Jeming was silent for a moment, digesting all the information.

The Star Forger’s layout was never a simple reinforcement from the start but a pressure test targeting the space-time weapon.

And these Wizards, struggling, researching, and fighting in the time loop, were indispensable variables in this test—including himself.

A hypothesis naturally emerged.

Jeming looked up, facing the projection of the Eighth Level Wizard before him, his tone no longer simply inquiring but with a sense of near-confirmation:

"So, the reason you came to see me specifically this time is because... my actions—or the impact they’ve created—have pushed the ’variables’ accumulated inside this Plane to the brink of overload?"

He no longer generalized the term "variable" to refer to the support troops, but directed it toward himself.

Because he was well aware that his existence—preserving complete memory through his Inner Grotto Heaven and Body Refining Technique, thereby driving the entire research system in high-speed iteration—was a planned "anomaly."

His behavior pattern, the research acceleration he brought about, and the series of paradox experiments he conducted, all added immeasurable weight outside the "variable injection" formula set by Artarius.

A satisfied smile appeared on the face of Artarius’s projection.

"You guessed it right." he honestly admitted, "It’s precisely your efforts and the chain reaction you’ve triggered that have caused the ’information contradictions’ and ’rule disturbances’ within this Plane to escalate sharply in a short time."

"According to my observations and calculations, the ’entity’ manipulating the time reversal is already very close to its limit threshold. You are a wonderful accident in my plan and the key catalyst for the acceleration process."

A flicker of excitement gleamed in Jeming’s eyes.

But the excitement was fleeting, and a more practical confusion followed.

He furrowed his brows and posed the still unresolved question: "But even if it’s close to overload, we still haven’t been able to locate its ’body.’ We don’t know what it is, where it hides, or in what form it exists. Even if it’s overloaded, we still can’t find that guy’s body."

Without finding the target, even if it truly overloads and loses the ability to reverse time, it has no significance.

Because what the Wizards need is to study the opponent, not to resolve a trivial Plane.

Artarius nodded, unsurprised by the question.

His demeanor remained calm, as if he had pondered countless times before.

"You’re right, we can’t find it." He first acknowledged Jeming’s confusion, then shifted the topic, "But why should we be the ones to find it?"

Jeming was stunned.

The Star Forger spoke with a tone of all-encompassing control: "Isn’t it better to make it come to us?"

Make it come to us?

This thought sparked like a flame, instantly igniting the clues in Jeming’s mind.

Although most of the time that unknown existence seemed like just a rigid program, certain things suggested that the "existence" or "program" hiding behind the loop mechanism wasn’t completely dead; it possessed a certain level of "reaction" and "response" capability.

What would a system pushed to its limit, an "entity" sensing its imminent collapse, do?

"Clear the threat..." Jeming muttered, his thoughts suddenly clear, "When the variables become unmanageable and the system nears overload, its direct instinctive reaction would be to clear the ’source’ causing the variable surge or at least the most recognizable ’outlier’!"

And in this Plane, who is the most prominent, the most likely "outlier" contributing to the complexity of information processing?

It’s those Wizards who have obtained time anchoring, complete memory, and sharp research capabilities.

And within this group, who was the earliest, the most central "variable" instigator?

Jeming’s gaze met with Artarius’s projection, the answer was self-evident.

"Will it... target me?" Jeming uttered, but rather than fear, he felt a sense of excitement.

"It’s a reasonable assumption." Artarius did not deny it, "A system highly specialized for war likely includes ’decapitation’ or ’clear key disturbance source’ options in its crisis handling logic. When regular ’loop trial and error’ cannot eliminate the threat and is instead pushed to its limit, initiating deeper clearing protocols is logical."

"Though time paradoxes are such a lethal skill against high-level enemies, I’ve already thoroughly researched this Plane’s time paradox mechanism and couldn’t possibly make such low-level mistakes..." Jeming instinctively continued.

"So the most likely action it will take is directly striking to solve me!"

Upon realizing this, Jeming grew more worried: "But even if it takes action to ’clear’ me, can it really lead us to its core?"

That was the most helpless part.

The opponent controlled time and could initiate attacks from any "past" or "possible future."

Artarius’s projection curved into a profound smile, an aura of confidence from overwhelming knowledge reserves.

"Don’t worry about that." His voice was calm and forceful, "Given our investigation to this extent and the temporal manipulation characteristics this entity showcased, I already have a basic idea of its ’hiding’ method."

"It cannot truly separate from this Plane; its ’existence’ is bound to the space-time structure of the Plane. Simply put, after gathering all the preconditions, the speculation about its hiding method is essentially narrowed down to within three possibilities."

"The reason I can’t find that guy’s body now is merely due to the missing critical clue... as soon as they act, the final clue fragment will be provided."

Artarius, the Wizard, paused, seemingly gazing through Jeming into a deeper perspective: "The true purpose of my visit this time was to prepare for that."

Jeming listened intently.

"I need to leave a special ’mark’ on you," Artarius stated directly, "This mark serves two purposes: first, to establish and maintain an extremely covert one-way connection."

"When that ’entity,’ due to overload pressure, takes some extraordinary action against you or what it considers a ’key threat,’ especially when it employs deeper temporal authority or reveals more of its body characteristics, this mark can immediately alert me to the changes induced by its action."

"Additionally, this mark itself also contains a strand of my power. It cannot guarantee absolute safety under any attack, but it can at least earn you a chance... a chance for survival at the most critical moments."

In simple terms, it’s both a high-level "detector" and a "talisman."

Jeming almost unhesitatingly nodded: "I understand, I accept."

For him, it had all benefits and no downsides.

It collaborates with the Star Forger for the ultimate plan to unveil the final mystery and provides an additional layer of protection.

As for the risk of being "bait"... since entering this Plane, the risk has never been far away.

In comparison, a clear goal and the covert attention of an Eighth Level Wizard made him feel more secure.

Artarius said no more, nor was there any complex casting gesture or energy fluctuation.

He merely nodded lightly at Jeming, that gaze profound, seemingly condensing countless messages and instructions in just that glance.

"Then," the Star Forger’s voice became ethereal, the edges of the projection softly rippling and fading like a reflection in water, "I await your good news."

With those words, that simple figure vanished quietly from the air of the laboratory as if an eraser wiped away pencil marks.

No energy residue or spatial disturbance was left behind, as though he had never appeared.

Jeming stood in place, quietly sensing.

His body felt no different, and his Soul detected no additional burdens or foreign sensations.

But he knew that the "mark" left by Artarius must have anchored onto his existence in a way beyond his current understanding.

He redirected his gaze to the grand chart before him, his mood now entirely different.

The Hunter had laid the final bait and trap, while the prey... might be preparing to launch a deadly strike from its nest that slumbered with time.