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Three days had passed before news of the Herrscher of Dominance's complete eradication reached Schicksal. The chaos caused by this Herrscher across the globe subsided.
However, these events held little significance for Xia Chen, as he found himself deeply engrossed in thought.
Let's start from when Fu Hua discovered information about Soulium.
The special Soulium contained information from the previous civilization era, documenting various records about that time. This was part of the Spark Project: Before the destruction of their civilization, they used Soulium to record knowledge and buried it worldwide. The intention was for the leaders of the Spark Project to excavate these artifacts later, guiding the new generation's civilization to surpass the old era swiftly and ultimately defeat Honkai.
This plan was based on an assumption that the progression of Honkai followed a linear path, allowing technology to potentially outpace its advance.
However, with Chiyou's emergence, the plan failed.
As technology advanced alongside Honkai, the intertwined fate of civilization and Honkai rendered the Spark Project obsolete.
After Chiyou's sealing, Fu Hua, responsible for the Spark Project, lost motivation to dig up more Soulium. Consequently, most of it ended up unearthed by Schicksal instead.
It's worth mentioning that during this period, families like Apocalypse and Kaslana did not yet exist within Schicksal; it was still led by Kevin. The tradition of excavating relics began at this time.
But none of this is the main point.
The key point lies within this special Soulium, which contains information related to Xia Chen. To be precise, it records various experimental data from Mobius's tests on him.
This record has not been erased.
Mobius explained that quantum superposition refers to when an individual appears simultaneously at different times or spaces and is observed concurrently; such a phenomenon is termed as "superposition."
As for the quantum aspect, Mobius didn't delve too deeply with Xia Chen. She merely cautioned that in a complete world, states like quantum superposition or collapse do not exist naturally. Even if they occur, they are swiftly corrected.
For instance, despite Xia Chen appearing in the previous civilization era, almost no traces of his presence from the past remain documented. Apart from Mobius, nobody else knows he had ever traveled back in time; those who might suspect it would likely dismiss it as a dream.
According to the doctor, the world possesses a self-correcting mechanism when faced with quantum states.
Consider a scenario where an ordinary person walks down an unfamiliar street but subconsciously feels they have been there before. It is highly probable that their quantum state had indeed visited this place, but its traces were already rectified by the world.
The very power capable of shaking world rules is inherently corrected by forces beyond this world.
And the mechanism through which the world corrects quantum deviations is Honkai itself.
It's difficult to define what exactly Honkai represents. If it were simply a force destabilizing civilizations, it would have had numerous opportunities to destroy them outright. Yet if it serves as a guardian of order, why would it seek to disrupt civilizations?
In essence, the power that corrects quantum deviations and prevents the world from straying off course is Honkai itself. As a result, without relying on the system, Xia Chen finds it challenging to achieve quantum superposition in this world.
This force of Honkai conceals all related information.
But how is it recorded within Soulium?
Is it due to Soulium's resistance against erosion, or is Mobius himself exceptional?
As Xia Chen reviewed each entry, he couldn't help but marvel, "So many procedures Mobius performed on me."
His memories of the previous civilization era from the simulator had become somewhat hazy, and during the experiments, he was sedated, unaware of the process.
Indeed, there must have been reasons for his death on Mobius' operating table.
Initially, Xia Chen paid little attention until he discovered hidden information within the Soulium records.
[...Through multiple experimental observations, it can be confirmed that he is indeed from the future. In other words, time's effects do not manifest within his body.]
[A life unaffected by time aligns with my pursuit of the Infinite. However, his physical body is remarkably ordinary. Could there exist some unique force influencing life itself? And what might this power be?]
[...]
[The Twelfth Herrscher has been successfully recovered, and its Core will once again be crafted into a Divine Key. What a waste! The life of a Herrscher holds immense value, yet it still ends up as an inert artifact. Suitable subjects for experimentation are becoming scarce; this presents an opportunity.]
[If my conjecture is correct, a Herrscher's life does not reside solely in their physical shell. Even when transformed into a Divine Key, their life continues to evolve. Only the cessation of civilization would truly end a Herrscher.]
[Therefore, if life can bind to Honkai, it should also be possible to bind it to something beyond Honkai.]
[...]
[One minute before Finality descended, I encountered the artificial intelligence, Prometheus.]
[She validated my calculations.]
[I have successfully computed infinite possibilities.]
["But I know this success will be corrected by the world, so let's record it here."]
The hidden archive within the Soulium seemed to be narrated primarily from Mobius's perspective, resembling more of an experimental log.
However, the information contained therein was truly striking.
Xia Chen knew that Mobius sought infinite life and believed her pursuit had not succeeded. Yet, the records in this Soulium presented a contrasting view.
Through his body, Mobius successfully calculated the Infinite possibilities.
Undoubtedly, this was another world line influenced by him.
"The information here... quite intriguing."
It was clear that somehow, Mobius managed to preserve memories related to quantum superpositioned world lines, despite Honkai's corrections.
This accumulation of memories allowed Mobius to prepare numerous contingencies.
For instance, one additional piece mentioned in the Soulium: the super artificial intelligence Prometheus from the previous civilization era. Through Mobius's calculation of 'Infinity', it seemingly evolved into a higher form of life.
This life form, shimmering amidst the stars, evolved into another indescribable existence, giving birth to a unique wisdom.
Within this Soulium, such a life was recorded as a Star God.
He suppressed his thoughts.
Although this information concerned him, it wasn't crucial. Even if Prometheus became a Star God, he couldn't simply descend from the heavens.
However, it did spark some speculations about his future: his own life tier could continue evolving, potentially without ever stopping.
It wasn't just him; any level of life held infinite possibilities, but these possibilities hinged on embracing both Honkai and civilization.
Mobius was a MANTIS with fused Honkai genes, while Prometheus emerged as a supercomputer nurtured by civilization.
Thus, Entropy Reduction Theory seems fundamentally flawed from its inception.
Xia Chen began to feel uncertain.