novellk Chapter 1684 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [28] "I will protect you."
Chapter 1684 Final Chapter: Crossing the Shore [28] "I will protect you."
Chapter 1684 Final Chapter - The Shore Crossing [28] - "I will protect you."
"Shh!"
It was so crowded down there that anyone with god-level strength would want to jump up.
I thought there would be a confrontation, but to my surprise, as soon as this person jumped up, I immediately shrank into a corner, adopting a withdrawn attitude of refusing to communicate.
The man had long, messy, bright red hair tied in a ponytail, arms crossed, and was still wearing a leather jacket with star and moon earrings. There were metal marks on his neck, wrists, and belt. Every time Su Ming'an saw this man dressed like this, he wondered if all those metal rings would clang and rattle when he moved stealthily.
—Alger.
Upon seeing Su Ming'an approach, Alger immediately shrank back a few steps, unwilling to speak, as if the world had forgotten him, as if this could alleviate the embarrassment of his recent assassination attempt on Su Ming'an, since he was no match for Ailand and had been controlled.
Su Ming'an examined it for a moment, then spoke:
"...Tell me about your sister, Goryeo. Perhaps I can save her."
He wasn't repaying evil with kindness, but merely taking advantage of the situation. All of Alger's actions were aimed at saving his brain-dead sister; if the treatment was appropriate, assistance was better than resistance. There are always many egoists in this world, and he had no interest in accusing them of lacking nobility.
Alger's eyes brightened slightly, but quickly dimmed again.
“It’s no use.” Alger turned his head away. “My soul is already under the control of Eland. He used Gadolia as leverage to make me lose to him. Even if I accidentally fall into this place and regain consciousness briefly, I’ll be a walking corpse again once I get out.”
“I heard from your alliance that I’m good at creating miracles.” Su Ming’an revealed a long-lost strategic smile and extended his palm. “Miracles are always born from the impossible, aren’t they? Believe me, tell me about it, and I hope to create a miracle for you.”
Looking at him, Alger's eyes were glazed over for a moment, then a look of confusion flashed across them, and he was about to nod subconsciously.
Alger quickly realized, "Wow, that's impressive... SS charm. But sorry." He turned around and remained stubbornly huddled in the corner, looking like a withdrawn hamster.
Seeing this, Su Ming'an stopped trying to persuade him. He looked around and suddenly saw another person climbing up.
This person doesn't possess god-level power, yet she managed to ascend!
"Brother Ming'an?"
The girl with pigtails had a pretty face and moist lips. She wore a pink and white knitted sweater, with her hands tucked into the long woolen sleeves. She paired a white skirt with black leather shoes, looking like an adorable girl next door.
The girl said, "There was a huge abyss just now, and I accidentally fell in. My mom didn't have time to catch me... I never expected to see you here." She rubbed her leg in distress, as if it hurt a lot.
Lu, who was confused about the situation, paused for a moment and looked at Su Ming'an. Where did this little sister come from?
—White camellia.
The Lord of Dreams is truly indiscriminate; even someone like Bai Chun can enter the Blackwater Dream and enjoy the ability to travel between worlds. It's a real mixed bag.
Among "them" are those who respect the world, such as Dara, Lu Shen, Bai Qiu, and the man in white robes, who mainly observe without interfering, have a good relationship with Su Ming'an, and are not enemies. There are also those like Bai Chun who show no respect whatsoever, treating other worlds as a game to play with, and regarding all of Rovasa's chosen ones as targets to be conquered.
Su Ming'an was grateful to Lü Shen and Bai Qiu. But he showed no mercy to people like Bai Chun.
Bai Chun had even targeted Su Ming'an before, but when Su Ming'an attacked her, she deliberately decapitated herself, essentially "quitting the game." The original Bai Chun, who was possessed by her, was truly dead.
Now she's back, and with a different identity. Who has she become this time instead of "Bai Chun"?
Her appearance had changed, but her temperament remained the same, so Su Ming'an recognized her at a glance.
"You call me Brother Ming'an?" Su Ming'an frowned.
Suddenly, the long-absent system notification sounded.
