Embers Ad Infinitum
chapter-797

Chapter 797 The Difference Between Monks

Translator: CKtalon

Although DiMarco’s encounter had already indicated that Star Cluster Hall appeared some time after the Old World was destroyed, Jingnian’s words were still rather valuable.

First, this confirmed that the Old World’s destruction had brought about a batch of human Awakening. Or rather, a few people had Awakened during the Heartless disease outbreak. For example, DiMarco or someone

in the Monks Conclave.

Second, Jingnian mentioned that the difficulty of Awakening had decreased with the appearance of Star Cluster Hall.

This was clearly not random talk. There had to be the corresponding evidence.

Jiang Baimian could even guess why Jingnian said that.

Some of the people in the Monks Conclave—who had previously been unable to Awaken—Awakened after Star Cluster Hall appeared.

“Is that so?” Shang Jianyao came to a realization before he wore a look of disappointment. “Star Cluster Hall already existed when I Awakened, but I couldn’t challenge the highest difficulty.”

He then curiously asked, “Zen Master, I know that many people in your parish only uploaded their consciousness after they Awakened and became mechanical monks. Then, did any original Eternals Awaken?”

The red light in Jingnian’s eyes flickered a few times. “Yes, but very few. In terms of ratio, it’s clearly lower than that of non-Eternals.”

“Why?” Shang Jianyao looked like he wanted to defend the mechanical monks.

Jingnian’s metal neck rotated from side to side, indicating that he didn’t know the reason either.

Jiang Baimian pondered for a moment before inquiring, “Is there any difference in the Awakening of an Eternal from an ordinary person’s Awakening?”

“There’s none,” Jingnian replied without hesitation.

Jiang Baimian thought for a few seconds and said, “Are there any other changes that came with it?”

The red glow in the mechanical monk’s eyes instantly intensified. After a while, he replied, “For monks that Awakened after uploading their consciousness, the corresponding bionic chip on the body will show a certain

level of chaos during the Awakening. It will take dozens of minutes for it to restore compatibility.”

“Why is that?” Shang Jianyao voiced everyone’s thoughts.

“We aren’t sure either. We’ve been doing the corresponding research,” Jingnian said as he chanted a Buddhist proclamation. “Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.”

Monks are doing research on chips and mechanical bodies? As a folklore scholar who knew the Old World well, Jiang Baimian found such matters rather ridiculous. But looking at Jingnian’s tall and muscular body made

of black metal, she felt that it couldn’t be far from the truth.

“Shouldn’t you guys study the Buddhist Dharma every day?” the honest Shang Jianyao asked on Zen Master Redemption’s behalf.

Jingnian replied in a synthetic voice, “A large number of people in the parish are researchers who participated in the Eternal project back then. Apart from studying the Buddhist Dharma, they will also find something

else to do for themselves to enrich their long lives.”

Upon hearing this, Long Yuehong couldn’t help but ask, “Can one really achieve eternal life after uploading one’s consciousness? Without considering the flaws in this technology and the serious mental problems it will

bring.”

Jingnian fell silent.

Long Yuehong immediately felt embarrassed. “If this involves the secret of your parish, forget that I asked.”

It wasn’t easy to catch a mechanical monk that he could communicate with. He couldn’t help but want to verify the widely circulated information in the Ashlands that was written in Pangu Biology’s textbooks.

It was clearly impossible for the Old Task Force to calmly discuss such matters with the previously encountered Jingfa.

Jingnian slowly said, “It’s not only mental problems. We later realized that the corresponding consciousness would weaken as the number of uploads increased. The passage of time will also bring about similar changes.

“Those researchers have been working hard to find a reason for the past few decades to perfect the Eternal technology. But no matter what, an Eternals life is several times that of a normal person or even more than

ten times. That’s sufficient time for us to comprehend the Buddhist Dharma, cultivate ourselves, achieve Phala, and transcend.”

This corresponds to the rumors that Eternal technology is far from mature… Jiang Baimian nodded indiscernibly.

Xu Liyan’s heart palpitated. He planned on uploading his consciousness and becoming an Eternal after he enjoyed the bustle of the world after the age of 50.

Of course, Jingnian had also told him that when a person’s consciousness began to deteriorate, the Eternal technology had a certain risk and failure rate. Therefore, Xu Liyan didn’t want to wait until he was in his

seventies or eighties to upload his consciousness.

It was only then that Shang Jianyao seemed to realize that there was a problem with Jingnian’s first answer. “Zen Master, why did the difficulty of Awakening decrease with Star Cluster Hall’s appearance?”

“We have many examples in this regard.” Jingnian only gave the conclusion, not the exact details.

Shang Jianyao tried his best to explain, “I mean, why can Star Cluster Hall bring about a reduction in the Awakening difficulty?”

