Chapter 25

Ragnarok◎

Lan Hua was able to find Regas so quickly thanks to this money-grubbing prophet named Bern. When Bern used Regas's seal ring to sense Regas's information and cleared his mind, Lan Hua noticed a detached, condescending expression on Bern's face that didn't belong to Bern. At that time, Lan Hua had a vague suspicion, but because his mind was only focused on confirming Regas's life or death and finding his whereabouts, he didn't pay much attention.

After Lan Hua finished speaking, she fell silent. Although no one made a sound inside the protective circle, it was not quiet. Although this sphere-like protective circle could block flying sand and stones and even lightning from the outside, it did not block sound.

At this moment, apart from the seemingly absurdly peaceful scene within the protective perimeter, the outside world was a chaotic mess. Gale-force winds swept across the desert, swirling sand and dust obscuring what was once visible. Lightning flashed and thunder roared, dark clouds loomed overhead, yet no rain fell. The lightning was shrouded in the sandstorm, the dimness casting a shadow over the blue flashes, occasionally interspersed with tiny, fragmented blue-white streaks resembling entwined withered branches.

“It feels…” Lan Hua looked outside, pushed up her sunglasses, and said with a hint of disappointment, “It’s far from what I imagined.”

Luo Ying: "..." There were so many "god-like people" outside that he had trypophobia, making him constantly worried about the safety of His Highness and the others. And Lan Hua meant that... this scene was a bit small?

"Look at these people, don't they look like fat silkworms hanging in mid-air?" Lan Hua asked casually, yawning slowly, finding it boring. The white toga robes even had patterns that resembled wrinkled silkworm skin.

Luo Ying: "...You could speak a little louder." It would be best if those "fat silkworms" could hear it, and then they could strike this guy dead with lightning.

Outside, the entire earth began to tremble, and the originally narrow cracks began to widen. From some of these cracks, human-shaped flames crawled out, their size even larger than those "god-like beings." Wherever they went, they left behind gray-black marks from the scorching flames.

"The fighting has started." Luo Ying's voice trembled slightly. He looked nervously outside, glancing at Lan Hua every now and then. He had previously thought Lan Hua was just talking, and that when the two sides actually clashed, Lan Hua would still go to help His Highness. But now that the fighting had actually started, Lan Hua hadn't even sat up; he was still lying down watching the battle outside.

Outside, the battle raged, the sky darkened, mountains collapsed one after another, the earth shook violently, and many humanoid flames emerged from the rift valley. These flames were indestructible and could merge with the flames around them after being attacked, creating even larger humanoid flames. Huge rocks falling rapidly from the sky rubbed against the air currents like falling stars, and when they hit the ground, they caused new massive shocks.

The Philosopher Stone barely maintained its original shape, but it was still covered with fine, dense cracks, as if it could shatter into countless fragments with just a few more final attacks.

The Philosopher's Stone was completely surrounded by those "god-men." The densely packed "god-men" who descended from the sky were divided into two groups: one group attacked Regas and his group, while the other group surrounded and protected the Philosopher's Stone. They attacked anything that came near the Philosopher's Stone indiscriminately, turning it into dust.

Lan Hua was certain that the Philosopher's Stone was just one strike away from being completely destroyed because the magnetic storm it had previously caused him immense suffering had severely affected his mind, but now that effect was negligible. Furthermore, the aircraft that had been rendered unusable by the Philosopher's Stone was now operational again—

Therefore, the starship, which was essentially rendered useless, was released from the particle space by Regas and his group. Starship versus the legendary "god," technology versus legend. Lan Hua was very curious to see which side would prevail.

Outside, everything was in chaos. A huge storm obscured the view, and Luo Ying could no longer see anything outside. He could only vaguely see a huge human-shaped flame in the sandstorm, and hear huge thunder and explosions in his ears.

Luo Ying had never actually been on an interstellar battlefield, much less witnessed such close-range warfare. His impressions of war came solely from documentaries and films he had seen during his time in the Silver Empire. In his mind, wars took place in the vast expanse of space, with starships attacking each other. Even when a starship exploded in space, it was silent and inconspicuous, like a spark rising from the cosmos. Such scenes of earth-shattering chaos and lightning, like natural disasters, seemed to exist only in ancient myths and legends.

Seeing that Lan Hua showed no intention of intervening, Luo Ying felt a chill run down her spine. "Your Highness should really see what you're like now."

Lan Hua: "Regas, he can definitely guess what I look like now."

Luo Ying: "..."

"Do you know who Regas's reinforcements are?" Lan Hua asked.

Luo Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness has arranged reinforcements?"

Lan Hua: "..."

“You’ve been by Regas’s side for two years. Although Regas won’t reveal everything, you can guess his plans based on his schedule and overall goals.” Lan Hua was utterly speechless. Based on his understanding of Regas alone, he could tell that Regas had definitely kept a backup plan.

