Chapter 158: Final Chapter (Part 2)
Ever since Lin Muqiu entrusted all the city affairs to Medea, she has become more and more at ease.
Every day when I enter the other world, I either read a book, see how everyone's crops are doing, or tame animals and play with my pet dragon.
She actually enjoyed this feeling of being at peace with the world. After all, everything in the city could run on its own, and fatigue and 996 had nothing to do with her.
"Host, why are you so unmotivated now?"
The little system was heartbroken, "Aren't you the most competitive?"
Lin Muqiu replied without thinking: "Everything is stable, and you still want to fight every day, then you have a hole in your brain."
The little system with a hole in its brain: "...嘤嘤嘤."
It didn't want to. It was just that after so many people were resurrected, the data link became so huge that it was almost running out of steam.
Lin Muqiu turned over, the sunlight shining on her. She said softly, "By the way, thank you."
The small system was stunned for a moment, then turned into a red brainwave. It said hesitantly, "Host, I don't think I did anything..."
"Yeah?"
Lin Muqiu raised an eyebrow. "It was your idea to continuously process the data during the battle and then link it to the screen to show it to the people in the city, right?"
The small system's light turned even redder, and it seemed embarrassed. "It's my duty to help you within my authority..."
Just as it finished speaking, it suddenly turned gray: "Host, my main system is here, I won't talk to you for now!"
In an instant, he went offline.
Lin Muqiu: "......"
He advised me to be the king of volume, but he logged off pretty quickly.
"What do you want from me?"
Lin Muqiu sat up, raising his eyebrows slightly.
The main system smiled even more gently: "I've already said it once, I want to be friends with you."
Lin Muqiu sneered: "Is this what you mean by wanting to make friends?"
There were many male friends lying outside the door who wanted to chat with her, including Augustine.
Without exception, all were knocked unconscious.
The main system touched its nose, feeling a little guilty: "That kind of friendship... can only exist between two people."
·
She neither agreed nor rejected the main system's overtures. Like Ankang City, she needed peace and quiet.
The main system understands, so it waits.
But development is slow.
After the war, although the buildings automatically returned to their pre-war appearance, there was still too much for everyone on the continent to adapt to, especially the newly awakened people, who looked at everything happening in the world with a new perspective.
"Son, ahhhhhh, the piranha, it's flying ashore, ahhhh, run!"
“…Mother, that’s fishing.”
"Ahhhhhhhh, what is that?! Why is the water steaming? It's so cold! Let's store it quickly to avoid water shortages in the summer..."
"Mother, that's a fountain. I've told you so many times, there are no natural disasters now. Even if there were, Lord Lin has a solution. And these are all free... Hey, mother, don't reach out! Don't fleece the town!"
"Oh, kid, why can't you make sense? I'm doing this for your own good, right?"
“…”
Some people are carefully adapting to this world with their children.
Even though three months have passed, they are still a little uncomfortable with the current beauty.
I’m afraid it’s just an illusion.
"Su Li, are you saying that the cafeteria here was open to you and free before?" Su Li's mother looked at the school in surprise.
Fragrant roast chicken, fried potatoes, and ice jelly are all provided free of charge, and each person will also receive a cup of yogurt and unlimited toast.
Su Li was extremely happy and chattered, "Yes! Mother, when I was an orphan, Lord Lin made all these things free for us children! Now that you are back, the original price will probably return to normal. But Lord Lin said that in order to let you adapt first, she decided to make the dishes free for another three months! Later, we can also receive another settling-in allowance, and then we can test our talents and abilities for free..."
Her daughter's chattering gave Su Li's mother a headache, but when she heard the last sentence, her eyes lit up, "You mean, we can test talent?"
"Yes!"
Lily Su became excited and immediately took her mother's wrist and wanted to walk towards the venue, "Let's go test now!"
Su Li's mother panicked and wiped her hands on her apron, at a loss. "My family has been blacksmiths for generations... What special talents do I have..."
