harleyscars Page 174
Page 174
Alley, who seemed to sense something, whispered:
"Aponia, Eden, and Möbius, could you spare me some private space for now?"
...
Even if we extend the timeframe to the present civilization's 4,500-plus years, the number of visitors to the Land of the Dead would likely not have been as high as during this period.
If the fact that a bunch of Herrschers were sent to the Paradise of the Dead was somewhat hard for Klein to understand, then the figure that appeared before her now made even someone as rational as Klein widen her eyes in astonishment.
"...Ari...Sia?!"
She rubbed her eyes, confirming the identity of the pink-clad girl smiling at her not far away. As an armed puppet meticulously designed by Mebius, although it didn't have many additions for combat, Mebius incorporated the most advanced instruments of the previous civilization into the design of Klein for auxiliary work needs—including scanning devices, of course.
"Appearance, demeanor... iris... exactly the same as Alicia in the archive, except for the ears... but there is no doubt that you are indeed the real Alicia."
Even Klein's weak voice could not conceal the astonishment in the heart of this remnant of a previous civilization.
It is not a 'memory' left behind by Alicia in the Paradise, but the living Alicia herself.
"However... such a thing should be impossible. According to the archives of the previous civilization... Alicia herself should indeed have passed away."
Even those who knew about 'Alicia's' appearance still had some doubts about it—let alone Klein, who was completely unaware of this information.
The gray snake did not inform her of 'her' arrival—which was to be expected, since after learning from the gray snake about the location of the Paradise of the Past and having something to guide her, Jiang Qiao no longer needed to find a 'guide' for herself.
Therefore, due to the 'surprise attack' nature, the procedure that should have been followed by the World Serpent executives notifying Klein, the guardian of this paradise and also its gatekeeper, was completely not carried out.
“No doubt about it—your record is indeed correct, it’s just that ‘Alice’s’ situation is a bit special.” The smiling pink-clad girl leaned closer to Klein and bent down—after a moment of unease for the latter, she was immediately ‘manipulated’.
Just like Alicia always did, she kneaded the 'dough'.
"Hmm~ It feels just like a real person, it's amazing!"
Of course, to be precise, it is slightly different from the one dug out from Mount Taixu... Well, that's not surprising, Jiang Qiao remembers that almost all of Klein's body parts were top-of-the-line products that Mebius customized from Velvi.
The one on Mount Taixu was merely hastily made by survivors of a previous civilization using stockpiled materials; in terms of quality, it was simply not in the same league.
"Well..."
Klein, whose face was being rubbed, stammered helplessly.
Fortunately, she had already gotten used to being teased by the fairy lady in the paradise of the past.
Setting down Klein, 'Alicia' smiled, her fingers intertwined:
"Alright, I guess I should probably go into Paradise now. I bet the fairy lady there is quite curious about me right now, isn't she?"
—That is indeed the case.
Upon entering the Paradise of the Past on the first day, before Jiang Qiao could even properly admire the scenery, she saw a pink-haired girl sitting on the sofa, in the same pose as when she first met Raiden Mei—the memory entity Alicia.
The two of the Paradise Sisters and Miss Snake, who were originally supposed to be here together, were all in a cooperative position—this was certainly not out of caution, as Alicia, who regarded the heroes as important companions, would never be wary of her own companions. However, the person she was about to meet was clearly somewhat special, so it was obviously more appropriate to leave each other with 'ample' space for communication.
"As you said, I do indeed have an unusual curiosity about you... Hmm, should I call you Jiang Qiao?"
Gently holding the sofa armrest, Paradise Alice's azure eyes reflected the 'Alicia' not far away—almost identical to herself, except for the unique pointed fairy ears—and her tone carried a hint of uncertainty.
"Do as you like. Although I have used this name quite a few times, it would be a bit awkward to do it in front of the person who owns the name."
Jiang Qiao sat down on the sofa on the other side of Ying Jie's resting place with a very familiar expression. She was not surprised that Le Tu Ai Li recognized her at a glance - after all, who wouldn't recognize themselves?
This appearance is merely for convenience and fun—the former because it's a bit troublesome to adjust, and the latter because they thought it would be quite interesting if Paradise's Alicia saw another 'Alicia'.
As for their names, whether it's World Serpent or the fat lady living in Paradise, they've probably already sold themselves out pretty much.
The sight of two 'Alicia' sitting together created an unusually strange atmosphere in this resting place for heroes.
Perhaps it was Jiang Qiao's excessive composure that caused the usually eloquent and sociable Fairy of Paradise to become somewhat flustered, prompting her to ask a question that had been troubling her:
"What... exactly is going on with you?"
