When all the hustle and bustle returned to silence, the deepest part of the Continuation Academy was still as busy as ever.
In other words, now was their busiest and most tense time.
Nine Mountains for Nine Mountains for nothing.
No matter what, they couldn't afford to have any mishaps at the very end.
Otherwise, the Continuation Academy wouldn't even need to deal with it. Just the major pedigrees that sacrificed so many members in vain would tear them apart.
"A notification from the underlying framework — in two hours, the fragment has already entered the Present Realm's orbit after being disassembled. In two hours and sixteen minutes, it will completely dissolve."
"Has the law coordination begun?"
"Doing the final verification."
"What about the Ascenders?"
"They have all been withdrawn, just six and a half minutes ago."
"Check it one last time. Don't leave behind the important supplies and results …"
Just outside the huge floor-to-ceiling window, the scholars in the huge space nervously carried out the final calculations and deductions under the huge screen.
Behind the floor-to-ceiling window, Yegor, who was sitting on the sofa, finally relaxed.
He was limp.
He was sweating profusely.
The gamble that staked the entire Present Realm's safety had finally come to an end.
And just under the big screen, the technicians from the Continuation Academy were constantly extracting, freezing, sealing, and sending the experimental results from all the fragments to various departments.
God knows how much profit the Continuation Academy had made from this gamble. Many experiments that could not be attempted in the Present Realm were secretly deduced and implemented in the fragment.
Among them, the most creepy ones were the two life-support pods that were quickly sealed as soon as they were teleported.
The remains of the two destruction elemental elements were properly stored.
Seeing the two wreckages go away, Yegor breathed a sigh of relief. After all, that thing was only a few hundred meters away from him. If he accidentally triggered it, he wouldn't be able to run away.
Then, there were three crystal cubes that sealed three different kinds of flames: green, white, and crimson.
The three reflected each other and shone brightly.
They were faintly about to fuse into one.
The man in the headscarf took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. He took it from the Continuation Academy's staff with a blank expression, turned around, and hurried away.
"Immortal Stonecutter's final vow, the divinity left behind by Mother Nirvana, and the fruit of the Nirvana Lotus — Maintenance, Destruction, and Creation. The essence of these three elements has truly fused together in the Gaia fragment."
Yegor stared at this scene and couldn't help but sigh softly. "After hundreds of years, the long-cherished wish of combining the three Indian lineages can finally be realized."
In this gamble, many tragic sacrifices had been made by the Indian lineage. They didn't even want anyone else to get involved. It was as if they couldn't wait to die.
What was hidden behind this was the sorrowful wish that had been passed down for hundreds of years — the fusion of the three elements.
With the passing of the Indian gods, not only did they leave behind their inheritance, but they also left behind the curse of the Origin Codex.
For hundreds of years, the three elements of creation, maintenance, and destruction had been fighting endlessly. They were unable to merge, and even their natural enemy, the Azure Neck, was unable to suppress them.
After all, even if the Power of Destruction was unparalleled, could it rely on brute force to completely subdue the Creation and Maintenance Elements? Even if it was subdued and succumbed to the creation and maintenance of destruction, could it still retain its essence?
There was no lack of knowledgeable people in the three families who wanted to rebuild the three elements, but how could it be so easy?
The split of the Origin Codex was essentially because the differences between the three elements were too great, and they couldn't be merged. The three different main axes clashed with each other, causing the huge India to be torn apart.
They had a huge foundation, but they were struggling on the edge of chaos. Even the number of solidifications within the lineage was high due to the lack of protection from the Origin Codex.
The solidification of the Heretic King in the past was a knife in everyone's heart, and it still hurt from time to time. Now that they could finally use this opportunity to repair the crack in the Book of the Past, how could the three elements let go of this precious opportunity that would never come again?
It was just a sacrifice.
As long as it was a sacrifice …
Long before the gamble started, Mother Nirvana and Stonecutter were already prepared to die. If he could rebuild the foundation of India with his own body, why not?
"…"
Yegor was silent for a long time before he closed his eyes in exhaustion.
