Canis: "It seems no one's here."
Harvest: "That's good. Honestly, I don't have the confidence to fight Maras or angels."
Canis tilted his head. He hadn't expected such a weak statement from Harvest, who had inherited Arcane's memories.
Canis: "You're different from our master."
Harvest: "Personality isn't determined by memories alone. I was designed to protect you. To be blunt, without Ikael's help, we won't be able to complete this mission."
In the end, that was it. The key to returning to their original world was in Shirone's hands.
Canis' pride was hurt by not being the protagonist, but he wasn't foolish enough to jeopardize teamwork.
Canis: "But if we don't disable the Mechan's System, there's no chance at all. Let's take a look around first."
Canis walked around, surveying the area. Suddenly, he felt something strange and approached the wall.
The panels, densely packed at regular intervals, resembled bookshelves in a library.
When he touched a panel, a faint vibration could be felt.
As he pressed it gently, a click sounded.
Fearing it might trigger an alarm, he quickly stepped back. With a hum, the panel popped out.
Canis grabbed the panel and pulled it out completely. A transparent, rectangular circuit board was connected to the panel.
He stood it vertically and then laid it horizontally.
As he touched the panel with his thumb, glowing letters appeared on the glass.
Canis: "I see. The Angel's Archive."
Canis realized the immense number of panels embedded in Ingris.
Ingris was a space filled with knowledge.
Touching the blinking arrow on the panel, the page turned. As he flipped through the pages in awe, an endless stream of characters appeared.
It was an information system far denser than any book.
Unable to read the characters, his eyes naturally fell on the numbers written below the glass.
The first thing that came to mind was the note left by his master.
Ingris
113-325-4739-49359-234
This was all Arcane had left. It was likely a serial number to identify the panel's location.
Canis was certain that his master had been to Ingris. And here, he must have realized something and discovered the method to strengthen dark magic.
Canis examined the characters on the glass. He couldn't even guess how to pronounce them.
Canis: "Harvest, do you know what language this is?"
Harvest: "No. It's a language I've never seen before. We might need Arin for this."
At that moment, the characters began to collapse, and the language they used appeared on the glass.
Canis: "Automatic language conversion? That's unbelievable."
Ingris wasn't a space created for Canis.
Therefore, it could be assumed that the panels contained records of every language in existence.
The information density was terrifying.
Canis looked back at the characters on the glass. The page contained information about dreams. He began to read aloud.
Canis: "…Drimo is a world accessible through dreams. The method is to find the Dream Person, Ruber, in your dreams. He is located in a place slightly off from events, so finding him requires concentration. He is usually cooking in a house or taking care of his children. Since only Ruber has color, distinguishing him isn't difficult."
He turned to the next page.
Canis: "Once you meet him, hand him money and say you've come to find work. He will then introduce you to several jobs you can do in your dreams. If you refuse three times, he will send you to Drimo. If you find a job you like, you can enjoy the dream as long as you want, but when you wake up, you won't remember it."
Canis pouted and looked at Harvest.
Harvest shrugged, and Canis turned back to the panel to continue reading.
Canis: "Since time doesn't exist in Drimo, there are countless objects that defy causality. To bring an object into reality, you must fulfill five conditions. First, help the object's owner and receive it as a reward. Second, report the object as stolen to the authorities…"
Canis: "That won't do. It's forbidden by the law."
Canis' voice cut off abruptly.
Slowly turning his head, he saw a petite woman standing at the first corner of Ingris.
Her skin was a soft purple, and her eyes were sharply slanted. Her curly green hair was lush, and a red triangle floated above her head.
She was a One-Horned Mara.
Canis and Harvest, their tension skyrocketing, stared at her without moving a muscle.
Mara: "Could you please slowly put that back in its place? Even an archangel is forbidden from accessing Ingris without the administrator's permission."
Canis, without taking his eyes off her, placed the panel back into its slot.
The panel slid in as if pulled, becoming indistinguishable from the others.
Canis: "Sorry about that. It's my first time here."
Deciding to buy some time, Canis started with an apology.
Mara: "I thought so. A believer wouldn't break the law. It's been a while since a heretic entered."
Canis noticed that her mouth movements and pronunciation matched.
They weren't communicating through telepathy.
Canis: "How do you know our language?"
Mara: "Hehe, I'm a language collector. Besides, as the administrator of Ingris, it wouldn't do if I couldn't communicate, right? In fact, I've encountered people who use the same language as you quite a few times."
The first person that came to mind was Arcane. Then, the group of Unlockers sent by the Kergo chieftain.
Canis: "Do you know someone named Kadum?"
The administrator's face lit up as she exclaimed.
Mara: "Aha! So that's who you are! Of course, I know him. Heretics came here 200 years ago in your time. They asked to extend Kadum's lifespan by 300 years."
Hearing her words, Canis was convinced.
Igris was clearly a place that controlled human lifespans.
But how?
It was a phenomenon that couldn't be explained simply by the overwhelming density of information.
Canis: "Is that even possible? How can you change someone's lifespan?"
Manager: "Haa, I get that question a lot. I don't know how you even found this place."
