Chapter 192: Transformation

The corridor of the System Space was silent, only the regular light tapping of Black Curtain Lady's heels on the floor could be heard.

At that moment, the terminal on her wrist gently vibrated, popping up an extremely brief message:

"Come over."

Sender: Na Ke Xia (Anaksgoras).

Heimu's steps faltered slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in her violet‑black eyes.

The scholar, though usually not overly polite in communication, rarely speaks so directly… jumping straight to the point with a slightly commanding tone.

"That's rare."

Heimu muttered to herself, turned around, and headed toward the consciousness space area that sealed the Golden Descendant.

After passing through several corridors of shifting light and shadow, she quickly arrived at the space doorway marked "TirixiBiyosi".

The door here was simulated by the system as a warm, relief‑carved wooden door, yet it still exuded a sense of isolated seclusion.

At that moment, a person stood at the doorway.

Na Ke Xia crossed arms, leaned against the wall beside the door, eyes closed, and beneath the green short hair the face that was always serious now wore a…deep expression.

Na Ke Xia tilted head slightly upward, jaw clenched, as if contemplating the ultimate truth of the universe, or having just accomplished a remarkable feat.

Heimu's mouth twitched slightly.

When did this senior scholar of Weng Fa Luo Si also pick up that "pretentious" habit?

Is it the Aftereffects of having A Xing's Salted Fish smash his brain?

She stepped forward, stopped two steps away from Na Ke Xia, and in a calm, unruffled tone said, "You called me over, what's the matter?"

Her gaze, however, swept the other from head to toe, confirming there were no signs of aggravated cognitive disorder.

Na Ke Xia seemed only then roused, slowly opening his eyes.

He didn't turn his head fully, but cast his right eye diagonally toward Heimu, and in that gaze…there was a certainty of "you finally came" and a barely perceptible…"praise" nuance (?).

He didn't answer directly; instead, with his right hand clasped behind his arm, he extended a thumb, deliberately pointing toward the door behind him, his voice deliberately low and brief:

"Go inside. Once you do, you'll understand."

Heimu raised her left eyebrow.

Well now, playing the riddler, are we?

That manner is just like an NPC from some third‑rate knight novel, tasked with guiding the protagonist to a treasure.

She glanced at the door, then at Na Ke Xia's "the secret cannot be revealed, but you'll understand once you go in" expression, and her curiosity was genuinely piqued.

What changes could Ti Bao's space possibly have?

"I'll be interested to see what tricks you can pull off."

Heimu said lightly, ignored the still‑posing Na Ke Xia at the doorway, and reached out to push open the warm wooden door.

The scene inside made Heimu's steps falter slightly.

The space remained that ancient‑Greek‑style, warmly arranged living room, windowless, fully enclosed, with soft warm light spilling from an unseen source.

However, the biggest difference from every previous visit was— all the mountain‑high, ubiquitous, various‑sized "Ti Bao" dolls in the room had vanished.

The room was restored to tidiness, even appearing somewhat spacious.

On the chair in the center of the room, Da Ti Bao sat there.

She no longer curled as before, but sat upright, hands on her knees, head tilted back, gazing at the ceilingless void, as if daydreaming or pondering something.

Hearing the movement at the doorway, Ti Bao slowly lowered her head and looked over.

When she realized the newcomer was Heimu, her perpetually naive blue eyes first flashed a familiar delight, but quickly that delight was replaced by a more complex emotion.

She stood, walked toward Heimu, her steps no longer lively but rather sluggish and heavy.

"Mom!"

She called out habitually, but the voice was softer than usual.

Heimu stepped forward, about to respond with as gentle a tone as before, but heard Ti Bao stop two steps away, hands nervously clutching her skirt hem, lips pursed, then, with a much clearer and firmer voice, said:

"Um… Mom… I, I want to go out."

Heimu's steps came to a complete halt.

She almost thought she had misheard.

Those violet‑black eyes stared steadily at the seemingly changed Ti Bao, confirming the expression on the other's face was no longer pure avoidance but a courage of self‑breakthrough.

"... What?"

Heimu reflexively asked back, her voice tinged with rare surprise.

Ti Bao seemed a bit more nervous from Heimu's reaction, but she inhaled deeply, as if using all her strength, and repeated even clearer and louder:

"I want to go out. Leave here. To… to the outside world, to be with everyone."

This time, Heimu heard clearly.

Not only the words were clear, but she also detected the subtle yet genuine tremor behind them.

This was no longer a cognition‑disordered person mired in a false family relationship, but a soul struggling in confusion to grasp reality.

Without hesitation, Heimu swept her left hand through the air, and a translucent System Panel visible only to her instantly popped up.

She swiftly switched to Ti Bao's Individual State Page.

Under the 【Cognitive State】 column, that gray, unselectable 【Recognition/Subjugation】 button…now shone brightly!

Emitting a soft, operable white light!

Heimu's pupils contracted slightly, as if inhaling a gasp of cool air.

"What's going on?!"

She felt a tremor within.

The Repair Degree hasn't broken through; theoretically, the Golden Descendant's Deep Seal shouldn't loosen on its own.

She jerked her head up, looking again at the Ti Bao before her.

Ti Bao was also looking at her, those azure eyes filled with complex emotions: relief, anticipation, anxiety about the unknown, and the lightness of finally having made a decision.

Clearly, this Consent was not a momentary impulse, but the result of a long and painful self‑struggle and contemplation.

How did this change happen?

What did Na Ke Xia do?

Questions swirled, but the most important thing now is to seize the opportunity that this unexpected arrival presents.

Heimu no longer hesitated, extended a forefinger, and gently pressed the lit Consent button.

"Beep."

A crisp System Prompt Sound rang, as if a crucial switch had been triggered.

Shana, centered on Ti Bao, the entire cozy yet enclosed Greek‑style room underwent a earth‑shattering transformation!

On all four walls, a number of spacious, bright arched windows materialized out of thin air; Weng Fa Luo Si's soft, radiant sunlight poured in unimpeded, dispelling every oppression that stemmed from the room's enclosure.

The air itself seemed to become fresh and circulating, and the whole space instantly shifted from a "delicate cage" to a bright, open, hope‑filled dwelling.

Standing at the center of the light, Ti Bao's body gave a slight shiver.

The naive expression on her face vanished as quickly as a thin mist under the sun.

She stared blankly, raised her hand, caught a beam of incoming sunlight, felt its genuine warmth, and her gaze shifted from bewildered to clear and profound.

Moments later, she seemed to recall something, and also seemed to finally let something go, her mouth slowly shaping a relieved and genuine smile.

Within that smile lay the fatigue of long‑standing confusion, and the ease of newly regained life.

Heimu blinked, so… that's it? Done?

Much smoother and calmer than anticipated.