prynovel Interlude Chapter 1656: "The Islands Have Not Yet Arrived."
Interlude Chapter 1656: "The Islands Have Not Yet Arrived."
Interlude 1656: "The Islands Have Not Yet Arrived".
Life is but a fleeting dream.
[He who dreams of drinking wine will weep at dawn; he who dreams of weeping will hunt at dawn. While dreaming, he is unaware of his dream. Only upon waking does he realize the great dream he was in. Only the awakened can know the brilliance of the play, and also know that the curtain must fall.]
Clinging to appearances leads to being trapped in a dream; only upon awakening do we realize that even dreams can be real.
……
The Milky Way slowly rotates in the sky, and the golden river flows forward in the shape of tree branches, reflecting shimmering fragments of light.
Noel Agnes stepped into the golden river.
Before me was a giant, slowly rotating film reel, stretching from the edge of my field of vision to the horizon. Scenes were projected onto the multifaceted, rubbery surface, while the lower half of the film was immersed in the golden river, creating endless waves, with water droplets resembling solid gold particles.
His footsteps moved from the beginning of the film to the distance, gold particles flowing along the heels of his boots, like crushed planets.
As he walked forward, the images projected on the film kept changing...
"For the 819th time, the priest Su Ming'an, known as the 'World's Number One Poisonous Healer', killed the giant insect queen with his 'Destructive Siphon' skill, winning the final dungeon..."
"For the 2189th time, Su Ming'an, a mechanical pet maker specializing in mechanical pets, piloted a mecha named 'Mo Bai' and plunged alone into the depths of the starry sea, destroying the high-dimensional Moxia that coveted Zhai Xing with a self-destruction that shook the starry sea..."
"For the 7181st time, Su Ming'an confirmed the rules of the World Game. He embarked on a journey to break free from the World Game, and humanity transformed into sails, heading into the distance..."
"In the 17991st round, some players' residual memories grew stronger. In the final stages of the World Game, players like Aland began to vaguely recall their past defeats. After a thrilling bet, Su Ming'an took the host's seat..."
"In the 31912th cycle, as the number of reincarnations increased, Aland, proclaiming himself a 'prophet,' began posting various prescient messages on the forum. This heralded the emergence of some 'awakened ones' among the players. Subsequently, Su Ming'an discovered this group, and he used them to preserve memories for future reincarnations, leading to a human counterattack..."
"Thereafter, under Su Ming'an's leadership, the fate of human civilization became increasingly diverse, extended, and profound."
"In the 43818th time, Su Ming'an became a god. In the process of fighting against the organizers, he was corrupted and mutated by the universe. As the last evil dragon, he was killed by human hands."
"For the 76739th time, Su Ming'an led humanity to hide in the deepest part of the world game, disappearing from the organizers' sight. What awaits them is a long winter... or a spring that will never come."
"For the 89921st time, with the support of top players like Su Ming'an, humanity successfully ascended to a higher dimension as a 'collective consciousness.' However, it is no longer possible to distinguish whether this is a civilization of billions of lives or a collection of zombies barely clinging to life."
"For the 99819th time, Zhai Xing suffered an unexpected attack from a higher dimension, and Zhai Xing was destroyed... Su Ming'an drifted in exile in the universe, picking up the remains of civilizations alone, gradually fading away in eternal solitude..."
"For the 110181st time, the ideal scenario has occurred—a perfect success, Su Ming'an's wish to save Zhai Xing was fulfilled without any conflicting wishes, and everyone returned home safely. This might be a happy ending... isn't it?"
"[But 'He' opened the book, and the story began anew.]"
"I've started to doubt whether there's any such thing as a true happy ending in this world. Because no matter what, in the end, we always have to start all over again."
“Only Su Ming’an… he kept persisting, kept saving people. He never felt that any of his efforts were meaningless. Even if he had to start all over again, he had to live each one to the fullest. He’s a terrifyingly stubborn guy, both dull and intelligent, both weak and strong…”
“I once advised him not to treat the time that would be overwritten as if it never happened, but the boomerang hit me instead. But what he wants... is just too much.”
"For the 157192nd time, the most terrifying situation occurred. Su Ming'an, like Eland, began to recall his previous failures, and he also possessed the potential to become a 'awakened one.' Each of his lives might be like a comet's fall, or as eternal as the universe; he came into contact with too much power that would be preserved... His soul began to wear down, and with the accumulation of memories across reincarnations, the wear and tear on his soul became more and more severe with each awakening..."
"While preserving his memories, he began to constantly try to find more truth while protecting the world."
"A greedy person... wants it all, how is that possible?"
"For the 212892nd time, boundless cosmic rainbow light engulfed Zhai Xing..."
