Soul Trigger

Chapter 693 Old Friend
Military vehicles drove along the country road, and the red maple forest gradually receded into the distance.

In the back seat, Aiquier nestled in Ji Li's arms, her expression inevitably somewhat melancholy. This was the first time she had truly left her hometown and moved to a completely new place.

The explanation given by Aunt Duke was that they were selected for the White Island talent program, passed a special test, and were able to go to Birmingham to study pre-college while also receiving an education subsidy.

The two left all the subsidies they received from working at the Royal Asylum to Aunt Duke, though of course, it was distributed on their behalf by the wealthy Angelica.

Watching the shadow of Red Maple Town completely disappear in the rearview mirror, Aiquier snuggled closer to Ji Li; only in this way could she dispel her melancholy and discomfort.
"Pulitzer, whose pendant is that...?"

"It was a gift from an acquaintance."

"Is it important?"

"Speaking of important things... for me, there are hardly any truly important things in this world, so it's alright. But it is indeed an item that has a certain significance in a relative sense."

Ji Li glanced at Aiguir in his arms:
"Are you still going to call me by this name?"

"I don't want to call you Odin..."

The memories of her dead body began to assault Aiquier. She instantly recalled the time when Ji Li had manipulated her with his disguise, and she felt a surge of hatred.

Since I can't use my real name, I guess I'll just have to keep calling myself Pulitzer.

Soon Aiquier stopped talking and just nestled in Ji Li's arms, feeling a strong sense of security.

Having gone through so many events, this marks the end of a journey for her.

Although she still harbors some resentment towards Ji Li, she finally landed safely. She doesn't know what lies ahead, but she can enjoy a rare moment of peace in the car.

Seeing Ji Li still caressing the pendant in his hand, Aquile curled his lip, glanced at the separated front seat, and after confirming that Angelica, who was driving, would not notice, he reached out and grabbed Ji Li's collar, pulling him down.

Ji Li, who was deep in thought, was startled by her action, and then her lips were gently sealed with a kiss—

Aiquier was somewhat possessive, but to be honest, Ji Li wasn't in the mood right now.

That silly girl Rabbit ran all the way to Birmingham, probably chasing after the Tower of Babel or some tombstone. He needs to check on her situation as soon as possible.

There's no use rushing things now; we can only wait until we arrive in Birmingham and then investigate through Angelica's network of connections.

The purpose of this trip to Birmingham is to continue tracing the footsteps of the pioneers and to recover the remains of the gods.

The Tower of Babel involves several issues, including tombstones, the remains of the pioneers, and the time fragments of Felin, as well as the matter of Rabbit Girl. It would be best if these could be resolved together.

"The journey is still long, you can take a nap."

"Then you can hold me while I sleep..."

After coaxing Aiquier to sleep, Ji Li gradually calmed down and turned on a heavy black phone.

This is Adjutant Kane's special cell phone, much like the hidden network system used by agents during the Silla City era. This thing can connect to the surveillance network of the Dark Side Surveillance Group.

Ji Li needs to know the details and conditions for advancing to the Mingzhao stage.

Unfortunately, the online archives here don't contain much information about the Divine Realm.

One issue is that Kane and others lack sufficient access, and the other is that most of the information can only be viewed by name, while the content needs to be viewed offline and requires application to higher authorities.

This makes sense for this stage of awakening, as knowledge related to the Netherworld is classified and not something that can be accessed casually.

However, the few available documents provided Ji Li with the basic explanatory logic.

The human spirit in the immortal stage is close to perfection, but it is still a human spirit. To continue to grow, it needs to possess something different—

divinity.

The stage of enlightenment is when the human spirit discovers a path that can be developed towards existence beyond reason.

Immortality of the soul, immortality, the ability to travel a thousand miles in a single thought, absolute knowledge... these are theoretical pursuits.

In this theory, the paradox that Mingzhao seeks is a kind of divine being.

Its practice involves pursuing the ultimate in personality, deconstructing one's own flaws, eliminating them, and ultimately achieving a paradox through some kind of ritual.

Each time a negative trait is eliminated, one's soul takes a step towards divinity, the Trinity receives a comprehensive upgrade, and gains the additional abilities corresponding to the negative trait, greatly increasing its strength.

