Chapter 912: Simulated Universe·Unknowable Realm (18)

Rupert II is dead, and his self‑coronation has come to an end.

What would happen if he kept thinking? Stepping out of the knowledge circle, creating a knowledge singularity, rewriting the anti‑life equation that redefines universal knowledge…

He would kill all life.

Organic and inorganic… all life would vanish.

Pativiy could not help but be shaken by this thought. If the scepter system is the emperor's tool for expanding thought, then she too could question it, expanding her own mind—crowning herself the prophesied genius.

She linked her consciousness to the scepter core. Under remote action, all scepters within the empire's borders instantly formed a complete neural network, serving their long‑awaited new king.

But the moment she asked, a thread of self‑doubt suddenly seized her spirit.

It was as if one foot had already stepped into the palace of truth while the other was caught by thorns outside the gate, forcibly dragged back into the mire. She suddenly lifted her head toward the depths of the flower sea, and whether illusion or not, a sweet scent and a flash of candy‑colored garment drifted by.

She had spoken with that lady several times; the ethereal lady's features were vague, yet her words were concise and clear. Her sentences were as sharp and precise as a scalpel, always cutting through confusion, dispelling obscurity, and making her feel ashamed of herself.

"With my wisdom… can I truly 【self‑crown】?"

Pativiy bowed her head in shame. After all, she had always been ordinary, not a genius.

——

Linghuan: 100% spiritual energy.

Fortunately she began to doubt herself; otherwise, once she completed the coronation, I suspect Bolka Kakam would choose to kill her.

Linghuan is now almost certain that Bolka Kakam's goal is not merely to kill Emperor II, but to stop his self‑coronation.

When Pativiy entertained the idea of coronation, she immediately encountered Bolka—though still unaware how this genius accomplished it, he was certain that if Pativiy pressed further, she would instantly become a restless soul beneath the scalpel.

"Linghuan, this doesn't add up. Rupert I never chose self‑coronation, nor created the scepter system, so why did Bolka still kill him?" Xiao Jiuwō sneered at him, "…Is your speculation even reliable? Stop bringing up baseless things."

Linghuan's forehead sprouted veins as he pointed at Xiao Jiuwō above his head, angry: "Then tell me! If Bolka Kakam's purpose isn't to stop self‑coronation, what is it for?!"

"Duh—of course it's to prevent organic life in the universe from being ravaged by inorganic life," Xiao Jiuwō smirked, confidence in his voice. "After self‑coronation, the anti‑life equation that rewrites universal knowledge will be derived, and the whole cosmos will face disaster again. If Pativiy self‑crowned, it would inevitably lead to that equation's derivation—Bolka acted precisely to stop all that."

"But I recall that the Genius Club also had other geniuses assassinated by Bolka, right?" the silent extra suddenly spoke, interrupting their debate.

"If Bolka proactively killed the two geniuses to protect the universe from harm, then why were the other geniuses killed? Did they also develop thoughts that could endanger the universe?"

"Right, right… Mao Fu, you finally noticed," Xiao Jiuwō's expression hardened instantly, "…The universe is dangerous, especially these geniuses."

"If Bolka truly seeks universal peace, she should have assassinated Nanuk, or at least Nanuk's envoy… Even if she refuses to target anyone but geniuses, isn't the current Prime Doctor of the Genius Club a greater threat to universal peace? For peace's sake, she ought to kill the Prime Doctor as well."

"This…"

Xiao Jiuwō was momentarily at a loss, not knowing how to retort.

"Can't answer, can you?" Linghuan chuckled, giving Xiao Jiuwō a meaningful glance. "Believe me, Bolka has no ordinary person's simple sense of justice; the Genius Club members are a bunch of freaks. We can't use normal reasoning to guess their habits. Protect the universe? Ha… Saying she's a pure killing maniac is far more likely than that."

——

In external time, Pativiy hesitated for a few seconds. Then she abandoned self‑coronation with the 【Scepter】 and shifted her gaze upward, toward the end of 【Intellect】.

"I now receive its fleeting contemplation…" Pativiy thought to herself.

Everything was as she wished.

The 【Scepter】 rose high, countless tiny light points seemingly drawn by an invisible force, like weary birds returning to the forest, fluttering toward her crown.

Praise the seeker of knowledge; she shall have her wish fulfilled.

…

A blinding red light flickered, and countless panels instantly sprang up before the Black Tower, displaying all sorts of indecipherable star signals.

Sensing the surrounding tremor, Star vaguely felt a bad omen.

"Black Tower, what's happening?"

"Minor issue; the simulated universe's capacity is limited and cannot compute the scene Pativiy saw. That instant, the discrete data captured from her perception almost caused the simulated universe to collapse and reboot."

After a frantic series of adjustments by the Black Tower, the simulated universe finally returned to stability.

Within the 【Intellect】 mind‑world, she beheld the ocean she had long dreamed of—endless knowledge converging into a boundless, unfathomable sea.

From the initial captured signals to the complete solitary wave, the ripples in the imaginary background, all once seemed grand and mysterious to her. Yet, before she truly entered this ocean, she realized those problems that had trapped humanity for countless amber ages were merely insignificant splashes from crashing waves, ripples beneath ripples.

They vanished in an instant, barely audible.

——

Battle of the Twin Cities.

Following Pativiy's perspective, Jess and Victor both caught a glimpse of the Erudite Lord's thought…

And it was only a moment.

The ocean‑like knowledge flooded them instantly; countless incomprehensible formulas and characters appeared across the sky. As soon as they lifted pen and paper, the formulas flashed by with Pativiy's dimension‑spanning thoughts, like meteors streaking across the night sky.

"Victor, too fast… too fast!" Jess frantically searched for paper and pen, trying to seize the fragments scattered from the god's mind. He trembled all over, the lines recording the formulas twisted and crooked, looking utterly clumsy and laughable, yet he had no time to think about them… he was just desperate to grasp that fleeting knowledge.