Although Notch had not told Stephen about his own matters and his true identity, after traveling together for so long, he actually no longer had any guard against Stephen.
He also didn't want to hide his emotions in front of Stephen.
"I thought it was only me who often couldn't remember things, but turns out you're like that too."
"Are the things you recalled very important things?"
Hearing Stephen's words, Notch lowered his eyes in thought for a moment, then nodded, but right after he shook his head again.
"Maybe? …I don't know either…"
Hearing Notch's words, Stephen sank into thought.
After a moment, suddenly as if remembering something, he looked at Notch and said, "Once a companion told me, this kind of situation where you remember but can't recall the details, seems to be called…"
"Oh! Right, it should be called the subconscious."
"The appearance of this phenomenon, very likely is because at that time you were deeply troubled by certain things."
"Although you couldn't decide what to do, in reality you had encountered this matter before, only it didn't leave a deep impression on you at that time."
"However, your mind still preserved the judgment from back then."
"So in this kind of situation, there's no need to force yourself to bitterly recall too many details. After all, you've already experienced a similar thing once. If it didn't leave a deep impression, then that's enough proof it didn't affect you too much."
"In other words, this also means that back then you handled it quite well. Since it's like that, then you don't need to get tangled up anymore, just believe in yourself without hesitation."
When Stephen finished saying these things, a smug expression instantly appeared on his face.
As if he was showing off to Notch that he knew more than him.
Mainly, when the two traveled together, it was usually Notch who took on that "knowledgeable and talented" role.
Notch would always say many things Stephen couldn't understand, and also taught Stephen a lot.
Stephen never thought that one day, he too could answer Notch's doubts.
At this moment he was naturally proud.
Although Stephen's words didn't clear away that layer of clouds covering Notch in shadow, it couldn't be denied that his words indeed provided Notch with some ideas.
"Subconscious…"
"Encountered this kind of thing before, so at this very moment the scene from then surfaces?…"
Thinking of this, Notch no longer tangled himself up about who exactly those two voices came from, but instead began carefully savoring the content of those two sentences.
"Since it is named 'Minecraft,' then it should be a world that belongs only to you. You created this world, you stand above everything, everything here exists to serve you."
"If all kinds of problems make you feel troubled, then completely erase those problems… this is a pure land that belongs only to you…"
["This is no longer the world you created. Even though you created it in the beginning, it is no longer the same as at first… this world has its own rules. It no longer belongs to you. You should not intervene, nor interfere…"]
Notch could confirm, these two sentences were words he had once heard before.
These two sentences, though spoken by two different people.
But they had one common point.
The time background of when these two people said these words, must have been after this world had started to change.
Thinking of this, Notch only felt his scalp go numb.
'Not long after this world started to change, the company summoned me back…'
'Then… these two sentences… at exactly what time point were they imprinted in my mind?…'
Notch agreed with Stephen's earlier point about the subconscious.
When people suffer emotional trauma or fall into difficulties, some memories will flash in their minds. These memories don't appear for no reason, but are evidence that the brain is trying to help us.
The situation you face at this moment is very likely something you have experienced before.
Therefore, those flashing fragments are very likely fragments of memories of events that once happened.
The reason Notch just now fell into emotional entanglement, was precisely because he longed to protect this world that he had created with his own hands, yet which had already changed, but he couldn't find a good solution. At that time, those two voices suddenly sounded.
Although the viewpoints expressed by those two voices differed, without exception they both delivered one message.
That world was no longer the same as the one Notch had first created.
However, when placing this message in the current situation, it was hard to make sense of it.
Although Notch wasn't very clear on the exact time when this game world began to change.
What he could confirm was that the time when he was summoned back by the higher-ups was not too long after the game world began to change.
Notch had also researched. The very first abnormality in this world was because of the appearance of HIM.
After that, the world slowly began to change, and the living beings slowly began to awaken consciousness.
That is to say, when this game world started to change, Notch had not entered the game.
And after entering the game up until now, those memories were Notch's recent memories. It was impossible to forget, and impossible to miss anything.
Of course, those could also be subconscious memories of Notch.
However, what needed to be clarified was that Notch possessed the ability to control both his subconscious and main consciousness.
Every time he entered the game world, he would deliberately adjust his state, and it was absolutely impossible that the subconscious would act while the main consciousness was completely unaware.
After experiencing that event ten years ago, and now the game world again undergoing changes, Notch would of course pay even more attention to his control over consciousness.
He absolutely would not make mistakes in this aspect.
Furthermore, although Notch didn't know whose mouths those two voices came from, deep inside he felt a strong intuition, those two voices did not originate from the present, nor from the recent past.
