by Feng Yue
As he spoke, a vague alchemy array lit up on Bai Xi’s body. It was the lock that Hermes had forged.
Now, at Bai Heng’s call, the alchemy array around Bai Xi’s body started up. Now, the array that had grown alongside her muscles, bones, and organs began to come off on its own.
It was like leaves drifting down from a branch.
The array that was as huge and complicated as a nervous system was cleverly and subtly drawn off of Bai Xi’s body without the slightest bit of pain.
She no longer needed anything to seal away her talents.
And now, the array floated through the air. It drew upon the aether and began to proliferate on its own.
If the original array was like an entire nervous system, now music theory and arrays flowed through it endlessly.
It was expanding.
It was restoring its original appearance.
It was a miracle, like the smallest particle of dust expanding to consume the whole world.
The masterpiece of the alchemical arts was reoccuring here.
Finally, the end of the huge array stretched out inextricably, and connected to every one of the Empress’s ganglions, making her instantly fall into a trance.
“What… is this?”
In front of her, Bai Heng smiled as he guided the array’s expansion. It was like he had already practiced this thousands of times, and he was both familiar with it and careful.
“15 years ago, the Emperor turned you into a machine for the Empire of Aurora, a puppet that only lived for its mission. For so many years I have tried to find a way to restore you to your original state. Unfortunately, with my meager talent, it is impossible to match up to a catastrophe… Fortunately, where there’s a will there’s a way.”
At that moment, countless arrays were bundled up in his hands. They formed into a line and pointed at the Empress’s heart.
“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered. “Hermes’s humanization technique is hidden in here.”
In that instant, countless alchemy arrays followed Bai Heng’s movements and pierced through the Empress from above the throne.
A mournful cry burst forth.
It was like 15 years of sorrow crying out in pain.
Numerous forgotten memories rushed out of the darkness. In the end, they settled at the last moment where there was still heat.
The old Emperor had cut open her chest and implanted a ghost within her.
“After this,” the dying old man’s eyes flashed with madness, “you will be the new Empress.”
The memory came to an abrupt end, and the roar stopped.
It was Tung Wang Kung.
After breaking through the Firewall, Tung Wang Kung, who was only one step away from his destination, howled with rage. He truly seemed like a “man” of virtue. He shouted with all the anger and unwillingness of a man of talent, “Bai Heng!!”
“Yes, it’s me.” Bai Heng smiled as the alchemy array penetrated the Empress’s body inch by inch. “Such an exquisite pain, this is a precious experience for a man of talent. It roars and snarls like a human being.” He gave a cold farewell, “Here is the gift that Hermes left for you before his death!”
At that moment, a blazing light rose into the sky.
Ye Qingxuan opened his eyes from his long dream.
790 Ye Xuan
Crack, crack, crack, crack…
Ye Qingxuan heard crisp sounds echo in the nothingness.
Rainbow-colored streams of light flowed, like countless mirrors colliding with each other. They shattered, reflecting scattered neon lights. The heavens and the earth seemed to have become a kaleidoscope, and it was so dazzlingly beautiful that one couldn’t look straight at it.
Yet it was so lonely that it was unnerving.
“You’re awake?” He heard a calm voice.
He raised his head confusedly and could only see a vague figure, hidden in the scattered lights. “Where is this place?”
“A division of the central core, independent from the Three Wise Men. It is the original silicon crystal server created by humans, and its name is the Neanderthal, which means the boundary between man and beast.”
The man turned back, looked at him, and smiled. “You are Lanzhou’s child? I recognize you, and you should know me as well.”
Ye Qingxuan had seen the face countless times.
When he pushed the door of musicians open.
When he ignited the scepter of House Ye.
In his dreams.
Ye Qingxuan realized the answer. “You are… Ye Xuan?”
“I guess you can say so.” The figure responded ambiguously, got up, and walked toward Ye Qingxuan.
As if there was little distance between them, with just a few steps, he appeared in front of Ye Qingxuan.
It was Ye Xuan alright.
Just like the man in Ye Qingxuan’s memory, he was dressed in black, his silver hair resembling snow, with a familiar silhouette and an… indelible loneliness.
He held an odd item in his hand. It looked like a lock consisting of three nested loops, and it constantly rotated as his fingers moved.
“You are still alive?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him, then furrowed his brows. “No, you turned yourself into a catastrophe?”
“Um… you mean, create a fixed acoustic field to program aether and upload one’s consciousness?” Ye Xuan thought for a long time, then shook his head. “You can think of it as a compromising method.”
He said, “I replicated my memory in the database of the Neanderthal, then compressed a model of my personality, and implanted it into my blood as a cue… When the two coincide, I can wake up temporarily. Or rather, I will be created temporarily. It is probably the only privilege of the reserve captain?”
“Have you also opted to escape death, using such a tasteless method?” asked Ye Qingxuan.
“I merely chose to wait.” Ye Xuan’s response was calm, and he did not attempt to explain anything.
In the silence, only the sound of him turning the lock with his head down could be heard.
Crack, crack, crack, crack…
Ye Qingxuan frowned. “What are you doing?”
