Chapter 1014 “Heart is better than matter”
In the temple at the root of the holy tree in Doma City, the fireflies flying in the air are like a pair of eyes that gather and separate.
Sitting cross-legged on the rattan wooden bed, Ye Shi stared straight at the sky, his sight seemed to pass through the flickering fireflies and also through the rattan wall that could block all light.
That was a feeling he had never felt before.
It was like when I was flipping through a book about little people, I suddenly caught my eye with the little person in the book.
But what was different from the past was that this time he was not the one flipping through the book.
What met his gaze were the eyes outside the pages of the book as thin as cicada wings.
"……I see."
In an instant, he finally understood why He said that both Gaia and the Tree of Insof were Him, but neither was Him.
Even more than that -
He also realized why He gave the answer that meant nothing to them.
"You broke the 'fourth wall'..." Ye Shi blurted out something.
That is a word that the forest people would never understand, just like the theory of dimensions.
After all, their civilization process has only reached the primitive tribal period, and those bright ideas have not yet been born.
A chuckle came from somewhere, and the sound seemed to come from the gathering and dispersing fireflies.
He has always been here.
And it has always been there.
"That's right, clever little ghost... Congratulations on finding the answer, but it's a pity that there is no trophy."
Ye Shi's eyes widened.
A creepy feeling gradually crept up the back of his head, as if someone from a TV series suddenly crawled into his living room through the screen.
He wanted to take off his helmet immediately and make sure there was no second person in his bedroom.
But he soon realized that this was stupid...
This is just a game.
Even though it is very realistic in every aspect.
"...What's behind the wall?" Ye Shi stared at the mural intently and asked aloud.
The flickering firefly answered in an inaudible voice.
"Nothing."
Ye Shi was stunned.
"...Nothing?"
The voice answered slowly, or maybe all the answers had already been written on the wall.
It's just that he read too slowly.
"That's right, there is nothing here, but it also has everything. We who are transcendent from matter have become eternal, our destiny is no longer at the mercy of possibility, and we have completely left this wild universe... And this is what we are
After knowing everything about this universe, I am willing to devote all my life-long pursuit to it."
Reading this information from the flickering light, Ye Shi was shocked beyond words.
I see.
Whether using Gaia or the Tree of Insof to describe His existence lacks rigor.
Human beings have only been to the extrasolar world of Nanmen II, so they subconsciously believe that His footprints only appear on the third planet of the main sequence star of Nanmen II AB.
Gaia is just the trace He left on this planet, including the "Insofu Tree" that appeared later, which may be some kind of "ecological maintenance system with autonomous consciousness."
The Three-Year War was never a war between humans and Gaia, it was just an upgraded version of the war between the forest people and the valley people. Gaia was at best the trump card in the hands of one of the two warring parties.
The weapons of both warring parties have also changed from spears and bows to "neutron torpedoes" and "Gaia seeds".
The so-called mother nest of mutant slime mold is the product of artificial cultivation from the beginning.
Concerning this matter, an academy researcher named "White Pigeon" has provided abundant experimental evidence to support it.
Even including the nest called Thea in the center of Qingquan City, it would never be able to fly to the earth on its own without the capability of interstellar navigation.
From the beginning, it was a biological weapon developed by the colonists using the technology learned from Gaia, and even its memory was most likely artificially instilled.
This is actually not difficult to prove. Xiaoyu is the best example.
Its memory was also taught to it by people from the Alliance, but it was taught completely different things.
That catastrophe ultimately ended in the destruction of both parties. Both the colonies and the Awami League were submerged in the dust of history due to their own limitations, and could only be left to the comments of future generations.
Nowadays, a new civilization has been born on the planet Gaia, and the earth in the solar system has also rekindled the fire of civilization.
As for Him -
It is indeed one-sided to call it Gaia, including the Tree of Insof discovered by the Gemini crew.
If Ye Shi were to rename Him, perhaps it would be more appropriate to call him "Herald".
