Chapter 128 Varying Reverberations
Unattainable desires.
What a ridiculous trigger. Who in this world hasn’t experienced {unattainable desires} at some point? If merely wanting something that can’t be had was enough, shouldn’t Yun Yao be perpetually experiencing {Reverberation} in a place so devoid of resources.
Qiao Jiajin's expression grew awkward upon hearing this.
"Swindler Lad, Idol Gal, what are you two not saying?" He narrowed his eyes at the two, suspicion etched across his face. "I might not like thinking too hard, but I’m no fool either. What exactly do you two know about this place?"
A slight unease flickered in Qi Xia’s gaze. He wasn’t adept at lying to people he trusted, and this situation made him feel increasingly cornered. "Qiao Jiajin, before I answer your question... I’d like to ask Yun Yao one final question."
"Me?" Yun Yao was taken aback. "What is it?"
Qi Xia pulled Yun Yao aside and quietly asked, "What happens if we... expose our {memories}?"
"Huh?" Qi Xia was momentarily stunned, entirely caught off guard by Yun Yao’s unexpected response.
"Why is exposing our memories such a problem?" Yun Yao questioned. "Doesn’t having more memories of past cycles put us at an advantage? Don’t tell me you’ve been concealing this all along."
"I…" Qi Xia’s mind raced as he pondered Yun Yao’s words. She wasn’t entirely wrong. Could it be that Mortal Goat had truly misdirected them?
"How can you reconnect with your teammates if you keep concealing everything?" Yun Yao asked, her voice steady. "This way, each reincarnation feels like a new beginning, and you’ll never get out."
Indeed. When he thought about it carefully, {Passage to Heaven} had never adhered to this rule from the beginning. If Chu Tianqiu had kept his memories hidden, how could he have assembled all the members of the organization?
Qi Xia increasingly felt that this was a scheme devised by Mortal Goat. Since he had to fulfill the contract and ensure the participants are {properly guided toward death voluntarily and with acceptance}, Mortal Goat would add obstacles along the way to hinder their progress as much as possible.
If anyone truly believed that statement, it would undoubtedly be a wasted opportunity in one of their cycles.
Fortunately for the appearance of {Passage to Heaven}, their approach completely contradicted Mortal Goat’s, putting Qi Xia’s concerns at ease.
"Since that’s the case…" Qi Xia turned to look at Qiao Jiajin and Tian Tian. "We are already teammates, and it's only right that I reveal the truth to you all. What I’m about to say is crucial to our survival—listen carefully."
"Crucial…?" Tian Tian froze for a moment. "Then I’m not listening…" With that, she stepped back several paces, retreating to a distant spot.
"What’s going on…?" Qiao Jiajin stepped forward to grab Tian Tian. "Since Swindler Lad and Idol Girl know, it can’t be {news that would get us killed just by hearing it}…"
"No thanks." Tian Tian said, a bit flustered as she waved her hand. "I’ve never been a smart person. The less I know, the better. Since Qi Xia said this information is crucial to everyone’s survival, I can’t bear that weight..."
"But…" Qiao Jiajin didn’t know how to convince her and cast a pleading look at Qi Xia.
"Tian Tian, it’s alright." Qi Xia said, "You can listen too. You’re only interested in the {Dào}, right? I remember your objective, I won’t complicate things for you."
Qi Xia spent nearly twenty minutes carefully explaining everything to the two of them.
Throughout this time, Qiao Jiajin was absorbed in the conversation, his face showing a variety of strange expressions. Tian Tian, who started off uninterested, was eventually drawn in after hearing a few lines—after all, the things Qi Xia was saying were just too unfathomable.
What does ‘a cycle of life after death, and death after life, bound by the span of ten days’ mean?
What does ‘{Reverberatees} could retain their memories’ mean?
"Damn…" Qiao Jiajin was left dumbfounded after hearing everything. "Swindler Lad, is everything you said true?"
"This is all I know so far," Qi Xia replied. "Qiao Jiajin, we’ve only recently become acquainted, but in the previous cycle, we were already comrades, our fates intertwined by life and death."
"I wasn’t asking that…" Qiao Jiajin blinked. "I wanted to know—did I really fight a bear?"
Qi Xia paused, then ultimately decided to disregard him. "In any case, I have disclosed everything there is to know. Yun Yao is a {Reverberatee}, and her ability is {Potent Luck}. I retained my memories, so I may also be a {Reverberatee}, though I’m uncertain of my own ability."
"So the {Reverberation} you’ve been talking about is this?" Qiao Jiajin pondered for a moment before asking. "So it’s just a supernatural power, like card transmutation, x-ray vision, and sonic dice reading."
Yun Yao swiftly refuted it, "No it’s not, I’ve said it before—{Reverberation} is a belief, it’s latent."
"Fine…" Qiao Jiajin shrugged helplessly. "Latent it is."
Upon hearing Yun Yao mention {latent} for the second time, Qi Xia appeared to grasp the concept. {Reverberation} wasn’t tied to {casting power}; it was a trait. Once {Reverberation} was heard, the ability would continue to exist—persisting even when one didn’t desire it.
Han Yimo was the perfect example of this. He could never rid himself of his {Reverberation}.
The four of them chatted as they continued on, eventually arriving at the spot where Qi Xia and the others had first arrived.
The screen still displayed that chilling message: "I hear the reverberation of {Beckoned Calamity}."
Han Yimo’s {Beckoned Calamity} had endured for a full day.
"Beckoned Calamity." Yun Yao looked up, then remarked, "This is the second time I've witnessed this {Reverberation}, though I wonder who the lucky individual is?"
‘Lucky individual?’ Qi Xia sighed helplessly, unsure if Han Yimo was truly lucky or unlucky. "So, you know a lot about the different types of {Reverberation}?" he asked.
"I do know a few, because in the last cycle, no one was assigned to team up with me. Chu Tianqiu stationed me at the display screen in the far west, and I was responsible for reporting the messages on the screen to him every day. I watched over it for three consecutive days."
"Wha—" Qi Xia's eyes widened in disbelief. "You mean... you were in front of the display screen for three whole days?"
"Yes." Yun Yao nodded. "The first three days were somewhat eventful, with {sounds of Reverberations} rising and fading in waves."
"Tell me." Qi Xia urged anxiously. "What {Reverberations} did you see?"
Yun Yao, glancing at him while tapping her chin, remarked, "Are you really that interested in this?"
"I’m extremely interested." Qi Xia knew that the name of a {Reverberation} was important, as it often provided insight into the person's abilities.
Yun Yao nodded, then slowly began to recount, "On the first day, there were two {Reverberations}, the first one being {Penalty Proxy}."