Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 469 - 468: An Even More Terrifying Beast

Gawain did not expect Rebecca to prepare a second project for this experiment, but upon hearing the words ”random selection” from her, he immediately guessed the girl’s intention.

”I want to test more accurately to see exactly how the mental Steel Stamp works,” Rebecca explained her thought process, pointing to the devices the researchers were installing on the experimental platform, ”This is a modified rune trigger—it contains a constantly rotating disc with a cog, and when the button is pressed, the disc will contact a small platform. Only when the cog on the disc turns to the appropriate position will the connection between the cog and platform form a correct magic circuit—the entire device is enclosed, which means the person pressing the button has no idea what result will come of their actions; their mental choice is limited to whether they pressed the button, not whether they activated the system...”

Amber’s mouth parted wide, shock evident as she looked at Rebecca. She finally understood part of it and exclaimed, ”You researchers... how does your mind grow?!”

Gawain also found himself captivated by Rebecca’s design of this process. The process itself didn’t exceed his imagination, but the girl’s thought process always brought surprises. He stroked his chin, contemplating while speaking, ”The rotating cog disc is actually a pseudo-random system, but the key to this system isn’t randomness; it’s the tester...”

”Yes, about the tester ’not knowing the outcome’,” Rebecca nodded, ”I want to know, when the tester doesn’t even know whether they’ll defy the gods, does the mental Steel Stamp still work, or will it only trigger the Steel Stamp when the tester develops a faith-based doubt about their behavior?”

Pittman, who had remained silent, was also intrigued by this exquisite ”random selection” experiment. The old Druid, usually not very serious, now wore the interested yet solemn and expectant expression of a researcher. He circled the experimental platform while stroking his beard, nodding as he went: ”Ingenious... ingenious... this should yield only three different results. The first is that in the Inversion Circle System, the Holy Light Foundation Plate can activate, but the plate directly provided energy by the tester won’t activate. The second is that both plates are activated, and the third is that neither plate is activated—respectively corresponding to the case where the Steel Stamp is effective in a random selection scenario, the Steel Stamp failing, and the cog not connecting.”

Amber thought for a moment, then unexpectedly posed a question: ”What if the plate directly supplying energy by the tester is activated, but the plate connected to the Inversion Circle isn’t?”

The laboratory fell silent, several gazes simultaneously turning to Amber, making the half-elf girl instinctively shrink her neck. Pittman fiercely tugged at his beard and, after a long silence, finally said, ”That would mean we’ve all been fooled by the Holy Light God!”

”Begin,” Gawain exhaled deeply and nodded at Cohen Bell in front of the experimental platform, ”Proceed with the random selection.”

The young researcher solemnly bowed slightly, then adjusted his breathing before turning to the direction of the experimental platform.

All unrelated personnel withdrew to the side, closely watching the situation on the experimental platform, while Cohen Bell placed his finger on the modified, large ’rune trigger’ resembling a rectangular iron box. He silently counted a few beats in his heart, then injected magic power into the purple copper button and pressed it down forcefully.

A series of clicks sounded from the ”random selection” device, and a moment later, both rune triggers on the experimental platform showed no response.

Kamel stepped forward to check the device and then announced the result: ”First test, ineffective connection, commence the second test.”

Cohen Bell once again injected magic power into the rune trigger, then pressed the button.

During the breathless wait, under everyone’s watchful gaze, both rune triggers on the experimental platform lit up simultaneously, generating a stable Holy Light!

Several sounds of drawing breaths echoed in the laboratory, while Kamel stepped forward to confirm that everything about the experimental device was normal before announcing the result in a slightly trembling voice: ”Second test, all samples lit!”

Gawain suppressed his excitement and gave the order in the calmest tone possible: ”Proceed to the third test.”

”...Third test, all samples lit!”

”...Fourth test, ineffective connection...”

”...Fifth test, all samples lit!!”

The young mage Cohen continued to activate the rune trigger before him, his eyes shining as if immersed in some unexplainable exhilaration, until both rune triggers used for testing fell into a state of waste energy overload, at which point he stopped under Kamel’s command.

The laboratory was silent, only the low humming from various ancient magical devices and the defense systems of the laboratory echoed in the air that seemed almost solidified. Kamel quietly floated in front of the experimental platform, watching the two rune triggers gradually dim. After a long while, he looked up, the lights embedded in the Arcane Cloud flashing as he slowly scanned the entire room.

He seemed to see the scene of its former glory here. He saw the emblem of the Gondor Empire hanging on the walls, saw the Energy Conduits in the laboratory flicking on and off, saw colleagues in imperial mage robes standing before each experimental platform. Those people turned their heads, smiling, sending congratulations to this place.

Kamel raised his hands, his voice reverberating throughout the laboratory: ”Defiers, rejoice! We’ve opened another gate!”

Cheers truly came from all directions, and the scenes of yesteryear in Kamel’s eyes crumbled violently. He saw the familiar laboratory laid with a modern beehive-like Magic Web, and around him stood researchers in short white robes. Their blurry faces faded from his sight, and those new faces became increasingly clear to him.

