chsdbacks Chapter 417 Paradox
Chapter 417 Paradox
Chapter 417 Paradox
This is the sixth time we've passed through the spatial rift.
But this time, it felt completely different.
The dizziness that used to come every time disappeared, and the déjà vu from the previous round was intensified again. It was no longer just a familiar "déjà vu," but a more real, fragmented, flickering echo of memory.
The moment Jemin steadied himself, several clear images flashed through his mind: him rapidly collecting crystals on the observation platform; Frost's profile as he landed carrying the corpse of an eighth-level Scythe-Skull Clan member; and the final moment before the time reversal, when his inner space quickly absorbed various artifacts—
These memories are incomplete, fragmented, and cannot be strung together into a coherent narrative.
Faced with a vast amount of crystal records, these fragmented memories seem utterly useless.
But their very existence is significant, far exceeding their content.
This means that his body-strengthening method's "adaptive evolution" against time reset is moving from a vague "sense of déjà vu" towards a more stable "memory anchor".
"Captain?" a teammate behind him asked.
"It's nothing," Jemin replied calmly, his gaze sweeping over the two thousand wizards behind him, then looking at the vigilant friendly forces ahead and Frost flying in.
He knew what had happened.
This is the greatest use of these memories: they allow Jemin to "know" rather than guess.
"Knowing" is the sixth cycle.
The process is already quite familiar.
Show Artorias's command to obtain permission to pass.
Before Frost could speak, Jemin stepped forward and handed over a pre-prepared data summary containing key research findings from the previous round and data from the current battlefield.
"Your Excellency Frost, this is a summary of the research progress and tactical analysis from the previous round. It includes combat data on the new bio-beasts, and—preliminary findings regarding the Paradox Experiment." His tone was calm.
Frost gave him a deep look, asked no further questions, and quickly took the crystal to read it.
Moments later, the order was given, and the wizard legion deployed with maximum efficiency to intercept the anticipated ambush by the Scythe-Skull Clan.
The landing operation, with complete intelligence superiority, ended in a decisive victory for the wizards within half an hour, faster than ever before.
Only after the initial clearing of the battlefield was completed was Jemin able to turn all his attention back to himself.
He first examined the internal crypts.
The mountain of crystal records was neatly categorized and remained undamaged.
The monitoring instruments brought back from the previous cycle, samples of various levels of the Scythe-Skull Clan, and most importantly, the complete level eight corpse and two fragments of the Glory Armor, all lay quietly in the designated area, without any abnormal changes.
But that wasn't his main focus.
With Frost's permission, Jemin and Alison, along with other core research wizards, were the first to enter the Legion's central distribution warehouse and database for logistical supplies.
Their goal was clear: to check the supply list and look for traces of the "paradox".
The inventory process was completed quickly with the help of a highly automated rune array.
When the final report was presented to everyone, a hushed, excited murmur rippled through the laboratory.
"Confirmed!" Allison pointed to the data columns highlighted in red on the holographic projection, "Basic elemental materials, high-purity energy crystals, specific types of rune substrates—a total of seventeen categories of materials, have shortages that cannot be explained by normal consumption. Total shortage—"
She pulled up another list, a detailed materials list provided by Jemin for the previous batch of "new" observation instruments.
"—The total amount of materials required for this list is twice the amount, with an error margin of less than 0.05%." Another wizard responsible for data comparison said, his voice trembling slightly.
Everyone understood what this meant.
Jemin brought back a set of "new" instruments from the last round, and they are now in the camp.
The gap in the warehouse corresponds to the materials for two sets of instruments.
The only explanation is that the "old" instrument, which was manufactured in the fourth round and continued to be used in the fifth round, ultimately could not escape the fate of being an "outsider" as time rewound from the end of the fifth round to the beginning of the sixth round.
Like those black giants, they were erased in the conflict of spacetime continuity.
"Not bad, this result is as expected," Jemin summarized in a low voice, without much excitement in his heart.
This result validates their conjecture about the "paradox of foreign objects stability" and also explains part of the reason for the previous disappearance of the Black Giant.
Next, is the main event.
Jemin recorded the basic environmental data from the previous round—including elemental concentrations and energy tidal baseline values at various points in space.
Data packages containing "constants" such as the inherent fluctuation frequency of the planar laws were distributed to the various research groups.
Using the repaired "new" instruments (the same ones brought back from the previous cycle), the wizards began to synchronously measure the current cycle's dimensional environment, intending to establish a new baseline and compare it with the recorded data.
At first, everything was normal.
The instrument operates stably, and data flows onto the screen like a waterfall.
The wizards each handled their assigned modules, checking, calibrating, and calculating.
However, just half a day later, a young wizard specializing in elemental energy spectrum analysis stopped writing with a furrowed brow.
He repeatedly compared the real-time monitoring data stream with the "previous round of baseline data" provided by Jemin, his expression becoming increasingly confused.
"Consultant Jieming," he looked up, his voice uncertain, "please confirm again that the elemental abundance baseline spectrum you provided is a measurement from the stable phase before the last round of the general offensive, right? It hasn't undergone any post-processing corrections or filtering?"
"Yes, the raw data, directly from the recording crystal," Jemin confirmed. "What's wrong?"
"That's strange—" The young wizard pointed to the two sets of curves in front of him. "You see, real-time monitoring shows that the average background concentration of the seven stable inert elements in the atmosphere of the current plane is about 0.3 percent lower than the baseline data you provided. The error range far exceeds the instrument's accuracy and the upper limit of natural fluctuations."
0.3 percent.
This number, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, stirred up violent ripples in Jemin's heart.
Soon, more anomalies were reported.
"Report! The average intensity of background void energy fluctuations has decreased by approximately 0.28%!"
"The spatial stability coefficient has decreased slightly, a trend consistent with the decrease in elemental concentration!"
"There are signs of a slight upward shift in the basic life field activity threshold —"
Each tiny percentage deviation is aggregated. They are all in the same direction, have similar magnitudes, and affect the most fundamental and stable "constants" of the plane!
As Jemin looked at the discrepancies in these data, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his earlier conjecture gradually became clearer.