Chapter 99: Storm: Eternal Ruins (Part 2) [VIP]
"In the center is a massive transparent cylinder, over ten meters in diameter. Its top is connected to the dome of the space, and at its base sits a silver metal base approximately two meters high. The entire cylinder looks like a giant pillar supporting the entire space. The surface of the silver metal base is covered with conduit sockets. Almost all the conduits on the ground connect to it, and countless conduits fixed to the walls connect to the top of the cylinder."
"What's inside the cylinder?"
"Dark Night Mentor" couldn't help but ask.
Yaris said nothing, but looked at Kairusha nervously.
Kairusha shook his head sadly.
"There was nothing inside the giant cylinder, or rather, whatever was inside had long since decayed and weathered away, leaving only a thin layer of gray-black dust. The moment I saw this dust, a wonderful image emerged in my mind."
"I saw elites in white robes walking around this semicircular room, constantly recording and discussing around a massive cylinder in the center. All equipment was operating at full power, and within the cylinder...dangling was a "He" in the form of a baby, gleaming with a dark light..."
"Although it has the general appearance of a human baby, it lacks organs like eyes, nose, and mouth. Its body is curled up like a fetus in its mother's womb, and its vague legs, which are unclear whether to call them limbs or tentacles, hold a ball of light that is about the same size as itself and is extremely bright and dazzling..."
"I call this baby the Star Child, because its body seems to be made of the night sky. Countless stars twinkle and shimmer in the clear darkness. The stars constantly move within its body, converging towards the ball of light it holds tightly in its arms..."
"It's a thought wave! It must be a thought wave! I encountered a similar situation when I was researching the ruins of the Eternal Empire in Gaola!"
The Dark Night Mentor screamed.
"This situation is often referred to as a gaze across time and space, even though they, far away on the other side of time and space, cannot see us six thousand years later."
"...I don't know what I saw, nor do I understand why I saw it. All my senses were seized by Him floating in the cylinder. Like a lost soul, I tried to see the appearance of the Star Child and the ball of light He tightly embraced. But I, I could see nothing. I only felt indescribable fear, trembling, sadness, and nothingness..."
"When I regained consciousness, the sage told me I had been standing motionless before the transparent cylinder for a day and a night. He asked me what I had seen, and I replied, "What is this transparent cylinder?" He said that after thousands of years of tireless deciphering by him and his predecessors, they were convinced that this transparent cylinder was the core of the Eternal Empire's gods' plan—a petri dish that combined all known technology and magic to create a god called the 'Eternal Death God.'"
"Creating a god? What an arrogant idea..."
The Dark Night Mentor was dumbfounded. "I originally thought Her Royal Highness the Princess and the Singing Bird were the most arrogant, conceited, and bold people on this planet. I never expected..."
"Is that all you can think of?"
"What else? What did your Highness think of?"
The Dark Night Mentor asked unconvincedly, "After listening to Kairusha's story, what fantasies did your poetic and romantic imagination conjure up?"
"I think..." Yaris smiled and said, "The Eternal Empire's research back then must have been incredibly close to success. They were on the threshold of becoming gods... Feeling threatened, the gods rushed to destroy them!"
"The 'Death Sage' has a similar story. Back then, after the catastrophe, the Eternal Empire's capital was instantly reduced to ruins, and all information in the database was wiped out. However, there were still survivors underground in the Mansion of the Gods... By sorting and studying the writings and stone tablets left by these survivors, the sage determined that the Holy Family was a relic of the Eternal Empire, which was destroyed overnight by a divine retribution six thousand years ago. The High Priest was a gift to the Twin Gods, created by all the Eternal Empire's scientists and magicians using super-science and super-magic..."
"Gift……"
"Yes, a gift... but not in the conventional sense..."
Kairusha narrowed his eyes, as if gathering his courage.
"Six thousand years ago, the Eternal Empire, whose technology and magic had reached levels unimaginable to us, realized that the fate of the planet was controlled by the gods. Furthermore, the so-called gods were merely intelligent beings from other civilizations, possessing superior technology and magic, and similar in appearance to us humans. Unwilling to be inferior to the gods, they gathered all their forces to research the possibilities of mechanical ascension and genetic modification, attempting to become equals with the gods. They agreed that if their resistance was suppressed by the gods, they would use the blood and souls of billions of dead to activate a mysterious creation called the 'Eternal Death', and perish together with the gods."
"The gods saw through this plan. They first destroyed the Eternal Empire's capital, took away its creations, and then destroyed the entire empire. They feared that the creation called 'Eternal Death' would truly activate after absorbing the blood and souls of billions of victims of the Eternal Empire, releasing the death force that had been contained within it since its birth, which was powerful enough to destroy the universe."
