CHAPTER 1007: CHAPTER 1004: TASLYCHE

Li Yuxuan was driving and noticed the commotion in the back seat: "Xin Yue, what are you doing!"

"Just drive properly, or I’ll stab it down." Xin Yue gently stroked her rose-red hair and said softly.

Li Yuxuan could only maintain the original speed of the car.

The scenery outside the window sped by rapidly, becoming increasingly desolate. The closer they got to the Second Tower, the more they found themselves in a long-abandoned city, like peeling back the fog on an ancient map, delving into lands once forsaken by humanity.

"...In just half an hour, two people pointed weapons at my vital points," Su Ming’an said. "I can understand Yi Changping’s situation; he was too agitated, and it was his way of atonement. But what about you, Xin Yue? I remember when I first met you in Dao Ya City, you gently embraced me, comforted me, soothed my emotions, and told me not to listen to the strange voices. You were also my initial guide, so why do you want to stop me?"

Xin Yue slightly lowered her head.

Tears lingered in her eyes as she said in a low voice:

"Because I am concerned for your safety. You really shouldn’t continue investigating."

"The deity must have advised you to stay safely with Him, and nothing would happen. Ultimately... who knows if what’s opened will be a treasure or Pandora’s Box. Millennia-old history has buried too many terrifying things. Even though I know nothing about it, I don’t wish to see you put in danger for it."

"Xin Yue." Su Ming’an’s voice was very calm, and the knife on his neck was not a threat. "Perhaps the deity gave you an oracle, persuading you from a third-party perspective. But at the same time, many people placed their hopes on me, hoping I would become a god."

"Many matters can only be resolved at an equal level. Only by becoming an Old God can I have the capital to negotiate with the deity and the power to save the world. The deity’s goal is world destruction, and this is abundantly clear; He himself did not refute it. My mission does not allow for leaving this world unattended. Even if something happens to me in the end, I cannot turn back."

"If you truly care about my safety, then let everyone stand by my side until this world stabilizes and the deity gives up on destruction. This is my responsibility and the reason I’ve persisted until now."

He placed his hand on Xin Yue’s hand, gently pressing down the small knife:

"I don’t want your history to disappear, for innocents to suffer persecution to death, for the sick to go untreated, for wrongdoers to hold sway."

"I cannot let these happen because I can do something about it. Besides my own goals, which include saving Su Luoluo, Yi Zhongyu, Li Yuxuan, Grandma Lin, and others, I will also bear this responsibility. I don’t want you all to disappear."

Xin Yue slowly put down the knife. She leaned against the seat in pain, covering her face, and let out a suppressed howl of grief.

She cried loudly, as if releasing all her repression and pain. Her rose-red hair trembled continuously, and her fingers quickly became wet.

Li Yuxuan, driving in the front, heard all of this and let out a gentle sigh. He had nothing to say, but silently felt grateful in his heart.

"Did the deity say something to you, advising you to give up?" Su Ming’an touched the bloodstain on his neck, which quickly healed. He looked at Xin Yue’s tear-streaked face, knowing she was also in pain.

"...The deity told me via email that if you continue your investigations, the Exotic Species King will eventually devour you, and you will lose yourself, possibly losing much more. So... so..." Xin Yue said guiltily, "You and our matters... really have nothing to do with you. I know you’re a traveler from another world; we forced you to be brought here..."

Su Ming’an shook his head: "Since I’m here, I will do it."

His promise was brief yet firm, a mere eight characters in length.

Since I’m here,

I will do it.

He won’t sit idly by, nor stop out of fear. If it were merely damage to his mental state, it wouldn’t be considered a price; he had to unearth the deepest secrets of the world. Apart from this world, there was also his own world.

Xin Yue merely sighed.

The vehicle screeched to a halt, reaching the Second Tower.

Su Ming’an opened the car door and looked up—thousands of people had already gathered here. The high tower, like a pitch-black lighthouse, with its halo at the top yet to light up. Beneath the dazzling sunlight, people were quietly awaiting with flowers, cameras, microphones, and glory medals.

—As if waiting for a lead actor to unveil the stage curtain, anticipating a pioneer to open a new era.

