CHAPTER 1185: CHAPTER 1181: NEW WORLD

The concept of the World of Old Days goes, "Heaven and Earth coexist with me, and all things are one with me." The self is all things, and all things are the self.

If the butterfly that Zhuang Zhou dreamed of died, would Zhuang Zhou be unwilling to wake up? If the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou died, where did this dream come from?

The butterfly might have wondered—within a certain "possibility," is it "Zhuang Zhou"? Or are the thousands upon thousands of "butterflies" similar to it, having dreamed of a similar "Zhuang Zhou"?

When lying in bed, have you ever thought about the idea of "another version of me in a parallel world"? Have you ever deeply thought about "if I did xx, I would become xxx"? Have you ever longed for concepts like "the kindest me," "the most evil me," "the wealthiest me," "the me with the best drawing skills"?

When doing something beyond your control, or saying something in the heat of the moment—have you ever considered that this might actually be an "echo" of the 9999 other timelines on yourself? The "other self" did such things, and it echoed back to affect you.

At the moment of thinking, "my" thought already determined the existence of "me." So to say "following fate is destiny" or "killing destiny is also a form of destiny"... such statements are actually meaningless. Before discussing the metaphysical "fate," avoid "agnosticism" and "nihilism" for now.

What he has to do is unwaveringly find out—what exactly does he want to change?

If it’s to change the fate of Li Mingyue’s death, then go change it.

If it’s to change the final outcome of the World of Old Days, then go change it.

First, there must be a "killing" action, confirming a concrete rather than a metaphysical concept, and only by wielding the sword for this goal can there be a "killing" result.

He pushes all "possibilities" off the chessboard.

He shatters the "game hints" before the endgame.

——Then, maybe for a moment, the "butterfly" truly didn’t dream of "Zhuang Zhou" anymore.

He looked at the task bar, at the time of Chang Ge’s death, the Ruler’s Quest was declared complete.

"Did you know?" the deity said: "In fact, at the beginning, I indeed viewed you as an enemy. In my observation, there was a 65% probability that you would remain peacefully by my side, about a 34% chance you would break free from my control, and your chance of reaching this point was less than 0.002%. So I kept thinking... a 0.002% probability is so small that I really couldn’t let you do it."

...

["If you can achieve it, I will grant you the supreme blessing," the deity said:]

["But your chance of succeeding will not exceed 0.002%."]

...

"But you even considered that 0.002% chance and still arranged for me the [Night Player] Chang Ge. Truly foolproof ..." Su Ming’an mused. The people of the World of Old Days really counted everything.

The deity was silent.

Su Ming’an said, "I have just one last question."

"Go ahead," the deity nodded.

"——Are you Du?" Su Ming’an asked.

The air fell silent for a moment.

The white-haired, white-eyed deity gazed at the white cat doll of the same color on the sofa.

Lights flickered in the city, and neon colors reflected in the deity’s eyes, gradually rising with a trace of excess color. They placed the poetry book aside and replied:

"No."

Hearing the deity’s answer, Su Ming’an smiled.

"[Juliet said, who directed you to find this place?]" Su Ming’an stood up, walked towards the table, murmuring.

The deity’s gaze shifted slightly following his steps, their white hair floating ethereally, resembling a sheet of smooth silver satin.

"[Romeo said, Love urged me to explore this place; it gave me direction, and I borrowed its eyes. I cannot steer, but if you were on a distant coast, I would venture through storms to find you, this precious jewel.]"

Su Ming’an recited as he placed his hand on the poetry book on the table.

"——Shakespeare’s ’Romeo and Juliet.’" He looked down, softly reading the name of the poetry book: "This one is Tagore’s ’The Collection of Flying Birds.’"

"Indeed, why would the World of Old Days have ’Romeo and Juliet’ and ’The Collection of Flying Birds’?"

"Du."

"Can you tell me? The first World Game... who was that ’Savior’ known as the Number One Player?"

