Chapter 130: Is the World Outside Canaan Fun? (54k)
Epic event?
In other words, have I triggered some hidden quest line in the Night World?
Rast stared at the azure text that emerged in his mind, lost in thought.
This was information he had not found in the Tower of Secrets database while gathering intelligence in the real world.
At least, there had been no precedent for such a situation in the ordinary echoes of history or the calamity echoes.
However, considering the existence of “End of the Night World” and “Echoes of the Era” at the end of every Epoch itself… it was a secret kept from the majority of Night Travelers.
Therefore, it was only reasonable that he was previously unaware.
Rast’s gaze fell on the line of flashing azure prompts.
Then, amidst the rippling light and shadow like water waves, new text appeared.
[Historical Event Line – Battle of the Broken Coast]
[Category: Civilization Epic]
[The Broken Coast and the maritime routes along the coast…
After the Great Cataclysm, this is the only bridge connecting different survivor outposts, and also the last defense line of human civilization against pollution, calamity, corruption, and beast tides.
For a hundred years, the Guardians have established their headquarters, the “Watchtower,” along the central axis of the Broken Coast, regarding the “Watch Coastline” as their supreme mission.
They have paid the price of bl**d and fire to maintain the remaining skeleton of human society, which sways in the wind and rain, its civilizational flame unextinguished.
However… a thick dark cloud is gathering over the Broken Coast in the unseen.
The grand curtain has already lifted, and the present time is the calm before the storm.]
[Historical Event – Civilization Epic: This is the chapter of an epic, a hymn to heroes, and a turning point in human history that will directly determine the future direction of this Epoch.]
…
[Now, fate divides before your eyes into two unrelated straight lines.]
[Where will the fate of humanity in the Sixth Epoch ultimately lead? It all depends on the conclusion of this great historical event.]
[And the choices you make as an actor in this epic…]
“The Battle of the Broken Coast.”
That is to say, it is the battle that the Gravekeeper and Noah are plotting, aiming to eliminate Leader Ciser.
In the depths of the sea, there exist forbidden beasts on par with legends… which have long coveted the land, and the Broken Coast is the last barrier between them and human civilization.
For a hundred years, it has been the Guardians who established the Watchtower as their frontline, blocking the beast tide from the depths of the sea.
Or, to be more precise, it has been Ciser alone.
Only a legend can counteract another legend—if Ciser were to perish in battle, then those forbidden beasts in the ocean would no longer have any reservations or hindrances, able to rampage across the land.
If the defense line of the Broken Coast falls, and the forbidden beasts from the ocean land on the mainland, the Guardian organization will be destroyed.
At that point, it would mark the end of human civilization.
Even if there are some scattered outposts in remote areas that could survive the beast tide… without maritime routes, these human settlements would be isolated islands over the vast ocean, cut off from communication with the outside world, and sealed off.
They would also lack some essential raw materials for certain research and forging; from basic technology to the production of industrial products would halt, the level of civilization would continuously regress, and there would be no possibility of rebuilding a complete societal system or expanding outward.
Ultimately, it would be like endangered species that have functionally gone extinct, living on for decades or hundreds of years without a ripple…
Until the last human city disappears, quietly succumbing to oblivion, just like those epochs that came before, those extinct human civilizations endured.
Therefore, viewing the imminent Battle of the Broken Coast as a turning point in the history of humanity in the Sixth Epoch is not an exaggeration.
No wonder the Night World would define this historical event as a “Civilization Epic.”
Rast stared at the text before him, his thoughts racing.
“And also, the so-called ‘historical node has been locked’…”
“If we were to liken this Echo of the Era, the ‘Battle of the Broken Coast’ Civilization Epic, to a role-playing game…”
“Then I should be standing at the last save point before the BOSS battle.”
Rast fell into a brief recollection.
Before crossing over, he was responsible for the program architecture development for the Night World portion in the game production team of “Snow Moon Emblem.”
In the planning for the Night World project, there was a proposal to add save points in the Night World instances, but this feature had not been implemented in the internal test version yet.
The save function was mainly designed to address certain large Night World instances in the future.
After all, the early versions of Night World instances typically had completion times under a few hours, allowing players to clear them in one go.
However, some later Night World instance storylines were overly lengthy, and as Night World allowed for cooperative play, it was unreasonable to expect all connected players to remain faithfully at their computers for over ten hours to complete the game.
The save points were prepared for this purpose.
Now, the “historical node lock” he faced should also be a setting similar to a save point.
According to the Night World prompts, once he chose to exit the Night World and re-enter the Echo of the Era, he would carry over this save point’s “Civilization Epic” historical event line.
Of course, there might be a time gap when re-entering, but his actions during this time in the Night World Echo would be automatically deduced and rationalized.
“So, following the gaming process, what I should do next is…”
“Collect intelligence, create the most comprehensive strategy, spend all my coins to buy the best armor, weapons, and supplies, and recruit the best teammates.”
“And then, after preparing thoroughly—”
“Charge forward and clear this Civilization Epic completely.”
