Yunxi and the others listened carefully without interrupting Minister Ruo Bai, but privately the four of them had already begun communicating through divine sense.
Yun Chen:Amitabha! Back then, Azure Star must have been connected to the underworld. The scientist transferred his wife's soul into another body, but that body must have already had a soul of its own. Two souls sharing one body would only drain each other, eventually driving the person into madness.
Han Lian:These scientists all carry a touch of madness. If he loved his wife so deeply, why not die with her? If they could not share life, at least they could share a grave in death. Perhaps in their next life, they could meet again and continue their bond.
Xun Kun:This little world has no Daoist inheritance. They believe only in the present life, not in reincarnation. That is why they resorted to such extreme measures. This must be the beginning of artificially controlled reincarnation.
Yunxi:Scientists' madness is beyond your imagination. Someone will surely inherit this madman's legacy, continuing the research and perfecting this reincarnation system.
As expected, Minister Ruo Bai continued:
"After Scientist Xie lost his mind, his assistant took over the laboratory and continued the research.
After a decade of study, he discovered that transferring a soul into an adult's body always led to insanity. So he shifted his focus to newborns and eventually realized that only by introducing a soul into a fetus in the womb could a person grow up normally.
However, this process of reincarnation caused some memory loss. Under specific conditions, though, those memories could resurface.
This research was considered a preliminary success. The assistant wanted to popularize this technology to save those suffering from rare diseases. His intentions were noble, but because it broke the natural order, those in power refused to approve its implementation."
At this point, Minister Ruo Bai paused.
Yunxi let out a cold snort. "The rulers didn't oppose it for moral reasons. It was about their own interests. They would secretly use this artificial reincarnation technology to ensure their families always had the most outstanding heirs and maintained access to the best resources."
Ruo Bai pursed his lips but didn't argue. It was the truth.
"Madam Ran Xi is correct. After undergoing reincarnation three times, these people began to exhibit problems. They grew cold, ruthless, even bloodthirsty. Yet none of them were willing to give up this technology.
They pooled their wealth to build a new laboratory, determined to find the flaw in the process. They aimed to perfect the technology and conducted even more experiments, this time using only souls of those who had died of old age or accidents.
It took the scientists five years to find the root cause. Multiple reincarnations left impurities on the soul, and excessive memories created chaos in thought. This drastically changed a person's personality and could even drive them insane.
To find a way to purify these impurities, they spent three more years experimenting. Eventually, they discovered a type of crystal that could cleanse the soul's impurities and erase some unnecessary memories, allowing the soul to enter the womb in its purest state and achieve a perfect reincarnation.
To ensure no more errors, they launched a massive round of experiments, finally mastering the perfected reincarnation technique.
At that time, Azure Star's population was exploding. To control the growth, a new department was established to oversee artificial reincarnation, forming the Reincarnation System.
But after population growth was brought under control, large numbers of infants were born with vacant stares. Tests revealed they had no souls. The Reincarnation System had to assign experimental souls to these infants to ensure they could grow normally.
To prevent panic, the authorities claimed it was a rare neonatal disease and said they had developed a special treatment to cure it before birth. Eventually, Reincarnation System facilities were established across the land, and reincarnation came under full human control.
The middle and upper classes largely abandoned natural pregnancy, opting instead for artificial gestation pods. This made it easier for the Reincarnation System to monitor and insert souls at the optimal moment."
Xun Kun interjected coldly. "What about the lower-class citizens?"
Ruo Bai cleared his throat softly. "They are also citizens of Azure Star. If they don't want to risk giving birth to soulless infants, they undergo regular prenatal examinations. At the right time, the Reincarnation Department implants souls into the mother's womb."
"If everything worked as you say, the Reincarnation System shouldn't have malfunctioned. Yet we've seen souls that weren't purified. What's going on? Are you selectively purifying souls?"
Ruo Bai sighed. "This was a last resort. The purification crystals are depleting too quickly, and they're a non-renewable resource. When they're gone, Azure Star will collapse."
Han Lian sneered. "No doubt those crystals are hoarded by the ruling elite."
Ruo Bai spoke honestly. "They have indeed spent a fortune stockpiling crystals for their families. But as I said, no matter how rich or powerful they are, they cannot monopolize them all. If the foundation crumbles, their upper echelons will also fall and be utterly destroyed."
"And your solution?"
"To ensure that at least seventy percent of souls are thoroughly purified, the remaining thirty percent are only lightly cleansed. Birth rates have been gradually reduced, but not to the point of alarming the population."
Yunxi shook her head. "You're drinking poison to quench your thirst. This is a vicious cycle. Without new, pure souls, you're only digging your own graves. Haven't you realized Azure Star's species are already on the path to extinction?"
Minister Ruo Bai gave a bitter smile. "Madam Ran Xi is right. Elder Nan said the same thing. His estimate matches yours: in a hundred years, Azure Star will become a dead star."
"Elder Nan?"
It was the second time Yunxi had heard the name. Yun Chen, standing nearby, explained, "He is the current head of the Reincarnation Department. He single-handedly supports the entire system, but his days are numbered."
Hearing this, Ruo Bai's hand clenched tightly on his knee before slowly relaxing. "Elder Nan instructed me to answer all your questions. He said only you can help Azure Star survive this calamity and asked me to fully cooperate."
Yunxi looked up. "So, do you speak for the Special Department or for all of Azure Star?"
"I only represent the Special Department."
Yunxi turned to Lan Lan, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, and smiled."Lan Lan, do you think we should help?"
Lan Lan had been absentmindedly holding Li Li's right paw ever since Ruo Bai began speaking. Suddenly hearing her name, she blurted instinctively, "Master, please, you must help us."
Yunxi's smile deepened. "To earn the help of the four of us, your people will have to pay a steep price. I doubt your family will agree so easily."
Lan Lan froze, then said softly, "So this is why Master was willing to hire me temporarily."