High Above

Staring at the black ink in his hand, Ian seemed to see the blackened blood spilling everywhere in the blue city.

Ordinary people who died for no reason.

Those things that disappear easily because of the high-ranking big shots, their plans, their conspiracies, their strategies, their hatred...

——What is the difference between here and hell?

Overflowing with unwillingness, regret, remorse, despair and pain. The desire to destroy everything condenses here.

This is a doubt that arises in Ian's mind.

But then, he sighed.

——There is no difference at all.

"Man is a mortal creature."

Staring at the ball of ink, Ian's hair trembled slightly, causing them to condense into the shape of the pen tip. On the paper on the side was a report about the phantom: "Many people live less than a hundred years, and die in various ways. Maybe because He fell down, maybe because the back of his head hit the cabinet while sneezing, or maybe he died suddenly for no reason."

"I know all this, I've even seen it. Uncle Issara lived diagonally across from my house back then. I warned him clearly not to drink, but he insisted on drinking, and then he drowned in the washbasin."

"The fisherman of Harrison Port, a man who could swim to the fishing area and back again with his eyes closed, drowned in his own washbasin... He didn't deserve to die like that."

At this point, the boy suddenly paused.

Then Ian stood up.

He looked out the window at the street scene of Azure City, looked at the corpses and wreckage, and said from the bottom of his heart: "Yes. This is how people are. This is how this world is."

He lowered his eyes, looked at the imprisoned phantom woman in front of him, and showed a smile that made Hua An feel worried: "This is a fact."

Ian said calmly: "But I don't think people should die like this."

"My thoughts conflict with reality, so I get angry. But I know it's useless to be angry, so I look calmer..."

"Wait until I'm really not angry at all."

Ian thought so, but he did not express his thoughts.

——Wait until you can really be calm all the time, look at all this rationally and without anger.

Perhaps, it was when he stood on the top of the mountain.

But he won't just stay at the top of the mountain.

He will transform the highest point of this world.

Transform the world that makes you angry.

After taking a few deep breaths, Ian had completely calmed down.

"There is a very strange technique in this phantom. Well, the Grand Duke actually mastered the catalytic technique of temporary souls, allowing ordinary people to temporarily possess souls and then produce projections! And they use their souls to remotely control the projections... In other words In other words, that group of people may have the souls of these phantom original bodies in their hands? At least they have control authority."

"So, the original intention of the Phantom Army's design may not be to create an 'immortal army', but to create souls? But this technology is very unstable. If the human will is not up to par, it will be impossible to possess psykers. They can’t use the souls that can only be possessed at the second energy level.”

He analyzed softly: "In particular, the process of condensing temporary souls may lead to a kind of madness - this kind of madness is no different from the madness of ordinary people. Looking back on a person's lifetime memories in an instant will definitely lead to madness."

Then, Ian pondered in his mind: "But the problem is that this kind of thing ends in ten seconds. But because of the 'Abyss of Silence' and the changes in the virtual world, this madness has been amplified, spread, and increased, leading to An extreme disease."

"Well, is Xio's resentment spreading?"

"It's not like that. No matter how resentful Xio was at the beginning, he... now she can run out and wander around happily, just like a big husky or a big cat..."

Thinking of this, Ian felt something was wrong: "The cause of the mutation is the beginning of this disaster... Someone deliberately caused this disaster!"

"But the question is, to what purpose?"

I can't figure this out clearly.

There are still some memories missing, some clues missing.

- I have to find it.

Ian thought that there should be some clues about this phantom woman. The other party was a real ordinary person, but the virtual realm projection was powerful enough to kill the first-level ascender.

This means that her temporary soul is quite tough and has not dissipated even after such a long time.

This is inconsistent with the information Ian got from other phantoms - as long as they are not successful phantoms with consciousness like Viscount Avak, other failed phantoms have a duration.

He turned his head and looked at the phantom woman who was still in the spirit confinement.

Ian narrowed his eyes.

This phantom has no duration.

This means... this woman, this mother's 'temporary' soul... can actually exist permanently.

No, if it can exist permanently, it means that this is no longer a 'temporary' soul - rather, after death, even the second-level sublimator cannot survive for a long time, only the third-level soul can survive for a long time. Only a super-level mind-light body can exist for a long time, and even be condensed into psychic props like the 'Skull of a Moment'.

This mother's soul is very special.

Spirits and flesh are interconnected, especially for ordinary people like this. The only thing that can cause their souls to be special is the physical body.

Or maybe we are in a ‘special environment’,

——I have to find her body... If the location in my memory is correct, her body is located...at the southeast entrance.

He had already made a plan in his mind, but on the surface, Ian just said to Hua An: "This phantom is very special. I can see many things from it... I think I have found the hidden members of the institute in the Azure City. Where are you hiding?"

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Hua An temporarily put aside her worries about Ian, and asked with interest: "Where is it?"

"underground."

Ian recalled all the details he saw in his memory. He saw where the strange beasts and crazy people first appeared - in the underground waterway in the north of Azure City.

Apparently there's a biology lab there.

"Underground waterway." Ian said this, and he told the truth with peace of mind: "This is the trace that I can see spiritually, extending into the underground waterway. If not the headquarters, at least it is a branch."

"But before that, I have to observe the surrounding situation."

This is a matter of course.

At this time, the Bird of Light also appeared in front of Ian.

He has been listening to the exchange between Ian and Hua An.

[Phantom Army was not originally designed for the military. Very interesting conjecture. 】

Regarding Ian's conjecture, Mikael also thought thoughtfully: [It is true that this technology is used for weaponization and there are too many problems when used in combat, but if it is regarded as some kind of protection plan similar to the Fairy Country , but it makes sense]

He frankly admitted his shortcomings: [As people like us, it is inevitable to want to weaponize technology at the first time]

[If we can get the inheritance back, maybe we have to change our research direction]

"Your Highness."

Although Ian agreed with Mikael's view, there was one thing he still wanted to say.

Looking at the Bird of Light, Ian asked seriously: "What...are you planning to do? Hiding your identity, you came to Avak Territory, and now you are close to the laboratory. I still hope to know your thoughts - this way It’s easier for me to decide my next action.”

"If you would tell me," he said softly.