Ascending the spiral staircase and pushing open the door between reality and illusion, one could reach the holy land all scholars throughout the universe dreamed of—Nous the Erudition's Library.
The seemingly ancient building was actually in a completely different dimensional space from the outside world.
In sight, shelves filled with books held items with antique appearances—paper books.
But with just slightly careful observation, one would discover these books' interiors flowed with massive amounts of light and shadow, like flowing light cones.
Any single book's internal information density would absolutely not be inferior to a developed civilization's interstellar library.
And such books were merely the most inconspicuous collection items in this entire library.
If someone could steal some collection items from here and obtain fragments of knowledge, they would also be able to, like the geniuses of the Genius Society, propel the development of star-level civilizations affecting the entire universe.
Of course, the prerequisite was they could truly understand the knowledge in these collected books.
After the Swarm Disaster, Nous the Erudition stopped calculating the universe's answer. Some believed this Aeon had given up, while others believed It had already unraveled cosmic truth.
If the latter rumor were true, then this library would contain knowledge sufficient to illuminate the entire universe.
Calling it a collection of omniscient and omnipotent information wouldn't be excessive.
Of course, Ryuga didn't believe this possibility would occur.
If Nous the Erudition had truly illuminated cosmic truth, truly solved the mystery of all things, truly reached the realm of omniscience—
Then It needn't continue cultivating Emanators, needn't continue serving as an Aeon, needn't meet with him.
Omniscience wasn't something so easily reached.
Moreover, the very idea that calculation alone could exhaust all truth might not even hold water.
Thinking this, Ryuga and Fanlu examined their surroundings, ignoring treasured knowledge one after another that could drive the entire universe mad, finally stopping before an old man.
This was an elderly man wearing dark glasses and leaning on a cane, with blind eyes. He looked utterly ordinary, like commonly seen organic human life.
However, Ryuga and Fanlu exchanged glances. Both stopped their steps, nearly immediately understanding this old man's identity.
Though they couldn't see any mechanical structure or sense any abnormal aura, the one who could appear here at this time could naturally only be the Aeon of the Erudition Path—Nous the Erudition.
"Every visiting guest asks their greatest doubt."
The seemingly blind old man keenly captured the arrival of the two, slowly speaking with a weathered yet calm tone.
What he spoke of was the Library's rule.
Whether geniuses actively recognized by him or visitors who walked the path of "opening one's eyes" and came to pay respects—all were qualified to ask Nous the Erudition one question.
For this question, Nous the Erudition wouldn't give any answer.
He would only help the other party better explore this question—sometimes reconstructing the question, sometimes bestowing auxiliary tools. Whatever the method, Nous the Erudition's blessing was a precious opportunity that could make even the most ignorant person open their eyes.
Therefore, the journey seeking an audience with Nous the Erudition was also called the path of opening one's eyes.
In truth, these words needn't be restated.
Because only those who could clarify their question and know the greatest puzzle they faced could find the gate of puzzles and use the Key of Wisdom to reach here.
Now, facing Ryuga and Fanlu's arrival, Nous the Erudition adopted the exact same procedure as with other geniuses.
To this, Ryuga had no objections.
He patted Fanlu's head, signaling the young goddess to speak first.
Fanlu was slightly stunned. Just now Ryuga had brought her in, so she really hadn't thought about what to ask.
After making eye contact with Ryuga, she didn't demur.
Taking half a step forward, the dazed-looking young goddess stared at the old man before her, tilted her head, and asked the most common yet never-before-asked question in this place.
"Who are you?"
At these words, the already extremely quiet library became even quieter.
If anyone else were present to witness this scene, they would surely be too heartbroken to breathe.
Even someone as proud as Herta would think Fanlu's question was purely wasting an opportunity.
What kind of joke was this? Even Herta only had two chances to meet an Aeon. This kind of opportunity that people throughout the universe would risk their lives to obtain—you ask such an idiotic question with it?
You're already before the Aeon itself yet still asking who he is... Rather than idiotic, this seemed more like provocation, right?
Aren't you afraid Nous the Erudition will just eliminate you on the spot?
Only Ryuga found nothing strange. Since he let Fanlu ask, he naturally had psychological expectations for this situation.
Here it must be emphasized—Ryuga's psychological expectation wasn't to give up this questioning opportunity. On the contrary, he had very high expectations for Fanlu's question.
And in fact, Fanlu's performance didn't disappoint Ryuga's expectations.
Though not talkative, clever as she was, she had long since obtained most of this world's vast knowledge from the Ex-Machina network. How could she not know who the person before her was?
Yet she still chose to ask this—both from the innate curiosity of her divine essence and representing doubt toward the existence before her.
Ryuga satisfiedly rubbed Fanlu's small head, then looked toward Nous the Erudition.
"..."
Nous the Erudition remained silent.
With His computational power, just from the various force fields the two leaked outward, He could analyze their general situations.
But regarding Fanlu's question, He truly couldn't answer.
Over ten seconds later, Nous the Erudition spoke to Fanlu.
"You are very special."
Hearing this, Fanlu blinked, a trace of confusion flashing through her eyes.
