Chapter 12345 The Raven

Hearing Raven 12345's speculation, Hao Ren asked in surprise, "It's related to the Wall of Reality?"

Raven 12345 nodded gently: "This disc is part of a certain computing device, but it's not used to calculate 'data' in the conventional sense. Instead, it's used to calculate the connection between two worlds. Its operating mode is very suitable for interfering with the Wall of Reality."

"Could the Creation Engine be used to open the Wall of Reality?" Vivian couldn't help but interject.

"That can't be determined," Raven 12345 waved her hand. "That thing could also be used to fill the holes in the Wall of Reality, or to enhance the stability of that wall. I'm more inclined towards these two possibilities. After all, the collapse of the Wall of Reality would have a huge impact on both universes, and even trigger the end of the world. This risk is the same for everyone. And more importantly… since Vivian was able to cross the Wall of Reality back then, it shows that the Creation Goddess already mastered the method of opening the gate, and this method is very mature. She doesn't need to build a device that takes thousands of years to complete just to open the door, unless she intends to completely tear down the entire wall."

"The Creation Goddess once told her guardians that the Creation Engine would bring 'new balance' to the universe," Hao Ren recalled what Rementusa had told him, stroking his chin. "I don't think breaking the Wall of Reality has anything to do with balance."

"That's pretty much the idea. A sane person would never want to break that wall, unless he intended to destroy the whole world from the start. According to the Creation Goddess's behavior, she wouldn't do such a thing," Raven 12345 said, handing the golden disc back to Hao Ren. "I've recorded all its information. Take this thing back with you. This thing is connected to the Creation Goddess, so keeping it in the Dream Plane might be useful."

Hao Ren put away the golden disc, confirmed that he had asked everything he wanted to ask, and prepared to say goodbye and leave with Vivian. But at this moment, Raven 12345 suddenly stopped him. "Wait, Vivian can go back first. You wait here for a while. I have something to tell you."

Hao Ren looked at Vivian beside him and pointed to his chin in confusion: "Me alone?"

"Of course. It's only you when it comes to work matters," Raven 12345 glared at him. "Can't do anything without a girl by your side?"

Hao Ren smiled awkwardly, and had the data terminal open a portal to send Vivian and Doudou back first. Then he turned to look at the raven: "Speak, what is it?"

Raven 12345 didn't say anything, just lightly snapped her fingers, and the surrounding scenery changed dramatically in an instant. The mysterious lakeside under the night sky disappeared, and the aurora and stars in the sky quickly faded away. A hazy, pale gray mist gathered from all directions, turning the entire world into a vast expanse, and the center of this chaos was only a round platform built of pure white jade, like an isolated island in a sea of chaos.

Hao Ren and Raven 12345 stood by the round platform. He looked at the strange scene that suddenly appeared in front of him, a little confused: "You're not just letting me look at the scenery, are you?"

"Of course not," Raven 12345 had a strange smile on her face, looking gentle and amiable, but also unpredictable. She looked at the endless chaotic mist and said unhurriedly, "This is a Sea of Dreams."

"Dreams?" Hao Ren subconsciously asked, "Whose?"

Raven 12345 didn't answer his question, but suddenly threw out a seemingly unrelated question: "If I asked you to find someone in such chaos, what would you do?"

Hao Ren felt that the other party was suddenly a little strange. Both the way she spoke and the questions she asked were vastly different from the neurotic woman he knew before, but he knew that Raven 12345 always had a deep meaning behind her actions, so he didn't delve too deeply. Instead, he really started to think about the question she posed. He looked at the endless rolling mist in front of him, and speculated on how he should answer in this situation to be considered "qualified," but Raven 12345 didn't give him too much time to ponder: "Just answer directly. There's no standard answer to this kind of question."

"Like this kind of chaos? And without any clues?" Hao Ren tentatively tried to get more hints.

Raven 12345 just nodded silently.

"Then I can only rely on feeling, I guess," Hao Ren spread out his hands. "This is a huge expanse of fog, and it looks pretty much the same everywhere you go. And I don't even know which direction the person I'm looking for is in. I can only rely on feeling. Maybe believing in my heart will lead to success."

