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Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Restarting the Furnace

However, the Mind Reading Technique is not without side effects.

Just as the ability’s description states, it doesn’t observe thoughts but rather the soul. Whether or not there is physical contact with the target, the "content" read is inscribed, meaning the soul is stored, the only difference being the amount recorded.

The problem lies in the fact that these inscribed souls get mixed together with the user’s soul, thereby negatively impacting various aspects, such as hindering the operation of the Heart Method.

This insight does not come from Rodiya’s experience—she knows almost nothing about souls.

This is a judgment Chen Xuan made by combining the knowledge he learned from Liu Shuyue.

In a sense, it’s somewhat like the relationship between a cultivator and a Demon Fiend: after absorbing the fiend’s Spiritual Qi, the cultivator becomes stronger, but the Qi becomes more impure.

The Lotus Cloud Sect, however, completely abandoned this cultivation method, opting instead to absorb the Spiritual Qi of the heavens and earth for themselves. Although the results are slower, it significantly delays the eruption of Inner Demons, making the cultivation limit higher and safer.

Of course, now there is a Soul Forge, providing a means to cleanse impure souls, but it is still not easy to identify every tiny fragment of a soul.

As a user, Chen Xuan has a very clear understanding of this; in that seeming cosmos of countless soul remnants, he must have an extremely clear goal to lock onto a specific soul and select it as the material for forging.

This is also why he didn’t choose to carry the Mind Reading Technique with him all the time.

Rodiya might not care about soul mixing, but he does quite a bit.

After all, he indeed has a Heart Method in operation.

Chen Xuan also shared his speculation about the relationship between Honglian and Lin Qing with her, who showed no surprise.

"No wonder I felt such an inexplicable closeness when I first met her." Lin Qing slightly tilted her head towards Honglian and said, "This explains a lot of things."

"For example?" Honglian subconsciously asked.

"For example, why they chose you as a model." She spoke confidently, "Even second-generation prosthetics centered around nanobot technology still place a burden on the nervous system, and unrestrained usage can lead to numerous mental disorders. Your ability, the Mind Fortress, just happens to increase the prosthetic’s loading limit, which is precisely what the Dimensional Limit Mechanism needs."

"Am I being used as material by the agency..."

"Yes, sacrificing an officer is no burden for the agency’s higher-ups. Or rather, they’ve always been doing this sort of thing: depriving and monopolizing abilities." Lin Qing affirmed, "I’m most likely the result of this experiment, a Future Warrior capable of accepting full-body prosthetic transformation."

Chen Xuan frowned slightly, "In that case, the agency would logically replicate more of you."

Honglian also had questions, "And in your world line, how did Rodiya join the agency?"

"I suspect they didn’t lack the intention; they were just interrupted by other matters before they could implement it..." Lin Qing pondered, "It seems now that either the agency’s laboratory has already detected signs of nanobot malfunctions, or the agency itself is splitting."

"As for Rodiya... she doesn’t really matter."

"In those days, the agency had a monopoly, and there might have been others capable of touching souls. Once they get their hands on the Soul Forge, they’ll eventually figure out how to use it."

Honglian was momentarily silent.

Even though these were Lin Qing’s speculations, she felt events were likely as such.

Even without Elorie, she would eventually witness other Ability Users being callously handled by the agency. Given her nature, she’d never turn a blind eye... Once she decided to oppose the agency’s actions, her fate would be predictable.

"Um, but this is a bit troubling." Lin Qing suddenly displayed a perplexed expression.

"What’s wrong?" Chen Xuan asked with concern.

"I’m actually older than Honglian, but she’s my... senior?" She looked at Honglian, "Should I call you sister or junior?"

Honglian felt goosebumps, realizing the other party would immediately lose all sense of boundaries once they got familiar.

"You can just call me Honglian." She coughed awkwardly, "If you must add a title, Sister Honglian is better."

"Alright, I’ll call you Sister Honglian from now on." Lin Qing grinned broadly. "By the way, what about Shuyue and Little Angel? I suddenly miss them."

"Liu Shuyue is busy developing the Wanshan Wilderness, and as for Elorie, well... she hasn’t woken up yet." Chen Xuan said.

"You guys haven’t found a way to heal her?" She asked with surprise.

"All her bodily functions have recovered, but she just won’t wake up."

In fact, Beitian Academy had already tried various awakening attempts, combining acupuncture, electroshock, brainwave induction, and more, to no avail. If Elorie were just an ordinary patient, any doctor would consider her to be brain dead, with no need for further treatment.

Waking someone from a vegetative state is indeed a significant challenge faced by the medical field.

"How about... trying the Soul Forge?" Lin Qing suggested.

"The Forge?" Chen Xuan was slightly taken aback.

"I feel like her condition resembles a misalignment between soul and body. Her severely injured body has turned into an empty shell; even if healed, her soul can’t adapt. What do you think?"

Listening to her, Chen Xuan found that it indeed made some sense.

Originally, with such injuries, she had no chance of survival, but the Living Dead forcibly pulled her back. And the soul isn’t an incorporeal entity; at the moment her body was injured, her soul also suffered trauma, causing the two to remain unmatched.

He couldn’t help but stand up, "It might be feasible!"

"Do you want to give it a try?" Lin Qing immediately put down her chopsticks.

"Yes, let’s head out now," Chen Xuan nodded. Since Abigail hasn’t left the New City branch yet, it’ll be easier for them to get in and out of the transfer warehouse.

He first made a call to Honglian and Abigail, and after a round of coaxing, the latter reluctantly agreed to provide "cover" for them.

The next part was simple.

Chen Xuan, Honglian, and Lin Qing placed Little Angel in a box equipped with a breathing apparatus and transported it to the store in the Celestial Ridge District by car. Then, he switched the main store to the New City branch, instantly transporting the four of them to the outskirts of the city.

Half an hour later, Reid arrived at the house in a pickup truck.

On Abigail’s side, the entry approval was ready. When company security noticed that an officer was handling the transport personally, they didn’t inspect much and let the vehicle in directly.

After instructing the moving workers to unload the box into the ground floor warehouse, Reid even thoughtfully cleared all the employees out of the storeroom, not even staying back himself.

The three then used an Invisibility Talisman to deceive, carrying Elorie to the basement storeroom.

The Soul Forge still sat like a piece of post-modern artwork, unattended in the corner of the room.

Thus, when Chen Xuan placed his hand on the forge platform, the ancient voice seemed to harbor a hint of joy.

"Human, you’ve returned."

"You still recognize me?" Chen Xuan asked in surprise.

"Of course, souls have shapes." N77 spoke slowly, "Your soul is quite special."

"In what way special?"

"Accumulated too much... contained too much."

He was stunned, "What does this mean?"

Is it referring to carrying the Ability Store?

"If you can’t understand it, there’s no need to ask." N77’s answer was as cryptic as ever, "Use me with curiosity, the flames long to burn, the forge longs to be struck."