novellk Chapter 1652 The Final Chapter IV "The Guiding Lighthouse in the OE Universe (8)"
Chapter 1652 The Final Chapter IV "The Guiding Lighthouse in the OE Universe (8)"
Chapter 1652 The Endgame Part 4: "OE: The Guiding Lighthouse in the Universe (8)"
One day, the world of games welcomed a new master.
The door slid open silently a crack inwards.
—The moment the young man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a simple white shirt, stepped out of the pristine white door, even the proud Athena had to lower her head.
When he stood here, his plan had been fully realized, and all three lies had achieved their intended effect.
He looked exactly the same as the day he walked into the coffee shop. Soft, short black hair, a slightly thin frame, a clean white shirt, gentle features, and clear eyes, as if he had simply finished a long period of self-study and pushed open the library door.
However, when he stood fully in the holy place, something covered him, or rather, he covered something.
Centered on him, the space resonated with a deep and magnificent sound.
He gently clenched his fist, then released it.
With this simple action, the space responded.
"Om-!"
Beneath his feet lay a lake filled with pale rainwater, beneath which the shattered remains of the angel and the embers of the lamb had been restored. The drifting fragments, like iron filings drawn to a magnet, rapidly converged behind him, forming a faint, tranquil halo.
Xiao Na's body trembled almost imperceptibly. With the most solemn posture of ancient etiquette, she lowered her head, which she had never bowed easily before, acknowledging the legitimacy of the authority.
The young man raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping across the scene.
In an instant, a vast, star-studded power of rules surged toward Su Lin, healing the emptiness in his chest. At the same time, another gentle force swept over the higher dimensions in the distance, stripping away the fatal rules binding them.
He walked across the mirror-like lake, smoothing out the chaos, healing the wounds, and restoring everything to a near-sacred state of perfection.
When he finally stopped, standing before Su Lin, in the very center of the lake, at the intersection where all the rules and patterns converged—
The entire world game, this enormous organ drifting in the endless universe,
It gently completed a heartbeat.
"boom."
The new master is in place.
He stands here, the new navigator of this ark that carries endless stories.
Angels sang praises to him, and lambs knelt before him.
Even Su Lin, who personally sent the remnant soul into the core, hadn't expected Su Ming'an to possess such high authority upon emerging. This was the reward for a "perfect scorer," someone the world game had been selecting for millions of years.
But is it really without any cost?
The young man in the middle of the lake answered Su Lin:
"There was no cost to my journey as the 'ruler,' and now I've become the true 'ruler,' which is only right. The rules of the world game have always been 'you get what you pay for,' and being able to complete the game perfectly on the highest difficulty is what I should be rewarding."
—But the gods of Cloud City held their breath at this moment.
A sea of stars swirled above Su Ming'an's head, surrounded by countless rules. He still looked the same as when he first entered the coffee shop, with soft, jet-black hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, and a white shirt. He seemed to be a student in the prime of his youth, at the most radiant and beautiful age.
But why?
Su Lin was speechless.
Why does he have a pair of cat ears with blood-red scales carved on them?
Why does a flash of scarlet light occasionally appear in his dark eyes when he speaks?
Ears similar to those of the Boss Rabbit, fur like those of the Boss Rabbit, and a blood-red scale like those of the Boss Rabbit.
They failed to understand Chen Qingguang's life, and now, who will be next?
“Don’t worry, I’m not like Boss Rabbit.” Su Ming’an waved his hand. “He joined the World Game very early, when the game’s functions were not yet fully developed, which led to him having a confused identity. Although he was the host, he was like a mascot and couldn’t do anything. In the end, he was mutated under the endless onslaught of data. I, on the other hand, was properly ‘recruited’ with high privileges and a strong will, and I cannot be controlled by others.”
He tried to explain, but Su Lin remained silent.
"Congratulations on your resurrection," Su Lin said.
"Ah."
"Can we still leave?" Su Lin asked.
Those dark eyes showed surprise for a moment, followed by a gentle smile.
"No." The answer was ruthless, a stark contrast to the smile.
"You've broken your promise again. I risked my life to bring you back to life with the hope of returning home, and in the end you tell me you still can't be with me?" Su Lin turned his head to the side.
Su Ming'an was silent for a moment, as if countless calculations were flashing through his mind.
Then he laughed:
"What are you thinking, Engineer Su? Are you so tired that you can't even think straight? After taking control of the world game, I naturally have control of the coordinates of the Praia civilization. I can send you back now. There's no need for me to go with you to find it. You can go home now."
It's already done in one go.
