Chapter 121: Memory Sealed

"Based on the current diagnosis, the patient's self-awareness is extremely weak, yet her physical responses remain quite normal... whether it's eating or excretion, there are no issues. This is quite interesting..."

"What does this prove, Commander?"

Eluka cast a curious glance at the elf girl, who sat blankly on the sofa with unfocused eyes, and asked.

"It suggests that she was manufactured, and her brain likely suffered some form of stimulation or control—perhaps her memories have been sealed... Well, although it sounds like something out of science fiction, we are currently living in a world even more fantastic than science fiction, so nothing is impossible."

"Sealed memories?"

Hearing Feren's reply, Eluka and Kurona widened their eyes, displaying immense curiosity. Even Chris, who was standing guard by the window, turned around to glance at the elf girl before looking away.

"How do you know that, Commander?"

"It's simple. Her somatic memory hasn't disappeared. You only need to test it to see."

As he spoke, Feren gestured. "Eluka, put that piece of meat into her mouth."

"Okay..."

Though she didn't know what Feren was planning, Eluka nodded, picked up a piece of roasted meat from the plate nearby, cut off a small sliver, and placed it in the elf girl's mouth. The girl chewed gently twice and then swallowed.

"Now, put that small stone into her mouth."

"Oh..."

This time, faced with Feren's order, Eluka hesitated, but she still picked up a small stone and placed it into the girl's mouth. However, the elf girl made no move. She just sat there blankly, holding the stone in her mouth without any reaction. After a moment, Feren signaled for Eluka to remove the stone.

"See?"

"But, what does this prove, Commander?"

Looking at the saliva-covered stone in her hand, Eluka was bewildered. Meat is edible, stones are not—is this not a simple truth that everyone understands?

"It proves a great many things."

Feren held up a finger. "First, it shows that she is not devoid of self-awareness; she may even retain her memory. If her mind were like that of an infant, she would attempt to swallow both the meat and the stone. It’s the same reason children like to put things in their mouths—they need to confirm what objects are. But we don't need to do that because we have already acquired enough memory to know that meat is edible and stones are not. Therefore, even if someone puts a stone in our mouths, we won't try to eat it... From this, we can conclude that her brain must have received sufficient education and knowledge. It is only because her self-awareness has been sealed for some reason that she has become like this."

"Sealed consciousness?"

"Exactly. Like she is now, she is merely a puppet, maintaining only the most basic survival instincts of the body. To put it bluntly, she is just an operating system running in safe mode."

At this point, Feren frowned and looked at Delin. "Delin, what is your take on this?"

"This..." Faced with Feren's inquiry, Delin pondered for a moment. "As you know, Master, we familiars are originally spiritual entities, so we are more adept at manipulating memories or spirits than we are at modifying physical bodies. However, my specialty is not in the mental realm, so there is not much I can do. But based on your current assessment, it is highly likely that her memory has been removed or sealed. Otherwise, simply losing one's memory would not result in such a state."

"Indeed."

Feren nodded at Delin's reply. As she said, if it were merely memory loss, at most she would lose her sense of identity—the "Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" level. But the elf girl's current state is more like her memory has been completely sealed or removed, preventing her from receiving any external information to reconstruct her self-identity. If she cannot receive new external information, either her memory center has been damaged or it has been completely locked down. In either case, the situation is not optimistic.

What puzzled Feren even more was that if this elf girl had her memories sealed after the cataclysm, it wouldn't be impossible. After all, the mutations caused by the Great Cataclysm affected all kinds of organisms, and many different variations appeared among humans as well. But everything discovered about her suggested she existed before the cataclysm. In a world without abilities, without energy grids, and where everything conforms to scientific common sense, how could her memories be sealed?

While there are cases in psychology where people develop amnesia due to severe trauma or witnessing things beyond their comprehension that they refuse to acknowledge, Feren did not believe that was the reason for the elf girl's condition. Though, he couldn't rule that possibility out entirely.

"Can you find a familiar proficient in this area to help?"

"For now? It's difficult. Most familiars are unwilling to get too close to human settlements, and those proficient in mental manipulation are high-level familiars; finding them is even harder."

"True..." Feren shrugged and closed his eyes to think for a moment. "Then... we'll have to find someone else to inquire about the situation."

"Master, since you say that... you must already have a target in mind?"

"Of course."

Feren reached out and swiftly opened the chat function on his system, clicking on [Waste Medical Supplies Disposal Group]. A series of messages appeared.

[Doctor: Calling Moon-Moon, calling Moon-Moon, please respond if you hear me.]
[Moon-Moon: ...What do you want?]
[Doctor: You're still the same, whether online or offline, so sluggish.]
[Moon-Moon: Just seeing you gives me a headache. Do you know what you've done? We're already annoyed enough cleaning up your mess. The Federation is finished, but the Caesar Legion is demanding we hand over the culprit every few days... Damn it, we didn't do it! Why are they coming to us?]
[Doctor: This is also your obligation. Don't forget, this was one of the conditions of our deal.]
[Moon-Moon: I know... I've already handed the Watcher Goddess to headquarters. The old man likes it very much and even invited you to visit headquarters... I really didn't want to notify you, because I'm not sure what kind of trouble you'd stir up in that hellhole.]
[Doctor: I have no interest for now, just decline for me... Anyway, enough small talk. I'm contacting you this time because I want to purchase some intelligence from the Fortune Society. As usual, of course.]
[Moon-Moon: I want an extra ten percent this time as a mental distress fee... Tell me, what is it?]
[Doctor: I want you to compile the movements of the Caesar Legion over this recent period—where they've been, what they've done—and send it to me... Also, give me a list of the surviving members of the Caesar Legion, their current status, and their locations.]
[Moon-Moon: Are you finally going to make a move against the Caesar Legion? I really hope you do it soon; I'm about to be driven crazy by those idiots... But this information won't be easy to find... Give me a few days, and I'll notify you once it's done.]

Watching the communication screen close, Feren couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile. From ancient times to the present, red-light districts and human trafficking have been twin sisters. The Fortune Society had a deep connection with the Caesar Legion; many of the women in the establishments they operated were "goods" plundered by the legion. But clearly, the Fortune Society now had new ideas about their "partners." Seeing how easily Miss Moon agreed to his request, the Fortune Society had likely set its sights on the leaderless [Caesar Legion] and intended to "acquire" them.

After all, having them as one's own hired thugs was a better option than mere partnership, and that was the golden rule of the wasteland. The leaderless Caesar Legion, already plunged into chaos, had clearly become the best prey in the eyes of other factions. If the Fortune Society didn't make a move first, others might. After all, in the post-apocalyptic world, people were always the most important resource—men, women, the elderly, children—as long as they could move and pull a trigger, they were resources.

Only by becoming strong could one survive. Once weakened, one would become a meal on someone else's plate.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Hearing it, Delin immediately stood up, walked to the living room door, and whispered a few words to the person outside before returning to Feren.

"What is this?" Feren asked, raising an eyebrow as the cat-eared maid handed him an envelope.

"This is an invitation sent by the 'Emperor,' inviting you to attend the celebration dance held at the Black Rock Building this evening. He hopes you will attend."

"A dance?"

Feren took the envelope, opened it, and glanced at the contents of the card inside. "Understood."

"Do you intend to attend?"

"Of course. Since the old man has invited me with such sincerity, I have no reason to refuse. By the way..." Feren looked over at the three sisters not far away. "You all come with me, too. Get some good rest—we'll have plenty to busy ourselves with later."