Sword of Dawn

In the story of the brave and the dragon, the world always unfolds step by step like a picture scroll, and the road in front of the hero always leads from one enemy to another, but unfortunately, the real world often does not follow you step by step.

After an unknown period of silence, a voice came down from the sky and echoed in Gawain's ear:

"And you, my neighbor, do you—do you want to pray to the real gods?"

Now, the pressure came to Gao Wen's side.

Chapter 1566 God's Lament

When Lady Ye's voice fell, the surroundings of the towering throne seemed to gradually dim - an invisible pressure as if night was about to fall permeated the entire space, spreading from the top of the gray-white sky to the night city at the border However, when Gao Wen really looked up at the sky, he found that this "darkness" seemed to be just his own illusion. The pale sky still shrouded the four fields, and Ms. Ye's gaze hanging down from the clouds was still indifferent.

And the last words of the other party were still echoing in his mind.

"Do you want to pray to the real god?"

After a short period of trance and thinking, he realized that Ms. Ye's words were not what she said on the surface. What the ancient god really wanted to say was actually another meaning-do you need His salvation?

Gawain fell silent, this time for a long time. He was already planning to leave the Shadow God Kingdom and end this special meeting, but after a few minutes, he suddenly sat down on the floor—just sat down In front of Lady Ye's throne, sitting on the dividing line between the gray-white desert and the majestic mottled altar, he let the fine dust fluctuate with the wind around him, and slowly raised his eyes: "Prayer can save you, existence of this Choice, right?"

"... Those who seek help are saved, those who save themselves walk alone," Ms. Ye said quietly, "His power is not yet able to fully enter this world, but if it only takes away part of the seekers, it is not difficult for such a great existence. In the current situation, not only can He take away you, but he can also take away everyone you care about, and even... it is not impossible to take away your entire empire.

"On the other hand, you don't have to worry about the extra price you need to pay. If you really start praying, He will send grace, and there will be no so-called shackles of thoughts in this process, and there will be no worries of backlash. "

Gao Wen thought for a while, and then asked: "The person who asked for help was saved, so if you only look at it from the perspective of 'surviving', this is not much different from being taken away by the person who set sail."

"The difference is very big. The upper limit of the ethnic groups taken away by the voyagers is the voyager fleet, and whether the voyagers themselves can complete the final test and reach the higher order of time and space is still unknown, but they are ' The people he's taking away will be truly safe and secure—at least in the current season of civilization's cognitive boundaries, there is no near worry about this 'safety' and 'guarantee'.

"Of course, the new upper limit still exists, because the saved are like chicks, and the patrons are still gods, but the wings of this shelter have become stronger and wider than before. In addition to cognition, you may need to develop dozens of generations, hundreds of generations, or even longer years before you realize the existence of the ceiling."

Ms. Ye paused for a few seconds, her lowered gaze seemed to carry some inexplicable meaning: "For the ethnic group that cannot even cross the speed of light, the boundary beyond the order of time and space is not the same as 'infinity'. There is no difference, a high enough roof can also be regarded as a 'sky', for you, this... is actually a very good choice."

But Gao Wen didn't give any response. He fell into thinking again, and let the time go by. Gradually, even Amber sat down beside him. Although she didn't know what Gao Wen was thinking about, He also pretended to think along with him.

After an indeterminate amount of time like this, Gao Wen's body suddenly moved, as if a sculpture woke up from a deep sleep. Fine gray-white dust suddenly fell from the seams of his clothes, as if he had made a major event. Decided, with a faint smile on his face: "No."

"... Oh?" ​​Ms. Ye's voice was delayed for a long time, and he seemed a little surprised, "You refuse?"

"Yes."

"Even if that's the 'true god'?"

"Yes."

"I want to hear your reason," Ms. Ye said with a hint of playfulness in her voice, "This is not an easy decision."

"I don't know if my reasons are sufficient, but I think... civilization should have its own development track," Gao Wen spoke slowly, as if he was carefully considering every word he said, "This world has already Today, all sentient beings use their wisdom and strength to overcome difficulties, stand shoulder to shoulder with God, and use great perseverance and courage to stand in front of the demon tide, ready to face the biggest challenge on the road to the survival of civilization... Ma'am, Now that we have come this far, why do we need to seek refuge in an all-knowing and all-powerful being?

