Alerted, the "Old Task Force" met the Vigilance person Song He on the first basement level of the church.
"Sooner than I expected," Song He asked amiably, "Why exactly was Mr. Dimarco willing to let you into the 'Underground Ark'?"
He couldn't figure this out, so he didn't hide his curiosity.
Jiang Baimian smiled:
"He's very interested in the Forbidden Temple on the island in the center of the lake, and he also knows that if he doesn't see us, we definitely won't share our gains with him."
"So that's it..." Song He didn't expect such a simple reason.
But since it involved the so-called slumbering "gods," it was normal for anything strange to happen.
Maybe Dimarco had the idea of becoming a similar being?
Jiang Baimian then mentioned the Redstone Collection mole incident:
"By the way, we asked Mr. Dimarco if he had betrayed Redstone Collection and leaked the information about Bishop Renato returning to headquarters to the Fishmen and Hill Giants. Although he didn't admit it, he didn't deny it either. He only said that when the new bishop arrived, he would communicate with him about this issue."
Song He showed a thoughtful expression and nodded slightly:
"Then there's no need to continue the investigation. Consider this task completed."
After speaking, he smiled and pointed to the ceiling above:
"Let's go upstairs and talk. It's not good to keep standing."
Knowing that Song He was about to pay the reward and teach them some common sense about "Awakeners," Shang Jianyao responded before Jiang Baimian could:
"Okay!"
He immediately added:
"Do you need someone to massage your back?"
When he said this, Shang Jianyao's eyes were looking at Long Yuehong.
F*ck... Long Yuehong couldn't help but curse in his heart.
"Huh?" Song He was clearly a little dazed.
Shang Jianyao immediately explained:
"This is a perk a teacher can enjoy."
"No, no." Song He suddenly felt that he was really getting old and had a so-called generation gap with young people.
Back in the church, in Song He's room, after both sides were seated, Jiang Baimian couldn't wait to ask:
"Vigilance Song, to break through the 'Sea of Origins,' how many islands do we have to challenge, and how many kinds of inner shadows do we have to defeat?"
Although she wasn't an Awakener, she was always full of research spirit for similar things.
Hearing this, Song He chuckled:
"You know quite a lot. I'm a little worried about whether I can give a reward that's valuable enough."
He paused and pondered:
"Since you have basic common sense, it will be easier for me to explain.
"Everyone's inner shadows and fears are different and have their own uniqueness, so the number and characteristics of the islands that need to be traversed will also be different.
"Some may have to challenge eight or nine islands to find themselves, while others may only need four or five, or even two or three, to reach the end. This varies from person to person.
"In simple terms, those who are full of courage and don't have many psychological shadows will cross the 'Sea of Origins' faster."
Jiang Baimian resisted the urge to look at Shang Jianyao and said in confusion:
"That's what I thought too, but this brings up a problem:
"You know, every time an Awakener defeats an island, their abilities will be improved to a certain extent. So, will someone who has crossed eight or nine islands be stronger than someone who has only crossed two or three?"
What she meant was that if there were two such people, one who had received eight or nine enhancements and one who had only completed two or three, and both had successfully entered the 'Corridor of the Mind' in the end, there might be a huge gap in strength.
Song He's gaze slowly swept over the four members of the "Old Task Force" and chuckled:
"There will indeed be a gap in strength between two Awakeners who have just entered the 'Corridor of the Mind,' but this is small and mainly comes from the application of their own abilities, the restraint between each other, and experience in actual combat.
"Whether it's an Awakener who has crossed seven or eight islands or one who has only defeated two or three, after finding themselves and completing their minds, their strength will be improved to a similar level. Those who have enhanced more in the front will enhance less here, and those who have gained less in the front will gain more here."
He thought for a while and gave an example:
"It's like we go from Redstone Collection to the 'United Industries' headquarters. Whether you drive, ride a bicycle, or even walk, the only result you'll ever get is that you've reached your destination. The main difference lies in the time spent along the way and the experience brought by various encounters.
"For Awakeners, the essence of defeating shadow islands is to cross the 'Sea of Origins,' and as long as they can enter the 'Corridor of the Mind,' everyone is the same in terms of the most important gains."
"I understand." Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and struck his left palm. "It's like a race. Some need to cross many hurdles, while others only need to cross a few shallow pits. No matter which method is used, victory goes to the one who crosses the finish line first."
Song He nodded:
"Almost."
He used the example Shang Jianyao had found to further elaborate:
"The possible difference between the two lies in the fact that in the future, when encountering hurdles that need to be crossed, the one with experience will be a little more relaxed."
"There's still a chance to encounter hurdles in the future?" Jiang Baimian keenly tasted the hidden meaning in Song He's words.
