Eternal Prologue
The river of time flows silently, washing away the daily routines of the endless corridor. Jiang Yu stands quietly on the Starry Terrace, his youthful figure unchanged, yet his eyes hold the weight of countless ages. The Tree of Hope, with its majestic canopy, shelters the new generation of residents; those who once stood shoulder to shoulder with him have mostly become legends in history and inscriptions on the foundation stones.
He ran his fingertips lightly over the cool railing of the terrace, where a shallow, almost worn-down mark lay—a scratch left many, many years ago when he'd accidentally slipped and fallen during a zero-practice jump. He could almost hear that guy's boisterous apology echoing in his ears again. Now, that guy's "legacy"—a meticulously optimized network of folded corridor spaces—continues to operate silently and efficiently every day.
His gaze swept across the distant plaza, where a group of tiny light sprites were playing beneath the newly erected stone statue. The statue was lifelike, capturing the moment when his comrade stood tall with his shield. Jiang Yu still remembered the simple yet resolute smile on Rock's face as he solemnly handed him the giant shield "Unbreakable Barrier" before the final battle: "Administrator, this shield... will guard my home from now on." Fragments of the shield were now embedded in the statue, fused with the star core crystal, truly becoming a symbol of the corridor's "unbreakability."
The aroma of Blood Axe's roasted meat still seems faintly lingering. Before he left, he imparted his secret culinary skills of "Flame of Life" to a destined fire spirit. He said, "Good food should give people energy! This flame must be passed on!" Today, the canteen in the corridor is always the place with the most energy and the most laughter.
Deep within the library of the librarian grandfather, the "Encyclopedia of Everything," evolved from the core algorithm of the fox, continues to be silently updated, guarding all knowledge. The starlight scattered by Shirin still illuminates the corridor every night, as gentle as ever.
The deceased are gone, but their spirit lives on. What Jiang Yu protected was no longer just a building, but an immortal legacy woven and accumulated by countless vibrant lives. Time has not changed his youthful appearance, but it has tempered his original aspiration to protect, making it as brilliant and warm as the starry sky.
A pale figure quietly appeared, with Xuan Tongjun standing silently to the side, his glassy eyes reflecting the starry sky.
"The dust of time will eventually settle. The clamor of narratives will eventually return to silence." His opening remarks still carried a transcendent rhythm, but upon closer listening, it seemed to have lost a trace of the initial absolute coldness.
Jiang Yu didn't turn around, a complicated smile appearing on her lips: "Yes, it's settled. It's just that occasionally, I still think of some... noisy guys."
He paused, as if talking to himself, or perhaps asking the almost eternal being beside him, "Tell me, if I hadn't triggered the Source Key back then, if there hadn't been that mistaken time travel, if I hadn't met you... would their endings have been different?"
This was a question that had been buried deep in his heart for thousands of years, concerning choices, cause and effect, and also... responsibility.
Xuan Tongjun remained silent for a moment, the starry sea swirling in his eyes. He did not answer directly, but instead used a rare narrative style: "I have observed countless tributaries of time and space. Without your intervention as a 'variable,' the great edifice might perish with the awakening of the 'Lord of Annihilation,' be destroyed by internal strife, or... return to mediocrity, quietly weathering away in time. The rock might die in its hometown, the fire of the Blood Axe never illuminated a foreign land, and the starlight of Shirin never wove a fairy tale."
He turned to Jiang Yu, his gaze seemingly piercing through time, seeing the young administrator who had initially been cautious yet resilient in the corridor: "Your 'mistake,' your struggle, your choice, have given this timeline... a unique 'magnificent' and 'warm and tenacious' quality. Their endings are different because of you, and therefore, their existence possesses a narrative weight that transcends the length of their lives."
These words are no longer cold observational conclusions, but rather an affirmation.
Jiang Yu's heart trembled; the loneliness and bewilderment of millennia seemed to find some solace in this moment. He looked at Xuan Tongjun and suddenly asked, "And you, Xuan Tongjun? Back in the Silent Tomb, when you helped me and gave me the Dust of Time, was it really just to... collect 'interesting data'?"
Silence fell once more. After a long while, Xuan Tongjun slowly spoke, his voice carrying a subtle change: "Initially, it was indeed observation. However, observing how a speck of dust flows against the current, how it accumulates into a tower, how it... ignites a spark that should not exist in a narrative destined to remain silent... this process itself will also... give back to the observer."
He didn't explicitly state what "giving back" meant, but Jiang Yu sensed it. Was it curiosity? Was it being touched? Or perhaps... some kind of resonance that transcended purely rational observation?
Just then, the ancient mark at the very core of the Source Key on Jiang Yu's chest, an innate yet perpetually undecipherable feature, suddenly warmed almost imperceptibly. A sealed final instruction, belonging to the Supreme God and passed down almost instinctively, was quietly unlocked at this moment, flowing into his heart due to the perfection of Jiang Yu's state of mind and the subtle change in Xuan Tongjun's words:
"...Child, when you truly understand that 'protection' is not 'possession,' but 'fulfillment'; when you no longer 'depend on' the Source Key, but 'coexist' with it; when you can transform the 'observer' into a 'fellow traveler'...that is when you transcend my plans and truly take control of your own narrative...then the starry sea ahead is boundless, and your heart...is the lighthouse..."
The Lord's instructions, like the final key, completely unlocked Jiang Yu's heart. To protect is not to cling to the past, but to embrace the future and be willing to take responsibility for a wider world. The last trace of confusion in his eyes dissipated, replaced by a clear sense of relief and a peaceful steadfastness.
The two smiled at each other, all the past ups and downs, tests and companionship transformed into a tacit understanding and tranquility in the present moment.
Jiang Yu took a step forward, his figure and the Tree of Hope behind him, now inextricably linked to the corridor, forming an eternal picture. All the emotions and protection he had poured into this place have now settled into the most solid foundation of this land, growing gently and freely in its cycle.
Xuan Tongjun's figure quietly appeared beside him, like the silent starry sky finally welcoming the trajectory of a shooting star—a journey that transcends eternity, settling silently. They spoke no words, but naturally stepped forward together, heading towards the sea of stars.
This step, light as a feather, carries the weight and relief of the entire past. Behind me, the endless corridor, warmly lit as ever, is like a perfectly sculpted jewel, peacefully suspended in a corner of time and space, quietly telling its own perfect story.
Ahead lies an endless sea of stars, each ray of light a chapter yet to be continued, each twinkle an invitation to new life. There lies darkness waiting to be illuminated, and loneliness yearning for resonance.
Starlight guides our path, and our original aspirations serve as our boat.
The former administrator, and the former observer,
They embarked on their own rent-collecting journey, which spanned the stars.
And the lights in the endless corridor will forever provide warmth.
It became the warmest destination at the end of their journey.
All was silent, except for the poetic starlight, which gently bathed all that was past and future.
They smiled as they headed towards the next grand spectacle.
End of article
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