Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 614 - 555 Skull

In any case, first, stay calm.

Li Ang suppressed the intense emotional fluctuations, his mind racing.

Pocket Watch Time had jumped forward by four minutes, indicating that the Dream Eater had activated its ability. This might not be a bad thing; at the very least, it proved several matters.

One, the Dream Eater had the ability to sense the external world and reacted to threats accordingly.

Two, it was very likely that the Dream Eater’s powers could not affect Mo Si.

The second conclusion was drawn from the first. The positions where everyone stood and the content of their conversations remained unchanged. Even memories bore no gaps. The only exception was the Mo Si pocket watch, which had advanced by four minutes.

What had I done, or what had happened, in these four minutes to trigger the Dream Eater’s response mechanism...?

Three, based on the above two points, he could use the properties of Mo Si to avoid the Dream Eater’s manipulation of memory and alteration of reality.

The question is, how to do it.

After a moment of thought, Li Ang controlled Mo Si to form tiny characters of the World Language beneath the skin on his back, recording everything that had just transpired as well as the current time.

Success!

After all the characters were inscribed, Li Ang heaved a long sigh of relief.

This was a probe against the Dream Eater. He had been thinking about how to resist the Dream Eater, yet this segment of memory had not been deleted.

Perhaps the Dream Eater can’t see or understand the World Language characters. Or perhaps it’s still sleeping and will only trigger its response mechanism if I make a significant move. Regardless of the reason, this is beneficial for me. Next, I have to figure out what triggered the Dream Eater’s response mechanism.

Li Ang looked around. Lu Qingya was saying something to his wife and child, Jin Wusuan’s hired guards were still in a standoff, and Chen Wanyi’s group was in a similar situation.

"Priest Chen," Li Ang said, taking a step forward.

"Ang’er, by saying this, aren’t you putting Mr. Qingya in an unkind and unjust position?" Cui Yi, his mother, couldn’t help but tug at Li Ang’s clothes and whispered, "Is this really okay? Could it be... dangerous?"

"Mother, I know what I’m doing."

Li Ang shook his head naturally, and then his pupils slightly dilated.

The Pocket Watch’s hand pointed to 12:18, suddenly jumping forward eight minutes from when he had checked it just a second ago!

Wait, what is this?

A faint itching sensation came from his back. After scanning with his Spiritual Sense, he found characters of the World Language formed by Mo Si.

Did I write these?

He scanned them at a glance, and all the information converged in his mind as his thoughts whirled.

Assuming the Mo Si characters on my back were indeed left by me, then this isn’t the first memory reset, but the second. The inscription read: ’The record of the Mo Si characters stops abruptly the instant the self, after the first memory reset, took a step towards Chen Wanyi.’ This means the Dream Eater’s trigger is approaching Chen Wanyi—or more precisely, what might happen *after* approaching Chen Wanyi. Working backward from this, my original self must have approached Chen Wanyi. Something happened, resulting in the first memory reset. After being reset, I still chose to approach Chen Wanyi. But just as I took a step, the Dream Eater interrupted, clearing all progress.

Li Ang speculated about the causes and process of the previous two resets, thinking silently, I can’t make the same mistake again. Once, or even twice, might be excusable, but not a third time. If I continue to approach Chen Wanyi, it will likely trigger unknown consequences. I must think of another way.

The Dream Eater is so fixated on Chen Wanyi. It’s obviously wary of him, or something he’s carrying—some information or an item. Is there a way to get the key clues by bypassing the Dream Eater without arousing its suspicion...?

"COUGH, COUGH!"

Li Ang feigned physical weakness and coughed twice, retreating to sit down by the wall. His palm quietly rested on the long, wooden box in the corner.

Opening the wooden box, the Dragon Fall Spear, covered in Mo Si, lay conspicuously inside.

Dragon Fall—Command Spell, activate.

Li Ang gripped the spear, activating the Dragon Fall’s second ability, known as the Command Spell, which controlled living beings within a certain range.

He didn’t aim at humans but targeted the insects swept into the Ghost Realm.

Invisible waves emanated from the Dragon Fall Spear, spreading out in ripples to a range of one meter.

A tiny moth perched in the corner suddenly stiffened, then took flight. It slowly approached Chen Wanyi, landed on him, and slipped through a gap in his clothes. Through the moth’s senses, Li Ang saw the bronze box Chen Wanyi held in his embrace, along with several slender copper needles.

The copper needles were engraved with text—all sorts of mystical writings from Taihao Mountain scriptures. They promised that anyone who drove the long needles into their skull would have their sins erased and become utterly serene.

It’s not just erasing sins; they’d turn into idiots, wouldn’t they? Isn’t this just a frontal lobotomy?! Li Ang thought silently.

The frontal lobe is one of the most important regions of the brain. If a tool, like a leucotome, is inserted through the bone beneath the eyelid to cut out the frontal lobe’s brain protein, the person loses the ability to produce emotions. They become "docile and peaceful, as harmless as animals."

Promoters of this surgery claimed it could cure patients with severe mental illnesses, including those prone to violence or with intellectual disabilities. They actively advocated for frontal lobotomies to "strangle mental illness in the cradle." The procedure even won a Nobel Prize. It wasn’t until many years later that the general public realized its harm.

There are six copper needles. This must correspond to the six people from Taihao Mountain that Chen Wanyi mentioned earlier. They’re convinced that a frontal lobotomy can counter the Dream Eater’s abilities. It’s understandable why they’ve been hesitant to use them. Once those needles are driven in, you become a complete idiot.

Li Ang opened his eyes. He had figured out a way to break the impasse.

"Dad, Mom."

He called out softly. Li Hanquan and Cui Yi looked at him worriedly. "What’s wrong, Ang’er?"

Li Ang said earnestly, "I succeeded. I got into the Academic Palace, I have a group of teachers and friends who care about me, I started my own career, and I do my best to help those in need. Every day I live a full and satisfying life."

"What nonsense are you speaking, child?" Cui Yi’s eyebrows knitted slightly, not understanding the meaning behind Li Ang’s words. Their family had clearly gone to Chang’an together with Li Ang, living under the same roof in the Golden City Mansion for all these years.

She and her husband had watched with their own eyes as Li Ang was accepted into the Academic Palace and worked to seek welfare for Yu Country’s citizens. They felt immense pride and joy for their son from the bottom of their hearts. The only thing that gave them a bit of a headache was Li Ang’s persistent refusal to marry.

The Princess, Chai Chai, Dr. Qiu... they’re all quite suitable.

"Is it a headache again? Come, take your medicine." Qiu Feng reached for a pill to give to Li Ang, but Li Hanquan, who had been silent, raised his hand and gently took his wife’s wrist, shaking his head.

"So that’s how it is." Li Hanquan had understood the reason behind Li Ang’s words. He sighed softly and said gently, "Your mother and I are both proud of you. From now on, you must live well and take good care of yourself."

"MHM." Li Ang nodded firmly, stood up, and embraced the bewildered Chai Chai by his side.

"EH?" Chai Chai’s face instantly flushed red, and with a mix of confusion, unease, and vexation, she stammered, "Eldest Son, what are you doing?"

Li Ang just held Chai Chai, feeling her body heat and heartbeat.

My memories are confused. I’m not sure if my parents, Chai Chai... if any of them are real or fake. The choice right now is incredibly heavy.

"I’m sorry," Li Ang spoke softly, "and thank you."

A massive amount of Mo Si climbed up his spine, reaching his skull and enveloping the entire cranium before transforming into gold.