Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1653 - 4: OE · The Guiding Lighthouse in the Universe (8)

Chapter 1653: Chapter 4: OE · The Guiding Lighthouse in the Universe (8)

One day, the world game welcomed a new ruler.

The door silently slid open a crack inward.

—When the black-haired, black-eyed young man in a simple white shirt stepped out from the white door, even the proud Athena had to lower her head.

When he stood here, his plan had already been fully realized, and all three lies had served their intended purpose.

He appeared no different from the day he entered the café. Soft black short hair, a slightly lean figure, a clean white shirt, gentle facial features, and clear eyes, as if he had just finished a long study session and pushed open the library door.

However, when he stood fully within the Holy Land, something covered him, or rather, he covered something.

A deep and majestic resonance emitted from this space centered around him.

He gently clenched his fist, then released it.

Along with this simple action, the space responded.

"Buzz—!"

The lake below, filled with pale rainwater, restored the shattered angel remains and lamb ashes beneath its surface. The drifting fragments, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, swiftly converged behind him, forming a faintly visible tranquil halo.

Xiao Na’s body trembled imperceptibly, and she solemnly lowered her head in an ancient etiquette she had never easily shown, acknowledging the legitimacy of authority.

The young man raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping the scene.

In an instant, a vast power akin to the star sea surged toward Su Rin, healing the hollow in his chest. Meanwhile, another gentle force swept across the distant beings of High Dimensions, stripping away the deadly rules on them.

He walked upon the mirror-like water of the lake, calming chaos, healing wounds, and restoring everything to a nearly sacred state of perfection.

When he finally stopped, standing before Su Rin, in the center of the lake, at the point where all the rule veins converged—

The entire world game, this immense organ drifting in the endless universe,

gently completed a heartbeat-like throb.

"Thump."

The new ruler was already in place.

He stood here, as the new navigator of this ark full of endless stories.

Angels sang for him, lambs knelt before him.

Even Su Rin, who personally sent the remaining souls into the core, did not expect Su Ming’an to have such high authority upon his emergence. This was the reward for a "perfect score player," selected by the world game over millions of years.

But was it really without cost?

The youth at the center of the lake answered Su Rin:

"There is no cost. My identity as a ’ruler’ has been justified along the way, and now becoming a true ’ruler’ is only right. The rules of the world game have always been ’equal cost for equal gain,’ and achieving a full perfect clear under the highest difficulty should be my reward."

—But the deity of Yun Shang City held its breath at this moment.

Star seas swirled like clouds above Su Ming’an’s head, and billions of rules surrounded him. He still resembled the youthful face he had when he first walked into the café, with soft black hair, ink-colored apricot eyes, and a white shirt, seemingly still in the most vibrant and beautiful age of youth.

But why.

Su Rin was speechless.

—Why did he have a pair of cat ears engraved with blood-red scales on his head?

—Why did his black pupils occasionally flash with electric red light when he spoke?

Ears like the Boss Rabbit, fur like the Boss Rabbit, and blood-red scales like the Boss Rabbit.

They could not comprehend the life of ’Chen Qingguang, and now, whom will it be again?

"Don’t worry, I am not like the Boss Rabbit." Su Ming’an waved his hand, "He joined the world game very early, when its functionalities were not fully developed, resulting in him having a distorted identity. Although he was a host, he ended up being like a mascot, unable to do anything, ultimately undergoing metamorphosis under the endless data wash. I, on the other hand, was properly ’admitted’, with high authority and a strong will, not controlled by others."

He explained, but Su Rin’s eyes remained silent.

"Congratulations on your rebirth." Su Rin said.

"Mm."

"Can you still leave?" Su Rin asked.

The black pupils flickered with surprise for a moment, then softened into a gentle smile.

"No." The answer was merciless, starkly contrasting the smile.

"You are once again breaking your word. I risked everything to help you rebirth with the thought of returning home, only for you to finally tell me you still won’t accompany me?" Su Rin turned his head aside.

Su Ming’an was silent for a moment, as if countless calculations flashed through his mind.

Then, he smiled:

"What are you thinking, Engineer Su? So exhausted that even your logic is unclear? Having gained control of the world game, I naturally have control over the coordinates of the Pulaya civilization, and can send you back now without needing me to accompany you in the search. You can already go home."

It was already a step accomplished.

All stays have lost their meaning.

Su Rin’s pupils flickered.

After a moment, he averted his gaze and looked into the empty space.

