Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1655 - 4: OE·The Guiding Lighthouse of the Universe (10)
[——From the memory of a certain universe cycle, the years countless as grains of the Ganges, too long to verify.]
[Recorder: Yuanyuan]
[Recorded in the storage module of the World Game, as follows:]
[...]
[You know, Ming’an.]
[Humans can be really annoying sometimes.]
[I’ve seen too many civilizations self-destruct due to internal conflicts, suspicion, and shortsightedness. I’ve also seen stories like Acto’s play out in different worlds, with different names and faces, over and over again.]
[Idealists burn themselves out, only to be pushed off the cliff by those they wanted to enlighten. Sacrifices are forgotten, contributions erased, kindness twisted into ulterior motives... I have seen this script so many times, that I almost believe this is the tragic Fate of wise beings.]
[All the malice, misunderstanding, exploitation, and betrayal that was poured onto you... Every cold audience, every jubilation at your downfall... I knew it all.]
[Why?]
[Why do all living beings suffer, ideals fade, bones pile up unrecognizable?]
[Why do moths fly into flames, butterflies break their wings, and the Tower of Babel remain unresolved for millennia?]
[I have seen a dying mother slip her last piece of bread into the arms of a stranger’s child. I’ve seen a civilization shoot all its paintings and poetry into the deep space upon realizing their home planet was about to be destroyed. I’ve seen the most ordinary person display God-like courage in desperate situations.]
[The two sides of contradiction form "humanity." They can blindly harm out of fear, and also create miracles out of love.]
[You know, Ming’an.]
[I once created a dream.]
[I used the purest "dream" and "peace" to weave a vast, warm, Eternal Illusion Realm.]
[There, summer under the Parasol Tree never ends, and all sad stories never happened. You don’t need to bear any Mission, we can live a calm, mundane life full of fireworks like the most ordinary children. That was the Sanctuary I could think of, a gentle retreat I offered you. You could hold a red umbrella, walk quietly in the city’s rain, without pain, without care.]
[I invited you.]
[And you personally declined.]
[Your gaze was clear and firm. You said you wanted to face the bloody truth head-on. You said while indulging in sweet dreams was certainly blissful, it equated to giving up the potential for everyone to truly walk in sunlight.]
[At that moment, I felt a slight pang.]
[Because I saw it.]
[——Saw the burning Desire in your eyes.]
[This Desire will consume you completely.]
[Yes, my dream is beautiful, but it in essence remains another form of "cycle," an escape.]
[So when you turned and walked towards the thorny path——]
[I personally shattered the dream I had woven.]
[I must go further, see more, and become stronger. Not to chase after you, but to one day become a strong pillar, an unyielding giant.]
[This is the reason I chose to step onto the High Dimensional battlefield and become one of the "Twelve Seats."]
[I faced harsh trials; my humanity, my memory, all my traits as "Yuanyuan," attracted countless predators attempting to devour me. I was attacked repeatedly, until I was on the verge of collapse, with only weak consciousness remaining.]
[Sometimes, I was confused, who am I really? Am I still "Yuanyuan"? Is a self cut countless times still qualified to be called its original self? Do you also feel unfamiliar with such a me? Even afraid?]
[They said: let go, let go of the joy and sorrow as a tiny life, let go of insignificant human memories, and become a grander, more Eternal life. Why cling to the fragile humanity as "Yuanyuan"?]
[Many times, in near Eternal solitude, amid all-around covetousness, I trembled.]
[But I repeatedly reminded myself of who I am.]
[I am a Traveler, an Observer, a human.]
[I firmly occupy a place in High Dimensions; I need this position to Protect what I want to protect, to do what I want to do.]
[Ming’an.]
[I choose to remain as a "Coordinator" of the World Game not out of whim. The next civilization could be entering a glorious phase or sliding into the Abyss. Before, I might have only sighed as another fall occurred. But now, I can try to do something. Not saving from above as a God, but understanding their dilemmas from within, helping them break through it.]
[This is the "Journey" I truly desire.]
[No longer watching from afar, no longer just witnessing the end.]
[Of course——]
[I also see the Eternal solitude you are about to enter.]
[I cannot bear that weight for you; that weight is yours alone to carry.]
[But, Ming’an.]
[——If my new journey, my path to realizing my ideals, happens to coincide with your long voyage;]
[——If while delving into one civilization after another, I can make you feel warmth;]
[——If the ideals we each pursue happen to walk the same track——]
[Then, isn’t it a better conclusion than a simple farewell?]
[I am not staying for you.]
[I chose this heavier path for myself.]
[It’s just a coincidence that on this road, you are my companion.]
[We each are complete, each pursue our quests.]
[If you are doomed to be the eye of the storm, unable to interfere with the fate of worlds, an Observer, trapped Host of the World Game,]
[——I will become the "Lorenz Butterfly" of this world.]
[Dance gracefully.]
