Chapter 140

The three walked to the floating will-o'-the-wisp projection before the screen.

They heard the will-o'-the-wisp murmuring to herself.

【She's staring at these screens—is she looking in a mirror...?】

【What does "again" mean?】

Huang Quan stared at the will-o'-the-wisp's projection, her expression deeply puzzled.

【Let's go...】

This time, they arrived beside a will-o'-the-wisp projection walking along a path.

【We? Is there someone else beside her?】

Black Swan also raised a question.

【Calm down, will-o'-the-wisp... calm down...】

0...............

The next will-o'-the-wisp projection's tone was slightly panicked.

【She looks... very tense.】

Huang Quan frowned.

【Yes. What is making her so tense?】

Black Swan fell into deep thought.

【Putting this together, will-o'-the-wisp entered this corridor with a companion—likely only one.】

Black Swan led the two along the will-o'-the-wisp's memory projections,

arriving at a corridor.

Here too were scattered some of will-o'-the-wisp's projections.

【How...?!】

【This isn't what we agreed on...】

The will-o'-the-wisp projection in the corridor,

her tone now growing agitated.

【Things are changing—it seems the companion... has deviated from the original plan.】

Huang Quan spoke softly.

【Or, from the outcome... this was the true "plan" of that person all along.】

Black Swan held a different view.

【Mechanized armor...?!】

【Why...】

Before Yishan Sect, the will-o'-the-wisp's projection spoke again,

【She was forced this way by someone—and...】

Huang Quan seemed to understand what will-o'-the-wisp had endured.

【Mechanized armor... an intriguing term.】

【I recall the Hound Clan was hunting a criminal—a tall man in silver armor.】

Black Swan involuntarily connected the dots.

【The door... won't open... this is a dead end...】

The will-o'-the-wisp projection's tone grew anxious.

【From these fragments, we deduce that will-o'-the-wisp's companion betrayed her mid-journey.】

【Left her locked in this room alone, while he vanished without a trace...】

【Why, exactly?】

Huang Quan could not fathom it.

【She said this deal involved the Clockmaker—touching the Clockmaker means crossing many people's lines.】

【Perhaps to seize the inheritance, perhaps to eliminate one more witness, or perhaps...】

【Because of a deeper "secret" hidden within this memory domain, and to lure out a bigger fish... a decoy was needed...】

Black Swan explained softly.

【You mean... will-o'-the-wisp?】

Huang Quan understood the implication in Black Swan's words.

The decoy might be will-o'-the-wisp.

【It's only the worst possible assumption.】

【But consider—if the architect of all this is nearby, why would he allow us to search freely?】

【Unless...】

【Unless he has something else he cares about more—something he needs—or is currently verifying.】

Black Swan explained.

【Will-o'-the-wisp had no other path—she could only leave through the side corridor.】

【Let's go, keep looking.】

Black Swan continued leading the two as they followed will-o'-the-wisp's traces.

【There's a path here...】

In the corridor, the will-o'-the-wisp projection sounded utterly astonished.

【The ever-shifting corridors lead to wandering memory domain memes... she is completely lost in the memory domain.】

The black swan shook its head.

【It's an exit... following this way should let us leave...】

The three followed the phantom of Liuying to a door of the Yishan Sect.

【Unfortunately, this path ultimately leads to the nest of death...】

The black swan's expression showed a hint of pity.

【We've finally returned to the main hall, so now...】

The three stepped out through the exit and saw Liuying's final phantom.

【She thought she had escaped death, but...】

【...】

The three stared at this final phantom, and could only sigh at the Shan Sect.