All the stops have lost their meaning.
Su Lin's eyes flickered.
After a moment, he looked away and gazed into the empty space.
"Shh-!"
Su Ming'an slowly extended his hand; his skin was transparent and smooth, as if formed from some cold substance, rather than the warm flesh and blood of a human. A flash of light appeared, and a piece of paper appeared in his palm.
Indulgences.
Su Lin's pupils suddenly contracted.
"The journey of the World Game, this cosmic organ, cannot be stopped. After dealing with Isabelle's matter, I must activate the World Game to travel to the next civilization. Praia, as a civilization that has been redeemed, will sever ties with me," Su Ming'an said frankly.
"Engineer Su, after I send you back, the universe is vast and boundless, with no way to turn back. We may never see each other again. This indulgence... I'll return it to you."
"Neither of us needs to atone; neither do I, nor do you."
Su Lin silently accepted the indulgence. The angel on the paper seemed to be glowing, and it was often regarded by the people of Praia as a symbol that "the gods have declared you innocent."
He tried to speak several times, but in the end he put the indulgence into his pocket.
Su Ming'an cannot leave, and Su Lin certainly will not stay in this cosmic organ. He must return home, and even a final farewell cannot stop his longing to return home; nothing can.
So, in the end, only—
In the tranquil lake, the golden-eyed youth picked up the broken crystal lighthouse. It was a fake crystal lighthouse that had been smashed earlier, an ordinary handicraft.
“I will place this thing by the window as a memento of you.” Su Lin shook the crystal lighthouse.
"I'm not dead yet." Su Ming'an rubbed his temples.
"You better be."
"Engineer Su, I haven't broken my promise this time. I've kept you waiting for so long, but now I can finally take you home. Don't ever tell anyone again that I'm a liar."
"...Hmph. I guess so."
Su Lin turned around and strode towards the edge of the lake.
Then, he paused slightly.
In fact, several hundred years had passed since Praia... and everything he was familiar with no longer existed.
The girl next door, the daisies, the glass bottle, the rice wine, the young captain setting sail... everything is gone. No one knows him anymore, except for those scholars who trace history, and except for the statues of gods that stand tall in the church.
However, there are still rivers that flow ceaselessly, countless young men and women who will present daisies to their beloved, and generations of young captains who will embark on their voyages...
There are still daisies, glass bottles, and rice wine.
There's still the girl from next door.
There are still princesses as noble and dignified as tulips, knights with proud and unyielding souls, and young ladies as bright and brave as red roses.
There are still countless subjects like the "young captain".
He had to go back; he absolutely had to go back. Nothing could shake his resolve to return. Su Ming'an had to stay here, but he had to go back.
And so, finally, the captain of the ship to the end, with his back to the traveler to the end, whispered—
Goodbye, Su Ming'an.
"This journey with you... is a memory I can never erase. Whether ten thousand years ago, ten thousand years from now, or even now. Whether you are my predecessor, a deity of the ancient holy city, or my descendant, a vile being of Praia. Whether you are the beginning or the end—"
"You are my best friend."
"May you, in this world's games... still retain such a noble, beautiful, just, brave, gentle, kind, persevering, sincere, compassionate, and pure soul."
"May you find the grace that is in your own hands, without needing anyone's forgiveness or redemption. May you live in light and walk in peace throughout your life."
"I'll tell you the answer: the color of your soul is transparency."
"Because you can reflect all things and encompass all things, yet you are never stained by other colors. Your true nature is always just yourself."
“I’m so glad... to have been on this journey with you.”
In the center of the lake, the final traveler stood silently, his slender figure reflected in the water. As he listened to Su Lin's words, a faint smile curved his lips.
The captain, at the end of his life, slowly turned around.
Their gazes met once more across the shimmering lake. No words were spoken; centuries of companionship, conflict, protection, and sacrifice needed no further elaboration. Su Lin saw the resolute determination and the unquenchable flame in Su Ming'an's eyes, and also the irreversible price to pay.
He saw loneliness.
A vast and boundless loneliness that will accompany us to the end of time, coexisting with this enormous system of rules.
The person in the middle of the lake will face eternal solitude.
Perhaps farewells should be more solemn, more magnificent, and longer, but lively farewell banquets or fireworks and flowers seem superfluous compared to words and glances. The world game that is about to embark on its next journey has no time to linger.
This is enough.
"Take care of yourself."
This was the captain's final farewell.
"You too."
This was the traveler's final response.
As the captain's figure blends into the halo of light at the edge of the lake, the path to his hometown is opening.