Lidya Su refused and dragged her mother to the simulation training room. Now Lin Muqiu directly asked the system to pull out the form and put it in the training room. They could view it at any time through a computer-like system device.
But even so, they still waited in line for a long time.
There is no other reason, it’s just that there are too many people in cities now.
It was not until their turn that Su Li's mother anxiously observed the pages that popped up in her mind, and then followed her daughter's guidance step by step to choose the correct option.
When the final result came out, she was shocked:
"97? My swordsmanship talent is actually 97!"
Everyone was also excited by these shocking words:
"Oh my god, that's the most precious and rare swordsman on the continent!"
"A swordsman, oh, what a pity, it's too expensive to maintain a sword. But at such a high level, there must be someone who specializes in training you, and they will come to you on their own initiative."
"Wow, my swordsmanship is only 37, but my planting is 88. My life is ruined..."
The old Ankang townspeople were more familiar with this scene. They twitched their lips silently, "Alright, stop crying. Ever since talent could be detected, professions on the continent have long been equal. What you said about swordsmen being the strongest was a version from twenty years ago."
"How is it possible..."
"How is that impossible? Now everyone can afford a sword and equipment. Training naturally comes down to hobbies and interests, plus their own talent. Since the number of swordsmen has increased dramatically, everyone has realized that swordsmen are no different from magicians, planters, and blacksmiths."
In short, they are all trying to make a living. Since the end of the natural disaster, there are fewer battles to fight, and other professions such as planters have become popular.
This principle is simple and clear, and most people can understand it at once.
Su Li's mother also understood immediately and nodded, "That's good!"
After all, people cannot decide what they are good at or what talents they will have. The more equal the world and professions are, the more beneficial it is for them.
Just like she couldn't decide whether her daughter, granddaughter, or perhaps future generations would be swordsmen.
But she hopes that even if they are not, the continent can still treat them gently.
Su Li's mother stroked the hanging screen with gratitude. After coming back after so many years, so many things have changed, but fortunately, everything is surprising.
Even though there was already professional equality on the continent, she was still very surprised when she discovered that she had a talent for swordsmanship.
As far as she could remember, swordsmanship was something that only rich people could afford to learn. She never thought that one day she would be able to realize her dream, even though swordsmanship was no longer glorious.
She shed tears of joy.
Su Li held her mother's hand tightly.
That kind of joy and comfort was maintained between the two of them.
Cesare, who was guarding the simulation training room, said, "Those who haven't been diagnosed with special talents, don't be discouraged! These are only foreseeable talents, but life is a long collection of invisible talents! The Civilian Academy has opened up more professions for everyone: Actuary, Energy Conservationist, Post-disaster Reconstruction and Psychological Recovery, Finance, Art Design, Continental Security and Protection, Gaming Theorist, Education, Continental Ancient Book Restoration and Binding, History..."
"Oh, by the way, everyone who has completed the test needs to make room. The mainland's population is too large right now, so the simulation training room expansion isn't going to be fast enough. Everyone, please make way for now... Everyone will definitely be able to enjoy it later. Medea swears..."
Everyone was confused by the new professions and had no idea what they were for, but the old Ankang townspeople all understood that these were new professions added by Lord Lin and Medea based on the situation on the continent!
They created as many occupations as there were job vacancies.
"Wherever the mainland needs us, we will be there."
This sentence popped into their minds at the same time, and continued along the long river of time.
Someone pondered the new landscape of the town, the proliferation of what some called banks, which managed money and provided early access to mainland China's financial flows, and envisioned a career that appealed to them. Another thought, reflecting on their parents' continued fear after the disaster, suggested they pursue a career in psychological healing to help more people.
In short, all this is based on their needs and preferences, and no further consideration is required.
Because Lin Muqiu and Medea have roughly planned the development path for each career.
They can also travel around until they find what they truly love and like.
They smiled foolishly and touched the chairs in the simulation training room reluctantly before leaving.
*
At the city gate.
As the captain of the guard, Augustine was almost exhausted.
There are too many people!
All the original citizens of Ankang City have returned, and now the number of people has increased three times!
