The establishment of the Time Travelers Alliance began in the first year of Conan

Chapter 321 The Sea Within the Stars, Where the Soul Lies

Perhaps it was fate.

Perhaps everyone here has to go through such a choice—

Should we let the historical momentum continue, or try to stop it like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

Even Conan Edogawa, and even the entire [League], cannot avoid this issue.

……

Deep underground at the observatory.

Now, that laboratory is hidden by "walls".

The interior was surrounded by layers upon layers of densely packed, perhaps useful, perhaps useless, magical incantations and barriers.

On the silvery-gray ground, the traces left by flames, dust, or flowing water echoed the constant alarms from the air: "Circuit broken" and "Conversion failed."

Faced with the repeated failures in the data, a slightly weary voice rang out.

Conan frowned and let out a somewhat helpless sigh:

"Trying to rely solely on [Xiaoyuan] to construct a [World Egg] detached from the world... as expected, it still won't work."

At the center of those laboratories, surrounded by various traces, is a magical container powered by abundant ley lines.

—And the remains of a magician bound and fixed within it.

It looked like a humanoid shape that wasn't actually human.

The shoulders, back, and spine twisted, and countless magical circuits grew wildly like mycelium, clinging to the glass tube wall like ivy, and even penetrating the outer protective membrane.

Of course, strangely enough, on that swollen and twisted body, there was still a head that seemed unaffected.

The magician was still conscious, and with an inquisitive look in his eyes, he recorded his own changes under the spherical helmet that resembled a glass dome.

But his brow was furrowed, and he even looked on with disbelief and surprise.

Looking at this scene, which could perhaps be described as "tragic," Conan's eyes once again revealed an extremely complex expression.

This experiment was already his limit.

Logically, this should have succeeded.

Conan waved his hand, and the recorder automatically brought up the recording interface of TDD according to his thought—

According to the information recorded in TDD, as well as the magic information that the captured magicians “told” to the League.

"The human body, in theory, is a symbol of being separated from the world by nature."

But why did this attempt to perpetuate the "separation" fail?
And it happened again.

Compared to using [Realistic Marble], which allows the user to erode the world itself with the vision they desire to recreate...

This separation should obviously be gentler and more lasting.

But the truth is, looking at the data summary on the control panel, Conan's tone became somewhat somber:

"The result is... it couldn't even last for a second?"

Conan's original idea was—

An attempt was made to imbue the entire Fuyuki City, or at least the area of ​​the Alliance's core base, with a certain 'physical' quality.

Or, to put it another way, a 'self-structure' like a magic circuit.

He wanted to use this, through an alternative method, to create a fixed "world egg".

Because this "physical body" has, in a sense, detached itself from the "world" and relies on [small source] for self-sufficiency.

If the "world" truly intends to impose its will on this universe, or rather, on Fuyuki City itself.

Therefore, what it must face will no longer be a "historical fragment," but rather the destruction of a tangible substance in order to achieve this.

This is somewhat similar to the emergence of an alternative "singularity" or "lost belt," but its core is completely different.

"Singularities" are historical deviations caused by human-induced disturbances.

The “Losers” are remnants of erroneous development and prosperity that still struggle to survive after the “cutting”.

The "physical body" created by the alliance is a separate entity that is actively constructed; it is a barrier that the alliance itself actively severs its connection with the world.

In a sense, this is more like the way the [Wandering Sea] exists.

Because of this autonomous "cutting" method, it no longer exists in the "future genealogy"—and therefore cannot have any impact on the "future timeline".

This indirectly ensures the safety of the [Alliance].

After all, it is common knowledge—

The world we perceive is merely the surface of a planet, a fabric attached to the Earth's crust.

……

In fact, this plan was started when Conan discovered that something was "wrong" about this universe.

Under the transparent glass dome high above the [Execution Level Hall], the bright white light illuminated the figures of Conan and Hasegawa Tsuki.

Conan then had TDD project a blue light screen, which then unfolded in the center into a three-layered, nested egg-shaped model.

"To give a more vivid example..."

Conan pointed to the outer eggshell and said to Hasegawa Tsuki beside him:
"Moon, you should know that this [universe] world, or rather, the world inhabited by humans and primates, is a [fabric] attached to the Earth's crust."

In the projection, the "eggshell" began to rotate and magnify, revealing a simulated layer with traces of civilization and ley line nodes.

"This is the [surface]. And if we go down, we'll move from the [surface] of the world to the [inside], right?"

Conan paused, giving Hasegawa some time to understand.

Now, the projected eggshell layer gradually becomes transparent, and then the viewpoint plunges to the innermost layer as if diving.