Song He "hmm"ed:
"This involves what the essence of the 'Corridor of the Mind' is."
At this point, he picked up the water glass next to him and took a sip.
This made the four members of the "Old Task Force" a little anxious—although Bai Chen and Long Yuehong were not Awakeners and did not have a strong desire for research, everyone had a curiosity.
This was the most mysterious and wonderful power that mankind could currently obtain.
After drinking the water, Song He slowly said:
"The 'Sea of Origins' reflects one's own mind, and the islands are the fears or shadows lurking deep within each person.
"And the 'Corridor of the Mind' connects the minds of all Awakeners.
"I heard from the Bishop of Fear who introduced me to the Church that there are many doors in the 'Corridor of the Mind,' and each door corresponds to a mental world.
"Some of these belong to those powerful Awakeners who have explored the depths of the 'Corridor of the Mind,' and some even lead to the dreams of the Sovereigns. They are bizarre and full of scenes that transcend reality, including the mappings of those psychological shadows that the opponent once defeated."
No wonder one would still encounter "Islands of Fear," but not one's own, but someone else's... Jiang Baimian suddenly understood.
Shang Jianyao then asked excitedly:
"Can we visit other people's places?"
Song He paused for two seconds before answering:
"In theory, you can, but you can't open the doors corresponding to the minds of ordinary Awakeners, at least not before exploring the depths of the 'Corridor of the Mind.'
"As for whether it works for someone like Yan Hu, I don't know."
Hearing this example, Jiang Baimian's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She thought of the "aberration" bred in the Fishman Apostle's body again.
Opening the door in reverse and returning to reality from someone else's mental world? The premise is that you integrate your aura into someone else's body and provide precise positioning? Jiang Baimian had new guesses about this matter.
She weighed it and asked:
"Then what is the purpose of exploring the 'Corridor of the Mind'?"
Song He showed a slightly regretful expression:
"Many people in the graylands believe that there is a new world, and in the depths of a certain city ruin, there is a door to the new world, where there is no longer hunger, infection, or war.
"Similarly, those powerful Awakeners all believe that a certain door in the 'Corridor of the Mind' can lead to a new world, a new world that can qualitatively change their lives."
Jiang Baimian and others instantly thought of the words Yan Hu had carved on the coffin board with his fingernails:
"New world"
And this was similar to what Du Heng had said back then.
At this time, Shang Jianyao asked curiously:
"What if we go through the wrong door?"
"Then you will have to face all kinds of bizarre worlds. If you can't successfully resolve the dangers that exist in them, you may lose your life," Song He reminded. "In the 'Sea of Origins,' failure is just a simple failure. At most, it will make people more tired and in a poor mental state. Success will pay an even greater price. But when you get to the 'Corridor of the Mind,' failure will often be reflected in reality."
"It's very dangerous..." Long Yuehong sighed sincerely.
Song He laughed:
"Yes.
"When it comes to 'Awakening,' if you want to gain more, you have to face more.
"Cowards like me only dare to stay where they are."
Coward... For some reason, Long Yuehong suddenly thought of Weier's words, who said that Vigilance Song had another side to him in private.
Maybe this is the price he paid? As Long Yuehong's thoughts turned, Song He spoke again:
"I only know this much about the 'Corridor of the Mind.' Ask me something else."
"Is there a stable way to awaken someone?" Jiang Baimian shamelessly asked about something that was perhaps a core secret of a cult.
Song He chuckled and shook his head:
"No.
"But if you join the Church and often participate in Mass, you will definitely be more likely to awaken if you are watched by the 'Silent Nun.'
"Well, if the 'Silent Nun' directly bestows divine grace, awakening will be a high-probability event."
Is this trying to lure us to join the Vigilance Church? Hehe, how can you catch Shang Jianyao without the Holy Communion? Well, it seems that the Sovereigns have all mastered ways to increase the probability of awakening... Knowing that she wouldn't get an answer if she continued to ask, Jiang Baimian rationally shut her mouth.
Next, Shang Jianyao asked a few more questions related to the "Sea of Origins," and all received good answers.
After bidding farewell to Song He and getting into the jeep, Jiang Baimian, who was in the passenger seat, looked back at the Vigilance Church:
"The new Bishop should be arriving soon. Let's try to leave before then.
"Well, let's go back to the hotel camp and tell Lehman about Lars's news, let him confirm it himself, and then we'll only have to wait for the 'Mechanical Paradise' data. In the meantime, we can check on Herveyg's death.
"By the way, we still have to wait for the company's reply."
She had already drafted a telegram last night about her experience exploring the temple and her recommendation of Han Wanghuo and sent it back to "Pangu Biology."