CHAPTER 500: CHAPTER 360: THE SECRET OF THE WORLD_1

"Contrary?"

Yan Xing had learned a brand-new term from Max.

He had Chui Chui use Magic to isolate the sound between the front and rear compartments of the car, then he asked Max, "Can you explain to me what Contrary is?"

Upon hearing Yan Xing’s question, Max replied with some surprise, "You... don’t know what Contrary is?"

Yan Xing answered with a smile, "Would I ask you if I knew? I can assure you, I’m not an old friend of yours, because in our world, I have never encountered anyone like you or me. That is the main reason I am offering you help. I feel we are of the same kind."

Max observed Yan Xing, seemingly trying to determine from his expression whether he was lying. Then, Max took out a bottle of alcohol from an inside pocket, uncapped it, took a swig, and said with a sigh, "It seems it’s not just me; all Contrary have faced sanctions. The world doesn’t allow beings like us, who possess divine power, to exist. Yet, it cannot prevent our emergence. You must not have possessed divine power for long; you probably haven’t noticed the Executioners’ presence yet, and they haven’t noticed you either. Don’t go any further, or our fate will be yours."

Yan Xing said, "You’ve said so much, yet it amounts to nothing. What is Contrary? And what are Executioners?"

Max took another sip of his drink and answered, "You should be able to sense that our world was created. The creators of the world are called gods, but they don’t manage it. The world operates according to the rules they established.

"But over time, some heroes inevitably grow strong enough to understand these rules and even exploit them. Within this system, such heroes are like computer viruses and are identified by the system as Contrary.

"Once a Contrary entity exceeds the rules’ tolerance, the world awakens Executioners to eliminate them.

"As someone who’s been through this, I advise you not to press on. Executioners uphold the rules and master them; they are unbeatable."

Yan Xing listened intently. Once Max finished, he remarked, "Your analogy of Contrary to a computer virus is quite vivid. I’ll take your advice and avoid provoking the Executioners."

At the same time, he secretly instructed Chui Chui not to be too reckless with the research on the Nine-Headed Dragon project and to constantly monitor for any reactions from the Magic World’s source.

Chui Chui responded via their mental link: "The reason Contrary can’t defeat Executioners is because a Contrary entity integrates divine power, life, and energy into a single being. Naturally, they can’t withstand attacks from those with higher authority.

"However, our Nine-Headed Dragon project allows divine power, life, and energy to be completely separate.

"As long as the Nine-Headed Dragon Database exists, even if the Executioners destroy the Magic World, we can retreat to the real world and continue our god-making.

"It’s far more advanced than these so-called Contrary."

Chui Chui has a point, Yan Xing thought. Contrary are products of the Magic World’s rules. Under the same set of rules, a higher authority has an overwhelming advantage over a lower one—it’s a form of dimensional suppression. But he and Chui Chui are external variables to the Magic World. The Nine-Headed Dragon project doesn’t just use the Magic World’s rules; it also incorporates technology the Magic World doesn’t have. Information and communication technology, genetic engineering, and Energy Transmission Technology could allow a Contrary to transcend any fixed form. Still, it’s best to be careful. Strategically, we can look down on the Executioners, but in actual implementation, we must take their existence seriously. The longer we can avoid their detection, the more time we’ll have to become stronger.

Seeing Yan Xing silent, Max chuckled and said, "I’ve told you so much about the origins of the world; how do you plan to repay me?"

Interrupting his communication with Chui Chui, Yan Xing replied to Max, "What kind of repayment do you want? You came to Zhehai City to wait for me; you must have a purpose."

"Yes, there’s a purpose," Max began to explain to Yan Xing. "During my travels recently, I’ve discovered that this world’s development has far exceeded my imagination. In just a few hundred years, it has transformed into a civilization that astonishes even me.

"When we first came to this world, there weren’t even any proper city-states. It was only with our help that they managed to leave their primitive state.

"But now... and from what you’ve said, our own world is still the same. We mastered the use of energy much earlier, yet our civilization hasn’t changed in millennia.

"Why is that?"

None of my business, Yan Xing thought. But to answer Max, he still considered it seriously, "Is it because our world is constrained by its rules? Then... is this world also bound by rules?"

Max responded, "Rules definitely exist, and where there are rules, there are constraints. Even if this world lacks Executioners, there must be some other mechanism to prevent its rules from being broken. And even if that layer of rules were broken, I believe higher-level rules would still exist.

"I’m also searching for the answer to that question.

"My request is... I hope you’ll permit me to stay in this country to conduct research."

Max wanted to stay.

I’ve gone to such lengths to try and get him to leave, and now he tells me he wants to stay here?

Yan Xing asked warily, "What do you intend to do, staying here?"

"I mean no harm," Max replied. "I just find the civilization here somewhat out of sync with others in this world, which sparked my desire to study it."

"Really?"

Yan Xing looked unconvinced.

"Of course, it’s true," Max said, his expression earnest. "Perhaps it’s because of this Eastern civilization that the world managed to develop like this in such a short period."