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Chapter 4256 Climbing to the top
Chapter 4256 Climbing to the top
The fourth level is the level of body and mind.
The rabbit girl encountered her "body and mind self" here, a heroic version of herself dressed in leather armor and a scale skirt.
What is "body and mind"? It refers to all skills that govern the coordination of body and mind, including martial arts, acrobatics, disguise, tracking, meditation, and so on.
This is precisely the area that the bunny girl excels at, but it is also the skill that is most difficult for her to master.
Therefore, she still sought help from Angell.
But for Angell, his research on "body and mind" might not actually be stronger than that of the rabbit girl, so this time Angell also decided... to seek help from outside.
He sought help from Uncle Ku of the Yingji tribe.
To be precise, he first sought out Laplace, and then there happened to be someone nearby who was skilled in this kind of technique; this person was none other than "The Flame of Decay" Uncle Ku.
Angel had seen Uncle Ku outside the Yorozuya before; he seemed to be a very insignificant character.
However, according to Laplace, his true identity is Vladimir's incarnation.
Vladimir is a three-star general and the current supreme commander of the Yingji people.
So, Uncle Ku just casually reveals a few things, which is enough for the bunny girl to pass the game.
In the end, the rabbit girl also successfully overcame her physical and mental self, and the question she asked was: "How long can the maximum tracing time be to track a life that once stayed in a certain place through the circumferential worm of the sensitive period?"
I was completely bewildered by my own body and mind.
The rabbit girl calmly replied, "The circumferential worms during the sensitive period can be traced back to 138 years ago; this is a constant."
As soon as he finished speaking, the referee turned on the green light.
Seeing this, the Self of Body and Mind sighed: "Although we are currently in opposition, as your Self of Body and Mind, I hope you can triumph all the way to the top."
As soon as he finished speaking, his body transformed into golden specks of light.
Before it completely disappeared, the rabbit girl heard her last whisper in her ear:
"The skills of the body have their limits, but the boundaries of cognition... are endless."
……
The fifth floor is the museum floor.
Natural history, in this context, refers to the collection of skills and techniques for understanding and applying the knowledge of all things. This includes fields such as magical plants, animal taming, astrology, geology, and ecosystem intervention, among others.
This brings us to Angor's area of expertise, particularly his knowledge of magical plants and magical mines.
Before the "Naturalist Self" could even finish his long and narrow talk, the rabbit girl brought up the "Ruqun Umbrella Herb," a magical plant that grew abundantly in the Abyss of Rasudran, and asked the Naturalist Self to identify its effects.
I, a naturalist, was instantly speechless.
The rabbit girl, on the other hand, wore a victorious smile.
However, I, a naturalist, quickly came to terms with it and looked at the rabbit girl with an inquisitive gaze.
The rabbit girl felt a tickle under his gaze: "What are you looking at?"
I, a naturalist, gently shook my head. “I was just thinking about why you suddenly understood something that was unclear to me before.”
"Have you figured anything out?" the rabbit girl asked curiously.
My own knowledge of natural history: "I think I guessed it."
“Every aspect of you on ‘my stage’ is only related to skill and knowledge, and does not involve your identity. Therefore, the knowledge you suddenly gain may be related to your identity.”
Seeing that the rabbit girl didn't take it seriously, she said softly, "Identity represents more than just a name; it also represents your connections, status, and class."
"So, barring any unforeseen circumstances, your knowledge comes from these sources."
“A stranger you can contact, or a tool that can achieve your vision.”
As I finished speaking about natural history, the rabbit girl could already feel sweat beading on her forehead.
Fortunately, I, the naturalist, did not continue speaking, because her body had already begun to enter the process of becoming light and dust.
Before his naturalistic self dissipated, he gave the rabbit girl a helpless yet appreciative smile: "I admire your way of breaking the deadlock. The significance of natural history lies not in collecting the known, but in respecting the unknown."
After she finished speaking, she disappeared.
Cleared the fifth level.
Although this was the level the bunny girl cleared the fastest, taking less than three minutes from arrival to departure, she still felt a strange sense of unease afterward.
She stood still, not heading to the sixth floor immediately.
It feels like you easily opened a door with a key, feeling smug, only to find the owner sitting on the sofa smiling and saying, "I know where you got your key copied from."
