Luo Peini listened attentively to everything Selina said, not daring to miss a single word. After Selina finished talking about the things to take note of, she asked, "If these situations happen … what will happen?"
"Don't worry, the initial spiritual influence will not establish a 'shackle' as stable as the Mind Steel Seal. We already have many mature means to remove the superficial contamination caused by the gods," Selena said in a convincing tone. "These means will not have any aftereffects, and Patty will not even be aware of what has happened to her."
Selena's tone was sincere, but Viscount Luo Peini could not help but frown slightly. She said with some concern, "Will there really not be any aftereffects?"
Selena looked at her worried mother and suddenly laughed. "Of course not. We have been dealing with this kind of power for hundreds of years. The superficial spiritual contamination is not as terrible as many people think. What's more, Amoun is a god who has left his divine throne. Most of his remaining divine contamination has dissipated in the past three thousand years. In our view, that is a relatively safe 'dose'."
"… I have decided to trust the judgment of a professional, Madam Selena." Viscount Luo Peini was silent for a moment and sighed softly. "And this is a choice we have made together."
Selena nodded gently. She looked at Luo Peini and saw the sun shining on her face. Luo Peini's worried expression was gradually easing, which meant that her words of comfort had worked. After a short moment of thought, she broke the silence. "When I first asked for your opinion, I actually did not expect you to agree. Although this project is an opportunity for Patty, I know that you have always been very nervous about your daughter."
"Contact the 'miracle' of the God of Nature, verify whether the final safe boundary of the barrier system is effective. Whether it succeeds or not, Patty will be healthy. From a rational point of view, I have no reason to refuse." Luo Peini shook her head. "I am indeed worried, but I will never let my worries affect my rational judgment. If I did not even have this judgment, my daughter and I would not have lived to this day."
Speaking of this, the viscount glanced at Selena again and nodded slightly. "And I also know very well that you have helped Patty get this opportunity out of kindness. Although this is a risky experiment, for Patty, the benefits far outweigh the risks. You could have easily found other testers to take on less responsibility and less risk, but you gave the quota to Patty. I am very grateful."
"It's good that you think so." Selena exhaled and seemed to be a little relieved. "In fact, I have always been worried that you would be resistant to us. This resistance stems from our former identities and what we have done to Patty …"
"I have indeed been resistant to you because of your identity, but I have never been dissatisfied with you on the matter of Patty." Viscount Luo Peini suddenly interrupted her before she could finish. "Anyway, when Patty was at her most painful, it was your help that helped her survive those difficult days. In her unhappy childhood, at least there were some happy and bright episodes. Her 'Sister Venti', the hot-tempered but interesting red-haired uncle, and the beautiful singing Sister Venti … I can't even remember many of them, but I know that your company is very important to Patty."
"Our company …" Selena laughed self-deprecatingly. "In fact, we were just doing an experiment at first. We saw the weakened state of the connection between Patty's soul and body after she was seriously injured, and we saw her tenacity far beyond her peers after repeated torture. We needed such an 'experimental subject' to test the neural connection technology and even to test the compatibility of the sandbox system. This was our initial purpose. At that time, none of us thought that things would turn out this way.
"Now that I think about it, at that time, no matter how you look at it, I'm afraid that we had no 'conscience' at all. Even if most of us were friendly to Patty, most of us initially had the mentality of observing an interesting experimental subject. I don't know exactly when the change happened … Perhaps your daughter had a subtle influence on some of us, or perhaps the incident of the higher-ups used reality to wake us believers who were obsessed with saving the world … Who knows?
"The Eternal Sleepers, who are good at controlling minds, actually find it difficult to figure out the changes in their minds."
Luo Peini listened carefully to every word of the former archbishop of the dark world until the latter's voice trailed off. "Does Patty already know these things?" she asked calmly.
"I told her," Selena smiled. "Not long after the Imperial Computing Center was built, I told her about the last City of Dreams and the truth about all of us."
"Obviously, she still chose to trust you after that and was happy to be the guide in the new City of Dreams. She was even very proud of it." Luo Peini smiled. "I support her decision very much."
