Chapter 358

Luo En stood alone in the laboratory of his new residence.

Tomorrow's academic review meeting would be an important appearance for him after returning to the Central Lands.

"Must not repeat the same mistakes..." he muttered in his heart.

At the last academic review meeting, his overly idealistic expression almost pushed him to the edge of danger.

That grand concept of an "consciousness-sharing network," while revolutionary at the technical level,

was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous topic of discussion, according to the reactions of several reviewers.

"The destruction of the 'Dream-Weaving Civilization'..."

The Phantom King's warning echoed in his mind like the whisper of an ancient curse.

That civilization, which had once mastered virtual world technology, was completely erased by the "Anomaly Catcher" because it violated certain unspeakable rules.

Along with their history, culture, and even their very existence, they were completely deleted from the timeline.

This terrifying fate made Luo En deeply vigilant about his own research direction.

He took a heavy ancient book from his space bag; it was "Chronicles of Lost Arts," which he had borrowed not long ago.

The author was the late historian Vassy Gould, the same author as the previous "Legacy of the Annihilation Era."

Opening one of the pages, the name Lance Hewitt caught his eye.

"Lance's death is full of doubts; according to his notes, it seems he was cursed by the enemies of the Phantom King due to excessive contact with him..."

Luo En read the book carefully, his brow gradually furrowing.

"Alexander Moss, Lance's chief assistant, inherited most of the research materials after his mentor's death.

He tried to continue some of Lance's unfinished research, but disappeared on the seventh day after the project started.

The search and rescue team found his body on the fourth floor of the Abyss; the cause of death was 'mental breakdown'."

"Tessaya Smith, a genius scholar who had received personal guidance from Lance.

While studying Lance's secret notes, she claimed to have discovered an amazing theory about the 'Key of Harmony.'

But when she attempted to conduct related experiments, the entire laboratory was completely destroyed by an unknown force, and she herself turned into fly ash."

"Dimitri Kaufman, an alchemy master of the late Third Era.

He claimed to have mastered the core principles of Lance's consciousness-weaving technology and tried to combine it with his own soul-forging craft.

As a result, during a public demonstration, he suddenly began to self-mutilate in front of hundreds of spectators, as if countless different personalities were fighting for control of his body..."

Every case pointed to the same terrifying conclusion:

Any scholar who attempted to delve into the various concepts left behind would eventually meet with misfortune.

And these ways of death were extremely bizarre, far exceeding the scope of normal experimental errors.

Luo En closed the book and activated "Hermit's Insight" for deep thinking.

In this state, he could more clearly analyze the connections between various pieces of information.

"Lance's friend... the Phantom King."

The Phantom King had warned him that the "Anomaly Catcher" would not intervene directly.

Instead, it would use subtle influences to make off-track research naturally fail.

The brilliance of this method lay in the fact that no one could detect the existence of intervention; everything looked like normal academic risk.

"But Lance's death, judging from the description, does not look like the result of such 'subtle intervention'."

Luo En reached this unsettling conclusion in his heart.

First of all, the other party's experiment hadn't produced any results yet; acting so impatiently was completely inconsistent with the characteristics of "subtle intervention."

And after Lance died, those juniors who inherited his research died prematurely before they could make any major achievements...

The "Anomaly Catcher" could clear an entire civilization, which was akin to the manifestation of cosmic rules.

Such a rule-based existence targeting a few small scholars didn't seem quite right.

According to Luo En's own thoughts, this was more likely some of the Phantom King's enemies hiding in the dark.

Didn't Lance's notes also say that he was subjected to a "curse from another world"?

This also explained why every time the Phantom King contacted him, it had to be so untraceable and sneaky.

But this led to another deeper question.

Why didn't the Phantom King explain his possible enemies to Lance and himself?

Luo En felt that the doubts at this moment were wrapped in one another, forming a thick mystery clouding his thoughts.

He sighed and stroked the silver pocket watch in his bosom.

This relic from the Clock King Erica was not only a powerful trump card but also a warning to him.

Even a powerful existence like Erica, who could contend with a Wizard King at the level of a Great Wizard, ultimately had to choose to perish with her enemies.

"The stronger the power, the more attention it attracts..."

He remembered what Uter had once said: "The brighter the candle, the fiercer the storm."

Luo En took a deep breath and took out a set of portable divination tools from his space bag.

He came to the carpet in the reception room to set up a divination array, and then took out several special astrological dice.

Each side of these dice was engraved with different astrological symbols, which could reflect the basic destiny trend.

"Regarding the research on virtual world interaction technology..."

He muttered the question in his heart and then threw the dice lightly.

The three dice rolled on the carpet, and the combination displayed when they finally stopped made his heart sink.

"Star of Destruction, Wheel of Chaos, Gate of Death..."

This was one of the most dangerous combinations he had ever seen.

No matter from which angle it was interpreted, it pointed to the same conclusion:

Promoting consciousness-sharing technology at the current stage would lead to disastrous consequences.

But when he changed the question to "researching this technology after promoting to an Ancient Alchemist," the result shown by the dice was completely different.

"Star of the Hermit, Wheel of Balance, Gate of Opportunity..."

This stark contrast gave him a deeper understanding of the importance of timing.

Clearly, the difference in strength level would directly affect the risk factor when researching certain forbidden technologies.

The four-star professional rating of an Ancient Alchemist might be the minimum threshold for accessing such technology.

"So the strategy now should be..."

Luo En put away the divination tools and formulated his speech strategy for tomorrow's review meeting in his heart.

Absolutely no mention of any content related to consciousness sharing or virtual world interaction.

Even if the review committee members asked proactively, he would use the excuse that "the technology is not mature enough" to decline.

His research focus must be strictly limited to safe areas that had already been verified.

Abyss adaptability training, mobile portability improvements, and basic simulation effect optimization were all relatively safe directions for development.

Standing up, Luo En walked to the window and stared at the spires flickering in the night sky in the distance.

Each tower represented a different research direction, and each ray of light carried the hard work of a scholar.

But beneath this superficial prosperity, how many unknown dangers were hidden?

And how many researchers had unknowingly stepped into death traps on the road to pursuing knowledge?

"Tomorrow's review meeting..."

He confirmed the key points of his speech in his heart again.

Only when he truly possessed enough power and influence could he consider pushing for some more idealistic changes.

Before that, keeping a low profile and being cautious was the wisest choice.

He took another item from his space bag; it was the "Eye of True Knowledge" amulet gifted by Chester.

This heirloom of the Black family not only had extremely high practical value but also represented a certain connection with the traditional faction.

Although Chester was currently at a disadvantage, the deep foundation of the traditional faction would not disappear completely due to a temporary political setback.

At the right time, this connection might play an unexpected role.

Carefully putting away the amulet, Luo En began to prepare for rest.

Tomorrow's review meeting would start at nine in the morning, and he needed to ensure he had enough rest time.