Chapter 591: Verification of History

Is this the young man from the Theatrical God Path?

Chen Ling recalled that Xiao Chunping had previously mentioned encountering a young man, also from the Theatrical God Path, several years ago. He was said to have gone abroad to promote lion dance culture and could even fly through the air by stepping on clouds, implying he had independently mastered the "cloud-stepping" technique. Judging by his attire, this person was likely the one Xiao Chunping had spoken of. They had met two years prior, and based on his appearance, he seemed to be roughly the same age as Chen Ling now.

"He should be your grandma's friend... Haven't you met him?"

"Grandma has so many friends; how could I possibly have met them all?" Yao Qing shrugged helplessly. "Two years ago, Grandma did seem to go to Foshan for some intangible cultural heritage conference or something... It was probably taken then?"

"That must be it."

Chen Ling nodded and returned the photo to Yao Qing. This person was too far removed from his current life; it was unlikely they would ever cross paths again. Although Yao Qing didn't understand, she silently put the photo away and continued searching through the ruins.

Yao Qing unearthed more and more embroidered diagrams, arranging them beneath the eaves. After an unknown period, the raindrops falling from the sky finally ceased, leaving only dampness on the ground as overcast clouds blanketed the area. A faint rustling sound came from behind. Yao Qing, who had been busy, paused, then abruptly looked at the three hospital beds inside the house and immediately rushed towards them. Chen Ling also turned, seeing Su Zhiwei propping herself up, slowly sitting up from the bed. Her face was pale and drawn, and she held her forehead with one hand, seemingly not yet fully recovered.

"Sister Zhiwei! You're finally awake??" Yao Qing exclaimed with joy.

Su Zhiwei looked around at the extensive ruins, her eyes filled with confusion. "What... happened here?"

"Grandma fought that hunter, and the museum was affected... But it's all resolved now."

Yao Qing briefly recounted the events. When she mentioned that Xiao Chunping was also a divine path wielder with the power to devastate the world, a look of shock appeared on Su Zhiwei's face. Su Zhiwei had no external injuries; her mental energy was simply depleted. After resting for a while and waiting for the dizziness to subside, she got off the bed. Meanwhile, Chen Ling walked towards them, a slight sense of relief washing over him. There wasn't much time left before the archive era ended. If Su Zhiwei hadn't woken up, his plan might have fallen through... Fortunately, fate seemed to be on his side.

Chen Ling glanced at Xiao Chunping and Yang Xiao, who were still asleep, and quietly said to Su Zhiwei: "Dr. Su, could we speak for a moment in private?"

Though puzzled, Su Zhiwei nodded and followed Chen Ling as he walked further away. The grey sky, like leaden clouds, slowly drifted in the wind. The two figures walked one after another into the depths of the ruins, and the world grew quiet.

"Director Chen, is something the matter?"

"I have a few questions for you." Chen Ling paused, seemingly considering how to phrase his words. "If... I mean, if, one day you needed to fall into a very, very long sleep, what kind of place would you hide yourself in?"

Su Zhiwei was taken aback; she hadn't expected Chen Ling's question to be so... abstract? She looked into Chen Ling's eyes, as if she had guessed something, and then smiled suddenly: "Director Chen, can you not find me?"

"...You could say that." Chen Ling chuckled helplessly. "In the era where my true body resides, you hid yourself too well. I searched for a very long time and couldn't find you... So I thought, why not just ask you directly?"

"But didn't you say that your era and this place aren't the same world? The advice I give here might not be effective there, would it?"

"Theoretically, that's true. However, no matter which world it is, you, Su Zhiwei, are the one making the decisions. Even if it's not exactly the same, the thought process should be similar... Plus, I've always felt there might be some close connection between the archive and the real world."

Su Zhiwei began to think seriously and counter-questioned: "Will I be alone?"

"Perhaps there will be others, but they would most likely be protecting you. You would have something akin to a safe house."

"Will I be powerful then?"

"Very powerful. You would most likely have reached the ninth order, officially becoming one of the Nine Monarchs."

"So, that means I would be able to fully utilize String Theory... If that's the case..." Su Zhiwei mused for a long time. "The more important something is, the more likely it is to be hidden in an insignificant place."

"Just as I thought..." Chen Ling muttered thoughtfully.

Chen Ling clearly remembered that Su Zhiwei had mentioned the concept of "a world in a flower" twice before. In String Theory, higher dimensions exist, and the higher the dimension, often the more minute it becomes... If Su Zhiwei were to hide herself, it was highly probable she would embed herself within an inconspicuous petal or speck of dust, much like how the Mortal Realm was hidden. However, even with this understanding, Chen Ling still had no way of finding the Mortal Base. After all, the Mortal Realm was vast; finding the single speck of dust or petal containing the Mortal Base would take him ten lifetimes.

"So, if it were you, where would you hide a higher-dimensional world?" Chen Ling tried to elicit more specific information. "For example, what color flower? Or perhaps hidden somewhere high? Do you have any preferences?"

"Preferences..." Su Zhiwei furrowed her brows. "That's difficult for me to answer. However, if I were to sleep there for a very long time, I would want that place to be familiar and make me feel safe."

Familiar, safe... Would such a place exist within the Mortal Realm? Chen Ling fell into contemplation.

Chen Ling checked the time; there were less than three minutes until the end of this archive period. The information he could gather was probably limited to this... Just then, he seemed to remember something. "Oh, right, could you help me confirm something?"

"What?"

"I suspect this world might have some connection to my own... because when I first met Yang Xiao in the Aurora Realm, he seemed to recognize me," Chen Ling stated truthfully. "Although everyone else says this is just an archive, I still don't quite believe it... I even think this is real history, and everything that happens to us here will affect the future."

Su Zhiwei's eyebrows slightly raised; she seemed not to fully grasp Chen Ling's meaning but still asked: "How do you want me to help you?"

"If we meet again next time... I'm not talking about in this era, but several centuries from now." A glimmer flickered in Chen Ling's eyes. "Centuries later, if you awaken from your slumber and we meet again... I hope we can find a way to verify this period of history."