Chapter 255: Common Sense Substitution
Bai Yan's countenance had already transformed into "Viscount Edmond".
He had no intention of exposing his "Profligate" identity in front of Kaluoer, as it could potentially affect the ultimate efficacy of the Crown Ceremony "Fictional Enactment".
A tremendously powerful spiritual force burrowed into the girl's body, swiftly traversing within. Upon reaching the deepest corners of her soul, it forcefully launched an aggressive assault.
Rough methods, yet highly effective.
"Ah, ah, aaaaah..."
She emitted voiceless cries from her mouth, resembling a little seal battered and beaten.
The body trembling beneath the maid outfit lasted for a while before finally succumbing completely to the overwhelmingly powerful spiritual force.
Kaluoer stood still in the same spot, tranquil and motionless, with a vacant expression in her eyes.
"Hidden Azure" is an extraordinary being who has reached the awakened state.
Formidably strong and exceptionally skilled in assassination, in theory, any enemy below the Crown is highly likely to fall victim to her preemptive "silent demise."
She has long been infamous in the ears of many, a living nightmare in the minds of countless individuals, while also possessing a dreadful potential that surpasses all assassins.
However, in the face of the power of a "Psychic Dancer" who has already reached the Crown level, "Hidden Azure" simply has no room for retaliation if caught off guard.
Her power to "annihilate extraordinary abilities" also requires physical contact with the target in order to take effect.
With a calm demeanor, Bai Yan skillfully manipulates both the physical and emotional aspects of Kaluoer, revealing a faint smile, much like a programmer who, after successfully decrypting software, starts to indulge in unrestrained mischief.
He gently waved his hand and took a seat on a nearby chair himself.
"Please have a seat, Kaluoer."
Kaluoer immediately sat down obediently, complying with the command of this seemingly "master" who was actually the target of her assassination.
Bai Yan gazed at the young girl, commencing the process of accessing her memories.
To transform this girl, one must first familiarize themselves with everything about her.
Bai Yan's eyes were constantly filled with a silver radiance, extracting memories from the deepest recesses.
--
Bai Yan's consciousness seemed to enter a state of chaos. Within a unique "space" where there was neither light nor darkness, he could "perceive" memory orbs resembling bubbles, floating on the outer surface of an immensely colossal golden star.
That is, the soul.
All souls of sentient beings exist within the Soul Dimension. Within each soul, there also exists a "soul core" and "varying sizes of spiritual links," from which silver-white sparks of "spiritual energy" continually emanate.
Spiritual energy, power of miracles, power of origins, it is said that they all belong to the "ultimate power" in the multiverse.
Noah's research on the soul has always been extensive, and the notion of "mental power" or "innate power" itself originates from the soul.
Here, he saw many things.
Kaluoer hails from an ordinary artisan family, and she has been inseparable from her twin sister Evie since childhood. Although their family is not affluent, at least it is whole.
The two sisters have a deep bond, sleeping on the same bed every day, sharing everything, and living a joyful and blissful life together.
For the first and only time, Kaluoer didn't share her birthday gift with her sister.
However, Evie forcefully broke and divided the gift she received into two halves, giving one half to Kaluoer.
Kaluoer, unwilling to damage her own birthday gift, held it tightly, unwilling to share it with her sister.
This resulted in Evie crying for several days and nights, almost crying her eyes out, which frightened Kaluoer and made her cry for a long time as well. Their parents hurriedly bought a new gift so that both girls could have one each.
The two girls, who had reconciled, made a promise with each other.
"We swear that from now on, we will share everything, whether it is good or bad!"
Henceforth, they even shared the pain and joy they experienced.
Until one day, everything changed.
A sudden, unexplained explosion occurred at home, and Kaluoer, who was in bed at the time, was shielded by her sister and unable to see the cause of the explosion clearly. However, she was severely injured and fell into a coma.
When she regained consciousness, she discovered that she had been locked up, imprisoned within a cramped space.
In this space, she couldn't find her sister, parents, or even a trace of light. She could only sense the passing of time and the pain from her injuries.
Little Kaluoer wailed and cried in anguish, yet received no response.
When she was on the brink of death, she was finally escorted to a peculiar workshop.
