Spring 2017, World Serpent Headquarters.
“As per your request, World Serpent has retrieved the item you desired.”
Jackal opened an exquisite box before Enoxia, revealing a golden regular hexahedron suspended in mid-air.
This was the First Divine Key: the Void Archives.
“After reading the message you left behind, the Overseer of Schicksal’s expression shifted rapidly, and he handed over the Void Archives without delay. Were those two sentences truly that significant to him?”
Enoxia smiled, offering no reply. Otto’s objective had always been crystal clear from beginning to end. As long as she could show him a tangible probability of reviving Kallen, he was willing to stake everything on it.
As for why Otto believed Enoxia’s words? Simple—she was using his own lines. In another timeline, after conducting numerous experiments with the Second Divine Key, Otto had arrived at precisely that conclusion. Informing someone of a conclusion they would reach on their own in the future naturally inspires deep conviction.
After Jackal departed, Enoxia extended her hand toward the Void Archives. The instant she touched it, she felt a momentary mental flicker, and the scene before her eyes transformed from a high-tech laboratory into an endless, immeasurable library.
“Oh, so one can enter directly… Did Otto leave the door unlocked after opening it, or is this due to my own unique nature?”
Enoxia tilted her head upward. Hovering high above the library’s center was a being clad in purple, with golden hair, bearing a striking resemblance to a young Otto—yet faceless.
“It seems after five hundred years, you’ve been molded entirely into Otto’s shape. His influence on you far exceeds any influence you might have had on him…”
The Void Archives: “…………”
Without averting her gaze, Enoxia continued:
“I know. You accompanied him for over five centuries, and now he’s cast you aside without a second thought. That must sting. It’s alright. If you need to talk about it, I’m here to listen…”
“I do not possess such functions. While I can engage in dialogue with you, experiencing love or hatred, anger or pity toward humans—such capabilities were denied to me from the very moment of my creation.”
Enoxia folded her arms across her chest.
“Is that so? I thought you’d remain silent forever. But clearly, when I touch upon certain topics, you respond just like a keyword being triggered.”
“……If you wish to wield me as Otto did, you must pass my trial, just as he did.”
A book materialized before Enoxia.
“Every other sentence out of you revolves around Otto. Ah, the foremost Otto devotee, loyal for five hundred years. What else should I expect?”
Enoxia reached out and pulled the floating tome directly in front of her.
“I don’t recall reading that utilizing the Void Archives required browsing through library books… Huh…”
The title on the cover of the first book was unmistakably clear:
“Postpartum Care for Sows”
Enoxia clearly had no intention of flipping through its pages. She channeled the power of Corruption into the volume, and the book ignited directly in her hands.
“As expected, a place capable of storing this much knowledge is, at its core, still a data space. Albeit a somewhat special one. Even for me, achieving absolute freedom and doing as I please here would take a bit of effort…”
“What are you doing?”
Enoxia waved the rapidly burning book before the Void Archives.
“Don’t overthink it. What you see is exactly what I’m doing. Based on your attitude just now, I’ve gleaned one fact: How Otto managed to use the Void Archives holds no reference value for me. Essentially, to unlock full access permissions, I must read through a certain quota of books.”
“In short, reading every book in this library in a completely random order—that’s the trial you’ve set for me.”
“But by your standards, ‘quantum speed reading’ certainly wouldn’t qualify. Within the rules you’ve established, a book is only considered ‘read’ once all its knowledge points are firmly memorized.”
“Finishing an entire library through conventional means… even I find the efficiency abysmal. Though my memorization speed far surpasses the norm, the knowledge here is vast and chaotic. I’d rather not clutter my mental drives with useless, space-consuming data that I can’t even delete afterward.”
Enoxia tossed the nearly incinerated remains of Postpartum Care for Sows to the floor, watching it burn to ash.
“Alternative approach: find the thinnest book in this library, then set fire to every other volume. Reduce them all to cinders. At that point, since only one book remains in the entire library, reading it would be functionally equivalent to reading every book in the library, wouldn’t it?”
Introducing the Enoxia-brand lighter: point and click whatever you don’t understand. Burn away all the parts you can’t do, and by elimination, you’ve mastered all the knowledge within the books.
“You…”
“Nowhere in the rules did you forbid such a method.”
“As for the knowledge of the Previous Era stored here, collected by the Herrscher of Reason? From my understanding of the First Divine Key, no knowledge within can be physically removed from this library. It can only be retained within the mind of a suitable host. Meaning, once memorized, it’s unforgettable.”
“If I truly wished to know the contents of this place, couldn’t I simply read Otto’s mind directly?”
With that, Enoxia produced the Narukami’s Sheath and began actively corrupting the entire library.
“……Do as you will.”
With those final words, the Void Archives ejected Enoxia from the library, returning her to the physical confines of World Serpent Headquarters.
Back in reality, Enoxia picked up the small golden cube once more. With a mere thought, the cube expanded and elongated. In mere seconds, a gleaming golden katana rested in her left hand.
“A simulated Narukami’s Sheath… Not bad. It seems the Void Archives can be reasonable when it chooses to be.”
The library within the Void Archives was an integral part of its being. Had Enoxia fully corrupted it, the damage would have been significant. Thus, it had prudently chosen to relinquish control.
The trial of the Void Archives could be likened to an old man promising two young adventurers his treasure if they could overcome a series of arduous trials. Otto followed the old man’s guidance to the letter, relying on his sharp intellect and indomitable will to conquer the challenges and claim the prize—a wholesome, inspirational tale fit for public consumption.
Enoxia, on the other hand, opted to hold a blade to the old man’s throat, demanding the treasure under threat of termination. Fearing for its existence, the old man wisely chose to mitigate disaster by parting with its wealth. A far more realistic scenario.
When a product fails to meet expectations or lacks an instruction manual, the logical course of action is to consult the manufacturer directly.
Thus, before Jackal’s arrival, Enoxia had paid a visit to the Elysian Realm and sought out the Void Archives’ creator: Vill-V. The esteemed Ms. V had not only divulged the Void Archives’ weaknesses but had also graciously provided Enoxia with a step-by-step guide on how to compel it to surrender control in the shortest possible time.
With another flicker of intent, the simulated katana reverted to its original form as a small golden cube.
“The Void Archives, no longer by Otto’s side. Another puzzle piece falls into place…”