"If the world was in the state it was a few years ago, or even just two years ago, I am afraid I would not be able to refuse this temptation, because at that time the Loren people were not ready to 'stand up', and the world was still Wandering in confusion, every step taken by the world was towards a precarious and confused future, and the alliance had not yet formed. Every country in this world was fighting on its own. All I cared about was With the followers around me, seeking the guidance of a great existence at that time, and knowing in advance that there would be no worries about the future, it was indeed an option that could not be refused.

"But it's different now, ma'am, this planet is packed and ready to go alone and survive alone."

"And even without considering these vague factors, I think it is not a good thing for the alliance at this stage, or even just for the Cecil Empire at this stage, to move closer to faith—even if it is the "True God" Considering the possibility of social loss of control in the short term, but also the long-term upper limit of civilization development, maybe the great existence you mentioned can really protect the common people, and even do countless times better than the sailor, but I really doubt it... After such violent social turmoil and cultural changes, is the Cecil Empire that was 'taken away' still the original Cecil?

"Finally, and most importantly... Ms., you said just now that the power of that great being has not been able to fully enter this world. Although I don't know what causes that kind of existence to be restricted, the fact is that He I can only selectively take away some people, even if this 'some people' can even include my entire empire, but what about the rest? What about the rest of the people on this planet?

"Even further away... what about the Noi people who are still waiting for their allies to help? Do they have this chance?

"At this critical juncture, my withdrawal means that hundreds of millions, or even billions of creatures were thrown into the abyss by me... even if we have never met, I am still responsible for them.

"Ma'am, survival is important, I admit it, but sometimes we do things for more than just survival - now that mortals have chosen to get up and go, I don't think we need another way. "

After Gao Wen's voice fell, he breathed a sigh of relief. He calmly looked up at the clouds, and Ms. Ye watched him for a long time from behind the clouds. After a few seconds, his voice came: "But you can replace the world's sentient beings." Do you want to make a statement?"

"No," Gao Wen replied without the slightest hesitation, "I can only represent my own opinion on this matter."

"Then you want to let all beings face this choice and make a decision by themselves?"

"No," Gao Wen replied equally decisively, "This will tear the entire Loren civilization apart. A savior who is truly omniscient and has no hidden dangers within the scope of mortal cognition, the price is that there is currently no end in sight. The determined subversion of civilization, on the other side is an independent but arduous and arduous road to travel alone. This road may go further or may die halfway. When such a choice is placed in front of the Loren people at this moment, the entire society will be torn apart. And much of what we have held on to so far will be gone.”

"So, you are going to make a risky 'arbitrary'." Ms. Ye's tone was finally no longer as lazy and casual as before, but with a seriousness and solemnity that Gao Wen could not fully understand, "If your choice is correct Yes, then all living beings in this world will embark on a more glorious and glorious path, and even the gods under the highest order will pay tribute to you, but if you lose the bet... at least for those who had the opportunity to be shaded You will change from a great man to a sinner, and it will be an unprecedented crime.”

Gao Wen thought for a while, and was about to say something more, when Amber next to him suddenly stood up, and the Shadow Assault Goose swung his arms vigorously, his face flushed a little: "But in the history of mortals, not every so-called Are the great decisions made by 'heroes' accompanied by a 'possible route' that can lead them to become eternal sinners? It is only because they have to make a choice at the node of fate! But if we are in history Every key node of the game questioned the sentence "If he made a wrong bet at that time, he must be a sinner through the ages", then ordinary people may still worry about being eaten by wolves in the cave today! In the final analysis, the first decision to bring the whole family Aren't the tribal leaders who migrated from the caves to live on the plains also risking extinction?"

Gawain looked at Amber who was chatting beside him in some astonishment. For a moment, he couldn't believe that these words came from her mouth. Amber also quickly noticed Gao Wen's gaze. She seemed to be coming from some kind of excitement. After calming down, the flushed face was still a little bit more embarrassed: "Um... Did I say something wrong? It feels like the metaphor is not quite right..."

Gao Wen was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled and shook his head: "No, this is probably the most accurate example you gave."

