The real world, Alliance camp.
Ever since that day when he forcibly stimulated Yue Lan and caught a fleeting glimpse of the flow of three energy streams, Aoki had plunged himself into a tense pursuit.
However, reality dealt him a heavy blow.
In the real world, he tried to rely on the vague coordinates and sensation branded upon his soul at the time, attempting once again to locate that strange space.
He activated the Qi Codex, extending his soul sense to its utmost, scanning the surrounding void like a radar, even venturing into several energy anomaly points to investigate.
Lin Qiyou and Nong Li also cooperated with him, repeatedly attempting to resonate with the missing parts of themselves, hoping to reestablish that subtle connection.
But all was in vain.
That space seemed to have completely hidden itself, or rather, the dimension it existed in was separated from the real world by an insurmountable barrier.
Back then, the ability to sense it had relied on the intense energy channel created when “Yue Qi’s” will erupted at full force, using it as a “bridge,” as well as the special force field formed by the resonance of three foreign energies.
Now, with those conditions gone, no matter how hard they tried, that space was like a mirage, forever out of reach.
Aoki pinned his hopes on the simulation world once more.
He entered the simulation frequently, trying to find some trace of that space, or similar energy convergence points, in the history of the Windchime Family.
He pored over more forbidden texts, indirectly inquired with elders who might have encountered hidden knowledge, and even took the risk of approaching higher-ups in the church again.
Yet, the clues in the simulation world were equally elusive.
Records regarding the Power of the Hero mostly remained at the level of praise and legend, with its darker nature deliberately avoided.
As for the space where energy converged, there was no record at all, as if it simply didn’t exist in this world’s knowledge system.
Day after day passed, and Aoki fell into an unprecedented predicament.
He could clearly see the finish line, yet could not find the road to it.
That feeling of being so close yet so far nearly swallowed him whole.
He spent his days with furrowed brows, a gloomy aura enveloping him, to the point where even Yue Lan’s overzealous “care” made him irritable.
That evening, Aoki sat alone on a hillside at the edge of the camp, gazing at the sun slowly sinking beneath the horizon, his heart shrouded in darkness.
Three lines… Lin Qiyou’s memories, Nong Li’s power, the energy Yue Qi absorbed…
Where had they all gone? Where was that space? How could he locate and enter it again?
“Aoki-sama?” A timid voice sounded behind him.
Aoki turned to see the halfling girl Xiao Ya standing there, holding a basket of freshly washed wild fruits.
She looked at Aoki’s gloomy expression, hesitated a bit, but finally summoned her courage and walked over.
“Aoki-sama, you seem… very troubled.” Xiao Ya placed the fruit basket on a nearby rock and said cautiously, “I… I washed some fruit, they’re very sweet. Would you like to try one?”
Looking at Xiao Ya’s clear and caring gaze, Aoki felt some of his frustration ease.
He recalled Poke, the cheerful halfling in the simulation world—Xiao Ya’s brother.
Because of his intervention, Poke had survived, and in the real world, it seemed that this subtle change in history had made Xiao Ya more close and trusting toward him, less restrained than when they first met.
“Thank you.” Aoki picked up a fruit and took a bite. The juice was sweet, yet he barely tasted it.
“Is it… is it because of the Demon Lord’s army? Or did Saintess Yue Lan… again…” Xiao Ya probed, not understanding the complex entanglements between such important people, but she could sense Aoki’s troubles.
Aoki shook his head and sighed.
The pressure of these days made him rare in wanting to speak to someone, even if the other person might not understand at all: “It’s not that. I’m looking for… a place. A place that might hold the answers to all our problems. But I can’t find it, not in reality, nor… in other possibilities.” He vaguely mentioned “other possibilities.”
Xiao Ya blinked her big eyes, a confused look on her face.
She tried to understand his words, though she understood little, but the phrase “can’t find it” was clear to her.
“Can’t find it?” Xiao Ya tilted her head, thinking hard. “Aoki-sama is so amazing, and Lin Qiyou-sama and Nong Li-sama are helping too, but even you all can’t find it? Is that place… maybe hidden somewhere nobody would think of? Or… maybe it’s always been there, we just haven’t noticed?”
She only spoke offhand, trying to comfort Aoki with some childish guesses.
Yet, her words struck Aoki like a bolt of lightning!
“It’s always been there, we just haven’t noticed?”
“Somewhere nobody would think of?”
Aoki suddenly shot to his feet, not even noticing as the fruit dropped from his hand.