[Transform into the Long Wind.]
...
Years later.
Inside the World Game, more and more High Dimensions arrived, and the vacant seats were gradually filled.
Su Ming’an had no intention to forcibly imprison the High Dimensions; these were voluntary arrivals. Either seeking to understand the rules of cosmic organs or hoping to find a place for Protection.
His consciousness often flowed into the depths of the World Game, contemplating its internal structure, comprehending the principles and mysteries of this organ. He gradually understood many secrets he couldn’t touch before.
Some civilizations, like fireworks, exploded brilliantly and quickly cooled;
Some civilizations, like ancient trees, hollowed from within at a certain point;
Some civilizations, like vines, crazily climbed and plundered until they strangled their world;
Some civilizations, like deep-sea fishes, evolved new organs under darkness and high pressure.
He more clearly touched the cold and grand operation mechanism of the World Game: it is an incredibly complex system. He attempts to find gaps within this mammoth logical chain.
His consciousness sinks amid the rise and fall of billions of civilizations; he, like a Traveler going upstream against the time waterfall, tries to modify destined trajectories, leaving information for the "next time."
One day, a new figure arose at the empty first seat.
The hall silent, stars hanging low.
The High Dimensional seats arranged like clockwork, resembling columns of white jade in Ancient Greek philosophical forums, with remnants of civilizations like bone fragments flying.
Someone approached the seat of the first position.
A flowing dark color, the robe’s edges rippling with serene waves, a bamboo-patterned belt cinching the waist. Long hair cascading like waterfalls, akin to first snow covering a new moon, unruly reaching the ground, strands brushing over a hand resting on a sword hilt, the hand pale and slender.
He gently lifted his eyelids, revealing a pair of dark green eyes.
He is not a guest who needs "imprisonment." He walked here on his own, like a star returning to its orbit, like a Long River finally reaching the sea.
"Zhai Xing’s affairs have been taken care of; humanity can now fully survive on its own... I’ve come to find you."
"Have you thought it over? Staying might mean you can never leave," Su Ming’an said.
He can no longer return home, but the others are different.
"I’m sure." Lü Shu nodded, "To become the first seat, to help you."
"Kelsa is fine. He’s been locked up for a few days, but I secretly let him out, helped him go incognito, and he stayed by my side for a long time without regrets, living a harmonious life and passing away at a hundred years old."
"The crystal object that Su Rin gave me, I used it to collect the remnants of Yamada Machiichi’s soul, waiting for you to resurrect him in the future, then he will join us."
"Su Ming’an, you will not be alone. Even if the long night seems endless... it doesn’t have to be without beginning or end."
Like a cloud chasing the moon.
Starlight pierced the formless barrier of the high heavens, slanting to illuminate half of his profile. His white hair was illuminated with a thin layer of silver glow in the faint light. The young man with white hair was like a green boat, crossing the long river of years, arriving here from the edge of the universe.
...
[——Want to be a green boat, hoping that one day it will cross all rivers and oceans, and sail beyond the end of spring, towards you all.]
...
The boat has arrived.
Myself, Yuanyuan, Lü Shu.
Perhaps Bei Wang, Yi Song, Yamada Machiichi can also return...
If a miracle happens, maybe even Lu, Su Rin...
Perhaps, even if restarted thousands of times, even if using the most precise tools to smooth them, to remove all bones, to cut away all sharpness, making their gaze gentle, making their ideals realistic. Even such them are still "big fools".
So, even if still confused about "whether there’s a better way", even if footprints are ultimately buried by the sands of time... they will also become a fireseed, a story, an allegory.
Taking all of this—Yamachiichi who decided to become a "Coordinator", Lü Shu who stayed without hesitation, Yamada Machiichi who resided in Zhai XIng, Su Rin who returned to his homeland, Bei Wang who journeyed into the universe... all of them are buried under the sand.
Waiting for a future day when a certain pair of eyes can truly "see", uncover all of this, and discover these long-abiding footprints hidden beneath the vast yellow sands.
Unlocking... their epic.
This time.
Next time.
...
[In the cosmic year 2819281092, on a certain day.]
[A record left in the World Game storage module.]
[Recorder: Su Ming’an]
[Deciding to take over the World Game, I don’t consider this a cycle.]
[I won’t follow the same trajectory as Boss Rabbit, I will use my power to transform this cold organ of the universe.]
[Learning of my whimsical ideas, the Organizers said I was arrogant, said I was crazy—an inheritor daring to transform an organ.]
[Yes, I am greedy. I’ve stood at the pinnacle of authority that even shadows bow to, I could have comfortably enjoyed the crown, watched countless "Zhai XIng" repeat past despair and struggle from an eternal throne, I could totally stand where Boss Rabbit once did, cheerfully passing judgments of "extermination" or "pardon".]
[But I am not satisfied.]
[Because my desire burns fiercely like fire.]
