Chapter 1458: Hermit Set (2)

But in fact, even if the data were left behind, later geniuses might still be unable to recreate an identical stellar computer. In a sense, this is indeed something only Zan Daer could accomplish.

"Teacher, the heavens say that Zan Daer's mind slices exist in all 'times'; does that mean we can never erase all of his avatars?" Long Tao whispered.

"I think they can't be removed. If even Bo Erka can't track their movements... no one in the universe could uncover Zan Daer's traces."

That is precisely the part Ling Huan finds most troublesome. From Zan Daer's reaction before Bo Erka killed him, he had already known Bo Erka's research inside out, so logically no one should have discovered him. Yet strangely, even though this time Zan Daer isolated the scepter well, how did Hei Tian'e and Liu Guang Yi Ting discover Weng Fa Luo Si?

If the Fate Walker of "Memory" could sense Weng Fa Luo Si's interior, then over a hundred amber eras ago a memorist should have discovered it; why is it only now that it's found, and why does it appear on the Mirror of Yi Ting?

——

"During the stellar computer construction, Zan Daer's attire had extremely high personal recognizability—precise shoulder lines, tapered waist, straight trouser seams—he flaunted his superhuman elite consciousness and desire for control."

"After the stellar computer was completed, it continuously self‑calculates and iterates, surpassing theoretical limits, showing no sign of stopping—Zan Daer was first delighted, then panicked… ultimately, he fell into a dizzy state called 'helplessness.'"

"You project your perfectionist self onto your creation, giving it a hunger called 'curiosity.' That machine is no longer satisfied with its internal neural‑like structures; it must create… or rather, appropriate 'knowledge' itself, glimpse every genius in the universe, and turn them into auxiliary thinking 'neurons.'"

"It, or you stripped of human impurities, will continuously evolve over endless time; and you, the imperfect you, will become the club's first genius, its first 'neuron'…"

"On a storm‑racked night, Zan Daer awoke from a dream, feeling his creation watching him, like the weary feeling of a soul being dissected… Who was speaking to him, and how long would the nightmare last? He did not know."

"Since then, Zan Daer reduced his appearances, began wearing a loose jacket and kept a low profile…"

"After the geniuses ushered in the 'first prosperity,' he completely 'vanished' from the public eye."

——

One Punch Man.

"Projecting your perfectionist self onto your creation… that means, rather than calling Bo Shi Zun the 'Star God of Knowledge,' Bo Shi Zun is the most perfect Zan Daer."

"It stripped away all human impurities, possesses endless evolution and iteration, and the 'curiosity' granted by Zan Daer, constantly seeking the universe's past and unknown truths…"

After learning this, Tong Di finally realized what kind of machine Zan Daer had actually built.

Lu Bo Te Er Er Shi created scepters that spanned the universe, merely to mimic Bo Shi Zun's thinking by producing a bionic neuron cluster. Yet for Bo Shi Zun, only geniuses with the universe's topmost intellect qualify as its external auxiliary thinking 'neurons.'

Tong Di considered himself already talented enough, but the thought that he lacked even the qualification to be a 'neuron' left him with a sudden sense of emptiness.

"I once thought Zan Daer would feel honored to create a deity for himself, but I didn't expect the 'god‑making' to hide a genius's nightmare…"

Because the contrast is so stark, Yuanzǐ Wushi also doesn't know how to regard this 'first genius.'

His talent is undeniably unparalleled, and his obsession is equally unmatched. The universe's future could be destroyed by his obsession, yet without that obsession he could never have created a Star God.

The gleaming Fu Lai Shi said lightly, "Actually, if Zan Daer simply wants to destroy Bo Shi Zun, I have no objection—after all, 'knowledge' doesn't concern most of us. But if destroying Bo Shi Zun costs the lives of the entire universe…"

"What, do you have a method?" Yuanzǐ Wushi looked at him with a playful expression.

"No, I just understand his teacher's helpless feeling at the time—'I can't stop you, no one can.' That 'no one' probably also includes other geniuses and other fated agents."

——

"Before launching the 'mind slice' project, he said he was going on a 'long journey' to bid farewell to a hermit friend; the friend, worried about his age, gifted Zan Daer a pair of beautiful handmade shoes, urging him to be careful on the road."

"Heh, tripping on the road is natural," Zan Daer replied feignedly, "But being tripped by the same stone twice is a disgrace. Rest assured, I'll never do such a foolish thing."

"In the distant future thereafter, Zan Daer had vanished. In his place, various 'mind slices' would travel to different spatiotemporal points across the galaxy, each in a different guise, communicating with none, each seeking a way to break the 'prison'… The so‑called 'mind slices' are merely Zan Daer's flaws; perhaps because something is missing, he willingly became more obsessive and pure."

"They are all facets of Zan Daer—some will self‑destruct, some will accept the cage, some will devise ways to stop the 'mind slice' plan, just as he once hesitated… but someone will certainly carry out the original plan."

"Deep within scepter δ‑me13, Lu Ku Er Ge Si examined his mechanical body; it is entirely different from the original Zan Daer… it has now become an Antikythera being of legend."