After Earthly Soul committed such a reckless act, the Dark Banquet shut down the experimental field in this ring-shaped city, moved it elsewhere, and began repairing everything here.
During the repairs, they discovered that special black vine plant in my shop. Now, the Dark Banquet has taken the plant to their laboratory, trying to find a way to enter the Moonshadow Refuge.
It won't be long before they figure it out.
Deathcurse can only continue to play the role of the replicator in the Dark Banquet. All this time, he has been desperately performing the work left behind by the previous replicator.
Breaking through the limits of synthetic souls.
"What does that mean?"
"The Dark Banquet's experiments progress layer by layer. All the test subjects they placed here are artificial beings created by the first layer of darkness. To break through the restrictions of the second layer, those afflicted with The Stilled—souls able to overcome the symptoms—will be reclaimed by the Dark Banquet."
I remembered—whenever someone got The Stilled, the Dark Banquet would send people to take the patient away. Deathcurse went on to explain.
The cause of The Stilled is related to personal emotions. When an artificial being of darkness feels utterly hopeless about everything in the dark, they contract The Stilled.
My eyes widened in surprise. I finally understood why I had contracted The Stilled before—it was my own negative emotions, transmitted to the synthetic soul within me, that caused this to happen.
Human emotions are subtle—temperament is such a strange thing. When too many negative feelings keep piling up, they eventually destroy a person's spirit, leaving them powerless and hopeless, until they are finally crushed.
Someone who has completely lost their spirit will contract The Stilled. If an artificial being self-heals from The Stilled, they break through the Shallow Dark. These are the test subjects most coveted by the Dark Banquet—they continue to be infused with darkness, slowly breaking through the Dense Dark, and eventually reaching the Pure Dark.
Humans are emotional creatures, and over time, feelings rise and fall unpredictably. Howard Zhang was also chosen as a test subject, and for some reason, the synthetic soul inside him quickly broke through the Shallow Dark. So the Dark Banquet created a Susan Li Replica, extracting massive amounts of data from Susan Li's life in the Living World and implanting it into the replica. The purpose was for her to attract Howard Zhang, and it worked. The plan was to entangle Susan Li's feelings with Howard Zhang, triggering his inner negativity to naturally break through the Dense Dark. But I disrupted their scheme.
Such entanglements between people are calculated by probabilities in big data. The Dark Banquet collects all emotional collision data from human interactions—this is a necessary method to crack the mystery of souls.
"I don't know much about the rest. I only handle test subjects who have broken through the Dense Dark and are starting to enter the Pure Dark. Anything beyond that, only those three know."
I nodded. Deathcurse stood up, ready to leave. He glanced at Sylvia Blue, who was keeping watch beside the food.
"You're a very unusual girl. Inside your body, I sense an incredibly complex and vast cursecraft."
Sylvia Blue turned her head in confusion, giggling as she spoke.
"That's because part of my body is constructed from cursecraft."
Deathcurse's eyes widened, then he looked at Sylvia Blue with even more curiosity, and finally glanced at me.
"Don't look at me. I don't know either."
At night, business at the barbecue shop boomed. Though Sylvia Blue complained, she still helped me deliver food, while I bustled about and Howard Zhang greeted the customers.
Quite a few customers said Howard Zhang seemed more honest now, telling him not to loaf around and to help me out.
Finally, all the dishes were served. I had set aside a meal for Sylvia Blue tonight—there was plenty. At last, I could catch my breath.
"Cousin, that little girl seems to be alone."
"Who?"
I looked at Howard Zhang with a relaxed expression. He smiled as he spoke.
"She’s like you and Rachel Lan—innocent, but sometimes especially stubborn. Could she be your daughter?"
"She is."
Howard Zhang's eyes widened in surprise. At that moment, Sylvia Blue returned, and I quickly pulled Howard Zhang aside and whispered to him.
"Don't expose it, Howard Zhang, please."
Howard Zhang nodded.
The last table of customers finally left. I started grilling food for ourselves. Sylvia Blue lay on the table, quietly waiting, while Howard Zhang chatted with her. The two seemed to be having a pleasant, harmonious conversation.
During that time, Sylvia Blue asked about Rachel Lan several times. I gazed at the distant sky, and a rush of longing welled up inside me.
"Eat."
One plate after another of grilled food was served. Sylvia Blue immediately started eating, praising the taste nonstop, while Howard Zhang and I drank together.
"Cousin, you really don't need to keep running the Soulshackle Crystal shop anymore."
I shook my head.
"Even though everyone here was created by the Dark Banquet, Howard Zhang, I believe they're real people."
"To think, to feel joy, to feel sorrow—that's what makes someone human, right?"
Sylvia Blue chimed in, and I nodded.
The artificial beings under the Dark Banquet's control go about their daily lives, striving to live—even in this city where almost nothing feels new.
"I'm full."
Sylvia Blue rubbed her belly, leaning back with satisfaction. She'd had a little to drink, her face flushed—just like Rachel Lan, she couldn't hold her liquor. Now she stood up.
"Ethan Zhang, thank you for the food. I’m going somewhere and might be back in a few days."
"Be careful."
I knew exactly where Sylvia Blue was headed. She must have sensed Rachel Lan's location—she wanted to meet her. From Future Ethan Zhang's words, I’d guessed Sylvia Blue had never seen Rachel Lan since birth, learning everything about her mother from her father.
Sylvia Blue left—in an instant, her presence vanished. Howard Zhang smiled and said:
"Cousin, your daughter is adorable. Honestly, you’re lucky to have found a wife like Rachel Lan."
"Howard Zhang, tell me honestly—have you ever, you know, behind your wife's back..."