She is not an investigator.

If it were truly Ryu, it would be a bit too much of a drama, but I doubt it. After all, if it were like this, then this rabbit would likely enter the next cycle, since the precious price it could pay was clearly insufficient to break the cycle of the Ocean Tears. Otherwise, Igris could simply sit back and enjoy the fruits of her labor.

She wouldn't really need a rabbit to save her.

But the rabbit has indeed broken free from this cycle. In the spiral that Igris is in, the rabbit's existence has been lost. Does this also mean that a person can only be in one cycle at a time, and there is no situation where multiple cycles alternately affect each other?

This probably explains why in a false loop, any node other than the starting point is easily changed. In a true loop, each node is a new starting point, so there is no possibility of different results caused by changes in nodes.

Igris felt her head was spinning, and since she hadn't found any rabbits, she simply went back to the car and spaced out.

Olivia and Igris are both nodes in this cycle, so given enough time, even if Igris doesn't give her the pocket watch, she will find the right answer and way through countless trials and tribulations and subconscious actions, such as the flashback scenes that Igris kept having after entering the castle.

"Wait a moment…"

If the flashbacks depict the frequently occurring outcomes in countless loops, then it means that in the loop she experienced that wasn't affected by the pocket watch—the loop where, according to Rag, he first saw Olivia—the outcome would have been the castle being engulfed in flames.

After all, Igris and Olivia hadn't experienced any other loops before, but since Igris got the pocket watch, those flashbacks have become much less frequent. Even when they do appear, it's as if something is blocking them, and they can't see any more information.

Igris might need to ask the Mirror Demon what exactly happened to her during that unconscious loop.

"So complicated..."

Igris sighed, feeling like she was going to go bald, and simply leaned back in her chair to continue dozing off, since there was still a long time before they reached the castle.

"are you tired?"

Olivia looked at Igris with some curiosity, since Igris had gone out for a walk after waking up and was going back to sleep.

"It's alright, it's just so boring. If I could pet a rabbit, it would probably make me feel better."

This is probably why Igris is so concerned about why the rabbit escaped the cycle.

Why rabbit of all?

"rabbit?"

Olivia was stunned for a moment, not following Igris's train of thought, but she still felt a little sorry for Igris looking like this.

"Then let's set off ahead of schedule."

"?"

Igris glanced at the time, then at the sun, which hadn't set at all, and looked at Olivia with some uncertainty.

"you sure?"

Is this anything to be surprised about?

makes sense.

Although there are more and more odd things happening in this cycle, now that we know it's all caused by the Tears of the Ocean, there's nothing we need to worry about.

That's fine, Igris didn't really like thinking about things that were too complicated anyway.

Let others do the thinking.

The Gods' Fool's Play - The Castle's Invitation: Chapter 34, The Overlooked Clue (Bonus Chapter 2/2)

Igris and Olivia arrived at the castle before sunset, which was Igris's first time doing so.

From an experiential standpoint, it was quite novel.

Just like you, who repeat the same schedule and road day after day, suddenly take a new road or embark on a journey at a new time.

"I was going to show you something interesting, but since you're already tired, you should go inside and rest for a bit."

Olivia is becoming more and more considerate, at least that's how Iris feels. Her boss has always treated her very well, and sometimes her enthusiasm even makes her feel a little apprehensive.

Igris wasn't completely uncared for, but this level of care was indeed rare.

Moreover, after one cycle after another, Iglesias felt that Olivia's attitude towards her was getting better and better, and they were getting to know each other better and better.

Or perhaps it is also because of the false memory that was cleared, but the time and habits of being with Igris will not be so simply cleared.

It seems that because they arrived too early today, Nan Ke wasn't waiting for them at the gate. However, it's also possible that he felt lost as he realized he was starting a new cycle of days, which is why he didn't come.

"Let's go in first."

Olivia greeted Igris, but Igris did not go directly to her. Instead, she went to the stone tablet carved with the Mobius strip, as usual.

Based on the clues we have so far, this thing probably represents the root of the cycle, that is, the fake Mobius strip, which also means that they are indeed currently in a cycle.

The thick layer of dust covering it was no different from when she had visited before, and the handwriting was still faint.

Igris wasn't there for archaeology; she was just wondering what would happen if she smashed the stone tablet if it represented the ongoing cycle.

No, she probably can't do that, but she might be able to blow this thing up.

After all, there's still a demolition genius secretly causing trouble in this castle. Igris could easily find Rag and stuff his explosives near this stone tablet to try and blow it up.

There's no harm in trying. Anyway, Igris already has all the clues. As long as we focus on advancing the timeline and events, everything will be over soon.

However, the key question is probably what the price to pay will be.

If we put ourselves in Raymond's situation at that time, he sacrificed his beloved. So, if Nanke also sacrificed his beloved, could he break free from this cycle?