……
"Ding dong!"
You have triggered "Stalking Mode".
……
The next moment, he heard her innermost thoughts.
(Did I call him the wrong name? No, I'm not wrong. This time, I'm possessing the body of "Lin Chunchun," the adopted daughter of "Lin Wang'an"...)
Bai Chun looked at him, pretending to be coquettish, but in her heart she was thinking about these things.
Su Ming'an had been pondering why the Lord of Dreams cared so much about him when there were so many civilizations in the universe.
He had considered several possibilities. First, it was to anchor certain events in this cycle of reincarnation. Second, He favored Su Ming'an… but this was negligible. Third, this was His "Dao." Most of Su Ming'an's reincarnations were extremely brilliant, and the civilization centered around him attracted the higher-dimensional "Dao" of the Dream Lord. Observing Su Ming'an's civilization would benefit the Dream Lord in becoming stronger.
Su Ming'an completely ignored Bai Chun, walking straight past her, her inner thoughts echoing behind him:
(Why is he ignoring me? Damn it... As expected, his heart is only for the lighthouse.)
(If that blue planet were to wear a wedding dress, would he actually marry a planet?)
(I'm Lin Wang'an's adopted daughter. He should be very interested in Lin Wang'an's current situation! Why doesn't he ask me? That way we could get closer...)
Su Ming'an heard the name "Lin Wang'an," but he didn't care at all what she was doing, or whether she had a new life, a new family, or new children.
"What does this have to do with me?" He closed his eyes, squeezed them shut, and then quickly opened them again.
Standing here, he sensed the slow yet powerful pulse of the black water, which resonated grandly and harmoniously with the flowing galaxy overhead, the patrolling whales, and the drifting stardust, as if it were the very first heartbeat of the entire universe.
A serene, divine, and all-encompassing tranquility.
If I were to lie down here and take a nap, gently enveloped by the beginning and the end of time, I might experience an eternal dream... never to be tired again, never to be sad again...
"Your Highness." Suddenly, a charming voice came from beside him. Evelyn gently moved closer, her heart-shaped tail swaying. "It seems we'll have to protect you again."
Beside him, the red-haired devil Pero was still drinking, his body emanating an intoxicating aroma of alcohol.
“It’s you guys,” Su Ming’an said.
He wasn't surprised to see these two demons here. They were both third-level gods, and they wouldn't stay away out of fear of death.
“Ah… that familiar scent, the smell of my mother.” Evelyn sniffed with ecstasy. “He is here, I can feel it… Don’t worry, Your Highness, Perlo and I will risk our lives to send you to see Him.”
"Fight to the death?" Su Ming'an turned his head. "Even if it means death, will you protect me?"
Su Ming'an had always found these two demons rather strange. They had always protected him, yet were not loyal to Hui Bi and Hui Chi. They were clearly third-level gods, yet they had devoted themselves to protecting him for so long.
Upon hearing this, Evelyn smiled enchantingly, lifted her long dress, and bowed slightly: "Of course, I will always protect you. In life and in death, in poverty and in wealth, in health and in sickness."
These words sounded like a vow, so Su Ming'an coughed and looked away.
Behind her came Bai Chun's untimely inner thoughts: (So he likes this mature type? I asked my mom, and she said his type is...)
However, Lin Wang'an never knew Su Ming'an's preferences.
It was as if she had loved him, yet never had.
……
[Swish—]
[Consciousness loading complete.]
[Spatial coordinates are stable.]
Numerous fluctuations in consciousness detected.
Welcome, participants.
……
At this moment, a concept entered people's hearts, without sound, only indifference.
The starry sea seemed to whisper, and the dark water reflected a solitary figure.
……
Welcome to the "Source Point," consisting of 1,876,520 variables.
[Here, there is neither good nor evil, neither beginning nor end, only choice.]
You came because of the pulse of the seal, and gathered because of the gravitational pull of cause and effect. This is both accidental and a necessary selection process by the "Source" for "interferers."
[Basic Trial Format: Question and Answer.]
There are two types of questions and answers, corresponding to two different realms.
[First: Bai's Question.]