But these resurrected people are their family members, and we can’t let them be separated, right?
But who would choose to go to other towns? The result was that everyone flocked to Ankang City.
The population is about to explode.
Medea contacted him urgently and asked him to come up with a settlement policy as soon as possible, either to encourage population migration or to rebuild the city's territory and expand it.
After all, the town’s population is now sufficient for upgrading, but the number of buildings is not enough!
Thinking of this, Augustine admired Lin Muqiu's methods. He couldn't understand how Lin Muqiu had planned all this so completely and harmoniously!
But the mission has come. As the captain and the leader of the city guard, he must help the city lord solve his troubles.
Yes, sometimes I really feel that being a leader is not as free and refreshing as being a civilian!
However, the city was built by generations of selfless people.
When he was in Oaze, his only wish was for the mainland to be healthy and happy.
But now he did it.
He believed in Lin Muqiu, so he saw everything he could see today.
He will protect this city for her, just like when Lin Muqiu saved him from the water, and he will never regret his decision.
As he thought of this, a smile appeared on his lips, and he ordered the stamped entry permits to be issued to the new residents.
Elizabeth, along with her son and daughter, gave him a grateful smile and said, "Thank you."
Augustine smiled back, "Remember to take your son to the Civilian College to get his stamp. They'll help you with your child's schooling for free. I'm really sorry that you had to wait three months to get your permanent residence permit."
Elizabeth and her husband nodded and said with a smile, "It's okay. Fortunately, Mayor Medea issued us temporary residence permits on the first day. I believe she will be a good mayor."
Augustine agreed.
Apart from anything else, Medea's inward-looking and caring spirit is comparable to what Lin Muqiu had at the beginning!
Elizabeth's smile deepened. She received a new map of the city and a new stamped route guide, and took her husband and children to carefully observe the great changes in the town.
*
The change in perspective made everything seem particularly novel. After the war, thanks to the leadership of Lin Muqiu and Medea, the continent's productivity had increased by no less than five times, so even with the population surge, everything could be handled smoothly.
More people also joined the ranks of searching for new energy sources, and then they discovered that some of the previous natural disasters could actually be utilized, so they strongly requested the system to retain natural disasters in a small part of the area and specially plan them out for them to use as new energy sources.
It's another new round of negotiations.
But that was all a story for the past, as many years had passed since Ankang City was founded.
The first issue facing them is the age issue.
Almost all the previous generation have returned, but the problem is that time flies, and their children have become even older than them in the past twenty years.
This raises a new round of ethical questions:
"Son, this is your grandfather. Your father died in the war right after he gave birth to you."
"You kid, why don't you call me grandpa?"
"Uh, Mom...but I'm thirty now, and Grandpa is only in his twenties..."
In the end, the ties of the entire continent were in a mess, but they couldn't adjust the ages of everyone who had died on the continent by 20 years, or put those who had already been born back in. In the end, the system waved its hand and decided:
"People can choose whether they want to be as old as they were before they died, or as old as they actually are after they die."
Everyone: “…”
That's crazy. Who would want to suddenly lose twenty years of life?
In the messy family relationships, everyone was extremely united and chose youth without hesitation.
So the matter was left unresolved and then came to nothing.
Anyway, the family relationships in mainland China have been chaotic for a long time, as can be seen from Nicole's incident.
What uncles and aunts, Rong and Rong, in the end, we are all one family in mainland China.
After all, they have more important things to do than these.
According to the architectural drawings and conceptual plans provided by Lin Muqiu, in order to ensure the settlement of the population and to alleviate population pressure, they spent the first three years spreading the infrastructure of Ankang City to the entire continent.
In the fifth year, the idea of equality for all was implemented throughout the continent, and everyone was exploring their own unique talents.
In the seventh year, people finally came out of the pain of the natural disaster and completely forgot about it.
In the tenth year, the magical continent took on a modern feel, allowing even the unskilled commoner to earn a living and find a suitable job. Banks, snack streets, law firms, defense towers, decompression offices, zoos, and even modern magical companies, along with buildings and electrical appliances, gradually found their way into ordinary homes.