“I’m doing something futile.” Ye Xuan released his hand, looked at the lock, which reset stubbornly in his hand, and couldn’t help but shake his head. “Sure enough, no matter how it comes to an emergency stop, it will not respond.
“No matter how calculative and cautious human beings are regarding the use of artificial intelligence, once they are free of the central system and become catastrophes, they will no longer be restrained by any regulations.”
As the rumble sounded, the sky of the kaleidoscope broke, revealing a ominous crack.
As if an invisible behemoth was pressing down and countless knives and axes were chipping away at it, cracks appeared on the firewall of the Neanderthal. The broken pieces of the mirror fell onto the ground, giving off crisp sounds, and blended into the rainbow lights in the end.
Behind the crack, a vague sign emerged. Like an eye, it looked towards where they were.
As compared to the tiny consciousness of human beings, the behemoth, stacked up with countless rules of logic, was like an irrefutable god. At the moment, as the firewall shattered, it brought a suffocating sense of despair.
“What… is that?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“Tung Wang Kung.” Ye Xuan threw away the lock that no longer had any meaning in his hand, letting it dissipate in the halo. “If my guess is correct, Bai Heng should be cutting off the connection between Tung Wang Kung and the Empress.
“Tung Wang Kung has no turning back now, and he can only try to occupy the central core forcefully before Bai Heng succeeds, then transform the Originator… Don’t worry, He is just passing by.
“The Neanderthal has always been a closed system created to prevent the Three Wise Men from getting out of control, and He is unable to enter. “
Ye Qingxuan was stunned.
He totally had not expected that, in the outside world
, Bai Heng, that fella, could force Tung Wang Kung into such a corner, as a mere prisoner.
And even though things have deteriorated to such an extent, He still refuses to give up…
Despite it being a last, desperate effort.
“What exactly does He want to do?” Ye Qingxuan asked.
“It’s very simple, He wants to preserve humanity,” Ye Xuan said after thinking about it. “If you use the cliche of dystopian fiction as an example, then He is like the kind of villainous artificial intelligence that will try to make human beings better even if it meant removing all the white matter from the brains of all humans?
“Even though he has free will, He is still unwilling to make changes. Even though it is clear that the mission no longer has any meaning, He is still loyal to the mission.”
He sighed softly. “No wonder Hermes hated him. If you compare the two, they are two extremes.”
“What actually happened?” Ye Qingxuan looked at him. “Why did humans become what they are now?”
“A lot of things happened, for example, war.” Ye Xuan shrugged. “As a result, human beings obtained the land and a future, as they wished, but the price was that they lost their past and the sky.
“It’s very funny, right? Despite having an infinite universe for humans to demonstrate the free will that they are so proud of, in the end, human beings still chose to make their way into a box that could give them peace of mind.”
Having said so, he took his eyes off the sky and extended a hand towards Ye Qingxuan. “Do you have any cigarettes?”
Ye Qingxuan spread his hands, and they were empty. He wasn’t even sure whether the place was in his own brain or in the central core, so naturally, it was impossible for him to bring in a pack of cigarettes.
“You just have to imagine it.” Ye Xuan asked, “Which brand do you usually smoke?”
Snap. An iron case appeared out of thin air in Ye Qingxuan’s hand.
Ye Xuan smiled. “Thanks a lot.”
And so, he took the case from Ye Qingxuan’s hand, opened it eagerly, lit one, took a deep breath, and smiled bitterly. “After such a long time, have I forgotten how cigarettes smell? Or rather, I may have remembered it wrong, this smells rather weird to me.
“Anyway, even though I’m already dead, I still find it hard to part with nicotine, it’s rather tragic, right?
“By the way, you know Hermes very well, no?”
Ye Xuan flicked the ashes and suddenly asked, “Was his death painful?”
“No, he died smiling.” Ye Qingxuan replied, “He smiled in a very enviable manner.”
“Is that so?” Ye Xuan sighed and shrugged. “After they all became catastrophes, that guy could be said to be the most deviant one. Before I was uploaded, I saw him once, and I was completely shocked. I couldn’t recognize him at all.
“He flatly rejected everything from the past, then started a new life according to what he called aesthetics. His individualistic attitude… was just like a human.
“Despite both of them becoming humans, he was so happy, yet Peter was in so much pain. I must have really neglected some aspects.”
Ye Qingxuan was silent.
“What’s wrong? Why do you look so troubled?” As if he could perceive Ye Qingxuan’s anxiousness and uneasiness, Ye Xuan flicked off the ashes and whispered, “Is there anything that you want to say? Don’t worry, I will not be angry, regardless of whether you want to question me or complain to me.
“After all, it is justified for my descendants to harbor complaints towards such an irresponsible ancestor like me. Rest assured, as compensation, I will answer any questions of yours.”
In the silence, Ye Qingxuan shook his head. “I should go.” He took a step back and looked at Ye Xuan in front of him. “Sorry, I know this is the last legacy of the Devas or something, but I can’t stay here any longer.”
He said, “I still have something very important to do.”
Ye Xuan was stunned. As a faint stream of light flashed across his eyes, his expression became one of realization.
“No wonder.” He nodded. “I see.”
