First of all, congratulations to Shu on the end of this journey. It's truly a joyous occasion, worthy of a Coca-Cola.
Looking back on Shu's journey, Memory, Vision, and a certain Desire—three Herrschers blocked Shu's path like levels in a game. Shu's luck really isn't good (feeling guilty).
But no matter how difficult it was, he made it through, didn't he?
It's just that this volume was a bit difficult for me to write. The most difficult part was the clash between realism and nihilism. Nobody told me before I started writing that these two things would be so torturous.
Anyway, I'm mentally and physically exhausted from writing it. I always feel like I didn't write what I wanted to write, and what I did write had some unexpected pleasant surprises. I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing.
So, before I answer questions as usual, I think it's necessary to show you some of my initial drafts, heh heh heh—
Before introducing the clash between realism and nihilism, the core of the problem was the conflict between two generations.
The Herrscher and Noah were not originally the same person, and Frélle was not a true young lady at first.
I wanted to shape a dead person in this chapter, a "white moonlight" who looked a lot like Frélle but had a completely different status.
Then, I would tell the story of this white moonlight's companion reader (the Herrscher), fiancé (Noah), and her maid (Frélle), three people who made three different choices in the same situation.
Resistance, sinking, and aiding the evildoer...
But later, I saw a sentence. It shattered all my arrangements in a simple and crude way and gave me a brand new idea.
"A ship is safest in the harbor."
"But my dear, that's not why ships are built."
It was this simple conversation that made me directly overturn the entire outline. I canceled the "white moonlight" that was supposed to be the core of this chapter and introduced the clash between realism and nihilism.
And the plots for the other two originally planned cores—Bronya and Mei—didn't change much. One was still deeply confused, and the other was directly confronting the Herrscher.
It's just that Mei couldn't break the Herrscher's defense, and Bronya couldn't get Kiana's guidance.
But there's a line that Kiana would have originally said that I still like a lot. It's just that for the sake of the sentence above, I had to make a concession and put it here as a scrapped idea.
"Bronya, Shu is right outside. As long as you tell me you want to leave, Shu and I can take you out of here right away! No one can stop us, I'm telling you!"
This is a tribute to the Judicial Island arc of One Piece, Robin's line "I want to live." But I saw a solution that I found even more amazing. That line "that's not why ships are built" had a huge personal impact on me.
Alright, now it's time to answer questions.
Why couldn't Shu break through the canopy? Was his combat power forcibly suppressed and his intelligence lowered?
No, I can say with certainty that his combat power was absolutely not suppressed in the matter of the canopy, because when I designed the canopy, I designed it specifically to counter all of Shu's abilities, to ensure that it was absolutely impossible for Shu to break through.
Some people suggested using a clone. A clone has no core and can enter the canopy by simulating an aura.
Then how do you control this clone? You have to know that all control is "wired." Whether you use a physical wire or an information line, shortwave, longwave, electromagnetic waves, even quantum entanglement is a kind of "wired" connection. Having this line means that the clone cannot be remotely controlled to enter.
Then should we give the clone a separate self-awareness? This involves nihilism.
How do you prove that your own consciousness was not given to you? Then a series of unprovable and unfalsifiable questions like "upper-level narrative," "game of a higher civilization," "brain in a vat" will come up.
Some also suggested using spatial teleportation to get in directly. I can explain to you why that's not possible.
First, let's establish a Cartesian coordinate system. Shu's current position is (0, 0). Then, find the position of 1 on the x-axis and the position of 1 on the y-axis.
Then we draw a line that passes through the position of 1 on the x-axis and is parallel to the y-axis, and then draw a line that passes through 1 on the y-axis and is parallel to the x-axis. The intersection of these two lines is the target point (1, 1) that Shu wants to move to.
And what is the role of the canopy?
Draw a circle on this Cartesian coordinate system. No auxiliary lines are allowed within the circle, including the auxiliary lines you feel. And this circle happens to cover the point that Shu wants to displace to.
Please find a method to accurately determine the displacement point.
This is the problem Shu is facing. Within the diameter of the circle, he has no reference coordinates, no power (auxiliary lines) that can extend in to locate, and no ability to open a portal with the help of auxiliary lines.
In other words, within that circle, not only are auxiliary lines not allowed, but also the pen used to mark the points.
You cannot leave a mark in a place covered by a bowl. So, in the two-dimensional world of paper, you are equivalent to being unable to interfere with anything covered by the bowl.
Some also suggested using the ability of time stop or time rewind. First, let's assume that time is an inherent constant that is truly independent of real objects. Second, let's talk about what butterfly effects and grandfather paradoxes this kind of constant imaginary number record tampering will involve.
The above is even a pseudo-proposition that can only be born with a default prerequisite. Besides privately setting "time is a constant," you also defaulted that "time is broad rather than narrow," "time is single-linear rather than tree-shaped," "time is a screenable set rather than an inclusive sum," "if time satisfies the conditions of constant, linear, screenable set, etc., its expression in three-dimensional space is a slice rather than a superposition state, a non-collapsed state, a non-wave state, etc., a non-fixed state."
Do you mean that besides achieving a relative time difference by accelerating himself, Shu has to first modify the basic rules of the universe into the hypothetical state you set, and then use his time ability?
If you want to kill him, just say so. There's no need to trick him into trying this way. The basic rules of the universe are something that would drain him dry if he even glanced at them.
Are Bronya and Mei's roles a bit too small?
Well, are there enough roles in this volume? If there are too many, you're not happy, and you'll scold me for being cruel...
Can Shu really not have a romantic plotline?
He can. This time I'm not kidding. I really think... he can.
But it won't be that kind of deliberate, only-for-one-person, never-give-up romance, but other kinds of more important emotions.
It's just that you definitely won't see this romantic plotline fully explode in the next two volumes, because I've already prepared a separate volume to pave the way for this romantic plotline.
I've been laying the groundwork for this romantic plotline for six volumes... okay, it's not even foreshadowing anymore. From the beginning of Memory, this line has been laid out right in front of your faces
if you not find the hint then eh.. not my problem~
When can we see Bianka's plot again?
The main perspective will shift back to that side in the next volume. Shu? Shu is still on his way back in the car.
The main theme of this volume.
The central idea of this volume is actually quite a lot, but it's actually very simple.
But the core is still one thing—after you know that you are not a peerless genius who can break the class divide (second volume), do we still need to work hard in difficult situations?
I can only give a simple answer.
Even if we have nothing, even if the world is full of malice, we cannot give up on working hard.
Because the reason why humanity is great is precisely because people have never lacked the courage to look into the unknown and the bleak.
---||---
Next Volume Preview
["She's a monster! She's the reason Mr. Siegfried lost his arm!!"
"Cecilia, I know you believe in her, but what about the monster in her? Do you believe in it too?"
"Siegfried fought with the intention of dying together to buy us this chance... We don't have a second Siegfried."]
["In this grand trial, let us judge your sins..."
"Only those whose hearts are lighter than a feather can achieve victory."
"Unfortunately, Miss Cecilia... you had selfish desires. You lost..."]
["Gu Chu! We are the same kind! The one who should be cooperating with me is you! Not you and that group of humans!"
"Is that so?"
"But I only have one purpose."
"What?"
"And that is to know from you... whether I am qualified to fight Shu!"]
...
["Sorry, Bianka is the daughter I acknowledge, so I have to refuse your nonsensical conditions."
"To protect the one I love, I am willing to offer my life and all the glory of Kaslana! Let this heavenly fire cleanse everything!!"]