Kamel looked at Gawain: ”Sorry, my lord, I lost my composure.”

”It’s fine, it’s a moment worth losing composure over,” Gawain was ungrudging in his praise, looking approvingly at each of the researchers here, ”Every one of you is outstanding—we should celebrate, for we have just broken through the authority of the gods! We have proven with facts that even so-called ’Divine Arts’ can be explained and controlled with logic and technology!”

Wright stood quietly to the side, observing as the smartest group of people on this land completed this experiment—there were no thrilling spectacles, no grand scenes of human oceans, only a dozen researchers, a few witnesses, and two small clusters of Holy Light on the experiment table. Yet, in these seemingly unremarkable two hours, the events here were no less significant than any war waged in history in the name of gods!

This was indeed a war, without the shadow of swords or the storm of blood, yet it signified humanity’s first successful rebellion against the gods.

”Now we can confirm, the Mental Imprint is affected by ’self-perception’,” Kamel left the experiment table and came to Gawain, ”In cases with random choices, the test subjects are unsure of the outcome of their actions. Therefore, even if they know their act might be ’defiant’, the Mental Imprint does not activate. We also proved through our first experiment that even when the Mental Imprint does activate, magic devices running on purely mechanical principles can be unaffected. Although the process of ’pulling the trigger’ involves mental participation and indeed triggers the imprint, the imprint’s effect can be isolated by technical means...”

At this time, Pittman came over from the side, the small old man still fiddling with his increasingly sparse beard, a thoughtful look on his face: ”Actually, I’m most curious about another point: the Mental Imprint should act on the subject himself, but after the subject injects magic into the rune trigger, how does the magic that has already left the subject vanish into thin air? Is it possible that magic, once it leaves the body, still retains ’thought’? Do they believe they shouldn’t exist, and therefore disintegrate on their own?”

Kamel listened to Pittman’s words and couldn’t help but nod slightly: This is indeed a puzzling phenomenon. It is understandable that the subject himself can’t release Divine Arts due to the influence of the Mental Imprint, but when the subject releases Divine Arts through the experiment device, the magic needs to leave the body to run through another set of systems. In other words, during the use of the experimental device, ”magic operation” is already an established fact, and this established fact... vanishes into thin air because of the subject’s own Mental Imprint. Why is this?

Watching the perplexed and pondering Kamel and Pittman, Gawain’s mind was racing. For the first time, he felt that his intellect was somewhat lagging behind when facing the indigenous knowledge of this world— the Mental Imprint Phenomenon indeed reminded him of the Observer Effect. This is because the characteristic of ”pre-established facts being rewritten due to observer influence” made him naturally associate it with the Observer Effect, yet the effect of the Mental Imprint is not entirely the same as the ’Observer Effect’ he knows. It occurs not only in the macro world but also embodies a higher idealism: The test subject’s cognition of their own actions is the primary condition for whether the phenomenon occurs!?

This world... truly has too many incredible aspects.

And the difference between the two worlds doesn’t end here: On planet Earth, everything related to quantum theory caused immense turmoil in the scientific world at its inception. Researchers were tormented day and night by this terrifying phenomenon, whereas in this world...

Kamel and Pittman were merely puzzled by the phenomenon; their mindset seemed hardly affected.

The reason is simple: In the magic realm, there are far too many things that defy common sense. This world has not yet built that steadfast ”Edifice of Magic Power,” and researchers are still unaware of the terrifying prospect of completely upended worldviews...

Gawain averted his gaze from the two researchers, sighing slightly in his heart: Perhaps, another beast has been unleashed by him, and this beast... might just be more terrifying than ”Transcendent Power Returning to Mortals”...

His thoughts gradually drifted from the magic that seemed to dissipate due to observer influence to the mind-locking Mental Imprint, from the essence of the gods to the connection between humans and gods. His thoughts roamed further and further, until suddenly a voice echoed in his mind:

”...I hope you are... prepared for what you will face...”

Gawain was jolted awake, abruptly raising his head to look towards the laboratory’s floor-to-ceiling windows.

His gaze traversed the energy barrier of the Defied Fortress, across the chaotic darkness of the shadow realm, over those floating fragments and debris in mid-air, firmly fixating on the corpse of Amoen, the Giant Stag.

(It’s that time for book recommendations again! The book is titled ”Drinking This Bowl of Meng Po Soup,” and I’ll just copy the synopsis:

Ye Bei is a master of yin and yang, the kind without a business license.

Relying on an innately mysterious jade pendant, he brews a bowl of Meng Po Soup, providing psychological (and physical) counseling to all kinds of demons and spirits.

Due to the nature of his profession, he frequently flirts with the brink of life and death until one day, Ye Bei discovers he cannot die...

I’m telling you, supernatural genres are indeed thrilling to read, especially when alone, although there aren’t many words yet, the potential is evident.

In any case, claiming it’s dead can only be considered a supernatural phenomenon.)