A series of questions drew everyone’s attention to Wen Xishu. Although Granny Wu and the others were also listening, they were merely astonished by Ding Dong’s bizarre background and unique experiences.
Simultaneously, they were left perplexed, whereas Wen Xishu’s questions made them realize the crucial parts of Ding Dong’s stories.
Ding Dong wasn’t surprised that Wen Xishu would ask these questions, nor did he avoid them.
"Actually, to be precise, I am Ding Dong now. I wasn’t Ding Dong before; Ding Dong is a nickname my father gave me."
"My real name used to be Phoenix."
Noticing that Wen Xishu wasn’t that surprised, Ding Dong began to ponder Wen Xishu’s true identity.
He knew that "the Plane" had completed the ritual, enabling him to achieve his transformation. Ding Dong, now possessing the "Five ※", naturally felt grateful to "the Plane".
At the same time, Ding Dong also recognized the little knife with a scorpion pattern tucked at Wen Xishu’s waist. Throughout his storytelling, Ding Dong’s gaze almost never left Wen Xishu. He deliberately recounted his past experiences at the research institute to observe Wen Xishu’s reactions.
He didn’t detect any hostility from Wen Xishu, leading Ding Dong to make a friendly guess about Wen Xishu’s identity. He continued:
"I will first talk about the way to break the curse. It’s quite simple; I needed to ’die’ once."
"In my earlier accounts, there were twelve severe cases and five mild cases. The five of us mild cases were actually the prey."
"We had to constantly hide from the twelve severe cases. Unfortunately, they found me. The Compass gave me that dream, and I used it to simulate nine hundred and seven times. The result was that I couldn’t escape death. The power gap between us was too vast."
"I was going to die. So I began to use the Compass to explore another possibility: retaining my memories and creating a new me through a ritual."
Wen Xishu noticed that Ding Dong used the word ’create’, not ’resurrect’.
This indicated that Phoenix indeed died. The Ding Dong before him was a creation by Phoenix.
Of course, with Phoenix’s abilities, this newly created Ding Dong must also possess extraordinary powers. Considering the heaven-defying artifacts in the Deceit Tower museum, Phoenix’s capabilities were indeed formidable.
Yet even so, Phoenix still admitted the immense disparity between him and the Twelve Zodiac signs. It’s hard to imagine how strong those guys must be.
Ding Dong continued:
"The Compass truly provided me with a plan. The Compass is undoubtedly the greatest item I ever created. Of course, I might surpass my past self in the future."
"In short, according to the plan provided by the Compass and its guidance, I came here. I met everyone and saw the five purest hearts my father mentioned."
"I hope the created me, the current me, can embody these five virtues. So far, I may not have achieved the perfect outcome, but it’s very close."
Wen Xishu could feel Ding Dong’s pride in successfully creating the Compass.
It’s akin to how the person who loves you the most in your childhood makes you study. The process is naturally painful, but you persist.
The future might not be smooth. You might still face significant troubles, and life might peel a layer off you. But the knowledge you learned might change your trajectory at a crucial moment.
The Compass is like this. Professor Jin could be said to have a truly far-sighted vision, nearly exhausting Phoenix’s abilities to create the Compass successfully.
All of this was to help Ding Dong break the curse. This made Wen Xishu somewhat envious.
"Then your true intention of opening the museum?" Wen Xishu asked again.
Ding Dong replied:
"It’s to avoid regrets. I wish to create more interesting items. After all, death is impending, and I want to fully exert all my abilities before it arrives."
"I am very afraid of my siblings. I worry that the Compass’s plan won’t outmatch their power. I might not be able to... be born smoothly."
"So, I opened the museum here. I thought even without me, these items might still help Granny Wu and the others fend off some risks."
In a sense, Ding Dong’s concerns were valid. If not for Wen Xishu’s appearance, his birth would indeed have been overlooked by Granny Wu and the others. However, these items couldn’t face the apocalypse.
Wen Xishu asked again:
"The one who killed you, was it one of your siblings? Can you tell me who?"
Ding Dong shook his head:
"I won’t mention their names. I don’t want to be associated with them anymore."
"Pisces?" Wen Xishu asked directly.
Ding Dong hesitated but still shook his head:
"Plane, thank you for appearing, but I will not answer this question anymore."
Wen Xishu understood:
"Alright, may I ask one more question? What do you plan to do now?"
Ding Dong looked at Mo Yuan and the others:
"I want to leave here with everyone, finding a place far from the apocalypse. Jiangcheng is still too dangerous. Plane, are you willing to leave with us?"
Ding Dong extended a sincere invitation.
Wen Xishu shook his head, but he thought about a question - was there a mechanism for Bunker People to transform into Three Tower People?