He gazed into the deity’s indifferent eyes:

"Around 1,200 years ago, during the first World Game, the Number One Player saved the world and was hailed as the Savior. 1,100 years ago, General Qin and that Savior became good friends, and later, the Savior disappeared. 1,040 years ago, during the second World Game, which is known as the era of Chang Ge and Brother Necklace, we know the story from there. General Qin won the third World Game and entrusted the Observation Authority to an AI from the first World Game before dying; this AI is you."

"But between the first World Game and the second World Game, it is completely blank."

"They all say that the Savior was called ’Su Ming’an’ — who really was that person?"

The deity remained silent.

Su Ming’an waited a long time without receiving a response and smiled, "Alright, I already know."

No answer was the best answer.

He had already guessed the answer; he’ll talk to Noel again after returning to the Main God World... if Noel is still around.

...

Before leaving, Su Ming’an extended his left hand, revealing a white Lighthouse mark on its back, a reward for the Perfect Pass[New World].

"Deity, do you know what this is?" Su Ming’an pointed to the back of his hand.

"A brand new... small world," the deity said.

Su Ming’an immediately thought of Dieying’s incomplete world; he probed his consciousness into this small Lighthouse mark and discovered it was indeed a small alternate space, a little world under his control.

He saw the vast skies and fields within, rough in texture and very empty, with no life, but it was indeed a self-contained world capable of sustaining life if placed within.

"From now on, you have your own ’small world.’ Flowers, seeds, little animals, you can try putting them inside. Though unclear how long they’ll survive, as this small world is still very rough," the deity lowered their eyes.

Su Ming’an stared at the back of his hand.

While other players were still gathering props, he already had a world.

Although it seemed... really rough, more like an ecological tank.

The deity said, "You’d better put some effort into it, find a way to improve it. Once it develops into a true world, you and your friends will have a new place to exist. Even... when it evolves to be as complete and complex as the World of Old Days, it might become a new civilization."

Su Ming’an inferred the deity’s implication—if developed well, this small world could accommodate all humanity.

"How should I perfect it?" Su Ming’an asked. This was his ultimate fallback, the stronger, the better.

The deity laughed with an inexplicable tone, as though witnessing something familiar, the laughter carrying a faint anticipation and sorrow:

"The best way is to..."

"Do the same thing as Dieying."

"For the sake of [your own] civilization, at all costs."

"If you really want to nurture the small world, in the days to come, take the World Origin from other civilizations. This is the fastest method for world evolution."

...

[Shadow laughed: "Sooner or later, you will become just like me..."]

["With nothing in your eyes but civilization and brethren."]

...

Su Ming’an’s gaze was momentarily stagnant: "Is there any other way besides this?"

The deity said: "That will depend on you."

Su Ming’an lowered his hand: "... I understand."

"By the way, I have a way to restore Yuanyuan’s memory, and you will see her again. Moreover, thanks to the help of 9,999 Shan Changge, your accumulated goodwill is sufficient, Chao Yan is not dead, you can come back often to see."

"Hmm."

"Go ahead."

"... Goodbye."

...

Dao Ya City.

The place of beginning and end.

The fountain in front of the church still flowed with clear water, people fed white pigeons, and occasionally a few students with backpacks ran by.

"School is over! Time to go home for dinner!"

"Wensheng, do you know where Su Xiaobai from our class went? It’s been a while since he came to class, and that rich kid Xiao Ying, who knows where he went..."

"I don’t know..."

"Forget it, let’s go back, Da Ju is still hungry..."

The phoenix tree leaves rustled, and the shadows of the young boys and girls grew longer.

The coordinates given by Shadow was right here in Dao Ya City.

After Su Ming’an stood firm, he stepped on the mechanical wheel and soared high. Approaching the Ideal Country Barrier, he saw Shadow outside the barrier.

A pair of vast deep blue eyes, reflecting the depths and tranquility of the sky and sea, like a deity left outside the world by ancient legends. Under their gaze, even the soul is exposed indubitably.