His pupils contracted sharply, thunder exploding in his mind!
Always been there! Never noticed!
He’d always turned his gaze outward, toward the distant void, toward the dust of history!
He’d followed the direction of Lin Qiyou’s lost memories, the route Nong Li’s power was stripped away, the destination of the energy absorbed by Yue Qi’s Power of the Hero…
But he’d never considered… what if that convergence point, the core connecting those three lines… was actually on himself?!
The simulation world! Three different simulation worlds! The xianxia world, the original magic world, and the current reality with altered timelines!
Lin Qiyou, Nong Li, Yue Qi… these three women, their fates tightly entwined with his, each from or connected to a different “story”!
And he, Aoki, was the sole constant throughout all these “stories!” The intersection connecting these three different worlds, different power systems, and different lines of fate!
In the xianxia world, he was Master Aoki, sharing deep bonds with Lin Qiyou and Nong Li.
In the original magic world, he was Yue Qi’s fiancé, connected to the destiny of the Windchime Family.
In the real world, he intersected with Lin Qiyou, Nong Li, and Yue Lan all at once.
Each simulation, each worldline change, he was at the center, the core variable that sparked it all! Those energies, memories, and causalities from different worlds… could it be that they were all flowing and converging through him—as a “coordinate,” or rather, an “interface?!”
He was not an observer, nor a pursuer… He himself was the “channel!” The crucial node linking the three women and the mastermind behind the scenes!
The memories Lin Qiyou lost, the power Nong Li was stripped of, the energy Yue Qi’s Power of the Hero instinctively drew—all those seemingly distant “lines,” their real transfer station, or manifestation point, was very likely some unique trait of his own soul, or more precisely, that “simulation system” bound to him!
That’s why he couldn’t find it outside, nor in the simulation world’s history! Because one of the sources and endpoints was himself!
The idea was astonishing, unbelievable—yet it explained everything perfectly!
“I… I’m the coordinate…” Aoki murmured to himself, face filled with shock and sudden realization.
Xiao Ya was startled by Aoki’s intense reaction, and nervously asked, “A-Aoki-sama? What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”
Aoki snapped back to his senses and looked at Xiao Ya, his eyes filled with complex emotions: shock, enlightenment, and a trace of inexpressible gratitude.
He shook his head vigorously, then showed a genuine, heartfelt smile he hadn’t revealed in a long time, though there was a touch of bitterness and self-mockery in it.
“No, Xiao Ya, you didn’t say anything wrong.” His voice was a little hoarse, but it held a newfound, relieved determination. “You’ve done me a huge favor—a tremendous favor! You helped me figure out something… absolutely crucial.”
Xiao Ya blinked blankly, completely confused as to how her casual comment had helped so much, but seeing that Aoki was no longer gloomy, she smiled happily too. “As long as I could help Aoki-sama, I’m glad!”
Aoki took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
If he himself was the “channel” and the “coordinate,” then what he needed to do next was not seek outward, but to search within!
He needed to examine himself in depth, examine the simulation system bound to his soul, examine the subtle changes and energy flows that occurred as his soul connected to different worlds and individuals.
He needed to find a way—not to track the “ends” of those lines, but to “activate” or “reverse” himself as the “channel,” directly peering into or even intervening in that energy-converging space!
It would undoubtedly be even more dangerous than seeking outside, for this would mean using his own soul as an experimental field and breakthrough point. A single mistake could mean the utter destruction of his soul.
And, the simulation system itself was still full of mysteries—what exactly was it? Why did it choose him? What was its purpose?
The road ahead was still shrouded in mist, but at least, the direction had been completely reversed.
From searching outward, to digging inward.
He glanced at the still-innocent Xiao Ya beside him, who had unwittingly awakened him, and was filled with emotion.
History’s alteration had saved Poke, and because of it, this young girl was now more closely connected to him, providing him with a vital clue at the critical moment.
The threads of fate were indeed tightly woven together.
“Let’s go back, Xiao Ya. It’s getting late.” Aoki said softly, his tone calm once more.
“Okay!” Xiao Ya nodded vigorously, picked up her now-empty fruit basket, and hopped after Aoki down the mountain.
Aoki walked ahead, his shadow lengthened by the setting sun.
His gaze was no longer lost, but turned inward, toward his own depths.
A far more perilous journey, straight to the core of the soul, was about to begin.
He had to find out what he truly was, what the simulation system truly was, and how he could use himself as the “coordinate” to end this endless cycle of tragedy and repetition.