Selena was silent for a few seconds and slowly nodded. "I think I know why Patty accepted the truth so easily. She inherited your wisdom, your wisdom in 'judgment.'"
Then she stood up and looked at the sinking sun outside. "It's getting late. But I don't think you're going to inspect the factory as planned, right?"
"I want to observe Patty's condition. The inspection of the factory can be postponed until tomorrow. Are you leaving?"
Selena hesitated for a moment and then smiled. "Do you mind having a 'ghost' to have dinner with you and your daughter in the castle?"
"Of course not," Luo Peini said immediately, sounding quite happy. "Patty will be very happy. This is the first time you stay in the real world to have dinner with her. But I have a question. How are you going to eat? "
Selena's expression froze for a moment. After a long time, she muttered to herself, "Ah, this is indeed a question."
…
Patty was very happy today because Sister Selena, who rarely saw her in the real world, had visited her castle today. More importantly, Selena wanted to stay and have dinner with her. This was something that had never happened before. It was even rarer than the two miracles of "Mother not dealing with official business after nightfall" and "Uncle Magnum coming back calmly after class."
In the dining hall, the bright light of the magic crystal lamp had come on. The artificial light dispelled the darkness outside the castle. The round dining table was covered with a white tablecloth. The dinner was not luxurious but was definitely sumptuous. It included the most famous spiced stew in the southern region, as well as desserts and baked pancakes from the Plains of the Holy Spirit. Patty used her nerve cord to control the wheelchair and circled the table briskly. She smiled happily and said, "These are all my favorites!"
"Patty, don't run around the table." Luo Peini immediately stopped her daughter from acting rashly. "You will bump into people. And we have guests today."
"Oh." Patty immediately stopped at the table. She controlled the wheelchair to move closer to the table and looked at Selena, who was sitting next to her. "But actually, I won't bump into you, right, Sister Selena?"
"Theoretically, you won't bump into me. But if I want to, I can create the same effect as' bumping into you. '" Selina laughed. "This is a very advanced magic technique. Do you want to learn it?"
Patty thought for a moment and shook her head hard. "… I'd better not. If I do it before dinner, it will affect the taste of the food."
Countess Luo Peini looked a little helpless. "Patty, how many times have I told you, you should call Selena Auntie. She is your elder."
"No, I think it's good to call her that now," Selena immediately said. "For a 'ghost,' my age has stopped hundreds of years ago. Besides, 'don't talk about seniority with immortals' is the basic consensus in the supernatural realm, isn't it?"
Luo Peini opened her mouth, but she was speechless for a moment. Patty's attention quickly fell on the table. She looked at the empty table in front of Selena with some surprise and could not help but ask, "Sister Selena, why is there no food in front of you?"
"I can't eat in the real world like you." Selena smiled and touched Patty's hair. "You should know that although I look like I'm sitting here, I'm actually just a 'projection' in your perception."
"But it feels weird …" Patty immediately frowned. "Does the so-called dinner mean that you'll sit next to us and watch us eat?"
Selena thought for a moment and said, "How about I create some illusions of food and pretend to eat with you?"
The corresponding image immediately appeared in Patty's mind, but the next second, she quickly shook her head. "No, it feels even weirder."
Countess Luo Peini looked at the scene of her daughter and Selena talking. She did not say anything, but a faint smile had appeared on her face.
Patty had always been a very optimistic child, but Countess Luo Peini had to admit that she had not seen her daughter show such a pure and happy smile for a long time. In the past, the old castle had always been too empty, and the only person who could accompany Patty at dinner was her mother, who was too serious. The servants and maids could not accompany Patty like a family member, and the child had not had such a happy meal for many years.
Perhaps it was worth it to agree to this' experiment 'just because of the smile on Patty's face at this moment.
Time went by happily. In this once cold, quiet, and even a little gloomy ancient castle, warm lights and relaxed laughter rang again. Patty told her mother about the interesting things she had experienced in the neural network. Selena talked from time to time about the 'little secrets' of some seemingly serious and old-fashioned node scholars. Even Luo Peini Glen, who had always been serious at home, talked about a few interesting things she heard in the government office. These things were not so interesting, but Patty still laughed happily.
