Abyssal Schilling's voice came from all directions, "I am here to remind you to withdraw your troops."
After a few seconds of silence, I said, "You want us to withdraw just because you say so? Why do you speak without rhyme or reason? "
"Do you really think that you can take down the entire Abyss this time?" Abyssal Schilling asked calmly. "The Protoss's advance has slowed down. How much further can you advance?"
Abyssal Schilling's words silenced Sandora and me. We had already discussed this issue before.
Could this expedition wipe out the entire Abyss?
When I first discussed with the Protoss about the alliance, I was still very optimistic. I felt that this unprecedented military operation might really have a chance to wipe out the entire Abyss. However, after the war started, the situation did not seem to be as smooth as I had imagined. The Protoss's army was smaller than expected, and the resistance in the Abyss was also unexpected. More importantly, the internal division of the Fallen Apostles was not what I had expected. As we had expected, they did have a civil war, but the civil war did not consume too much of their strength. The Fallen Apostles split into two groups, the new army and the old army. They seemed to be completely opposed to each other, but according to the records of the logs, this division seemed to have been planned. The two groups of Fallen Apostles only used limited military friction to decide the leadership of the Abyss, but they did not directly wear themselves down. Now that Abyssal Schilling had appeared in front of us, it proved one thing: the old army did not disappear, they were just content with the new army.
The Fallen Apostles' foundation was still there, so the Protoss's side was quickly met with the enemy's powerful counterattack. It could be said that they had successfully stalled the main force of the Fallen Apostles. However, the reverse was also true: the Fallen Apostles had stalled the Protoss's army, and the Abyss still had the strength to send reinforcements to the Imperial Army.
Under such circumstances, it seemed impossible to take down the entire Abyss with this war. After some discussion, we confirmed this point. So, the objective of the operation changed from a direct attack to taking down as many as we could. It seemed that Abyssal Schilling had also seen through this point.
"This is a very strange state, isn't it?" Abyssal Schilling smiled, as if she couldn't feel the tense atmosphere between us. "The Protoss is at its weakest, and the number of your armies is also a problem. Although my Empire has split apart, it still retains about ninety percent of its strength. Of course, half of them no longer listen to my orders, but that's not important. Faced with the pressure from you and the Protoss, even those who don't listen will rush to the frontlines … You can't take down the entire Abyss, and continuing to advance will only increase your losses. I know that you've blocked the New Army's fleet within your borders by quickly destroying the Sovereign Hub, but you should be smart enough to know that when you push inland, you'll face a sea of enemies … all 'accumulated'. "
"This sounds like a negotiation, and it sounds like you're really thinking about us," Sandora crossed her arms and looked at the holographic image in front of her. "What good does this do for you? According to what you said, even if we let the Imperial Army and the Protoss continue to attack, we won't be able to reach the inland of the Abyss. So, you can still survive even if you don't do anything, and as long as you hold on until the Protoss retreat, the Fallen Apostle can even make a comeback. So, I don't think you're doing this for self-preservation … "
"Who would ask the enemy to retreat for such a boring reason as survival?" Abyssal Schilling interrupted Sandora. "I just don't want to waste my time and energy on worthless things. I have something important to do."
"Do you take us for fools?" Icetis raised her voice. "If we retreat, won't you be able to quietly carry out your little conspiracy? Who would just watch their opponent sharpen his blade at home? "
Abyssal Schilling smiled indifferently. "That's right. After you retreat, I can focus on my work. But if you don't retreat, you'll just be wasting time here. At best, you'll only disturb my energy. If you're really smart, you should choose the route that maximizes the benefits. So, the most important thing now is to quickly end this farce. You've already gotten what you wanted, the four border worlds. If you use them as nodes, you can draw more than a dozen universes into your sphere of influence. Believe me, if you continue to push forward, you won't get a bigger result than this. "
"Oh, we'll get a little territory and retreat in satisfaction. Then, you can continue to settle your 'great cause' in peace. Who knows, one day, you'll turn the entire Void upside down. That's a good deal for you." Sandora narrowed her eyes at Abyssal. "You're really bad at negotiations. You take us for fools."
