Chapter 398 The Butterfly of All Things
"It was an era of infinite light, but it also paved the way for a prelude to darkness."
The curator said these words with sad spiritual ripples, then his eyes fell on the butterfly on his shoulder, and he narrated the following history in a story-telling tone.
After mastering the "subspace texture technology", the "Shadow Association" of the Solipsi people finally created an instrument that can actively observe the virtual world.
For the first time, they set their sights outside the "picture frame", trying to pry into the source of the miracle and find the god "Colin" who they had believed in for thousands of years.
"I can imagine the excitement in our hearts at that time. We found our "Creator". He-or you are not far away from us, even closer than the distance of the stars to us. It’s not the Pillars of Creation tens of thousands of light years away, but right above our heads. 》
The curator’s mental fluctuations suddenly became complicated.
"However, when we pointed the instrument at the source of the miracle, what we saw was not the solemn and sacred kingdom of God, but a dimly lit room. We saw creatures that were not in Solipsi form, surrounding a huge, The luminous lens was operating. "
"At that moment, the truth fell on our heads like thunder."
He slowly turned to Luo Yan, and there was a deep sigh in the slowly flowing spiritual message.
"The Kingdom of God does not exist, my Lord. What exists is a dimly lit room, and a group of observers who, like you, cast their gaze from the other side of the void."
The butterfly that landed on his shoulder shook its wings slightly, as if nodding to acknowledge all this.
"He has known it for a long time, and even every pope knows it. But they still chose to weave a white lie for us who are still naked, so that our spirits will not be lost in the boundless starry sky. This day will always come, even if we extremely hope that it will come slower."
His narrative returns to the statement of history.
""Colin" please allow me to call you this temporarily. At this time, we realize that you are not an omnipotent creator, but an observer from another time and space. You may even receive a not-so-large salary and live in a not-so-wide house. ”
ˆ ˆ “And the beliefs and foundations of our entire civilization are nothing more than an experimental record of a higher civilization. Our myths that have lasted for thousands of years have been completely deconstructed in the face of irrefutable observation results.”
ˆ ˆ "In this process, we have completed the disenchantment of the gods."
"Congratulations, this shows that you are becoming me - or even surpassing me." Luo Yan gave praise frankly, just like a father facing a child who has surpassed himself.
Although this meant that he lost control of the virtual world No. 440 and could not play tricks behind the scenes, he did not think this was a bad thing.
The taste of leeks is certainly delicious, but a close friend is even more difficult to find, let alone one who spans the sea of stars.
Especially the characteristics of the virtual realm determine that no one can stably exploit the resources behind it. It is actually a waste to treat the civilization behind it as leeks.
Why not give them a ride?
Since they can finally complete this destined journey by their own strength, they might as well use this opportunity to form a good relationship.
Maybe he can get some interesting insights from it.
Of course.
The above is just from his own standpoint.
From the standpoint of a Xuebang magician, what they are doing is actually the best choice for themselves.
After all, "Wraith Charcoal" can really improve the soul level!
This thing has little appeal to nobles like Ophia, who was born with a golden key, but it has a fatal attraction for most of his apprentices.
At least for now.
The curator smiled, and the complicated emotions turned into happiness.
"Thank you."
"Although I know you will say this, I still hope to hear it with my own ears."
Luo Yan happily nodded the tip of his wing, and then asked another doubt in his heart.
"But I want to know why you said this is the prelude to darkness."
The curator's tentacles pointed to the next scroll, moving the body embraced by countless tentacles forward along the red carpet.
"This is about the next painting."
It is a picture of a glorious era full of creativity and confidence.
The picture is probably a laboratory, a giant structure that is countless times more magnificent than the Tower of the Great Sage, standing in the starry sky.
Through the breathtaking miracle, he can also see the details beneath the grandeur.
Countless Solipsi are manipulating etheric energy and weaving incredible subspace structures. The faces of each individual are filled with the pride of controlling their own destiny.
Differing from Mentor Merck’s misunderstanding of the refrigerator and GG in Virtual Realm No. 178, the Solipsi people in Virtual Realm No. 440 truly did it in the third millennium, allowing every individual in the civilization to have the right to explore the virtual realm.
They explore.
They study.
Then shape the world behind the void according to their spiritual frequency, spread the gospel defined by themselves, and find close friends in the wider star sea.
"..After the truth was announced, the old theocracy peacefully disintegrated, and we erected a huge monument for you as an answer to the past. "Because our civilization at that time had reached a considerable height, our society did not undergo violent turbulence, but naturally transitioned to the next golden age over a long period of time."
