The passage leading to the uppermost area was originally blocked by a metal panel, but now that panel had retracted into the wall, allowing Feng Yuan and the others to quickly reach the floor where the Chief Officer was.

Both the corridors within the tower and the elevator had abundant sources of light, so when Feng Yuan first entered the Chief Officer’s office, he thought they had spent quite a bit of time within the tower.

Anyone walking for ages without a glimpse of sunlight, upon suddenly seeing the beautiful sunset outside, would inevitably doubt the time.

The only ones unaffected by this illusion were Agunas and Tamur; one was the Time Divine Beast and the other related to time, possessing a clear biological clock, so they could ascertain that the current time didn’t match the scene.

Was the scenery outside a projection?

This was Agunas’ first thought that sprang up, only in this way could it explain why the outside world transformed into a sunset scene in such a short time.

It’s essential to understand that the rules of this Parallel World were conceived from the real world, so there shouldn’t be much difference in the passage of time.

"You still love this sunset just as you used to."

She slowly stepped forward and spoke, at this moment a woman in a white uniform was standing with her back to them, enjoying the sunset outside the window.

Even though her workload seemed never-ending, she would still find time to relax, and watching the sunset was her main stress-relief method.

She was unsure how long she could endure; she understood the current situation well, knew that the Guardians were trying everything, yet with her limited insight, she couldn’t find any way out.

"Perhaps, it’s because of the name, Xia always makes me feel as if I am returning to that day, Lord Minsi, do you have any new discoveries this time?"

Xia turned around to look at Minsi; she didn’t recognize Feng Yuan, who was following Minsi, after all, the legendary God of Mercy left only a black-robed silhouette for the world to revere.

Moreover, given her understanding of Minsi, the respect she had for the God of Mercy wouldn’t permit her to lead the group, but she didn’t know the situation was special now and was actually pleasing Feng Yuan.

Minsi sighed and said

"You should understand; I have said before, this is not the world we used to live in."

"However, for us, this is our homeland, they wouldn’t agree, even if I intervene, you still wouldn’t be able to persuade the other Guardian Lords."

Xia said calmly; she had heard Lord Minsi bring this up more than once, and the plan had been refined over centuries, yet, the biggest problem remained how to persuade the other Guardians.

Also, even as Chief Officer she couldn’t guarantee that the citizens in the city would be willing to leave this familiar land, the familiar world, to venture into a new world that might be hostile.

Although the complete plan has undergone refinement over centuries, it remains fraught with variables; even though she understands it may be the best choice, she hopes to delay it.

At least, push the timeline further, allowing her to gaze a while longer at this extremely familiar dusk.

"We are out of time; the recent situation is nearing collapse, even if they try to maintain it, they cannot make this ark full of holes continue sailing, moreover, this is our last and best chance."

Minsi spoke slowly, she knew well that as the lockdown on the Parallel World was breached, they had lost the ability to drag things out, even with Feng Yuan’s willingness to help, it’s impossible to refortify the Parallel World.

She knew clearly; they weren’t oblivious to what’s happening in this Parallel World.

Perhaps they didn’t understand at first, but with deepened research, they realized that the Parallel World shouldn’t have emerged at this time; their capricious misconduct led to this outcome.

However, by then, they already had descendants, and civilization had started to take root and sprout in the Parallel World; they no longer possessed the drive they had during the collapse of the Mythical Era to push forward.

Or rather, initially, they were aimlessly wandering the world, trying to find the familiar things till the Parallel World emerged, giving their souls a refuge; this place was the final home they chose.

Minsi hadn’t forgotten the words he uttered when he led them on their tour back then, and it was during that time they set their goals in the new world, to keep the glory of the Mythical Era alive.

Even the cultures of the nations associated with the Divine Beings that they once detested, opposed, and resisted, held significance to them for continuation.

Unfortunately, with the demise of the Myth, humans had yet to be born, and as time passed, they couldn’t bear to extinguish the budding civilization.

Hence, the leader of their group led them to create a refuge for the civilization of the Mythical Era within the Parallel World.

Sadly, this refuge cannot sustain indefinitely.

She had predicted this outcome a long time ago, which is why she tried persuading them, yet, they remain unwilling to give it up or, perhaps, they can no longer go back.

Their previously committed mistakes prevent them from turning back, now, what they wish for is merely for their descendants to continue.

But if they readily let the descendants return to the real world, even Minsi couldn’t say for certain what kind of scene they would face. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It’s for this reason that they’ve been postponing until Feng Yuan and his party arrived.

In Minsi’s view, Feng Yuan is their final chance, for as the Parallel World begins affecting the real world, the Divine Beasts cannot ignore this.

Moreover, they trust Feng Yuan, believing in his ability to fulfill their final wish, to properly settle their descendants.

Though Xia doesn’t really know what’s going on, she could feel Minsi’s determination, after a long silence, she looked at Minsi and said

"Really, can’t reconsider?"

"You should understand, we too have grown tired, moreover, with the mistakes we made, reversing to that world would just be a burden on you."

Minsi replied with a carefree smile; she really was exhausted, such a prolonged duration had worn away all her greed.

Though she regrets being unable to continue protecting them, she clearly knows that eventually, they must step out of the Shelter.

"I... want to stay."

"Sadly, I know this isn’t possible."

Looking at Minsi, Xia said solemnly yet helplessly; she knew despite her desire to stay, she wouldn’t agree, moreover, she couldn’t leave them at this critical time.

Concerning the other world, they lack understanding, the only channel of knowledge is the archives in the library, though those records date back very long ago.

Regarding modern-day real-world information, they’re clueless, for the Parallel World had been sealed long ago, albeit there were some accidentally intruding people, but those didn’t appear before Xia, leaving her unaware of this matter.

Reaching this point, she isn’t sure how many challenges await ahead, yet she knows if she retreats, finding someone to lead forward instantly would be difficult.

Unlike the real world, the influences of the Mythical Era have imparted a nearly blind worship of heroism to this derived civilization.

The Guardians withdrew from textual records precisely because they identified this major issue.

If everyone viewed them as heroes to be blindly revered, civilization evolution within the Parallel World would likely have stagnated long ago.

The Guardians retreating into the shadows continued silently guiding their descendants, only unlike before, they refrained from openly appearing before the people.

However, even then, the hero’s position didn’t vanish, instead falling onto the Chief Officers.

The rotation of Chief Officers somewhat mitigated the impact from hero worship, yet it also made it difficult for the Guardians to bypass Chief Officers to directly influence ordinary descendants.

Plus, according to Minsi’s plan, the Guardians wouldn’t descend to the real world, this further intensifies the panic among Chief Officers.

If at this moment, she chooses to stay, the citizens of the city she manages would definitely fall into chaos, beyond which she can’t predict what might happen.

Despite her deep desire to remain, the responsibility she bears prevents her from doing so.

The time is too short, leaving her no chance to find someone else to lead the city’s people forward.

Minsi gazed at Xia for a long time in silence; she too understood the turmoil in Xia’s heart, yet she was helpless, if not for Feng Yuan’s appearance, she could only watch as the ever more impossible future reached its end.