“This is because Buddha is merciful.” Jingnian—who was wearing a yellow monk robe and a red kasaya—pressed his palms together and said sincerely, “Star Cluster Hall, Sea of Origins, and Mind Corridor are the doors

of convenience that Lokesvara-Tathagata and Buddha Subhuti created to receive all living beings from the world. They are a path that leads from the sea of suffering to the Pure Lands.”

“Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.” Zen Master Redemption Shang Jianyao chanted a Buddhist proclamation.

Jingnian glanced at him deeply and said, “Any other questions?”

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and asked seriously, “Will monks be infected with the Heartless disease?”

Ared light flashed and paused. Jingnian replied after a while, “Yes. Although we have already abandoned our mortal coils, we will still suffer all kinds of pain when trapped in the sea of bitterness. Only by attaining Phala

and entering the Pure Lands can we truly transcend.”

As Jiang Baimian nodded solemnly, she stopped Shang Jianyao from saying words like ‘you mechanical monks can’t compare to Old Ge and the other smart bots on this.’

She exhaled and said, “That’s about all our questions. Zen Master, what do you want to ask?”

Jingnian had already prepared a draft and directly asked, “Are you sure the New World exists?”

So you aren’t that confident in the Pure Lands either? Long Yuehong criticized inwardly.

Jiang Baimian sincerely replied, “Yes, we’ve interacted with powerhouses who have entered the New World. We’ve also seen nodes that connect to the New World.”

When have we interacted with New World powerhouses? The only New World powerhouse we’ve met is Yama Tiger… Uh, does scaring Doctor off or scaring him to death count? Long Yuehong muttered.

“Someone entered the New World? Since they are already in the New World, how do you communicate with them?” Xu Liyan blurted out a series of questions.

This was enough to show his surprise, puzzlement, shock, and curiosity.

“It’s not like they can’t return.” Shang Jianyao had a look that said: “We’ve only encountered New World powerhouses that have returned.”

“They can return?” Jingnian asked in confusion.

Jiang Baimian acutely captured this. “Zen Master, has no accomplished monk from your Monks Conclave reached Phala and entered the Pure Lands?”

She preliminarily confirmed that the paradise the Monks Conclave spoke of was equivalent to the Awakening domain’s ‘New World.’

“Yes,” Jingnian replied with a red glow in his eyes. “However, their bodies have stopped operating. Nobody has returned.”

“There’s a certain difference between an Eternal and an ordinary person?” Bai Chen didn’t understand.

To the New World, Eternals are also relatively special? Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, “It’s not a secret among the higher-ups of the various large factions that New World powerhouses can return.”

Jingnian fell silent. After a while, he asked, “You previously said that the Heartless disease comes from paradise and the New World. Any evidence?”

Jiang Baimian immediately replied, “There’s a certain evidence chain here. We once encountered a sleeping New World powerhouse who couldn’t return. Staying by his side for too long would result in the contracting

of the Heartless disease. This resulted in the destruction of a town…

“We have confirmed from other means that similar New World powerhouses have the same phenomenon within a certain range around them…

“A higher-up from the Salvation Army told us that a New World powerhouse can artificially create the Heartless disease…

“Some of our friends became Heartless because they were attacked by a New World powerhouse…

“In the vicinity of many New World nodes, abnormalities brought about by similar Awakening abilities will appear. Over time, humans will most likely contract the Heartless disease if they can’t distance themselves

from the node…”

Jiang Baimian spoke very vaguely and didn’t mention the exact person or matter. The last sentence was a conclusion obtained from the cruise ship trauma.

Jingnian quietly listened and didn’t say a word. Xu Liyan was secretly speechless, amazed that this group of people had survived after experiencing so many high-level matters.

“Namo Annutara-Samyak-Subhuti.” More than ten seconds later, Jingnian chanted a Buddhist proclamation. “I have no further questions.”

Upon seeing this, Shang Jianyao flipped his wrist and looked at his watch. He then smiled at Xu Liyan. “Is it time for lunch?”

Xu Liyan forced a smile. “I’ve already instructed the chef to cook more.”

—while the Old Task Force entered.

After having their fill and leaving Castellan Manor, the Old Task Force held Xu Liyan’s warrant and drove the jeep around the alleys on North Street, hoping that Shang Jianyao’s perception zone could cover every

corner.

After an unknown period of time, Shang Jianyao opened his half-closed eyes and said in disappointment, “There’s no New World node.”

Weed City didn’t have a node that was connected to the New World.

Then, where did the Heartless disease here come from? Could it be that the Heartless disease brought about by the return of a New World powerhouse isn’t limited to one place based on our previous wave theory?

These two questions flashed across Jiang Baimian and the others’ minds at the same time.