”
"According to the records left by the survivors, the core of the 'Eternal Death God' is a mysterious substance even older than the Eternal Empire's mind. It cannot be destroyed or analyzed... The Eternal Empire 'surrounds' this mysterious substance simply to imbue it with consciousness, allowing it to transform from a chaotic, imaginary concept into a being with a degree of self-awareness."
"Before being taken away by the gods, 'Eternal Death' took the form of a star child embracing a ball of light."
.
"What follows is all the sage's speculation."
"The sages believe that the gods have spent a great deal of time repeatedly studying the Eternal Death, who has developed self-awareness. They have discovered that not only is He incomprehensible, but His tenuous self-awareness has been further refined through their research, gradually transforming from an ignorant newborn into an innocent child..."
"Realizing that they could neither destroy him nor assimilate him into their own, and that retaining him in a higher dimension would only accelerate his evolution and growth, the gods resolved to seal him away, yet were unwilling to give up completely. They therefore used divine magic and technology, combined with human genes, to create a body capable of temporarily sealing the 'God of Eternal Death'. Under the name 'Son of God,' they cast him into a golden cage on the planet Ella."
"The High Priest is the general term used by the gods to refer to the body they created to temporarily seal the 'Eternal Death', right?"
Yaris's voice was unexpectedly calm.
"According to the 'Sage of Death', the High Priest is indeed a collective term for a human-like being created by the gods to seal the 'Eternal Death God'. When the consciousness of the Light Sphere takes over, the High Priest has silver hair and purple eyes. When the consciousness of the Star Child takes over, the High Priest has black hair and black eyes."
"Does the light ball have self-awareness?"
Romila, who was held in the grip of the "Mentor of Dark Night" in the form of a staff, murmured softly.
“…”
The Dark Night Mentor glared at him but did not scold him because he had similar curiosity.
Kairusha thought for a moment and said calmly, "I asked a similar question at the time. The sage said I made the mistake of human supremacy, believing that only life in human form was life. I didn't realize that the sphere of light embraced by the Star Child was also part of the Void Chaos. The complete form of the Void Chaos is the child embracing the sphere of light. Both the sphere of light and the Star Child are indispensable."
"The human equivalent of conjoined twins?"
The Dark Night Mentor exclaimed.
Kairusha nodded.
"This is incredible! It's like a creature from another planet! Well, theoretically, it does come from a higher dimension!"
The Dark Night Mentor exclaimed loudly.
Kairusha looked at Yaris, his eyes filled with bitter fatigue.
"...For a long time afterwards, I stood in front of the empty cylinder, lost in thought. I told the sage that I was fascinated by that strange creature. I wanted to know who it was? Why did it come to our world? Was its capture by the Eternal Empire fate or its own choice? Did it possess wisdom and power that even the gods could not decipher? But one thing is certain: whatever it is, it is a being beyond our current understanding."
"The sages say that the reason every high priest has been born with such beauty and terrifying charm is because no life can resist the beauty of light, and no one can resist the evil of death. This is true for humans, and for the gods as well. But for the high priests, born as human pillars created by the gods to temporarily contain and seal the 'Eternal God of Death', is this beauty and charm truly what they desire?"
Hearing this, the "Dark Night Mentor" couldn't help but look at Yaris, trying to find the emotion he wanted from his pale cheeks.
Yaris just smiled, as calm as a beautiful flower in a vase.
"...For five thousand years, under the secret control of the gods, no matter what happened, the sacred family that existed to seal the 'Eternal Death' would not be cut off. Even if they couldn't have children or didn't want to have children, the gods would use the divine tower to force them to conceive children created using their own genes to maintain the seal."
"Furthermore, even sealed, the 'Eternal Death' continues to slowly grow. Through the beautiful yet ephemeral bodies of successive high priests, created by the gods, he perceives the beauty and ugliness, good and evil, joy and pain, nobility and baseness of all things in the world... absorbing the sorrow, regret, lamentation, and compassion they experienced in their brief lives... Until now, his self-awareness has matured, and he has developed his own understanding of the world..."
"What do you think His understanding of the world is?"
"I don't know... I'm just an ordinary human who can only live for a hundred years at most. I can't even understand what higher-dimensional life is. How can I possibly guess what the 'Eternal Death God', feared even by the gods, is thinking after experiencing five thousand years of life and death, love and hate?"
Kairusha looked at Yaris with pity: "The 'Sage of Death' said that you are now the most dangerous existence in the world. The 'Eternal Death' in your body could erupt at any time due to your physical death or mental collapse, killing the entire world!"
