t actually kill Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing. She merely used the Puppet Ballad’s ability to deceive their senses.
The daggers were just a feint. The pain and the sensation of dying were all fabricated by Luo Ling.
Their immediate memories registered death, and as their consciousness faded, the cage released its hold.
Cen Xiangyun and Lu Manqing successfully entered another layer of the world. Eve, also affected by Luo Ling’s deception, went with them.
“Good thing Elsa is here…”
Luo Ling glanced at Elsa on her back. In her current state, she couldn’t use the Puppet Ballad’s abilities, but Elsa could.
Elsa was Luo Ling’s Apostle, not just the White Witch’s, so Luo Ling could utilize Elsa’s power to a certain extent.
The spores on Luo Ling’s temples were Elsa’s. However, her mastery wasn’t deep enough, limiting what Luo Ling could do. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed such a roundabout method. She could have simply exerted a brief control.
Luo Ling’s ability to communicate with Cen Xiangyun and the others in the other layer was also due to this ability.
Just then, Elsa finally woke up. As she rubbed her eyes and looked at Luo Ling, she saw a cold dagger coming towards her.
“Huh?”
“…”
Several old ladies watched a small, elderly woman squatting on the ground, sobbing, while a grey figure beside her tried to comfort her.
“Isn’t Miss Luo Ling a bit too cruel?”
Cen Xiangyun touched her nose, then realized her current appearance was rather unsightly, sighing again.
Eighty years ahead of schedule to experience old age. Her youthful beauty seemed to be a thing of the past… though it would be nice if it returned.
Fortunately, her abilities and physique remained unchanged. Otherwise, with such a frail body, even moving would be difficult.
“I think they have quite a good relationship. When have you ever seen Miss Luo Ling speak so much?”
Lu Manqing seemed quite content with her current appearance, even adopting the dignified posture of a wealthy old lady, pulling it off surprisingly well.
Eve remained unconscious, leaning against Cen Xiangyun’s back.
“Briefly describe what you see.” The grey figure looked up and spoke.
Luo Ling, in the other layer, couldn’t see anything, at most glimpsing vague images through reflective surfaces.
“There are other ‘people’ here, but they’re definitely Grotesquery projections. We should still be within the Incubation Barrier.” Cen Xiangyun looked up at the scattered pedestrians.
These pedestrians looked lifelike, even glancing curiously at the peculiar group of old ladies huddled at the entrance of the red-light district, but they lacked the aura of living beings.
This was confirmed by Lu Manqing. As an Awakened One on the Myriad Path, she was highly sensitive to life force.
“Multiple barriers. It seems we’re not escaping the barrier, but going deeper.” Luo Ling pondered, then asked, “Can you see me clearly?”
“No, still just a grey figure.” Cen Xiangyun replied. “It’s not because you haven’t entered this layer, because Elsa had a physical form just now.”
“Elsa’s old, so old…”
Elsa was still squatting on the ground, drawing circles. She had just woken up to be stabbed by the person closest to her, and upon opening her eyes again, she saw an aged version of herself. This was understandably difficult for a ten-year-old girl to accept.
“It seems this place doesn’t welcome me…” Luo Ling mused, stroking her chin.
This couldn’t go on forever. Was there a way to see the other layer?
This type of rule-based phenomenon was difficult to break even with immense power, unless the entire barrier was torn down. But this barrier was clearly well-prepared. The memory-constructed cage effectively concealed its core.
Everything Luo Ling saw now resembled Jiangcheng County, with no trace of Victoria.
The Puppet Ballad’s abilities were also useless here. When she peeked through the spores planted on Cen Xiangyun, she still saw what she herself saw.
Because essentially, the two layers existed within the same space. Cen Xiangyun and the others were still standing nearby, separated only by some rule.
However, besides the Puppet Ballad…
“I don’t really want to use this.”
Recalling the conversation in her consciousness space, Luo Ling felt a bit awkward.
Moreover, “big sister” and all that…
She wasn’t even that old yet.
“Forget it, let’s try.”
Luo Ling sighed.
The next moment, long, wavy, violet hair cascaded down, revealing a tall, graceful figure. Alluring phoenix eyes held a myriad of expressions.
Luo Ling looked at herself through the spores’ vision, feeling an unfamiliar strangeness.
“Huh? Miss Luo Ling, you’ve grown taller?”
Cen Xiangyun stared in surprise at the grey figure that had suddenly become much taller, even slightly taller than her.
“Just an ability, don’t mind it.”
Luo Ling’s voice was slightly distorted, a deliberate act to avoid being recognized.
“Hey, this is kind of my thing.”
Lu Manqing put her hands behind her back, now resembling an old woman selling melons at the village entrance.
“…”
Luo Ling remained silent. She stretched out her hand, invisible webs spreading out, instantly unfolding her domain.
[Innate Ability: “Weave” – Unfold the web domain, acquire all predictable information within the domain]
[Points woven into lines, lines woven into a net, within the web… “Naraku” knows all, sees all.]
A new perspective unfolded before Luo Ling’s eyes, layer upon layer. She “saw” a part of the truth.
“This is…”
A collapsed Boundary.
Luo Ling’s breath hitched.
Before this, Luo Ling had considered their current state.
Perhaps they were endlessly wandering within a certain location in Victoria, or perhaps they had entered a special space, or perhaps they were simply unconscious, experiencing this Incubation Barrier through their minds.
But she never imagined that they had stepped into a collapsed Boundary.
Or rather, a fragment of Victoria before its last collapse.
This wasn’t simply ninety years in the future.
No wonder Eve experienced cognitive dissonance after realizing this from the photo.
“What kind of being requires a collapsed Boundary for incubation…”
This nearly impenetrable memory cage was merely a safeguard for this Incubation Barrier.
Luo Ling realized that this matter was far more complicated than they had initially assumed. They had unknowingly stumbled into a place they shouldn’t have.
Why did this happen?
Was it because of her?
No, Luo Ling was certain. Although she was often unlucky, her bad luck could be related to her, but straying into this place was definitely not her fault.
Luo Ling suddenly had a thought.
“If this is a place constructed by Apostles, or a place of Apostle influence, then surely only Apostles can enter…”
“Among us, there seems to be only one Grotesquery Apostle.”
Luo Ling lowered her gaze. Within her domain’s vision, there was a small, crying old lady.
“Elsa…”
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