That is the [Inner Sea of ​​the Stars], the core of the planet.

Hasegawa Tsukiryou nodded, indicating that he understood.

Conan continued:

"So, following normal logic—"

"Since every planet in a different universe has a 'surface' side, then there should also be a corresponding 'inner side,' right?"

Hasegawa Tsuki continued to nod, but Conan immediately denied the deduction, word by word.

"But this conclusion is wrong. In the Type-Moon universe, this model is incorrect."

Although Conan has never understood the logic behind this "universe" doing this, it does exist there.

"The inner side of a planet, that is, the inner sea of ​​the planet, is just like the outer side of a world; there is only one of its kind."

"That's weird, isn't it?"

Conan copied the eggshell model into a series of world models, arranging them like a branching tree.

"If we use an egg as a metaphor, it means that although you can find countless eggshells and egg whites, all the eggs in the world share one yolk."

Looking at the nested models, a strange look flashed in Conan's eyes.

He really disliked this structure.

"In fact, the reason why the planet would 'actively' deny the existence of other timelines is because the amount of information it can accommodate is limited."

Conan gently tapped the more remote and slower-growing world lines among the branching trees with his finger.

Those "eggs" just popped and shattered like bubbles.

"This is the [Cut-off Items]—"

"According to the data, this calculation is based solely on Earth's level of civilization. If the parallel world were to increase this by a hundred years, the solar system might begin to collapse because it could no longer sustain it."

"Adding another hundred years based on the current scale of Earth's civilization?"

Hasegawa Tsuki was somewhat surprised.

"Is the solar system in this universe... really that fragile?"

“That’s right,” Conan said calmly. “It’s just that fragile, which is why the ‘Cut-off Notes’ came about.”

"Therefore, it must constantly revise, clean up, and 'cut off' those world lines that are deemed 'no longer needed'."

"It probably happens once every hundred years."

Conan paused, "And the Holy Grail War happens to be in 1994, which is why I said the 'Cut-off' process has likely already begun."

Hasegawa Tsukiji was silent for a moment, then his gaze fell on the rotating triple model.

The blue halo softened the moon's face, yet subtly conveyed a sense of melancholy and oppression.

Hasegawa Tsuki opened her mouth, and finally, she asked the question that had been lingering in her heart for so long.

"So, what are the criteria for judgment?"

She expressed her doubts in a worried tone.

"After all, our biggest challenge right now is the potential future [cutting measures]."

"If the enemy is an entity capable of manipulating or influencing this mechanism, then going to a parallel universe would probably also lead to the same fate, right?"

Conan's expression turned serious for a moment.

"Of course there is a standard, and it is a very clear standard."

He slowly began, “The standard is—whether it can operate normally and sustain itself for at least a hundred years in the next era.”

Hasegawa Tsuki's eyes widened slightly, and she suddenly raised her head, as if she had caught some flaw.

"Then wouldn't that mean... we can do it easily too?"

There was a hint of excitement in her voice.

"Couldn't the Alliance also create a world that can't be fixed? Like a... eternal main base?"

The voice, filled with both probing and anticipation, echoed in the air.

She did not receive the answer she wanted.

Conan turned around, his back to the rotating world model in the projection, and stared intently into Hasegawa Tsuki's eyes.

"Moon, think about it carefully."

"If we decide to maintain a 'cut-out' world, what would that mean for the Alliance?"

Hasegawa Tsuki paused for a moment, her tone becoming somewhat uncertain.

"Uh... a base that won't be interfered with by the outside world? Like [Loop]?"

Conan shook his head.

"The Alliance is no pushover, Moon. This means we're going to power an entire universe."

Hasegawa Tsuki immediately noticed that Conan said "the universe" instead of "the universe".

In an instant, a chilling premonition slid down her spine.

She reacted quickly, exclaiming in a low voice, "Is it because of the other side of the world?!"

Conan nodded, his gaze now even more profound.

"You should remember what I just mentioned—in the Type-Moon universe, no matter how many parallel worlds split off from the surface, all 'Earths' have only one 'inner side'."

Conan pointed to the light core at the center of the model, which symbolized the "Sea of ​​Stars".

His tone made the entire hall seem to become heavy.

"In other words, no matter how many worldlines you create, they all eventually connect to the same 'bottom,' the same structure, and the same direction."

"Although the [Starry Sea] has multiple 'faces' due to the different planetary dreams, their physical coordinates overlap, and in any worldline, it always exists in only one unique location."

The detective lowered his eyes—

Saving a universe is indeed not difficult for the Alliance.