[Simply think critically; there are no fixed answers.]
[Secondly: The Question of Color.]
[When one person stands before us, the rest are bound by his words.]
If you answer correctly, the path will be revealed, and you can walk side by side.
[Answering incorrectly will lead to shared danger, requiring us to work together to overcome it.]
This question inquires into the depth of enlightenment and the measurement of its value.
There is no turning back, and no option to abstain.
Now—please come forward.
……
As if in an instant, these concepts were implanted in people's minds, and they stared at each other in disbelief.
"Holy crap!" Chen Yuhang exclaimed first, slapping his thigh. "The whole universe speaks Chinese!"
“Hmm?” Lu raised an eyebrow. “What I sensed was Italian.”
“What I hear is the sound of the ocean…” Nagasha said with a smile.
Su Ming'an glanced at Nagasha. He really wanted to kick this madman off, but Nagasha was clever and ran to stand on another whale, which was a hundred and eight thousand miles away.
"What a fuss... I already said that the source points will present different things depending on the identity of the life form." Xiao Ai popped up again at some point. "You are players, so it's a 'game trial'! Actually, there shouldn't be any explanation. You should just figure it out on your own. It's the world game that translated it for you... Good luck, players."
In some ways, the world of games is like a mother, taking meticulous care of its players. Of course, in other aspects, it's nothing like a mother who readily eliminates her children.
Su Ming'an had come to understand that the trial took the form of a question-and-answer session. He had to examine his own heart and find the path to the "self" that had been reached through countless corpses.
The concept went straight to their minds:
……
[Bai's Question - First Question]
[Question: In all of fate and reincarnation...who do you think will be the ultimate winner?]
[Optional Door:]
[A. White Gate: God (Eternal Being, Ruler, Embodiment of Rules)]
【B·Shimen: Ordinary People (Resisters, Inheritors)】
【C·Grey Gate: There are no winners (everything ultimately amounts to nothingness)】
[D·Mirror Gate: Everyone is their own winner (the meaning lies within themselves)]
Please walk towards the door that represents your answer.
……
Four long roads extend from the boundless black water, leading to four ivory-white gates.
A commotion broke out in the crowd, and most people instinctively looked at Su Ming'an, waiting for him to make a choice.
"White questions are harmless regardless of whether you answer them correctly or not. Colored questions, if one person answers correctly, everyone else can pass. If one person answers incorrectly, that person will be in a near-certain death situation... It seems that this rule is designed for a small number of people. Since there are too many of us, it is actually more advantageous. I guess it will be adjusted later and other types of levels will be introduced." Lu slowly repeated the rules, "The door is white, so this is a white question. I suggest that everyone answer the same way and not fall behind."
“What if the question requires honesty? Should I still choose the same thing for both?” Nagasha touched her fingernails.
“This is just a suggestion,” Lu said. “Frankly, out of the millions of us, just one person is the ultimate winner.”
His words were truthful and cruel—since this is a higher-dimensional trial ground, the probability of mortals passing through is extremely low. Even with the protection of the world game, these beings who entered by chance are unlikely to make it to the end.
“There’s no need for that. I’m confident that you can all get through this on your own,” Su Ming’an said. “I don’t believe I can’t get through here. I’m more afraid that you will become the victims.”
“Your Highness need not blame yourself.” Evelyn covered her mouth and chuckled. “Compared to the mountains of corpses and seas of blood caused by Klitschko and Eurydilola, we are but a tiny number. The Last Supper, the thirteen disciples… You are neither Jesus nor Judas. If my death can bring about the birth of a new god, lifting you to the pinnacle, both Pero and I would do so willingly.”
“I can’t understand your loyalty, but even numbers are real lives.” Su Ming’an touched his ring. “I don’t want to…see any more sacrifices. If it’s necessary, please think before you do it…”
He paused, then said softly,
"...Can you hold on a little longer?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the sky fell silent.
Perlo and Evelyn remained silent, while Lu and Nagasha exchanged glances. Chen Yuhang stood nearby, and Alger huddled in a corner. They had overlooked why, at this moment, they felt such great confidence and security in a younger youth.