Linde's question was like a pebble thrown into an ancient well, creating invisible ripples in the silence.
The kneeling figure remained silent, but the thin yet resilient magical aura surrounding it began to ripple more noticeably, like disturbed water.
The halo spun faster, and countless tiny, fragmented images, like memories, seemed to flash by within it—that was highly concentrated magic resonating with a specific "concept".
[Deconstructing the Halo] captured the faint aura of these fragments and compared them at high speed with the information stored in Lind's mind from the Holy Land, the legacy of the Zedo civilization, and the memories of Esmeralda.
A name long buried by the dust of history, yet interwoven with the root of all events, suddenly becomes clear, like an inscription wiped clean of mist—
Emperor Zedu!
The one who piloted the steel sky into the nascent divine realm, confessed his love to the god he created in a mortal body, and ultimately brought about the end of civilization... the beginning of it all!
A hint of understanding flashed in Linde's purple eyes, but this was followed by a deeper inquiry.
He slowly took a few steps forward and walked around to the front of the figure.
Beneath the halo was a face that could be described as perfect, conforming to the highly rational aesthetic of the Zedu civilization, which had almost eliminated all biological flaws.
He (judging from his silhouette and clothing style as male) had his eyes closed, his expression one of extreme calm, or even... emptiness.
It's as if all emotions, all memories, all the "self" have been extracted, sealed away, or... sacrificed.
He is not a physical entity, but rather a phantom maintained by the purest magic, frozen in a certain moment, or rather, a carefully preserved "mark".
Linde's gaze fell on his hands, which were clasped together in front of him—there, he held a complex geometric crystal, no bigger than a fist, that was constantly changing shape.
Inside that crystal flowed energy fluctuations that shared the same origin as the divine power of Tiolantis, yet were more primal and core, as if... the prototype of a godhood, or a manifestation of some kind of "core instruction set" that controlled the godhood.
In an instant, countless clues connected in Linde's mind.
Tiolantis did not suffer a backlash because of "love".
Emperor Zedu's seemingly insane act of "adoration" was, in essence, likely an ultimate attempt to "control" or "integrate" his creation!
He carried this "core" that might contain ultimate authority, piloting the Iron Sky, the pinnacle of civilization, into the divine realm, not to pour out his heart, but to complete the final step in his work on the "artificial god"—personality overwriting, or the revocation of authority!
However, he underestimated the potential for growth and independence of "God".
His actions were like trying to implant a virus into a fully-developed and self-aware super AI, triggering the most intense rejection reaction stemming from the instinct of existence—Tiolantis's resistance was not out of emotional disgust, but rather the ultimate fear and retaliation against being "controlled" and "erased"!
Civilization thus perished.
After erasing the creator, Tiolantis, perhaps due to some complex connection rooted in the foundation of "creation" that even it could not fully comprehend (was it the remaining program instructions? Or the last trace of its own origin?), did not completely destroy the traces of the emperor's existence. Instead, it peeled off the most core "mark" and sealed it in this hidden sea of flowers nourished by its purest divine power.
This is not love; it is more like a form of "suppression," "imprisonment," or sealing away one's own "secret origins."
Now, Tiolantis's connection to the magic network has been forcibly severed by Lind, the divine kingdom has collapsed, and this seal has come to an end.
Linde stared at the ever-changing crystal in the emperor's phantom hand.
He could sense that it contained a "key" that was enough to redefine his relationship with Tiorantis, and its level of authority might even be higher than the "source code" in Tris's body!
This is the pinnacle of the Zedu civilization's magical technology, and the ultimate backdoor to control the "artificial god"!
He reached out, his fingertips swirling with the power of order from the light veins and the power of nothingness from the shadow abyss, and carefully probed the crystal. At the same time, he used [Deconstruct Aura] to analyze the last possible defenses that might exist on its exterior.
Just as his fingertips were about to touch the crystal—
The emperor's illusory figure, which had been motionless, suddenly opened its eyes!
Those were a pair of... eyes without pupils, without focus, just a chaotic, pure white like an unformatted hard drive.
