From the perspective of the real universe, this world had never been reshaped, and it would not be reshaped by any kind of demonic wave in the future.
Even though Gwen had experienced so many bizarre lives, witnessed countless incredible miracles, and was an 'anomaly' himself, he could not help but feel his breathing become erratic at this moment. He felt as if his worldview had been completely overturned. His eyes widened, and his mind was filled with thoughts. His long-held understanding of this world was shaken at this moment, and he began to doubt all his judgments and guesses about this world.
But the mentality of endless years of experience finally came into play. This brief moment of wavering did not affect his ability to think rationally. Soon, he gathered his scattered thoughts and summarized the main information about the demonic wave and the operation of this universe that En Ya had revealed to him so far.
From the perspective of the real universe, this world would not be reshaped by the demonic wave. The existence of everything in the world was stable and orderly. But from the perspective of the observer (a rational and intelligent creature), the reshaping of everything in the world would indeed happen, and it was an inevitable result of the demonic wave. On the other hand, the observer effect in this universe presented a chaotic and macroscopic state. The observer's perception of the universe would actually affect 'their own world'. The observer's universe and the real universe were like shadows and bodies. Under normal circumstances, they would accurately overlap, so the observer would be stable. But in the environment of the demonic wave, the two would deviate, and the observer would be swallowed by the crazy illusion they saw …
There was indeed a difference between 'big' and 'small' demonic waves, but according to En Ya, the so-called 'small demonic waves' were actually some kind of unformed 'demonic wave'. In terms of 'not affecting the real universe', it was no different from the real demonic wave. And the catastrophe that the refugees of the Kingdom of Gondor experienced 700 years ago … was actually not the demonic wave at all, but the shockwave after the explosion of the Deep Blue Well.
At this moment, Gwen actually didn't know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. He only knew that a veil had been lifted in front of him in this bizarre world, and under the veil … was an even more wanton and chaotic world.
His eyes fell on Enya's eggshell. "So what you're saying is that the chaotic magical environment in the Gondor wasteland and the crystal ores we mined in the Gloom Mountain Range are actually just the 'reaction products' formed after high-intensity magical radiation acted on certain substances. The mortals seven hundred years ago … were actually not affected by the Great Mana Tide, whether it was the Great Mana Tide or the Lesser Mana Tide …"
Enya's voice was flat. "Indeed."
"What exactly is the 'little demonic tide'? What do you mean by 'unformed foreplay'? " Gwen asked again, "Does this mean that it is actually still a part of the Great Demonic Tide, but it hasn't erupted yet? Or is it that the Great Mana Tide and the Lesser Mana Tide are actually continuous in nature, two phases of the same disaster, and the mortal kingdoms are just lucky to survive in the interlude of this disaster? "
"In fact, both of these theories are correct," Enya said slowly. "You know, I'm not omniscient and omnipotent. My understanding of the Great Mana Tide is based on a long period of observation, research, speculation, and verification. I can only tell you the details that I know.
"The Great Mana Tide is a natural phenomenon of this world. It occurs in an irregular cycle, and there are always several small-scale outbreaks between major outbreaks, and the specific schedule is almost impossible to predict. The Lesser Mana Tide shows the same characteristics as the Great Mana Tide in some aspects, but the difference is that its outbreaks are often localized. The Great Mana Tide will sweep across the entire celestial system, while the Lesser Mana Tide is often limited to a certain continent or even a certain kingdom. The Lesser Mana Tide outbreaks are shorter and weaker, and it may not completely destroy the observers within the outbreak range. There are many ways to weaken or offset it."
"The Lesser Mana Tide can be weakened or offset …" Gwen suddenly thought of something. "Wait, you mean …"
"If you can't master the precise technique, you can only fight it with brute force. A short burst of super-intense magic can compress the magic in the turbulent layer of the planet's atmosphere, forming an energy field that covers a large area. The essence of the Great Mana Tide is still a magic phenomenon, so it will be affected by this energy field and even be annihilated. This kind of energy field is indeed terrible, and it is enough to cause a regional ecological extinction, but at least some lucky seeds can survive in the peripheral areas.
"Seven hundred years ago, there was only one energy source in the entire Lolun Continent that met this condition —"
"The Deep Blue Well," Gwen said in a low voice with a gloomy face.
"Detonating the Deep Blue Well was the most effective way to stop the expansion of the scale of the Great Mana Tide. It was also the only way to make it in time at that time."