Su Ming’an, however, waved calmly as if greeting a neighbor, then opened his palm.

"Bring it." Su Ming’an said: "Please bring me my body, thank you."

It was better for them to communicate through the barrier to maintain a healthy social relationship.

"...You are really cautious. Talking to me like this." Shadow took out Su Ming’an’s cloned body, placed it neatly: "How about we make a deal?"

"Speak."

Shadow said: "I give you back your body, you come with me, I have something to show you. You don’t have to worry about me detaining you, the return to the World Game is absolute, you will definitely go back when the time comes."

Su Ming’an listened, turned his head, and shouted into the air: "Boss Rabbit, is what he said true?"

A pair of rabbit ears silently stretched out, and Boss Rabbit’s coy voice came: "Yes, I can guarantee it, the return on time is absolute [rules]. If Strawberry Milu detains you, I will be very sad."

Su Ming’an got the answer and decisively drove him away: "Alright, you can go now."

A pair of rabbit ears drooped down in grievance, Boss Rabbit’s voice gradually drifted away: "Okay... beloved Banana Pudding, remember to find me often... I even cry into my pillow..."

...

After swapping back to his own body, Su Ming’an held the hand Shadow extended.

Starlight connected, he returned once more to that "New World."

However, what he saw now was a broken, collapsing world on the verge of collapse. The once-glorious Ferris wheel and carousel were covered in rust, even the electricity flickered intermittently.

He recalled, the last time he came was a thousand years ago, unsure of the time flow in this new world, but it was clear a long time had passed.

The only living creature in sight was a bird, most likely not the same as a thousand years ago, but a descendant. It still perched on the shoulder of the blond youth, affectionately nuzzling against his cheek, and he responded with a finger.

"No wonder you’re so eager to seize the World Origin of the World of Old Days." Su Ming’an said: "How long can this place be sustained? Fifty years? A hundred years? Five hundred years?"

"I will keep it going." Shadow stroked the bird’s feathers, the smile not reaching his eyes: "...Before it is destroyed, I will always find a way."

Su Ming’an realized that the World of Old Days was saved, but Shadow could still find another target. However, judging by the speed of decay in this world, it seemed unlikely Shadow would make it in time.

He spent too long in the World of Old Days and failed to find a new target during the wait. The vast universe was too big, and with only his own strength, it was hard to accomplish. He could only watch his world dwindle bit by bit. When this world was destroyed, his meaning of existence would also disappear.

"I really can’t believe you’ve become an invader." Su Ming’an said: "I don’t believe the ’New World’ you speak of must be born from the destruction of other civilizations. There is clearly nothing here, is there?"

The mottled light of the Ferris wheel reflected between them, the place where they once allied, now seemed like a cold, narrow cell.

Su Ming’an once again felt that standing before him was a high-dimensional being, not a familiar old friend. In their eyes, civilization might be akin to cold resources, like gasoline and diesel in the eyes of humans.

"Do you really understand me?" The blond youth responded coldly, looking evenly at Su Ming’an: "Do you really understand what I’m made of? Is your source of information reliable? Or why do you think there’s nothing here?"

Su Ming’an’s eyes subtly shifted.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t see beyond, he was just probing Shadow. So far, most of the information about Shadow came from Shadow himself.

Shadow reached out, and the distant lands began to sink inch by inch, exposing the fragmented edges of the world, like an ecological tank on the verge of breaking.

After the land sank, Su Ming’an saw the [Foundation] of this world — the elements that constituted the world. These elements were picked up bit by bit by Shadow over millennia. Only with these things could a small world continue to exist; when they disappeared, the entire small world would sink and vanish.

He observed carefully.

That was —

Things resembling [Civilization’s Relics].

"Do you know?" Before Su Ming’an could see clearly, Shadow suddenly spoke.

Su Ming’an turned his head.

The blond youth’s eyes carried an ambiguous smile, his mouth slightly curved.

"That day, the false spring you showed me... was truly beautiful."