But if you really want to achieve this, what you actually need to save is a [worldview system universe] itself that was set up from the very beginning.

Conan exhaled a slightly tired breath.

"Therefore, if we want to forcibly continue a 'pruned' universe, without the help of the 'Imagination Tree' setting, the reality we will likely face is—"

"We need to power an infinite number of world lines that can split into an infinite number of parallel universes..."

Conan looked into those eyes that had also dimmed.

"Moon, do you think this is possible?"

Hasegawa Tsuki responded to the question with silence.

Nothing can do that.

Because—that requires a mechanism to counter the [shell].

……

In fact, Conan did not reveal all his deductions.

There are some even more brutal truths that he chooses to keep to himself for the time being.

For example, the planet's desire for continuity, at present, does not seem to be any different from the motivation of the timeline of this universe.

In other words, even if the league obviously cannot do this.

Even the slightest similar tendency, or the most minor action.

That obviously wouldn't prevent Gaia, Alaya, or Human Reason from using the alliance as a large "blood pack".

It's like someone trying to donate blood to save a life, but the hospital "bleeds" him to death because he can save ten other people.

In a universe devoid of moral concepts, "repaying kindness with ingratitude" is perfectly normal.

But that's why.

The strange, asymmetrical structure of this "universe"—its outer and inner sides—has ironically given the Alliance an opportunity.

In a sense, this is what Conan truly wanted to achieve when he designed the "Jump Terminal".

Otherwise, spending so much on the CYZ effect simply for easy movement would be a huge waste. The real purpose lies in—

Use the [Jump Terminal] to drill through the planet's surface, get close to the [inner side], and find the "communication pathways" on both the inner and outer sides.

Conan projected the [Alliance Base Base] currently connected to the observatory, and looking at the magnificent structure, he softly spoke:
"If...we ultimately, due to some reason, the [historical inertia] causes the [Holy Grail] to be destroyed, and the timeline is still fixed..."

Conan didn't continue, but Hasegawa Tsuki already understood what he meant.

Sometimes, knowing when to give up is necessary.

After all, judging from the actions of the people behind the scenes, perhaps they had already laid the groundwork and waited for a long time before the alliance's operation.

When you're intentionally trying to outsmart someone, the most dangerous thing to do is impulsively step on things that might be traps.

Considering the details mentioned in the materials regarding the imaginary realm and the sea within stars.

So all the league needs to do next is keep drilling down.

The [Leap Terminal], that "central straw" made of neutron matter with a surface that is almost completely reflective—its projection at this moment looks like a slender probe or a silent, sharp drill, floating in the air.

"Who said you need a second law to travel to a parallel world?"

Conan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a rare hint of a playful smile.

Watch me use a "drill" to drill to the next room!

……

Place your finger on the structural layer between the "planet's surface" and "planet's interior" in the model.

Conan magnified those "layers," making some "wormholes" that connect the upper and lower layers vaguely visible.

The flow diagram of the spiritual veins and the structural stress diagram were simultaneously displayed, with the shimmering points of light representing magical nodes and ley line intersections within the planet...

The data that keeps falling from near the mantle and from the edge of the crust towards the [Leap Squad]...

It's like Gaia is publicly showcasing itself to the Alliance!

At this moment, Gaia was as naked as the Alliance!
“Besides cutting off the spiritual veins.”

Conan's voice pierced through the light curtain and echoed throughout the entire space.

“I have already instructed the TDD control terminal to activate the ‘vision probe’ at the bottom, which is trying to find potential connection points based on the direction of the spiritual veins and the breaks in the earth’s crust.”

In the virtual projection, the device that was originally standing straight up, symbolizing the "jump terminal," underwent a strange change in response to Conan's voice.

That thin, thread-like thing bent so lightly, as if it were nothing.

No, it's not so much that the [jump terminal] is bending—

It should be the spacetime surrounding the [Leap Squad], because that "vortex pillar" woven from folded "gravity" actively "falls" upwards.

The planet Gaia bled because of the plundering of other matter.

Those magical nodes that symbolized the Great Source and the life force of the planet itself were permanently detached due to the isolation caused by the non-existent [Imaginary Number Wall] and the CYZ effect near the terminal.

"Moreover, I think we don't even necessarily need to dig that deep."

His gaze fell on the shallow, interwoven veins of magical energy, and Conan continued:
"After all, many places like the Fairy Village can be connected to or observed from other 'worlds'."

"If we ultimately fail to obtain the Holy Grail and our journey to the Root ends, we can try going to another universe and attempting to reach the outer reaches of the world."

