Under Astaire's methodical command, the command core of the Starfire Base operated as steadily as a precision clock.
However, deep down, Linde knew that this was nothing more than a fragile calm maintained by force before the storm.
The brief tacit understanding reached by various parties on the mainland in eradicating the evil god's followers is like a fragile layer of ice under the sun; beneath it lies a turbulent struggle for interests.
After properly handing over his daily affairs, he quietly disappeared without anyone noticing, as if he had merged into the air itself.
He didn't use any teleportation array that would cause energy ripples. Instead, he directly tore through the warp and weft of space with his will, stepping onto a hidden path that only he and Amarsera could perceive, a path constructed by the oldest covenant and bloodline power of the dragon race.
He was surrounded by bizarre dimensional fragments and rushing streams of chaotic energy, but his mind remained calm and his steps were steady, as if he were walking in his own corridor.
When he stepped back onto solid ground, he found himself in the sacred land of Dragon's Rest.
It was still that strange world, with its dome made of countless enormous, self-illuminating crystals, permeated with a tranquility that seemed to have been sleeping for ages, and a vast magical energy.
A soft, unknown light bathed the earth, and the dense energy in the air was almost tangible. Every breath seemed to exhale liquid magic, bringing a slight feeling of expansion.
But this time, Linde keenly sensed that the "breath" of this sacred place was deeper and more powerful than during his last visit, as if a heart that had been silent for eternity had been revitalized, with each beat causing the energy of the entire space to pulsate slowly.
An indescribable sense of "awakening" permeated the air, and even the suspended light dust seemed to become more active.
The awakening of Amazelak is clearly not just a return of the individual, but also a boost to the fortune of the entire Holy Land and even the dragon race.
He did not disturb any of the giant dragons that lay dormant in the distance like mountains, their massive forms appearing like ancient sculptures in the hazy light.
His figure was like a ghost; in a few flashes, using subtle leaps in spatial rules, he had already traversed a vast distance and appeared in the core area of the holy land.
The colossal, dark-gold dragon, Amar'therak, the "Eternal Rock," which resembled an ancient mountain range, was not in its usual slumber. Its amber eyes, seemingly having witnessed the birth and death of countless stars and the drifting history of continents, were quietly gazing at Lind's arrival, as if piercing through endless time and space. There was no surprise in its gaze, only a clear understanding of cause and effect.
"You have arrived, child of the outlier."
Ancient and magnificent, it seemed to carry the echoes from the depths of the earth, directly imprinted on the depths of Linde's soul, calm and undisturbed, yet containing immense weight.
"Is it for those... filthy things from the 'outside,' like maggots clinging to bones?"
Lin De could feel the other party's vast will enveloping him like a warm ocean current, carrying scrutiny and a hint of imperceptible solemnity.
He nodded slightly, his figure as upright as a pine tree, standing before Amatherak's giant claw, which resembled a small platform, calmly gazing up at this ancient guardian who bore the weight of too much time.
Under the gaze of that enormous body and distant eyes, even he could clearly feel his own insignificance and... the brevity of time.
"Your Majesty Amarsera," his voice was steady, yet exceptionally clear in this utterly tranquil space, "the surface pollution of the Shadow Abyss has been temporarily suppressed, and the various factions on the continent have reached a preliminary consensus on the operation to exterminate its remnants, and the situation seems stable. But in the dimension I perceive, those things have not truly left; they are like the most stubborn viruses, lurking in the shadows of the rules, difficult to eradicate."
Even more disturbing is that they seem to be... observing, learning, and even adapting to the rules of our world.
A sharp glint flashed in his purple eyes as he directly posed the core question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time, his tone carrying an unquestionable inquiry:
"I want to know, within the treasure trove of knowledge inherited by the dragon race, spanning countless eras of rise and fall, and witnessing the fall of stars, how much do you really know about these 'extraterrestrial evil gods'? What is their true nature? Where do they originate? And what is their ultimate purpose in constantly eroding other worlds? And what role does our continent of Tiel, or rather, this vibrant world we inhabit, play in their incomprehensible perception? Is it a sumptuous feast, or a... nest worth conquering?"
Amatherak's massive dragon head lowered slightly, a subtle movement that caused energy dust to swirl around it.
In his amber dragon eyes, it seemed as if nebulae were slowly rotating, rising and falling, with the long river of time rushing and flowing within them, reflecting the silhouettes of countless civilizations and the fading glory.
He remained silent for a moment.
This silence was not empty, but filled with an unspeakable weight, as if the rise and fall of countless worlds and the joys and sorrows of billions of living beings were all condensed in this brief stillness, making the surrounding air seem to solidify.
"...This is...an incredibly heavy topic, Lind Truk."
Amarselak's voice became more distant and vast, as if it did not come from the present moment, but from the other side of the river of time, crossing the dust of eternity, slowly conveying itself.
"The 'evil gods' you see and fight against may not be a unified group or nation. They are more like a cosmic phenomenon, a 'scavenger' born from some ultimate 'rule' or 'instinct' that we cannot fully understand."
"A street cleaner?"
Lind frowned slightly. The word carried a cold, inhuman connotation, which intensified the ominous premonition in his heart.
The "deconstruction halo" in his mind was working silently, trying to analyze the deeper logical chain from these simple words.
"Yes, cleaner."
Amaserak confirmed, his voice like rolling thunder echoing through the soul.
"In the boundless sea of stars and the interwoven myriad dimensions, worlds are as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, endless and inexhaustible. Some worlds are born barren, heading towards heat death in the cold; others, after the most brilliant burning of life and civilization, meet their inevitable end."
But some worlds, like our continent of Tyre, have miraculously given birth to unique, powerful, and complex systems of 'order' and 'law' during their long evolution—such as the original magic network on this land beneath our feet, which still exists even after Tiolantis stole its power; the ancient and eternal opposition and symbiosis between light and darkness; and the tenacious and magnificent miracle of life itself…”
"These powerful and highly ordered systems are essential for maintaining the stability and prosperity of the world itself. They are like a bonfire burning brightly in a dark forest, radiating warmth and vitality. But precisely because of this, they attract some 'uninvited guests' who roam in the darkness."
A trace of extremely distant reminiscence and profound solemnity flashed in Amazelak's dragon eyes, his gaze seemingly piercing through the dome of the holy land and looking towards the cold, deep space beyond the stars.
"According to the oldest stone tablet records of the dragon race, which are passed down through blood and soul, and my own observations over a life so long that they exhaust the soul... these so-called 'extraterrestrial evil gods' are more like a 'distortion of rules' or a 'predator of concepts'."
They are not life forms as we usually understand them; they have no fixed form and no concept of good or evil as we define them.
Their sole instinct, or rather, their 'driving force,' is to 'devour' and 'merge.'
"They yearn to devour highly ordered law structures, to merge vibrant soul pulses with the accumulated knowledge of civilization, to decompose, distort, and shatter all of this, and ultimately transform it into a part of their own chaotic and disordered essence."
This process, within their distorted logic, might be called 'returning to chaos' or 'the return of all things to oneness.'
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