Only the memories related to me are intact? What does that mean?
Ebner was slightly puzzled. He didn't think it was because he held some extraordinary importance in Judy's mind.
They were friends, yes, but just fairly good friends. Even if he were more confident, he wouldn't believe that he held a more significant place in Judy's heart than her parents or her comrades.
The former were her closest family, while the latter were companions she could entrust her life to. That wasn't something a friend she had only known for a few weeks could compare to.
And yet, the only memories preserved in this Judy clone were the ones about him…
After pondering for a moment, Ebner had some vague speculations, but without evidence, he decided to set them aside for now. Instead, he continued questioning "Judy."
"How did you know that Weaver works for me?"
"From a memory fragment… In that fragment, Cullen determined that you had taken over the Amyris Leaf Bar," "Judy" replied.
She really only remembers things related to me… Ebner nodded thoughtfully and asked again, "My residence in Bayam isn't hard to find. Why didn't you come directly to me for help?"
"My 'main body' is with her, so I can't stray too far away," "Judy" said as she gestured around. "The people here have treated me well, but since I have no memories related to them, I couldn't bring myself to trust them… At first, I only probed them for information about detectives… Fortunately, your subordinate happened to be here as a spy, so I had a chance to send a message."
That makes sense… Ebner thought. This Judy clone only has memories of me, so she knows nothing about anyone else. In a completely unfamiliar environment, it's natural that she wouldn't act recklessly…
Judy probably never expected that so many of her 'transferred' memories would be blocked. If Weaver's man hadn't happened to come by, with this 'plant girl's' overly cautious nature, she might have still been hesitating even if Judy and Karen had already perished…
Even as these thoughts ran through his mind, Ebner didn't fully trust her words. Even though the Pure White Eye's analysis confirmed that her "composition" matched what she claimed, he decided to verify the situation himself.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he set up a ritual in front of her and summoned "Silica." He then instructed the little bird to deliver a letter to Karen, either to request help or, more accurately, to confirm the truth.
The silver-white sheen of Silica's feathers glowed even brighter as she emerged from the void. Her eyes sparkled with delight when she saw the bottle of pure dew placed beside the altar. Without hesitation, she tucked it under her wings, grabbed the letter in her talons, and darted back into the void.
But barely a minute later, she reappeared. Gone was her smug expression, replaced by a distinctly human-like look of urgency.
She chirped frantically before condensing mist above her head, forming a string of words:
"I can't sense Cullen!
"What do we do?
"What do we do?"
Looks like he really is trapped… Seeing this, Ebner no longer had any doubts. He ignored Silica's frantic hopping and turned to Judy's plant clone. "You know where they are, right? Take me there so I can assess the situation."
His plan was simple: if he could save them, he would. If not, he would return to the Fragrant Manor and teleport to Feysac to bring in reinforcements.
Judy's mother, Closfia, would never sit idly by if her daughter was in danger.
"That's exactly why I sought you out… Give me a moment…" "Judy" nodded and turned back toward the bedroom to change into warmer clothes.
Even as a clone, going out at night in just sleepwear would be too cold.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ebner instructed the still-panicked Silica, "Go find Mr. Azik. We might need his help."
This was his backup plan. After all, Azik might not be available, and his "Spirit World Traverse" was different from "Teleportation"—it wasn't an instant arrival.
Silica's eyes lit up in realization before she flapped her wings and vanished.
A short while later, "Judy" finally emerged from the bedroom, now wrapped in a thick sweater. Noticing Ebner's gaze, she said somewhat sheepishly, "My main body is a tropical plant; I'm not suited for the cold… so I really can't stand the cold."
I wasn't even thinking about that… I just wanted to complain about how slow you are…
Ebner gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. Ignoring her suggestion to walk, he simply picked her up and flew out the window, soaring into the night sky.
The urgency of the situation took precedence, and besides, she was just a plant clone—there was nothing inappropriate about it.
