Chapter 162 Chapter 162: A Lost Civilization Is Truly Lost
Chapter 162: A Lost Civilization Is Truly Lost
"To be honest, I originally considered using some... less than proper methods to obtain that memory in your mind... but then the words you spoke to that guy later were just too cool, making me change my mind instantly!"
When mentioning this, the girl's emotions were so intense. Immediately after, like the echo function on little Elysia's speaker, that voice all too familiar to Kevin once again transmitted into his mind—
["Perhaps miracles never truly existed. In the vast universe, those capable of gazing at the stars and stepping towards them through successive metamorphoses were always the extreme minority."
"I will not interfere with a civilization's development, but neither will I watch it decay and perish on its own."]
"How about it? Isn't it cool? Isn't it cool?"
"Although I recorded it from my own perspective, I still decided to properly preserve this memory. I'll have something to show off to others in the future."
It was clear the girl's praise was absolutely sincere.
"..."
Yet this simple act directly rendered Kevin speechless.
Who had ever seen someone record another person's words, then play them back to that same person saying 'you were so cool just now'? Would anyone really be thick-skinned enough to agree with that feeling?
Even the usually calm and collected Kevin could clearly feel a sense of awkwardness spreading in his heart, difficult to suppress.
"So, your objective is also quite clear: the memories in my mind... memories concerning civilization, correct?" To expel this strange feeling from his mind, Kevin decisively chose the most common and effective method—changing the subject.
"Memories of civilization are indeed quite important to the Garden of Recollection. After all, they are blueprints for reshaping the universe one day... But the most crucial point isn't even that. If possible, I wish to obtain all of your memories... This is even an order Fuli personally conveyed to me, bypassing the Garden."
As she spoke, a hint of hope seeped into the girl's tone: "That was the first time I saw Fuli's true form. How should I put it... I don't know how to describe it to others either. After all, Their existence is surely far more wondrous than us Remembrancers like me."
"Although I don't understand the meaning behind Their action, since They said so, I'll do it... after all, it's a divine decree!"
Judging purely by personality, this girl seemed a complete optimist. Things she couldn't figure out, she resolutely stopped thinking about, even going so far as to explain to Kevin on her own: "But speaking of which, you are really strange, aren't you?"
"Theoretically, we Remembrancers no longer exist in the material world, surviving only as memes within others' memories... Actually, if restrictions were lifted, we should be able to freely read others' memories—Of course, I am a strictly trained Remembrancer and would absolutely never engage in such illegal acts that only memory thieves would do!"
"Anyway, I've never heard of anyone having such strange shackles in their mind that could even resist a Remembrancer in meme form... My attachment to you now is completely superficial—just like right now, your eyes gather information from your surroundings, then present it as temporary memories in your mind."
"Hmm..."
Regarding this point, Kevin was quite self-aware—with his current half-baked grasp of 'Taboo', it definitely couldn't achieve such an effect. It could only be Aponia, or perhaps something else left behind.
Meme infection—Kevin had heard of a similar concept long, long ago. It was a terrifying thing. Mei had once pointed out the simplest concept to describe it for him.
Suppose there was a Herrscher whose ability was to infect anyone who saw, heard, or thought of them with Honkai—then, regardless of whether humans used text or images to record them, or spread information by word of mouth, they could invade every corner in ways difficult to detect and resist.
Simply because thinking about them would be influenced, the only way to oppose them was one method—using another entity to substitute for them among those who had never heard of them, then after containment measures were completed without human operation, sealing them away completely and permanently... including history itself, encompassing all who knew of them.
And in this universe, beings like Remembrancers were clearly even more terrifying. If they could truly live completely within memories without restrictions, even able to alter them at will... then they would be the 'White Phantoms' dominating the world.
"Although I can't and won't probe your memories, you're definitely thinking something bad about me, right?"
The girl asked in a very suspicious tone, but quickly reverted to her nature and tossed it aside, asking cheerfully: "So let's trade! As long as you're willing to offer a part of your own memories, you can exchange for anything with me."
"Aren't you curious about what exactly happened to the former Dragon Venerables of the Vidyadhara? Don't you want to know the historical truths the Xianzhou has buried for thousands of years? Aren't you at all interested in information about various Aeons and their Emanators?"
"Even if you wanted, having me investigate some private, hidden memories isn't impossible either..."
"No, I think I'll pass." Before the other could finish speaking, Kevin unhesitatingly rejected the proposal.
"Re... rejected? Why?!" The girl anxiously pressed: "Aren't you interested in these things at all?"
"Because whether it's memories of civilization or my own memories, I will not trade them." Kevin replied very indifferently.
Or perhaps it was fine to call the memories of the Previous Era and the developing memories of the current civilization his own memories. But they were absolutely not capital for Kevin to trade recklessly.
"You said earlier that civilizations perish, but memories endure... Yet so-called memories can only be called evidence of existence, not existence itself."
"As for the memories in my mind... that nascent civilization, I believe they will guide it towards the future. As for those even more distant ones... they remain meaningless."
"The moment a civilization completely dies, its existence, the spirit it represents, has already lost meaning. We can certainly rely on memories in our minds to say it still lives forever in our hearts. We can also refuse to acknowledge a civilization's demise through various propaganda and inspiring words."
"But dead is dead. No matter how many vivid things are left behind, it won't come back to life. The moment a civilization's possibilities vanish, its existence and future die along with it."
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts!