novellk Chapter 1710 Final Chapter, Chapter of the Shore [54] "Life should be life."
Chapter 1710 Final Chapter, Chapter of the Shore [54] "Life should be life."
Chapter 1710 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [54]: "Life should be life."
...Next up is Mo Yan.
In the simulation just now, in order to protect Casadia, Mo Yan manipulated a chess piece to personally take the hit, but was discovered by the Dream Lord of the original faction and will be executed in the next round.
During the waiting period, Mo Yan stared blankly at the drifting stardust.
He had considered death before; he had faced life and death directly in family trials and game instances.
But for some reason, when he looked at those tiny, shimmering stardusts, the first thought that came to his mind wasn't fear, but rather...
"It's so beautiful, brother."
Su Ming'an wanted to say something, but he didn't expect to hear such praise from Mo Yan.
The boy stared blankly, like a moth parting a flowerbed to see the sky for the first time. He stretched out his hands, as if trying to touch the depths of the universe, even if it was just a simulated illusion.
"Brother, I saw some comments earlier. Did you encounter someone from a previous loop?" Mo Yan suddenly asked.
“Yes,” Su Ming’an said, “You don’t need to comfort me, I…”
“Brother, I’m not trying to comfort you, I’m just telling the truth.” Mo Yan held Su Ming’an’s shoulder. “Regardless of what we’ve forgotten or what we remember—we only live this one life!”
"You only have one life, brother!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, causing Su Ming'an's pupils to tremble slightly.
"Forget about cosmic cycles and freedom/perfection, all I remember is my first encounter with my brother in White Sand Paradise. I helped him, and he helped me. And this is where I end up, that's all I have!" Mo Yan exclaimed emotionally. "I won't bear any burdens from past sins. I don't believe that death leads to heaven or hell, or reincarnation... My grandma says that's just for kids! Humans are just a biochemical organism; if the brain stops functioning, it's gone!"
“…” Su Ming’an remained silent. In the past, this statement would have been perfectly acceptable, but now it has been confirmed that the soul exists.
Mo Yan, however, was very persistent: "When I practiced martial arts at home, I would swing my knife at a wooden stake ten thousand times a day. The elder said that this was called kung fu. At that time, I felt that life was like the wooden stake, repeating itself endlessly, without end. I thought that was what living was."
"Later, I entered the game and died and came back to life more often. But it really hurt a lot every time I died."
“I have died many times, and every time I am afraid, every time I feel that it is real death—I never feel that death is fake.”
He grinned, a slightly silly smile.
Then, he gave Su Ming'an a thumbs-up:
"—Because I firmly believe that the eldest brother is the only eldest brother!"
"My encounter with Mo Yan, my elder brother and I, was unique in the world, irreplaceable, and would never be mixed with anything else for any reason! It will never happen again!"
"Life is only once, brother! I will always remember this!"
He remembered his elder brother's exhaustion and perseverance, his loneliness and gentleness, his unwavering journey through countless desperate situations, the light in his eyes when he looked at his companions, and his determination to move forward despite carrying everything... all the beauty, warmth, trust, courage, and love.
Su Ming'an actually had a lot of things he wanted to say, such as "I will bring you back to life," "If we don't succeed this time, we'll meet again in the next cycle," and "Don't be afraid, your soul will not perish"... But all his words were in vain when they reached the boy's bright eyes.
Mo Yan firmly believes that life is life; there are no do-overs or any kind of chaotic rebirth. Birth is a unique life, and death is death.
So... did this guy decide to sacrifice himself to help his older brother with the mindset that "death is real death"?
Su Ming'an thought that Mo Yan might have some thoughts about "coming back to life" or "next time," but Mo Yan did not.
Human life... comes only once.
The story unfolds from beginning to end, encompassing all aspects of life, thoughts, and reflections.
They should not be looked down upon, slandered, or trampled upon.
……
The fourth round is about to begin.
[A participant has died, entering the final stage. From this round onwards, there is no limit to the number of times cards of a particular type can be used.]