"Why? Why would he think that?"
"because……"
Kairusha smiled bitterly. "Even someone as carefree as me, seeing so many meaningless disputes, hatreds, resentments, and wars in the world... I can't help but feel that the existence of human civilization itself is a mistake. What's more..."
"Besides, the high priests of all generations have always lived amidst humanity's ugliest and most shameless desires, conspiracies, and calculations. They must have completely despaired of humanity, right?"
Kairusha lowered his head.
"I don't know... I don't know what to say right now... The Sage of Death said that if you die with great pain and regret, your immense sorrow, pain, and regret before dying will merge with the Eternal Death, bringing all known life in the world, including the gods, into eternal darkness and death."
"But death isn't revenge; it's the greatest gift the 'Eternal Death' can bestow upon the world. Perhaps, for the 'Eternal Death', who has long seen through everything, including the fate of all things, nothingness and death are the only gentlest and most compassionate forces capable of ending all injustice, pain, sorrow, and conflict in the world..."
"—No! No! I don't want to die! I'm fine as hell!"
Romila protested vehemently.
Yaris also smiled gently. "Karusha, I admit that this world is filled with ugliness, conspiracy, bloodshed, and fighting... but I have never considered destroying it. I love this world. No matter how much pain and suffering fate forces me to endure, I will never give up on it. It is so lively, busy, and vibrant, filled with beauty, kindness, goodness, warmth... and the light and hope that are most precious and beautiful in any era..."
"Because of Lucien, right?"
Kairusha said suddenly.
Yaris was silent.
"That's right! Because of Lucien!"
The Dark Night Mentor spoke to himself, "Lucien is the last and most important link between Her Highness the Princess and the world. As long as Lucien is alive, Her Highness the Princess will maintain hope in the world. So He schemed against Lucien, deliberately arranging for Lucien to commit suicide in front of Her Highness to provoke Her Highness. The gods also realized this, and they arranged for Lucien to be resurrected from the dead, and gave him the powerful energy comparable to that of a star... to prevent Her Highness the Princess from falling into the abyss of despair..."
"Wait a minute! Who is he? Why does he want to provoke Yaris? Doesn't he know that after Yaris completely loses hope..."
Kairusha was confused.
"He is the enemy of Her Royal Highness the Princess, and the enemy of the world. As for why he is so obsessed with provoking Her Royal Highness—"
The Dark Night Mentor smiled slyly. "According to my meticulous calculations, if Her Royal Highness dies in despair, the 'Eternal Death' within her will be slowly released in the order of 'eternity' and 'death'. Any mage who can obtain the 'eternal' power overflowing from the princess's body will instantly possess power comparable to that of the gods! Furthermore, they will be unaffected by the power of 'death' and will become an eternal god after the death of the gods and all living beings!"
"That's why he's obsessed with Her Royal Highness, repeatedly creating trouble and forcing her. He wants to become an eternal god, and the key to becoming a god is Yaris, who has completely despaired of the world and firmly believes that only death can save it."
The Dark Night Mentor said intoxicatedly.
"Why must it be Lucien? Is it possible that no one else could pull Her Royal Highness back from her despair?"
The succubus Romila is filled with resentment.
"Of course, I'm not saying that I think Lucien is unattractive. On the contrary, he is very attractive, and even I am a little moved by him. But..."
"But what?"
The Dark Night Mentor explained impatiently, "Of course love can save the soul, but unfortunately... even a foolish succubus like you knows that love has its downsides: suspicion, jealousy, and anxiety about gain and loss. It's so fragile it can't withstand the test of reality. Even if both parties are steadfast and devoted, they can't avoid constant suspicion, jealousy, quarrels, and separations due to various external factors. Their close relationship gradually becomes detached and precarious... Moreover..."
He glanced secretly at Yaris, and after making sure that the latter would not interrupt him, he continued speaking with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Her Royal Highness has lived under the covetousness, calculations, and gazes of countless people since childhood. She simply doesn't believe in love! No matter how sincere and selfless a display of love, her first reaction is to what that person wants from her and how they can exploit this love for their own benefit! Perhaps, only when a devout believer sacrifices their life for her will she truly realize the other person's sincerity, feel a brief moment of sadness and regret, and her soul will be one step closer to falling into complete darkness..."
"I never thought the gods were so calculating... If love couldn't save him, they'd use family ties to trap him..."
Kairusha narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky outside the window, which was still covered with dark clouds. His gaze seemed to be looking through the clouds at the almighty gods he had never seen before.