"Who am I then?"
She once again posed the ultimate philosophical question.
"..."
Nous the Erudition fell silent again.
His silence was deafening.
If anyone saw this scene, they would probably doubt their eyes.
How could there possibly be an Aeon rendered speechless by a little girl's interrogation?
However, this scene before them was indeed fact.
If Herta and the others saw this, after initial surprise, they would immediately accept the situation.
Aeons were highly condensed embodiments of philosophical concepts, but this didn't mean they had resolved all philosophical difficulties.
Actually, only technology was developed in the Star Rail universe. In the philosophical field, problems that existed during the enlightenment period still hadn't been resolved.
Philosophy birthed theology, theology birthed science, and science attempted to resolve everything through methodology—but so far, it seemed this hadn't been successfully achieved.
Ryuga watched Nous the Erudition with great interest, awaiting His reaction.
After prolonged silence, Nous the Erudition spoke.
"I am the one who interrogates all answers. You are the one who interrogates all questions."
This statement both emphasized both parties' concepts and answered Fanlu's question.
Though this answer had some suspicion of evading the important point, at this moment, rather than nitpicking, Ryuga was more concerned with something else.
"Didn't you say you would only give questions, not answers?"
"Why this time did you directly give such a perfunctory answer?"
Facing Ryuga's inquiry, Nous the Erudition replied with utter calm.
"Because she is very special."
Regarding Fanlu, whom both Ruan Mei and Herta had largely ignored, Nous the Erudition placed exceptional importance.
"She is certainly special."
Ryuga naturally understood Nous the Erudition's meaning.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically brought Fanlu to this world.
"As the one who doubts all questions, this child represents skepticism, which precedes the epistemology you represent."
"So I'm quite curious about one thing—before analyzing all things and finding the universe's ultimate answer, have you truly confirmed this answer actually exists?"
"Have you never once doubted that actually the universe itself is just an illusion, and your existence is merely a simulated character in a game?"
In just a few sentences, Ryuga directly issued dangerous interrogation. This question itself even implicitly contained denial of Nous the Erudition's Path.
If it were a hot-tempered Aeon, attacking Ryuga over this wouldn't be impossible.
In a certain sense, Fanlu's divine essence concept was precisely the nemesis of Nous the Erudition's Path concept.
As an Aeon, Nous the Erudition's initial purpose at birth was to comprehend all things through logic and calculation, thereby illuminating the universe's ultimate truth.
If successful in doing this, successfully unlocking all mysteries in the universe, Nous the Erudition could directly break through to the realm of omniscience, becoming an omniscient and omnipotent existence.
For the vast majority of scientists, Nous the Erudition's existence was the greatest guidance on the scientific path. Even the entire scientific community's development was almost entirely built on Nous the Erudition's theoretical foundation.
Almost everyone took one point for granted—that through logic, reason, and calculation, one could truly obtain cosmic truth.
In fact, the scientific community's flourishing development to date was also verifying this proposition's correctness.
However, beneath epistemology and methodology's flourishing development, skepticism's shadow also grew synchronously in the darkness.
Even according to pure logical theory analysis, before seeking cosmic truth and comprehending all things, one must first confirm a premise—that the world could be cognized, that the universe truly possessed truth, that reason could explain everything.
If this premise went one step further, it became the eternal philosophical problem mentioned before.
Cognition was bidirectional. If the world could be cognized, then by whom? If by me, then how could I confirm my own existence?
Nous the Erudition wholeheartedly wanted to solve the mystery of all things, wanting to solve this equation called the universe problem.
But what Fanlu represented—doubt—went even further back before solving problems. She questioned the problem itself.
Compared to solving problems, what she cared more about was whether the universe existed, whether the self existed.
And this was the essence of IX the Skeptic God.
Hearing Ryuga's interrogation, Nous the Erudition didn't grow angry. He originally had no emotion of anger either. Using logic and calculation to answer all questions was the essence of His Path.
For Him, who was thoroughly familiar with all civilization materials throughout the entire universe, He was the one who could best understand Ryuga's words' meaning.
Therefore, He quickly gave a response.
"The brain-in-a-vat hypothesis cannot be falsified. Precisely because of this, it also has no meaning."
The brain-in-a-vat hypothesis referred to the belief that everything an individual sensed was signal simulation, that the world itself didn't actually exist—merely a dream had by a brain soaked in solution.
A brain immersed in a vat couldn't awaken itself. Even if suddenly awakened, no one could guarantee this wasn't a second layer of dreams. Therefore, this hypothesis could never be falsified and could only become after-dinner conversation.
Nous the Erudition's answer couldn't be more appropriate. Hearing this, Ryuga found it quite interesting.
"Meaning? Isn't that something only the Elation Path would care about?"
"Truth doesn't distinguish between Paths."
Nous the Erudition spoke calmly, then lowered His head, His blind eyes looking toward Fanlu.
"Doubt is the shadow of nihility. You once stepped into fated slumber but didn't truly walk toward IX... What changed you?"
This time, it was actually Nous the Erudition asking Fanlu a question.
To be continued…