Chapter 2200: Origin of the Paradox

The Persuader's origins had always interested Fu Qian.

Unfortunately, the entity was far too low-key. Even after multiple probes, he seemed to remember little of his own past, yielding no real answers.

Judging by the current situation, however, this old friend might not be as forgotten by the world as he believed—meaning he wasn't entirely bereft of the chance to leave an Imprint through a dream and use it to escape.

The last time Fu Qian returned from the Nightmare Corridor, His Excellency Arakiel had been dead set on hitching a ride. Aside from secretly advancing through Chencang to quietly corrupt him, Arakiel had demonstrated an additional ability.

That ability completely ignored subjective intent. By forcefully leveraging his control over the Nightmare, he could indiscriminately drag anyone who knew of him into a dream.

Su Gao was a prime example. Although her resistance should have been the strongest, she had chosen to accept the pull to come and help.

Following that incident, Fu Qian had verified through multiple channels that his acquaintances hadn't been affected.

He had checked both the Bookstore World and the Real World.

Looking back now, those concerns hadn't been unfounded.

Even with the immense difficulty posed by dimensional barriers, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Considering the current situation, aside from the Persuader's unique and exploitable abilities, was it possible that through years of gradual corrosion, Arakiel had finally managed to filter a portion of his power into his "Real World"?

When the Warehouse had described Arakiel and his fellow victims, its exact phrasing had been: "The Corridor blocks all their efforts to descend upon the world once more."

It was hard to say whether this "world" broadly referred to everything outside The Corridor.

Otherwise, if it solely referred to the Bookstore World, could the place before him be an alternate path to survival that Arakiel and the others could take?

And had the Persuader, with his unknown origins, always been the pawn they were trying to use?

If this theory held true, it would perfectly explain the earlier question regarding the window of opportunity.

Arakiel hadn't successfully piggybacked on his recent dimensional jumps; this corrosion had likely started much earlier as a slow, drawn-out process.

And the medium used was the Imprint left in this world pertaining to the Persuader.

"Are you suggesting that this situation wasn't triggered recently, but has been brewing for a long time? Even so, that still doesn't explain how you can travel back and forth so easily."

The Witch clearly understood Fu Qian's train of thought.

While she didn't outright deny the possibility, she pointed out the one glaring flaw in the theory.

"You're right. But is it possible that it simply can't be explained right now? What if we didn't actually find the root cause this time, but just accidentally stumbled upon another hidden danger?"

Fu Qian's perspective on the matter was remarkably freewheeling.

...

"To pinpoint the core of the problem with so little evidence to go on... the odds of such a coincidence are indeed a bit high."

Confronted with Fu Qian's new theory, the Witch pondered for a moment and evidently didn't find it absurd.

"That leaves one remaining question. By what method exactly did your old friend leave an Imprint here?"

Moving swiftly to the next issue, the Witch flicked out another fingernail.

Following her motion, another bug shell tumbled from the box on the back of the Deer Cart, rapidly dissolving into an illusory projection.

Throughout their conversation, her hands hadn't stopped.

Operating with assembly-line efficiency, she had already completed another round of feeding.

...

"That is a good question."

The projection cast by the bug shell remained the same as before; the only recognizable feature was the Persuader's silhouette.

Watching this scene, it was impossible not to recall the man's voice and demeanor. Fu Qian briefly slipped back into his memories.

"During our first encounter, I asked him a question: Since your abilities are so overwhelming, why haven't you found a way to escape after all this time? His answer was very interesting. He said it was a paradox."

Turning his head, Fu Qian recited the Persuader's exact words almost verbatim.

"The Corridor is the source of my power. If I leave, I will lose my power. And if I lose my power, I will be unable to leave."

A paradox...

The Witch seemed intrigued by this added detail. After a brief moment of contemplation, her gaze swept across their surroundings.

"Much like this place."

...

"Indeed. It is very much like this place."

Conversing with the Pope was a truly refreshing experience. Sighing the next moment, Fu Qian echoed her sentiment.

"It possesses spirituality precisely because the true spirituality is gone. If the missing thing were to return, this place would likely be the first to lose its Transcendent nature. How is that not also a paradox?"

"It certainly shares a strong consistency with the nature of the Persuader's abilities."

It was obvious that the moment the word "paradox" was spoken, the Witch had completely grasped his meaning.

Was it absurd to think the Persuader originated from a place like this? On the contrary, it made perfect sense.

His ability of Divine Corrosion faintly echoed the very essence of this place.

Was it possible that he had never been a normal Transcendent being to begin with, but was rather the result of a doll like the ones before them achieving ascension?

Under that premise, it was easily explained how, even though there were no normal human minds left in this place, someone here could still remember him, allowing Arakiel to ultimately exploit that connection.

Because there was no need for anyone to remember him; the Persuader had originally been a part of this Workshop.

The meaning of a "hometown" for him was entirely different from what it was for normal creatures.

Naturally, that led to yet another question—

"So, how did he get in there?"

Exchanging a glance with the Witch, Fu Qian voiced the doubt they both shared.

"I am not sure. I suspect it likely happened before I was even born. Aside from the rewards changing, everything and everyone in this place is exactly the same as when I first arrived."

The Witch had already drawn her conclusion.

So the Persuader was even older than the Witch? It seemed he had lived quite a harrowing existence.

Thinking of his old friend's current predicament, Fu Qian shook his head inwardly.

Given the Witch's deep understanding of this place, her judgment carried a lot of weight.

No wonder he had been tortured into such a wretched state. The man had likely spent countless ages trapped inside.

Was it just a single misstep, or had someone intentionally subjected him to this cruel fate?

And what was the purpose behind it?

"Here, drink this."

Just as he was lost in thought, the Witch abruptly handed something to him.

"What is this? Juice? Nectar?"

It was a transparent glass bottle, corked with a wooden stopper.

Inside swirled a translucent, violet-blue liquid. As it sloshed, a brilliant, starry galaxy seemed to glimmer within the depths.

More importantly, Fu Qian clearly recognized it as one of the eight possible rewards.

"It is said to be called Moonlight Rose," the Witch explained patiently, surprisingly knowing its name. "It can heal physical wounds."

She had been so decisive in recommending they come here. Had this been one of her goals all along?

Sighing inwardly, Fu Qian reached out and took the bottle. Popping the cork, he downed it in a single gulp.

It lacked any scent of roses; it tasted much more like fruit juice.