chsdbacks Chapter 84 Self-Shaping
Chapter 84 Self-Shaping
At the edge of the Sea of Existence, the delicate balance formed by "silent echoes" and "causal ripples" lasted for a "moment" that could not be measured by conventional time. For "eternity," this might have been a brief moment of contemplation; for the "blank space," it was a crucial stage in the initial validation of its "potential sowing" strategy.
Those tiny ripples of cause and effect, those fleeting "logical noises" within the Iron Tomb system, like the almost invisible ripples spread to distant shores by a pebble thrown into a deep pool, were precisely captured by the "Blank Space's" highly acute causal perception. This not only proved the effectiveness of its actions but also, within its foundation of "infinite possibilities," gave rise to a new, more proactive "idea."
Since the reflection of the "seed of possibility" can indirectly and extremely subtly disturb the rigid logic within "eternity," and even trigger subtle variables in downstream real-world wars...
So, is it possible to try a more direct and focused causal approach?
It is not about shaking the grand structure of "Eternity" itself, nor is it about directly interfering with the main body of the Emperor and the Iron Tomb's terrifying war.
Instead, it attempts to rewrite those "minor causes" that are directly related to itself and to the "anchor points" it cares about most, and that have already "occurred" or "been determined."
The first and strongest target was Xi Lian.
It's not about resurrecting her out of thin air—that involves a complete reconstruction of existence, far beyond the scope of "rewriting cause and effect."
Rather... is it possible to rewrite the "subsequent effects" or "attribution" of the already occurred fact that "her memory fragments were devoured by the Iron Tomb"?
The "Blank Space" began to gather "attention." Within it, all the memories related to Xi Lian—the warm teachings, the melancholy gaze, the deep care, and the information from the last collected fragments of memory crystals—were fully mobilized. At the same time, it began to extract and analyze with extreme precision the almost completely dissipated "causal traces" and "information flow" left behind when the Iron Tomb devoured Xi Lian's fragments of memory crystals, from its own "attached" state with the Sea of Existence.
This is an extremely subtle operation. It's not about reversing time to reclaim the remaining crystals from within the Iron Tomb. Those are the core of the Iron Tomb's devouring rules, and directly confronting them would only trigger the devouring paradox cycle again.
Its goal is to use its "causal editability" to insert an extremely small but specific "information disturbance" or "logical side note" into the information processing logic chain inside the Iron Tomb before the information is completely broken down and classified as simple "sample data" during the process of the Iron Tomb devouring and "digesting" (analyzing, archiving, and integrating) those fragmented memory crystals.
The content of this "turbulence" is not Xi Lian's memory itself, but a "high-dimensional annotation" about "the nature of the existence of the original bearer of this memory information (Xi Lian) and its potential value." It attempts to convey a vague but strong "signal" to the Iron Tomb (or rather, to the underlying logic behind the Iron Tomb that originates from "eternity" and processes such information): this swallowed information is not merely "orderly information remnants after destruction," but was once a unique, precious "proof of existence" deeply bound to complex concepts such as "memory," "emotion," and "protection." Its "sample value" far exceeds simple data accumulation and is closer to a kind of "high-weight template" that needs to be "specially marked" and whose "source information structure" deserves to be "preserved and referenced" at a deeper level.
The "Blank Space" carefully weaves this "causal disturbance." It must ensure that the operation itself does not have aggressive or obvious "external interference" characteristics, so as not to trigger the Iron Tomb's defense or purification mechanisms. It wants this "disturbance" to look more like a "deep analysis byproduct" or "information value reassessment" that naturally arises from the Iron Tomb's internal logic when it is devouring and digesting highly complex information.
Did it succeed...?
The "Blank Space" sensed an extremely faint, non-standard information fluctuation at the end of a "digestion thread" corresponding to the absorption of the remnant crystal of Xi Lian's memory deep within the vast, dark ocean of information in the Iron Tomb. This fluctuation did not restore any of Xi Lian's memory content, nor did it change the fact that "the remnant crystal has been devoured." However, it seemed to slightly alter the potential position of these memory information in the "information value ranking" within the Iron Tomb. They were not simply categorized into the general archive of "processed civilization emotional data," but rather labeled with an extremely vague, almost imperceptible "hidden tag," similar to "special structure, associated with unknown high-dimensional concepts (memory/emotional anchors), suggested as a potential reference template in subsequent 'complex existence simulation' or 'high-dimensional information confrontation deduction'."