It was a civilization with a history far older than human beings. The time span between the two existences in this universe may be counted in hundreds of millions of years or tens of millions of years.
Due to their own reasons, they chose the latter between the material and the spiritual. After both material and spiritual prosperity reached their peak, they completed the dimension ascension within the scope of civilization and ascended to another dimension.
No--
Maybe it's not just another dimension.
Using dimensions to describe their existence is one-sided. After all, both the low-dimensional universe and the high-dimensional universe are part of this universe, and what they break is the fourth wall.
Defining their existence may require a whole new vocabulary.
For example, "void".
That is the world beyond the vision of all living beings in this universe, that is, the world beyond the "fourth wall".
If this universe is compared to a computer game, then what they pass through is the screen of the monitor.
They drilled a small hole or opened a big hole in the screen, in short, they went to another universe with a completely different Planck constant.
But then again, does this make any sense?
They may have lost their former form when traveling to another universe, and even their mass no longer exists. All that remains is a beam of light or a segment of electromagnetic waves.
And the universe outside the "Window of Events" might also have its own "Window of the World", which exists in its own void just like a matryoshka doll.
Compared to the universe they once lived in, there is no doubt that they have completed the final dimensionality and met their "Creator".
But compared to their once infinitely prosperous existence, it was not a collapse.
They turned from giants to dust.
Ye Shi couldn't understand why they did this. From his answer, he could feel that he knew the outcome of everything from the beginning, and was much clearer than his ant-like self.
But He doesn't care.
If you want to ask why——
Because that's what they want in life.
They burned all the selves in the original universe and turned into light outside the universe...
"We passed through the Window of Events, found our Creator, and said hello to Him."
"Although he can't see us, we all see him... and that's enough for us."
"Since then, our story has not been in this universe, and what you see now is just the echo after the Big Bang."
"As for Gaia, the branches and buds of the Tree of Insof...are just the traces of our existence left by us."
"Your compatriot is very smart. He discovered the answer, and I'm sure you must have noticed it. As I said, 'It's not like you haven't succeeded anyway'."
"The answer is on the mural in front of you from the beginning. What the child named Dora read to you was the part she could understand. And what you see now is exactly the part she can't understand."
After thinking everything through, Ye Shi heard this voice in his mind.
Both seem to happen at the same time.
While studying the murals, he gradually "saw" everything that the crew member had experienced, and everything that was completely recorded on the growth lines.
The unbelievable thing made him even more shocked, and he even couldn't help but doubt the nature of this game.
Staring at the increasingly bright fireflies, he couldn't help blurting out a question.
"How did you do it? That kind of ascension...including going to the void."
The shadowy voice didn't answer.
Or maybe He had actually given an answer, but he couldn't hear it, let alone understand it.
after all--
There is an unknown number of thousands of years between them as they are having this conversation.
The experience aboard the Orion has proven that the transmission of information across time and space is not omnipotent.
They can only press the teleprompters in each other's hands, and they can only remind each other of the existence that they both understand.
He spoke slowly and left the last message.
"We have communicated enough. Knowing too much will not do you any good."
"If I have to say it, I have only one piece of advice -"
"Unless you make exploring the spiritual world your life's work, don't try to break the fourth wall."
"Not everyone can pass through there smoothly. There are also a lot of messy things trapped in the wall. Even just taking a look at it from a distance will cause you huge trouble... You should be lucky to have encountered it.
it's me."
"By the way, one of you fools once begged me to take him to 'heaven', but he didn't realize that 'heaven' also has a labyrinth in 'heaven'. Just as you have realized that there are new things outside the universe.
The universe, there are new horizons beyond the horizon...The truth is infinite."
"Anyway, good luck to you, stupid materialists."
"Maybe we'll meet again."
The sound disappeared.
Ye Shi stared blankly at the fireflies above his head, feeling a sense of loss in his heart that he could not let go for a long time.
After spending nearly a month in this temple, he thought he had successfully broken the fourth wall, but he didn't expect that he was still a little short.
