Arcanum: Chaos Path

Chapter 452 Archives and Time Amber
What is the Time Memory Potion like?

Simply put, it's a mini version of the long river of history.

Roland raised the beaker in front of him, admiring the potion in his hand, which had a blue base and was sparkling with countless silver stars. Each time the stars flickered, they reflected a scene from a thousand years of history that Roland had collected.

"Putting the taste aside, its appearance is probably one of the best among potions." Roland muttered with a sigh, and without hesitation, tilted his head back and drank the Time Memory Potion.

The potion tasted extremely bitter, so bitter that Rowling almost vomited it out. But with his strong will—mainly honed by various strange vegetable juices—Rolling managed to swallow it and then felt lightheaded.

His soul seemed to detach from his body at that moment, floating upwards. This was not just a simple upward movement in space, but also accompanied by another subtle change, until the perspective rose to a certain height, at which point the ascent stopped.

What new trick is this?

Luo Lin was slightly puzzled. In the previous times he had taken the magic potion to advance, he had experienced emotional deprivation, being deceived by his own body, and re-entering the void. Even his memories were fully restored during the last advancement. He was really curious about what would happen during this advancement.

The next second, Roland sensed a change. His soul fell down and landed on the ground again, but what he saw was not familiar people and things, but completely unfamiliar land.

This is not the era in which Rowling lived, nor is it the ancient civilization era that Rowling was relatively familiar with, but something much earlier, before humankind was even born.

Rowling paused for a moment, then realized what he was about to face.

As expected, in the time that followed, Rowling witnessed the various changes on Earth in a spirit form. He witnessed the birth of mankind, how mankind fought its way out from among all things, and the rise and fall of dynasties.

In his soul form, he cannot interfere with anything; he can only witness everything that happens.

During this process, at least in Rolin's perception, time did not speed up.

Such a long period of time may not mean much to Naya, but for a "person's" mind, it is enough to completely wear down his emotions and memories.

Rolin could sense that some things had gradually faded away over the long years. He became more and more indifferent, and closer and closer to his former self. The part of him that was "human" became incredibly fragile in the face of the long years, while the part of him that was Nyarlathotep gradually took over.

Roland was not alarmed by this, nor did he feel much panic. He simply watched the changing world quietly until the familiar era arrived and the people he knew reappeared before him.

With the arrival of that history, Rowling finally changed again. His mind seemed to fall into that history. He was no longer an observer, but a participant, experiencing everything with his familiar friends.

This may be just an illusion, or it may be a real miracle. In this process, Rowling's emotions and memories, which had been worn down by the years, gradually revived.

When Rowling awoke as if from a deep dream, detached from that thousand-year history, what did he feel? The marks he had left on this era, the imprints of transformative events, the love and hate of countless people, the intertwining of countless emotions towards him, the impressions countless people had of him, and the image of him etched by time. Rowling blinked, and the human element was once again complete.

Rowling opened his eyes.

"Phew, that was close. Nyarlathotep is too cunning. I never underestimate any Nyarlathotep, even the one I've already eaten." Roland patted his chest with lingering fear. He had almost fallen for their trick. Luckily, Yog was really helpful. The potion recipe and ritual he provided were truly justified.

Rowling then took out a pocket watch and checked the time, only to find that although he felt as if countless years had passed during his experience, in reality only a few minutes had gone by.

Luo Lin raised an eyebrow, not surprised by the result. He then slowly brewed himself a cup of black tea, took a sip to calm his nerves, and began to assess the abilities of the "Time Memory Receiver".

The changes that the Time Memory Bring to Rolin are primarily an enhancement of his spirituality, followed by an enhancement of his existing abilities. For example, the requirements for "Strange Tales of Rules" have been lowered, and the "Dice of Pleasure" ability now grants him an extra chance to reroll each day.

Finally, there is the core ability of the "Time Memory Maker," which is quite simple and can be summarized into two parts. One is called "Time Memory," which can record the state of a person or thing, similar to saving an archive. After use, the state of that person or thing can be restored to the state at the time of recording.

The second one is called "Time Amber," which can seal a person or object in a certain state. It is actually a kind of sealing technique. However, it is worth mentioning that the person or object in the sealed state will not be harmed. So from another perspective, this can also be regarded as a protective skill.

Most importantly, both of these abilities can work on Sequence 0, but cannot work on entities above Sequence 0, and there is a limit to the number of entities that can be used, as well as an upper limit to the number of objects that can be affected.

"Saving data and, in a sense, stopping time—no wonder he's called the Time Memory Controller," Roland remarked, stroking his chin with satisfaction.

Any ability related to time is weak. The save skill goes without saying. Although it is not a true reversal of time, it is very useful whether it is used to protect allies or to fight enemies.

"Time Amber" is a very strong sealing skill, mainly providing hard crowd control, and can also be used as a means of survival when used on allies.

"The only regret is that it can't be used on the past, but just because it can't be used now doesn't mean it can't be used later..." Rolin narrowed his eyes as he thought of the vast array of Outer Gods outside the Earth's barrier.

He had promised Lilith he would kill the Mother Goddess, and he was confident that he could do so after ascending to the Old Ones.

However, Rolin never forgot the special nature of the Fallen Mother Goddess. As the third pillar, the Mother Goddess not only possessed the characteristic of immortality, but was also closely connected with the real world. If he really killed her, Rolin was not sure if he could solve the troubles that the Mother Goddess would bring to the world after her fall.

The existence of the "Time Amber" now gives Roland a second option: he can wait until the "Time Amber" is enhanced enough to be used on the ancients before sealing the Mother Goddess.

In this way, whether we find a way to make Lilith devour the Mother Goddess and take her place, or find a way to quell the impact of the Mother Goddess's fall on reality and then kill her, or simply keep her sealed in amber, it's all the same path.

(End of this chapter)