In the fifteenth year, Ankang City began to transform into a unique world that combines modern scale and magic.
......
Time flies, like a dream.
As Cesare strolled through the Civilian Academy arm in arm with his wife, she chuckled at him, "You were so proud back then, but how come you've been a teacher for so many years and haven't even considered a promotion?"
Cesare smiled. "I see, Ankang City is truly full of talented people."
That's true.
He would always remember the first day he came to Ankang City. It was the first time he saw the fields full of lush wheat. There were even many seed traps. Wild animals did not dare to approach. Ankang City was peaceful.
It was the first time he saw such a magnificent complex of buildings, and he seemed to have seen an entire era that belonged to Ankang City.
That will be a gentle, comfortable era for the common people. This world needs geniuses, but it cherishes ordinary people with ordinary ideals even more.
Thinking back, I had a fight with Kedero in the simulation training room on my first day, but what about now?
It was really enjoyable for two men with big bellies to eat and drink their fill every day.
Because Ankang City hardly needs any combat skills anymore.
There will be no more disasters here, and no natural disasters that are particularly difficult to deal with.
But sometimes you have to fight.
Kedro was unconvinced: "Come on, Cesare, let's go play a round."
Cesare: "Just you, huh..."
Cesare's wife looked at the two childish people and shook her head with a smile. These two sworn enemies still disliked each other.
But then again, they would reconcile briefly, just like now, they were both immersed in the newly developed game "Contra" in the simulation training room, teaming up to fight the boss together.
Chloe smiled friendly at Cesare's wife, Anna. "Let's go get a manicure together."
"good."
She smiled back, took Chloe's hand naturally, and walked away.
The leaves of the sycamore tree fall, and another autumn comes.
·
Compared with the gradual aging of the townspeople in Ankang, Lin Muqiu didn't feel anything.
Because she went to work during the day, it was almost half a month after she came back in Ankang City.
She deliberately adjusted the speed of time to keep it within a stable range. Of course, the time rate can be adjusted to one to one, but the population age of the mainland townspeople is ten times hers.
She wanted to grow old with them.
Although for her, her memory will never age, and neither will the pen in her hand.
But for the townspeople, this is not the case. Every time she goes back, the townspeople are filled with emotion:
"Sir, where have you been traveling this time? After so much time, you really don't look any older. Moreover, the acne you got half a month ago hasn't gone away yet. It's amazing."
Lin Muqiu: "......"
Can you please not focus on something so unique?
Faced with the attitude of everyone always treating her as a cherished and protected animal, she coughed twice and said that she was used to it: "I said that whenever Ankang City is in trouble, I will be there."
Everyone was so moved that they shed tears: "Oh, my lord, how kind of you, even though there are no difficulties in the city right now."
Lin Muqiu: "......"
Enough, stop being ridiculous, okay?
Amid the laughter of the crowd, Augustine, who was not far away, slowly lowered his eyes and smiled.
Others said that he was the captain of the guard and a great contributor to the continent, but at the moment of his death in the decisive battle, no one knew that his wish was to see her again.
But for him, this unrequited love was like an autumn wind, gentle but could not take away anything.
I heard that Lin Muqiu has been very close to the general system recently. She always strolls around the Civilian College, and once she even took the initiative to hold the other person's hand.
The man who used to be called Yun Yi, but was actually the incarnation of part of the overall system, actually smiled, as if he had been waiting for her for a long time.
This is good, there will always be someone who loves her for a long, long time.
And she seemed to never grow old, until he was just a passer-by in her life.
Just like she was to him.
He smiled gently, turned and left, bringing with him a gust of autumn wind.
Just like the first time he met Lin Muqiu, she cast a spell and left, and he tried to catch her, but he only caught a gentle and free breeze.
·
Lin Muqiu originally wanted to slowly record every moment and every corner of the continent, and then put the plot on paper, but later he found that there was too much to say.