"The pride of the Solipsi people rooted in blood prevents us from accepting the fate of being treated as experimental subjects. We abandoned the illusion of external gods, instead embraced the inner power, and extended our tentacles to the distant sea of stars."
He continued to tell about that memory, and the former "Shadow Association" naturally became the new leader of civilization.
Of course they did not achieve all this in the name of shadow, but weaved a new name for themselves - "Aether Architect".
Henceforth, the historical goal of the Solipsi people is no longer to please the gods, but to surpass the gods and become a more perfect creator than "gods".
The curator's mental fluctuations became extremely intense at this time.
“We refuse to become specimens in glass blood, and we no longer need to please false gods. From that moment on, we crown ourselves “we are our own creators.”
The passionate score opens the next chapter, soon the fifth painting.
It is a picture depicting the tearing and chaos of the universe, like a concrete Aihao.
In the picture, countless stars are twisted into dying spirals, gorgeous nebulae are torn into broken strands of cloth, and a world that was once infinitely prosperous is like a piece of paper, turned into powder in the violent turbulence blowing from subspace. The curator's mental fluctuations are full of deep pain.
"That happened in the fourth millennium."
“After revealing the truth about ‘God’, our civilization did not find a new direction. Instead, it entered nothingness due to the collapse of faith. "
"Just playing the role of the creator can no longer fill the emptiness in our hearts. We decided to use our world to complete an unprecedented painting, proving that we really exist in this universe, rather than a leaf of duckweed in the void."
"A project more grandiose than the giant structure of observing the void has begun. Our "ether architect" calls it the "ether space" project. 》
Luo Yan did not speak.
He probably guessed what these Solipsi people were going to do, and was completely shocked by their ambition and madness.
The curator's narrative is just as he guessed. The Solipsi who entered the fourth millennium began to use their mature subspace technology to use the entire universe as their palette.
They are like crazy artists, "cutting" what they think is the most beautiful scenery from countless galaxies. Among them are the coronal rings of stars, the splendor of nebulae, and the horizon of a black hole—a view far beyond what is on display in this gallery.
Then they used these "beautiful scenes" that did not belong to them to piece together a new world that was entirely their own.
Looking at the "ancient god" who was shocked and speechless, the curator continued with gentle mental ripples.
"Of course we will rearrange a planet in the universe for those civilizations that have lost their homes that is far more fertile than their previous world."
"Demolition?"
"You can say that. Although we know very well that our compensation is insignificant compared to their lost future, but just as all great works require sacrifice, we are ready to sacrifice everything for this - I believe you can understand me."
Luo Yan was silent for a moment.
"I'm not sure what happened next? Did you succeed?
"Success and failure are difficult to define our final work, but we stopped when we were about to complete the last piece of the puzzle."
The curator calmly told this past, but Luo Yan could hear a trace of sadness flowing in the mental ripples.
"We underestimate our abilities and overestimate the limits of the universe. It is like a fragile soap bubble. It can contain everything about us when we are still a cell, but it will eventually burst when we turn into a butterfly."
"This kind of plundering and splicing without any respect for the laws of the universe eventually led to a devastating backlash. When we took away the last touch of color, space itself shrank irrevocably, just like a black hole. However, its power But the power far exceeds that of a black hole."
"More than four-fifths of the Solipsi disappeared in the unstoppable subspace turbulence, and our civilization was almost destroyed - we called this disaster the "Great Collapse" event. "
"The painting in front of you is a moment recorded by a Solipsi artist in despair. An etheric architect sealed it in a frame woven by subspace technology, and it was finally housed in this gallery."
There is not much sadness in the curator's mental fluctuations, but a bit of nostalgia, as if he is telling an ordinary past event.
"So - your civilization has been destroyed?" Luo Yan's mental fluctuations were filled with a trace of regret.
"Not yet." The curator brought the butterfly housing the soul of the ancient god to the next and last work.
It is a tragic picture, and the composition is once again divided into two parts: light and dark.
The fortress that fell into darkness silently watched the distant starship, which was heading towards a huge rift leading to the unknown.
That is a crack leading to the void. They are not sure what is behind it, but maybe they can find a glimmer of life through it.
Alternatively, it would be good to stay there.
The curator's mental fluctuations have become complicated, and the tentacles all over his body are floating gently like waves.
—: After the "Great Collapse", the surviving Solipsi people were divided into two factions. One of the factions, led by a leader named "Norwell", decided to abandon our dilapidated home and flee to the void to find new fertile land.
When he heard the name "Nowell", Luo Yan's mental fluctuations projected a touch of strangeness.
"Norwell?" He looked at the curator blankly and blurted out, "I have met him! But - that was before we met?"