"Maybe you're right. I don't quite understand the thinking habits of corporeal beings like you. I'll only put all the pros and cons on the table, and then calculate their exact value with you. Finally, we'll choose the option that benefits both sides. It seems like you don't accept this way of thinking … Well, then, I'll add another bargaining chip: if you continue to advance, the 'New Army' and 'Old Army' will stop splitting. No matter who the ruler of the Abyss is, you'll face a lot of trouble. If you retreat now, the 'New Army' and 'Old Army' will continue to clash. That way, at least for a long time, you won't have to worry about the threat of the Abyss. What do you think of this bargaining chip? "
"Aha, it's as though you're working with us to weaken the Fallen Apostles." It seemed that Abyssal Schilling's words were too inconceivable that even Sandora couldn't help but laugh. "This bargaining chip does have some weight, but the problem is … Don't you think it's too inconceivable? You should be our mortal enemy, right? "
"I've said it before. I have no hostility towards you." Abyssal Schilling's gaze fell on Icetis and me as he said that. "I'm taking actions based on logical judgment and calculations, and this series of actions just so happens to be in conflict with yours. That's all. Now, the results of logical judgment and calculations have reduced the opposition between us. It has nothing to do with any personal feelings. "
Sandora quietly waited for Abyssal Schilling to finish speaking before discussing with us through our mental connection. "Ah Jun, how trustworthy do you think this fellow's words are?"
"There's no way to judge. We haven't even thoroughly researched the Schilling in the shadow city. Who knows what the thought process of this kind of network ghost is like?" I replied, rather puzzled. "In theory, what she said should be correct. Abyssal Schilling is a network consciousness that relies on logic and protocols to operate. So, she shouldn't have the concept of good and evil, as well as the awareness of friend or foe. However, this fellow has mutated for tens of thousands of years. Who knows if she's still following logic …"
"No matter how much she mutated, her life form hasn't changed," Sandora muttered. "Abyssal Schilling might really not be 'hostile'. She acts based on her own logic and calculations. Whether she's our enemy or cooperating with us, it's all a result of her calculations … What I'm thinking about now is another aspect: Are her suggestions reliable?"
It seemed that Sandora had decided to believe Abyssal Schilling's statement that she was' not hostile '. This statement was indeed unbelievable, but it wasn't incomprehensible if you thought about it carefully. You can think about the system blue screen when you're using the computer, all sorts of black hands when you're playing games, and you can't draw any cards when you're drawing cards. Is this software hostile to the user?
Of course not. It's purely a bad face …
Abyssal Schilling was a lifeform similar to a program. Of course, she had a complete personality, self-awareness, and wasn't limited by rigid logic. She was completely different from ordinary "artificial intelligence." When I said she was similar to a program, I meant her "code of conduct." In a situation where the ultimate goal was clear, she would make a series of actions based on needs. These actions might be against the Imperial Army, but they might also require cooperation with the Imperial Army. But no matter what actions she took, one thing remained the same: it had nothing to do with her personal feelings.
Her feelings and actions were completely separated. Everything was based on logic. This was the programmed side of Abyssal Schilling — at least in theory.
"If we just listen to what she said, there really isn't much benefit for us to continue fighting." After listening to our discussion for a long time, the big sister finally voiced out her opinion. "The Protoss can't fight anymore. We can at most take down a few more border worlds, but even if we can take them down, we might not be able to hold them. If the battle line is too long, our military strength will be tight."
"And the Fallen Apostles could end their division and reunite at any time … Oh, I know why Abyssal Schilling is so eager for us to retreat. He has his own ideas," Icetis said as she suddenly thought of something. She smacked her head and looked up at the holographic image in the center of the hall. "That ghost over there, you're worried that if we continue to fight, the 'New Army' and 'Old Army' will be passively reorganized, and then you might lose control of the situation, right?"
