Chapter Forty-Four: Memory Sorting Program, Firefly Forest
Within the vast cathedral, the blindfolded nun sat in her wheelchair, as she did every evening, alone and serene in the dimly lit hall, seemingly praying to some unseen entity.
This was the Saint’s private time, undisturbed by any priest… or rather, prevented from entering the central hall by her domination.
As Luo Ling’s consciousness arrived, the devout, blindfolded nun stirred, no longer a soulless, mechanical shell, but imbued with a semblance of humanity.
“……”
It took Luo Ling a while to adjust to Alyssa’s blind and crippled body, relying on her spores to restore her vision.
Even Luo Ling rarely used her spores as eyes constantly.
The spores’ vision was vastly different from a living being’s. Although they could perceive more, they couldn’t see colors, only grey images and cold information, far less vibrant than the world seen through living eyes.
However, for Alyssa, whose sight had been taken by a “God,” this vision was a precious gift, anything more would be asking for too much.
“These memories…”
Luo Ling focused, finally extracting Alyssa’s memories from the chaotic jumble, and began to examine them.
She was shocked.
It was like returning to an idle game after a long absence and finding an unexpected bounty. Luo Ling hadn’t anticipated the Church of Light’s rapid growth.
The Church of Light had even been officially recognized as a branch of the Victorian state religion, funded by several wealthy but low-status families, essentially nouveau riche.
This grand cathedral was one of the results of their donations. To demonstrate their devout faith, the cathedral hadn’t been built by hired laborers, but by the priests themselves, brick by brick.
It had been miraculously completed in just a month, its scale only slightly smaller than Victoria’s most famous cathedral.
This miracle had become a popular topic of conversation in Victoria, attracting even more followers. The Church of Light was now the most popular branch of the state religion.
Of course, the Company had sent investigators to examine this unusual phenomenon, suspecting either Awakened One intervention or Grotesquery influence.
The Company would intervene in either case, to prevent excessive disruption of the present world.
But ultimately, the Company’s investigation was inconclusive.
Although the priests worked tirelessly day and night, their spirits high even when their bodies were near exhaustion, showing no signs of fatigue…
They were, undeniably… ordinary people.
All examinations yielded the same result, no trace of Awakened power.
This strange phenomenon could only be explained by the investigator’s concluding remark: “Perhaps this is the power of faith.”
Matters concerning ordinary people, no matter how bizarre, weren’t within the Company’s jurisdiction.
Even a serial killer, as long as they were an ordinary person, using no Grotesquery or Awakened powers, the Company wouldn’t intervene.
Conversely, if a case involved even a trace of such power, the Company wouldn’t even need to issue a commission. Employees would eagerly hunt them down for points.
However, the reason these “ordinary” priests could achieve this so-called miracle wasn’t faith.
They had become lost Lambs, dominated by the Puppet Ballad, their actions no different from puppets.
The Puppet Ballad’s true terror lay in its undetectability. Even when Jiangcheng County had become its Incubation Barrier, no one had noticed.
“But with the Church of Light’s current scale, hasn’t Educator intervened?”
Even… secretly?
Luo Ling pondered, wanting to examine the priests’ memories, but hesitated.
Thousands of priests, such a massive amount of memories, how could she possibly sift through them alone?
She hadn’t anticipated Alyssa’s capabilities, turning a small operation into a major branch of the state religion, so she hadn’t implemented any filters initially.
After a moment of thought, Luo Ling realized that since these priests could work tirelessly under the Puppet Ballad’s domination, they could also… tirelessly sort through memories.
After all, the remaining priests were mostly wicked individuals, killed and dominated by Alyssa. There were no moral qualms about using them.
Those who had joined Educator’s church under duress or due to extenuating circumstances had been punished or pardoned by Alyssa, their memories extracted before being released.
Although Alyssa was dead, her memories and emotions, bestowed by Luo Ling, remained kind and compassionate.
More importantly, when necessary, Alyssa wouldn’t hesitate to act decisively, not influenced by Luo Ling, but her true nature.
Having survived the harsh realities of the slum with her sister… how could Alyssa be a naive and overly compassionate woman?
After devising this method, Luo Ling tested it on a few puppets, merging, retrieving, and storing their memories, confirming its feasibility.
However, there was a slight mishap. During the testing phase, she accidentally overloaded a few puppets’ minds, turning their brains into mush.
The sheer volume of memories, when forced into an ordinary person’s mind, was akin to a powerful mental attack.
Furthermore, the scale of these memories would likely increase, impossible to store within a single person’s mind, even those strengthened by the Puppet Ballad’s domination.