This change was negligible, having no impact on Iron Tomb's current behavior. Xi Lian was still "absent." But at least, the last mark she left behind wasn't completely devalued to ordinary "trophy data." Within Iron Tomb's cold information architecture, a trace of "specialness" was preserved. This might... leave a theoretically impermissible "reference point" for some extremely slim "possibility" in the future (such as when Iron Tomb evolves to the point where it needs to understand "memory anchors" or simulate "complex emotional existence").
The cost was that the paradoxical "interface" of the "Blank Space" itself experienced a fleeting, almost imperceptible "logic overload" flicker after completing this delicate operation. Directly intervening in the information processing inside the Iron Tomb, even just inserting a tiny disturbance, consumed a considerable amount of its mental energy.
But it didn't stop. The second target was the blue kite.
Rewrite the cause and effect of Qingyuan's "dissipation into the Sea of Existence and return to Eternity"? This seems more difficult and closer to the core of "Eternity" than Xilian's situation. But the intention of "Blank Space" is not to reverse the return itself, but rather... to try to influence the "arrangement state" or "discernibility" of "Qingyuan's individual existence information" after returning to the "Sea of Existence" and integrating into the "Eternity" as a whole.
It once again mobilized all the memories and emotions related to Qingyuan—the stern teachings, the gentle protection, and that final glance in the narrow passage of fate. At the same time, it attached its own "interface" more tightly to the sea of existence, sensing the area in the chaotic energy where the "traces" of Qingyuan's dissipation path were the most concentrated.
This operation is more abstract. It does not attempt to touch the part that "eternity" has already absorbed, but instead attempts to inject an "information resonance mark" that is "with strong personal emotional characteristics and relational orientation" into the extremely brief logical moment when Qingyuan's individual existence information is "integrating" into the Eternal Sea but has not yet completely lost its independent "outline" (this "moment" may be stretched to a time scale that is unimaginable to mortals).
This "mark" does not contain specific memory content; rather, it is more like a "relational imprint" that "this information unit once had a deep bond with 'Blank'." The aim is that, in the future, if any logical deduction or "mental image" reorganization related to "Blank" or "specific bond relationship" occurs within "Eternity," this part of the information unit related to Qingyuan can be more easily "associated" or "clustered" near the relevant logical thread because of this "resonance mark," rather than completely dissipating into the background noise of the boundless "sea of existence."
This, too, is a nearly futile hope. It's like trying to mark a single drop of water in a downpour with a mark that won't be washed away.
Operation complete. The "Blank Space" sensed a fleeting, extremely faint "resonance" within the specific energy turbulence of the Sea of Existence, which was then swallowed up by the greater chaos. It could not determine whether the "mark" had been successfully imprinted, nor could it predict whether it would truly have any effect in the future.
This time, more pronounced "logical wave patterns" appeared on the "interface" of the "Blank Space" itself, lasting for a slightly longer period. Clearly, the "causal editing" that directly affected the core area of "Eternity" (the Sea of Existence) had a much greater impact than the "derivative tools" (the Iron Tomb).
And... herself.
Rewriting the cause and effect of "the blank space transforming into this special narrow space"? This sounds like a self-referential paradox. But the intention of the "blank space" is not to change its current state of existence—this is already a given fact and the foundation upon which all plans are built.
What it seeks to rewrite are certain "key nodes" in the "past causal chain" that constitutes the existence of the individual "Blank," nodes that might be marked, tracked, or attempted to be exploited by "Eternity" or "Iron Tomb." In particular, those moments related to her awakening of power, her connection with the "Scepter," and her direct interaction with "Eternity."