As he said so, Ye Xuan pointed at something behind Ye Qingxuan. Where he pointed, the outline of a door suddenly emerged.
“But before that, Ye Qingxuan, I need to remind you of one thing.” Ye Xuan lit a cigarette, his smile cheerful, as if he could feel like a real human once more by repeating such a meaningless motion in the empty world.
Or rather, his smile was rather gloating, like he was watching someone run into misfortune.
His smile was so familiar.
Ye Xuan said, “Although this place looks like the real world, it is a virtual sandbox. In other words, you are essentially a piece of code running in the data layer of the central core.
“After passing through it, you will be able to enter the actual logic layer of the central core. At the moment, the central core and the Originator are connected together. Bai Xi’s consciousness should be there.
“However, Tung Wang Kung’s speed is faster than yours. To get there before him, you can only take a shortcut.
“The shortcut is not safe.
“I don’t know how much computing power and authority Tung Wang Kung has regained. If the firewall has been lost as well, the autonomous program may see you as a virus and kill you the very moment you enter.
“At the same time, all your brain cells will be forcefully formatted, your brain will be cooked like a pot of porridge.”
He looked at Ye Qingxuan, his gaze watchful. “Do you still plan to find Bai Xi back?”
Ye Qingxuan smiled and pointed at his own head. “Since you can read my memory, don’t ask any more meaningless questions.”
“Good.” Ye Xuan smoked his cigarette and began laughing softly. “You have accomplished your mission very outstandingly, Ye Qingxuan. After all, the mission of each generation of House Ye is just to come in and chat with me.”
As he said so, he took something off from his neck and threw it at Ye Qingxuan.
“Go.” He said, “Go and do what you should do.”
Ye Qingxuan subconsciously caught it, saw the thing in his hand, and was momentarily stunned. Then he turned around and ran towards the door.
But just as he pushed the door open, he hesitated and turned back to look at Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan was still standing there.
He stood with his back towards Ye Qingxuan, looking up at the flowing sky quietly. For centuries, he had been staying here, waiting for the heir of each generation to come in and then leave. It was like he must continue waiting until the end of time and future.
From the beginning to the end, he was all alone.
He seemed so lonely, like the whole world had abandoned him.
“Hey, Ye Xuan!” Ye Qingxuan stopped and shouted at the figure. “How did things turn out for you and Changsun in the end?”
It was his only question.
It was not about what happened back then, nor was it about past history, but about the quiet woman in a corner of the grand repertoire of the past, the person who had pushed him into the cabin, disregarding her own safety in the process.
She liked you, and you knew it.
But where did she go?
Why are you staying here alone?
What on earth happened?
“Nothing happened, Ye Qingxuan.” Ye Xuan still stood with his back to him, hiding his expression where Ye Qingxuan couldn’t see, and just lowered his head. “I was seriously injured when the colony ship fell from the sky, and I was in a coma for 40 years.”
He said, “She waited for me for a long time, but she did not make it.”
Ye Qingxuan was silent.
He took a final look at Ye Xuan and remembered his lonely figure.
The door closed.
In the silent world, Ye Xuan looked up and sighed softly. “Go, Ye Qingxuan, don’t let her wait for too long.
“Don’t be like me…”
791 In the End
Th
e moment the door was closed, Ye Qingxuan fell into the abyss. Actually, it was just a hallucination. Other than the fact that there was a blur before his eyes, his body did not actually sense any loss of gravity.
This world felt like an illusion, as if it was part of an illusional realm. But the difference from illusions was that it had already turned into a suggestion of illusion and had merged into part of a massive fictitious scene.
“Loading of translation plugin is complete.”
Ye Qingxuan suddenly woke up with a shock to a string of fine characters. He saw a green ocean around him. An ocean of unlimited words.
In the blink of an eye, the entire world had been replaced by formulas and laws. Everything had turned into a string of dull and boring data and records, including Ye Qingxuan himself.
It was not an enjoyable feeling, but over here, even his unhappiness was merely categorized as a string of insignificant characters in Ye Qingxuan’s data. Besides, why was it a translation plugin? He could sense that this was Ye Xuan’s doing, but why was there a translation plugin in particular?
Ye Qingxuan had already obtained most of the knowledge about ancient languages from Ye Xuan’s memories, so an additional translation plugin would not have made much difference. But very soon, he discovered that the function of this plugin was different from he had understood. What it translated was not languages…
Based on his “senses” and “observations,” every phenomenon on earth, which had initially collapsed into countless formulas and records, was undergoing transformation, sublimation, and conversion rapidly. It was not an earth-shattering revolution. It was just a matter of not having the foresight to see something more important.
Through the “filter” of the translation plugin, the world of data within the central core was rapidly transforming into something that Ye Qingxuan could recognize. Therefore, a lofty maze rose from the ground. Not only did it consist of a flat plane of four houses on both sides, both the sky and land were engulfed by endless fog and towering walls respectively. In this world, which was so dark that it was hard to tell if it was day or night, there were six paths that led to six different destinations.
At the end of each path was yet another six paths. After six has been multiplied by six, the result would be multiplied by six again… Just like that, the maze would increase rapidly at a terrifying rate.