Chapter 86: The Solution
Elyssia B smiled.
"It is that solving this riddle is not escaping, but having the chance to escape. You still need to continue playing the trial, then complete it as usual, only difference is I will help you a little."
Elyssia A was silent, she didn't know what to say to match those explanations.
"So that means I can still be stuck here?"
Elyssia B smiled, voice nonchalant.
"Of course."
Elyssia A turned back and read the paper, but her head still held a few skeptical thoughts:
* "Can it be trusted? Or is this trial the trial of destroying copies?"
Seeing Elyssia A read the paper for quite a long time, Elyssia B spoke:
"Don't think too much, I certainly won't harm you, believe it or not is up to you."
Elyssia A smirked.
"Is that the way to reassure someone who is having many negative or confused thoughts?"
* "If so, then what is the meaning of this riddle? Or is this a test he wants to test me then helps? Why does it say many suspicious points? So contradictory, should I believe?"
Elyssia B shrugged and shook her head.
Elyssia A turned back and read the paper in hand.
* "Door 1: 'I am the door leading outside' "
Placed the paper just read down on the table, she glanced over the two adjacent papers.
* "Door 2: 'Door number 1 is lying' "
* "Door 3: 'Don't believe door number 2' "
Finished reading, she looked up and saw three crude doors in front, they looked quite suspicious, but she brushed it off and sat down on the chair slowly with her body full of water.
* "Quite easy, haven't thought but I feel I can solve it."
She frowned. Three doors, three assertions, but certainly only one truth.
She closed her eyes, began analyzing in her head:
* "If door number 1 really leads outside... then door number 2 saying 'Door number 1 is lying' would be wrong. And door number 3 says 'Don't believe door number 2'. If door number 2 is truly wrong, then door number 3 is right. Meaning door 1 is right. Everything fits..."
She paused for a beat, then thought further:
* "If the opposite... door number 2 is right, meaning door 1 lies... then door number 1 does not lead outside. But door number 3 says 'Don't believe door number 2'. If I follow door 3, then door 2 is wrong. And if door 2 is wrong, door 1 is right. Complete contradiction. It cannot be door number 2."
She opened her eyes, a silver flash flickered in her pupils, voice much colder:
* "Then there is only one possibility. Door number 3 is right. But if door number 3 is right, it means door number 2 is wrong. And if door number 2 is wrong, then door number 1 is telling the truth... The first door is the real escape."
Elyssia slightly smirked, eyes no longer skeptical but becoming sharp... but that moment only flashed past, she felt it was quite easy and being that easy was the suspicious thing.
* "Is it really? Is there a trick in this riddle?"
Staring at the door with skeptical eyes, she was quite panicked whether there was any other trap.
* "I see it's right? Could the riddle only be that?"
She turned over and saw Elyssia B with two hands propped on her thighs, hands spread out like a flower to support her face, expression still very nonchalant and staring fixedly without taking eyes away.
The two locked eyes, but Elyssia B did not turn away but kept still, while Elyssia A turned back and looked at the doors with anxiety.
* "Or should I just choose? Anyway, I haven't thought of anything more reasonable."
She stood up slowly, body bumped into the table making it vibrate and the metal cups on the table collided with each other and went "clink clink", the chair was also moved backward.
It seemed she had decided after being silent and thinking for a while but still nothing more reasonable.
Spoke with a firm voice:
"The exit is door number one. I am not mistaken."
Elyssia B sat still for a moment. In the dim light of the room, the initial smile briefly stiffened, as if not expecting Elyssia A could analyze that fast.
A long beat of silence, then the corner of her lips curved slightly, the smile became completely different, no longer that initial fake friendly look, but carrying something mixed with acceptance and fatigue.
"Correct... Door number one. You guessed not a single word wrong."
She slightly lifted her hand, as if wanting to signal that this small game had ended. Her voice rang out, this time no longer hiding the truth:
"You are truly smart. But did you think I gave you this riddle... just to test intelligence? No. I want to know if you are decisive enough to step through the door that even I, the 'original', was once afraid of."
Elyssia A was silent, frowned slightly, not understanding the intent.
* "What is it saying? Why is it so disjointed?"
