Chapter 173: We Will Meet Again One Day
In the howling sea wind, the warm tear drops disappeared.
In its place was the sobbing of the girl.
“Brother Rast… I…”
Listening to that hoarse voice, so difficult to recognize even for herself, carrying a weeping tone, Grey’s words trailed off abruptly.
Her heart was tumultuous with countless thoughts.
At this moment, Grey had too many sentiments to share with the boy in front of her and too many questions she wanted to ask Brother Rast.
Like the true nature of the betrayal on the night of the rain three years ago atop Paradise Cliff, why did Brother Rast betray the Guardian?
Like the final outcome of the ascension ceremony mentioned in the Holy Tome of the capital city… and the true explanation behind the simultaneous appearance of two “Library of Fools” that Brother Rast had personally narrated to her.
Like why Brother Rast ended up in such a wretched and wounded state, like the whereabouts of Leader Cecil… and the final outcome of the Battle of the Broken Coast, where the old God of d*ath, the Guardians, and the Gravekeepers ultimately went.
But as these words reached her lips, they were swallowed by the immense sorrow rising in Grey’s heart, and she could no longer speak.
Brother Rast was leaving.
He would disappear from this world forever, leaving not a trace behind.
This was a premonition of fate, becoming ever clearer, foretelling the final outcome of this broken-bodied black-haired youth in front of her in this world.
That boy, who brought light to his life, would vanish from her world forever.
Compared to this fact that was so close at hand, the truths of the betrayal on that rainy night or the conclusion of the Battle of the Broken Coast…
All of these matters now seemed infinitely distant, no longer important to Grey’s heart.
As if sensing the myriad of confusion and profound sorrow within Grey, the black-haired boy, now almost transparent, spoke softly again.
“How should I… explain this clearly to you?”
“Simply speaking, it would probably take a whole day and night to finish, wouldn’t it?”
Rast gently extended his hand, feeling the night that silently descended like a veil, obscuring his broken form, and smiled: “Moreover, I no longer have that much time left.”
“Since we are both members of the Guardian of the Shore Organization.”
“Then let’s use the unique method of the Guardians.”
The unique method of the Guardians?
Grey’s heart was momentarily stunned.
The next moment.
The sea wind blowing from the sea of darkness gently lifted the grey strands of hair from Grey’s forehead.
Following that.
A bl**d-stained finger, with an exceedingly weak motion, gently tapped on the girl’s smooth forehead.
Accompanying that weak index finger’s tap.
Suddenly, countless phantoms of torrents flowed into Grey’s spiritual world along the boy’s finger.
It was a torrent named “knowledge,” mixed with innumerable pieces of information and countless scenes.
In this moment, Grey’s eyes began to gather countless fragmented images.
In the highest conference room of the watchtower, Cecil and Rast, in the warm sea breeze, laid out the entirety of the “Lost Paradise” plan, confirming that Rast would penetrate into the Gravekeepers to undermine the final goal of the ascension ceremony.
Outside the palace of Paradise City, the Shadow Servant, before stepping into the deadly trap, said its final farewell to Rast—“It is my honor to fight alongside you.”
On the rain-soaked cliff, Rast and Cecil secretly collaborated on the flawless performance of the ruse, without revealing a hint of flaw.
Three years later, during the ascension ceremony deep in the Abyss, when the boy leaned back and fell into the abyss, his resoluteness.
The Zenith Sword descending upon the world with its might… Leader Cecil made an unexpected entrance, rescuing Rast from the collapsing Abyss.
And finally, the Battle of the Broken Coast, the brightest and most intense supernova explosion, and at the end of the dazzling Milky Way, that day of pitch darkness that devoured the light.
Those events that Rast personally experienced but Grey had been unaware of, happening within the shadows…
Now, after the parts related to the “Night Travelers” and “Night World rules” were erased, they manifested as incredibly clear pieces of information and scenery in Grey’s spiritual world.
Revealing to Grey the truth of everything—the d*ath of the Shadow Servant and the true circumstances of that rainy night betrayal, the Holy Tome of ascension, the Battle of the Broken Coast, and the old man’s ultimate fate.
And the information and knowledge meticulously woven by Rast and subsequently infused into Grey’s spirit went far beyond this.
Before the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague, the civilization level of the Sixth Epoch was roughly at the tail end of the steam age, with the early forms of electricity just emerging, but not yet truly popularized.
However, after the outbreak of the Iron Cross Plague, the level of civilization plummeted, even beginning to regress, with many important foundational scientific knowledge experiencing discontinuities.