Abyssal Schilling's expression did not change. "That's right. If the external pressure reaches a certain threshold, the division of the network will end. And I only have a fifty percent chance of maintaining control over the Empire after the network is reorganized. I don't want things to get out of control. This is a worse situation for all of you. The ruler of the New Army is someone even more troublesome than me."
"You're trying to say that the Fallen Apostles are less dangerous under your rule than the New Army, right?" Sandora nodded. "Perhaps that's the case … Now it seems that we really have no other way out."
Abyssal Schilling smiled. "That's right. Looking at the big picture is the most important. You don't have to let your emotions affect your decisions and give up the greater benefits. So, is the negotiation completed just like that? "
"Not yet," I suddenly interrupted him. "We agree to withdraw our troops now. But before that, I have a few questions. Of course, you can choose not to answer them. I just want to ask: What exactly is going on with the Great Cause? Can you not reveal anything at all? What's going on with the division of the Abyss? And lastly — What's going on with this universe? Where did the people here go? "
"Three questions. Two of them are the most difficult to answer." Abyssal Schilling sighed. "Regarding the Great Cause … Alright, before this, I indeed felt that it had nothing to do with you. But since you're so stubborn about it, perhaps there's no harm in telling you now … Do you know about 'building bridges'?"
The moment the word "building bridges" came out, the scene fell into an unprecedented silence.
I was no stranger to these two words. The mysterious civilization on the "other side" of the Abyss had mentioned the matter of "building bridges" more than once!
"The Great Cause is building bridges?" Even the carefree female hooligan Icetis was dumbfounded. "You've caused such a huge commotion, bringing up the apocalypse and attacking the God Realm, all for the sake of building bridges?! Speaking of which, the building bridges that I'm thinking of should be the same thing as what you're talking about … "
Abyssal Schilling nodded matter-of-factly. "It's the same thing. Opening a passage from one side of the Abyss to the other side. In the end, it's just a simple process."
"Does it require you to destroy so many worlds?!" The elder sister's eyes widened. Even she, who usually didn't like to talk, couldn't help but interrupt. "And you're collecting World Cores everywhere …"
"Do you know how to build bridges?" Abyssal Schilling didn't wait for the elder sister to finish before throwing out the question.
Seeing that we were all shaking our heads, Abyssal Schilling's lips curled up slightly. "At least we know one of them — the fastest one. Perhaps there's a gentler way to build bridges that doesn't require the destruction of so many universes of Order, and we don't need so many World Cores. But I have to build the bridge before the Void Cataclysm. I have no other choice. That's all. "
"This is related to the Void Cataclysm?!" I felt an overwhelming amount of information pressing down on me. "Your Great Cause is to build a bridge to the 'other side' before the Void Cataclysm? Why? To avoid the Void Cataclysm? "
"Building the bridge is only the first step. My ultimate goal is to return the Empire to its peak, and there's no possibility of it falling." Abyssal Schilling looked at us with a faint smile. "Don't look like that. What I said is true. It's just that the Empire that I want to rebuild is slightly different from the great country in your mind. I'm fighting for my faction. That's not strange. As for avoiding the Void Cataclysm … Actually, that's an impossible proposition from the very beginning. New Emperor, from the moment you accidentally came into contact with the Abyssal Schilling network tens of thousands of years ago, we no longer have to worry about the Void Cataclysm … Don't forget, you're the one who indirectly created the Fallen Apostle. "
I was instantly rendered speechless. Beside me, Sandora, Icetis, and the others were also looking at us with strange expressions.
Abyssal Schilling was right. The Fallen Apostle was indirectly created by me. I knew about this when Icetis and I went to the depths of the mental network to investigate the "rift" and met Abyssal Schilling by chance.
