Chapter 339: U Disk Principle

"But isn't this path already lost? Why is it appearing again?"

The King of Clubs stood by the glass window, lost in thought for a long time. "I don't know... Logically, the conditions to embark on the Emperor's Path are extremely stringent. After the abolition of the feudal monarchy centuries ago, it became impossible for anyone to become an emperor, and there's been no news of the Emperor's Ancient Treasury emerging. Tell me more about how you encountered him."

Chen Ling immediately recounted everything that had happened, and the King of Clubs's brows furrowed deeper.

"You're saying he recognized you, but you didn't recognize him?"

"That's right."

The King of Clubs remained silent, gazing out the window with an unprecedentedly solemn expression.

Seeing this, Chen Ling tentatively asked, "...Senior?"

"He might have truly seen you."

"Why?"

"The Era Archive is merely a save file... Anyone can enter it using the medium in your hand, but there's a time difference involved in this process," the King of Clubs said seriously. "Let's say you have one medium and I have one. You enter the Era Archive tonight, but I don't; I choose to enter a year from now. Then, the version of me a year from now, and the current version of you, will both start at the same initial point. This means that after you enter the archive tonight, you could encounter me from a year in the future. Does that make sense?"

Chen Ling's eyes widened in shock.

Chen Ling understood her meaning. It was like a AAA single-player game where, after playing and saving his progress, he gives the game to a friend years later. That friend can then enter the same save file, and they both start playing from the same point...

"Wait, that doesn't make sense. If that's the case, then what I leave in the archive is just a sort of 'ghost' or 'silhouette.' How can I still interact with you? If we interact, for example, if you tell me the lottery numbers for the next day, wouldn't I be able to win the lottery the very next day? Wouldn't that be altering history?" Chen Ling realized this would create a time paradox.

The King of Clubs shook his head. "No, it won't... because for the medium in your hand, 'the present determines the past.'"

"'The present determines the past'... What does that mean?"

"You don't need to understand that now. Just remember the conclusion I'm giving you."

The King of Clubs did not elaborate on the matter, continuing:

"The Era Archive is the core of the Twilight Society. There are only three of these mediums in total, the kind that allows access to it. They are indestructible and cannot be replicated; theoretically, a fourth one cannot exist anywhere in the world... Due to their supreme and unique nature, and referencing the mythological systems from before the Great Cataclysm, they are internally named Yuanshi, Daode, and Lingbao within the Twilight Society."

Hearing these three names, Chen Ling immediately thought of the three Heavenly Venerables of historical Taoism. He hadn't expected the Twilight Society to use their revered titles for these items. This alone was enough to prove the immense importance of these three mediums within the Twilight Society.

"However, the Era Archive has a significant drawback: once a medium is lost and someone else gains access to the Era Archive, the original owner's traces within it are completely erased and replaced by those of the new owner."

If a new player uses the same device, the old player's progress is deleted? Chen Ling instantly grasped the implication.

"Wait, you said there are only three mediums in total, and I encountered an owner who is neither the Red King nor the Gray King... Doesn't that imply..."

"In the future, either the Red King or the Gray King must have lost their medium," the King of Clubs said, her expression extremely serious. "This means that either Yuanshi or Daode has changed hands, and what you saw was the archive after the timeline was corrected."

Given the Era Archive's importance to the Twilight Society, it's inconceivable that the Red King and Gray King would casually give away Yuanshi and Daode. This implicitly suggests that something will happen to one of the two Kings. No wonder the King of Clubs's expression had been so grim.

Chen Ling finally grasped the situation. In simple terms, someone from the future who had embarked on the Emperor's Path stole one of the two Kings' mediums and encountered Chen Ling's current self within the archive. It was like two players from different points in time entering the same fictional timeline to compete, and if that individual truly killed him within the archive, Chen Ling would die in reality as well.

Damn it... If that's the case, even if he gets another 12 hours of activity in the Era Archive next month, he wouldn't dare go in. The moment he enters, that Emperor would hunt him down. But if he's too afraid to ever enter, wouldn't Lingbao be wasted in his hands?

Chen Ling carefully weighed the pros and cons, then suddenly seemed to realize something. "So, the later I use the medium to enter the archive, the more advantageous it is? My current cultivation level will be brought in, so if I wait until I'm powerful enough, I'll be able to accomplish more..."

"Theoretically, yes," the King of Clubs paused briefly. "But the later you enter, the shorter your active time within it will be. For example, if the Twilight Society successfully recovers the Nine Sovereigns and restarts the world in three years, entering the archive now would give you three years of free activity. But if you wait two more years to enter, you'd only have one year of active time left. While the starting point is the same, the subsequent duration is extended. If that Emperor entered the archive a year later, your active time within it would be somewhat longer than his. It's a situation with both advantages and disadvantages."

"I see," Chen Ling mused.

From this perspective, while it's feasible to hold back and wait until his cultivation level is much higher before entering the archive, it would still be somewhat wasteful. And if he plans to confront the Emperor directly, he'll need to make significant preparations.

The Emperor's oppressive presence was indeed terrifying, but Chen Ling carefully recalled and analyzed the encounter, judging his current rank to be around Tier 5. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get to the fragment first, or even break free from the domain and escape for some distance.

"I will immediately report this matter to the Red King and Gray King," the King of Clubs said solemnly. "Also, since you intend to contend with the Emperor, your current strength is far too weak. And inside the Era Archive, no one can help you..."

The King of Clubs paused.

"You need to return with me to the Drama Path Ancient Treasury as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Chen Ling grasped the implied meaning in the King of Clubs's words: Was there a way for him to rapidly increase his strength within the Drama Path Ancient Treasury?

He immediately spoke.

"I've almost fully recovered; I'm ready to depart at any time."