This process occurs nine times and is known as the "Nine Annihilations of the Netherworld".

Since it was very basic science information, Ji Li did not see any mention of "complete perfection" or related concepts.

As for eliminating the bad habits...

The young man was completely under the influence of the underworld, but the kid still had a pretty bad temper.

The Lonely Tomb King, whose perfect brilliance is revealed in his strange behavior, is a god-like being, but not a god-like being without humanity.

Or is it that their retained humanity prevents them from becoming a paradox?

But if we say that, then Kaoru Gokuga's situation is completely different.

Killing, torture, lust, bullying the weak, arrogance... her eight personalities are simply a collection of all the evils of this world.

However, strictly speaking, Madwoman is not a human spirit; she is a Wheel-Turner, a super Dead Apostle disguised as a Splitter.

From this perspective, the Dead Apostle's illumination, that is, the complete stage, may be in the completely opposite direction to the human spirit.

In other words, Ji Li can choose either the Human Spirit or the Dead Apostle path for advancement, or... cultivate both?
Currently, he's at the early stage of a fully-fledged Dead Apostle, so he's probably still a blank slate. He doesn't know the strength of Tombstone or those two Dead Apostles...

As time passed, the roads on both sides gradually widened, and factories, bridges, railways, and various modern industries gradually densely packed together, until horns blared everywhere, vehicles shuttled back and forth, and outside the window lay a vast European city—

We've arrived in Birmingham.

The speeding military vehicles slowed down and gradually entered the city, where noise began to rise and the city became increasingly bustling.

With a sudden stop, Aquile awoke with a start:
"……arrive?"

She looked out the window, but suddenly froze.

Slogans, flags, crowds.

Dense crowds of citizens, dressed in various styles and shouting slogans, surged toward the city center, filling the streets and alleys.

"This is... a parade?" It was the first time Aquile had ever seen a large parade in person. She went to the window, but a rotten egg was thrown at her, which made her wide awake. She cursed under her breath.

"I'm sorry, sir. This is the way to the station. I didn't expect there would be such a big demonstration today..."

Angelica's voice came from ahead:
"Don't worry, these citizens generally won't dare to touch the military vehicles, although there might be some agitated individuals. I will call on the riot police on site to provide us with some cover so we can leave as soon as possible."

Looking at the massive crowd of protesters outside the window, Ji Li couldn't help but frown: "Do protests often break out here?"

"Yes, but I've only seen a march of this size several years ago, after which the Anchors of Man in Birmingham had problems, leading to the Resting Places riots."

Ji Li understood what she meant:
"So, something happened?"

"No, the regulatory network has not received any notification of any abnormal signs, but after today's protest, large-scale anomalies may gradually appear the next day."

The combined power of the human spirits can influence all three dimensions; with such a massive and concentrated procession, the underworld is likely already in turmoil…

Or perhaps, the changes in the inner world have, in turn, affected the real world, such as the Crimson Ritual: Ji Li pondered in his heart—

Could this be a sign that the Tower of Babel is taking action?

Ji Li opened her phone and searched for relevant information on the local internet. The first thing she saw was news about various strikes, with related news coming in one after another.

This includes issues such as mass layoffs, collective anxiety, and even a factory experiencing double-digit numbers of serious workplace injuries.

The first thing he clicked on was a live stream, and the location was right on Ji Li's street. He could even see the military vehicle he was in among the crowd.

However, the camera was focused on the other end of the street, which was also the most crowded end.

There was a group of citizens dressed as workers, led by a woman, raising their arms and shouting slogans.

She wore a dark blue suit, with a dignified appearance. Although there were obvious signs of aging, one could still vaguely see her beauty in her youth. She wore a brightly colored safety helmet, and her short, brown-gold ponytail peeked out from behind her.

Ji Li saw her name in the news headline below:
Adèle Bouchan

Workers' demonstrations may represent a loss of interests for the underprivileged... Does this mean there is a possibility of the development of the Odin faith?
Although he doesn't have many exoskeletons to distribute right now, if he can absorb some Odin followers, and if there happen to be awakened ones among them, then with the strengthening of Valhalla, a new force can be created very quickly.