Under the flashes, Su Ming’an could not make out the expressions of these people. The numbers were simply too many, densely packed like ants, and such gazes far exceeded thousands, tens of thousands behind the lenses.

His leather boots hit the ground with a "thud" sound, akin to the sound of a trumpet.

"—Su Ming’an."

Directly below the Second Tower, Mizushima Kawa Sora was dressed in divine attire of golden and white. She still wore a golden ring around her neck, holding a luxurious scepter crafted of crystal and gold.

Under the gazes of the people, Mizushima Kawa Sora and Su Ming’an exchanged looks without hindrance, as if standing on a straight red carpet, unyielding.

"—The deity also told me to tell you to stop going further." Mizushima Kawa Sora spoke: "The First Tower... that’s enough, it has to be enough. Stop."

Su Ming’an said, "You’ve finally stopped being cryptic."

Mizushima Kawa Sora shook her head: "I’ve never been cryptic, just never wanted you to die. Because tracing back history will indeed lead to terrifying things, people’s cognition will increasingly intensify, the Exotic Species King will be awakened, and you will be devoured... This is what the deity told me."

Su Ming’an said, "The deity’s goal has always been world destruction. And He never mentioned this information, only telling you now. Is it because I successfully passed the First Tower that He is now afraid?"

As he walked forward, there was a slow "thud", "thud", "thud" underfoot.

Mizushima Kawa Sora’s words indirectly confirmed Su Ming’an’s status as an Old God, placing him on par with the deity—everyone realized this fact.

Mizushima Kawa Sora sighed: "Because even if the deity had said it, you would not stop. Since coercive means do not work, He can only tell you reason, so you can consider carefully."

Su Ming’an said, "Understood."

Chain of suspicion.

The chain of suspicion had long been formed; when one person starts to suspect, others quickly fall into mutual distrust. No matter how sincere the words, they would no longer make each other believe.

He believed Mizushima Kawa Sora was telling the truth now, and was willing to believe the deity’s words. But this was a necessary process to clear the level, and he believed he would not be left with an unsolvable problem in the end.

With enough attempts...

No,

As long as he thought deeply enough, collaborated enough with Noel and the others... it will be resolved.

A happy ending... will eventually be achieved.

As Su Ming’an and Mizushima Kawa Sora were speaking, news broadcasting continuously sounded:

"Frontline news broadcast—currently, a full 30,000 people have gathered at the front line of the Second Tower. The military is intensely clearing the Black Mist, searching for the Third Tower’s whereabouts. The Black Mist now has a coverage rate of 75%, with the Third Tower located deep within, and the progress of clearing the Dream Patrol game remains to be accelerated."

"Regarding the Old God, the deity has not released any new oracle, and He seems to tacitly approve the Old God to open the Second Tower."

"The former leader of the Dream Patrol Family, Yi Zhongyu, stated that he would continue his efforts in dream patrol, fighting for the fate of humanity."

"Regarding the events in the Experimental City, the Union Government has already convened meetings. The faction supporting the Old God has assisted Ms. Lin Yuzi and others in clearing their names."

"We remain hesitant about the activation of The Second Tower and The Third Tower. We hope the Old God can lead us and spare the world from the fate of destruction."

"..."

"Please step aside, I wish to activate The Second Tower," Su Ming’an said sideways.

"... Alright." Mizushima Kawa Sora had already tried to persuade him, and she ceased her obstruction. If Su Ming’an gave up on saving others, he could only save himself, as the Deity only promised to let Su Ming’an live on while everyone else would disappear with the world’s destruction. If Su Ming’an insisted, though he would suffer hardship, it harms no one else.

Su Ming’an stood beneath The Second Tower, raising the bell in his hand high.

The bell flew high into the air, and the "Maiden" emblem atop his head gradually disappeared. The Second Tower emitted a dazzling light, and the three Angels appeared once again in the sky.

——Judgment Angel Emerald. Slaughter Angel Umbra. After Order Angel Light’s departure, a new Angel responsible for succession appeared.

Seated in a wheelchair, Su Ming’an soared high, and the three Angels respectfully stepped aside.