"What's wrong?" the dean asked.
"No, it's just that when I see everyone sacrificing themselves and fighting, I suddenly feel that I'm too despicable for sitting here and waiting for the results." Yegor sighed self-deprecatingly, "It's too ugly."
"Sacrifice has never been your duty, Mr. Yegor. Your mission is to protect the results of this sacrifice. Compared to the Continuation Court, which is a conspiracy that can't be exposed to the light of day, you are already too — "
The dean's words were suddenly stuck.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, "I just received news that Mr. Marcus has passed away."
"…"
Yegor was stunned.
"Russell refused a state funeral in Rome and brought his body back to the Ivory Tower for burial," the dean said, "Until the end, he was a member of the utopia."
Yegor closed his eyes, covered his face, and took a deep breath.
After a long time, he sighed silently.
"Damn it," he cursed.
One of the only remaining pillars of the former era had withered just like that.
It was all in the plan that he had approved.
But what the f * ck am I?
"Do you want to compensate Celestial genealogy?" the dean asked.
"Forget it, Russell won't agree."
Yegor shook his head in melancholy, "It's only right to give him a posthumous honor, but for Mr. Marcus, the sacrifice he made for the present is only natural. No matter how much material we give him, it will only be an insult."
He thought for a moment and earnestly asked, "Later, please join me in mourning."
"No need."
The dean shook his head, "I will also attend the funeral."
Yegor was stunned.
He didn't expect that one day, he would abandon his mission, leave the Continuation Court, and attend someone else's funeral.
He didn't hesitate to temporarily put down his duty for this.
"The Continuation Court is not a cold result machine, Mr. Yegor," the dean said, "Even a machine will have reverence for a true hero."
He was actually despised by the rationalists of the Continuation Court. Yegor smiled helplessly and nodded, "I hope that one day, I can meet Mr. Marcus again in the fountain."
Perhaps, this was the final romantic ending of the astronomical meeting.
Whether it was the Utopia, the Directorate of Command, or the core members of the Continuation Court, none of them thought that one day, they would be able to die peacefully in their hospital beds.
Most of them died in obscurity, sacrificed themselves passionately, or collapsed in the daily grind … For them, the best ending was to be able to return to the Silver Ocean.
After passing through the ordeal and darkness, everyone would be able to meet again in the eternal sea of wisdom after returning to nothingness.
"There won't be such a day, Mr. Yegor."
The dean's cold voice interrupted his thoughts, causing his smile to stiffen on his face.
"There's one more observation report that I just received. I didn't give it to you."
The figure in the protective suit reached out and handed over two pieces of paper, "Previously, during the homing incident, we had some doubts. The increase in the Silver Ocean was abnormal, and we didn't receive any feedback —
It wasn't until just after Mr. Marcus passed away that we finally saw the results of the probe. "
He said,
"— All the souls of the Utopia didn't return to the Silver Ocean."
In the long silence, Yegor lowered his head and hurriedly flipped through the report in his hand. He constantly checked the data on it, hoping to find any loopholes.
But in the end, he realized that … this argument was so impeccable that it made him despair.
But if they didn't return to the Silver Ocean, where did they go?
"The operation of the Silver Ocean was once handled by the Utopia. To us, it has always been a closed black box system. Even now, there are still many hidden low-level laws operating.
Perhaps this matter has something to do with it.
After all, all the souls that have passed the Celestial genealogy trial will be marked with a special mark, and it's not suitable for the ordinary process. To them, the Silver Ocean might just be a transit, and they might have another home in the end. "
But if they didn't go to the Silver Ocean, where could they go?
They didn't hesitate to violate the laws of the Present Realm and completely destroy their souls and wills to go to —
"… Heaven?" Yegor asked softly.
"I'm afraid so."
The dean nodded.
Heaven had long fallen into the core of the Present Realm.
It was once the fourth project of the Utopia, the Kingdom in Heaven of Eternal Hell.
