From the end of the world

Chapter 249: Fake Moon in the Water 1
It's evening.

Ma Zao and I went out to the base cafeteria to have dinner halfway through the conversation. Fu Feng came over to talk to me again, asking me indirectly about my views on hegemony; Dong Che also showed up, joining in the conversation while observing Ma Zao with a strange look.

We didn't give them a chance to continue chatting and immediately retreated to our room after dinner.

Ma Zao's work has made new progress.

Unfortunately, the progress was not in the investigation of the Gunner's head, as the true identity of the Great Impermanence behind the Gunner was still hidden in the dark. The part that was making progress was the broken round mirror that I gave her to repair last night, which was suspected to have fallen from the dead Dr. Silver Mask.

Now it is no longer appropriate to call this item a "broken round mirror". The round mirror that was originally burned black by the flames has become very neat after deep cleaning, and the cracked mirror surface has become flawless, and can clearly reflect the surrounding scenery.

Ma Zao placed the sharpshooter's head on his knees and handed me the seemingly intact round mirror.

"I already know what this is."

Not only did she complete the restoration of the round mirror, it also appears that she investigated the historical information inside.

"This is a magical item, and just as you speculated, it is an item that is deeply related to Doctor Silver Mask. To be precise, it can be said to be his 'body'," she said.

"Body?" I was surprised.

She nodded first, then explained very patiently: "Ying Lingyun's 'Possible Clone' is a replica of Lu Chan, and the effect is exactly the same. What they summoned are not real physical clones, but clones in the form of spirits. Because there is no physical container, the defense against soul attacks is very weak.

"In order to overcome this weakness, Ying Lingyun equipped his 'possible clones' with cloned bodies. Because both the spirit and the body are similar to the original, the degree of fit is also quite high. However, Dr. Silver Mask is an exception.

"Doctor Silver Mask was born from the possible avatar of 'Ying Lingyun who did not meet Yin Yue'. His life experiences diverged at a very early stage, shaping him into a completely different soul. Therefore, his compatibility with Ying Lingyun's cloned body is not very good. This is probably the reason why the consciousness network of the 'possible avatar' cannot be successfully connected.

"Because Dr. Silver Mask has outstanding scientific research capabilities, Ying Lingyun still kept this clone even though he knew that it might rebel. However, for safety reasons, Ying Lingyun did not design a human body with the ability to move freely for Dr. Silver Mask. Instead, he simply put his soul into an object container. Only in an independent reality space that is like a dream can Dr. Silver Mask appear in human form."

She rarely spoke so many words in one breath. After she finished speaking, she took a deep breath and looked at me intently.

"I see..." I said, "So what is the soul inside this object now?"

"Of course he's dead. There's no way to save him. Even my power of returning can't bring the dead back to life..." She thought for a moment and added, "At least someone who's been dead for such a long time definitely can't be resurrected."

What you mean is that as long as the corpse is not completely cold, you may be able to revive it, right?

Ma Zao continued, "In addition, the function of this magic item is not just to contain souls, or rather, containing souls is only a secondary purpose."

"What's the main purpose?" I was curious.

"Ying Lingyun and Dr. Silver Mask called this magic item the 'Fake Moon in the Water'," she said. "As the name suggests, it is a replica of the Moon in the Water. Although it cannot replicate the supernatural powers of others like the real Moon in the Water, it still has a powerful illusion power and can be used to invade the souls of others."

"Invade the soul..." I thought for a moment and said, "Lu Youxun previously suspected that Chen Long was brainwashed by Ying Lingyun using the Moon in the Water... Although Ying Lingyun didn't actually do that, can I understand that this fake Moon in the Water has the power to do something similar?"

"Should I?" Ma Zao was not sure. "However, the reason why this fake Shuizhongyue was destroyed before was probably because you killed Dr. Silver Mask in the independent reality space, which then affected the main body of the item in the real world. Since you are the destroyer, I can't completely repair this magic item. Most of the illusion functions in it are in a frozen state, and I don't know which functions can be used."

"From what you said, it seems that the fake Moon in the Water is not a prop specially designed to contain the soul of Doctor Silver Mask, but was created before that... But Ying Lingyun himself has the real Moon in the Water, so why did he specially create a fake Moon in the Water?" I asked.

