Chapter 86: Canaan Files
At the end of an era, the End of the Night World.
And the End Echo.
Listening to Ingrid’s words, Rast fell into contemplation.
A mere historical fragment from an ordinary Night World has already caused an unbearable disaster.
So, what if it was a calamity that destroyed an entire civilization at the end of an era?
“What would happen if this End of the Night World cannot be conquered?”
“Unclear…”
Ingrid shook her head: “It is said that the End Echo of the first era failed in its conquest, leading to the disaster of the end descending upon the world… directly erasing over seventy percent of the continent’s population at that time.”
“However, that era was far too distant, and coupled with the underdeveloped technology of the time, many historical records and legacies were interrupted during that disaster, leaving only speculation based on archaeological findings by future generations.”
“Furthermore, in every exploration of the Night World as it approached its end, the conquest of the End Echo was almost entirely a matter of sacrificing lives.”
“For ordinary Night Worlds with relatively remote coordinates, there still exists the possibility of evacuating local residents and strategically abandoning conquest, allowing the Dusk Calamity to manifest in the world and then using technology to suppress it.”
“But obviously, no one dares to let a world-ending calamity manifest in the present. At such times, even rival nations on the continent would work together.”
“Moreover, even the End Echo of the first era… actually holds no reference value for our current situation.”
She took an emblem from her bosom and placed it in the sensor groove at the entrance of the Tower of Secrets.
In the next moment, an unremarkable door quietly slid open.
“After all, the End Echo of the first era is, at the end of the day, merely a watershed between two eras.”
“But the End of the Sixth Era is not just the end of an era.”
“It is also the end of all ancient history and the entire Night World.”
At this point, Ingrid’s tone grew heavier.
The end of the entire Night World—
Also signifies that all Night Travelers, including the mission inherited by Starry University for a thousand years, will face termination.
This undoubtedly symbolizes the release of the heavy shackles binding the hearts of every extraordinary individual.
However, at the same time, no one is truly looking forward to the arrival of that moment.
Because everyone is aware… that even the most ordinary Calamity Echo demands an incredibly heavy sacrifice, let alone the final echo.
If the process of conquering the Night World is likened to a tower-climbing game called “If you’re a man, climb to the hundredth floor,” then the seventy-two ordinary Night Worlds would be like small elite monsters on each floor, while the End Echo appearing every twelve Night Worlds would be the mid-bosses.
And at the end of the seventy-two Night Worlds, what awaits the Night Travelers is undoubtedly the great demon king at the top of the tower.
Human life is singular, and the Night Travelers cannot rewind time.
“The academy and the imperial military invested massive resources to jointly build the Tower of Secrets, the so-called storage of confidential information is merely a side endeavor… the main purpose is actually to suppress the End of the Night World here.”
“However, there is no need to be so pessimistic.”
Ingrid smiled and led Rast and Mr. Silver into the Tower of Secrets: “Based on the experiences of previous eras, the End Echo will not erupt before the remaining Night Worlds of the Sixth Era are completely explored and conquered.”
“On the contrary, precisely because the End of the Night World records the entire history of the Sixth Era…”
“Different from those ordinary Night Worlds, which can only enter certain fragmentary disaster nodes with many limitations, the End of the Night World has extremely high freedom; there are no restrictions on the tiers of Night Travelers, and it has almost all the characteristics of the sequences.”
“In the End of the Night World, you might enter any time node of the entire Sixth Era, from the golden age at the beginning of civilization to the end as the era nears its conclusion… and even for those sequences that are extremely rare in the present, or have already lost their legacies, as long as you enter, the Night World will automatically match you with a suitable Night World instance based on your characteristics and abilities.”
“The only flaw of the End of the Night World is that it cannot be entered in groups… but as Night Travelers, as long as we are not afraid of danger, whether for self-improvement or exploring historical secrets, the End of the Night World is undoubtedly the best option.”
“Elite members like Hiltina from Starry University, including myself, often enter it. Once the academy applies for permission for you, Rast, you can also try entering the End of the Night World.”
She glanced at Rast’s empty shoulder: “It’s a pity that Mr. Silver cannot enter the Night World; otherwise, perhaps there he could find a way to break through that rare sequence.”
Rast also glanced at the hooded figure behind him; Mr. Silver remained silently still.
However, since even the talkative Silver Weasel did not contradict, it meant that most of what Ingrid said was correct.
…
After entering the Tower of Secrets, the trio passed through many barriers, some solely based on technological means, such as iris and fingerprint verification.
There were also some belonging to the extraordinary side, with a magical flair, like those that would scan their entire bodies with sharp gazes and ask several inexplicable questions, making Rast suspect that answering incorrectly would result in a lion-human statue pouncing to bite them.
However, under Ingrid’s guidance, they did not encounter any real obstacles along the way, ascending the steps of the high tower.
Until—
On a certain level of the Tower of Secrets, before a vast archive, a massive figure appeared, a giant nearly ten meters tall… a gorilla?
It looked down at the two and the weasel climbing the steps, its eyes shining with a glimpse of human wisdom.
“Ingrid, Mr. Silver… and Rast, right?” It spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.
“Wow, a gorilla…”
Rast poked the weasel, implying that this giant primate looked like its kind.
Magical creatures, as the head of the Magical Creatures Research Institute, isn’t this your area of expertise?
Mr. Silver shot him a glance, and his somewhat impatient voice rang in Rast’s mind: “Magical creatures aren’t so cheap; this one is a genuine human of the ‘Forest’ sequence.”
“Forest?”
“Yes, the long-tier fifth-tier ability of the Forest sequence is a Druid, allowing it to temporarily transform its body into various animal forms.”
“That unfortunate Barba Rosa was once a professor at the Lionheart Institute, but after a curse twisted his soul during a Night World conquest, his soul became mismatched with his body, permanently turning him into a Druid. Even the Night World’s retrospective can’t help his soul.”
“He can no longer teach in this state and feels too embarrassed to appear in public… so he simply came to the Tower of Secrets and took on a caretaking position.”
“Or rather, he became a security guard.” Mr. Silver’s voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.
On the other side, Ingrid had already bowed slightly to the giant gorilla, her tone respectful.
“Professor Barbarossa.”
“According to our appointment, we are here to retrieve the Level Nine confidential files of ‘Canaan.'”
(End of Chapter)