Yet at this moment, countless complex foundational scientific knowledge and application technology information from the future were being infused into Grey’s spiritual world.
These extrapolated foundational knowledge blueprints were supplemented, corrected, and filled in by Rast, who came from the present and bore witness to the scenery of the future world… all were conveyed to Grey.
…
In the fluttering sea breeze, the ethereal Flame Seed manifested at the bl**d-stained fingertips of Rast.
At the same time, Grey’s pupils lost their focus.
The truth of the Lost Paradise plan and the Battle of the Broken Coast, including the God of d*ath’s resurrection ritual… as well as vast technological knowledge blueprints capable of enabling a civilization to leap through eras.
Such immense amounts of information abruptly poured into her spiritual world, enough to overwhelm an ordinary extraordinary individual’s mind, causing them to collapse under the inability to accept and parse such an influx of information and become vegetative.
However, Grey was different at this moment.
The immense information and knowledge transformed into one after another ethereal original texts, shimmering in the black tower within Grey’s spiritual world.
Then, they were sorted and collected—
Ultimately, they were stored in the depths of her mind’s black tower, that unique Library of Fools.
The so-called “Library of Fools” is the transmission of knowledge.
One generation after another, starting with the most basic knowledge like hunting skills and methods of making fire, continuously improved, supplemented, filled… until everything in the world was encompassed within it.
At this moment, Rast was doing the same thing.
Just like one Guardian after another transformed their life’s accumulation and knowledge into original texts, storing them in the library to pass on to the next generation.
Both Rast and Grey were owners of the “Library of Fools,” naturally able to accomplish the same things as those predecessors.
Sharing their own collected original texts into Grey’s library… although the order of this was entirely different from every time before, completely reversed.
Even at this moment, Grey could not fully understand those original texts and information that Rast had imparted, only capable of parsing a small part of it.
But with Grey’s growth and her deepening exploration of the Library of Fools, as her mental strength increased… one day, she would be able to grasp everything Rast left behind in great detail.
Then, lead humanity of the Sixth Epoch into a more glorious new era.
“Grey.”
Rast looked at the grey-haired girl in front of him, whose eyes were vacant and dazed, her spirit being washed by the torrent of immense information and knowledge, her pupils losing focus, and spoke softly.
“You are the favored one of fate, destined to bear the Guardian’s responsibilities for the entire new era.”
“Just like a seed that has just sprouted, you will eventually grow and bloom into a beautiful flower.”
“You will ascend to legend, you will become very strong… far stronger than me, or even Leader Cecil.”
“But one day, you will also face defeat, you will fall from a great height to the bottom, just like even the most beautiful flower has its day of withering and decay.”
“But regardless of what happens, no matter what kind of difficulties and dangers you will face, regardless of the storms and rains you encounter—”
“The spark known as the ‘Guardian’ will never extinguish.”
He gently raised his hand, caressing Grey’s delicate, snow-white cheek, wiping away the dust that marred her beautiful face.
Then, he smoothed out the long hair of the girl that had been blown messy by the sea breeze.
“Well then, although it might be a bit early and seems a bit irresponsible—”
“From now on, you are the leader of the Guardians.”
“After that, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Let us cheer for each other from this side of the river of history to the other side.”
The bloodless hand slipped from Grey’s bewildered elegant profile.
And Rast, with his bloodless lips, drew a faint smile.
“Also, if my guess is correct.”
“Then perhaps, at the end of time…”
“We will meet again one day.”
The veil-like night silently descended.
Like the night sky, it gently wrapped Rast and the entire broken world together.
When the night faded away, the black-haired boy’s figure was no longer visible by the Broken Coast.
…
No one knew how much time had passed.
When the sunlight shimmered on the horizon, Grey finally awoke quietly on the chaotic rocks.
In the long unconsciousness, Grey finally understood all the truths and the outcome of the Battle of the Broken Coast.
She gazed at the sea before her, veiled in the hazy dawn light, her gaze gradually shifting from confusion to determination.
This was the last thing Leader Cecil and Brother Rast did for her, and also their final gift.
A realm unchained, where no legends walked the earth—
A dangerous yet opportunity-filled wilderness, a land of infinite possibilities, a truly free world.
Grey gently lifted her head, looking at the new world behind her that was slowly awakening in the morning light.
“Meeting again at the end of time?”
“Well then, just watch, Brother Rast…”
“What I am capable of now.”
“And what future this rejuvenated broken world will head towards.”
(End of Chapter)