Conan pondered for a moment, then added:

"Alternatively, we could try affiliating with a domain near the [Starry Sea]—"

"Of course, this is the worst-case scenario."

Unless it's truly a point of no return.

Otherwise, Conan would never want himself and Hasegawa Tsuki to truly fall into the "inside of the world".

His idea was to simply use Imaginary Number Magic to try to make the Alliance briefly pass through the area in a way that was both "existent and nonexistent".

After all, no matter what——

The Sea Within the Stars is merely the memory domain of the planet's soul, the dwelling place of the eliminated and those who have lost their future.

It's just a dream of the planet.

Conan looked at Hasegawa Tsuki, and he made the projection in front of him show the entire process of Hayd's centuries of technological research, which he had obtained from him.

Failure, failure, failure...

All of history and experience has failed to demonstrate its success.

Even the few discoveries and improvements he made were merely due to the introduction of external technology, which allowed Haid to "combine" them.

Conan explained, "Just like the puppet technology of the Einzbern family, that 'Hayd' that has been running for centuries, it can never make any technological innovations."

"Entering the inner side of the world is tantamount to acknowledging that we have been defined as the past, as fragments of the planet's memory."

“Being categorized as ‘memory’ means losing the possibility of continuing to evolve and change.”

Clearly, the so-called "affiliation" in the "inner world" is not as easy or effortless as it sounds.

Conan paused for a moment, then said, "If that really happens, we might need to forcibly invoke the CYZ effect to deal with any emergencies in the future."

"And in that case—"

Conan looked up at the egg-shaped model and gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"We may very well find ourselves in a situation where we have to completely transform into the [Type-Moon Universe] and use the CYZ effect to amplify the technology of this [universe]."

"In other words, we can only wait for the Alliance to come to our rescue."

Of course, even this worst-case scenario is obviously much better than disappearing completely as the universe is clipped.

"Besides..."

Conan paused, as if suddenly remembering someone, and added softly, "Even if we sink into the [Inner Sea of ​​Stars], it doesn't necessarily mean there's no hope at all."

After all, take Merlin as an example.

The possibility of leaving the inner sea of ​​the star and heading to the surface is slim, but it is still possible.

……

In short, under the principle of "predicting defeat before victory is achieved".

【Drill Through the World - No. 1】, also known as the 【Leap Terminal】, was born.

Perhaps this is the inseparable bond between Conan and the number 3.

This scheme against Gaia can be described as killing three birds with one stone:
First, it tested that Alaya, Gaia, and the person behind them were not of one mind and body;
Second, in addition to the teleportation function, conduct preliminary reconnaissance of the [inner side of the world];

Then comes the last, and most obvious and superficial, function.

after all--

Operating a ship that "drills" between different universes must require energy!
If in the end we cannot extract the Third Law from the Holy Grail War, nor can we extract any part of the Third Law from Illya, that is, the application of the Heavenly Garment.

In the absence of a perpetual energy source, taking those magically rich spiritual veins from Gaia is clearly an alternative option.

Since this universe is very likely to be predetermined in the end.

Well, let's "steal" a little more energy before then!
"Moreover, compared to using the CYZ effect directly as an energy source, using the characteristics of the [timeline] to anchor a constant energy source is more economical."

Perhaps this is why the universe has been eyeing Hasegawa's moon from the very beginning.

Given the nature of the [timeline], both eternity and infinity are far too easy to obtain.

Do you remember what kind of energy Professor Agasa used to power the "Gate of Circulation" in his basement?

A nuclear bomb "fixed" in the detonation phase, right?

Although compared to the magical causal relationships in loops—such as the "three-choice logic"—...

This sounds pretty ordinary.

But if you think about it carefully, it's actually a very strange thing.

because--

Why would an item that is "fixed" at a certain point in time still affect other flowing timelines?
The explanation for 【时究部】 is:
"The timeline is the instinct to flow downwards."

"Everything in this universe has its own timeline."

Have you noticed? Without the intervention of "Detective Conan," perhaps the causal connections of everything in that universe would have been separate or chaotic from the very beginning.

However, when the CYZ effect is used.

You can even try to separate the development logic of a thing, or the cause-and-effect relationship, whether it's independent, cyclical, or cut apart... whatever you want.

This indirect method of saving money is the best result Conan can think of.

"However, if under such a transformation, we still fail to succeed even after exhausting the CYZ effect in this approach..."

"That can only be described as fate."

……

Of course, this reality is even colder than this less-than-ideal plan.

Although most of the external conditions, energy, power systems, and everything else are easily prepared and perfected.