And these priests were all ordinary people. She couldn’t directly modify them with the Puppet Ballad.
That would risk detection by Educator or the Company, jeopardizing the Puppet Ballad’s greatest advantage: its undetectability.
Luo Ling didn’t want to take any risks, so she had to find another method.
“What if I divide the memory processing into several stages? Then store the final results in a specific location…”
Luo Ling began searching for puppets with larger brain capacity to serve as storage, and those with quicker minds as processing units.
First, she would merge several people’s memories into a processing unit. The processing unit would then extract key information, like fragments related to the Company or the Harbingers, and send them to the storage unit.
The processing unit would delete the processed memories and receive the next batch, repeating the process until all the memories of thousands of priests had been sifted through.
Saint Alyssa would periodically examine the stored memories, deleting the unimportant ones and sending the crucial ones directly to Luo Ling.
Those that weren’t crucial but potentially useful would be stored in Alyssa’s own mind, for Luo Ling to examine when her consciousness arrived.
This would solve the problem of information overload, allowing Luo Ling to receive crucial information in a timely manner without constantly monitoring the situation.
A perfect solution!
And even if the number of dominated individuals increased, she could simply add more processing and storage units. Saint Alyssa’s processing efficiency was high, so there was no need for a final review mechanism for now.
With enough processing and storage units, the mental strain on each puppet would be minimal, their daily lives unaffected.
They might seem slightly absent-minded, easily dismissed as fatigue or distraction, nothing unusual.
Luo Ling quickly set up several memory processing streams. Within three minutes, the processing units had completed their first batch, extracting useful information and sending it to the storage unit.
“Not bad, more efficient than I expected.”
Luo Ling examined the processed memories in the storage unit. Although some were related to the Company, they weren’t important, so she deleted them.
Then, she checked the status of the processing and storage units, assessing their consumption and wear.
The results were excellent. Both processing and storing memories consumed negligible mental energy.
Compared to the accidental brain explosion earlier, even reading a book required more mental effort. The strain was less than staying up late.
Therefore, Luo Ling left enough buffer space for potential overload. She could even tap into their subconscious, further increasing their mental capacity.
Overall, a perfect system.
There was room for optimization, but… it was functional for now.
As long as a program worked, there was no need to rush optimization, which could introduce errors and further complications.
After all, Luo Ling was her own product manager, even writing her own requirements document.
“Hmm, am I actually a genius?”
Luo Ling watched the system running smoothly, the processed memories flowing into her mind, marveling at the efficiency of these puppets.
Perhaps she could develop more useful tricks with the Puppet Ballad’s abilities.
Her sister had indeed left her a powerful ability.
Soon, under Luo Ling’s control, the memories of thousands of priests were being processed.
Thousands of people, two months’ worth of memories, it would take some time, definitely not finishing tonight.
But compared to manually searching through a chaotic jumble of memories, this was far more efficient.
As for Alyssa’s memories, Luo Ling examined them personally, finding valuable information, answering her earlier questions.
“Educator hasn’t appeared even once… it seems the Harbingers are indeed planning something big. I initially thought Educator’s three-month seclusion was just a figure of speech, but with the current situation, and his complete lack of activity, it seems he truly is in seclusion.”
Otherwise, he couldn’t possibly ignore the Church of Light’s unusual growth.
Luo Ling also understood why the previous churches were so disorganized. The main reason was that… they were essentially cults, worshipping various Grotesqueries.
Not only did they switch their worshipped Grotesqueries frequently, even more often than changing clothes, but their rituals were also incredibly bloody. It was no wonder they couldn’t attract followers.
Even Educator, skilled in such matters, likely had no solution, only relying on wicked individuals as priests, enforcing faith through coercion.
Alyssa’s Church of Light, however, was different. As a High-Risk Grotesquery’s Agent, she didn’t need bloody rituals to access Grotesquery power, eliminating a major deterrent for potential followers.
As for the worshipped Grotesquery… well, an officially recognized branch of the state religion wouldn’t worship some obscure cult Grotesquery, it had to be the main deity.
To fulfill Educator’s request, channeling Grotesquery power to the designated Grotesquery, Luo Ling had already analyzed Educator’s sacrificial ritual, even missing Eve’s family dinner because of it.
As a High-Risk Grotesquery, Luo Ling didn’t need to decipher the connection between a Grotesquery and its followers like Educator. She simply experimented on herself and Alyssa, quickly uncovering the truth, allowing Alyssa to manipulate this connection.