But then another question arises: does SUSTech truly have a true love?

From Olivia's words, we learn that Nan Ke only has two friends: one is Olivia, who has bullied him since he was a child, and the other is a little painter who is not even here.

So he'll most likely have to consider sacrificing something else to end this farce, like his own brother?

Igris didn't want to say anything too harsh, but in reality, these were all things they had unintentionally caused. Whether it was the other people in the castle or Olivia, they were all innocent victims.

Therefore, it is possible for Igris to stand on the moral high ground and criticize them, since Igris herself is also a victim.

"You've been staring at this for a long time. What does it say on it?"

Here we go again, such a familiar conversation.

Igris didn't bother to explain anything, but simply stepped aside so that Olivia could also see what was written on the stone tablet.

“Mobius strip…”

Upon seeing this, Olivia frowned slightly, her expression becoming somewhat strange.

Do you know him?

Igris knew, of course, that she didn't recognize it, at least not yet, since they hadn't investigated the library and wouldn't discover its meaning.

"I feel like I've seen this somewhere before..."

The conversation was familiar, just like when they first arrived here. Olivia had a very strong sense of déjà vu about this thing, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before. It was probably because she had read so many books that she might have seen it somewhere by chance.

"Don't worry about it so much, it's probably just something about the castle itself..."

Igris suddenly couldn't continue speaking.

An unprecedentedly strong premonition instantly filled her mind, even making her forget what her lines were supposed to be.

It feels like déjà vu.

Iglesias naturally assumed that Olivia's previous déjà vu was due to her having inadvertently seen similar information in her past life experiences.

But what if we think about it from a different perspective?

Olivia. Like Igri (S9), she is a wife-themed character. So, if the sense of déjà vu and flashbacks that Igri felt represent everything experienced in the cycle, does that mean that Olivia is the same?

If it's just a sense of déjà vu this time, perhaps Olivia simply discovered the entry for Mobius strip because she specifically investigated the matter of cycles with Igris during that cycle.

So why did they conduct the investigation in the first place? Why did they go to the library to investigate the materials?

It's a flashback.

Igris's flashback.

Her inspiration and flashbacks made her realize that something was wrong with the castle, and through this, she observed what was happening in the loop. She then informed Olivia, which is why Olivia specifically took Igris to the library to investigate information about the Mobius strip and the castle itself.

but.

but!

In the information described by Rag, the loop in which Igris obtained the pocket watch, which is also the loop in which Rag met Olivia again, is the loop in which they appeared in this castle for the second time, that is, the loop in which they appeared in the spiral of this castle as nodes for the second time.

What about the first time?

Since the last time was the first time, how could Igris, who had never experienced the loop itself, possibly have a flashback?

Without any group chat or flashing paint response, how could she inform Olivia that everything was amiss, thus prompting her to investigate the castle itself, eventually discovering information about the Mobius strip in the library?

If she didn't discover the Mobius strip information in the first loop and didn't investigate, does the sense of déjà vu she felt represent more hidden information?

With e and r, the pocket watch itself can help the ball Iwogerworis retain her memories of each cycle in the continuous loop, but after she gets the pocket watch, the flashbacks stop.

Is there a contradiction between these two things? Why would the pocket watch affect the observation of flashbacks? Why did Igris lose the opportunity to observe everything that happened before she got the pocket watch after she obtained it?

The man was hiding something through his pocket watch.

He was preventing the uncertainty caused by flashbacks resulting from inspiration.

He was trying to make Igris believe she knew everything through the pocket watch, but he overlooked the most important clue.

What exactly did they experience in their first loop? Why did they insert themselves into the loop as nodes? And what is the truth in everything he said?

Igris thought she had found all the answers, but only now did she realize that she was simply moving slowly forward according to everything he had laid out.

The Gods' Fool - The Castle's Invitation: Chapter Thirty-Five, Trust is the Most Important Thing Between People

"Igris? Igris! Why are you spacing out again?"

Olivia's calls woke Igris again, but Igris was in no mood to answer.

If wearing the pocket watch causes all flashbacks to stop, then the only way to find the truth is to take it off.

"Please keep this for me."

Igris handed the pocket watch to Olivia and, while the latter was still in a daze, walked towards the castle gate.

At present, the most important question is probably not finding the truth of all this, but whether the Tears of the Ocean can truly free them from the cycle, or how far it can go if they are willing to pay the price.

Whether it's a conspiracy or something else, staying trapped here won't lead to much progress. She has to find a way, even if it's just to temporarily escape the cycle.

"Wait for me."

Seeing that Igris had already arrived at the castle gate, Olivia hurriedly followed.

Why are you suddenly giving this to me?

"Could you please keep it for me?"