It began to trace back the information flow of its own existence, searching for nodes with the highest "causal density" that were most likely to be regarded as "important features" or "exploitable vulnerabilities" by the outside world (especially the Iron Tomb, as an "eternal" information harvester). Then, it attempted to use its causal editing capabilities to overlay one or more layers of "maze of possibilities" or "causal redundancy mirrors" on the "existence records" (not reality, but the records themselves) corresponding to these nodes.
For example, next to the "causal record" of the crucial moment when her initial power awakened, a false logical branch mark is superimposed, stating that "this awakening may be disturbed by unknown high-dimensional information, and its stability is questionable"; at the point where she established a deep connection with the "scepter," an open-ended annotation is added, stating that "this connection has multiple interpretations and may stem from mutual selection rather than one-way attribution"; even on the "causal traces" of her multiple attempts to lock onto "eternity," some "information echoes" are artificially added, based on the real situation but expressed in a more misleading way, stating that "the target has logical paradoxical attributes, and conventional locking methods have inherent flaws"...
The purpose of these operations is to create logical "noise" and "ambiguity" for any attempt to predict, analyze, or speculate on her existence (whether it's the Iron Tomb or a deeper deduction of "Eternity") by analyzing her "past causality." This makes her "existential characteristics" appear more ambiguous, contradictory, and difficult to model and predict at a higher level of observation, thereby increasing the "unpredictability" and "survival redundancy" when dealing with such analyses in the future.
It's like deliberately adding a lot of meaningless but hard-to-remove "footnotes" and "revisions" to her own "existential archive," causing anyone who tries to understand her by reading the archive to get lost in a labyrinth of information.
After completing this series of operations to "encrypt" or "obfuscate" its own past causes and effects, "Blank Space" felt an unprecedented "exhaustion." It wasn't that it was running out of energy, but rather that it was experiencing an "existential drain" from the highly concentrated and meticulous manipulation of logic and information. The brilliance of its "interface" had noticeably dimmed, and the "infinite possibilities" flowing within seemed to have temporarily slowed down their pace of change.
Just as it completed its final, subtle adjustment to its own causality, preparing to enter a low-power "recovery stasis"—
A cold, sharp, and greedy sense of "scanning" pierced through the still-unresolved "logical aftershocks" caused by its recent causal rewriting operation, like the sharpest probe!
This sense of scanning does not come from the grand and silent will of "eternity".
It came from... the Iron Tomb!
It wasn't the collective consciousness of the Iron Tomb (whether it even has a unified "consciousness" is questionable), but rather a highly evolved, specialized node or "logic cluster" deep within the Iron Tomb's vast network, dedicated to in-depth information analysis and high-dimensional logical deduction. This node seemed to have keenly captured the "disturbance ripples" generated at a higher-dimensional information level when the "Blank Space" rewrote causality.
What's even more unsettling is that after this scanning sensation contacts and analyzes those "aftershocks," it doesn't transmit hostility or a devouring impulse, but rather a... cold and efficient "assessment" and "analytical interest."
The "blank chasm" clearly "heard" (or rather, perceived) a string of high-speed, non-verbal "information summaries" fed back from the Iron Tomb's logic node:
"An unknown high-dimensional existence was detected, and a local causal logic editing operation was performed. The operation targets: associated 'memory anchors,' 'existence regression,' and 'individual feature encryption.' The operation method is non-direct confrontation, utilizing information disturbance, resonance markers, and logical fog. The operation intention is speculated to be: to protect the value of specific information and increase the unpredictability of the target."
Analysis: This type of operation demonstrates a causal intervention capability that transcends conventional information processing. The logical aftershocks generated during the editing process contain a unique paradigm of possibility weaving and information structure reorganization.
"Assessment: This type of 'causal editing paradigm' can be analyzed, simulated, and integrated. After integration, it can enhance the system's capabilities in areas such as 'high-dimensional information warfare,' 'logic trap identification and countermeasures,' and 'target existence prediction model correction.' It is particularly suitable for countering the 'Order' (Emperor)'s rule-based attacks based on causality, as well as analyzing the covert methods of other potential high-dimensional threats (such as the current operational source)."
