The group returned to the royal city under the escort of the crowd. Vivian and Lily walked at the front. They were like gods in the eyes of the people of the ark — or at least, some supernatural beings. In this' world 'ruled by superstition and ignorance, it was all too easy to use religion to control the hearts of the people. All it took was a little intimidation and supernatural phenomena. Vivian was very familiar with such things.
Lily's expression was stiff as she walked with Vivian. From time to time, she wanted to hide behind Hao Ren. She only wanted to join in the fun, but things had developed beyond her expectations. "Whoa … Isn't this a little too much?"
"You'll get used to it if you've lived through the Age of Mythology." Vivian said softly with a smile. "The older the era, the more reverence people have for everything. Seven thousand years ago, I only needed to make a small flame to intimidate an entire tribe. To me, this place is not much different from Earth back then."
What happened after that could only be described as a mess. Although it was Hao Ren's side who initiated things to this point, the reaction of the locals under the influence of superstition and excitement was hard to get used to. Hao Ren met the king of the Kingdom of Highspire — a dark-skinned, tall, and muscular middle-aged man. He then met the scholars from the other three kingdoms. He even had to bring the old man to greet the nobles in the royal city. Then, he and Vivian racked their brains to come up with a crude fairy tale to brush off the scholars and the king's questions. The only thing he was thankful for was that the 'Ice Witch' had absolute authority in the hearts of these people. So, no matter how many loopholes the story he came up with, he did not have to worry about being questioned on the spot.
When the dust finally settled, almost half a day had passed. Hao Ren and the rest were enjoying the rare moment of peace on the balcony of the castle. Vivian looked down at the crowded streets of the royal city. "It looks even livelier than when we first arrived … I can't believe there are so many people in a small city like this."
Hao Ren smiled and turned to look at the other side of the balcony. The old man, who had eaten the Golden Apple, was sitting behind an iron table, with his old manuscripts before him. He guarded them as if they were treasures, and even at rest he kept examining them. They were hundreds of years old, and he was afraid that some of them might have been damaged by weathering.
"What will happen next?" Hao Ren asked casually. Due to the chaotic situation earlier, he did not pay much attention to the old man. He only knew that Wuyue had brought the old man to meet many scholars in the city and had a long talk with the king.
"For the sake of the Ice Witch, their king was very courteous to me, but he kept asking me what I was going to do in his kingdom. Looks like he's worried about his royal power … Heh." The old man's mouth twitched. "But that doesn't mean anything to me. I just need to pass the correct history to them. I also met those people called 'scholars'. Most of them are very ignorant, but each of them is smart enough, and those scholars' attitude towards me is obviously better than the king's. I think we can go to the place called 'Star Cluster' first, maybe I can give these manuscripts to them first. "
The old man pointed at the pile of papers on the table. "When I found out that they copied ancient books as a form of training, I knew that those scholars were the key."
"Sounds like it's not going as smoothly as I thought." Lily hugged her arms and muttered. "I thought that the big black king would bow down to you the moment he saw you. If the king of the Highspire Kingdom had such a reaction, then the other kingdoms should not be any better."
"That's more than enough." The old man smiled nonchalantly. "I just need the right to walk freely in the Four Kingdoms and teach the people. It's already a pleasant surprise that the kings are willing to listen to me. As for the current state of society … I have no intention to change it, and I don't have the power to change it. They've been living like this for hundreds of years. The best thing to do is to let them continue living like this until nature changes. "
Lily glared at him. "But you're their ancestor!"
"I'm just an old man who escaped from a nuclear reactor. It's a king's duty to question any authority other than them, even if that authority is God." The old man looked up at Lily and Vivian not far away. "I don't even have the right to speak as the two of you do, because at least the two of you have real supernatural powers."