"So far, it seems their plan has been successful. Her Royal Highness is truly captivated by this emotion. Even knowing the gods are plotting against her, she remains trapped by it. She repeatedly teaches Lucien, finding ways to push him forward. Deep down, she even hopes that Lucien will one day devour her and become an eternal god."
The Dark Night Mentor let out a strange laugh. "However, Lucien is an upright man. He might not be willing to devour the princess... Even if he was forced to devour the princess and become a god for various reasons, with his personality and the special energy within his body that is comparable to that of a star, no one knows what the final result will be..."
"I have no doubt that the gods will be harmed by their calculations if your speculations are true."
Kairusha solemnly declared: "Because I believe in my student. I believe that no matter how much he has been through, he has remained a sincere and kind soul!"
"Yes, I have always firmly believed in this... Excuse me, I'm tired and want to lie down and rest."
Yaris said wearily, preparing to ring the bell to call the servant in.
Looking at his tired and haggard face, Kairusha hesitated for a moment and took out a small packet of medicine from his arms.
"This packet of medicine was prepared for you by the 'Sage of Death'. He said it can help you last longer."
"Thank you, Kairusha."
Yaris took Kairusha's medicine, poured it into his mouth, and said slowly in an innocent tone, "Tonight, I will definitely dream of the ruins of the Eternal Empire in the deepest part of the Great Desert of Death... Ever since I first realized that my existence was abnormal, I have longed for that distant desert, hoping that one day I could step on the scorching sand and touch the white salt pillars... enter the deepest part of the ruins and observe everything there..."
"Aren't you afraid that I might add something bad to your medicine?"
"Why should I be wary of you?"
Yaris bit his lip: "Karusha, our agreement——"
"I will return home as soon as possible and prepare a supporting army for you brothers. You must also hold on, live well, and stop thinking about death..."
"certainly."
Yaris smiled weakly, his slender neck fell on the pillow, and he slowly closed his eyes.
The servant came in and tidied the bedding for his master.
Kairusha watched from the side with a motherly smile on her face.
The "Dark Night Mentor" hesitated for a moment, and finally said nothing, disappearing into the darkness with Romila.
…
…
When Adrian entered the conference room, the round conference table was already full of people.
Seeing the most familiar faces in his memory all showing stiff and depressed expressions, Adrian was very surprised: "Father, and you... why do you look so sad? What happened? Could it be that - civil war has broken out!"
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Adlon scolded his son harshly.
Adrian continued to ask, "What happened?"
"I gathered everyone here to talk about something beyond common sense."
Xiao Yun spoke and motioned Adrian to sit opposite him.
Adrian nodded, staring at Xiao Yun with sparkling eyes: "-No matter what happens, I will abide by my knight's oath."
When the others heard this, they all looked serious.
Lias, who was attending the meeting for the first time, was so shocked that he was speechless and his face was as pale as the paint on the wall.
"Then let's officially get started."
Xiao Yun looked up and signaled the mage to take out a chicken coop.
In the cage, a chicken and two sparrows were lying listlessly, with the feathers on their wings and tails sparse.
"This is……"
"The chickens and sparrows in this coop have all eaten bread baked from wheat seeds sent from the capital."
Xiao Yun said directly: "And then it became like this -"
"But……"
The fat on Lias's face trembled: "They look..."
"From the outside, they just look listless."
Xiao Yun opened the chicken coop, took out the sparrow, parted its sparse feathers, revealing its skin covered with green scales.
"this……"
Everyone looked incredulous.
Especially Adlon.
He originally thought that the wheat seeds sent from the capital were mixed with poison.
"What's going on?"
"All the wheat seeds sent from the capital were contaminated by a terrible poison called 'demon spores'."
Xiao Yun said bluntly, "If you eat food made with flour containing 'demon spores,' your body will gradually mutate, eventually turning into something terrifying like the lizard monsters by Lake Lilia! Although I'm not sure if the lizard monsters by Lake Lilia are also related to the 'demon spores.'"
"——Then what should I do?!"
Lias exclaimed, "I don't want to be a monster! I love my wife and children! I would rather die than hurt them!"
"I'm sorry, but you've..."
"I know... I know..."
Lias clutched his head. "I'm beyond help! Even if I drink antidotes regularly to slow the toxicity, my body, contaminated by the 'devil's spores,' will eventually grow green scales like the chickens and sparrows in the cage... I'll lose my humanity and sanity, and become a flesh-eating monster..."
He looked at Xiao Yun pleadingly: "When that day comes, please kill me! Before I turn into a monster and hurt my wife and children!"
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