The Second Tower shimmered with brilliance.

A situation similar to The First Tower occurred——time began to reverse, decayed petals returned to the branches, rusty buildings turned pristine like new, and the once-filled sand became a clear, flowing lake.

Everything was rewinding, everything was changing...

People still marveled at the awe-inspiring scene, overwhelmed by the visual transformation.

"Look——up there in the sky——!" someone screamed.

Above the vast, clear sky, a sudden airship appeared. Made of iron and rivets, it expelled white air from its tail and sailed through the sky, and its massive metal propellers stirred the long wind, blowing people’s hair.

"Clunk, clunk, clunk——"

At the same time, the surroundings were synchronously rewinding——skyscrapers vanished, changing into pavilions from the Mechanical Age. Asphalt roads disappeared, turning into stone and mud paths. Bullets on the ground vanished, replaced by cold spears and shields, laying quietly as if observing time’s reversal.

When doors on both sides opened, people saw residents dressed in Medieval attire.

"This, this is..." People were instantly dumbfounded, never expecting that time——could rewind to——

Small text floated before everyone’s eyes.

...

[The Second Tower has been activated.]

[The current tower’s name is: "Goddess Savior."]

[World task name: "Mobius Ring."]

[Task content: The Exotic Species King is likely to be resurrected during The Second Tower’s duration, please seal or defeat it.]

[Current rewind time: 818 years (modern)——512 years (Steam Age).]

[Your any action will synchronously change the history in the "Maiden Dream Plan" and reflect to the present through the butterfly effect, altering the future, please act cautiously.]

[The struggle of the Disciples continues.]

...

In an instant, panic, shock, fear, surprise, excitement... all sorts of emotions spread among the crowd.

"Did it really rewind so far?" people shouted.

"Wait, could it be that the ’Maiden Growth Plan’ is actually our past that has been buried? It’s only been less than three hundred years, and the world has changed so drastically..." someone pondered.

"This is what the Deity did by concealing history——by covering the past, giving humanity a new foundation of architecture, society, and thought, an era can transition into another in an instant. Because humans fundamentally have no foundation of their own. To create a Primitive Age, just give them fire. To create a Steam Age, just give them airships and mechanical technology. To create a modern era, just give them the internet and foundational subjects."

"So——" Su Ming’an continued slowly, "Isn’t it possible that our ’modern’ could also be rewound by a tower from the ’future’? We... might very well just be part of ’history.’

Mizushima Kawa Sora looked at him in shock.

History is not history.

Modern is not modern.

Future is not future.

History can be inserted into the present, the present can rewind history, and both history and the present can alter the future. The future can also rewind from this point, changing both the past and present.

——What affects them is merely "causality."

Like a sprawling spider web, the causal lines within the web are interconnected, pulling one line affects the whole web. Manipulating one line, another will shift accordingly, causing the entire web to tremble, regardless of whether the line is from the past or the future.

When the "future" is happening, the "past" is also occurring simultaneously. Just like how Su Ming’an in the "present" knows about the Exotic Species King, the "past" Maiden Dream Plan will also synchronously broadcast news of the Exotic Species King’s resurrection.

"But... I already know, this is clearly a different world." Su Ming’an thought. In the morning, he crossed the world’s edge and had seen the real Alice’s world, which evidently did not belong to history.

So, the connection between these worlds... What exactly is it...

The mechanical airship descended before the people.

With a veil over her head, adorned with a crystal crown, a maiden in a snow-white gown descended from the airship slowly. The people on the airship bowed and gathered around her, kissing her hand, walking down with her.

"Alice..." Su Ming’an finally saw Alice. She had changed significantly.

"Lady Goddess Taslyche——has arrived here——!"

Su Ming’an’s call was interrupted by the residents on the airship. The local people bowed to Alice, as if she were an untouchable Deity.

——A year had passed in the game. Alice had already become Goddess Taslyche.

The noble and elegant Goddess entered this land, locking eyes with Mizushima Kawa Sora, who wore the same attire. They shared the same identity, the same garb, yet their gazes were entirely different.