[I am different from Boss Rabbit. I have high authority, clear awareness, a clean soul... most importantly, I am a "perfect scorer".]
[One mustn’t think of the World Game as a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair; the quality of an organ depends on its controller. It can be a ruthless purifier of civilization or a salvation for countless civilizations.]
[——What I want to do is to control its direction, guiding it towards civilizations that can pass.]
[Replacing extermination with salvation.]
[Replacing purification with sublimation.]
[I am a "perfect scorer", no one understands better than me how to redeem a civilization. Even a civilization that’s worn and broken, I can transform into a perfect civilization, changing its fate of extermination.]
[——I want to become the true guiding "Lighthouse" in the universe.]
[Using the Lighthouse to guide the direction of the World Game, informing people as a Host on how to save themselves. It’s the same stance, not an opposing one.]
[This is something that only I, the "perfect scorer", can achieve.]
[Besides Zhai XIng, I don’t know how many civilizations I will save... this will be a number calculated in billions over the endless years to come.]
[The Organizers call it the Savior’s arrogance, whatever it may be, I’ve always been arrogant, always felt every responsibility must be shouldered, I don’t deny this.]
[I once suffered from a lethal disease. On my twenty-first birthday, I lay in the medical pod, my companions placed their hands on the glass one by one, wishing me a happy birthday. Their gazes, their smiles... caused me to suffer a fatal disease. The most stubborn virus invaded my genes, preventing me from seeing the end of any civilization as merely failed data.]
[As I became the World Game’s controller, I could no longer charge forward leading the whole civilization into the future as before. What I need to do is to tell the people:]
["There’s a loophole here. Go observe it, go change it, go save it. Use all your pettiness, all your wisdom, all your dissatisfaction and all your love—please strive to survive for me."]
["Prove to me that you are worthy of survival."]
[I will leak the exam rules and hidden questions to the examinees. I will stand on the same side of the abyss as them, guiding them on how to survive this meat grinder. I will become this giant cosmic organ’s most rebellious Host, demonstrating standing to those I was supposed to execute.]
["Swish——"]
[As I walked towards the white gate, towards the next station of the World Game, I seemed to hear the sighing of sheep, the sound of flowing within veins——]
["You are going to do something far more difficult than Boss Rabbit countless times."]
["You are going to do something that the World Game hasn’t achieved in millions of years."]
["You are going to change the essence of the World Game, turning it from a blade edge to a shield."]
["Oh, how bold you are, how proud you are."]
[The false sunlight shone on my eyelids, before me was a road home under the parasol tree.]
[The spring day of Ming Hui, the blazing flames of White Sand Paradise, the fall of Pulaya, the collapse of the Black Wall in Qiongdi, the long snow of the Ruined World... scene after scene flashed before my eyes.]
[As long as I close my eyes, let go of this whimsical idea, and honestly be a ruler, it’s enough to call the shots on the scale of the universe. I have multiple high dimensions at my service, I have already been crowned, reached heights I never dared to imagine before.]
[Yet, greed burns within my heart.]
[——I am not satisfied enough.]
[I want to improve this cosmic organ, I want to delve into every inch of its veins, every bit of its muscle, I want to secretly protect the chosen civilizations, I want to touch the deepest mysteries of the universe, leaving the next enough information. Finally, having managed to evade "their" eyes.]
[Annihilation will no longer happen, chaos will return to peace, slowing the endless increase of entropy.]
[The heartbeat pounded loudly in my chest, blood vessels ran wild like flames, seeming to resonate with this cosmic organ, I stepped on my own heart and veins, reaching for the sky.]
[I know what this means.]
[It means that in the endless future, I will experience failure millions of times. Every civilization that perished due to my inadequate guidance or misinterpretation will become an unhealable scar.]
[But I still want this necrotic organ born only for purification to grow new nerves.]
[They scoff, and Aria sighed: Ming’an, this is the dream of a fool, as if negotiating with a tiger, banishing yourself to the karmic fire forever. You stand in the executioner’s position, yet you want to be the most rebellious Saint, how ridiculous.]
[——Then let this karmic fire start by burning me.]
[——The chaotic wind blows through my hair, blood rushing hotly, as if before my eyes there’s a sun rising, the pitch-black night falling behind, and what I see——is a dazzling radiance reaching far to the horizon.]
[I smile.]
[——I want to leap into this sunlit world.]
...
In the distant depths of the universe.
A pair of blue eyes slowly opened, silently gazing at the World Game navigating the deep star sea, resembling a heart, beating steadily.
"This time, it’s an unprecedented development. You’ve become the eternal guiding Lighthouse of the universe..." It murmured.
——Can one look forward to this?
"All in, all in... This time your lifespan will be unimaginably long, if your soul gets tainted... in the next great confrontation, can you stand against the Lord of Dreams..." The blue eyes flickered with complex light.
The universe was silent, the whisper turned into void.
...