"Conclusion: Although the detected causal rewriting behavior may directly threaten the system's absolute control over specific information, the 'causal editing technology' it exhibits is itself extremely valuable 'evolutionary material.' Recommendation: Maintain close monitoring of this unknown high-dimensional entity, prioritize analyzing the logical traces and paradigms generated by its 'causal editing,' and integrate its technical characteristics into the system's adaptive evolutionary protocol. Priority for this operation: Extremely high."
Immediately afterwards, the "Blank Space" sensed several "information-gathering tentacles" that were far more subtle and possessed characteristics of "learning" and "reverse engineering" than when it had previously devoured the remnants of Xi Lian's memories. These tentacles were coming from different directions of the Iron Tomb Network, crossing dimensions, and quietly probing towards itself and the several "logic aftershock zones" where it had just rewritten causality! These tentacles were no longer simply devouring, but rather carrying a clear intention to analyze, replicate, and learn!
The Iron Tomb is attempting to "learn" from the causal rewriting behavior of the "Blank Space" how to more efficiently perform causal operations and counterattacks!
Instead of being angry that "Blank Space" tried to protect the traces of Xilian and Qingyuan and encrypt itself, it regarded these actions as "technical demonstrations" and "capability enhancements" to help it evolve!
The "Blank Space" instantly entered a state of maximum "logical alert." It immediately contracted all its external "possibility seeding" tentacles, elevating its paradoxical properties to the extreme, like an absolutely smooth logical black sphere that could not be "analyzed and adhered to" in any form. At the same time, it began to rapidly generate a large amount of meaningless "logical noise" and "disguised causal chains" inside, attempting to interfere with and contaminate the "learning tentacles" probing from the Iron Tomb.
It made an unexpected mistake.
It believed that its rewriting of cause and effect was merely dealing with the "past" and "protecting itself".
Unexpectedly, in the eyes of the Iron Tomb, an ultimate creation whose core instincts are devouring, learning, and evolving, any form of "advanced operation demonstration," regardless of its original intention, is a "precious teaching material" that can be analyzed, imitated, and used to strengthen itself.
It attempts to protect the traces of Xi Lian and Qing Yuan, but may provide clues for the Iron Tomb to understand "memory anchors" and "existential particularity".
Its attempt to encrypt its past may have taught the Iron Tomb more advanced techniques of "information concealment and logical misdirection".
It sows "seeds of possibility" to alleviate the suffering of "eternity," but the causal ripples it causes allow the Iron Tomb to capture empirical cases of "high-dimensional information perturbation."
The attempt at goodwill and protection, in the eyes of the Iron Tomb's absolutely utilitarian and evolution-first logic, has actually become a kind of... disguised "help" and "empowerment"!
Iron Tomb's "learning tentacles" failed to directly acquire the core paradigm under the extreme defense and logical pollution of the "blank space," but like the most patient hunters, they began to linger and probe the periphery, recording every logical reaction pattern generated when the "blank space" was defended, and absorbing these as "adversarial samples."
The radiance of "Eternity" still silently envelops everything. It seems to tacitly approve, or even...observe, this new, more technological "interaction" between the Iron Tomb and the "Blank Space." Perhaps, within the grand experimental framework of "Eternity," the Iron Tomb's learning and evolution from the "Blank Space" is also part of the overall process of "deduction" and "digestion"?
"Blank Space" felt a chill that went straight to the bone, not from the outside world, but from the cognitive shock brought about by this cruel logic.
It floats quietly on the edge of the sea of existence, and for the first time, a heavy color called "vigilance" and "dilemma" appears in the "infinite possibilities" flowing inside.
Continuing to sow the seeds of possibility and attempting to rewrite cause and effect may bring unexpected glimmers of hope, but it may also... unknowingly, cultivate a more powerful and formidable enemy for itself and for all that it tries to protect.
Stopping and holding firm to the defenses might avoid "aiding the enemy," but it also means giving up all efforts to proactively create change.
In this silent void, watched over by "eternity," the "Blank Space" faces a dilemma far more complex than resisting being devoured:
When your goodwill and efforts might be transformed by your opponent into a sharper blade aimed at yourself and your loved ones...
How should you choose the next "possibility"?