Chapter 495: The Highland Mage's Olive Branch

"If that is what you think, why did you let your friend leave?" Mage Hashi looked at him with a smile.

It wasn't just Du Zhengyi; even those people at the door had left, likely taken away by Du Zhengyi. Luo Qi lay there leisurely and said slowly, "I've seen too many strange things lately. Although you lot are truly strange, you no longer inspire any awe in me."

"Mind Mages exist through connection, no different from creatures that live in groups," Mage Hashi said.

"If we're talking about the way you speak, it's strange and obscure—strangely obscure," Luo Qi said. He set aside the disgust in his heart and began to ponder. Theoretically, Mind Mages could of course connect all their brains together. But practically speaking, it was completely impossible.

"'I think, therefore I am.' A line from a human book flashed through his mind at this moment, like a wisp of a warm flame, and he slowly spoke the words aloud. 'The only thing I can be certain of is the existence of my own thought, because when I doubt other things, I cannot simultaneously doubt my own thought.' My existence is my bottom line; it is the starting point of everything I do, and also the end point. For the sake of some people, I can go through fire and water, even to the point of body and soul being extinguished. I can die, and I can live; my existence value can be 1 or it can be set to 0, I don't care about that, but it cannot be 0.5. Oh my, if any of my uncultured friends heard this, they would definitely think I was discussing sexual orientation. But I guess you wouldn't understand this cold joke?"

"On the contrary, I heard it very clearly," Mage Hashi said. "I—we believe that one should not laugh loudly; this is for the pursuit of peace of mind, which does not mean we have castrated our sense of humor."

"Does that mean after adding me to your brains, you won't feel like your souls are suddenly jumping up and down?" Luo Qi asked mockingly.

"To reach the level of Collective Cultivation, you still need to undergo a long period of Individual Cultivation," Mage Hashi said.

Luo Qi looked at him suspiciously.

Mage Hashi looked back at him with understanding, "We share memories, but in the world of fusion, we have no distinction between primary and secondary. Fusion is for the sake of better cultivation, to ascend to the Pure Land sooner."

"Impossible." Luo Qi sat up slowly. His body still felt some indescribable pain, but the sharp irritation and disgust in his heart made him not want to continue lying down. "Either you have been deceived by an ambitious person, or you have evolved into a giant stitched monster, a stitched monster of spiritual bodies."

"Is it true? Is fusion truly so sinful?" the Highland Mage said gently. "Have you ever seen a human shed tears for a painting, or smile for a piece of music?"

"I do that myself too," Luo Qi admitted in a low voice, staring suspiciously into the Highland Mage's eyes. His eyes were like the lakes of the Highland, pure and deep, as if they held endless wisdom. But Luo Qi reminded himself that a Mind Archmage produces trust on their own; his wisdom is vast because it is, after all, stolen collective wisdom.

The Highland Mage shifted his gaze slightly, and a subtle ripple of Magic brushed by like a breeze. The single bed Luo Qi was sitting on turned into a high couch covered with felt rugs, extending outward to fill the entire room. The Highland Mage sat cross-legged upon it, keeping his line of sight level with Luo Qi's.

"Great," Luo Qi said dryly. "When Du Zhengyi comes back later, he'll trip over a giant kang the moment he opens the door. Mage Hashi, you've turned my room into a dormitory."

"You have a humorous soul," the Highland Mage smiled slightly. "A humorous, sensitive, and thoughtful soul cannot be imprisoned."

Luo Qi habitually opened his mouth to continue the sarcasm, but ultimately closed it.

"Ordinary humans have no Telepathy at all. To them, every soul is an isolated island. They often feel lonely and occasionally doubt their own existence. Humans try every means to allow these isolated islands of souls to connect slightly, so they paint, compose music, and film movies, all to convey what their own souls see to another island as much as possible. Thus, upon seeing a painting, hearing a piece of music, watching a movie, or reading a certain text, humans may feel a sudden heartbeat, connecting across space and time with another similar soul. In that brief moment, bit by bit, they feel they are not alone. You understand humans, is that not so?"

Luo Qi was silent for a moment, "That is so."

"After knowing for certain that you can perform Telepathy, have you never longed to connect with a certain soul?" the Highland Mage asked calmly again.

