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At Babylon Tower, Xia Chen and Wendy were oblivious to the closing of an era. Instead, they attentively listened to Ella's overview of the Holy Mark Terminal.
In simple terms, if we consider the Stigmata as complete software, then the stigma space serves as the operating system hosting this software, and the Holy Mark Terminal represents its core code.
The most crucial function of the Holy Mark Terminal is to connect the stigma space with the Imaginary Tree.
"The current Project Stigma undertaken by humans is a failed attempt to break away from the Imaginary Tree," Ella disclosed without hesitation. "Although the Stigmata grant individuals the ability to survive amidst Honkai, it goes no further than that. The purpose of the Holy Mark Terminal is to establish a fundamental connection with the Imaginary Tree, unlocking the key to human evolution."
"Human evolution?" Wendy couldn't help but ask, "Does this evolution mean becoming a Herrscher?"
"It's undeniable that Herrschers represent a higher form of life." Ella paused before continuing, "Indeed, it can be seen as one direction of evolution."
Xia Chen felt uncertain, noting, "Your tone suggests some doubt."
"That's correct," Ella admitted openly. "Due to the constant lack of critical components for the Holy Mark Terminal, it has never been activated. This concept of 'evolution' remains purely theoretical."
"Despite Dr.MEI confidently referring to it as the seed for humanity's revenge against Honkai, the soil needed to nurture this seed has yet to take shape or sprout."
"In other words, before me, no one has conducted experiments with the Holy Mark Terminal?"
Xia Chen furrowed his brow and asked cautiously, "If I may ask, how long have you been here?"
"Sixteen years," Ella's tone remained cold. "You are not the first test subject. According to the terminal's data, the initial experiment using the Holy Mark Terminal involved a corpse."
"A corpse?"
"Yes, it was the Second Herrscher of this era. Her body, bearing both the Herrscher Core and Stigmata, made for exceptional experimental material. Even as a corpse, her Herrscher genes retained their vitality." Ella disclosed without hesitation, "We connected her to the Holy Mark Terminal and subsequently revived the crucial consciousness within her."
"Based on common terminology, that would indeed be considered resurrection."
Xia Chen exchanged glances with Wendy, both involuntarily thinking of the same person.
Kiana.
During the Second Honkai, Sirin had already died, and even her Herrscher Core had fragmented into numerous gemstones. According to the fundamental laws governing this world, while containers can freely choose consciousness, they cannot capture consciousness that has dissipated.
Logically, Sirin should not have been resurrected, nor should Kiana exist.
This was also the reason behind the failure of 422 previous clones in the K series. If injecting genes could revive someone, without hesitation, Otto would have already brought back Kallen himself.
Despite creating numerous replicas of Kallen, none matched the Kallen he held dear within his heart.
In essence, resurrection through the Holy Mark Terminal had temporal limitations. Moreover, it did not entail a complete revival of an individual.
The revived body required a donor, while the Holy Mark Terminal merely transferred the consciousness into a vessel.
From this perspective, the Holy Mark Terminal essentially functioned as a miniature artificial Imaginary Tree.
Holy Mark holders corresponded to Herrschers, and their consciousness resonated with the Holy Mark Terminal, mirroring the Herrscher's consciousness. The complete Project Stigma aimed at replicating the process of creating a Herrscher.
The ultimate goal of Project Stigma was to harness the Imaginary Tree and unlock humanity's evolutionary path.
However, Project Stigma ultimately failed.
The reason was straightforward - the stigma spaces could not connect with the Holy Mark Terminals. The Kaslana family possessed a unique form of terminals, passed down through their bloodline, while other Holy Mark holders lacked compatible terminals, preventing them from passing on their Stigmata inheritance.
What made the Kaslana's Stigma legacy special was precisely this continuity. Over generations, the dilution of their bloodline remained minimal due to the pseudo-terminals mimicking the Holy Mark Terminal's function.
Xia Chen couldn't help but ask, "So, what would happen if we conduct these experiments?"
"I've mentioned before, it is the key to unlocking evolution," Ella paused briefly before continuing, "Once your Stigmata aligns with the terminal, it will perpetuate through genetic transmission. This is the essence of inheritance and the path to initiate human evolution."
"As for you, with the power of the terminal, you can connect to the Imaginary Tree. At least using Honkai Energy in combat won't burden your bodies."
Xia Chen couldn't help but frown.
Suddenly, he recalled playing the game "Honkai Gakuen 2" in his previous life.
If memory serves, the Holy Mark Terminal required the Final Herrscher as its information carrier. But in this world, where would they find a Final Herrscher to serve as the Holy Mark Terminal?
Or perhaps it's just a coincidental name similarity?
He paused before asking, "What about Dr. Mei? Can I communicate with her?"
"The doctor is not here," Ella replied, causing Xia Chen's pupils to subtly widen.
She said 'not here,' not 'dead.'
Ella continued, "Prometheus serves as the vessel for the Holy Mark Terminal, while the doctor was its administrator. However, she hasn't appeared within the Holy Mark Terminal for quite some time."
The most complete component of Project Stigma was the Holy Mark Terminal, which required high-level sentient beings along with immense computational and storage capabilities.
During that era on the brink of apocalypse, only Prometheus could bear such responsibility.
MEI's death was not accidental; it allowed her consciousness to be detached and integrated into the Holy Mark Terminal, thereby continuing her existence in another form.
This instance of the Holy Mark Terminal was not taken by Kevin. Or rather, even Kevin was kept in the dark about its true nature.
The one who passed down this terminal legacy was Mobius.
Mobius, driven by the pursuit of infinite life, also needed access to the evolutionary data within the Holy Mark Terminal. That's why she sought out Prometheus just minutes before Finality arrived.
All this information became clear to Xia Chen after he connected to the Holy Mark Terminal.
He encountered Prometheus.
To be precise, a part of Prometheus.
"Welcome," said the entity resembling human form.
Prometheus, now only possessing a human form, looked at Xia Chen and said, "I have already received the data from your body. Thank you for contributing to the testing of the Holy Mark experiment."
"The path towards civilization's evolution begins here."
Her voice seemed enchanting, causing Xia Chen to involuntarily frown.
This tone sounded somewhat familiar—it was reminiscent of 'God'.
"So, the core of Project Stigma is essentially about creating artificial gods, isn't it?" Xia Chen gazed at Prometheus, questioning further, "Humans alone cannot create Stigmata. Therefore, what kind of deal did you strike with Honkai?"
His query remained unanswered.