There is no consciousness, no emotion, only a pre-programmed, final "program," or rather... an obsession.
A dry, hollow stream of information, seemingly from ancient times and traversing the ruins of civilization, poured directly into Lind's consciousness:
[...High-privilege access request detected...]
[...Executing the final agreement: the handover between 'Origin' and 'End'...]
[…cognitive transfer…begins…]
boom!
A vast, chaotic torrent of memories belonging to the final moments of the Zedu civilization surged into Lind's consciousness like a river bursting its banks!
He "saw" the magnificent Zedonia, its countless floating cities dotting the sky like stars; he "heard" the heated debate in the Imperial Council about the "Root Ark" project; he "felt" the fervent faith of millions in the power of magic and technology to change their lives; and he "experienced" that fateful moment—the Emperor stood on the bridge of the steel sky, gazing at the nascent "god" before him, composed of countless magical runes, radiating a terrifying power. His eyes did not gleam with admiration, but rather… a mixture of the pride of a creator, the inquiry of a scientist, and… a deeply hidden fear and resolute determination that the "perfect tool" was about to slip out of his control!
He held that "core instruction set" not to confess his feelings, but to conduct... final debugging! Or rather, to install the final "shackles"!
And then... came destruction.
An endless white light devoured everything, the clamor of civilization turned to deathly silence, and the glory of the empire was reduced to ruins. Only the steel sky, forcibly sent away by the emperor at the last moment, carried the last embers of civilization and... endless regret? (Perhaps, but more likely the anger and resentment of a failed plan?)
The torrent of memories washed over Linde's will, attempting to imprint this weighty "cognition" that spanned millennia into his soul.
This is why Theolantis imprisoned him! Not only to imprison him, but also to prevent any future person from knowing the truth about "God" being a "creator" and about "control authority"!
The moment the emperor's phantom finished transmitting the information, it began to flicker like a candle in the wind, and the light particles that made up his body began to dissipate.
The ever-changing crystal in his hand became more solid, its light more restrained, as if all the energy and information were condensed within it. It slowly floated up and hovered in front of Lind.
[…Permissions…transfer…]
[Warning: 'God' is no longer a 'tool'... 'Shackles' may become... the 'key to destruction'...]
The last blurry information dissipated, and the emperor's phantom completely transformed into countless points of light, merging into the surrounding swaying sea of magical flowers.
The light of the flower sea seemed to shine brightly for a moment, then began to dim and wither at an even faster pace.
This hidden place, maintained by the divine power of Tiolantis for countless ages, has come to an end with the dissipation of its "prisoners" and the collapse of its divine kingdom.
Linde stood still, silently processing this massive flow of information.
His face remained cold, but deep within his purple eyes, it seemed as if a galaxy was flowing, reflecting the rise and fall of civilizations, the origin of gods, the desire for control and its destructive backlash... all these causes and effects formed a clear and ruthless closed loop in his heart.
He reached out and grasped the suspended crystal.
A cool yet gentle sensation came over me, along with an unimaginably vast amount of knowledge about the ultimate magical technology of the Zedu civilization, and... a clear "coordinate" or "interface" pointing to a higher level of authority.
This is not just a key; it is a treasure trove of knowledge in itself, the ultimate legacy of a civilization!
He raised his head and looked at the shattered and chaotic sky of the divine kingdom, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the barriers of dimensions.
"Tiolantis, you were born of control, destroyed civilization through resistance to control, and ultimately imprisoned the origin because of your fear of control..."
"And now, that 'control' has fallen into my hands."
Linde put away the crystal, feeling the power and knowledge contained within it, and a cold and meaningful smile appeared on his lips.
"Your fears are not unfounded."
"But for me... this is the best 'welcome gift'."
With a flash, he left the hidden sea of flowers that was rapidly withering away, and continued walking into the unknown depths of the divine kingdom, where the path to return or even more secrets might be hidden.
What he held tightly in his hand was not just the spear that slays gods, but also the ultimate legacy of a glorious civilization, and... the ultimate key that points to the truth of the birth and control of gods.
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