"For the 283728th time, the entire solar system has become a dream..."
"The 356281st time, a devastating omnic crisis..."
"For the 416271st time, Zhai Xing transformed into an eternal ice ball covered in snow..."
"The 466172nd attack, a higher-dimensional attack..."
"The 492181st time, a black hole..."
"The 532819th cold wave..."
"The 585642nd planetary collision..."
"For the 632901st time, Su Ming'an discovered the existence of the 'Blackwater Dream'..."
"For the 810291st time, Su Ming'an understood the cosmic cycle and deceived 'their' observations..."
"For the 841182nd time, Su Ming'an ventured into the depths of space, continuously climbing upwards..."
"On the 852719th time, Su Ming'an ascended to become one of the powerful higher dimensions and found a way to implant information across reincarnation..."
"For the 901728th time, Su Ming'an has once again gone even further. He inherited the World Game and became an eternal guiding light in the universe..."
“I cannot deny that he has been going deeper and deeper with each repetition. However, his soul has become so worn down that he would collapse instantly at the mere thought of his memories.”
"..."
Noel closed his eyes.
A moment later, he opened his eyes and swallowed the words he hadn't finished saying.
He walked forward, one "film reel" after another flying by, each eventually turning into endless nothingness. No matter how beautiful, moving, or breathtaking the scenes were, with spring warmth, blooming flowers, and clear skies... in the end, they all inevitably turned into darkness, into a silent void, as if it were the end of all time.
A fleeting glimpse, and only a single line of words representing the end shines brightly in the darkness of the film, marking the conclusion of each civilization.
【BE·Silence】
【BE·Winter】
【BE: The Islands Have Not Yet Been Reached】
【BE: The Death of the Swift】
【BE: The Sacred Flame Reversed】
【BE: Pride and Prejudice】
【BE: Epitaph for the Noble】
【NE·Goodnight, my friend】
【NE - The Land Where All Beings Pray】
【NE·The Wanderer's Farewell】
[HE - After Returning Home]
【HE·Her Sunny Day】
【HE·The Never-ending Solo Dance】
(999999+)
……
Sheets of film fluttered through the air, without any form or sound, only taking the form of film to allow life to "see and understand".
What exactly gave these "films" their "ending description"?
What rules govern the formation of such a short line of text?
What existence has led to such a judgment about the fate of civilization?
The blond boy looked up and saw countless hazy clouds of magnificent blue and purple condensed deep within the collapsing nebula. His feet waded through a golden river, and he saw the endless flow of cause and effect deep within the "Cosmic Library".
A deep blue hue flowed in his eyes, as if countless ambitions were growing within them.
Suddenly, the light converged, and the black water gradually solidified into a human shape.
A head of long, pink hair, like a nebula, cascaded down, interspersed with deep blue like stars. It had no facial features, as if its form was created solely for the purpose of creating a "human shape." It looked over.
"I've arrived." A voice, neither clearly male nor female, rang out. Upon closer listening, it was none other than the pink-haired man who had been relentlessly pursuing Su Ming'an. His identity was mysterious, his strength formidable, and the reason for his pursuit remained unknown.
"Have you already fought him?" Noel asked.
"We failed to kill him."
“You kill him, or he kills you, there are only two outcomes,” Noel said. “I don’t think you can beat him.”
"You seemed to want me to kill him before," the pink-haired man said. "Why is your attitude changing 180 degrees now, and you want me to be killed by him?"
“Ah…” Before Noel could answer, the pink-haired man muttered to himself, “Because this time he has gone an unprecedented distance, it is the result of his previous cycles of accumulation. And you have already sold yourself to ‘He’, you will never reach the end.”
"Only he can face the Lord of Dreams..."
"You're a crazy gambler; once you're sure he can do it, you'll bet everything..."
“You’ve misunderstood.” Noel shook his head. “I’m not someone who easily gives my trust, and neither is he. Ultimately, we are like isolated islands that cannot cross the water. He has his own path to walk, and I have my own course to follow.”
The pink-haired man was silent for a moment, then said, "What was the ending of his last reincarnation?"
A piece of film flew by and was caught in its palm.
"A timeless guiding light in the universe," said Noel Agnes.
The pink-haired man gazed down, stardust dancing and swirling on the film. Deep within the film, the shadow of a lighthouse seemed to loom atop a colossal heart, setting sail into the depths of space. The no-longer-young captain hoisted the sails, flanked by the eagerly awaiting first mate and navigator.
"..." The pink-haired man lowered his smooth face. "This should be the first time he has fully inherited the power of the World Game. With his abilities, he must have left many foreshadowings for the next time, which is this time. It's just that he can't remember them yet, and it's not time to reveal them... What about the previous cycle?"