In the instant before his figure completely disappeared, he seemed to hear a very soft whisper, almost lost in the wind:
"Thank you... for coming this far with me. Su Lin."
The captain paused almost imperceptibly, but did not turn back. He gripped the now useless indulgence tightly, his knuckles turning white.
The halo receded, and the lake returned to complete tranquility, leaving only Su Ming'an standing alone in the middle of the water, at the center of countless rules surrounding him.
His cat ears twitched slightly, and a flash of crimson appeared in his eyes. He raised his head and looked at the boundless sky simulated by the game world. There was no sunlight from Praia, nor moonlight from Zhaixing, only cold streams of data and distant starlight.
He succeeded, deceiving "their" observations and taking a step further than in any previous cycle.
But the price of success is eternal exile and a permanent farewell to loved ones.
He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surging power within him, and also the bone-chilling loneliness that followed.
"...Goodbye, Su Lin."
He spoke softly, and this time, no one heard him.
……
When the ruler of the world game arrived at the scene of the chaotic battle, Isabelle and the other high-dimensional beings stopped fighting.
The sea of stars spreads, and turbulent currents hang upside down.
When the higher dimensions saw Su Ming'an, they realized his current identity, and everyone was shocked.
“You actually…” Aierya was speechless, not expecting Su Mingan to actually do it.
"..." The Ninth Seat remained silent, but He was clearly shocked. Who could have imagined that this tiny human would eventually surpass them?
"Hehe..." The tenth seat let out a laugh with an ambiguous meaning. Even He knew that the situation had changed. Before, they were controlled by Xiao Na, but now they actually had to take orders from this guy Su Ming'an.
The insignificant human beings who could easily be strangled in the past, and were even nearly driven to the brink of despair by the inorganic god... With his wisdom, perseverance and strength, and with the cooperation of him and his companions, he raised the flames of war and truly completed the challenge against the gods.
Xiao Na lowered her eyes, seemingly still immersed in the shock of Boss Rabbit's self-destruction. Her feelings for Boss Rabbit were complicated. Was it feigning madness or just acting on a sudden whim...? She would never understand. It just vanished like that, faster than fireworks, without even leaving a single explanation.
"Clap clap."
A purplish-red tentacle quietly reached in and patted Su Ming'an's shoulder. Su Ming'an looked out through the barrier and saw a cloud of mist, like a purple nebula, watching him amidst the star-studded universe—it was the Demon Mother Goddess.
"Dr. Yi told me that causing a scene here would bring some benefits." The tentacles coiled around Su Ming'an's arm, the pointed tip swaying. "I'm here. What are the benefits? The new ruler of the world game... if the benefits are you..."
“I will allow you to observe the world’s games from the outside, and I will not drive you away, Isabelle,” Su Mingan said.
The tentacle drooped slightly, seemingly with some regret: "That's it?"
"The right to observe the organs of the universe should be enough for you to comprehend many 'Tao' principles," Su Ming'an said.
"Hmph...child...I don't want this, I just want you to stay with me for a few days..." the tentacles tempted.
"Enough is enough," Su Ming'an said calmly.
He clearly wouldn't back down, and the Demon Mother Goddess didn't intend to confront him head-on either. She slowly retracted her tentacles, which was considered an agreement.
Immediately, Su Ming'an looked northward. Bei Wang's injuries had been healed by the power of the World Game, just like Su Lin's. Their injuries came from the World Game, and their healing also came from the World Game.
"Where are you going next?" Su Ming'an asked Bei Wang.
The white-haired, blue-eyed boy thought for a moment, then hugged the magic wand in his arms and said, "I want to continue having that dream."
“That Blackwater Dream?” Su Ming’an shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. You’ve been walking through the dream as an observer the whole time…”
“But this attitude allows me to observe more connections between the worlds. This is my ‘way,’ which I hope to practice, and I also enjoy having all sorts of dreams. If I dream of a way to restrain them… I will help you.” Bei Wang’s voice was no longer hesitant, his figure was still like that of a young man, but his eyes were never confused.
"Aren't you going home?" Su Ming'an asked.
Looking north with his head bowed, he said softly after a moment, "The forest... is gone."
Su Ming'an then realized that the forest and wooden house where he often spent his childhood had disappeared with the changes in the world.
They have no forest left, yet they willingly walk into the dark forest.
Without the candy store, they ventured into the depths of the universe.
"The road... is gone."
"Yamada... is gone too."
The boy raised his head and looked at Su Ming'an:
"I want to find my friend."
"We've found you."
"I want to find the others too."