"Swish——!"

Su Ming’an slowly extended his hand, his skin transparent and smooth, as if formed by some kind of cold substance rather than the warm flesh and skin of humans. A flash of light appeared, and a piece of paper appeared in his palm.

Redemption Ticket.

Su Rin’s pupils suddenly contracted.

"The voyage of this universe organ, the World Game, cannot be stopped. After dealing with Isabelle’s issue, I must initiate the World Game to move to the next civilization. Pulaya, having been redeemed, will sever its connection with me here." Su Ming’an said calmly,

"Engineer Su, once I send you back, the universe is vast and boundless, and there will be no return road. We might never meet again, so here, take back this Redemption Ticket."

"We both have no need for redemption, I do not, and neither do you."

Su Rin silently received the Redemption Ticket, the angel on the paper seemingly glowing, often seen by the Pulaya people as a symbol of "Deity proclaiming your innocence."

He wanted to speak several times, but finally he tucked the Redemption Ticket into his pocket.

Su Ming’an cannot leave, and Su Rin certainly won’t stay in this universe organ; he must return home, even if eternal farewell cannot stop his yearning for return. Nothing can.

Thus, in the end, only——

Amidst the quiet lake, the golden-eyed youth picks up the shattered Crystal Lighthouse, a common craft, previously smashed.

"I will place this in front of the window as a tribute to you," Su Rin said, shaking the Crystal Lighthouse.

"I’m not dead yet," Su Ming’an rubbed his brow.

"You better not be."

"Engineer Su, I didn’t break my promise this time. After dragging you for so long, I can finally send you home now. Don’t ever tell anyone again that I’m a liar."

"...Hmm. I suppose."

Su Rin turned around and strode toward the outside of the lake.

Then, he lightly paused his steps.

In fact, Pulaya has already passed hundreds of years... anything familiar to him no longer exists. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The girl next door, daisies, glass bottles, rice wine, or the young captain who set sail... none of them exist anymore, and no one, except historians, knows him now. Except for the statues standing tall in the churches.

However, there are still gently flowing rivers, still countless adolescents who would give daisies to their beloved, still generation after generation of young captains embarking on their voyage...

There are still daisies, glass bottles, rice wine.

There are still the girl next door.

There are still princesses as noble and dignified as tulips, knights with proud and unyielding souls, and young ladies as vivid and brave as red roses.

There are still... countless citizens like "young captains."

He must return, he has to return. Nothing can shake his will to go back. Su Ming’an must stay here, and he must return.

Therefore, ultimately, the final captain said softly to the final traveler——

"Goodbye, Su Ming’an."

"The journey I shared with you is a memory I can never erase, whether thousands of years ago, thousands of years later, or now. Whether you are my past Deity of the Holy City in the World of Old Days, or my future inferior predecessor in Pulaya. Whether you are the beginning or the end—"

"You are my best friend."

"May your soul remain so noble, beautiful, just, courageous, gentle, kind, steadfast, sincere, compassionate, and pure in this World Game."

"May you find the grace you control, needing no forgiveness or redemption from anyone, may you always be bathed in light and walk in peace in this life."

"The answer I give you, your soul’s color is transparent."

"Because you can reflect everything, embrace everything, yet remain untouched by other colors. Your base color, forever, is only you."

"I am so glad... to have walked this journey with you."

In the center of the lake, the final traveler stood quietly, the water reflecting his thin figure. Listening to Su Rin’s words, the corners of his mouth softly curved into a very subtle arc.

The final captain slowly turned around.

Their eyes met again over the shimmering lake, without words. The companionship, arguments, protection, and sacrifice of thousands of years needed no more words. Su Rin saw the determination in Su Ming’an’s eyes and the fire that had not extinguished, also saw the irreversible cost.

He saw solitude.

A kind of solitude that will accompany him until the end of time, coexisting with this vast rule system, vast and boundless solitude.

——The person in the center of the lake will walk towards eternal solitude.

Perhaps the farewell should be more solemn, more magnificent, more prolonged, but compared to spoken words and gazes, lavish farewell banquets or fireworks and flowers seem tedious. The World Game, heading to its next stop, also has no time to pause.

This is enough.

"Take care."

This is the captain’s final farewell.

"You too."

This is the traveler’s final response.

As the captain’s silhouette merged into the halo at the lake’s edge, the path to the homeland was opening.