Rast’s lips curled into a faint smile.
Then, he transformed his mental energy into a tentacle and gently tapped on the flashing “Confirm Exit” option.
Staying continuously in a single Echo of History for over half a year was far beyond what ordinary Night Travelers could comprehend… The typical task deadline for normal Echoes of History generally does not exceed a month, with most tasks completed within a week.
It can only be said that Night Travelers’ understanding of “Echo of the Era” is still too lacking.
And maintaining a heightened level of tension for half a year, even Rast, could feel some fatigue.
The years of honing in Deep Blue Harbor had granted him the resilience to an unimaginable degree of pain and fatigue—able to execute his plans even while enduring suffering that could make an ordinary person faint.
However, this does not mean Rast did not need to rest and heal.
Even if he had suppressed pain and emotions, transforming his human form into a cold machine driven solely by achieving a goal… even steel constructed into machines experiences metal fatigue, as long-term operation will wear down gears, necessitating constant upkeep and maintenance, otherwise, they would not maintain optimal conditions.
And if one wishes to reject wear and aging, remaining eternally unchanged… then that truly would conform to Noah’s ideology, becoming a Gravekeeper.
If he had not encountered Xiao Ai, had not held onto that memory of Canaan… then with Rast’s experiences, he likely would have indeed pursued eternity, stepping into the footsteps of a Gravekeeper.
Yet, at this moment, he had taken a contrary path.
No one can judge the right or wrong of this path.
But since it is the road he has chosen, then even if it is absurd, and the ultimate outcome bleak, Rast will walk it to its end.
So, it is indeed time for himself, who has been tense for half a year, to rest.
Moreover—
He needed to return to the real world and get a proper confirmation from Mr. Silver.
Akshia, or rather Helen, what exactly is going on.
And also—
During the last settlement of the Night World, he had fainted and did not return to that place in the interstice between the Night World and the real world.
But this time…
As soon as this thought arose.
The next moment, the sheer night wrapped around Rast gently.
Clearly, that layer of night was thin, yet it seemed to isolate the entire world.
Removing from Rast’s view the disaster-laden Sixth Epoch, the Abyss, the Paradise City built upon the remnants of gods, and the lingering grievances between the Guardians and Gravekeepers…
All of these troublesome matters vanished from Rast’s sight.
He became entranced in the darkness, feeling the thin night caressing his body gently.
Still a “retrace” from the Night World, but this time Rast’s injuries had been treated in advance by Noah, so the gentle touch of the night was merely fleeting.
However, because he wasn’t plunged into a comatose state as he was when exiting the Echo of Frozen Water Town, this time, Rast clearly perceived the process of that “retrace” effect working on him.
The rushing flow of time flowed past him, bringing a distorting halo yet leaving no traces.
If the passage of time could be likened to a river, Rast felt as if he stood as a stone in a turbulent river, remaining unyielding against the onslaught of time’s currents.
This was the effect of the “Fate Nexus” brought by the “Grey” fate card in the Library of Fools; whenever the time-related abilities were exerted on Rast, they would significantly weaken.
Moreover, this is a force forcibly solidified within the Library of Fools, equivalent to a naturally innate passive skill that Rast could not even wish to cancel.
Of course, along with exiting the Night World, Rast’s body also underwent some changes.
At his chest, the yellowed item resembling a parasite—Star Cup—had deeply rooted itself in his flesh, continuously gnawing and assimilating Rast’s body, but at this moment, it had become ethereal, its brilliance gradually fading…
At the same time, Rast also felt that his ambiguous control over the God of d*ath’s remains and the pain from the parasitic entity gnawing and corrupting his flesh were constantly diminishing.
Until that crystalline and translucent Star Cup had pale to the point of nearly losing its outline, and in Rast’s perception, he could no longer discern its existence.
Only an illusory chess piece remained, lingering in his heart like a phantom.
This is an obvious fact.
The Night World is a reflection of the past, and the things within the Echoes of History are naturally remnants and echoes of the old days…
Unless one obtains certification from the Night World as a task reward, the illusory things obtained within the Night World cannot take effect in the real world.
However, according to the Night World prompts, once he re-enters the Echo of the Era again… this Star Cup of the God of d*ath should also revert from ethereal to reality.
The pitch-black night swirled around him, and Rast was thus deeply immersed, feeling his body flowing with the currents of eternal darkness.
He began sorting through the task rewards and harvests from this Echo of History settlement.
[You have obtained Emblem Armor: “Unfinished Fairy Tale Book,” “Traitor’s Wing.”]
This time, the task rating for the Echo of History was, unsurprisingly, “EX” level.
Although he could not execute extreme micro-operations this time as he did in Deep Blue Harbor, considering the potential enemies faced, the associated risks, the critical importance of participating in a historical event, and his status… they were far from comparable to the Echoes of History of Deep Blue Harbor and Frozen Water Town.
This is truly a significant historical event that can rewrite the direction of an entire Epoch, a hymn of civilization, an epic of heroes.