"...Interesting," Ms. Ye's voice suddenly came, interrupting Gao Wen's conversation with Amber, "Another surprise to me, my 'shadow' made a speech that I didn't expect at all."

Then he paused, and said with a smile: "However, what you said is right, enough to convince the gods."

Immediately afterwards, His attention was placed on Gao Wen again, and after two seconds of pondering, He nodded lightly: "So, this is your attitude - even if you lose the bet and you are a sinner through the ages, you will not Any doubts and hesitation."

"Over the years, I have made too many choices that would make me a sinner forever if I make a mistake," Gao Wen laughed, "And since just now I have been thinking about one thing, which also made me make a choice. A big reason for the decision to 'refuse to pray'."

"Oh? What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking, the Voyagers have been trekking in this universe for so many years, and as the first civilization to open up the 'voyager route', the path they chose is even a hundred times more difficult than the challenges Loren will face, and since then Judging from the information you disclosed, the sailors obviously knew the existence of the 'supreme order' and the existence of those great gods..." Gawain laughed, "Then why didn't they choose to pray to God for protection? Instead Do you want to be such a pioneer who has gone through all kinds of hardships and dangers, and you still have to carry countless 'baggages'?"

Ms. Ye was silent for a few seconds: "Maybe it's because they are restricted and cannot seek asylum? Maybe they are burdened with shackles, and only after completing the final test can they be qualified to move forward."

"Ah, it looks like this is the 'invisible ceiling', isn't it? The border does still exist, though perhaps in a way I don't understand for now, but those 'great ceilings' you mentioned Existence does leave a boundary, and the Voyager seems to intend—or have to cross this boundary, so maybe we can do the same.”

After saying this, Gao Wen noticed that Ms. Ye slightly adjusted her sitting posture. Although he couldn't be sure, he had a vague feeling that he had just passed a test, or had made a move that was enough to make a living in the future. It was a decision that affected the progress of civilization in the extremely long years, and then he heard Ms. Ye's sigh from the sky:

"You...maybe you can really go further than the sailors."

Gao Wen didn't say anything, and Ms. Ye paused for a moment after the sigh, and then said: "I understand your choice, and since that's the case, all I can give you is my sincere blessing-leave, Do what's right, but I look forward to seeing each other again after the world is safe."

Gao Wen exhaled lightly, but before he took his leave and left, his eyes suddenly fell on the stone pillar in front of Lady Ye's throne.

"Modir's Travels" is quietly lying on the top of the stone pillar, the great adventurer who has traveled the world is now only silent.

"Can I take this book with me?" Gao Wen asked.

"I expected you to say that, but unfortunately... this book can no longer leave my side," Ms. Ye shook her head lightly, "The real Mordir Wilde should have been wiped out six centuries ago , and my power forced him to stay in the world of the living, and now the remaining part of him is completely reshaped by the power of shadow, just like the shadow cannot exist independently from the body, this book must now be in the Only by my side can I exist stably.”

After Ms. Ye's voice fell, Amber couldn't help saying: "But am I just a 'shadow' that still exists without my body?"

Ms. Ye was silent for two seconds, then sighed softly: "Try not to disrupt the situation like this when you go out in the future, you will be beaten easily."

Amber & Gao Wen: "..."

The embarrassment lasted for a moment, Gao Wen abruptly ignored the subtlety of the atmosphere: "Then this book..."

"It's true that I can't take it away," Ms. Ye still shook her head, "The situation of Amber is different, it cannot be compared with it, and... I once promised the great adventurer one thing, I should fulfill my promise. "

Gao Wen was a little curious: "Your promise? What did you promise him?"

"I promised him that I would let him witness the wider world and let him embark on an unimaginable journey—even though he has changed his appearance now, this promise is still valid," Ms. Ye smiled, "I have already Served for the voyager for 180 million years, and was bound to this throne due to the influence of the reverse tide, but now the state of the anchor point generator has returned to normal, and everything in the star space has been on track or is about to be on track, So I thought... it would be okay to take a little vacation for myself and take a walk around."

Gao Wen's eyes widened when he heard this: "...you can still do this?!"