What he saw or heard was just the reverberation of the explosion that was left in this world when a certain pioneer civilization shattered into the void countless thousands of years ago.
There is only so much information left on this planet.
The crew of the Gemini have recorded the results of their research on the temple's murals.
If you want to find more clues about the Pioneers, you may have to go to other galaxies in the universe.
"...Although it is a bit far-fetched to attribute the destruction of the People's Federation to the pioneers behind Gaia, the price of digging this ruins must be too heavy."
Thinking of all the past experiences, Ye Shi couldn't help but smile bitterly. It was difficult to evaluate for a while.
Of course.
In this process, human civilization has not gained nothing.
In addition to their gains in the fields of biotechnology and aerospace engineering, their gains in the field of sociology are equally rich.
When they are reborn, they will be tougher and stronger than before.
As for himself, he also gained a lot from this adventure.
Although it was impossible to determine the sequence level without VM, he could clearly feel that his perception attributes had been strengthened a lot, at least by three or four levels.
And it's more than that.
Ye Shi suddenly found that he could fluently read the growth patterns on the walls of the temple.
In addition, those fireflies also became able to understand his voice, as well as those insects like crickets.
His "spiritual energy" seems to have awakened.
…
Just when Ye Shi was surprised by the changes that had taken place in him, the war between the forest people and the valley people also entered its final climax.
Under the leadership of Tun Nan, the allied forces composed of forest tribes fought successively and successfully, and displayed many tricks. They defeated the Qiu State defenders who were stationed along the ridge and fled.
Especially in the recent battle, Tunnan, who was wearing power armor, was like an ancestor descending to earth. He was invulnerable with copper skin and iron bones. He was riding a giant bear and was riding rampant. He was like no one in the Qiu Kingdom's army. Even the bravest soldiers of the Qiu Kingdom
All the warriors were killed on the battlefield.
Countless soldiers did not dare to look at him, let alone stop him, so they abandoned their helmets and fled.
When powered armor appeared on the battlefield of primitive people, it could undoubtedly be called a "dimensionality reduction strike."
As for how Tun Nan mastered the use of power armor, it was not a difficult matter.
As long as he can establish contact with the past through "spiritual energy", it is not a difficult problem for him.
That battle became Tunnan's Battle of the Gods, and he defeated thousands of Qiu soldiers with his own strength!
The situation on the battlefield was precarious for the Qiu State, but the elders had no choice but to pray for the blessing of their ancestors because of the "invulnerable" Tunnan.
Seeing that the Qiu people were about to be destroyed, at this critical moment, a warrior named Qiu Ling suddenly stood up.
He had previously appeared at a meeting of the Council of Elders with the prophecy of the ancestor, and went to the depths of the Forbidden Forest on behalf of the Qiu people to search for the lost holy relics of the ancestor.
Although the holy object has not been found, he has passed the test of the ancestor and brought back the prophecy left by the ancestor.
The ancestor named Qiu Shiye told them that their mission was to go to the end of the world and to keep going until there was no more way to go.
The ancestor's will was like the rain after a long drought, which relieved the Qiu people who could no longer hold on.
They have always been charged with the mission of guarding the Forbidden Forest Valley, and now they can finally leave this land of right and wrong, which is becoming increasingly difficult to survive.
What Qiu Ling brought back was not only the prophecy of the ancestor, but also the hope of escape.
He not only reorganized Qiu's army, but also led the revitalized soldiers to defeat several attempts by the forest tribes to encircle and annihilate them. He also protected the old, weak, women and children of the tribe, and carried livestock and production materials across the mountains.
Breaking through the encirclement and escaping into the desolate eastern mountains.
There is the lower reaches of the Nameless River, connected to a calm sea.
According to the ancestors in the sky, as long as they climb over the mountains at their feet, cross the hot rain forests, go eastward, and pass through the vast deserts and grasslands, they will find a land far more fertile than the Forbidden Forest Valley.
It was a resting place given to them by their ancestors.
