Chapter 484: Shocking Conjecture, Hidden Thing

"Yet, assuming these deceptions and traps truly exist, when were they sown? The study of the Void and the wizards has always been a continuous progression; to suggest that these errors were abruptly inserted at some point along the path is to ignore the impossibility of them going unnoticed."

Icarus tapped the crystal upon his forehead, where light surged and flowed—for the Winged Folk, this was the mark of a mind in hyper-activity. At this moment, Icarus was delving deep into the harrowing possibility he had just conceived.

This was no aimless, baseless conjecture. The failures and contradictions encountered throughout countless studies had finally laid this audacious answer before him, though verifying it would be a task of extreme difficulty.

As a scholar, Icarus understood that such errors could not have been inserted mid-stream into the body of knowledge; the profession of scholarship would never permit it. Results are only attained by treading step by step, and no one knows better than scholars whether the stairs they have climbed are solid.

As for why Icarus alone had arrived at this startling possibility, it was partly because, as one of the key administrators of the Sky Mechanical City, he had witnessed the dilemmas of the research process firsthand. Furthermore, as a scholar at the vanguard of academia, he was uniquely emboldened to question everything.

Finally, Icarus’s act of challenging the cornerstones of the wizard and Void schools could be likened to the era of transition between classical mechanics and relativity on Earth. Those scholars who supported the new theories were, until the truth was laid bare, the bravest of the brave—and they were, at best, a tiny minority.

"If these errors and misdirections were sown at the very beginning, without being tampered with along the way, then the contradiction I just noted remains: a theory that has not changed should not be unable to reproduce the 'Morning Star'—that peculiar explosive..."

"Hm?"

At this thought, Icarus’s expression faltered imperceptibly. His face, in the midst of shifting toward a state of sudden realization, froze, maintaining instead a look of profound contemplation.

The crystal on his forehead flickered, and the slight, restless movements of his body ceased entirely. This signaled that Icarus, as one of the Winged Folk, had begun to utilize his racial talent for thought.

The Winged Folk are an ancient and peculiar race, appearing much like humans or elves, save for the wings upon their backs and the natural markings upon their skin. Yet, these are not their most distinct traits; the crystal upon their foreheads is.

"Embodied Soul"—this is what the Winged Folk call the crystal, a term unknown to outsiders, who mistake it for something akin to a magical beast’s core, providing the Winged Folk with innate magical affinity and superior intellect.

In truth, it does provide these effects, but the principle is entirely different from a beast core. Enhancing spellcasting and providing wisdom are inherent capabilities of the soul, and the crystal on a Winged person’s forehead functions in exactly the same way.

Compared to the incorporeal souls of other races, the "Embodied Soul" grants the Winged Folk a firmer will, a stronger resistance to spiritual corruption, and a formidable defense against the erosion of the Void. From this stems another ability: "Internal Circular Thinking."

This is a mode of thought that "seals" one’s consciousness, possessing an astonishing capacity to prevent prying. If a normal soul is like a screen door, through which some mind-mages or specialized wizards can easily catch the whispers leaking out or peer directly inside to spy on thoughts, the Winged Folk’s "Internal Circular Thinking" locks their active thoughts within the solid safe of the Embodied Soul. It is utterly impossible to spy on their consciousness.

To know what one of this race is thinking, one must shatter that "steel plate" of an Embodied Soul. The Winged person would notice immediately, and if that shell were truly broken, their life would be forfeit.

The Winged Folk themselves can perform non-verbal, spiritual communication by pressing their forehead crystals together, and they possess a method of inheritance derived from the Embodied Soul.

By imbuing the experiences of a lifetime into that crystal and leaving it for a kin capable of reading its contents, they achieve a mode of inheritance many times more effective than that of other races. It is through this that the Winged Folk, a race even rarer than the elves, have maintained a vital position among the Five Races.

Icarus had received three such inheritances, granting him a staggering wealth of knowledge and experience. It was this wisdom that helped him deduce the conjecture he now had to seal away to contemplate in safety.

He actively rummaged through the ocean of memory, searching for the past experiences of other Winged Folk—memories not his own, and thus somewhat blurred. He needed these memories to confirm something regarding the Morning Star.

"After the Morning Star detonated, regardless of whether any Abyss creatures escaped, they would gradually perish as time passed. The environment of this world is no longer suited for their survival. The Morning Star is not merely a high-yield explosive."