During the Great Cataclysm that led to the collapse of the Empire 70,000 years ago, I reached an agreement with my older sister, who was the ruler of the 15th Heaven (in my previous life), to go forward and resist the impact of the Abyss that was spreading towards the 15th Heaven. However, as the Concept Severance was unable to resist the Void Creatures' information propagation, my power passed through the barrier created by the Concept Severance and came into contact with the Old Empire's main data network, which had already been completely corrupted at that time.
It was this little bit of power that spread into the past that greatly weakened the activity of the Abyss in the Old Empire's network, allowing a large number of infected Shiring Apostles to survive and complete their transformation. They were the current Fallen Apostles.
If I hadn't been so careless 70,000 years ago, the current Fallen Apostles and the Abyss wouldn't have survived at all.
We had always thought that the Fallen Apostles might take action because they were afraid of the Void Cataclysm and thought that their "Great Cause" was an attempt to save themselves. However, Abyssal Schilling's words had woken everyone up. Since the Fallen Apostles were indirectly created by the Void Creatures, they had been "marked" with the "Pardon Mark" from the very beginning. They weren't afraid of the Void Cataclysm at all!
"Then all of you …" I looked at Abyssal Schilling, but I had only said three words when the other party interrupted me.
"That's all for today. All of you must be very interested in the details of the Great Cause, but now isn't the time to explain these things." Abyssal Schilling ordered us to leave as he began to turn off the holographic projections in the hall. "We will meet again very soon. As for the division of the Abyss … Don't delve too deeply into it. I don't intend to tell all of you. "
Just as the last projection of Abyssal Schilling was about to disappear, Icetis shouted one last question at the top of her lungs, "Then you should at least tell us what's going on in this universe! What do you mean by evacuating everyone here? Are you giving it to us for free? "
"Consider it as a greeting gift to all of you. This universe is just a test subject to be used to test new technology that allows me to communicate with the Void Creatures safely … I have already collected enough data, and you have already conquered a large portion of the border worlds. You can do whatever you want with this universe …"
As soon as he finished his sentence, Abyssal Schilling's figure finally disappeared before our eyes.
"I feel like I heard a lot of incredible things." Shallow Shallow rolled her eyes and looked at the ceiling at a harmless forty-five degree angle. "But it seems like I didn't understand a single thing …"
"That fellow has always spoken like that. He also said a bunch of ridiculous things in the Rift Valley." Icetis was a little annoyed as she looked at the holographic devices that had returned to standby mode. It was obvious that this kind of conversation, where she could see but not touch, where the initiative was in the other party's hands, made her very unhappy. "And then? Are we really going back just like that? "
"Inform the entire army to prepare to retreat." Sandora ignored Icetis and directly established communication with the Empire fleet that was on standby in orbit. Sives didn't ask much and immediately carried out the order. On the other hand, Madman Two started to make a ruckus. "What's going on? What's going on? We haven't even fought yet, why are we retreating? We've only conquered four universes, and that's all? "
"We met Abyssal Schilling just now," I replied casually. "There's a bunch of communications down there …"
Before I could finish, that Second Lunatic immediately exploded, "What!? Enemy! The enemy dared to ambush the General, and even ambush the General's brother! Where are you, Abyssal Schilling! Come out if you have the guts! Watch as I destroy your base! I have a whole body of main cannons, a whole body of main cannons, are you afraid? Come out … "
"Alright, alright. She just showed her face in the communication device." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I interrupted the already excited Madman AI. "Now, I have tons of new information to deal with. Furthermore, the situation of the Fallen Apostle is better than we had expected. Now is not the time for a final battle. Prepare to retreat."
The Madman AI held it in for a long time before finally replying helplessly, "Oh." However, Sandora revealed a thoughtful expression, as though she had another idea.
"Retreat is not a problem …" Sandora said slowly. "But I feel that we should still leave something behind … It's time to change the shape of the Fallen Apostle's border."
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