On the surgical bed, some peculiar, levitating azure runes enveloped her, commencing a highly risky transformation...
After acquiring the body of a demi-doll, she didn't lose her emotions.
Subsequently, Kaluoer encountered "Purple Light," one of the color assassins.
That middle-aged woman, serving as the mentor to the novice assassins, treated Kaluoer with utmost cruelty, showing no trace of mercy.
Bai Yan rarely encountered such aloof individuals. He spotted Kaluoer in the snowy terrain, minimally clad, shedding tears and screams, engaging in a skirmish with a menacing creature using nothing but a solitary small knife in her hand.
The middle-aged woman wearing a purple mask remained stringent to the utmost.
There were many apprentices who trained alongside Kaluoer, but most of them were unable to persevere.
Perhaps due to the effect of her semi-puppet body or perhaps because of her inherent talent, Kaluoer managed to survive.
Through countless battles, countless swings of weapons, countless whippings and punishments, each instance left Kaluoer physically and mentally exhausted, yet rapidly transforming her into a formidable force.
Furthermore, with the aid of an emotion-erasing spell, gradually, Kaluoer ceased to weep and lament.
She underwent a transformation, evolving from an ignorant young girl into a top-tier assassin.
With a calm countenance, she disassembles her intended target, solely driven by the pursuit of acquiring valuable intelligence.
"The blade" requires no emotions.
To exist solely as a weapon is to be freed from suffering, sorrow, despair, and fear.
From that very moment, Kaluoer realized that being the "blade" was an effortless endeavor.
Thus, she abandoned her sense of self and also relinquished the various joys she had always perceived from her sister.
She also couldn't fathom the reason why, but she always felt an array of delightful emotions whenever she was with her sister, and this was what filled Kaluoer with the utmost despair.
Why am I the only one plunged into the abyss? Why don't you come find me? Where on earth are you?
If, if there were more than just me here...
Didn't we agree to share everything?
Finally, when a certain critical point arrived, she completely lost all sense of feeling.
The previously held name "Kaluoer" instead became a false identity.
The true Hidden Azure is born.
She is a flawless assassin, and also a perfect instrument!
In the dark room, Bai Yan silently delves into the entirety of Kaluoer's memories.
It is as if he has watched a retrospective of her past within a cinema, his heart cannot help but generate a sense of sympathy.
"Indeed, replacing common knowledge is truly a formidable undertaking. Merely substituting a few pieces of common knowledge took several hours of time."
Even Bai Yan shook his head, feeling immense exhaustion at this very moment.
Therefore, Bai Yan reached out and gently caressed the girl's head.
"Awaken, please."
As Kaluoer's bewildered gaze gradually dissipates, upon catching sight of Bai Yan, without hesitation, she swiftly launches into an assassination.
Therefore, she engaged in an exceedingly peculiar behavior.
Perhaps anyone knowledgeable of "Hidden Azure" would be astounded, unable to fathom the occurrence of such a bizarre situation.
Kaluoer starts repeatedly performing squats in the same spot.
Yes, squatting.
Kaluoer places both her hands on her knees and begins to squat up and down in the same spot, her expression devoid of any emotion, repeating the same movement incessantly.
[Why is the target incapable of being killed?]
Kaluoer becomes perplexed.
Despite having assassinated numerous times herself.
The genuine reality is that, at this very moment, her knowledge has already been replaced by the formidable power of the "Psychic Dancer"!
The word "assassination" will be seen as "crouching down", but she herself didn't notice anything strange, this is the power of "Common Sense Substitution".
Bai Yan silently observes this scene and, unable to contain himself, bursts into laughter.
"You are indeed working hard. Keep going, gather your strength, I'll be here waiting for you to kill me."
Kaluoer's squatting frequency increases, evidently indicating her inner exploration of various assassination methods, perhaps feeling that she has exhausted all her trump cards.
However, Bai Yan simply remains calm, sitting on the chair, enjoying the comedy.
"You should understand by now, with your current strength, you are unable to kill me."
Bai Yan sits nearby, holding a "delicious cigar" in his hand, pretending to smoke it gracefully, and says, "Hidden Azure, you rely on yourself but are fundamentally incapable of completing the task at hand. So, what do you plan to do next?"