He even specially added a rather naive-sounding reason at the end, but he himself didn't have much confidence in it. If it was ten years ago, maybe he would have believed this kind of thing, like "following your heart's guidance will lead you to the direction of your life" or something, but he was already past that age. As a man in his twenties, whether he wanted to or not, he knew that he was already a more realistic person.

Although he was messing around with a bunch of surreal things every day now…

"Believe in your heart?" The expression on Raven 12345's face didn't show whether she was satisfied or not, or rather, the answer to this question was irrelevant. The important thing was just that Hao Ren made an answer. "That doesn't sound like something a rational adult should believe… but it's one of the answers, I suppose."

"I think that's the only answer. In the situation you described, flipping a coin is the same as relying on feeling," Hao Ren said, pulling at the corner of his mouth. "By the way, why did you suddenly ask me this? Don't tell me you really want me to go find someone?"

However, Raven 12345 suddenly switched back to her usual carefree, grinning face. She patted Hao Ren hard on the shoulder, deliberately throwing the previous topic aside: "Ah ha, don't think so much. I was just testing your emotional thinking. Alright, now that the last question has been asked, I see that it's still early, so you should go back quickly. Maybe you can make it home for dinner—anyway, I don't provide meals here."

The goddess's expression switch, as quick as the changing weather, stunned Hao Ren. He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't know how to open his mouth all of a sudden. Looking at Raven 12345's determined look to send him off, he knew that she probably wouldn't answer any of his questions, so he could only suppress his many questions and turn to leave this place.

After Hao Ren disappeared from the platform, Raven 12345 stared blankly for a few seconds, then took out a small crystal prism from her pocket.

This prism with precognitive abilities was emitting a faint white light, but after Hao Ren left, the white light on its surface was gradually dimming. Raven 12345 wiped the surface of the prism, seemingly muttering to herself: "Believe in your heart… it really was that answer. Is this thing broken?"

As soon as she finished speaking, another voice suddenly sounded from the void: "I told you, the prediction crystal is very accurate. After all, it was blessed by the Matriarch, but you just don't believe it."

Along with this sentence, a woman with the exact same appearance as Raven 12345 slowly emerged in the air. Although her clothes and appearance were exactly the same, the expression on this woman's face was dignified and calm, completely different from Raven 12345's always-ready-to-be-startled appearance.

"Yo, 23333, long time no see," Raven 12345 casually greeted her colleague, while raising the crystal pillar in her hand. "You're right, this thing really works, hey. I thought you got a fake from the Fifth Glass Factory to fool people."

The expression on Raven 23333's face froze slightly, but she quickly decided not to argue with her neurotic senior. She looked around: "Take all this down. I want to see what your house has become."

Raven 12345 chuckled twice and rubbed her hands, removing the disguise in this space. Then the surrounding scenery changed dramatically again, this time finally showing the real "God Realm" scene.

It's just that the state of this place was a mess. The magnificent mansion was like it had been bombed, with only the bottom floor remaining. The upper structure had been completely dismantled. The fountain in front of the mansion was cut in two, and the square next to the fountain was crisscrossed with deep knife marks. The gardens on both sides were basically gone, and only a few lonely wooden stakes could be seen swaying precariously on the edge of a series of large pits. And on the remaining outer wall of the mansion, one could see a huge, glowing line of text, each stroke of which was cut out with knife marks: "Bastard, return my knife!"

Each stroke was vigorous and powerful, and traces of space twisting and breaking could be seen around each knife mark. These knife marks were not carved on the wall, but directly on the space.

Raven 12345 looked at her miserable house with a smug look: "Good thing I was smart and didn't let them see it just now, otherwise Hao Ren's broken mouth would definitely say something!"

Raven 23333 looked at her neurotic senior with a strange expression: "I said… how many times have you had your house demolished? And this time it's even been engraved with battle scars, which won't recover for two or three days—why don't you just return the knife to that guy?"

Raven 12345 tossed her head: "That won't do. I'll lose if I return it!"

"So you think being beaten up every time you meet her is winning?"

"Yes!"

Raven 23333: "…"