"So the Deep Blue Well was deliberately detonated?!" Gwen's eyes widened as he stared at Enya's eggshell with pale golden runes. "Could it be that the one who detonated it was —"
"Don't get me wrong, it wasn't me." Enya's slightly emotional voice came from the golden giant egg. "I'm just the guardian of the Dragons. My duty is to stay in Tarlonde, and naturally, I can't interfere with what happens on the Lolun Continent. The Deep Blue Well was indeed detonated, and the one who detonated it was the gods who protect the Lolun races."
"You mean the gods detonated the Deep Blue Well?!" Gwen's eyes widened. After a long time, he exhaled softly. He could not help but think of a guess he had not long ago. He laughed self-deprecatingly. "In fact, I had just guessed that there was something else behind the explosion of the Deep Blue Well. Now it seems that there is something else behind it, but it has nothing to do with my guess at that time."
As he spoke, he frowned again. A riddle that had troubled mankind for a long time suddenly appeared in his mind. He seemed to have an answer. "Wait, I suddenly remember. Not long after the outbreak of the Great Mana Tide, the clerics of the major churches lost contact with their respective gods. The gods were silent for a whole year. It was not until the meeting at the Peak of the Ancestors that the power of the gods gradually returned to this world. Could it be that the detonation of the Deep Blue Well was the reason why the gods fell into a deep sleep?"
En Ya thought for a moment before answering Gwen's question. "In fact, I am not sure about the specific situation at that time. As you know, there is a problem of mutual contamination and interference between the gods, so we cannot establish a direct connection. Usually, we can only roughly judge the state of the other gods by observing the bottom layer of the world, which is the ripples in the 'deep sea' as you understand it. I can only be sure that the gods who protected the Loren Continent interfered with the energy flow of the Deep Blue Well, but I can't be sure about who it was, how it interfered, and the subsequent state of the other party.
"Similarly, I can't be sure how many gods were involved at that time. It may be one, or it may be more than one. The powerful energy waves of the Deep Blue Well were enough to penetrate all the realms of the world. The interference caused by the energy waves would form a massive black barrier in the deep sea. What happened in the big explosion … Even I don't know.
"But I can tell you one thing. The year-long hibernation of the Loren Gods was not caused by the explosion of the Deep Blue Well."
"It was not caused by the Deep Blue Well?" Gwen asked in surprise. "Then, what was the reason?"
"The operation of the church stopped, the structure of the parish collapsed, the originally regular religious activities suddenly stopped, and most importantly … the population plummeted," En Ya said in a low voice. "Don't forget that the main body that supports the faith is a sufficient population. The foundation of the gods is the believers. The catastrophe 700 years ago … Too many people died. For the Loren Gods, who had not yet broken free from the 'chains' and had to rely on ideas to maintain the operation, this was a heavy blow."
Gwen subconsciously held his breath for a long time before he slowly exhaled.
"But I still have a question," Hao Ren immediately asked. "After the 'demonic tide' 700 years ago, although all the countries tried to get rid of the impact of the disaster, the recovery of the population did not happen overnight. In just a year, there was no significant increase in the population of the four kingdoms. There was even a small decline in the population of Typhon and Ansu due to food shortage and monster harassment. Under such circumstances, the gods recovered. How do you explain this?"
"It was such a harsh situation that led more people to seek the sustenance of faith," En Ya explained patiently. "You should know the situation at that time. How many people became devout believers in the difficult situation? How many people who did not believe in gods or had only a shallow belief prayed all night in the cold and hungry? Not everyone is a strong-willed hero. Most ordinary people are fragile. The desperate situation turned them from shallow believers and pan-believers into devout believers. So, although your population did not increase at that time, the number of devout believers increased. This accelerated the return of the gods. "
Gwen looked enlightened. Then he said thoughtfully, "In the situation at that time, it was a good thing that the power of the gods returned to the world. This solved the urgent needs of many countries. But in the long run, this also sowed the seeds of disaster for the overblown churches in the future. Religious authority tried to influence the monarchy. It even affected the plan of the Theocratic Council today."
"In the face of historical scale, the merits and demerits of many things should be seen separately."
"You are right." Gwen sighed softly. At the same time, he quickly sorted out his thoughts, looking for any questions he had missed. Soon he had something else to ask. "Wait, I have another question. According to what you said, the demonic tide will affect the 'connection' between the 'observer' and the real universe, causing their cognition to deviate. How did the Dragons not be affected by this? What is the method that Tarlonde used to survive the demonic tide? "
The voice in the golden egg was silent. After a few seconds, she reminded him in a soft voice, "This is related to the specific technology, Gwen."