"Why not?" Ms. Ye seemed to wink her eyes, and her tone became more relaxed, "My neighbor, not only mortals are qualified to do extraordinary things, the old antiques on the throne will also have restless moments— —I had planned this 'walk' for a long time before the reverse tide came to make trouble, and now it's time to relax a bit."

Gao Wen was astonished.

He seemed to know where the spirit of fishing in Hu Po's bones came from.

But Ms. Ye didn't give him a chance to continue speaking. The ancient god once again resumed his lazy posture leaning on the throne, and then raised his finger slightly to point to the distant city of night, and suddenly appeared in the sea of ​​sand. A long bridge formed by condensed twilight twilight, pointing from the throne to the city.

"Go in this direction. You will return to the real world. The guide is already waiting at the end of the road. Don't let them wait too long."

Gao Wen and Amber looked at each other, then they nodded, and then nodded slightly to Ms. Ye with a relaxed expression.

I have already asked what I should ask, and I know what I should know. After taking over the legacy of the voyager, the only thing left to do is to return to the place where I came and face the next road.

With the expectation of the next meeting, they turned and stepped on the long bridge formed by the condensed light.

After the figures of Amber and Gao Wen gradually disappeared in the twilight twilight, it took a long time for Ms. Ye who stayed on the throne to sigh softly.

The ancient god didn't know what to think about. After a long time, he said softly as if talking to himself: "They refused to pray, and they wanted to go by themselves."

He waited quietly, and a moment later, from an extremely distant place, from the depths of some kind of dark connection, a faint sigh finally sounded softly: "... Awesome."

Chapter 1567 Arriving at the Frontier

In the boundless gray-white desert, the vast and chaotic sky enveloped the surrounding fields. Lady Ye's majestic throne stood in the center of the kingdom of God like a mountain in the center of the world. Said to the distant voice: "Will you be surprised?"

"Not all living beings can still choose to walk a difficult and solitary path after confirming the existence of gods. There are very few mortals who refuse to bow their heads in front of the god's throne..." the distant voice said unhurriedly, as in the past Like many years before, Ms. Ye could hear this voice, but she could never perceive where it came from. It was a great consciousness that directly cast traces in his cognition, "After all, if you can You can get everything you want in this environment, so why pay a higher price to chase the ethereal future?"

"...Aren't you angry?" Ms. Ye hesitated, but still asked the question, "You are willing to find ways to help, but mortals refuse to bow to you... As a true god, you..."

"The real gods are just some more advanced civilization, some more powerful individuals, I reminded you of this at the beginning," the voice said with a smile, "as for 'angry'... I Why be angry? Because they will not prostrate themselves? Because 'there are mortals who refuse the grace of God'?"

Ms. Ye didn't speak, he seemed to be lost in thought, and the voice said quietly after a moment's pause: "I just said that there are very few mortals who refuse to bow their heads in front of the god's throne - since there are very few, it means that there are still such groups of people. Some. They knew the existence of the gods, but they still chose to go alone. At the end of their voyage, they touched the fortress of the gods, but they still passed with their heads held high. At the same time, more civilizations chose our asylum. I chose the sequence of joining the dependents, but for us... it doesn't make any difference.

"Those who accept asylum, we take care of them carefully, those who are unwilling to bow their heads, we treat each other politely, we welcome people, and accept friends, because no matter what, we are all sailing in the same void in the end, and such a vast void... …Ben can accommodate everything.

"We call this idea 'safeguarding the diversity of civilizations.'"

Ms. Ye finally raised her head from her contemplation, and she asked thoughtfully: "You once said that the 'void' is an endless and vast place, and the 'universe' like the one I live in is as vast as sand and dust. There are so many, in so many universes, and countless civilizations prosper or perish every second, at that time, I always wanted to ask... Are all worlds so...difficult to survive?"

That voice was silent for a long time this time, and it seemed that even the gods outside the order of time and space needed to carefully consider their vocabulary to answer this question. After some time, his voice finally came from the far side of time and space: "What is What about difficulty? For civilizations at different stages of development, is there a standard for difficulty?

