Chapter 1853: Brain in a Vat

"Me?"

Xia Duo did not expect that he would be given such high expectations. To be honest, he felt this scene was somewhat dreamlike and did not seem to exist in reality.

"Yes!"

Fear Eye expressed affirmation once again, while simultaneously tossing a Crystal Ball to Xia Duo, saying: "Gulite's consciousness is inside. The time inside resets about every ten minutes. Depending on the need, it can also be advanced or delayed; it is all up to you. I only hope to hear good news from you as soon as possible."

"This—"

This was taking him too seriously. Xia Duo believed that the "persona" he had displayed since joining Evereska was not enough for Fear Eye to value him so highly. Holding this Crystal Ball in his hand, he felt it was both scalding and sticky, so he asked:

"Are you not afraid that I might break this Gulite's consciousness?"

"It does not matter. This is merely a Consciousness Copy we projected. As long as the original Gulite still exists, more can be projected at any time. You may use whatever methods you have; there is no need to worry about damage."

Looking at the pale teeth revealed by Fear Eye, Xia Duo felt a chill in his heart for some reason. To be reduced to the state of Gulite was simply a fate worse than death!

And this method of interrogation was something Xia Duo had never seen or even heard of, whether in the Projection Plane or the Main Plane. It only existed in some science fiction novels on Earth before he transmigrated.

Isn't this just a brain in a vat!

Since the time of the Consciousness Copy resets, it means the interrogator can test the other party's reactions with countless keywords. Under such circumstances, no matter how strong the other party's mental defenses are, it is inevitable that they will leak a large amount of information without knowing it.

"If that is the case, then I will give it a try. But now that this Consciousness Cage has been given to me, will you all just keep waiting?" Xia Duo shook the Crystal Ball in his hand and looked at Ougesi.

To this, Ougesi just smiled slightly and casually took out another Crystal Ball. "We have more here, so do not worry. We will also continue the interrogation. It is just that in the short term, we have used up almost all the methods we could think of. It mainly depends on you; you must find a breakthrough as soon as possible. Otherwise, the Funasi Chamber of Commerce might completely erase the relevant clues at any time, or take action in advance. Either way, it would be very unfavorable for Evereska."

"I understand. I will go back and interrogate now. As for Saijisi, should I call him to join as well?"

"That would be fine, but based on my understanding of him, if nothing unexpected happens, I estimate he will not be able to ask any useful clues either. You go back first; I will go find him later."

"Mm."

Xia Duo nodded, then left the Cloudtop Tower.

Asuosi Manor.

After returning to the Study, Xia Duo placed the Consciousness Cage Crystal Ball he had brought back onto the desk. To be honest, at this moment, his interest in the Crystal Ball itself was far greater than the Consciousness Copy of Gulite imprisoned inside.

If he could possess this thing in the Main Plane, wouldn't it mean that anyone he caught would have no secrets?

Although many Spells can indeed achieve this, this kind of Consciousness Cage that can reset time at will is clearly more efficient and convenient.

"Let me see how exactly you achieved this!"

Far from the sight of Ougesi and other high-level Mages, Xia Duo had few qualms about casting 【Identify】 on the Crystal Ball on the table right there in the Study.

The effect of 【Identify】 is similar to building a virtual sandbox, in which the various effects of a Magic Item are continuously demonstrated. Although it cannot directly see through the essence of the Magic Item, one can deduce an approximate result based on the various feedback it provides.

In fact, with the operating methods just provided by Ougesi and Fear Eye, Xia Duo's actual "identification" process took far fewer detours than identifying a completely unknown Magic Artifact.

About a quarter of an hour later, the special field of light created by 【Identify】 completely dissipated from the Crystal Ball, and Xia Duo revealed a thoughtful expression.

The only thing on this Consciousness Cage that was truly useful to him was the method of resetting time, but after a simple identification, he discovered that this Consciousness Cage could not actually reset time.

At least not the kind of time reset he had imagined.

In fact, the designer played a trick here. Back at the Cloudtop Tower, Ougesi had mentioned that as long as Gulite's original body existed, this kind of Consciousness Copy could be projected continuously.

And the true Principle of this cage used for the Consciousness Copy is actually similar to the projection of the original body, except that every so-called "time reset" here is actually the creation of a new projection of the projection.

The projection of the projection from the previous "Time Loop" was naturally destroyed; otherwise, if it were allowed to connect with the projection, this Consciousness Copy would be considered contaminated.

By the same token, no matter how many times this Consciousness Copy is interrogated, it cannot be allowed to connect with Gulite's true consciousness, otherwise, it would also cause contamination.

After roughly understanding the Principle of this Consciousness Cage, Xia Duo became even more cautious about the current Projection Plane, because the fact that they could create a Magic Artifact capable of isolating consciousness from a consciousness projection meant that it could cause his own consciousness to be completely trapped here.

The actual situation might be even more serious. He was not sure whether a brand-new consciousness would be born in his original body after his consciousness was locked here, or if it would die instantly (becoming a vegetable).

From the perspective of self-perception, once his perception with the original body is interrupted—meaning the current him is not a Consciousness Copy projected from the original body—then he should be considered an independent individual, unrelated to the original body.

Even if the original body were to derive an identical consciousness, it would no longer be the self he currently perceives himself to be.

Of course, Xia Duo was more inclined to believe that his consciousness was the essence of his self-existence, because his Personal Space followed his consciousness; even the Soul had to take a backseat.

In other words, his experience in the Projection Plane was incredibly real. Once his consciousness was trapped or even killed, it would truly be gone.

"This kind of method—"

Behind the desk, Xia Duo frowned, his gaze fixed tightly on the Crystal Ball on the table. He was instinctively wary of this Consciousness Cage for which he had already "identified" some inside information, but in his Subconscious, he vaguely felt that something was wrong.

If he did not figure this problem out, he felt he would have no heart to stay in this Projection Plane any longer.

Thinking this, Xia Duo projected his Perception into the Crystal Ball. Since it was named a cage, the relevant scene had naturally been set up inside.

This was a scene similar to a Stasis Chamber, with the ground covered in complex Magic Array patterns. The Gold Elf Gulite, whom Xia Duo had seen last night, was suspended and imprisoned above the Magic Array in a spread-eagle posture.

Of course, all of this was an Illusion, and even Gulite himself was one; the bit of Reality in the Consciousness Copy actually existed in the form of light within the Crystal Ball.

Xia Duo turned and looked around, not finding his own body, and could not help but have a thought. He manipulated the Illusion inside the Crystal Ball to change slightly.

The image of Asuosi appeared before Gulite.