Chapter 1342 - 531: Cave and Aleph (3)
Chapter 1342: Chapter 531: Cave and Aleph (3)
Cassandra let out a light laugh, but there was no warmth in that laughter:
"Stop pretending, Ron. A Moon Level Enchanter attempting to set technological traps for a Historian?"
"It’s as laughable as using an abacus to crack cryptography."
She paced slowly in the projection space:
"What I want to know is—did you ever tell Vinard those ’interesting ideas’ we discussed earlier?"
The projection stopped in front of Ron, her purple eyes staring straight at him:
"Like the three-step strategy for ’elegantly dealing’ with Exotic Realm civilizations."
This question hammered hard on Ron’s heart.
He understood Cassandra’s true intentions.
Her questioning meant she might have already noticed the changes in Vinard’s strategy on Stoker Star.
Ron quickly adjusted his strategy, feigning a slightly guilty expression:
"I... I did mention some theoretical possibilities."
His voice carried an appropriate level of tension:
"But Vinard seemed more interested in traditional military conquest routes and wasn’t captivated by those ’innovative ideas’..."
"He said that method was too complex and that direct power suppression was more reliable."
"Is that so?"
Cassandra waved dismissively, and immediately a Crystal Ball image appeared in the projection.
It showed Ron and Vinard in deep conversation on a viewing platform.
Although there was no sound, from their focused expressions and frequent hand gestures, it was clear they were discussing some complex and important plan.
"It seems you had quite an engaging discussion."
Cassandra’s tone turned more dangerous:
"And as far as I know, Vinard has indeed adjusted his strategy for Stoker Star recently.
The originally planned large-scale military action has been postponed, and instead, a ’penetrative’ cultural influence is underway."
She paused for a moment, letting this information ferment in the air:
"The timing of this change coincides so perfectly with your arrival, it’s quite thought-provoking."
Ron genuinely felt the pressure.
Cassandra’s intelligence network was more powerful than he imagined, likely even having eyes in Vinard’s core team.
But simultaneously, he also picked up a key piece of information in her words.
She was not yet aware of the specific details of his strategy.
Otherwise, there would be no need for such probing questions.
"Tower Master, I admit I did reveal some... discussions to Vinard."
Ron opted for a partially honest strategy:
"But my goal is to gain his trust so I can gather more valuable intelligence for you."
He feigned a somewhat helpless expression:
"You assigned me the task of ’observing, recording, reporting’ Vinard’s actions.
If I don’t show enough value, how could he possibly disclose core secrets to me?"
"Moreover," as he spoke, his thought process widened, and he continued to add:
"I merely mentioned conceptual possibilities, not revealing your specific plan for the Vital Civilization, nor did I mention technical details of the cognitive virus project."
This explanation logically fit together, causing Cassandra’s expression to soften slightly.
She resumed pacing in the projection space, seemingly weighing the truthfulness of Ron’s words.
"Speaking of the Vital plan..."
Cassandra’s tone suddenly became relaxed:
"Actually, there’s been new developments recently."
She displayed another Crystal Ball:
The Vital People’s collective consciousness network was showing unprecedented signs of fragmentation.
The previously unified and stable spiritual connection now presented a spider-web-like complex fragmented structure.
Each fragment represented an independent "thought group," no longer fully sharing information, and even value conflicts were emerging.
Ron felt extremely puzzled.
According to the situation when he left, Cedric’s cognitive virus project suffered major setbacks due to the Vital’s collective consciousness enacting a forceful purge.
The Vital People should have developed a strong resistance mentality and countermeasures against such virtual experience attacks.
Why was there now an even more severe collective consciousness fragmentation?
Or was it that, during his absence, that madman Cedric concocted some mutated strain?
However, Cassandra seemed to deliberately keep him in suspense.
She merely mentioned this shocking development casually.
Then she didn’t delve further, as if it were just an unimportant detail.
"Cedric may be a madman, but he’s indeed a genius."
She commented casually.
"Alright, back to the main topic."
Cassandra’s tone turned serious again:
"I need to know if Vinard truly adopted your strategy and its detailed implementation progress."
She stopped in front of Ron, her purple eyes burning with an uncompromising fire:
"This is not a suggestion, Ron. This is an order."
"You now have two choices:
Either prove your continued loyalty to our collaboration by providing detailed intelligence on Vinard’s project;
Or come back right now and focus on your proposed ’peaceful transformation’ project."
"But if you choose to stay there, you must provide truly valuable information."
"I need to know what he’s done concerning the ’Native Gods’ of Stoker Star, and how far the progress is.
Whether those Native Gods’ belief structure has already begun to loosen? Have new divinity concepts been successfully implanted?"
Danger flashed in Cassandra’s eyes:
"My patience is limited, Ron. Especially towards clever individuals attempting to stand with one foot in each camp."
At this critical, tense moment, the atmosphere in the room subtly changed.
A disturbance force field from a higher dimension quietly emerged, like an invisible hand gently stroking the surface of the spatial anchor points.
This was the Paradox Dice at work—turning unfavorable coincidences into advantageous opportunities.
Cassandra’s projection began to show slight instability, its edges becoming blurred, and her voice slightly breaking.
"What’s going on?" she frowned, trying to stabilize the communication link.
At that moment, the glow of another communication rune flickered at the edge of the projection space.
Cassandra frowned, condensing a ball of purple energy in her hand, ready to expel the uninvited guest.
But when she perceived the characteristics of the signal, she stopped her actions.
"Wait..."
She seemed to sense something:
"This timing, this contact method..."
The next moment, a sweet and familiar voice resonated in the communication space:
"Mother? Are you busy? I want to report some important cultivation progress..."
Eve’s voice, at this moment, was like heavenly music to Ron.
But appearing at this timing made Cassandra’s expression extremely unpleasant.
The timing was too coincidental.
So coincidental that one might suspect it wasn’t merely an accident.
Cassandra’s gaze lingered on Ron for half a second, an in-depth scrutiny flashed in her eyes.
"It seems today’s conversation needs to end early."
Her voice turned cold:
"Ron, you’re very lucky. But luck won’t accompany you forever."
Just before the communication was about to end, Cassandra issued a final ultimatum:
"At the start of next month, a Main World’s trade caravan will arrive at the colony for a scheduled exchange. That will be your final chance to choose."
"Either return with the caravan and prove your loyalty to me;
Or completely stay there, but be prepared to bear the corresponding consequences."
Her projection began to turn transparent:
"Remember, trying to straddle both camps only results in bad outcomes on both ends."
With this threat, Cassandra’s projection completely dissipated, and the communication space crumbled along with it.
The room returned to quiet, with only the flickering light from the Magic Crystal Lamp on the desk.
Ron slowly exhaled, but the tension in his heart was not alleviated at all.
Cassandra had revealed her intentions.
She was no longer satisfied with a vague cooperation but demanded him to make a clear choice.
"Eve’s appearance..."
Recalling the details just now, Ron felt a peculiar sensation emerging in his heart:
"The timing was too coincidental, it was like..."
He remembered the wish he’d made when using the Paradox Dice a week ago:
To turn all unfavorable calculations into forces that promote his success.
Perhaps Eve’s sudden contact truly was a manifestation of the dice effect?
Though the idea sounded somewhat absurd, in the Wizard World, probability control was indeed a real power.
Regardless, Cassandra’s pressure had become reality.
He must make his final decision next month.