In the moment before his figure completely vanished, he seemed to hear a whisper, extremely faint, almost dissipating into the wind:

"Thank you... for walking with me to here. Su Rin."

The captain’s steps paused imperceptibly, but he did not turn back. He clenched the already useless redemption ticket, his knuckles turning white.

The halo retracted, and the lake returned to complete tranquility, leaving only Su Ming’an alone, standing in the center of the water, surrounded by billions of rules.

The cat ears on his head trembled slightly, and the scarlet in his eyes flashed and disappeared. He raised his head, gazing at the endless sky simulated by the world game, where there was no sunshine from Pulaya and no moonlight from Zhai Xing, only cold data streams and distant starlights.

He succeeded, deceiving "their" observation, taking a step further than any previous reincarnation.

But the cost of success was eternal exile, a farewell to old friends.

He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surge of strength within him, and along with it, the piercing solitude.

"...Goodbye, Su Rin."

He said softly, this time, no one could hear.

...

When the power holder of the world game arrived at the scene of chaos, Isabelle and the other high-dimensions ceased their battle.

The star sea spread, and the turbulence reversed.

The high-dimensions saw Su Ming’an and became aware of his current identity; everyone was shocked.

"You actually..." Aria was speechless, not expecting Su Ming’an to actually achieve it.

"..." The Ninth Thrones did not speak, but was clearly shocked; who could have thought that this small human actually surpassed them in the end.

"Hehe..." The Tenth Thrones let out a laugh of unclear meaning, even they knew the situation had changed. Previously, they were restrained by Xiao Na, but now they had to follow the orders of Su Ming’an.

The small human who was once easily crushed, even nearly driven to despair by the Inorganic God... with his wisdom, perseverance, and strength, with his and his companions’ cooperation, ignited the fire of rebellion, truly completing the challenge against the deities.

Xiao Na closed her eyes, seemingly still immersed in the shock of the Boss Rabbit self-destructing, her feelings toward Boss Rabbit were very complex. Was it pretending to be crazy or having a sudden idea... she would never understand. It disappeared just like that, faster than fireworks, without leaving a word of explanation.

"Pa pa."

A purplish-red tentacle quietly stretched in, patting Su Ming’an’s shoulder. Su Ming’an looked through the shield outwards, among the glittering cosmos, a nebulous mass like a purple star cloud was looking at him, it was the Demon Mother Goddess.

"Doctor Yi told me, making a fuss here can gain some benefits." The tentacle encircled Su Ming’an’s arm, its pointed tip swaying, "I’m here, so where’s the benefit? New power holder of the world game... if the benefit is you..."

"I permit you to observe the world game from outside, not expel you, Isabelle." Su Ming’an said.

The tentacle drooped, seemingly somewhat disappointed: "Is that all?"

"The observation rights of the universe’s organs should be enough for you to comprehend many ’ways’." Su Ming’an said.

"Hehe... child... I don’t want that, just for you to accompany me a few days..." the tentacle enticed.

"Enough is enough." Su Ming’an said flatly.

He was obviously not going to give in; the Demon Mother Goddess also didn’t intend to confront head-on, slowly retracting the tentacle, agreeing.

Immediately, Su Ming’an looked toward Bei Wang. Bei Wang’s injuries had already been healed by the power of the world game, just like Su Rin. Their wounds came from the world game, their healing also from the world game.

"Where will you go next?" Su Ming’an asked Bei Wang.

The white-haired, blue-eyed youth thought for a while, holding the magic wand in his arms, said: "I want to continue having that dream."

"That Black Water Dream?" Su Ming’an shook his head, "It’s too dangerous, you always walking through dreams as an observer..."

"But such a posture allows me to observe more connections of the world. This is my ’way’, I hope to practice it, and I like dreaming all sorts of dreams. If I dream of a way to constrain them... I will assist you." Bei Wang’s voice was no longer hesitant, his figure still like a youth, yet his eyes were never confused.

"Aren’t you going home?" Su Ming’an asked.

Bei Wang lowered his head, then softly said: "The forest... is gone."

Only then did Su Ming’an realize, the forest and wooden house Bei Wang often stayed at as a child had disappeared with the shifts of the world.

No forest left, so he actively walked toward The Dark Forest.

No Candy House left, so he actively walked toward the deep universe.

"The road... is gone."

"Yamada... is also gone."

The young man lifted his head and looked at Su Ming’an:

"I want to find my friends."

"I’ve already brought you back."

"I want to bring the others back too."