He didn't even have the title of Prince of the Empire when he met Norwell, and his understanding of Xuebang was only a few words from an apprentice.
The curator smiled gently, his mental fluctuations became profound and calm, and it seemed that he was not surprised by the confusion of the former "creator".
"This is not surprising, dear my lord, as long as you exist long enough, you will find that time actually does not exist."
Before the dear "Ancient God" could digest this sentence, the old curator continued with ordinary ripples.
"It does not belong to any dimension, nor is it a tangible entity. It is not born from any physical laws or axioms, but comes entirely from "our" perception of the material world. "
"Looking at our universe from the perspective of void, the rebirth and heat death of the universe happen at the same time, including the encounter and separation of two civilizations, including the birth and death of a person."
"You can see him. It just means that he succeeded. He escaped into the void and became an existence that is everywhere but nowhere to be found. "
"But you don't have to blame yourself, even without you, "he" will still be born - as long as there are people who long for "him" in this world. 》
Luo Yan didn’t blame himself at all, he was just a little bit disgusted.
According to the curator's theory—
Haven't he become Novel's father?
Of course - this guy may have many fathers, and he is not the only one missing.
Perhaps he felt that Nowell was not worthy of writing a big book about the history of the Solipsi people. The curator did not expand on this, but instead described another part of the painting in front of Luo Yan—the Solipsi people who stayed behind.
"We have influenced countless worlds, but only the world in which we exist truly belongs to us. There are many young civilizations in this universe, and they have wonderful cultures and memories. We do not want those children to pay for our mistakes."
“So we decided to do something for our former home in our limited lifespan. Following the “Great Collapse”, an operation called “The Great Return” began.
The last Solipsi people began to use the remaining technology to stitch together the broken universe and return the spaces they had cut from various galaxies to their original coordinates one by one.
After a huge sacrifice, the collapse of the universe was miraculously suspended, although the sores that had been created were permanent scars.
All young civilizations can see that ugly scar in the starry sky—a starry field without stars.
However, although the universe has been reborn, the civilization of the Solipsi people has ended here.
Their civilization was entirely based on the plunder of space. When everything was returned, nothing could be left in their world except for a trace of warmth.
In the last moments of civilization, the Solipsi people, known as "curators", collected the remaining remains and memories of civilization and built this "reverberation gallery" independent of the main world.
Feeling the shocking spiritual ripples of the ancient gods, the curator turned his attention to this magnificent spectacle composed of countless space fragments in front of him, and spoke with gentle ripples.
Time flows quietly between two souls.
After a long time, Luo Yan let out a sigh from the depths of his soul.
"Incredible, you have spent fifty centuries to accomplish all this."
There was a wave of relief in the curator's consciousness,
"I am honored to receive this comment from you. Maybe you have noticed that for us, Yan, your presence is like our father. Although we grow old before you, we will eventually be together at the end of time. "
"I am very grateful that you can hear our story to the end - even if we turn into dust and disperse in the near future, there will be people in another distant universe who remember us."
When he said this, the curator's tentacles stretched forward, and a silver necklace appeared on his tentacles.
The core part of the necklace is clear and transparent, and its shape is like a colorful butterfly. It is so beautiful that one cannot help but suspect that it does not belong to this world.
."This is a creature we observed in your world. We like it very much. Its lifespan is short, but in its limited life, it is so beautiful that people don't want to move their eyes."
"We built its body with ether as a way to accommodate you. container. Now that our farewell is over, I would like to ask you to accept it. Although it is not a very expensive gift, it may provide some insignificant convenience for your future journey."
Just by looking at it, Luo Yan could feel the extraordinaryness of this necklace.
After all, it is the work of a higher civilization, and the magicians of the Bangyuan Law school are obviously not worth mentioning in front of the ether architects.
Flying around the necklace, Luo Yan asked curiously.
“What is it used for?”
The curator replied with a gentle ripple.
「It’s called ‘The Butterfly of All Things’. You only need to inject a little spiritual power into it to summon one or several butterfly clones made of ether. You can swap places with any Aether Butterfly at any time without worrying about backlash from the warp. "
"I guess you have mastered the technology of the portal, but the travel experience it brings to you must not be great, right?"
This guy really guessed it right.
The experience was not only bad, it could even be described as terrible, and the stronger the stronger the stronger the backlash they received.
Hhearing the curator's words, Luo Yan held his breath almost instantly. After a long time, he responded by suppressing the emotional ripples of excitement.
"Even to another planet?"
The curator smiled and nodded.
"As long as it is in the same universe, no matter how far away it is."
The implication is that you cannot go to another world outside the void.
But that doesn’t matter.
Luo Yan didn't have that need in the first place.
