Chapter 943: Circulating Currency as a Binder
"It"s different now... You posthumans who have awakened your Higher Consciousness," Magus gazed at the male posthuman before her with indifference, speaking softly, "Your understanding of Higher Consciousness is shockingly lacking."
Bohemia obediently nodded but then realized and asked, "Ah? What do you mean?"
The unfamiliar man with dark skin furrowed his brows, confused and displeased by Magus" words. Although he couldn"t see the two people in the Astral Plane, his gaze wandered without focus as he asked, "You"re quite confident. Why are you contacting me? Who are you? And how did you make yourself invisible to me?"
"The posthumans who established this Conceptual Museum are from my generation. After all these years, not many of them have survived," Magus sighed softly, surveying the village around her, created through the power of Higher Consciousness. "As a result, much of the knowledge regarding the usage of the Conceptual Museum has been lost... You"ve merely been using it as a means to connect with a particular apocalyptic world, greatly underutilizing its potential."
Both Bohemia and the man were intrigued. After hesitating for a moment, the man replied, "I was randomly transported to this world and just found out that there"s a branch of the Conceptual Museum there... Does the Conceptual Museum have other functions?"
Many years ago, someone discovered a certain rule: while in a conceptualized world, posthumans could establish contact with individuals in the real apocalyptic world being simulated. In a way, it was like the real world and its reflection in a mirror—of course, the contactee had to be a posthuman with Higher Consciousness.
"Of course. If you follow my instructions, your understanding of Higher Consciousness will rise to a new level. As I"ve mentioned before, the Astral Plane is like the "internet," and each of us, the awakened posthumans, is a computer connected through the Astral Plane," Magus explained, glancing back in the direction they came from—beyond the hills and trees, the morning sunlight still shone peacefully.
Bohemia instinctively followed her gaze, intending to retract her gaze, but then she stopped and slowly furrowed her brows. The way the sunlight s.h.i.+mmered in the air felt somehow off to her.
"And the Conceptual Museum allows us to connect not only with specific individuals in a certain world but also with posthumans who are "offline,"" Magus smiled faintly, extending her hand slowly toward the man before her. "You all know this... However, what it allows us to connect with is not limited to just one person."
The dark-skinned man was suddenly startled, staggering back two steps. "What? What was that just now?"
Magus" pale and slender palm seemed to have reached his chest, but he was completely unaware, scanning his surroundings. "I just... I felt something just now..."
"That was me," her voice clear and commanding, forming an irresistible order. "Next, you will follow the instructions I give you and complete the tasks I need you to do."
The man hesitated but nodded and looked around. He could sense Magus" hand, but he was hesitant to believe it—according to theory, they should only be able to see each other"s Higher Consciousness-projected images. After all, one was in the Astral Plane, and the other was in the real apocalyptic world.
Bohemia quickly glanced at the two of them and then turned her head once again to look into the distance. The sunlight cast a halo in the air, and golden rays s.h.i.+mmered from the edge of the hillside. She stared at the sunlight for a while, her expression suddenly freezing. "Th-that..."
"I know," Magus interrupted without even turning her head. "Stand beside me. When I tell you to run, you better make a dash out of this branch in one breath. Understand?"
Before Magus could finish her sentence, Bohemia had already seen what was s.h.i.+mmering in the distance. It wasn"t sunlight; it was a cl.u.s.ter of stars rapidly approaching from far away. Her heart nearly stopped beating—it was an overwhelming number of stars, making it impossible for her to estimate how many people were there. Her eyes could only see a dazzling array of colorful starlights, like the Northern Lights, sweeping towards them from the horizon.
"There are too many people!" Bohemia couldn"t help but exclaim. "What are you planning? Can you stop so many people?"
"Let me give you a reminder, child. I don"t appreciate others questioning me," Magus said firmly, standing straight on the cobblestone path. She seemed oblivious to the approaching starlights behind her. One of her hands remained forward, while the large skirt falling from her waist gently fluttered in the non-existent wind. Just as Bohemia"s heart pounded, preparing to turn and run at the first opportunity, the cl.u.s.ter of starlights had already arrived, causing her to squint her eyes.
"The network not only connects us," Magus"s light blonde hair s.h.i.+mmered with a dreamlike halo due to the starlights behind her, "but it can also transmit data."
Before Bohemia could grasp the meaning of her words, she was startled by a loud command of "Run!" Her senses immediately returned. She couldn"t afford to waste any time and leaped forward like a star towards the direction of the exit. As she rushed like the wind, she took a quick glance behind her.
""Circulating currency as a binder"... This apocalyptic world has such a long name, doesn"t it?"
Accompanied by Magus" gentle yet somewhat proud wave of her hand, something suddenly burst out from the ripple she had created—it was difficult to explain exactly what it was because it was intangible and colorless. It was like a stream of air rus.h.i.+ng from the real apocalyptic world into the Astral Plane. The cl.u.s.ter of stars chasing after Magus was the first to be swept away, instantly transforming into human forms and scattering in the sky above the small village amidst cries of astonishment.
Indeed, they were truly "scattered and splintered." Not a single person"s form remained intact, and it was impossible to distinguish limbs, torso, or heads anymore. Whether it was human bodies or buildings, everything that was impacted by that "stream of air" had been completely shattered—starting with large severed limbs and heads, gradually fracturing into fist- sized pieces. However, this explosive dispersion seemed to have no end. When Bohemia looked back for the third time, she noticed that the posthumans were still continuing to fragment into even smaller pieces, despite their desperate efforts to gather their Higher Consciousness.
To be honest, she couldn"t even discern those extremely fine s.h.i.+mmering fragments that had just been human-shaped moments ago. The posthumans were undoubtedly still alive, but their Higher Consciousness had been abruptly scattered into countless fragments, as if someone had completely shattered their mental capacity.
Bohemia abruptly halted and glanced at the fragments of Higher Consciousness in the air. If she could seize the opportunity to absorb some of that Higher Consciousness...