People always thought the young man lived in a hazy dream, like an elf without worries. But it wasn’t so; he lived truly in what he believed was real. Even asleep, he was clearer than most.

He wanted to go into the depths of the Black Water Dream, which held the deepest secrets, into the region of the still-mysterious Lord of Dreams, to the darkest, most dangerous streams of the universe, feeling the stones, wading through the dark river.

To light a fire in The Dark Forest.

He loved having bizarre dreams. In his dreams, green vines climbed through the cracks between bricks, the fireplace crackled with flame, a mother on a rocking chair read fairy tales, the ceiling bloomed with flowers, and the air was filled with the scent of cake and cream.

But this time, he was going into the darkest dreams.

"Okay," Su Ming’an said, "Do you want to leave your physical body behind? I can protect you."

Bei Wang shook his head: "If something happens, I don’t want it to affect you."

"You risked your life to save me, of course I want to protect you."

But Bei Wang resolutely shook his head again.

He wasn’t good at saying much, but his actions often spoke for everything.

"Mom told me, friends are very important," Bei Wang said persistently. "In the past, not many people talked to me, but after meeting you all, I’ve spoken so much... I understood the love in fairy tales, I understood many words I couldn’t before... I will go further, touch more love, find my friends. I’ll still have many dangerous dreams... and also..."

He gently touched his ear, where a crystal blue earring hung:

"Tian Yu will be my companion on the journey."

So it turned out Bei Wang had brought back Luowasha’s friend.

"Tian Yu is in your earring? Is it a space prop?" Su Ming’an had seen similar props. They could hold a living person inside an accessory, making travel very convenient, truly magical.

Bei Wang paused for a moment.

Then, he slowly revealed a pure, gentle smile:

"Yes."

"I promised her."

Su Ming’an didn’t persuade further; unlike saying goodbye to Su Rin, Bei Wang might return. He was a Prince of Star-picking bravely heading to the depths of the universe, donned in golden attire, departures no longer tragic.

When Su Ming’an opened the path to the universe, Bei Wang looked deeply at him:

"I won’t let you stay here forever."

What he meant was, even if Su Ming’an could never leave, even against the universe’s organs, he would find a way to take Su Ming’an away.

Then, he waved and walked towards the path.

After the young man’s cotton candy-like figure disappeared, Su Ming’an turned to look at the silent white-coated doctor.

The doctor noticed the gaze and smiled: "I’m leaving with Isabelle."

"Do you like her?" Su Ming’an thought Yi Song had awakened his past life’s feelings, recalling that Isabelle was Princess Yisha.

"How could I?" The doctor shook his head with a smile, "Your illness is cured, but Isabelle is very ill. She’s controlled by a disease called ’High-dimensional Instinct.’ I need to heal her with a treatment of ’love.’"

A human, trying to change the nature of high dimensions with "love"?

Su Ming’an knew how deeply ingrained high-dimensional nature was. For an obsession, Dieying could invade his hometown, and the Master of the End of All Things could destroy countless civilizations. Yi Song actually wanted to change Isabelle’s most primal desires?

It was utterly fantastical.

But seeing Yi Song’s expression, this doctor was serious.

Su Ming’an thought of scenes he’d once seen, his face turning red, difficult to speak: "Even... does it not matter if it’s like that?"

"Like what?" Yi Song was puzzled. He seemed to forget those scenes entirely, or rather, in his view, it was just a normal part of the treatment, not invoking any sense of shame.

Who, in the deepest sense, was the real "ill" one?

Perhaps even the universe couldn’t provide a definitive answer.

The process of healing Isabelle would be incredibly long; how long would it take for humans to change the unfeeling nature of the high dimensions? Perhaps no one had done it before. Yet this doctor intended to do so—not out of "love" or any benefit, just "a doctor’s sense of responsibility."

Maybe, after countless years, there would be a day when a girl named "Isabelle" would smile, just like when they first met... beneath the castle, surrounded by a sea of flowers, the girl expecting a fresh rose brought at midnight by her beloved.

A human girl and a high-dimensional Observer from above, a Demon Mother Goddess and a human doctor.

Could Yi Song, through his whole medical career, his remaining life, support him until that day?

The path unfolded, and the white-coated doctor, hands in pockets, began his joyful departure. With light steps, he walked towards the terrifyingly grotesque purplish-red flesh, towards his last patient.

After seeing Yi Song off, Su Ming’an looked toward the remaining Organizers.