Chapter 1909: Cognitive Impairment

After reading the experimental records of the student of Yisite, Dixipu, and confirming that the status of the volunteers participating in the experiment was stable, Xia Duo decided to proceed with the next step on Mila.

Of course, this was also because the countdown to his departure had already begun, and he did not want to drag it out any longer.

……

Inside Laboratory No. 1, the lights were bright. The Jinjufazhen originally used to restrict Mila had long since stopped working; nowadays, this place was more like Mila's new home than a laboratory.

After leaving Yisite's side, Xia Duo came here immediately to check on Mila's status. Mila had now largely shaken off the influence of her Demon Descendant bloodline.

Although her second personality had not disappeared after completely purging the effects of the Magic Energy Infection, her rationality had begun to rise, and Mila had even thought of a new name for her, called "Meila."

She even recognized the other as her older sister, showing signs of living together in peace.

Yet in Xia Duo's view, how could a single body with only one soul, but two consciousnesses, ever live in peace?

Looking at the quiet Mila before him, Xia Duo sighed slightly in his heart, then asked softly: "Mila, have you been naughty in the few days that Teacher was away?"

Mila lowered her head and whispered: "Teacher, I am Meila."

Mila's mother, Kelisi, who was to the side, added: "Lord Asuosi, Mila's periods of clarity have been getting shorter and shorter recently."

"Is that so?"

Xia Duo knew that the clarity Kelisi spoke of actually referred to Mila's primary personality. In other words, even after spending more than half a year together, Kelisi still could not quite accept that Mila had suddenly become Meila.

And for Xia Duo, the fact that Mila's second personality was becoming increasingly active was not very good news. Magic Energy Infection could cause a transformed individual to develop a second personality, and Arcane Infusion might not be any different.

It was just that he currently had no way to intuitively feel the changes in Mila's personality from a first-person perspective, so he could not determine if this had a direct connection to the Magic Energy Infection.

Perhaps it was Mila's own problem!

There were not just one or two Elves in the Golden Rose Community who had been planted with hidden traps by the Demon Descendant Elf Sailuo, yet only Mila had managed to preserve her consciousness. It was hard to say that this little one did not have some unique trait.

"Mila, alright, Meila, I am going to check your body now. If there are no major problems, you will be able to recover and go home in a few days. Of course, this does not change the fact that you are my student."

Mila was only 12 years old this year; her intellect and worldview were extremely immature. Xia Duo had previously tried to provide her with magical enlightenment, but in the end, he had to admit it was somewhat too early.

Even for the relatively more mature second personality, Meila, it was not suitable to start coming into contact with magic now. Of course, the magic here referred to Elven Magic.

If it were Netheril Magic, Xia Duo would have had the confidence to enlighten Mila within a year or two, but his time in the Projection Plane was limited, so the matter eventually fizzled out.

But as the student of a high-level Mage, even if she did not end up becoming a Mage, this title alone was enough to improve the lives of her and her mother.

Therefore, whether it was Mila or Meila, both had realized early on the importance of Xia Duo as a teacher, and naturally, Kelisi's guidance played a part in this.

It was just that Xia Duo did not care about these things.

After obtaining Meila's consent, he began to check Mila's consciousness. This was also the check he had performed most often on Mila over the past half year.

As usual, he established a Mind Link. On the level of consciousness, if Xia Duo's consciousness was a fireball constantly radiating light and heat, then Mila's consciousness was a small lightbulb that flickered on and off.

The most critical point was that in the Mind Link, Mila's consciousness projection itself contained multiple projections. Based on the experience Xia Duo had gained from his research over the past half year, it actually meant that Mila did not just have a second personality; she might even have more.

It was just that the other sub-personalities had not yet awakened and had not realized that they were (relatively) independent consciousnesses.

With Mila as a reference, Xia Duo discovered that his own consciousness also existed in multiple states, but those multiple consciousnesses of his did not even count as sub-personalities; he could even consciously erase a certain state of consciousness.

But he did not do so, because this multi-state consciousness was his truly complete consciousness.

Or rather, normal intelligent beings naturally have a tendency toward schizophrenia, but normal people can integrate these different consciousnesses, thereby forming something called "personality" or "self" at a higher level.

If the consciousness that served as the foundation were changed, the higher-level personality or self would change, and this kind of change was not the controllable kind where every choice came from the heart; Xia Duo did not approve of it.

But he could guess that perhaps this was the essence of mutation.

When Mila suffered the Magic Energy Infection and transformation, the changes in her body were too intense, to the extent that they affected the psychological level, causing a mutation in a certain layer of consciousness, thus resulting in the birth of the second personality, Mila.

To use words from Earth, Mila had developed a cognitive impairment, which in theory could be recovered from.

But Xia Duo was not optimistic, and he was even more powerless to do anything about it.

The more active Mila's second personality became, the more scattered the original personality would become. Eventually, it might integrate multiple consciousnesses again with the second personality as the core, until a brand-new personality was formed.

Of course, Xia Duo had not gained nothing from observing Mila for so long. Although he had not verified it through strict experiments, he could completely make a judgment—

As long as the changes in the body are sufficiently gradual, it will not cause a mutation in the consciousness.

Or rather, any Bloodline Awakening or body modification necessarily involves changes in consciousness, just to varying degrees.

From this, Xia Duo also thought of soul transmigration. When a soul enters another strange body, would there really be no cognitive impairment?

Although he did not transmigrate into this magic world via his soul, wasn't his entry into the Projection Plane a kind of alternative soul transmigration! (Replacing the original owner)

Regarding this, Xia Duo could be considered quite experienced. Every time he entered the Projection Plane, he would spend a great deal of time clearing away the consciousness pollution caused by the avatar's memories.

If he did not do this, perhaps he would have long since ceased to be himself!

……

Cutting off his many distracting thoughts, Xia Duo chatted with Mila through the Mind Link to test the differences between the various consciousness projections.

It was not until a look of fatigue appeared on Mila's face that he disconnected the Mind Link.

Seeing Xia Duo withdraw, Kelisi immediately stepped forward to ask: "Lord, how is Mila's recovery?"

"The recovery is not bad, but you must also prepare yourself mentally!" Xia Duo said, implying something.

Kelisi was no stranger to these words; she had heard them countless times over the past half year. Hearing them again now, she still found it difficult to control her feelings of disappointment.

Looking at Meila's longing yet distant gaze, an indescribable bitterness accumulated in Kelisi's heart.