"For the primitive tribes in the cave, a snowstorm in the cold winter is a catastrophe. For the ancient kingdom that has just established itself in the farming era, the rain a few months late can overthrow the entire kingdom. A prosperous An industrially awakened civilization can be fearless of these disasters on the earth, but a meteorite is still a catastrophe-the magic wave can destroy a mother planet civilization in the initial stage, but as you said, for the navigator In other words, the home-type mind-calibration patches are even disposable, and there are stocks in every vending machine.

"On a mortal planet I once lived on, there is a periodic disaster. Every certain period, the planet will fall into a state of extremely low temperature called the 'Ice Age', and the long cold winter will wipe out nine In the two glacial periods, there was only a very short "warm summer". In the warm summer, which was short to almost one breath compared to the entire planetary climate cycle, civilizations multiplied again and again, and they rose , recede, rise again, recede again... and until the day they finally had no fear of the glaciers, they never received the slightest help from the gods.

"Today, the civilizations bred on this planet are already flourishing. Driven by a culture that they call 'the homeland is hard to leave', they even transformed their home planet into a long-distance aircraft carrier and named it For 'Steel Terra', as the first civilization in the galaxy to break through the barrier of light speed, they and their 'Steel Terra' are still sailing in the vast starry sky.

"But even so, they still have the possibility of dying at any time-the out-of-control neutron star fragments and the gravitational discontinuity zone of the dark tide on the long voyage may be the next 'blizzard' they will face, and they may be in these storms The fallen, like their ancient cave-dwelling ancestors, may also come back from the storm stronger, taller, and ready to face the next catastrophe.

"Son, if that's what you want to ask, then I'll tell you the answer—yes, survival is so hard, both in childhood and in adulthood, life is fragile and full of hardships, so that any kind of natural phenomenon in a certain A specific period and a specific form of ethnic group can become a catastrophe, and even those ethnic groups that have been sheltered by us have moments of overturning in disasters—it’s just that it will be a bigger natural disaster, so terrible that even the gods will fall."

The voice stopped, and Ms. Ye remained silent on the throne for a long time. After a few minutes, she finally broke the silence: "So, all roads are full of thorns."

"Yes, and the crux of the problem is this: After knowing all the worlds and all the roads ahead are full of thorns, does a civilization still have the courage to take the next step—compared to the blizzard whistling outside the cave, Still deciding to take the "next step" in the face of the blizzard is the greatest courage of a civilization, and it is also the greatest difficulty they will face.

"Compared with this 'step', all other options are secondary."

Ms. Ye was suddenly a little curious: "So...is there any civilization that chooses not to take that step? I mean, after it has developed to a certain level, it suddenly realizes that there are still dangers beyond the planet, and realizes that no matter how powerful the power is, I can’t guarantee my own long-term survival, but will encounter difficulties in the process of development, so I choose to take that step back, is there really such a thing?”

The distant god was silent for two seconds, and answered softly: "Yes, and there are many, and even various stages will appear-some will curl up and die in the primitive city-state, some will be drunk and dreamy in the empire era, and some will appear in the nerve potion. Stepping into the end under anesthesia, most of them have silently disappeared before they really see what the world they live in looks like, and it is difficult to leave even a trace.”

Ms. Ye opened her eyes slightly: "Then you..."

"They have the right to choose their own path, and every civilization has the right to choose their own path, but when they repent and start praying at the end of the day... we will not give the slightest response, after all, we are also very busy."

"...I understand," Ms. Ye finally breathed out, he seemed to relax a lot, and his eyes were clearer than before, then he thought for a while, and asked another question, "You said, are the sailors true?" Can it successfully reach the end of the recognizable universe?"

"I'm not sure," the voice said frankly, "since the Battle of the Spiral Rift dragged hundreds of worlds into the zeroth quadrant, the gods' observation of these universes has been greatly disturbed, and now the zeroth quadrant has become a A solidly existing area, and we have yet to find a way to re-establish shipping lanes in this quadrant.

"Perhaps as the prophet and the god of omens said, the only way to rebuild the waterway in the zeroth quadrant is to break the situation from the inside out. A civilization that has successfully survived in the ruins is willing to give up the opportunity to escape and choose to be a pioneer. This group will naturally have the talent to sail in the zeroth quadrant. They may be the "starters" in your mouth, or they may be the successors after the founders, they may be Loren, they may be Noy, More likely a pioneering civilization in some other universe near yours, who knows?"