However, the most crucial element—the "fake ID" and "body" used as cover, which is the method of treating the base as a "small source"—has not been found.

Just like Conan's exclamation.

The 33 base models failed to increase their magic circuits, change their attributes, or expand their forms.

Most importantly, there are simply too many reasons for this outcome.

Regardless of whether it's a "problem of human form," a "need for a soul," or a "need for an origin";
Or perhaps "these magicians' personas don't include this possibility";
Or perhaps "the [imaginary number property] can only be obtained by those who are explicitly specified"...

In short, when faced with those magicians who transformed their cultivation chambers into various pure elements due to their own attributes, Conan could only wave his hand and restore their timelines to normal.

Unlike Hades Raymond, who directly obtained the [Grimoire] and the qualification to join the Alliance.

These magicians, who had inadvertently "fallen" into the trap, listened to Raymond's account and realized that they had indeed come close to the edge of the "Root," only to be forcibly dragged back to reality.

If Hasegawa Tsuki were to comment, they'd say they're way crazier than Raymond.

Perhaps this is the real reason why Gaia and Alaya "hate" the magician community.

These 33 people, without any complaints, joined the alliance.

Even after everything returned to normal—

"I'm sorry, we still couldn't withstand the transformation of 'imaginary number properties' this time."

This was a man with somewhat pale skin. He wore a short cloak still in the style of a clock tower, with a silver-white family crest pinned to his chest. His eyes were calm, and his tone was equally calm.

"But at present, this process is very close."

— Bradley Meastia.

He was an observer and cleanup worker planted in Fuyuki City by the Clock Tower.

The Miasteia family, from the [Clock Tower Archaeology Department], has a thin lineage and mediocre talent.

His reason for choosing to go to Fuyuki was quite simple.

In academic circles, as a member of the school of thought that studies "mysterious things," the Holy Grail, even if it is just a replica, is a relic that cannot be ignored.

In reality, the mission funding provided by the Clock Tower was just enough to cover his increasingly strained research budget.

Therefore, although most people scoff at this "replica Holy Grail" and the unremarkable "magical ritual" of the Far East.

But after the renowned Kenneth El-Melloi personally decided to participate—

Whether this guy was unlucky or lucky was unknown, he came to Fuyuki City with the idea that "what if I can find something" and "I can also make some extra money from the Clock Tower".

In fact, if it weren't to prevent Gaia or Alaya from learning the news...

Those who are not concealed by the [Grimoire] are not allowed to send out messages or go out.

"Please allow me to bring the entire Miasteia family under the alliance."

Raymond, who was in charge of communications at the time, thought he had misheard.

But Bradley's reasoning was very convincing. In his own words—

"This opportunity to directly contact the [Root] must absolutely not be known to other factions and families..."

Even now, whether it's to obtain what they consider the "Book of Origins" or to prove their worthiness to become a member of the "Skyward Alliance (CYZ)".

He then proposed an even bolder experimental plan:

"Based on my observations of my magic circuits before I lost consciousness, perhaps the absence of attributes and the laboratory's isolation from the 'world' caused this symbol of matter to lose control."

"I suggest that in the next experiment, we should suppress the tendency of the [Root] to perform automatic analysis to a certain extent."

Then, the response followed.

These magicians, in their fervor, saw the "root," which was TDD's cold response to them:
The suggestion has been accepted.
Additional conditions have been taken into consideration.
……

Of course, Conan had already decided that this path was a dead end.

He has informed TDD to reduce the budget for using the "small source method" to generate something like an intrinsic enchantment in subsequent experiments.

After all, if this kind of experiment can still be considered a reversible punishment for the crimes these magicians committed in the past.

Next, we must delve into the study of the "spiritual structure," which is the irreversible nature of the "soul" itself.

Furthermore, what if the imaginary properties of this universe could only be obtained by Sakura Matou, Lev, and Erich?

Therefore, the method of attempting to mass-produce and transform this magic circuit will not work.

In other words, if we continue down this path, it is very likely that we will have to use [Matou Sakura] as the "body" for [Leap Squad].

There are also analyses regarding the Lesser Grail and other related aspects.

This plan will most likely end up killing Sakura Matou, Illyasviel, and Irisviel.

Therefore, even disregarding Conan himself, he would never commit such a "murderous act".

Whether out of "respect" for the character design or the mechanics of the "shell"—

This path currently seems very difficult to navigate.

PS: By the way, after reading yesterday's book reviews, did anyone only just realize that each of the author's leave requests is actually a roughly 6-word extra chapter?
(End of this chapter)