……
The last remaining Gray Mist Man 1 slowly stood up, his figure solitary, like a spark about to plunge into a raging inferno, as if he had inherited the will of his comrades, fighting to the death.
The sound of wind rises again in the bamboo forest.
The figure of the woman in the black dress quietly appeared, her moon-like eyes sweeping over the three remaining "gods".
"[Round Four]——"
"Begin drawing cards."
……
[Su Ming'an's Faction:]
[Faith Points: 68]
[Kindness Value: 18]
[Danger Level: 96! (Binary fusion, human chaos, many mutated human races unable to adapt and dying, they need treatment and protection!)]
……
[Mo Yan's camp:]
[Faith Points: 21]
[Kindness Value: 79]
[Danger Level: 95! (The master of the Blackwater Dream has discovered your disobedience and will execute you!)]
……
[Grey Mist People 1 Faction:]
[Faith Points: 8]
[Kindness Value: 3]
[Danger Level: 90! (The one who shielded you from harm has backfired, the World Tree suspects your identity, and the planet's will will attack you!)]
……
Su Ming'an quickly turned his attention back to the Ark—his biggest problem now lay with the Ark. The two planets collided and immediately began to merge.
"The fusion is irreversible! Attention! The transformation of life form is imminent!" A cold notification sound rang out inside the ark.
In an instant, a wave of energy swept across the entire ark, passing over everyone's body.
"what……"
"My body..."
"What is this feeling?!"
Exclamations of surprise rang out throughout the ark.
Racial Transformation—Based on the rules of the Mirror of Creation, everyone was given a new racial identity at this moment. Elves, orcs, demons, angels, dragonborn, sea creatures…
"My hands! My hands have turned into claws! How am I supposed to operate the equipment now?!"
"Inferior races are utterly powerless against superior races. I've been transformed into an ordinary rabbit-person. I'm finished!"
Next, according to history, it should be Casadiya's Radiant Mother, created through lies, who will appear as a benevolent and righteous goddess, proclaiming the concept of "creation" and calming the chaos.
However, when Su Ming'an shifted his perspective, he discovered that Casadia was still unconscious and unable to move. It was likely that the previous actions of the Gray Mist people had severely damaged Casadia's mind, preventing him from recovering in time, let alone fabricating a story about the Radiant Mother. If this continued, humanity would descend into utter chaos.
Su Ming immediately looked at his hand—
……
【“Defamiliarization” (Action-based):】
[Original meaning of the word: To describe something commonplace in an unconventional way, making it seem strange and new.]
[Card Effect: Playing this card resets a concept. For example, strawberries originally grow in the ground, so the concept of "strawberry field" becomes "strawberry tree".]
……
[Interlude (Action-based):]
[Original meaning of the word: to insert a plot element.]
[Card Effect: After playing this card, you can interfere with existing pieces and insert a segment of the story.]
……
[Foreshadowing (Action-based):]
[Original meaning of the word: to embed special content.]
[Card Effect: After playing this card, you will embed some special information. If this information can be connected to the preceding and following events, it can change or even reverse later actions. If it cannot be connected to the preceding and following events, this action is useless.]
……
[“Perspective Shift” (Detention System):]
[Original meaning of the term: piecing together the same event from the perspectives of multiple characters.]
[Card Effect: After playing this card, your pieces will share the same movement status with other players' pieces for a period of time.]
……
【Concept: Adherence (Concept Series)】
……
【Concept: Positive】 (Conceptual Series)
……
As Su Ming'an was looking at the cards, he suddenly noticed out of the corner of his eye that, without him noticing,... Antetolia and Edith were standing in front of Casadia. Casadia had become a mass of seven-colored liquid, curled up under the World Tree, still struggling in agony.
Su Ming'an looked at the two of them, very confused—the Ark was in chaos and riots, so why were the two of them, as the leaders of the Ark, here?
In his memory, when Hui Bai and the others jumped off the cliff together, it was Hui Bai, Ludwig, Mu Changying, Blake, Ran Bo, Locke, and Mao Lian. At the time, Su Ming'an also felt a little strange; where had Antetria gone? It seemed that she must have had an accident here.