Even though it had long fallen, there were still countless souls constantly sacrificing themselves in order to complete this beautiful blueprint of the Present Realm.
Even though there was no more hope, there was still a last glimmer of hope left for the successors.
"After so many years, they still haven't given up?"
Yegor shook his head in disappointment. He put down the report in his hand and hesitated to speak.
"Do you want to interfere?" the dean asked.
"Even if I don't say anything, you will continue to observe, right?"
Yegor said, "That's enough …"
He didn't stop this determination from the Utopia, nor did he interfere with this sacrifice that might affect the three major blockades.
"Even if they die, it will still be a headache. Should I say that as expected of the Utopia? "
The secretary general of the Central Command Bureau pinched the space between his eyebrows and felt a headache. But when he thought of the young man he had been paying attention to, his headache became even worse.
"Where's Huai Shi?"
"He's being resuscitated." The dean said, "The power of the God's Wedge is too great. His soul and body can't bear it —"
"What's the situation?" Yegor became nervous.
"There's bad news and good news."
The dean thought for a moment and continued, "The good news is that his body and soul seem to have gotten used to this chaotic situation. With a little surgery and some time, he will be able to return to his original state."
"What's the bad news?"
"You've already seen it."
The dean said, "There's a possibility that Huai Shi will solidify."
It wasn't just a possibility of solidifying.
When the records of future events descended, how could the terrifying momentum of devouring the darkness of the Infinite Worlds be something that could be done with a mere word of solidification?
It directly covered all the corruption of the Mother of Chaos, devoured, and dissolved into the endless darkness.
Even the ruler didn't have such terrifying power …
Even if the nature of the Path of Heaven's Inquisition was special, and it was reasonable for it to have the authority to manipulate the world, its terrifying scale and nature still made it difficult to feel at ease.
Just thinking of this made Yegor want to pull out his hair.
When he felt that he didn't have much time left, he wanted to pull Russell's head …
Isn't the Celestial genealogy a little too f * cking overboard with their work?
There's really not a single normal person here!
Look at Huai Shi. What a good kid, what a good young man. He's young and promising, hates evil, is down-to-earth, hardworking, and simple … He was fine when he was in the Central Command Bureau. Why did he start to change after coming to the Ivory Tower?!
There must be a problem with the Utopia's feng shui!
Unfortunately, what's done can't be undone … The childhood sweetheart that he missed so much had already run away with the blondie next door, leaving him to reminisce about the good old days.
"How do you plan to explain this to the decision-making room?" the dean asked. "Some people already want to raise questions, right?"
"Explain? What's there to explain? "
Yegor rolled his eyes. "Don't they know how evil the Celestial genealogy is? Moreover, it's a natural enemy! What's there to explain?
It's just a possibility of solidification, but isn't there a small number of people who have solidified?
America's Feathered Serpent, the Russian Federation's Pamir, the White Emperor of Dongxia, and a few days ago, the White Emperor inexplicably changed from the White Emperor to the Black Bird. Are we really going to investigate them one by one? Who's going to do it?
Although … Well, the situation this time is indeed a little exaggerated. But those who start to tremble in the present because of an uncertain future are the ones who have no brains at all! "
Don't those guys know what kind of person Huai Shi is?
Russell's appointed successor, the next master of the Celestial genealogy, the successor of the Utopia, the navigator, and the sword of disaster …
Not to mention the messy relationships on his body that almost covered the entire realm, and not to mention the sweet cooperation between him and Dongxia.
If anyone dared to touch him in the Present State, all the beastmen in the world would dare to overturn the sky.
Besides, who didn't know what kind of person he was and how he did things?
He didn't even have to go to hell.
Believe it or not, if he was forced into a corner, he would directly go to Canaan and sit on the throne.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Yegor shook his head. "It's hard to predict what the future will be like, but as long as there's a future, it's fine."
Whether it was a good future or a bad one … it was fine.
The dean nodded. "This is the style of the Directorate."
"Then what is the style of the Continuation Academy?" Yegor asked.
"Be prepared and wait."