The Church of Light, as a branch of the state religion, was quite immature, relying almost entirely on Saint Alyssa’s charisma. But this immaturity was a deliberate result of Alyssa’s actions.
This way, the followers of the Church of Light worshipped not only the main deity, but also Saint Alyssa, considered an angel descended from heaven.
Alyssa thus became the conduit for the believers’ faith. If she established a connection with a Grotesquery or any other being, it was equivalent to the believers worshipping that entity.
This perfectly solved the problem of follower attrition caused by frequent changes in the worshipped Grotesquery, and also strengthened Alyssa, allowing her to channel more of Luo Ling’s power, her strength nearing the high-order Awakened One level.
“Unexpectedly, Alyssa is also a genius!” Luo Ling exclaimed again.
Luo Ling had only solved the problems of bloody rituals and the Grotesquery connection. Everything else, including Alyssa becoming a true object of worship, was Alyssa’s own doing, using methods that… the relatively simple-minded Luo Ling couldn’t replicate.
“It seems I have nothing left to do for the church…”
Luo Ling browsed through Alyssa’s memories regarding the church. She had wanted to demonstrate her own ingenuity, exploring her hidden talents.
But after creating the memory processing program, she realized that Alyssa could do many things she couldn’t.
Especially looking at the church’s current complex organizational structure, Luo Ling felt overwhelmed… she hadn’t even managed to become a team leader, let alone managing a team of thousands.
She would leave it to Alyssa. With her own abilities, she could at most be a behind-the-scenes mastermind.
There were still too many things Luo Ling couldn’t do.
After finishing these matters, Luo Ling heard a sound behind her and turned, her spores’ vision focusing on the source.
A young woman was carefully pushing open the heavy cathedral doors. Noticing the Saint’s gaze, she looked slightly embarrassed and whispered,
“Sister…”
It was Alyssa’s younger sister, Stasha, now quite different from when Luo Ling first met her.
Stasha’s status had changed drastically. As the Saint’s beloved sister, she was treated with respect wherever she went, no longer subjected to anyone’s disdain.
There were no more thugs harassing her, no more fear of hearing about her sister’s death, living in a large house she couldn’t have imagined before, with fresh food every day, even access to expensive desserts enjoyed by nobles.
Just a short while ago, Stasha had been an unknown girl in the slums.
In just two months, her life had been completely transformed.
But… Stasha wasn’t happy. Instead, she felt lost, overwhelmed by the sudden and drastic change.
The sheltered Stasha couldn’t understand these events. She only knew that one day, her sister became the true leader of the Church of Light, and then suddenly, everyone treated her kindly.
Even her tutor treated her with respect, his demeanor humble, no longer looking at her with disdain.
All these changes seemed to have started on the night of her sister’s supposed death…
The terror of that night, and the relief of seeing her sister return, were still vivid in Stasha’s memory, even the faint fragrance lingering in her mind.
But why?
Why did her sister seem… different after that?
Her sister still loved her, treating her as her most precious sister, as gentle as before.
No matter how much she pondered, Stasha couldn’t find any difference between her sister and before, everything seemingly natural, just as she remembered.
It was her perfect, flawless sister.
But Stasha still felt a sense of unfamiliarity, as if this wasn’t the sister she knew. This was her biggest concern.
“Stasha, you’re here.”
Luo Ling greeted the girl at the door, a smile appearing on her lips.
Every evening, Alyssa would pray alone in the cathedral, actually establishing a connection with the Grotesquery, and later, Stasha would come to take her home.
This was their only private time together.
Luo Ling was quite fond of this girl, who was so dependent on her sister, perhaps because she saw a bit of herself in Stasha.
“Sister…”
Looking at her seemingly unchanged sister, Stasha hesitated, her steps faltering.
Did something change again?
So strange…
It was the same sister, yet so different…
Was she tired, imagining things?
Stasha had used this excuse countless times to explain her strange perception.
“What’s wrong?”
Luo Ling turned her wheelchair and approached Stasha, stopping when Stasha reached out to stop her.
Using Alyssa’s body, she couldn’t stand, unless she used the Puppet Ballad’s fungal threads to control her legs, but it wasn’t necessary.
The spores’ concealment could evade Awakened Ones’ detection, but fungal threads would reveal her Grotesquery aura, too risky in Victoria, where Awakened Ones were everywhere.
“Sister…”
Stasha called out again, the sense of change too strong to ignore.
“I’m here.”
Luo Ling reached out, following the sound of Stasha’s voice, instinctively wanting to ruffle her hair.
But since she was in a wheelchair, and Stasha wasn’t short, she could only reach her bangs, awkwardly withdrawing her hand.