The smile faded, replaced by empty eyes, like someone too tired after countless loops.
Elyssia A stood still, her heart as if squeezed by someone. In a moment, she clearly saw Elyssia B's eyes, eyes identical to hers, but containing fatigue she had never tasted.
Elyssia A still appeared nonchalant.
"Explain more clearly. I only roughly understand what you said."
Elyssia B smiled again, but it was a not very beautiful smile, it was forced and stiff, not a bit soft.
The voice had a hint of sadness:
"Fine, let me explain it for you. Anyway, this is a part of it."
"Actually this trial has some rules, do you know?"
Elyssia A: "Continue."
Elyssia B: "This trial is designed so only the original can go out, while copies like you cannot go out. Let me speak more clearly."
"I am an original, and you are a copy. Do you think you and I are different? Certainly not, maybe you think it's just a few loops."
"There is one difference, that is the original when outside can see the copies. But the copy cannot, and both sides still cannot affect each other."
"Of course you don't know that, because simply being a copy you cannot see."
"Seeing the copies is when knowing one can escape."
Elyssia A: "So you are the original?"
Elyssia B nodded.
"Right."
Elyssia A: "Then why don't you escape?"
Elyssia B: "Because the trial still needs to be completed. You just be quiet and listen to me speak."
"I have investigated for a long time to know, this place is like infinity, walking forever and ever without seeing an end point."
"When an original enters any house, then anywhere there is a copy inside a house stepping outside, immediately the original right is handed over. But if during that time no copy anywhere steps out, when you go out, you are still the original."
"You can also see that inside one cannot look outside and vice versa. So, this is the only way to verify, moreover when stepping outside, the initial house will merge into the space of the trial and mix, you will hardly be able to return, if not to say impossible."
"And when the original dies, immediately the right is also handed over."
Elyssia A: "Then how did you discover the rules of the trial with this thoroughness?"
Elyssia B smiled lightly.
"Of course it's observation."
Elyssia A opened her eyes wide in surprise.
* "Like that and still can observe? If so how long must he [she] have spent observing?"
Elyssia B continued:
"I will hand over the original right to you, and you try hard to escape."
Elyssia A frowned in confusion.
"Why do you hand it to me? Or is this the real trap?"
Elyssia B smiled, but clearly showed fatigue.
"You just need to step outside and will become the original."
Elyssia A's question was ignored, she felt more suspicious, she growled:
"Tell me, what is your intention?"
Elyssia B shook her head.
"None."
"If you don't step outside early, the man will come over here and kill both."
She pointed to the familiar wooden crates in the basement, now lying in a corner of the wall.
"I used those to block."
Elyssia A still felt untrustworthy, she was silent and stared fixedly.
Elyssia B also saw that alertness.
"I can't even touch you to cause harm, so don't worry."
"That is help gifted to you, go and complete the trial."
Elyssia A stood silent and thinking.
* "From just now there hasn't been any unusual action, except that slightly strange gaze. Should I believe or not?"
She spoke loudly: "So it means when I step out I will be the original?"
Elyssia B nodded.
"Right."
Elyssia A: "Then if someone else goes out then don't I become a copy?"
Elyssia B shook her head.
"No, you will permanently be the original. I am hoping you don't die, otherwise my effort holding it is wasted."
Elyssia A frowned.
"How can you be so sure?"
Elyssia B sighed, a bit impatient, but also understood herself.
"Leave me in peace, you only need to know it's like that, and you won't become a copy."
Elyssia A backed away slowly toward the door, she also wanted to verify the truth, but also feared meeting danger if going out.
Elyssia B still looked with a heavy gaze.
Elyssia A turned and opened the door. Lightning from outside flashed and cast on her face. She turned back and looked at Elyssia B, then turned back and looked outside.
* "In truth now I don't know what to do. This could also be a chance, regarding those original rights. Then if I don't escape, there are still other 'me's. Temporarily just believe and try going out, there's no other way, this room has no one but her."
She turned back and saw Elyssia B lying on the stairs, letting her body go in exhaustion, two eyes not yet closed, but heavy, very heavy and gradually closing.
She didn't care and turned away.