They will build countless cities on that land, establish an infinitely prosperous kingdom, live and work there, and explore a world far wider than the Forbidden Forest Valley.
Qiu Ling persuaded his people to go on the road with peace of mind, and then led 500 cavalry to stay behind at the pass of the eastern mountains.
Although Tunnan has obtained the Forbidden Forest Valley, he is obviously not satisfied with the victory in front of him and wants more.
Ignoring the prophecy brought by the temple maid, he led three thousand elites of the Doma clan and two thousand of the most elite young and middle-aged warriors from various tribes, followed the retreating footsteps of the "sinful people" and chased them to the foot of the eastern mountains.
An attack launched at dusk.
Qiu Ling has been waiting here for a long time.
He ordered his soldiers to cut off the vines wrapped around the log and let the rocks and logs roll down the hillside.
The pouring stones and rolling logs were like a collapsing mountain torrent, instantly overwhelming Tunnan's five thousand tribal warriors.
The residents in the forest had never seen the horror of landslides. They only regarded it as a heavenly punishment sent by the ancestors. Their heads were not smashed by stones and blood flowed, but they were frightened by the scene of the earth shattering and their livers and gallbladders were split. They fled in all directions.
With the organizational capabilities of the tribal era, once morale collapsed, it was almost impossible to reorganize.
Not letting go of this golden opportunity, Qiu Ling led his 500 warriors on lizards to immediately launch a charge.
The wild lizards that follow the gravel and rolling trees have become a lingering nightmare for forest people.
Looking at the scattered soldiers, Tun Nan wanted to grit his teeth.
Although he knew that the defeat was certain, he still refused to give up. Instead, relying on the invulnerable "iron armor" on his body, he rode a giant bear and fought towards high places alone.
At this moment, a crisp sound broke through the air into his ears, followed by another crisp sound of "dang".
Before he could recover what had happened, an arrow penetrated his kneecap.
That was an arrow shot by Qiu Ling.
What he is holding in his hand at this moment is the divine bow given to him by his ancestor!
As for the arrow, there's nothing special about it, it's just an arrow made of dark green crystals.
Tunnan screamed and fell off the back of the giant bear, rolling down to the foot of the mountain.
Only then did he remember the prophecy that the temple maid named "Dora" brought back from the forest!
Although he misunderstood the true meaning of the "punishment arrow" in various senses, at this moment, in his opinion, the arrow that shot through his knee was undoubtedly a warning to him.
"retreat!"
Swallowing the humiliation, he finally gave the order to retreat and retreated into the forest with less than 300 remaining soldiers.
At the same time, Qiuling, which shot Tunnan down the hillside with one arrow and blocked "hundreds of thousands of troops" without wasting a single soldier, became a myth in the eyes of Qiu people and a new legend in this land.
However, he did not stay in this land of right and wrong because of his greed for victory like Tun Nan.
They are going further afield.
They will set foot on the coast of the ocean and sow the seeds of civilization in every corner of this land.
"go ahead!"
He raised the long bow in his hand high, roared at the soldiers with high morale, strangled the neck of the wild lizard under him, turned around, and led everyone away towards the depths of the mountains.
Although he didn't want to let these guys go, Tun Nan still swallowed his hatred in his stomach.
The sudden defeat completely shattered his plan to unify the forest.
Even if the Doma tribe succeeded in retaking the holy land, their vitality would have been severely damaged.
After that, he and his tribe had to face punishment from their ancestors.
With the help of his subordinates, he stood up again, only to feel weaker than ever before. The swelling and pain from the wound even made him feel that he did not have much time left.
There was only regret in his heart, regret for why he insisted on going his own way in the first place, regret for why he didn't listen to advice, regret for why he didn't let those "sinful people" have a way out and give himself a chance.
But now that the matter is over, it's too late to say anything.
After the sun set, both sides declared their victory and headed for the future they each agreed on.
As for what happens after that, it will be another tortuous and long epic...
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This chapter has been completed!