The Manager walked around with her hands clasped behind her back, like a teacher. Her eyes were filled with affection as she looked at the panels.
Manager: "If you're wondering how we can change lifespans, it's because this place is connected to the Akashic Records."
Canis had heard of the Akashic Records before. It was a term he often encountered while studying mythology.
A supernatural repository of all the records of the universe.
The fact that the same term was used in heaven meant that the myths were true.
But it was still an unbelievable theory.
Canis "That's impossible. What you're saying is a lie."
Manager: "Oh? Why do you say that?"
Canis: "Because a record that contains everything in the world can't possibly exist. How can you verify that it's complete? It's just an exaggeration."
Manager: "Hmm, you're definitely human. Well, from your level of thinking, that makes sense."
Canis felt a bit offended.
Canis: "So you're saying it's not true?"
Manager: "The Akashic Records aren't some grand, magnificent thing. This world itself is the Akashic Records."
Canis: "Explain it in a way I can understand."
The Manager's eyes lit up as if she had a good idea.
Manager: "Since you're human, I'll use a Mechan's explanation. If you multiply 2 by 3 and then add 1, what do you get?"
Canis: "Obviously, it's 7."
Manager: "Right. That's how human thinking works. Humans need to find the problem to get the answer. You're beings who need to know the equation to get the result."
Canis: "What's your point? Are you saying you're different?"
Manager: "We are. Let me give you a problem the way heaven does it. I just arrived at the answer 7. Can you guess what equation I used to get there?"
Canis shut his mouth. He couldn't know. There were infinite ways to arrive at 7.
Manager: "Do you get it now? The Akashic Records are just the answer. Should I use the words of the Noor's this time? No matter what expression you use, can you perfectly describe Igris?"
Language inherently cannot fully convey the original meaning. But now, Canis also understood what the Akashic Records were.
Canis: "Igris."
The Manager nodded in satisfaction.
Manager: "Exactly. Igris is Igris. Before you came here, Igris existed. But to you, this place was nowhere to be found. Why do you think that is?"
Canis: "Because… I didn't know its name."
This was a serious matter. Canis realized why names were necessary for Ra to control lifespans.
Names. That was everything.
Manager: "Now we're on the same page. To a stone or the wind, the world doesn't exist. It's complete nothingness. Even though it exists like this, it's because they lack the ability to assign meaning. When the universe was given the name 'universe,' that's when the universe came into being."
Heaven doesn't seek answers.
Because there are no answers, or because everything is the answer. Instead, they distort the truth by changing the equations that lead to the answers.
It doesn't matter if the answer 7 becomes 8 or 9.
Whatever answer comes out, it will be the entirety of the world, and thus, it will be perfect.
Manager: "Humans are always foolishly searching for the one and only truth. Where is that one truth? No matter how the world changes, that's all there is."
The Manager pointed to the panels.
Manager: "Igris accesses the Akashic Records using the Mechan's System. It twists the equations to change the truth. This is called hacking, and it can easily alter human lifespans."
Canis felt a sense of crisis. The technological ability to destroy truth using the Mechan's System was something humanity could never achieve without a revolutionary paradigm shift.
The Manager clicked her fingers to get his attention.
Manager: "Enough explanations. If you're here to make a deal, let's go over there. You can change lifespans at the central control device."
The Manager gestured toward a machine standing at the center of the intersection, giving Canis a secretive look.
Canis recalled the image of a black-market dealer he had seen in Radum. Suddenly, the situation felt surreal.
Mara belonged to heaven, and he was a heretic. Why wasn't she harming him?
Canis: "You want to make a deal? Do you know what's happening outside?"
Manager: "Huh? What's happening outside? Is something going on in heaven?"
Canis: "You really don't know?"
Manager: "Of course not. I'm the Manager of Igris, after all. Just processing the information here is overwhelming. I haven't stepped outside in tens of thousands of years."
Canis instinctively felt she was telling the truth. Except for the part where she acted like she was too busy to care.
She was isolated here.
He realized it had to be that way.
If a Manager with the authority to modify the Akashic Records had access to the world's information, unimaginable chaos could ensue.
'No wonder it seemed strange that a mere one-horned Mara was managing this place. Well, maybe it's a good thing for me.'
In any case, a clash with the Manager was unavoidable. Even if they made a deal and left, there was no way she would stand by and watch them disable Zebul's security system.
Canis: "What kind of deal are you talking about?"
Manager: "Oh, come on. You know what I mean. Lifespans. I can extend anyone's lifespan."
Canis: "What do I have to pay?"
The Manager winked, slightly separating her thumb and index finger.
Manager: "It's very cheap. Just one word."
Canis: "A word? I have to pay with a word?"
Manager: "Like I said before, I'm a Mara who collects language. That's why I'm smart. That's also why I'm the Manager of Igris. Any word will do. Just sell me one word you know."
Canis: "If I sell a word, I'll forget it, right?"
Manager: "Exactly. You'll never be able to know that word again. It'll be erased from the Akashic Records. But does it matter? It's just one word. What difference does it make?"
As the Manager said, the world was full of words people knew but never used.
If it was something like a curse word, what difference would it make to lose one?
But the fact that the price was so cheap made him uneasy.