She seemed to have been prepared, and said confidently: "This is the result of his study of Yin Yue's power of turning the virtual into the real through the real Shuizhongyue. That was also one of the directions he tried to revive Yin Yue. The fake Shuizhongyue was just a byproduct." Ma Zao really found out a lot of information. Ying Lingyun probably did countless counter-divination measures on the information related to him, but Ma Zao's investigation skills were different from divination. Counter-divination could only delay at most, and Ying Lingyun probably couldn't defend against it.

Moreover, as Ma Zao's strength recovered to the mature level, her investigation skills were significantly enhanced, and the delay effect of the anti-divination measures on her investigation progress seemed to be less obvious. In the past, without relying on the broom star physique, it would probably take more than a week to investigate so much information, but now it only took one day. Her main target is not the fake Shuizhongyue, but the head of the magic gun.

"Can I use this fake moon in the water?" I asked.

Speaking of invading other people's souls, I think of the Silver Moon who hijacked Chang'an's soul. Maybe the fake Water Moon can be used against her - no, it might be a bit naive to think so. Even the real Water Moon is a magic weapon based on her illusion power. Using the illusion power of the fake Water Moon to deal with her is simply a case of showing off one's skills before an expert.

Even Mr. Zhu once said that Yin Yue's understanding of illusions is even comparable to that of Da Wuchang, who was an expert in illusions in history.

However, how much something can be used is one thing, and whether it exists or not is another. Besides, while thinking about how to defeat Yin Yue, I also have to think about how to get Chang An's soul back. The soul is not the body, and it may not be easy to carry it back home. The fake Shuizhongyue can both interfere with the soul and serve as a storage container for the soul, so it may be just right for this matter.

"It should be usable. I have already researched how to use it. Let me teach you how to use it." Ma Zao took the initiative to offer a suggestion.

I had no problem with that, so I sat down with her. She seemed a little nervous, but then she tried her best to regain her composure and taught me carefully how to use the fake moon in the water.

The first thing is to inject your own mana into it, which is relatively simple and straightforward, but the following involves some operations that are more abstract and at the level of thought. For example, you need to construct an image of the use of certain tools in your mind, and then imagine yourself using such tools to pry open the heart of the target, etc. If you only stay at the language level, you probably won't be able to truly understand the usage, so it's best to try it yourself.

I finally understood how fool-proof the Outer Path Impermanence Sword in my hand was. I was not disparaging the Impermanence Sword, I knew that the Impermanence Sword had a very high level of technical content. Moreover, although it was difficult to compare it with the Fake Water Moon, which specialized in illusion, the Impermanence Sword was definitely a first-class magic weapon that was no less than the Fake Water Moon. On this basis, the Impermanence Sword could also be used by "even a fool would know how to use it", which was a reflection of its excellence.

There is another troublesome thing about the fake Moon in the Water that is different from the Sword of Impermanence. That is, the latter can be tested at will by one person, but if one wants to test the former, one must first find a "victim".

"Use me as a test." said Ma Zao.

"You?" I hesitated.

"I'm just trying to see how to invade the target's soul. As long as there is no intention to destroy it, it won't harm my soul. It's no different from caressing it." She showed her understanding of the fake Moon in the Water, "Besides, I can also report the feelings of the invaded soul. Even if there are any strange mistakes in the process, I can use the power of return to start over."

"It's hard for you to start over easily when it comes to things related to me," I said.

"Now that you know this, you just need to think in your heart that you are willing to let me start over, and not use such great strength." She said confidently, "Also, we don't know the extent to which the fake Moon in the Water has been repaired, and which functions can be used and which functions cannot be used. If you want to do something with it in the future, it is necessary to confirm it now."

She seemed particularly eager to make herself useful.

Combined with her detailed explanation of the fake water moon just now, there shouldn't be any negative problems. Even if I operate it improperly, at most it will just become a failure to invade the soul. After all, the fake water moon is not a lethal item.

If my current hesitation stems from my lack of understanding of the fake Shui Zhongyue, then Ma Zao's decisiveness is based on understanding. Perhaps I should not just stay at words, but also show my belief in her ability through actions.

Moreover, if she were rejected here, she would definitely become discouraged again.

Facing her very expectant expression, I agreed after weighing the pros and cons.

I picked up the fake Moon in the Water, pointed the round mirror at her, and then recited the spell she had just taught me:
"——The pillars of the country are destroyed in an instant. The reflections of the moon and water come and go without intention."

(End of this chapter)