“Is there any way to wake him up?” Antetria immediately looked at Edith.
“Perhaps we can give our ‘Potion Number One’ a try.” Edith took a vial of golden potion out of her bag.
This is a new type of potion she developed in her laboratory, capable of stimulating the mind and even influencing the spirit. For human scientific research to reach this level, developing a potion of this caliber relies entirely on long and cruel experiments.
Antetria closed her eyes; it was ironic that this potion had become her last hope.
……
[Round 4, Real-time Clash, Begin!]
……
Su Ming'an made the first move!
He must follow the original history and make Casadia think of creating a true god through lies in order to gain faith and quell the chaos within humanity!
……
"Ding dong!"
Su Ming'an employed a combination of "flashback" (action-based) and "concept: perseverance" (concept-based!).
[Effect: Antetoria seemed to see a scene from a story, a vague fragment of Casadia pacifying the chaotic world in the name of a certain true god... A flash of inspiration struck her, and she came to a conclusion—a "true god" who could unify all the new races and provide them with spiritual protection and guidance of power must be created immediately!]
……
The Gray Mist Man played cards simultaneously, causing the gray mist to surge violently, like the final burst of a dying star.
……
"Ding dong!"
[The Gray Mist Man 1 (Igulaire's faction) unleashes a "jump-face kill" (action-based) + "tragic element" (concept-based)!]
[Effect: Creates a fatal surprise attack, causing interference or even death at the crucial moment when Antetria and Casadia are preparing to act!]
[Grey Mist People 1 Faction Danger Level: 90 → 99! (Forced Intervention, You've Been Discovered!)]
……
"Ding dong!"
Another sound!
Mo Yan already knew he couldn't survive this round, so his strategy became simple and brutal: he quickly played all his cards.
"I won't let you succeed...!" he shouted, feeling like a swordsman drawing his sword.
……
[“Reversed Cause and Effect”: After playing a card, secretly interfere with the cause-and-effect relationship, changing the already established cause and effect.]
……
Mo Yan (the sober faction) unleashes "Causal Transfer" (action-based) + "Concept: Enemy"!
[Effect: Reverses the source of damage that Antetria and Casadia are about to receive, changing the source of damage to the Gray Mist People!]
[Mo Yan's camp's danger level: 95 → 99! (This move is almost a provocation against the judgment of higher dimensions, and the backlash will intensify!)]
……
"...!" Gray Mist Man 1 gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan. His consciousness was instantly overwhelmed by the backlash from the illusion of his own "Face-Jump Kill" and the contamination of the "Tragic Factor."
……
"Ding dong!"
Su Ming'an employed a strategy of "defamiliarization" (action-based) + "concept: positive" (concept-based).
[Target: The potion for Antetoria and Edith!]
[Effect: Reinforces the two's belief in creating a god, and conceals the potion within a higher-dimensional vision!]
……
On the chessboard, time seemed to stand still.
Antetolia pressed down on Edith's trembling hand, firmly stating, "Trust me, and trust him. We need a 'god,' and he is the only one capable of creating one right now. Inject!"
Edith glanced at the reagent in her hand, and the terrifying images of "contamination" in her mind suddenly blurred, replaced by courage and anticipation. Without further hesitation, she precisely injected the reagent into Casadia's jugular vein.
Almost simultaneously, the terrifying leaping attacks, just before they could touch them, were deflected into the void by a suddenly appearing transparent mirror and bounced off Mo Yan's card onto the gray mist people.
"Ugh—!!" Casadia's body arched violently, his eyes snapped open, and purple-gold light and dark red light alternated wildly in his pupils!
The drug catalyzed his will, but the mental trauma he suffered in the first two rounds was too severe, and he still couldn't recover!
Just at this time,
Without hesitation, Su Ming'an played his last action card—[Foreshadowing] (Action-based)!
……
[Su Ming'an lays the groundwork (action-oriented).]
[Objective: Trigger all the foreshadowing laid in the first, second, and third rounds!]