The victory is real; the green light has been turned on.
But this victory felt fragile because the opponent had seen through their "trump card".
“She’s a little different from the other ‘me’s’,” the rabbit girl whispered, her tone carrying a hint of hesitation that she herself didn’t even realize.
The way she looked at me didn't seem like she was looking at herself. Instead, it was like she was analyzing a... sample.
The independence and freedom that my artistic self pursues was already achieved from the very beginning in my natural history self.
She never said "I am you, you are me" from beginning to end, but always treated the rabbit girl as someone else.
This feeling left her with a somewhat complicated feeling.
It was as if a wisp of subconsciousness deep within the soul had suddenly started a revolution, and even succeeded.
Moreover, I also deciphered the rabbit girl's "problem-solving system" through my study of natural history.
This also made her feel that the victory was "unfair".
The rabbit girl was caught in a dilemma.
On the other side, Angell saw this scene and sighed softly.
After experiencing the Golden Land, the rabbit girl did grow up, but she had not yet truly become a sophisticated and free "adult." She still felt ashamed for "cheating."
However, this is also what Angell admires about the rabbit girl.
"Don't worry about it. Have you forgotten what she said before she disappeared?"
“What she admires is not just the answer to the question,” Angell said. “What she admires even more is the ‘possibility’ that exists within you that led to that answer.”
“This is something she doesn’t have.”
“The ‘you’ on the other layers are trapped in the distinction between ‘you and me’ because of the shared knowledge. But she, with her broad perspective, was the first to break free—what she saw was a more complete you who could continuously connect with the unknown and introduce new knowledge.”
"So, she's not denying you, but rather, in her own way, acknowledging a broader version of you than the 'old self' she knows."
Angell softened his tone: "You might think it's an unfair victory, but perhaps in her view, by digging out those 'you' who didn't appear, she is also making up for her missing 'self'."
The rabbit girl was stunned, her eyes flickering for a long time.
"I think I understand now."
Angell's words of comfort had some effect.
The rabbit girl took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the subtle feeling in her heart.
Now, only the last two floors are left.
……
On the sixth floor, the rabbit girl encountered "the strategist" sitting in front of the sand table map.
Since the self that strategizes has emerged, the sixth level is naturally the "strategy level".
Strategy is an art of planning, game theory, and tactics; the skills involved include: military strategy, chess, market manipulation, probability calculation, and intelligence analysis.
Angell used a very simple deduction based on information unknown to the rabbit girl to bring down my scheme.
Unlike the other "selves" on the other levels, the strategist did not express any "feelings" before disappearing; she simply conducted intelligence analysis and deduction on the sand table.
She only smiled at the last moment when she saw that the intelligence analysis matched the answer provided by Angel.
To generously face death.
After the scheming self disappeared, the rabbit girl looked at the stairs in the room.
After this flight of stairs, she will reach the final level of "My Arena".
In other words, she's about to reach the top!
She had only been in the arena for less than twenty minutes, but she had already broken through several levels. If she hadn't experienced the "self of natural knowledge," she would probably be very proud of herself. But at this moment, her feelings were somewhat subtle and complicated, but fortunately, her overall mood was still positive.
Rather than internalizing her own thoughts, she understands the importance of a "big picture" perspective.
"I wonder what I'll be like on the last level?" the rabbit girl whispered.
Angell: "Want me to give you a spoiler?"
Ingres, with his God-like perspective, had naturally seen the situation on the seventh level, which was the top level.
The rabbit girl paused for two seconds, then suddenly laughed and said, "Okay."
Angel was somewhat surprised, as she had previously refused to spoil the plot for the rabbit girl.
Although she didn't give a reason, Angell could guess that while she was willing to use some unconventional methods to pass the level, she still had some inexplicable insistence in her heart.
Now, she has suddenly let go of the limitations she set for herself.
Either she completely abandoned her old self, or she quietly opened a window in the castle she had been guarding.
Looking at the rabbit girl's eyes, which still held the same clarity and innocence, Angell guessed it was the latter.
He was happy to see this change.
Rather than the so-called "growth," what Angell actually wanted to see more was her flexibility and adaptability.
