Chapter 340: The Principle of the USB Drive

"But hasn't this path already been lost? Why would it appear again?"

Plum K stood before the glass window, lost in thought for a long time. "I don't know... Logically speaking, the conditions to step onto the [Emperor] path are extremely harsh. Ever since the feudal imperial system was abolished hundreds of years ago, it has been impossible for anyone to become an [Emperor], and there has been no news of the Imperial Dao Ancient Treasury appearing... Tell me in more detail, how did you encounter him?"

Chen Ling immediately repeated everything that had happened at the time, and Plum K’s brow furrowed even tighter.

"You mean, he knows you, but you don't know him?"

"That's right."

Plum K did not speak, merely staring silently out the window, her expression more solemn than ever before.

Seeing this, Chen Ling tentatively asked, "...Senior?"

"He may have truly seen you before."

"Why?"

"The Era Archive is just a save file... Anyone can enter it using the medium you hold, but there is a time lag in this process," Plum K said seriously. "Suppose you have one, and I have one. You enter the Era Archive tonight, but I don't... I choose to enter a year later."

"Then the me from a year later and the you from now are starting from the same point. In other words, after you enter the archive tonight, you could see me from a year later meeting you... Do you understand what I mean?"

Chen Ling’s eyes widened in shock.

Chen Ling understood what she meant. It was like a AAA single-player game: after playing it, one leaves behind a save file. Years later, if one gives the game to a friend, that friend can enter that same save file, and they both start playing from the same starting point...

"That’s not right. If that were the case, I would only be leaving behind something like a silhouette in the archive. Why would I be able to interact with you? If we interact, for example... if you told me tomorrow’s lottery numbers, wouldn't I be able to buy a ticket and win the next day? Wouldn't that mean I’ve changed history?"

Chen Ling realized that if this were true, wouldn't it cause a time paradox?

Plum K shook her head. "It won't... because for the medium in your hand, it is 'the present that determines the past'."

"The present determines the past... What does that mean?"

"You don't need to know that yet. You just need to remember the conclusion I’ve given you."

Plum K had no intention of delving deeper into this question and continued:

"The Era Archive is the core of the Dusk Agency. There are only three such media in existence that can enter it. They cannot be destroyed or recreated. Theoretically, it is impossible for a fourth one to appear in the entire world..."

"Because they are supreme and unique, and referencing the mythological system from before the Great Cataclysm, they are named [Yuanshi], [Daode], and [Lingbao] within the Dusk Agency."

"[Yuanshi] is in the hands of the Red King, [Daode] is with the Gray King, and the one in your hand is [Lingbao]."

Hearing these three names, Chen Ling immediately associated them with the three Heavenly Lords of Taoist history. He hadn't expected the Dusk Agency to use their titles... This was enough to prove the importance of these three USB drives within the organization.

"However, the Era Archive has a drawback... Once the medium is lost and someone else enters the archive, the traces left by the original owner are completely erased and replaced by the traces left by the new owner."

If a new player appears on the same device, the old player’s save file gets deleted?

Chen Ling instantly grasped this point.

"Wait, you said there are only three media in total, and I encountered a medium owner who is neither the Red King nor the Gray King... Doesn't that mean..."

"In the future, one of the Red King or the Gray King must have lost their medium," Plum K said with an extremely grave expression. "In other words, [Yuanshi] or [Daode] has changed hands. What you saw was an archive after space-time had been corrected."

Given the importance of the Era Archive to the Dusk Agency, it was impossible for the Red King and Gray King to casually give [Yuanshi] or [Daode] to others. This implicitly suggested that something would happen to one of the two kings?

No wonder Plum K’s expression was so grim just now.

Chen Ling finally pieced together the sequence of events. Simply put, some entity in the future who had stepped onto the [Emperor] path had stolen the medium from one of the two kings and met his current self in the archive... It was like two players from different times entering the same fictional timeline to compete. And if he were truly killed in the archive, he would also die in reality.

Damn it... If that’s the case, even if he could enter the Era Archive for 12 hours next month, he wouldn't dare to go in, right?

Once he enters, that [Emperor] would hunt him down. But if he never dared to enter, wouldn't [Lingbao] be wasted in his hands?

Chen Ling carefully weighed the pros and cons, suddenly realizing something. "So, the later you use the medium to enter the archive, the more advantageous it actually is? Because your own cultivation level is brought in with you. If I wait until I am strong enough to enter, I can do much more..."

"Theoretically, that is correct," Plum K paused for a moment. "But the later you enter, the shorter your activity time inside will be... Suppose the Dusk Agency successfully recovers the Nine Lords in three years and restarts the world. If you enter the archive now, you would have three years of free activity time. But if you wait two years to enter, you would only have one year of activity time. Although the starting time is the same, the subsequent time is extended..."

"If that Emperor entered the archive a year later, your activity time in the archive would be longer than his. It’s a trade-off."

"I see," Chen Ling said, thoughtful.

Looking at it this way, while it is feasible to keep a low profile and wait until his cultivation is higher before entering the archive, it would be a bit of a waste... And if he were to go head-to-head with the Emperor, he would need to make significant preparations.

The Emperor’s pressure was indeed terrifying, but Chen Ling carefully recalled and analyzed, judging that his current rank was only around the Fifth Stage. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to reach the fragment first, or even break free from the domain and escape for a distance.

"I will report this matter to the Red King and the Gray King immediately," Plum K said solemnly. "Also, since you intend to be an enemy of the Emperor, your current strength is still too weak, and in the Era Archive, no one can help you..."

Plum K paused for a moment.

"You need to return to the Theater Dao Ancient Treasury with me as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Chen Ling caught the implication in Plum K’s words... Was there a way to rapidly increase his strength within the Theater Dao Ancient Treasury?

[Audience Expectation +3]

He immediately spoke up.

"I have recovered enough; we can set off at any time."