People always think that the boy lives in a hazy dream, like a carefree elf. But that's not the case. He lives in what he believes to be reality, and even when he's asleep, he's more awake than most people.
He was going to the depths of the Blackwater Dreamland, which held the deepest secrets, to the region of the Dream Lord, which remained extremely mysterious to this day, to the darkest and most dangerous stream in the universe, to feel the stones and wade through the dark river.
Go to the Dark Forest and light a fire.
He loved to have fantastical dreams. In his dreams, green vines climbed through the cracks in the brickwork, the fireplace crackled, his mother read fairy tales in a rocking chair, the ceiling was covered with flowers, and the air smelled of cake and cream.
However, this time, he was going to the darkest part of his dream.
“Okay,” Su Ming’an said. “Do you want to keep your physical body? I can protect you.”
Bei Wang shook his head: "If something happens, I can't let it affect you."
"You risked your life to save me, of course I will protect you."
Bei Wang resolutely shook his head.
He wasn't good at talking, but his actions often spoke volumes.
“My mother told me that friends are very important,” Bei Wang said persistently. “Before, hardly anyone talked to me, but after I met you all, I’ve talked a lot… I understand the love in fairy tales, I understand many words I couldn’t understand before… I will go to farther places, touch more love, and find my friends again. I will also have many dangerous dreams… and…”
He gently touched his ear, where a crystal blue earring hung:
"Tianyu will be my friend on my journey."
It turns out that Beiwang brought back Rovasa's friend.
"Tianyu is in your earring? Is it a spatial artifact?" Su Ming'an had seen similar artifacts before. They could put a living person inside an ornament for convenient travel; it was quite magical.
Bei Wang paused for a moment, stunned.
Then, he slowly revealed a pure and gentle smile:
"Ah."
"I promised her."
Su Ming'an stopped trying to persuade him. Unlike Su Lin's farewell, Bei Wang might come back. He was a star-gazing prince who bravely walked into the depths of the universe. The prince put on a golden coat and set off, and the farewell was no longer tragic.
When Su Ming'an opened the passage to the universe, Bei Wang gave him a deep look:
"I won't let you stay here forever."
His implication was that even if Su Ming'an could never leave this place, even if it was an insurmountable cosmic organ, he would find a way to take Su Ming'an away.
Then, he waved and walked toward the passageway.
After the boy's cotton candy-like figure disappeared, Su Ming'an glanced sideways at the silent doctor in the white coat.
The doctor noticed the gaze and smiled, "I'll go with Isabelle."
"You like Him?" Su Ming'an thought that Yi Song had awakened his love from his past life, and remembered that Isabelle was Princess Isabelle.
“How could that be?” The doctor smiled and shook his head. “Your illness has been cured, but Isabelle is very ill. She is controlled by a disease called ‘higher-dimensional instinct.’ I will use a treatment of ‘love’ to heal her.”
A human trying to influence the nature of a higher dimension with "love"?
Su Ming'an knew how deeply ingrained Gao Wei's nature was. For a single obsession, Dieying could personally invade his homeland, and the Lord of the End of All Things could ruthlessly destroy countless civilizations. Yi Song actually wanted to try to reverse Isabel's most primal desires?
This is nothing short of a fantasy.
Judging from Yi Song's expression, this doctor was serious.
Su Ming'an blushed as he recalled the scene he had witnessed, finding it difficult to speak, "Even... it doesn't matter?"
"What?" Yi Song was stunned. He seemed to have completely forgotten those images, or rather, in his eyes, it was just a normal part of the treatment process and did not evoke any sense of shame in him.
Who is truly the one suffering the deepest "illness"?
Even the universe itself probably cannot provide a definitive answer.
The process of treating Isabelle will be incredibly long. How long will it take for humanity to reverse the ruthless nature of a higher dimension? Perhaps no one has ever done it before. But this doctor is going to do it, not out of "love" or any self-interest, but simply out of "a doctor's sense of responsibility."
Perhaps after countless years, a girl named "Isabelle" will one day smile, just as she did when they first met... Beneath the castle, amidst a sea of flowers, the girl awaits the fresh roses her beloved will bring at midnight.
A human girl and a high-dimensional observer who descended from the sky, who is also a demonic mother goddess and a human doctor.
Will Yi Song's entire medical career and the rest of his life be able to sustain him until that day?
The passageway opened, and the doctor in the white coat, hands in his pockets, set off cheerfully. He walked briskly toward the gruesome purplish-red mass of flesh, toward his last patient.
After seeing Yi Song off, Su Ming'an looked at the other organizers.