If he were Regas, the inherent inequality and subservient relationship between "gods" and ordinary people in this universe would be the best opportunity to exploit. If he were to destroy the Philosopher's Stone and suffer a backlash from the "gods," he would certainly have made prior arrangements with ordinary people. Among ordinary people, those with the ability and power to operate discreetly under the noses of the "gods" would inevitably be found among those who had climbed to high positions.

Regas has been here for over two years, and besides destroying the Philosopher's Stone, he must have secretly supported or fostered the forces of many ordinary people. This is a win-win situation for both the ordinary people here and Regas, who came here to destroy the Philosopher's Stone. For example, Cheng Wenfei, the governor of District 36 whom he met when he first arrived, is one of the better partners.

However, if he were the leader of the ordinary people here, he would certainly choose to intervene when Regas and the "god-man" are both severely weakened, so that their losses would be minimized. But given Regas's shrewdness, he would definitely allow these people to intervene from the beginning, rather than giving them a chance to reap the benefits.

"Are reinforcements coming?" Luo Ying suddenly heard the roar of many warships approaching, and he couldn't hide the joy on his face.

"Just watch," Lan Hua said calmly. He didn't know the details, so he couldn't judge whether the newcomer was friend or foe. If he were the leader of the ordinary people here, whether it was a "god" or the suddenly appearing, unknown Regas, eliminating them all would be the best option. However, Lan Hua knew Regas very well and knew that this guy would definitely not give anyone such thoughts or opportunities.

The arrival of a large number of warships forced some of the "god-men" originally responsible for guarding the Philosopher's Stone to engage in combat. Just as Lan Hua had imagined, these newly arrived warships were indeed reinforcements attacking the "god-men." The previously stalemate seemed to tilt slightly in Regas's favor. However, neither Regas nor the later-arriving warships could withstand the attacks of these "god-men," and they were unable to take further steps to destroy the Philosopher's Stone.

Luo Ying saw flames raging outside, as if they were about to devour everything in the world. The temperature was so high that even inside the protective enclosure, one could feel the surging heatwave.

"It's so hot." Lan Hua first fanned herself with her hand, but seeing the continuous and even more intense heat wave, she thought for a moment and then took out the cooler. Then, the temperature inside the protective circle dropped again.

Luo Ying: "..." Particle space is extremely precious, and very few people can possess it. Moreover, it is used for military purposes. This person, on the other hand, uses particle space as a suitcase. It's really...enviable. He also wants to have one...Damn rich nobles!

Before Luo Ying could finish expressing his envy, he saw a huge fire giant appear outside, almost as tall as the Philosopher's Stone, holding a burning sword and slashing down at the warships, each strike capable of cleaving several warships in two.

"The Fire Giant..." This enormous fire giant, like the legendary fire giant, seemed to be immune to any attack. It seemed capable of burning everything in the world, like Ragnarok in Norse mythology, so tragic that it was devastating yet unsolvable.

"Do you know why Venus, despite being most similar to Earth in size, mass, and composition, and even being in the habitable zone with a similar distance from the Sun, rotates in the opposite direction and has a surface that burns like a purgatory due to high temperatures?" Lan Hua looked at the fire giant in the distance, and finally fixed her gaze on the enormous philosopher rock that even the wind and sand could not obscure.

"Why?" Luo Ying felt fear in his heart, and talking to Lan Hua seemed to ease his heart, which was gripped by fear. He unconsciously moved closer to Lan Hua.

"Because that's where Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods, takes place in Norse mythology. Except it was a war between humans and 'gods,' just like now." In their universe, a Philosopher's Stone exists on Venus. In ancient Earth, the West called it the Philosopher's Stone, while the East called it the Pillar of Heaven.

The Eastern records describe the battle as follows: Gonggong fought with Zhuanxu for the throne, and in his anger, Gonggong struck Mount Buzhou, causing the pillar of heaven to collapse and the earth's axis to break. Consequently, the four poles collapsed, fire raged without ceasing, and waters surged without end. Norse mythology, on the other hand, recounts the battle: the evil gods clashed with giants and gods in the Vigrid Wilderness. The giant serpent Jormungandr stirred up massive waves, and the fire giant Surtur raised his fiery sword. The nine realms of heaven, earth, and the underworld were filled with flames, the seas boiled and evaporated, the earth became scorched, and the evil fire consumed everything, resulting in the destruction of both good and evil.

The records actually document the battle between humans and "gods" on Venus. In the end, Venus was destroyed in this battle, and the flames still burn to this day. Humanity retreated to Earth, with nowhere left to retreat, until a desperate battle to sever the connection between Earth and the heavens.

"Huh?" Luo Ying was stunned. He felt that he was shallow and his imagination could not keep up with what Lan Hua said.

Lan Hua naturally wouldn't continue telling him stories. Because he was off to find some bargains.

A note from the author:

The story of Gonggong and Zhuanxu vying for the throne and angrily striking Mount Buzhou is based on the *Huainanzi*.

Ragnarok was inspired by Mao Dun's version of Norse mythology.

The current universe's instance map is almost finished; next up is the Silver Empire map.