"You mean this thing has the ability to hypnotize and brainwash?"
While Herta was still deep in thought, Fu Xuan could no longer sit still.
Unlike Herta, who was only interested in research, Fu Xuan was the one among them who valued the practical use of Curios the most.
And this Curio's effect… sounded far too ominous. Even setting aside moral questions, just imagining possible scenarios for its use was enough to chill the heart.
For instance… in certain artistic works, one of the protagonists is captured by the villain, brainwashed, and turned against their comrades.
It might be fiction, but in reality, such a thing wasn't impossible. Who could say whether a few heretical followers of the Aeon of Remembrance might exist, straying from THEIR Path to do terrible things?
And that was already within the controllable range of danger—after all, tampering with memories crossed the bottom line of every faction. If necessary, even the likes of the Realm-Keeping Commission or the Seat of Divine Foresight would cleanse their own ranks.
But if it was a machine that could do this, that was another matter entirely.
Fu Xuan gently tapped on the machine's metallic shell, and a cold dread settled over her.
It was made of the most ordinary steel! In the Artisanship Commission, this sort of material would barely suffice for crafting a beginner's weapon.
The internal workings were still unknown, but clearly it wasn't built from top-tier technology.
Especially since—Hertawas here.
Fu Xuan glanced at the genius standing behind the machine. There was no way someone like her would be stumped by something of this level.
Once word of this Curio got out, countless powers would no doubt come begging Herta for its design schematics.
Not to mention, the IPC's need for such a device would be overwhelming. Across their vast territories in the universe, there were plenty of people longing to break free from corporate control.
Wasn't Penacony an example of that? Once a remote prison and place of exile.
Even though it had long gained independence, the IPC had never stopped scheming to bring the Dreamscape back under their banner. Aventurine even risked his own life to provide their fleet with an excuse for invasion.
If it hadn't been for the coincidental uprising of the Order remnants and the Astral Express's intervention, Aventurine would probably already be serving as Penacony's acting governor, awaiting Pier Point's formal takeover!
And it wouldn't just be the IPC. The Annihilation Gang, the Denizens of Abundance, and countless other factions far more ruthless and unreasonable would covet it too.
Once such a device was obtained, the leaders who once fought against oppression could, overnight, become accomplices of the very invaders they defied. When the suffering slaves saw their captured leaders—now brandishing the master's whip and laughing as they tore into the backs of their former kin—what kind of despair would that be?
The horror of this machine was no less than Jiaoqiu's puppet-controlling toxins! And worse, once used, it would be almost impossible to trace.
Who could tell whether someone who 'willingly' marched to their death was truly following their own will—or under another's control?
Compared to that, even those Xianzhou citizens driven mad by Mara and struck down in combat seemed fortunate.
At least they wouldn't be remembered as lunatics who had simply lost their minds!
Fu Xuan's expression tensed as she examined the machine from top to bottom.
She truly wanted to smash it to pieces right then and there.
"A memory artifact, then?"
Herta, however, showed none of Fu Xuan's alarm.
Based on Sylvester's earlier explanation, she immediately thought of the Aeon most closely related to such a function.
Yet curiously enough, she couldn't sense even the faintest trace of a Path's aura from this Curio.
Could it really be a purely scientific creation? Now that would be interesting.
A machine capable of altering the substance of remembrance—such a feat had never been accomplished before. But unlike the earlier "the universe might be alive" concept—a groundbreaking line of inquiry—this was a path countless researchers, including geniuses, had pursued without success.
And now, a completed prototype was sitting right before her.
"No," Sylvester interrupted their thoughts with a shake of his head. "It has nothing to do with memory, nor even with the substance of remembrance. This so-called 'cognition modification' doesn't touch memory at all."
"Haah~" Fu Xuan exhaled in relief.
That lowered the danger considerably.
At least she wouldn't have to keep wavering between letting it exist and destroying it outright.
Herta, however, furrowed her brow. "Then what exactly do you mean by 'modifying cognition'?"
"Let me give an example."
After thinking for a moment, Sylvester took a brand-new cup from the counter and filled it with clear water.
Holding it up, he said, "This is just bottled water from the Exalting Sanctum market. Completely ordinary, nothing added. Now—since you both already know that, if I tell you it's poisonous, would you believe me?"
Herta and Fu Xuan were momentarily taken aback.
The question was absurdly childish.
"Uh… you mean, you're lying? That you actually added poison to it earlier, and are only pretending it's pure water?"
Fu Xuan thought for a moment—this was the only explanation that made sense.
Otherwise, who would ever doubt a cup of plain water after being told it contained nothing? Only someone suffering from a severe persecution delusion would think that way.
"Oh, perhaps I didn't phrase it clearly enough. Let's put it this way."
Seeing that neither had understood, Sylvester reworded his point: "If I say that water—the substance made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom—is highly toxic, that consuming it is equivalent to suicide, would you believe that?"
"Of course not," Herta replied bluntly to the idiotic question. "The act of drinking water to sustain life doesn't even need to be learned—it's an instinct encoded into biological genes. And it's not as though we've ever stopped drinking it, have we? Without memory alteration, how could anyone believe such nonsense? Unless, maybe, it's a primitive Intellitron, one of those ancient models without waterproofing."
After Herta's statement, Fu Xuan nodded in agreement.
Probably only someone with a severe cognitive defect—or a water-phobic machine—would ever believe that.
However, Sylvester didn't acknowledge their reasoning. Instead, he pointed to the massive mechanical device with a grave expression. "And yet, that's exactly what this machine can do. It bypasses memory entirely and directly rewrites a person's perception of something."
He took a deep breath, his tone solemn. "This Curio is called the [Cognitive Seal]. Once a person's perception is altered by it, no matter what memories they possess, they will wholeheartedly believe the new truth."
Sylvester raised the cup of water to chest height. "For instance—if it makes them believe that water is poisonous. Even if their rational mind knows that's impossible, when faced with it, they won't be able to bring the cup to their lips. Their instinct for survival will stop them—unless they do so with the conscious intent to drink poison."