To be honest, she might not have been as carefree as Jiang Qiao thought.
When she first saw 'Alicia', the Paradise Fairy almost didn't recognize her. This refers not only to her physical body, but also to Jiang's 'Alicia Suit Second Stage' at this moment.
This is not surprising. Although memory can indeed judge a person by observing their essence to a certain extent, a person's consciousness is not such a loose existence.
Compared to memory as an aggregate of data, consciousness is much more difficult to observe fundamentally.
Miss Fatty...that's someone I know too well, and she has absolutely no sense of caution.
And Jiang, who is a master in this field, showed the form of 'Alice'.
I almost fooled Paradise Airi.
The part of his 'inner self' that he revealed was 99% identical to his original self in Paradise—and 120% identical to her, the Paradise Ellie.
Fortunately, Jiang Qiao's Alicia form has a fatal flaw, which is why Paradise Ali noticed that something was wrong.
If Alicia is more like a human, then [Alicia] is more like a Herrscher.
The real Alicia would never exhibit such characteristics.
Ps:
"Chasing Fire: Sand Sculpture News - Winter Edition"
1. When everyone woke up, they found it was snowing in the Golden Garden, because Kevin had been practicing lame jokes all night.
2. Taking advantage of the situation, Pado started selling iced coffee;
3. Qianjie was furious because he couldn't build a snowman, so his good friend Kevin froze him into an ice sculpture;
4. Ellie and Eden ran aground on the ice while rowing on the lake;
5. Paddo tries to sell an electric blanket to Eden, but is politely refused because Ellie is there to warm her bed;
6. Gretchen painted the golden garden in the snow, and finally handed it over on a blank sheet of paper;
7. Kosmo plans to run naked in the snow, claiming it will be cooler than Kevin's;
8. Because she was worried that Su's vegetable garden would be damaged by the frost, a kind-hearted person named Pado helped harvest the vegetables overnight;
Chapter 160 Ellie, I have a very strong possessive streak!
Faced with Paradise Ellie's question, Jiang Qiao rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment before suggesting:
"Speaking is too much trouble... Hmm, how about a more efficient way of communicating?"
"More efficient..."
Paradise Ellie found it strange. Isn't communication the quickest way for people to interact?
—Perhaps that is true, but for her as a memory entity at this moment, there is indeed a more convenient and efficient way to communicate.
She realized what was happening and her eyes widened:
"Wait, you don't mean to..."
For memory, the most efficient way to communicate is naturally through synchronous memory.
only--
"That kind of thing is impossible, okay?"
Having understood Jiang Qiao's meaning, Le Tu Ai Li was somewhat annoyed.
Admittedly, synchronizing memories is a good way to understand information, and she has been planning how to find an opportunity to synchronize her memories with her original self to understand the situation. However, this is something that can only be done between memory entities and their original selves.
Okay, she admitted that the man in front of her named Jiang Qiao was indeed very 'Alice', but that didn't change the fundamental difference between them.
Even though she wasn't a technician like Velvi or Mebius, Alicia was well aware of this.
But to this question, Jiang Qiao's version of 'Alice' simply smiled:
"Hmm~ How will you know if you don't try?"
"..."
After a moment's hesitation, Paradise Ellie had the thought that since synchronization failure wouldn't cause any major problems, why not give it a try?
Looking at the other party's confident demeanor, she was also somewhat unsure. Besides, she was indeed very curious about the 'Jiang Qiao' in front of her, whom her original self had been constantly talking about and even trying to impersonate.
Driven by intense curiosity, she took the initiative to approach the other 'Alice' and grasped her hand.
— Synchronizing memory should have required that memory-based surgery, and the process would certainly not have been as simple as it is now.
But none of that matters to Jiang Qiao now.
After all, he happened to possess the 'Feather Crossing Dust'.
As an extension of the Law of Consciousness, manipulating memories and synchronizing with another memory to some extent is not a difficult task.
As if electrocuted, the fairy of paradise was momentarily stunned.
A portion of 'Alicia's' memories was 'injected' into her body—memories that Jiang Qiao deemed suitable for her to see.
"..."
The air fell into a long silence, and Paradise Ellie remained silent as she sorted through the memories recorded and transmitted within the 'Arisia' mecha.
From its birth to the second Honkai, it was no different from the part she possessed, until the accidental encounter between Alicia and Jiang Qiao—after which the part became somewhat chaotic, because most of it was recorded by Jiang Qiao's 'Alicia' form, and it had been modified to some extent.
Having concluded this spiritual exchange, Jiang Qiao looked at the somewhat dazed pink-clad girl before her and smiled:
"So, you should have gotten the answer you wanted by now."