He is quite satisfied with the universe he is in, and traveling through it again is nothing more than doing what he has done before.
"How should I take it out?"
Facing the interesting inquiry from the "Ancient God", the curator smiled and said: "It's easy, the moment you touch it, it is already on you. In fact - there is something similar in your sea of consciousness, isn't it? I seem to feel its existence, and it seems to be something behind the virtual realm."
Something similar?
Does it refer to the "stone tablet" that marks the godhead?
Luo Yan only knew that it was a relic left by Lint Isaac, but he had never heard Principal Ivan mention that it had anything to do with the void.
However, if I have to say it, it can be related to the void.
After all, Lint Isaac does not belong to Osland, but is a traveler like himself. Their souls themselves do not belong to this world, but are outsiders.
"Thank you, should I give you a gift in return? But we still don't know how to project objects behind the virtual world, or you can watch and take it yourself?" Luo Yan suddenly felt embarrassed after accepting the gift. The value of this gift to him even surpassed that of a demigod-level artifact. He had never received such a heavy gift.
The curator just smiled when he heard this.
"No need, you have given us a lot, and this gift itself is our return gift for your kindness. Thank you for giving us positive guidance when we needed help most, otherwise we will definitely not be able to meet you again."
Luo Yan does not think that he has done such a great thing. In fact, he is more like playing an irresponsible father, just like his own father.
However, the Solipsi has completed his reconciliation with the Creator, and there is no need for him to be meaningless modesty anymore.
That is superfluous to each other.
Happy time is always short.
Although there are hundreds of millions of scrolls worth reading here, there is not much time left for the Solipsi and the Os people.
After giving the gift to the ancient god, the curator took the butterfly on his shoulder and walked through the long corridor displaying the rise and fall of civilization, returning to the starting point of their journey—the picture scroll depicting pastoral fields and boulders.
He stepped into the painting again with respect for the ancient gods and returned to the peaceful field.
That was the starting point of their encounter.
Standing under the windmill not far from the stone monument, the curator used light ripples to tell his final farewell.
"Praise for our encounter, we have no doubt that this must be the most beautiful encounter in the universe."
"But please remember, don't walk in the void for too long."
"And, be careful about that guy named Novel."
"You will meet him again."
The time of parting has arrived.
The virtual passage connecting the two worlds will not collapse in the future, but there are no more secrets to explore in this world, and there is nothing worth exploring.
This is just a painting that records the past years.
Luo Yan promised the curator that he would honestly record everything he saw in the virtual world for future generations to admire.
As for the pendant, since it was a gift given to him by the Solipsi people, there was no reason to leave it to Xuebang, let alone he couldn't give it to him.
At the moment when consciousness was about to leave, Luo Yan suddenly remembered something, looked at the curator and said: "Wait a minute - I forgot to tell you,
My name is Luo Yan."
"That's my real name."
There is no one else here anyway.
The two communicated directly using mental ripples, and he was not worried that anyone would hear them.
The moment he heard this confession, a hint of understanding smile appeared in the curator's mental fluctuations, and he responded lightly.
"We have known it for a long time."
Those were the last words he left in Luo Yan's consciousness.
Just the moment when his mental ripples faded away, Luo Yan's consciousness had returned to reality.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and the concerned faces of everyone in Corinta's laboratory came into view, including Youyou, who also appeared beside him, looking at him anxiously.
"Demon King, are you okay?"
Luo Yan did not answer, but looked at the researchers who looked at him with concern.
"How long have I been asleep?"
The researchers present looked at each other.
In the end, it was Miller who spoke first.
He said softly.
Thirty minutes·
That’s not too long.
Luo Yan thought he had been in the virtual realm for a whole day, but he didn't expect that his time there was actually accelerated.
He looked at the virtual passage not far away, and the world behind the lens was indeed restored to its original state, a peaceful and pastoral scenery.
The curator who looked like a pope was gone. Instead, the actors working in the fields returned to their original positions.
As the curator said, they have to find some sense of ritual for the rest of their time. Perhaps for them, showing their diligence to the ancient gods in their memories is also a kind of satisfaction.
After all, what the ancient gods originally gave them was a "rich harvest".
"Your Highness, what did you see?" Miller asked cautiously. Not only Miller, but all the magicians present were waiting for his answer and looked at him expectantly.
even including yoyo.
"Then it's a long story. I'll explain it first and then tell you. Give me some time."
Luo Yan sighed softly and gave an ambiguous answer, then his eyes fell on the palm of his hand.
He could clearly feel the imminent power imprinted in his sea of consciousness.
But what surprised him the most was not the crystal clear "Void Realm Wonder Object", but another thing that seemed to have made a breakthrough.