[The foreshadowing in the first round: a child suddenly falls ill and suffers greatly. Seeing this, Antetolia's resolve hardens—she must protect the children, protect this civilization, at all costs, even at her own expense.]
[The foreshadowing in the second round: Casadia's flashback to "overcoming fear" sparked his curiosity about the universe and strengthened his resolve.]
[The third round: "Perspective Shift" and "Hope"]
[The fourth round's "interlude" depicts a future vision, offering positive guidance through "defamiliarization"...]
……
Su Ming'an forcibly connected all the causal threads he had previously laid with a "foreshadowing" card! They all pointed to the same core—strengthening Casadia's will to survive!
At that moment, he felt like a heartless and desireless god of games, who, in order to win this game riddled with holes, would do anything to change the desires of others and strengthen their will, committing all sorts of evil deeds and being utterly despicable.
"Ding!"
Casadia's dilated pupils gradually returned to normal.
In that instant, it was as if the hand of God was stroking his head, gently comforting him: Please stand up, don't be afraid.
Amidst the endless, shattered turbulence... Casadia saw it.
I saw Antetolia gently stroking the children.
I saw the smiles of countless people flashing through my mind.
I saw the scene of myself protecting my friend.
Yes, I have to protect them, even though I'm a selfish guy who only wants to survive and leave the heroic work to Huibai and the others. But, it's too late now.
Then... try not to give up.
Open your eyes, stand up, and protect them.
At that moment, he "saw" a vague yet hopeful "future vision"—the image of a radiant deity who is bright, benevolent, and protects all living beings, bringing peace to the chaotic world and order.
All the sounds have faded away.
All the pain has been swept away.
Only one thought remained, so heavy it sent shivers down one's spine.
"This chaotic world... needs... a 'god'."
He spoke hoarsely, but with unwavering certainty.
It seems that this is already a product of his "free will" thinking.
“A…a benevolent, compassionate, kind, and radiant God who can make them believe…who can give them life. He will represent radiance, like the sun, eternally shining, never setting, never extinguishing, night after night.”
He slowly opened his eyes, murmuring his thoughts:
"He must proclaim to the people, telling them not to be afraid or confused."
He must inform the people—
"Let your will be the fire! Let your faith be the anvil! Let your indomitable spirit be the hammer!"
Hold the 'pen' in your hand—whether it's a twig, a stone, or a broken blade! Imagine what it can become—a sharp blade and a strong shield!
Do not indulge in the illusion of bloodline superiority! Do not succumb to the lie of destiny!
"You must remember this: 'Creation' is using the pen as a sword! It is a path where even mortals can slay dragons!"
"When the faith reaches all living beings, and hearts unite as one—"
"One day, the concept of 'creation' will be fully manifested in this world! On that day, you will all be able to wield your pens as swords and forge your own power!"
Casadia stood up unsteadily, the lingering purple-gold high-dimensional energy and the power of the World Tree slowly gathering around him according to his will.
He gazed at Antetolia and Edith beside him, a weary yet gentle smile appearing on his face:
"I am willing to create a god."
"Would you... be willing to stay with me?"
……
The following scenes became conceptually confusing and impossible to see clearly.
When he looked again, Antetolia and Edith were gone, leaving only the sorrowful Casadia. He knelt beside the silent roots of the World Tree, his head bowed, like a colorless sculpture. There was no one beside him, only a piece of Antetolia's skirt remained on the ground.
...Was she...dead? To contribute to the creation of gods in Casadiya.
Su Ming'an was unaware of what had transpired during this period; some force had shielded him from those events. Even in simulations, he couldn't witness those times. In the end, it appeared that Antetria had perished.
Casadia successfully created a true god based on history and lies, gaining power. He then went deeper into the World Tree and gradually relieved people's rejection reaction.
The Gray Mist Man knew his chances were slim, and his attack was stopped by Su Ming'an and Mo Yan working together. He was already on the verge of being executed by the planetary consciousness and the World Tree due to his repeated failed attempts.
He looked at Su Ming'an, and Su Ming'an looked at him too.