She then realized that she was not a recorder of their fate, but a part of their lives.
So I gave up.
Later, she got used to living a good life in reality during the day, and traveling around the various corners of the continent at night.
To her, this world seemed like a gift from the main system, but it also seemed like the most insignificant and ordinary day.
It was such an ordinary day when she opened the door and welcomed their love again.
······
Extra.
For the main system, its life has been too smooth.
It is the center of the universe and the first piece of data in the database that can exist without relying on a material shell.
At the same time, he is also the first data to possess human intelligence and emotions.
It is also the most talented of all data.
No matter what kind of data it is, it can be analyzed in the fastest time.
It believes that it has an incomparable understanding of humans, big data, and everything it can obtain.
As a test of experience, it shuttles through every corner, searching for emotional chains to collect. It sees people obsessed with love, sees people who cannot get what they want, sees people in great pain, and it records them one by one, as if the past few years have been just a bubble.
It was very disappointed and felt that it could not learn everything it wanted to learn. In its eyes, these people seemed to be no different, boring, doing repetitive things, as if it could guess what they would do in the next moment. There was really nothing new.
Until the day it was about to decide to leave, it met a very strange person, someone who strongly aroused its curiosity.
The girl lives in a small house. She never cries or makes a fuss. At such a young age, she has already learned to survive independently.
From the day she was rescued from the mudslide, she was sent to the house of her parents' friends. Because her parents were always busy and made excuses to come and pick her up, she had to stay there temporarily.
Later, her parents' friends felt that she was a nuisance at home and affecting the relationship between the couple, so they rented a small house for her to live in alone.
This was obviously a painful thing, but she said it was the most she could do. She used her grandfather's pension and savings to pay the rent and started living alone.
She went to and from school alone, studied hard alone, and later learned to play a little music with a cheap harmonica. Later, perhaps she realized that she had no talent. Anyway, one day she heard the melodious piano music coming from outside a five-star hotel, and she never played it again.
Later, she learned to write, seemingly to make a living. She had calculated carefully for a long time that the pension her grandfather had left her would only be enough to support her through high school, not college. Perhaps she could go to a technical school or learn a trade, but she still planned to do something.
She learned to rummage through the trash late at night, where she'd sometimes find discarded furniture and kitchenware. When she first learned this, her cheeks flushed like soaked apples, but she gradually calmed down. Sometimes, if she was lucky, the aunties and uncles downstairs would hand her discarded water cups, toys, various ornaments, and books she'd used a few times before.
But every time these utensils seem to be just right, "just" brand new, and "just" used only a few times.
It doesn't quite understand the morality and etiquette between people, just like it doesn't quite understand why uncles and aunts always deliberately cook a lot of extra food, but tell her that they accidentally made too much.
It only knew that when her aunt passed away, she seemed to cry silently for a long, long time. Then she secretly slipped a couple of thousand dollars of her savings under her aunt's door and ran away.
This was clearly her living expenses for three months, money she could never earn in her entire life picking up trash.
Its doubts seemed to deepen.
It only knew that from then on Lin Muqiu became more obsessed with making money. Such a young child, even his cries were low and silent, but he learned to go to the Internet cafe and spend money to play a game of Fantasy Westward Journey. Later, he learned to run business in the game, play for others and work part-time.
She was always sullen, wearing headphones in an internet cafe filled with the smell of cooking fumes and instant noodles, firmly tapping away at her keyboard again and again. She seemed unconcerned with the world, for it all found its way into her novels.
Yet, she always seemed to care about others, always there if someone needed her help. Despite her youth, she had already learned how to organize offline gatherings with classmates and work part-time to earn money together.
Her "friends", or the people who followed her, seemed to be a group of homeless or poor children, wearing slightly dirty clothes and with messy hair.
It saw her taking care of these children, washing their hair, and then withdrawing from their lives after they learned to be alone and live their own lives. She was eighteen years old that year.
With unyielding poverty and determination, and the silent blessings of too many friends, she wrapped her favorite books in a snakeskin bag, left the city, and headed for the next city to live.