And the “EX” level reward, aside from allowing him to smoothly break through the long-standing blockade, elevating him to the fourth tier of the “Tower” sequence, consists of two pieces of “Emblem Armor.”
Similar to the “Seven Layers of Vision” and “Iron Pattern Moon” Emblem Armors he currently possessed, the items awarded this time were also things he had once owned during this Echo of History experience.
Rast’s gaze fell on the two items that were quietly appearing in his palm.
[Unfinished Fairy Tale Book]
[Category: Emblem Armor]
[Description: This fairy tale book named “Chronicles of Silver Wings” is a treasure of the girl named Helen, also carrying the entire yearnings and aspirations of a queen like a caged bird…
And a caged bird’s vague feelings of love that sprouted for the boy who opened the window for her, helping her to see the dreamy scenery beyond the cage…
Even if later, the stage play of the caged bird and the boy came to an end, and the girl learned the truth, that the boy and girl’s fateful encounter was not destined but a carefully arranged script.
And she herself was not Helen, but Akshia, an actress who had taken amnesia medication for the sake of performance, portraying the protagonist of the stage play.
But ‘the fairy tale is false, yet love is real.’
A story originating from false lies can still bear sincere fruit.
Even to this day, the girl still firmly believes in this somewhat childish notion, hoping for it dearly… ]
[For some unknown reason, after the ending of this fairy tale book, there are several blank pages]
[As if there are unfinished tales waiting for later generations to write.]
[Armor Effect 1: When bl**d drops onto the fairy tale book’s cover page, the illusory story will transform into a real landscape.]
[Armor Effect 2: Unknown (Unlocked after completing Emblem Armor.)]
…
[Traitor’s Wing]
[Category: Emblem Armor]
[Description: This silver wing emblem, inscribed with coastlines and protective wings, was once the symbol of the radiant Guardians.
However, accompanied by a betrayal one rainy night, all past glory and honor has turned into nothing at this moment.
The desperate girl voiced her bl**d-curdling questions and lamentations towards the back figure in the rain…
But what responded to her was merely a cold blade that cut through the rain curtain.]
[Armor Effect: The holder’s first attack against allies with “Allies” and “Partners” attributes will have its attack power increased by 1000%.]
…
In Rast’s hands lay an already somewhat weathered fairy tale book and a silver wing emblem.
On the emblem, a distinct mark pierced through the entire Guardian’s badge.
The former was the item Akshia entrusted to Rast on the cliff.
The latter was a product of Rast carving his declaration of betrayal into his Guardian wing emblem when he revealed it to Grey.
“This time, the Emblem Armors’ task rewards are no longer pure extraordinary weapons… but items possessing conceptual abilities?”
“An unfinished fairy tale book… the illusory story transforming into real landscapes—is it saying that after bl**d drops, I can enter the world within the fairy tale book?”
“And the unknown Armor Effect 2, this so-called completion should be filling in the blank last page of the fairy tale book and completing the continuation. But this is clearly not something that can be completed by ordinary continuation; there should be some extremely harsh restrictions in place.”
“And also…”
“The ‘Traitor’s Wing.'”
“What kind of traitorous gimmick is this?”
Rast looked at the effect description of the Guardian emblem, sinking into contemplation.
Certainly, the first attack causing ten times damage is tempting… but his mission was to act as a spy infiltrating the Gravekeepers, not to become a traitor.
However, since he had direct contact with Leader Ciser, only he knew Rast’s true identity.
According to those plots from the undercover dramas he watched in his previous life… Could it be that Leader Ciser died in battle before he had time to leave a message, and Rast lost the only superior who knew his identity, choosing instead to go all the way dark as a Gravekeeper?
No.
Reconsidering from another angle.
This is an ambush artifact targeting “companions.”
And my current “companions” are…
Rast’s mind flickered.
In the next moment, the two Emblem Armors transformed into beams of light and disappeared.
Beside him, the continually surging night also grew increasingly faint…
According to Rast’s experience and the information from the Tower of Secrets, when this situation arises, it signifies that the time to exit the Night World and return to the real world is drawing near.
Though he was eager to return immediately to confirm Akshia’s specific situation with Mr. Silver.
But… before that, there was still a place he wanted to go.
With that thought, Rast’s movements bore a rare hesitation.
Silvery beams of light swirled around his fingertips, then coalesced into a heavy revolver engraved with Iron Pattern Moon.
And Rast slowly raised the revolver, aiming it at his temple.
In his eyes—
Hesitation, doubt, struggle, uncertainty, confusion… countless complex hues flickered and vanished.
But in the end, all transformed into the nothingness that swallowed light.
The next moment, Rast pulled the trigger of the revolver, and the preset psychological cue was activated by the sound of the trigger.
Boom—
…
The first sound to be heard was the melodious, lingering sound of a bagpipe.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face, stirring the grass on the hillside into a rustle.
The girl lowered her head, her light golden hair falling together, her delicate, snow-white skin almost transparent in the sunlight.
“Is the world outside Canaan fun?”
Emis smiled, like the morning light over the violet snow mountains.
(This chapter ends)