The girl with icy blue hair gazes at him coldly, without saying a word.
However, her inner voice remains an uncontrollable presence.
[Cease the assassination temporarily and immediately report the situation to the 'host'.]
Finally, Kaluoer no longer squats down, her petite figure vanishes in an instant into the darkness.
Bai Yan didn't hinder her.
Because Kaluoer cannot possibly successfully report the situation here to her superiors.
Bai Yan has already altered the memories regarding this matter.
The "method of reporting" that resides in the girl's mind now is completely erroneous, ultimately leading all the information she intends to report directly into the hands of Bai Yan.
However, she herself remains completely unaware of this.
"The game has only just begun, young assassin," Bai Yan silently gazed out at the nocturnal scenery outside.
--
The next day, in the morning.
When Bai Yan once again opened his eyes, the expressionless Kaluoer remained standing by his bed, respectfully and dressed in a maid's attire of black and white.
After exposing one's identity in front of the target, what should be done?
The knowledge in Kaluoer's mind has also been replaced by Bai Yan, although it took some time, but it seems to have had a very noticeable effect.
Originally, her common sense was "immediately leave the vicinity of the target."
And now, the current common sense is "pretend everything is normal."
Bai Yan sat on the bed, gazing at Kaluoer, and calmly remarked, "Indeed, this is the terrifying aspect of the power of the mind, wouldn't you agree, Kaluoer?"
The young girl remained silent for a while, without responding.
Due to the replacement of common sense, her thinking temporarily fell into confusion.
Bai Yan silently listened to the thoughts in her mind.
[Why did I come back...The target is still alive, the mission has failed...]
[Until new instructions are given, the assassination operation should be temporarily halted.]
[Hmm, continue to stay here, awaiting the next notification from the 'host'.]
Kaluoer gracefully bowed with a serious demeanor:
"Sir, I don't comprehend your words. Please allow me to assist you in changing your attire."
"Very well."
Bai Yan nodded gently and gracefully emerged from the bed. He stood confidently in front of the dressing mirror, outstretching his arms, awaiting Kaluoer's assistance.
The young girl stepped forward and meticulously began dressing Bai Yan.
[As long as I remain in my original 'maid' state.]
[He will not realize my indiscretion from last night.]
[I can continue to maintain the secret.]
The current Kaluoer, completely unaware of how peculiar her logic is, just as she didn't notice the oddity of her actions last night when she squatted down.
Bai Yan calmly observed Kaluoer behind him through the mirror.
Starting from today, she will completely break free from the clutches of the Mercury Ball and will no longer undergo the daily enchantments that weaken her emotions.
Though the restoration of emotions is not an overnight matter.
However, Bai Yan believes that it is only a matter of time before Kaluoer's emotional faculties are restored to normal.
"Is there anything to report today?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," she replied.
Kaluoer stood respectfully by the side and said, "Baroque, the esteemed high priest, will soon arrive at the Tulip Manor. He wishes to extend an invitation for you to attend the birthday celebration of Her Highness Evie."
Evie...
Kaluoer felt a sense of familiarity with this name, yet couldn't recall where she had heard it before... Her memories of her sister had been mostly erased by the Mercury Ball.
"Very well, I understand."
Bai Yan nodded gently, not feeling the least bit surprised by this matter.
Because, this is exactly what he had arranged.
Baroque, this high-ranking priest whom he had never met before, regarded "Viscount Edmond" as a dear friend in his heart at this moment, even contemplating inviting him to the birthday banquet of Her Highness Evie.
Evie.
She is one of the key members of Babel Tower, Kaluoer's twin sister.
"Innocent Singer"
And Evie lived in the first district, which was also the location of the "key" to the Ultimate Ritual, a secret known by very few people.
Only Bai Yan who has completed the first playthrough of "Babel Tower," along with Moon Witch who possesses the "Book of Concealment," and a few others, truly understand this matter.
Therefore, Bai Yan would manipulate a high-ranking priest to deliver an invitation to himself.
He must enter the first district in order to come into contact with the "Innocent Singer" and the key for the Ultimate Ritual.