Like a gust of cold wind on this summer afternoon, Gawain finally calmed down from the excitement of continuously gaining important knowledge. He realized that his discussion with Enya had delved into a very dangerous area, but he still could not help but ask, "You can't tell me this part of the information? You've already told me so much about the basic concepts … "
"Knowledge and technology are not the same. Too advanced knowledge is dangerous and may even be polluting, but it at least needs a process of learning and transformation. You can gradually accept this knowledge in the process of understanding and verifying it. Even if it is harmful, you can minimize the harm. But technology … technology beyond the research process will one day show its toxicity. The Dragons have learned a profound lesson in the chaos of the reverse tide."
Enya's words left Gwen speechless. But the feeling of 'the answer is right in front of him, but it is blocked by a thin barrier' was still very uncomfortable. But fortunately, the gentle voice soon came again. Enya continued, "Of course, I just can't tell you the technology directly, but it doesn't mean that I can't give you some directions. Especially after you and the Dragons have paid such a huge price, the mortals of this world should take a step further on the road to survival.
"Although the Demonic Tide is a terrifying natural phenomenon, and to an unprotected observer, the calamity it brings is devastating, but it doesn't last for a long time. Each Demonic Tide usually ends in one revolution of the planet. As far as I know, the longest record is no more than two revolutions. And what you need to do is to survive in this one or two revolutions of the planet.
"The key to survival is to isolate the impact of the Demonic Tide on the observer. As long as the observer's mind is not affected, no matter how strong the Demonic Tide is, it is just a breeze to you.
"The key to Tarlonde not being affected by the Demonic Tide is the shield system that once covered the entire continent. The ancient Great Shield of Tarlonde not only provides protection against the material world, but also deflects the impact of the Demonic Tide on the observer's mind. In the past more than a million years, whenever the Demonic Tide came, the Dragons would collectively return to the Great Shield to avoid the world-wide 'mind banishment' until the Demonic Tide was over. They would come out again after the Demonic Tide to inventory the relics of the fallen civilization. "
"So, the key to the problem is the Great Shield of Tarlonde." Gwen stared at Enya's eggshell. "The key to resisting the Demonic Tide is in the ruins of the Great Shield. As long as we help the Dragons to rebuild the shield and gradually learn and master this key technology in the process, we can —"
"Unfortunately, this is the most troublesome part." Before Gwen could finish, Enya sighed softly and interrupted him. "First of all, the Great Shield is too old. It was built more than a million years ago during the glorious era of Tarlonde. Its core technology is so huge and complex that even a great mechanic like Balogel could not fully master it. With the current Dragons, there is no possibility of repairing the Great Shield. Not to mention, during the era when Omega was active, the Great Shield had undergone dozens of self-upgrading iterations. Now, the remaining shield generators in the wasteland of Tarlonde are not something that flesh and blood can understand. I am afraid that only Omega himself knows the complete blueprint of the system.
"Secondly, even if the shield generator itself is repaired, the Great Shield does not have a complete protection function because the 'core component' used to protect the observer is not a system inside the shield."
Gawain subconsciously raised his eyebrows. "The core component used to protect the observer is not in the generator of the shield? Then it is … "
"It is me," Enya said faintly. "The key to the Dragons' resistance against the Demonic Tide is that they found a way to transform their divine power into a shield. But the Mythological Era is over."
Gwen was speechless.
After being stunned for half a minute, Gwen finally said, "So, the Dragons not only broke their chains during their coming-of-age ceremony but also broke their key means of resisting the Demonic Tide? This … "
"As you said, the Great Shield of Tarlonde with me as the core is the key to their survival in the Demonic Tide for so many centuries. Because of this, they and I have to endure this two-way chain for so long. But such a harsh balance will eventually be broken. Although it has been carefully maintained, my divinity has reached the critical point of losing control many years ago. Helagol knows this very well." Enya sighed. "Do you remember what I said? Nothing is truly eternal in this world. Even if they do not break the cradle, it is impossible for this balance to continue for too long. "
"Well, at least we have jumped out of the doomed slow death and have the capital to break the stalemate." Gwen shook his head helplessly. "But the problem we are going to face next is big."
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