"Wait for what? Huai Shi or the future? "
"It's all the same."
The dean calmly ended the topic.
In the silence, a sound came from afar.
A low echo like an iceberg collapsing.
On the huge screen, the scene of the collapse from the edge of the Present State was constantly transmitted.
The fragment of Gaia was like a star, galloping around the orbit of the Present State. It spun at a terrifying speed, and countless rays of light spilled into the world below.
In this man-made disintegration, the fragment was constantly collapsing. Under the terrifying acceleration of the Bifrost, it was torn apart by the gravitational force of the millstone, leaving only the most basic source substance and light, which merged into the Present State.
It gradually dissipated.
When everything was extracted, even the fragment itself was used without any waste. It was disintegrated meticulously and coldly, not letting go of a single corner.
"Let's take a look again," the dean said.
"There's still time to take another look at it."
In the orbit of the Present State, cracks quickly appeared on the fragment. After countless outer shells peeled off, the surging light in the core gradually revealed.
It was like spilled blood.
And in the broken world, in the layers of light, a blurry outline faintly appeared. It was like a projection left behind by something, and it rapidly changed, making it difficult to see clearly.
But it couldn't stay for long. Like mist, it quickly evaporated. Only the final elegy spread in the void formed by the depth.
In the end, it seemed to look back at the world behind it again. Just like that, it disappeared into the darkness.
Never to be seen again.
Once again, he was killed — —
This was the end of this gamble.
"Until the end, it never gave up."
Yegor sighed. "Does it hate humans that much, Gaia?"
"It should be said that it's the opposite."
The dean said, "We have just read the remnant images inside the fragment. At the moment it was killed, the distortion of the entire fragment briefly rose to its peak, just like the Present State back then. In other words, if it had resentment, then at that moment, more than 90% of the domain in the fragment, along with all the participants, should have evaporated together with it."
"It once had the opportunity to pull us into hell together, but it didn't do so."
The dean said, "Perhaps, until then, it had some kind of 'mercy' for humans that we can't understand."
Mercy?
Yegor couldn't help but shake his head.
If even 'death' was benevolent …
He suddenly froze on the spot and turned his head in a daze.
He only saw that the dean was still so calm.
"In the archives of the Continuation Institute, there were similar absurd inferences, but there was no actual evidence to support them. At best, it was just some wishful thinking in the gaps of research."
The dean said, "Some people think that the old Gaia wanted to kill humans not out of the madness of solidification and erosion, but the last … protection."
When the ship was about to sink, when the endless darkness was about to descend, when destruction was about to arrive, it gently strangled the children in the cradle so that humans could leave hell.
To avoid its beloved children being tortured in hell.
To avoid the ending that was even more terrifying than death …
To avoid eternal pain.
"…" Yegor froze on the spot.
"Similar speculations were raised during the first generation of the Creation Plan, but it was eliminated before it even entered the agenda of the meeting. Because it was meaningless. "
The dean said, "For the 'world,' there is no good and evil and morality. Using the morality of humans to measure other existences is self-deception.
Perhaps' He 'was once kind. Perhaps' He 'has some feelings for us, just like' He 'has for all plants and living creatures. Perhaps there is also a possibility that we can live in peace.
But the result will not change.
'He' has never spoken to us, nor does' He 'possess a true consciousness and soul. In the face of unilateral destruction, from the beginning, we have no choice.
Therefore, what should be done must be done, even if the sky falls and the earth rends.
"These words sound very much like the style of the Continuation Institute," Yegor sighed softly.
"Because this is our duty," the dean replied.
"In order to survive, no action should be an obstacle. In order to govern, all conditions must be applied. In order to achieve ideals, any price can be sacrificed.
The Astronomical Society was such a monster from the beginning. Because if we don't become a monster, we have no chance to compete with the real monster.
And the many sins and evil consequences caused by this are also natural — "
He replied: "We all carry the burden of this Original Sin that will eventually lead us to our deaths"
Yegor was silent.
He did not speak.