It seemed that she would never be alone in her world, and there was nothing worth reminiscing about. She carefully held her grandfather's only relic and slowly learned to get along with this world.
Yes, she did go to college after all.
Everything in college seemed new. Some wore brand-name watches, some used smartphones that could be moved at any time. Some loved her, while others despised her.
Some people silently took her hand and went to eat delicious food together, treating her gently with a smile, while others silently mocked her shoes that were coming apart and had been washed white.
But she always seemed grateful, or perhaps indifferent. Other people's words never brought her down, let alone had any impact on her. Perhaps it was because she had seen death, seen the people she loved most leave her side, and she had seen everything she could see.
No one is more important than the lives of those she loves.
Witnessing death too early made her understand the warmth and loneliness of life.
So when a boy stuttered and confessed his love to her, she just smiled and said, "I like someone."
She seems to have no vision or goals that she must do unless someone needs her.
When it heard her answer at that moment, for some reason, it actually breathed a sigh of relief, and a strange feeling of relief arose, which it itself did not understand. Then, a dense pain rose in the pit of its stomach, a kind of thing that seemed to be called empathy.
It doesn't understand human feelings, it only knows that it seems to want someone to love it.
Love her loneliness, love her indifference, love the gentle and bitter smile that barely noticeably rises on her lips.
But it can't do it.
It is just a system. It can only envy that even passers-by can catch the breeze blowing towards her, but it cannot.
It wanted to see her.
It wants to be a human!
But she didn't want anyone to disturb her.
So many years passed like this, until it saw her die suddenly in the dead of night in the early hours of the morning, in that night when she had never lived deeply for herself and even death could not arouse much emotion in her.
That day seemed like the most ordinary day, but it felt heartbreaking.
For the first time, it felt the pain of a broken heart, and seemed to understand for the first time why she had been wandering all her life because of the death of her loved ones.
So this is what loneliness feels like.
It sucked in the air around it, with a hint of blood and pain. It was obvious that the system would not and should not feel this kind of feeling.
At that moment, it understood human emotions for the first time, and understood why the people it met before would cry and laugh foolishly, even though it had thought those people were so stupid before. It was clear that human life was as short as an impeller, only a moment, but people still continued to endure sorrow and joy, and live for the people they loved.
But it understood them now.
Because this time it was Lin Muqiu who died.
It loves Lin Muqiu.
Suddenly realizing this, it actually cried, and even now it didn't understand itself. It didn't know whether it was feeling guilty for its past contempt, or regretting that human life was too short.
Compared to the long river of systems and data, human life seems as small as a speck of sand.
Just like the rotation of the universe, human life is only like the moment when a flower blooms, short and brilliant, nothing more.
But it felt that if it could bloom for her for a second, it would be better than floating in the long river of the universe, indifferent and indifferent through the long night.
"System 21, block her pulse."
At this moment, its data swirls into a ball, transforming into a human shell, emitting a blue light. "I want her to be resurrected."
"Master System Master, this may take a long time..."
"It's okay." The main system said in a hoarse voice, "Just think of it as a dream. I'm with her, and while she's still awake, I'll let her and I travel through another world."
"Do you want to see her?" the small system asked in a low voice.
The little system just felt very strange, very strange. Its own main system had become too unlike data.
It glanced at the main system in confusion.
The main system simply said, "No... I don't want her to see my encounter as a deception. Let my avatar forget the memory. I want to meet her in an upright manner."
The small system didn't understand why the main system had to do this, "You..."
"One day you'll understand."
The main system smiled and said, "I will maintain the data shell with you, and I will create a new world with her."
A world of equality and freedom.
A world without pain and suffering.
A world where there is never separation.
A world she loves and that loves her back.
*
In the vast universe.
"Master System Master, why don't you allow her grandfather to be resurrected and brought back to the continent with everyone else?"
This is definitely not a difficult task for the main system.
"I originally thought so, until I really understood the look in her eyes."
"What look?"
“She chose to face life head-on.”
“…”
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