"I haven't thought about connecting with thirty."

"Is there a difference between one and infinity?"

"Connecting with even one is difficult, let alone infinity," Luo Qi said.

"That depends on the depth you wish to connect at," the Highland Mage said. "Cultivation is not for the sake of solving loneliness. To join the connection of the Highland Mages, one must restrain one's own chaotic thoughts and desires as much as possible. Connection is a means; the goal is not to solve loneliness, but to help one another, share experience and knowledge, and solve individual difficulties, allowing us to walk faster on the road to ascension."

"Let's speak plainly: if one of the Mages among you wants to leave, can they leave?" Luo Qi asked bluntly.

"The door is always open."

"To ask it another way, do the Mages among you have the ability to generate the thought of leaving?" Luo Qi asked.

Mage Hashi stared into Luo Qi's eyes, and Luo Qi met his gaze fearlessly with his doe-like eyes. After a moment, Mage Hashi said, "One of us believes that you are referring to the constraints of Entanglement."

Luo Qi was startled.

"You should not be startled, young Mage. We certainly think individually; you can imagine it as us being a group of people sitting around a round table within the Mental Domain," Mage Hashi said. "Here I need to explain something: we are not constrained by Entanglement. Our connection is Mind Mages opening their hearts to each other, blending their minds. So, to answer your previous question, we can certainly withdraw at any time. As long as you close your mind just like you do, you will leave the Fusion Circle of the Highland Mages. This is different from Entanglement; Entanglement is a complementary constraint, or one could say a Natural Contract, which perhaps cannot be acted upon autonomously."

Luo Qi was distracted. The Highland Mage's bizarre survival circle could suddenly be pushed back temporarily; now was the time. "Even with a clear mind and bright eyes, one cannot resist the drive of Entanglement? If I had an Entanglement constraint and someone held a knife to my father's throat, I wouldn't be able to resist the contract oath of the Entanglement?"

"Entanglement is not an oath; it is a Natural Contract formed by countless rigorous logics," the Highland Mage explained. "You can certainly choose your father under the knife."

"Then..."

"After that, you would make countless compensations to eliminate the paradox under the contract and make the logic close. Therefore, the price for making a Natural Contract retreat is extremely huge, perhaps a price greater than death."

Luo Qi's expression became serious, and that face with its still-soft lines tightened, "A price greater than death..."

"I perhaps know what you are thinking," the Highland Mage said. "Stop. With the power of one person, one cannot perform Calculation on fate."

"Using the power of many people, one can perform Calculation on fate?" A thought suddenly flashed through Luo Qi's mind. "By uniting minds like you do, can one perform Calculation on fate?"

"Far from enough."

"That is to say, it is still possible to perform Calculation?" Luo Qi asked.

"You are a cunning person," the Highland Mage said.

"I don't think so," Luo Qi argued in a low voice.

"In any situation, in any emotion, you seem to have never forgotten your purpose. In terms of cultivation, there is an obsession blocking you."

Luo Qi ignored his words, "Someone told me that fate cannot be calculated. Because once it is calculated and a change is made, the future changes. Unless I am only willing to be a bystander, calculating only and not acting."

"That is a clever person."

"No," Luo Qi shook his head. "When he said this at the time, I didn't understand him. Now that I look back, he must have been lying to me, or at the very least, preventing me from continuing to ask."

The Highland Mage watched silently as Luo Qi's cat crawled out. The little cat paced excitedly on the felt mat, the static sound of electricity crackling across its spine. He looked at Luo Qi thoughtfully, "You refuse to fuse with people, yet you have fused with a cat capable of Telepathy."

Luo Qi looked at him unmoved, "I think fate indeed cannot be calculated, but by calculating different fates, one can make choices for the future. Mage, have you ever done this?"

"The only future for the Highland Mages is ascension; fate does not need to be calculated."

"Then... we, the Qionglin Calculation," Luo Qi asked, "is that right?"

He thought of the First Laboratory, thought of the countless Telepathic Mages working for Qionglin, whose work content was likely more than just one or two things.

"We do not understand Qionglin, but we can see that as long as you continue to remain in the Lowland Mage population, you will rise to a high position in Qionglin, and one day the secrets of Qionglin will open their doors to you. So you do not need to ask us here."