Chapter 283: Suspension of Belief

Chapter 283: Suspension of Belief

Still in the illusory area, I choose a spot on the map near this area, towards one of my people. Since Im already in this area, it would just be easier to start here and go to the progressively deeper areas.

Once Ive made the selection, I quickly find myself out of the illusion and in the cart again. Time-wise, only a few seconds have passed, though in the illusion, it took around a minute.

which is a curious thing.

Im almost totally sure that wasnt time manipulation or even void stuff. It appears to be playing with the perception of time, rather than anything. Instantly accessing your mind and communicating the information within.

The formations used for this are pretty direct, though. And it looks like it kicks you out if you go too far off the rails, as it cant handle other types of queries.

The ideas still there, though.

I believe illusory spaces are also used in certain meditation spaces, as well. If Im not wrong, the ones in our towers might have some, but I havent looked into detail about them.

This could be excellent for communicating large information quickly among the group, if I can figure out a way to make it malleable.

This is something for a later time, however.

I turn my mind back to the cart, as it is already on the move to the first destination, still within the public section.

While it speeds forward on the track, I cant but wonder how much work must have gone into making such a movement system both standard for libraries and secret from the sects in its formations.

Of course, the sects could probably do the same thing, but at a higher cost and potentially more effort. Not only that, but their needs differ from those of a standard library. Better to use a custom solution, if its going to take more work to do anyway and they are doing it only once.

Either way, I have bigger things to figure out.

The countless books, scrolls, and other information mediums that are constantly fading into the background are extremely tempting to scan.

Absurd amounts of knowledge are here, passing me by. And theres nothing I can do about it.

Of course, I could try to scan it, which was one of the first things I thought about when I started planning this trip here.

But theres a reason this library is only public to the sect and trusted people. Within these is a huge amount of knowledge that might lead you to true secrets.

You didnt think we would have to cart books all the way down those thin walkways, did you? No, the cart will take you to where you need to go up here. Those are just for the people who would find it faster to use the manual way instead.

I still find it wild, even with my speed and knowledge, that a person can be fast enough to completely outpace the fastest speeds we had on earth, while still not completely wrecking the surrounding area.

Movement techniques are insane.

Soon enough, it brings us to the edge of a series of connected rooms. They quickly step out and I follow, quickly discovering a silvery bracelet forming on my wrist. It seems to be connected to the carts, as it floats away, back to the track.

Ling shyly fills in the gap.

I-It will come back to your location if you tap it twice. Even inside the buildings. Its really convenient

Her voice falls off at the end.

And I have no idea why.

Mao is looking at her sister incredulously in disbelief. Its pretty clear this isnt how she normally acts. Ling seems a little uncomfortable with the attention, so she draws it back to what we are here for.

so, what were you looking for here?

Ah, right.

Im meeting with a few of my people just to check in on them. It looks like quite a few of them have already left for alchemy, so this wont take too long. Theyre also grouped up a bit, like with the ones we are looking for now.

Mao gives a nod before filling things in for me.

They should be close then, as it only drops you off somewhat close to the location, unlike when it picks you up. The person who made it wanted people to wander a little first.

Im sure there are a few reasons for that.

At least there are only two other places to visit after this. Most of everyone stayed in groups to not get lost out here.

While I could figure things out, it is nice to have people who know what they are doing here.