The frigid night wind seemed to catch her off guard, and the plant girl instinctively huddled closer to Ebner for warmth before finally starting to give directions.
A few minutes later, they landed at the top of a cliff.
The surrounding area was barren and desolate, with hardly any signs of human presence. However, at the edge of the cliff stood a small wooden cabin, and around it, several plots of land had been cultivated for growing herbs.
The cabin looked new, and the fields were relatively free of weeds, indicating that it had been set up not long ago.
This must be the residence of that "Doctor" I killed, Ebner thought. According to Weaver's men, he moved here after getting injured…
And considering the strange plant seeds he had, along with the fact that Cullen, Judy, and their team are now trapped below…
The area beneath this cliff must be the former "base" of that suspected Planter-pathway transmigrator…
Perhaps, like Danit, he was also brought here by the Pure White Eye. And when he set up the "barrier," he relied on the Pure White Eye's power, which is why it failed to block my information? Is that why Plant Girl only retained memories related to me…?
Heh, Judy's transmitted memories were probably all intercepted… The only ones that got through were the ones related to me because they were "special."
Hmm, "Doctor" was likely affiliated with the Earth Mother Church… or at least had some connections with them. When he discovered the remnants of that other transmigrator's base, he realized he lacked the power to access it on his own, so he reported it to the church?
That way, at least, he would still contribute something of value.
And then, Cullen and Judy's team received the mission to investigate… and ended up getting trapped inside.
...
With these thoughts in mind, Ebner organized his reasoning and then asked the Plant Girl for confirmation. "Is it down there?"
"Yes… It's a hidden valley. You can only see it by jumping from here—it's impossible to find from any other direction." Plant Girl pulled up her collar and stomped her feet, as if trying to warm herself. Then she added, "I figured this out by indirectly probing the locals. It wasn't part of the original memory I received…"
I already trust you now, so there's no need to explain further… Ebner muttered internally. He then suggested she go inside the cabin to light a fire and warm up.
But she shook her head. "I hate the cold… but I hate fire even more."
Well, she is a sentient plant. It makes sense that she'd fear fire. Ebner made a mental remark before turning his attention away from her. He activated his cloak and flew down the cliff, quickly spotting a fog-covered "barrier."
After activating the Pure White Eye to analyze it for a while, Ebner's brows furrowed, and a look of surprise and confusion appeared on his face.
"This barrier's structure… it's recorded in The Book of Astrology and Elements…
"And that book originates from the only Abraham family demigod since the Fifth Epoch—'The Wanderer,' who ascended over a thousand years ago but whose fate afterward remains unknown…
"The Book of Astrology and Elements was gifted by Benjamin Abraham to Edwina's great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago. There's no way that Planter-pathway transmigrator could have accessed it… At most, he might have found a heavily redacted version, The Book of Astrology, in the Lenburg Grand Library."
"That means there are only two possibilities… Either this transmigrator was originally from the Abraham family and had access to a preserved copy… or…
"'The Wanderer'… was also a transmigrator brought into this world by the Pure White Eye!
"And after his death, Danit was chosen as the next transmigrator."
"The timing fits… Danit started making a name for himself roughly 920 years ago, just before the birth of the 'Abomination'."
"Could it be that later transmigrators inherit some knowledge from their predecessors due to the Pure White Eye?"
"But then why didn't I get anything? Because my Sequence is too low?"
"Wait… thinking carefully, I have obtained things left behind by other Pure White Eye transmigrators… There's probably some kind of 'attraction' between us… which is why I always seem to come across their relics."
"For example… The Book of Astrology and Elements."
"For example… those strange seeds…"
"For example… the 'Ghost Empire' ticket."
"And also… The Book of Necromancy!"
The way this Planter-pathway transmigrator utilized the barrier technique from The Book of Astrology and Elements was very similar to how Danit had once replicated the purified extract formula from The Book of Necromancy… wasn't it?
(End of Chapter)