However, despite his happiness, Angell had some regrettable news to share.
"Although you're willing to listen to spoilers, I'm sorry, but I can't see which aspect of you she represents on the seventh floor."
Even if you can't guess the specific names of the "she"s on the other six floors, you can still tell which side they lean towards by looking at their attire.
However, the last layer does not show this obvious tendency.
Her outfit was not much different from the bunny girl's current outfit; she was also wearing a cute bunny mascot costume. Apart from her more insightful and mature expression, they were almost identical.
Hearing Angel's description, the rabbit girl also became somewhat curious.
A version of myself that I can't tell which side of myself it is?
Could it be... my emotional side?
The reason she suddenly guessed "emotion" is because she discovered that the first six layers, no matter how they were categorized, were all rational aspects of herself, and everything was based on "skill," which was an external appearance without any inner mindset.
Therefore, she guessed that the last layer would be related to her "heart" and so-called "sentimentality".
"Emotional?" Angell: "That's certainly possible. If it's about emotions, perhaps it's your empathy, your mental imagery, your philosophical thinking?"
However, if it is truly related to the mind, Angell believes that the seventh level may be much more difficult than the previous levels.
Because rational things generally have objective answers.
Just like mathematics.
Emotional things are subjective, idealistic thoughts; a thousand people will have a thousand different interpretations of Hamlet.
Just like Chinese language.
Therefore, winning over another "self" on an emotional level is equivalent to convincing oneself in one's subjective thinking, which is not an easy task.
"Just go and take a look and you'll find out."
The rabbit girl wasn't too worried about the difficulty, because behind her was Angor, and behind Angor was the entire Dream Crystal Plain, with hundreds of millions of thoughts!
There's always a way to break the deadlock.
Without further hesitation, she strode into the seventh floor, which was also the very top floor of the entire "My Arena".
Just as Angell had said, upon entering the seventh floor, she saw a near-perfect replica of "herself".
There were no obvious art-related decorations around, unlike the art level where you would know this level is related to art. Here, it was empty, completely bare.
The rabbit girl approached "her," and she slowly raised her head.
"You came."
Rabbit Girl: "Yes, I'm here."
She stood up and slowly walked towards the rabbit girl, but instead of stopping in front of her, she brushed past her and walked to the entrance of the seventh floor.
Looking down at the sixth floor, he remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:
“I saw a lot.”
The rabbit girl turned around and looked at her: "You mean...?"
She turned to look at the rabbit girl, her eyes filled with a knowing understanding that she knew everything.
This gaze doesn't seem to be looking at a "familiar self," nor does it carry the same obsession as the others, like the "we share the same origin" mentality. Instead, it's like an elder looking at a traveler returning from a long journey.
"My artistic self found freedom before it vanished."
"With my craftsmanship, I stubbornly guarded the truth."
"I, who possess the power of words, have also found her fellow traveler."
"..."
She recounted the first six "me"s the rabbit girl encountered, as if they were her own treasures.
"You know all this?" the rabbit girl asked in a low voice.
She nodded: "Yes, I know everything."
“When they return to me, I become them.”
The rabbit girl's eyes flashed with astonishment: "?!?!"
What did she hear?
What does it mean to return? What does it mean to become like them?
She seemed to notice the rabbit girl's surprise and said calmly, "Since you defeated them, you should have seen that the points of light all floated upwards the moment they disappeared."
The rabbit girl looked shocked, because it was really true; all the specks of light floated towards the ceiling, towards…
"you!"
"The specks of light they left behind all drifted towards you?!"
She nodded: "Yes, these points of light contain their knowledge and their memories. Although the memories are not long, only a brief moment when I met you, it is enough for me to understand everything."
"Whether it's getting to know them, or getting to know you."
The rabbit girl understood. The "me" in front of her possessed all aspects of the "Iron Arena," a complete mastery of various skill fragments!
In some ways, she is a replica of the original bunny girl.
This actually made the rabbit girl breathe a slight sigh of relief.
Even if you are highly skilled, there are still limitations if you are just copying yourself.
Moreover, it's not some "idealistic" or "emotional" slice of information; that means the answer has an objective basis.
As long as I remain rational, it will be much easier for Ingres to solve the problem.