They seemed to come from a distant past.
It was precisely because Notch was so certain of his current situation, that he felt a chill down his spine.
Those two voices truly existed.
In other words, once, there had also been the same matter placed in front of Notch.
Could it be inferred, that long ago, Notch had also created a game world, and that game world had also undergone changes?
"Could it be that this world… truly is a cycle?" Notch muttered to himself. He felt confused and shocked, completely not knowing how to explain such an astonishing inference.
After carefully thinking for a while, he felt his inference indeed seemed to have ample basis. It could well explain why those two mysterious voices would suddenly appear in his mind without warning.
However, if all of this truly existed, then in the past surely many things must have happened.
But the problem was, Notch's mind could not find even the slightest memory related to it.
According to Notch's own understanding of himself, if he had really experienced a similar event before, it was absolutely impossible that he wouldn't have left behind at least some impression!
Thinking of this, Notch couldn't help but cover his face, his heart filled with doubt and unease.
"If this really is an endless cycle…"
"Then… those two voices, were the advice that the 'them' back then gave me."
He once again muttered in a low voice, his tone carrying a faint tremble.
"Then back then… which person's opinion did I choose to follow…"
At this moment, countless questions surged into his heart, plunging Notch into deep contemplation.
He began trying hard to recall bits and pieces of the past, but his mind was still blank.
This feeling was like someone had erased a segment of important life experience, making him feel both helpless and fearful.
In fact, Notch knew very well inside, if it really was as he thought.
Then his choice back then, he didn't even need to guess anymore.
Because when this game world first came out, there were no conscious living beings.
Did this prove that back then, Notch followed the advice of the first voice?
["Since it is named 'Minecraft,' then it should be a world that belongs only to you. You created this world, you stand above everything, everything here exists to serve you. If all kinds of problems make you feel troubled, then completely erase those problems… this is a pure land that belongs only to you…"]
If all kinds of problems make you feel troubled.
Then completely erase those problems.
This is a pure land that belongs only to you…
"Completely… erase…"
Thinking of this, Notch's eyes involuntarily drifted to his own hands.
Those hands that had been steady and strong, now trembled like withered leaves in the wind.
"No…" he muttered, his voice full of disbelief and despair.
"This can't be…"
"I won't do that!!!"
"That's not me!!!!" His emotions became more and more agitated.
He continued whispering, as if to brand this thought deeply in his mind, but deep inside there was a voice constantly telling him, this is the truth.
If this really is an endless cycle.
Then the him at this very moment, whether in way of thinking or in words and actions, would probably be vastly different from before, right?
The him now could empathize with these countless living beings, understand and long to protect them, most likely precisely because of the profound impact of all those things he had experienced.
But then, what about the him back then?
Did he also once have similar experiences?
Notch knew clearly in his heart, he had always been a person good at escaping.
In order not to touch those wounds from before again, he could without hesitation step away from the game world he loved and personally built with his own hands.
Then, would the him back then, likewise in order to avoid some thorny problems, finally choose resolutely to erase everything completely?
Once this thought appeared, it spread in his heart like wild grass…
Notch buried his head between his knees, large beads of sweat like broken pearls kept dripping down from his forehead.
He didn't know how to face it, face this world, face those living beings, or even face himself.
"Hey!!!"
"What's wrong with you?!!!"
"Is it uncomfortable somewhere?!!"
"Say something!!!"
"Did I say something wrong?!!"
"You… don't scare me!!"
"What's going on… you… you don't even seem like yourself anymore…"
Seeing Notch's state, Stephen's whole camel self panicked, his heart filled with fluster and unease. Having walked such a long road together with Notch, he had never seen such a fragile, on-the-verge-of-collapse Notch.
In Stephen's eyes, Notch had always been knowledgeable and steady, calm and composed, no matter what kind of predicament he faced, always able to maintain a composed attitude.
Also, Notch's mentality had always been very good. Even when encountering setbacks or difficulties, he rarely showed big emotional fluctuations.
He always gave people a sense of being confident and in control of the whole situation, as if everything was within his grasp. Precisely because of this, during this journey Stephen had always felt incomparably at ease and reassured.
If not for having Notch at his side, Stephen feared he could hardly have so easily and comfortably enjoyed the beautiful scenery in this trial land full of dangers and challenges.
Yet at this moment, Notch's change made Stephen feel an unprecedented worry and confusion.
"Which sentence of mine did I say wrong…"
Stephen tried hard to recall the words he had just spoken with Notch. Trying to find what he might have said that could have affected Notch.
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