It's important to know that after being strengthened, Andrew's current strength is approaching that of a peak ruler.

Just as Ji Li was speculating whether he could use this strike, a flash of white-gold light appeared on the live stream screen.

Ji Li let out a soft exclamation, but the figure had already disappeared from the live stream.

He looked up and surveyed the area outside the car window, but couldn't find the figure.

That familiar back view...

……

Connie Lee, or rather, Jasmine.

She wore a fitted, standard white combat uniform with the Dark Side Surveillance Corps insignia on her chest, and quickly weaved through the crowd.

As her gaze swept over the military vehicle slowly moving with the crowd in the middle of the road, she immediately frowned:
How did the oversight team happen to run into the protest?
Remembering what she had seen when she arrived, Jasmine quickened her pace and disappeared into the alley in a few steps.

Looking at the woman on the moving cart, leading the workers in cheers and shouts, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes, and she took out her phone.

After a while, the woman leading the march, Adèle Bouchan, took her cell phone out of her pocket:
"Connie, what's wrong? I'm at the protest right now..."

"The oversight team is nearby, and they were already preparing to deal with the march before I arrived, which could cause unnecessary disruptions."

"Mom, stop it! Don't get involved in this..."

“I understand, but Connie, this march is a rare event, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Mom. I’m not doing this for myself, but for your uncle and his family. Birmingham owes us justice and an explanation!”

“I told you I would find a way! Your current behavior is…”

After hanging up the phone, Jasmine became furious and quickly pushed through the crowd towards her mother, clearly intending to forcibly take her away.

Just as she was crossing the road, a sudden pang of fear gripped her heart—

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounded, stirring a long-dormant seed deep within her soul:
Why would the Seed of the Nest suddenly react at this time?

Jasmine's pupils constricted sharply; the intense emotional turmoil triggered a frenzied tremor in her soul.

He's still alive?!
A flutter in her heart carried Jasmine's thoughts back to the other side of the ocean, to when she was still in Silla.

A roaring, black hole, and finally the sunset shrouded in boundless madness; endless memories surged into my mind, along with that lingering attachment that died in the womb.

A barely perceptible force came from her shoulder, and Jasmine suddenly woke up.

A protester bumped into her shoulder, nearly causing her to stumble. He gave her a strange look and muttered something as he moved forward with the crowd.

The emotions she had just experienced still lingered in her mind. Jasmine looked around, trying to find the figure from her memories, but the vast sea of ​​people was like an anthill bursting its banks, and all that could be seen were party flags fluttering in the wind.

In her melancholy, she began to doubt whether her earlier feeling was just an illusion, but she immediately dismissed it:
That was the seed of power that the director personally planted in her, and it has now become her foundation; there's no way that could be wrong.

Lost in thought, a commotion came from the other side of the street, instantly drawing her attention as she looked around.

Among the crowd of people who were being blocked, a fluttering flag stood out conspicuously:

"Illuminati...?"

……

After passing through the long parade, Ji Li, Angelica, and the others finally arrived at the Royal Containment Center, which was ostensibly the Birmingham Guard of Honor's residence, but also the residence of the Containment Investigation Department.

The Royal Assumption, also known as the Assumption Investigation Bureau, is the organization of Awakened Ones to which Angelica belongs, and it is also where Ji Li and Ai Guier will soon be working.

Of course, for Ji Li, this was just the identity he needed. The only place he had to go to work was the Saint Martin Museum, which was the purpose of this trip.

However, before that, the identity change must be completed first.

Although no official announcement has been issued regarding any unusual events related to the large-scale demonstration, it has already drawn attention within the Custody and Investigation Bureau.

Angelica's teacher, Veronica, is currently participating in a high-level meeting and has not been seen yet.

Angelica first completed the blank placement for Ji Li, while Aiquier was directly included in the preparatory course list, inserted into this batch of awakened trainees.

Because Kane's intelligent personality had already completed part of the integration in advance, the Dark Side Surveillance Group did not come to cause them any trouble; only the Ludwig family came and drove the car away.

After completing all this, Angelica took Ji Li and the other person to their temporary accommodation.

Flash Street, Birmingham branch.

Suddenly, a familiar feeling came over me.

(End of this chapter)