This was an assessment of the Morning Star that one of the Winged Folk in his memories had heard. Icarus unearthed it, chewed on it repeatedly, and finally confirmed a fact.

"The Morning Star changed this world—or at least, the environment of this continent. Its alteration was by no means limited to the material world. To truly affect those Abyss creatures so deeply connected to the Void, it had to simultaneously affect the Void itself."

He whispered to himself in his heart, confirming that the Void and the material world of this era were different from the past. The entire environment was no longer as it had been before the detonation of the Morning Star. It had reshaped the world into a state where Abyss creatures could neither survive nor adapt. In this process, the impact on sentient beings seemed negligible, but was it really?

"Indeed, there is almost no difference. Yet, the problem has emerged: the foundational theories of the Void and the wizard’s path are flawed. The Morning Star has become an irreproducible existence."

Icarus had found the problem within the Morning Star’s seemingly benign change: the path of the Void and the wizards had become riddled with errors.

"So, the errors and misdirections existing in the cornerstones of Void and wizardly knowledge are older than the era of the Abyss invasion? And the Morning Star, that thing which changed the world, was merely the groundwork for the errors that appeared when the Sky Mechanical City began researching the Void in this era?"

Finally, a complete conclusion formed in Icarus’s mind, but its arrival left him feeling an uncontrollable chill.

The "Ideal State" organization—a group of which the sentient races had little knowledge, appearing from nowhere—how long had they existed on this continent? To be able to use a world-altering event like the "Battle of the Abyss Depths" as mere groundwork for their plans... what vast power must they hold?

For a moment, Icarus felt a sense of listlessness. Every clash with the Ideal State organization had left him at a complete disadvantage; even the God of Light, a powerful deity, seemed susceptible to their influence.

Situations that had once seemed incredible and unbelievable now appeared inevitable once he guessed the history and capabilities of this organization. Yet, even if these guesses were the truth, it seemed to have no meaning, did it? This led Icarus to thoroughly doubt whether they could ever defeat the Ideal State organization.

"...Perhaps what the Ideal State organization calls an 'Ideal State' is truly something wonderful? If they could really fulfill the desires of every resident, that wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

With a self-deprecating thought, Icarus even began to try to convince himself that what the Ideal State organization was doing wasn't so terrible, that they were truly striving for a so-called ideal, and that an ideal state was, in fact, a good thing.

"The existence of those special environments... it seems they want the material world to be filled with Void energy, to turn the material world into a place similar to the Void. In that case, if one had the ability to survive in the Void, like the Ideal State organization... it might actually be feasible."

Reflecting on the methods by which the Ideal State organization achieved their goals—a theory unanimously accepted by the scholars of the Sky Mechanical City—letting the material world become like the Void, to shape and change the world according to one's own will; on some level, that really would be an ideal state.

"Heh, forget it. Regardless, I do not wish to believe that an organization that arbitrarily twists the wills of others could ever bring about anything good. And this kind of action—shouldn't it be left to us scholars, anyway?"

Suddenly laughing with relief, Icarus broke free from his self-doubt. The stable self-perception brought by his long life made him unwilling to believe in an organization that concealed its goals. If it were truly as they claimed, why not be open about it? If they insisted on acting this way, then forget it; he would resist to the very end.

"Wait, this book? I remember clearly..."

The corner of his eye suddenly caught something in a corner of the bookshelf beside him. He remembered clearly that the book had not been there before. Why was it there now?

Disengaging his "Internal Circular Thinking," Icarus decided to investigate. But as soon as he deactivated the ability, the book vanished from his perception once more. He froze, his brow furrowing. Something was wrong...

Through a simple experiment, he discovered that the moment he ceased his "Internal Circular Thinking," the book would disappear from his senses, impossible to perceive by any means.

"This is not some concealment technique, but an effect acting upon my cognition, forcing me to ignore this object."

Realizing the situation, he understood that something was interfering with him. Only by activating "Internal Circular Thinking" could he avoid this interference. It was a chilling fact: something had been influencing him all along, forcing him to forcibly ignore certain things.

Taking a deep breath, he set a series of mechanical commands for his body, which would be unable to act while in the state of "Internal Circular Thinking." Upon re-activating the ability, his body moved automatically, pulled out the book, and opened it.

"That book belongs to us... Roland."

The words presented upon the page made Icarus shudder in horror.