Vivian turned around with a faint smile on her face. "That's normal. If a single authority could tame an entire civilization, then all the conflicts in the world would have vanished long ago. Your next task might not be smooth sailing. The kings are willing to listen to you now, but if your preaching seriously affects their authority and their kingdom, the people will still rise up against you. And I believe that the real history that you've grasped will clash with the current worldview of the people. "
The old man smiled in a carefree manner. "I know. Long before I went to sleep, I've discussed with my old friends about the problems we might face in the future. I'm a sociologist, an educator, and a psychologist. I know how to tell the people the right knowledge at the right time in society."
Looking at the confident smile on the old man's face, Hao Ren scratched his head. "Perhaps you're more suited to be a charlatan than I am."
The old man laughed silently, then his eyes turned serious. "Then … can you tell me who you people are now?"
When he first woke up from the hibernation pod, the group of people before him told him that they were a group of travellers from the universe. Their spaceship was parked outside the ark. At that time, the old man did not think much of it. He only thought that Hao Ren and his group were some kind of advanced aliens. But after eating a piece of magical fruit and regaining his youth, the old man's doubts were magnified. Although he did not understand the existence of real magic, he vaguely felt that this group of people before him had something to do with the supernatural. After that, he saw that Vivian could summon frost with a gesture, and Lily could conjure a flaming blade out of thin air. These miraculous things were not so much science, but more like magic in ancient stories. So now, he was very curious about the origins of Hao Ren and his group.
Hao Ren sat in front of the old man and told him about his background in an unhurried tone.
Of course, he skipped over the confidential parts — for example, he used "a powerful force from beyond the worlds" to vaguely explain his background.
The old man listened quietly. His eyes changed occasionally, but he was calmer than expected. Hao Ren was a little surprised. "You don't seem surprised?"
"It's hard for me to be surprised." The old man shook his head slowly. "I was born and raised on the ark, and have traveled to many places in the universe with this ship. I've seen stars fall into gravitational rifts and get torn to shreds. I've also seen the afterglow of a supernova explode and vaporize an entire planet in an instant. Those great beings from the depths of the stars have long since left behind a saying about the gods. We know that the universe is vast, and there are countless powers beyond human imagination operating within it. So I'm not surprised. Even if a true god were to descend before me, I wouldn't be surprised. Of course, there are still surprises — I didn't expect their emissary to come like this. I thought you would be more … "
The old man gestured with his hand, but it was hard to describe what he was thinking. "In short, you should be more radiant, or at least like those great races in the stars."
"I sometimes use a more 'radiant' method to solve problems, but that's not a good thing." Hao Ren shook his head and stood up. "I have to go. There's still a lot to do."
The old man stood up instinctively. "Will you come back?"
"Of course." Hao Ren smiled and handed a communicator over. "Your civilization hasn't finished the follow-up work yet. How long do you think your old ship can operate? A hundred years? Two hundred years? I need to find a safe place for you to stay before this thing stops working. I also need to report on your rebuilding progress because my goddess is very concerned about this. I also need to keep track of your condition for a long period of time because the aftermath of the apocalypse is still spreading in this universe. I don't want to find a few survivors with great difficulty only to be eaten by the tentacles the moment they turn around. This is the communicator. You're now the spokesperson of your race. We have to keep in touch, and I think I'll be contacting you soon. "
The old man took the communicator and carefully kept it in his pocket after learning how to use it.
"Say, do you remember your name?" Hao Ren asked casually. "I can't keep calling you 'old man' from now on, right?"
The old man opened his mouth and mumbled after a while, "I only remember that my codename in the entire project is' Father '…"
Hao Ren glared at him. "Don't joke about this. Our ages …"
He paused and stole a glance at Vivian. "Do you know that the average age of the few of us is a few times older than you?! The history of the few of us combined is even older than your ark! "
Vivian muttered softly, "So I'm here to even out the average age …"
The old man heard Hao Ren's words and was filled with respect. He thought for a while and said, "Then you can call me Lorenz."
"That's your name?"
"No, it's just a vague impression. Maybe it's my friend's, or maybe it's my father's." The old man smiled casually. "No matter who it is, they don't have to use this name anymore. From now on, I'm Lorenz."
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