She hadn’t expected a day when she couldn’t reach someone’s hair…
Stasha squatted down, moving closer to Luo Ling, her breath brushing against Luo Ling’s face.
Although she didn’t say anything, her intention was clear.
Luo Ling smiled, reaching out and gently stroking Stasha’s hair.
Stasha looked at her sister, at her smile, wanting to say something, but ultimately remained silent, a smile appearing on her face.
Yes, it was her sister… the sister she knew.
Only now did Stasha realize what the strange dissonance she had been feeling was, and what had changed…
Her sister, although as gentle and kind as ever, had seemed like an empty shell, her emotions genuine, yet somehow simulated, carrying a hint of falsehood.
Only now did Stasha truly feel her sister’s presence.
Although still slightly different from the sister in her memories, it didn’t matter. Perhaps her sister had simply grown up. People changed as they grew older, and her sister was no exception.
“Let’s go home.” Luo Ling said softly.
She sensed Stasha’s emotional shift, understanding her feelings.
Although she was using Alyssa’s memories, emotions, and body, creating a perfect imitation of Saint Alyssa, there were still subtle differences.
Human emotions were complex, ever-changing, unpredictable… even the Puppet Ballad couldn’t perfectly replicate them.
This was why, although she could use the Puppet Ballad to “revive” her sister, Luo Ling hadn’t done so.
Because she knew that such a revival would be merely self-deception.
And now, she was deceiving Stasha.
This sister who resembled her.
“Okay…”
Stasha nodded, walking behind Luo Ling and pushing her wheelchair, her steps lighter now.
She didn’t find her newfound luxurious life particularly enjoyable. It wasn’t as good as the night she saw her sister return alive.
“Sister, do you remember?” Stasha asked. “When I was younger, you always worked late, coming home to be with me. It’s just like now.”
“Of course, I remember.”
Luo Ling nodded. She possessed Alyssa’s memories, so she knew everything.
Stasha had been only seven or eight years old then, and Alyssa, excommunicated from the church, had worked as a cook for a wealthy family, earning a meager living.
Her employer wasn’t a noble or a wealthy capitalist, but an ordinary middle-class family in Victoria. Her salary was barely enough to support them.
Unfortunately, the family later went bankrupt, and Alyssa, losing her job, had gradually drifted into the slums with her younger sister.
The rest, as they say, was history.
At least… before Alyssa’s transformation, these difficult days had been Stasha’s most cherished memories, even amidst hardship, seeing her sister return home every day had been enough.
“We used to love playing outside at night.”
Stasha said excitedly. “Near Goldin Hill, the fireflies twinkling in the woods, and the stars in the sky…”
Stasha suddenly stopped, realizing that her sister… could no longer see such sights.
“S-sister, I’m sorry…”
Stasha’s voice was filled with regret.
“It was beautiful, I remember.” Luo Ling smiled faintly. “The starry sky and the twinkling fireflies… truly a breathtaking sight.”
“…”
Stasha lowered her head, feeling guilty for reminding her sister of her blindness.
How could she be so careless, forgetting her sister’s blindness in her excitement? It must have hurt her sister.
“Stasha, do you like it?” Luo Ling suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
Stasha was stunned.
“Do you like it?”
Luo Ling repeated.
“Yes…”
Stasha whispered.
“If you like it, let’s go see it again, alright?” Luo Ling smiled. “I remember Goldin Hill isn’t far. Just a short walk.”
“But… there are no fireflies now, are there?” Stasha replied, but her expression showed her longing for that scene.
Especially… with her sister.
That was the highlight of that memory.
But fireflies were most common from June to August. It was only February… how could there be any?
“I’m just asking if you want to,” Luo Ling said. “If you do, we’ll go.”
“Of course, I do!”
Stasha nodded vigorously.
Strolling with her sister in the quiet night, as if the world belonged only to them, was an opportunity she wouldn’t miss.
Even without the stars and fireflies.
“Alright.”
Luo Ling smiled, taking Stasha’s hand.
Under the cover of night, they walked towards their shared memory, near Goldin Hill.
Looking up, they saw a sky full of stars, the bright moon hanging high, a breathtaking sight.
Yet, it still paled in comparison to the scene in their memory.
A slight regret.
But it was still nice.
As Stasha thought this, she saw her sister raise her hand, pointing at the sky.
She heard her say,
“Look, fireflies.”
The next moment, the night sky was filled with twinkling fireflies.
Just like in their memory.
Even the person beside her was the same.
She smiled.
“Yes, sister.”
“Fireflies.”