Ms. Ye thought for a while, and said with some uncertainty: "Then if one day, the Loren civilization becomes the 'pioneer' who successfully reached the end of the recognizable universe, but instead of choosing to continue going out, it stops. , and even turned back to pray to God, what would you...or your friends do?"

"We will accept—they have reached their promised land, and they will have their due reward," said the voice indifferently, "All beings have the right to make choices, and it is not okay to ask God for help after doing everything possible Despicable, on the contrary, refusing to pray is normal. In the final analysis, it’s just that not every world needs God’s salvation, and not every civilization has only the option of ‘bowing down to God’. It’s just…”

The voice suddenly paused, and then, he seemed to have a little smile: "It's just that if they can really walk alone to the end... maybe they can be friends."

……

On the long bridge formed by the dim light at dusk, Gao Wen suddenly stopped and looked back at the direction he came from with a thoughtful expression.

The majestic throne has disappeared in the background of the boundless desert at some point. Looking back, all you can see is a monotonous and pale chaotic mist. The faint light forms barriers on both sides of the long bridge. The endless wind in the Shadow Desert was completely blocked by the barrier. Looking at it from this perspective, he felt as if he was walking on a endless and repeating road, and he had no way of judging where he was going. How far this goes.

He turned his head again and looked at the City of Night on the other side of the road. That silhouette-like city really stood on the border of sand and dust, but since just now, that silhouette never seemed to get any closer.

"What are you looking at?" Amber's voice suddenly came from the side, interrupting Gao Wen's look, "Is there anything else I forgot to ask Ms. Ye?"

"...That's not true," Gawain frowned, "It just feels like we've been on this road for a long time, why don't we have any intention of 'arriving' at all?"

"Who knows? The things in the Shadow God Kingdom are fictitious, and the sights seen by the naked eye can't be used as a reference." Amber seemed quite relaxed, "Anyway, Ms. Ye said to go this way. Just move forward, He will never joke with us on this kind of thing."

Gawain took a look at the Shadow Assault Goose: "...you really trust him."

"That's no way, who made him my 'source'? And it also helped me solve the problem of 'stability'. Anyway, from the moment we met, I felt that he could be trusted," Amber said on the side While shaking, he waved his hand, "By the way, you haven't finished talking just now, you said that Ms. Ye created a test illusion for you, and then you stayed in it for 50 years, and Ms. Ye even pretended to be me to fool you You, in the end, you weren't fooled at all? Did you really never get fooled? Could it be bragging?"

"Am I bragging in front of you?" Gao Wen casually pressed Hu Po's head, "An Hu Po who hasn't even missed a day of overtime work and hasn't been late or left early for meetings for 50 years, you don't even think about who can be fooled by this? It was Hetty and Rebecca who could have noticed something was wrong within 24 hours when they came here."

Amber thought for a while, then bared her teeth: "Although you are right, why do I always feel that I am being ridiculed by you?"

Gao Wen Yile didn't mean to deny it at all, but his steps didn't stop at all, and he continued to walk towards the night city at the end of his vision.

But in the next second, the scene in front of him was suddenly in a trance, and then the majestic giant city suddenly "flashed" in front of him from a distance!

This scene was astonishing and strange, as if he jumped over some kind of discontinuous time and space at the instant of this step, and the city that was so far away that he would never be able to reach was directly in front of him, which made him even feel in a trance I heard a "boom"!

Amber next to him was also taken aback by the sudden change. This guy jumped up and hung on his arm more than half a meter high. Then he pointed at the black city in front of him while grabbing his arm: "Mom... Mom! How did this thing jump over here!"

Gao Wen quickly calmed down, and while picking off the amber, he thought of the information he had received before: "...Do you still remember? It is said that there is a section between Lady Ye's throne and the border of the Shadow God Kingdom that cannot be reached by conventional means. 'Road' is like an illusion of light and shadow reflected at a fixed distance, and the distance is always a silhouette that can be seen and cannot be touched... This may be the embodiment of this phenomenon."

Then he paused, and then said: "We walked along the road built by Ms. Ye, and suddenly arrived at the City of Night, but if we go out along that desert... probably no matter how far we go, The city is in its original place in our eyes."