Another sheet of film flew in.
— [Died by the sea].
A death filled with self-sacrifice, where a pure white god deceives everyone with lies, using a "mirror" to disguise himself as a "wall," and outwits everyone to become the final evil dragon.
In the shadows deep within the film, a vast, boundless giant tree crashes down, and a slender figure stands before the ruins, knife in hand, like a hero who slays a god. But his shoulders have collapsed, as if they can no longer support his proud spine.
This ending is grand and awe-inspiring, yet on a macroscopic level, it is as insignificant as dust. Because it is merely a death, a god died and could not be resurrected, and on a cosmic scale, it is nothing more than a fleeting moment.
"The time before last?"
Another sheet of film flew in.
—The Last Communion
“Ah, this…” the pink-haired man murmured.
It remained silent for a long time without making any comment.
Immediately afterwards, countless sheets of film flew in.
That was the ending that happened the time before last, the time before that, and so on... countless times.
[You, Him, and His ideal world]
[I seal it]
Who is Su Ming'an?
【Widow】
[Time is long]
[Beyond Saving]
Why does a nightingale's heart beat?
The torchbearer left behind in the darkness
Let Zhai Xing go, take me away!
(999999+)
……
Countless "film reels" danced in the air. If people saw this scene, they might be amazed... It was truly a dense, endless snowfall.
—Only the voice from the depths of the universe knows that this is proof of the relentless struggle of one person and a group of people.
Even though they exhausted countless tears and years, in the end, all that remained was a short "film" as proof, and all other traces were washed away by the waves, leaving only dust and regret that no one remembered.
Noel gazed silently at these futures and murmured:
"Of all the endings... the probability of Zhai Xing surviving for more than 500 years is only 2%."
The probability of living past 1,000 years is only 0.2%.
Even the seemingly perfect ending of "most people survive happily and Su Ming'an and his companions return to their hometown"...in the end it is still a dark void.
"Even if everyone escapes into Yueyue's dream, human civilization will gradually be extinguished like a candle flame. They will have no potential or future, and will only be parasites enjoying their old age under the protection of higher dimensions, unable to even leave the galaxy."
"Even if Su Ming'an and I perish together, that civilization is still fragile. Some people need to return home, and dark shadows have already set their sights on this place."
"—To recover all that has been lost, one must first reach out to all that has been lost."
Noel gazed into the deep end.
Along the way, hundreds of millions of people will try to persuade that person to turn back, to accept the happiness of mediocrity, and to scold that person for not choosing the peace that is so close at hand... Can that person bear the infamy of being "obsessed," "madman," "stubborn," "dictatorial," and "why not turn back"... and remain steadfast until the end?
Suddenly, the pink-haired man sensed something, glanced across the vast sea of film, and looked in a certain direction: "The final battle has come, I must set off."
There is a golden river of time, the thickest and most vigorous, leading to the reality that is unfolding.
Noel turned his head and pressed down on the brim of his hat.
"[The savior Su Ming'an needs to kill three members of the Rin clan to obtain the key, use the key to break the seal of the Demon Mother Goddess, and awaken the Demon Mother Goddess as a companion. Afterwards, he needs to draw the Holy Sword, defeat the Radiant Mother Goddess, dispel the Radiant Mother Goddess's illusions, and find the truth behind the termination of the observation]..." Noel stared at the scattered, fluttering film reels.
"[The pink-haired attacker, as always, stood in Su Ming'an's path, doing everything in her power to kill him. No one knew the pink-haired person's purpose or identity.]"
"[Only the pink-haired man knew that the outcome would either be him killing Su Ming'an, or Su Ming'an being killed by him. Therefore, no matter how much people cursed or begged him, he would act without mercy.]"
"As for why, that remains an unsolved mystery..."
The pink-haired man ignored Noel's mutterings, took a few steps, and before leaving, suddenly turned around and said, "You wouldn't betray me, would you? The infamous Sixth Brother."
"What kind of title is that?" Noel shrugged. "No one will interfere in your duel. I can only observe... observe how things develop."
"If it meets your expectations, and you discover there's a probability of ending the observation, you'll help him. If it doesn't meet your expectations, and you discover the outcome might lean towards another cosmic cycle, you'll want to stop him... You're truly a heartless person. What do you consider your best friend? A tool or a weapon? Do you really see him as a comrade? Those viewers who are crazy about you on the world forum are going to be heartbroken," the pink-haired man said. "You are the coldest, most selfish, most ruthless, and most profit-driven person I've ever met."
Faced with the pink-haired man's accusations, the fox remained silent and offered no defense.
Endless film reels danced in the air until finally, in the silence, the fox's voice slowly emerged:
"But this is something he has already..."
……