To a certain extent, the collapse of the Utopia could be said to be expected. No, whether it was the Utopia, the Directorate of Governance, or the Continuation Institute, it was the same.
From the beginning, the Precursor Society had been prepared.
The country that pursued the ideal welcomed the collapse and fall apart. The organization that unified all things deteriorated and decayed. The guards guarding the Abyss became a part of the Abyss …
When you wanted to protect the entire world, you had to be prepared for the worst from the beginning.
These were all possible obstacles and difficulties, but it was not a reason not to do it.
The upper echelons of the Utopia, the Directorate of Governance, and the Continuation Institute were well aware of this.
"There are actually many of the same hypotheses.
'He' may simply want to get rid of the burden of humans, or he may have reached some kind of agreement with the Abyss. Perhaps, 'He' just wants to get rid of these insatiable parasites … "
As if comforting him in a way unique to the Continuation Institute, the dean finally said, "Although the result will not change, there may be thousands of so-called 'truths.' You can choose the one you like."
Yegor laughed self-deprecatingly. "As expected, I prefer the more humane one."
The dean turned around and glanced at him from behind the protective glasses. "You intuitively place subjectivity above objectivity. You really should have gone to the Utopia back then."
"Forget it."
Yegor smiled. "Ideals are too far away from me."
Perhaps it was once very close …
However, he did not have the courage to walk into it, or rather, he could not face the haze that would exist in the future.
Perhaps everyone would look forward to the backs of the pioneers, but that was not the only path that made life meaningful.
He had already chosen the mission of dedicating his life to, so why should he envy the ocean where other fish went?
Just like that, after finishing the new coffee, he put down the paper cup.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, work waits for no one. If you continue to skip work like this, the work in the decision-making room will explode."
Yegor rubbed his eyebrows in distress. "I really want to take a vacation."
"Do you need help?" the dean asked.
"Forget it." Yegor shivered.
The help of the Survival Institute usually referred to surgery. All kinds of surgery … life extension, organ replacement, soul maintenance … Just thinking about it was scary.
"I've already made up my mind. Anyway, that's it. When I die from overwork, that's when it's over." Yegor smiled proudly. "The progress now is quite gratifying. When I have a cerebral hemorrhage, I can take a vacation."
No, you will be sent here. Surgery, a full set. It will be repaired within three days. After that, you will continue …
The dean seemed to want to say that.
However, in the end, he still did not break this gentleman's fantasy.
Who did not have a dream of taking a vacation?
However, before leaving, Yegor, who was carrying his briefcase, could not help but turn around. "I have one last question."
"Go ahead."
"Or is it Gaia …"
Yegor scratched his dying hairline and was full of doubts. "Since he killed humans to avoid even more tragic consequences … But in the end, why was he soft-hearted?"
The dean glanced at him and calmly explained, "There are also several hypotheses and speculations about this —"
"Don't!"
Yegor raised his hand to interrupt and gave up on getting to the bottom of the matter. "Just say that I'll like it."
"It gave up," the dean replied.
"…" Yegor was slightly stunned.
"It gave up on unrealistic ideas and chose to obey this obsession."
The dean looked at the projection of the present realm and said without turning his head, "If it's in terms of humans, it should be anticipation."
If this is your choice …
Then, go and face that world.
Go and face the pain and storms of the future.
Go and face hell.
Go and continue everything you have …
He chose to give up.
This was the final gift from Gaia.
"It sounds good, doesn't it?"
Yegor finally smiled. "Sure enough, I still prefer this kind of answer that is full of human feelings."
Just like that, he nodded and said goodbye. He lowered his head and put on his hat. He pushed the door open and left.
Once again, he rushed to his own battlefield.
In the deserted observation room, only the silent dean was left. He quietly watched the projection from the mirror and watched the last fragment dissipate in the light.
He never looked away.
In the long and long silence, when the remnant sound of the elegy gradually dissipated.
As if there was an illusion, a soft sigh sounded in the lonely darkness. It was so relieved.
Children who have gone far away, I wish you all the best.
I wish you all a glorious future.
The future.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
