Chapter 349: Blowing Up the House
When Xu Cheng’an walked in to invite them to the ancestral hall, Little Moon stood up and cheerfully called out, “Great Grandpa!”
Xu Cheng’an froze for a moment, then his excitement bubbled over. “Oh! That’s great! Little Moon, welcome back! Perfect timing! Once His Highness is done getting the stuff from the ancestral hall, we can announce this! What do you think, Your Highness?”
“Sure!” Xu Xiaoya chimed in. The most important thing for her here was of course to get the ancient treasures that had been preserved since time immemorial.
After that, they could do whatever.
Led by Xu Cheng’an, the three of them meandered through the large mansion.
The Xu family was indeed massive! Flying above didn’t really convey the enormity, but walking through it was like being in a labyrinth of wealth.
So this is what being part of a prominent family feels like?
It was exactly like this! Just look at Yuliya’s place—a whole city stretching dozens of kilometers from south to north!
The Xu family members had gathered along a path in front of the ancestral hall to welcome them in formation.
They had a hint of what was going to happen today.
So, Xu Xiaoya dropped the act.
She strutted forward in her golden phoenix crown and colorful robes, boldly marching toward the ancestral hall.
Upon arriving, she noticed it wasn’t just the Xu family. There were plenty of others, including some military personnel in uniforms adorned with star insignias.
A few of them rang a bell; she must have seen them in the Emerald City before.
The crowd parted down the middle, creating a pathway as Xu Cheng’an led the two of them inside. He guided Little Moon to wait in a spot further back while continuing with Yuliya to a higher platform up front.
He waved at the gathering to quiet them down.
“Today, His Highness the Princess returns! We are holding a grand celebration right here! At the same time, I invite all comrades and fellow countrymen to witness as our Xu family passes our heritage safely to the princess, fulfilling a mission that has lasted thousands of years!”
“Please give the order, Your Highness.”
Xu Xiaoya nodded slightly. “Thank you, everyone. Let’s get started.”
“Yes!”
No sooner had the words been spoken when a gap opened in the center of the platform, and a gold statue slowly ascended, coming to rest majestically atop the stage.
This statue was remarkably similar to the one from the Golden City, symbolizing the royal image of the Golden Palace.
“Your Highness, please.”
Xu Xiaoya stepped forward and placed her hand upon the statue, her power flowing into it.
In an instant, a light beam shot up into the sky.
Xu Xiaoya was quick on the draw, raising her hand to conjure a barrier, preventing any chaotic energy from spilling out and causing havoc in the outside world.
However, everyone within the Xu family witnessed the astonishing power, something many of them had never conceived or grasped before.
But now, thanks to the game’s transition, those who knew part of the truth had long accepted it.
And this truly indicated that Xu Xiaoya was the one the ancient family had been waiting for all along.
When the light beam dissipated, the statue’s hands cradled a box.
Xu Xiaoya waved her hand, suspending the box before her.
Everyone held their breath, eagerly waiting to witness what precious treasure lay within.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
Xu Xiaoya just kept staring.
Suddenly, she glanced over at Xu Cheng’an. “Do you know how to open this?”
“Huh?” Xu Cheng’an’s mouth hung open.
The crowd below had their jaws dropped so wide they could probably catch a duck!
“It seems you don’t know.”
Frowning, Xu Xiaoya pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up.
She waved her hand again, and two objects appeared beside her.
“Of course! No need to open it!”
The box was sealed tight, never intended to be opened; attempts at violent destruction would be pointless.
As long as it couldn’t be opened, it was the safest option.
So how was she supposed to retrieve what was inside? No one had ever mentioned that you needed to open the box to get to the goodies.
And only she could achieve that!
“These are things I put in myself, so I’ll take them out myself.”
The others hesitated, at a loss for words.
Giving up on the box, they turned their attention to the two items.
Inside the box were two scrolls—one with an unmarked exterior and the other inscribed with two large characters: “Cradle.”
Yuliya took a look at the one labeled “Cradle.”
That word rang a bell.
The contents of the scroll were exactly as she expected—detailing one of the Golden Kingdom’s most significant plans: the Cradle Project.
This plan had been spearheaded by the Golden Kingdom with participation from the other four major nations, aiming to leave greater hope for future generations.
They chose a portion of volunteers for the project to preserve the most complete souls, all thrown into the Cradle of creation.
The Cradle was sent to an extremely remote corner, allowing them to develop freely while leaving behind a single connection.
After countless ages of evolution, it ultimately formed the framework of what Blue Star is today.
Now, with the time ripe, they relied on the Golden Village barrier as a bridge to return to their former lands.
The so-called outsiders in the “Otherworld” are actually projections of the Blue Star people.
The strength of the Blue Star folks exists within their souls. Until they reach a certain understanding of their soul, they appear as ordinary humans.
However, in the “Otherworld,” they were constructed from parts of their souls, resembling elemental life forms.
They could enhance their power in various ways, but once their synchronization rate hit 100%, the full might of their souls could be unleashed.
The reason for their faster power increase compared to the natives was simply because their souls were inherently strong; this was merely a quest to regain that strength.
Once they reached 80% of their original power, further improvements would become increasingly difficult.
But just like that, when they died, their souls could also suffer damage; the higher the synchronization rate, the more severe the feedback from the injuries.
That’s the significance of soul integrity.
After reading this, Xu Xiaoya’s calm face finally showed a hint of shock.
To successfully implement such a grand plan, it wasn’t only the planners who had to work hard; the executors had also exerted immense effort.
With such a timespan, even the slightest hiccup could cause everything to fall apart.
Fortunately, in the end, the results were positive.
After two seconds of contemplation, Xu Xiaoya turned her gaze to the unnamed scroll.
When she opened it for the first time, her brow furrowed.
These appeared to be two maps, but she didn’t recognize either one.
The first one seemed somewhat familiar; she might have seen it long, long ago.
Her gaze dropped, landing on the notes for the two maps, and her pupils instantly constricted.
This… was a bit much.
The first map was annotated as: “Former Human Race Continent.”
And the second map was labeled: “Subsequent Human Race Continent.”
This was a pair of contrasting maps!
When viewed side by side, there were indeed similarities in the broad outlines.
But… the second map was completely shattered!
It was like taking the first map and smashing it to smithereens, scattering those pieces across a larger area.
Xu Xiaoya stared at the two maps, her mind racing.
Finally, a bold theory emerged in her mind.
Could it be… the current world pattern… was something we created ourselves?
Did we actively blow up the Human Race Continent?
(I’m taking a day off, but I thought I’d throw in a chapter anyway. sigh)