There was no sign of trance.
There was no inexplicable prayer.
There was no sudden listening, whispering to non-existent people, or whispering the names of gods.
Luo Peini smiled, paying attention to the conversation between her daughter and Selena, paying attention to every subtle change of expression on Patty's face, and also paying attention to the mechanical clock hanging on the wall not far away.
Patty stretched out her hand and carefully picked up a small plate of cake on the table. Her movements were slow and careful, but she always maintained a steady posture. Luo Peini's gaze fell on her daughter's arm, and she said thoughtfully, "Patty, your hand is very steady this time."
"Ah?" Patty looked at her arm, a little surprised. She moved a few fingers and said, "It seems to be … My little finger is not twitching …"
At this moment, Selena's voice suddenly came from the side. She asked slightly abruptly, "Patty, have you heard of the name Amoun?"
Patty had just answered her mother's question and could not help but be stunned. She said subconsciously, "Ah? Who is that? "
The next second, a soft click suddenly came from the mechanical clock hanging on the wall not far away. Driven by gears and springs, the hammer hit the built-in steel plate, and the loud chime echoed in the dining room.
Luo Peini's body had already left her seat. She stopped abruptly amidst the ringing of the bell. She stared at Selina Geerfen, who was sitting opposite her. After a moment of realization, she said, "She really doesn't know … This is a name that only professional theologians and historians would know. She has not received any education in this area …"
Then, she heard Selena's voice directly in her mind. "Then, all the tests are over. The controllable divinity barrier is indeed effective, and even direct contact in the form of 'miracles' cannot penetrate the protection formed by the non-directional ideology. The first practical verification of the non-directional ideology ends here. Your daughter is not affected. "
…
On the vast gray grassland shrouded in endless mist and endless sunlight, three figures sat on the ground and played a fierce game of cards.
"I don't believe it this time!" A lady in a graceful and complicated black regal dress stared at the game in front of her. After seeing the cards in her hand, a happy look suddenly appeared on her face. She looked up at Amoun and provoked him. "You can kill me with seventeen cards? You can kill me in seconds? You can kill me with seventeen cards today … "
Before she finished, Amoun had already sighed helplessly and threw out the cards in the order in his hand. "Mirmina, that's enough …"
"This …" Mirmina's eyes widened in an instant. She could not believe that the victory she thought was in the bag had once again missed her. The next second, her shock turned into anger. She stared at Amoun and Duwalter in front of her. "There's a problem, there must be a problem. We have to do it again! Again … "
"It's the same even if we do it a few more times. I already regret pulling you into this game," Amoun said helplessly. "This kind of victory is more boring than sitting around doing nothing …"
"Why are you saying this now?" Mirmina immediately threw away the cards in her hand and said with a look of dissatisfaction, "You're the one who set me up here just now!"
Amoun spread his hands. "I didn't set you up. You maliciously exploited the system loophole and got caught by the administrator. That's your problem, it's not my fault."
Mirmina's anger was finally further ignited. She stood up abruptly, but before she could speak, a figure suddenly walked out of the nearby mist and interrupted her movement.
"You're still playing cards?" Naretil, who returned from the upper level of the network, looked at the situation in front of her with some surprise. She shook her head and said, "Well, I just came to inform — Mr. Amoun, the ban is over, and Ms. Mirmina, you can all leave now …"
"It's finally over." Amoun suddenly let out a sigh of relief. His face relaxed. He smiled and stood up. "Then let's …"
Before he finished speaking, he heard Mirmina yelling next to him. "No! It's not over yet — administrator, add another hour! "
"Is there something wrong with your brain?!" Amoun suddenly staggered and looked at the person who was once called the "Goddess of Magic", dumbfounded. "The ban is finally over, we can return to the normal network — why did you take the initiative to ask for an extension of time?!"
"Whatever you say, I have to win at least once today." Mirmina glared at him and said righteously, "And don't think about going easy on me — my card skills may not be good, but my perception is very sharp!"
Amoun: "…"
So, the smoke-filled game of the gods was still fiercely fought in the realm that mortals could not perceive …
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