Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1468 - 117: This Time, Let Me Take Your Place in Destiny
[OE (Open Ending): "The Last Holy Meal", END.]
[If the "Observer" wishes to anchor this ending, please cease "Observation" and believe it to be the sole reality, then exit the "Observation" interface.]
[Next, we will shift to the Memory Clip of the original storyline...]
...
Black mist enveloped Su Ming’an.
In the black mist, countless faces of men and women let out shrill laughter.
"Now, how will you kill me? Unless you stab yourself and perish with me. The fusion between us will only grow deeper and tighter..." Aylan said gently, "All I want is to become a High Dimension, which you can easily achieve. I will join you in killing Noel Agnini, bringing everything to an end."
Su Ming’an’s fingers reached towards his heart.
He knew he could not escape, unless he gave up the "Devour" authority, otherwise, he would soon be fused by the Eighth Thrones.
He recalled a clue he had seen before, if he could use that bottle of poison to lure Noel into devouring him, it would extract the last bit of his usefulness, form Hephaestus’ Throne, and delay the complete descent of the two High Dimensions...
But his fingers trembled for a moment, hesitated for a moment.
In a flash, he remembered Hui Bai’s final blessing:
...
["I hope you’re luckier than I am, Su Ming’an."]
...
People’s decisions often fall in an instant.
The thought of one moment might be completely different in the next.
Perhaps a gust of rose-scented wind blew from somewhere, or perhaps the warmth somewhere grew slightly, causing the young man’s vision to tremble. He began to wonder, besides this desperate thought, are there more possibilities?
What if that bottle of poison couldn’t poison the two High Dimensions? What if he couldn’t hold on until the moment the Hephaestus Throne was formed? What if Noel Agnini was exceptionally cautious and chose not to devour him?
Before succeeding, it’s impossible to see the probability of failure. This is a highly risky gamble.
At this moment, Su Ming’an’s gaze met a pink-haired girl.
She was slowly walking out from under the World Tree, dressed in a simple cloth skirt, a bright red Manzusha Flower pinned on her shoulder. Her deep gaze watched him, as if waiting for him to make a decision.
Her hands were not stained with blood; she hadn’t killed the World Master.
"...You’ve hesitated." Her voice came over the endless hot wind: "It’s okay, we do have other possibilities — your life doesn’t have to end here. We don’t have to wander aimlessly in the universe. Perhaps, we still have other possibilities."
Her eyes were extraordinarily clear, like a mirror that sees through everything.
...What other way is there?
Su Ming’an’s eyes widened slightly, the biggest predicament at the moment was the Eighth Thrones that was fusing with him.
"The Eighth Thrones is not fully descended, Alger who isn’t even a Third-level God, how can he accommodate the complete Eighth Thrones? Now, the Eighth Thrones is just in a half High-dimensional state, eager to fuse with you to gain victory in this battle among the four High Dimensions." Yijulai’er said with a clear voice: "Fusion requires you to be weaker than Him, then He can forcibly fuse with you. But if you have the support of the World Tree or even an entire world?"
...Easier said than done, but how to achieve it?
Su Ming’an’s fingers paused in front of his heart, after a moment, he gritted his teeth and still decided to reach for his own heart. Comparatively, crafting the Hephaestus’ Throne is the more secure method. And whether he survives or not is the least important part in this chain of events.
However, a plain white hand silently grasped his wrist.
The pink-haired girl stood before him, her origin unknown.
Her features still somewhat unfamiliar to him, she appeared exquisite and flawless, like a work of art sculpted by God’s hand. Perhaps the occasionally emotionally fluctuating Master Xiao Bai was more familiar to him. Or maybe the lively Heroine Pudding made him feel more at ease.
The Watcher under the World Tree, enduring with the sky, aging with the earth. Since the dawn of the First Epoch when Hui Bai and others arrived, she has been here.
She watched Hui Bai leap off the cliff and vanish, witnessed the deaths of numerous pioneers. Today, however, she had taken hold of his hand.
"...Why choose this when you’ve begun to hesitate? Don’t you believe you can have a better future?" She gazed at Su Ming’an with implied words.
Su Ming’an gazed back into her eyes, as if struck by some invisible bell of destiny, his mind momentarily seemed to well up with many memories, only to disperse in the next instant.
Few know the specific meaning of a Watcher.
A Watcher, a person who can’t leave their homeland. At the same time... an "Awakener."
Amidst the endless Pangala Return of the universe, Yijulai’er is one of the few who remain awake, she clearly remembers most universal reincarnations.
Heat death is the universe’s ultimate fate, all life can do is slow down this process, making heat death come a little later. Afterward, the universe, sinking into heat death, reopens a new cycle after long ages, the so-called "Pangala Return."
Yijulai’er has witnessed countless journeys to slow heat death, inspiring and grand. In some journeys, she even participated, sometimes sacrificing herself for it. Including the "Awakeners’ Gathering — Black Water Dream" of the Sique Organization, she sometimes is a member, remotely discussing with other "Awakeners" the mysteries of the universe, exploring endless possibilities.
When necessary, she also sacrifices without hesitation, becoming one inconspicuous brick to slow the universe’s heat death.
But, she doesn’t sacrifice for righteousness, purely because she has no fear of death. Without true friends or ties, as solitary as a lone star, she knows she’ll still open her eyes again — therefore, death means nothing to her.
Her will has long transcended death.
"—Join us, merge with us, share with us..." Countless faces of all ages, in the black mist, reached out endless hands, trying to pull Yijulai’er into the black mist.
The pink-haired girl’s expression remained calm, neither scared nor panicked.
"Half a seed in my heart, half a seed in you. So you think, as long as you turn yourself into the ’Last Holy Meal’, let me consume the half seed in your heart, I’ll gain tremendous power, punish the World Master, and prevent the World Origin and New World’s authority from falling into the World Master’s hands." Yijulai’er said calmly:
"Then we can go full throttle, attempting to set sail before the two High Dimensions completely descend."
"But in fact, this matter can be considered in reverse."
Consider in reverse...
Su Ming’an looked up.
"Hui Bai, Sique, or you. It makes no difference to me." Yijulai’er said while gripping tighter, the black mist slowly descended on her arm:
"But unlike everyone else among the multitude, you all seem different to me."
"Although I don’t understand what ’apology’ really means, I should probably feel sorry for having hunted you down earlier."
"And..."
She took hold of Su Ming’an’s hand and slowly placed it on her chest.
There, a faint heartbeat could be felt.
"Thank you for letting me know." She said, "It turns out, this is what a heartbeat feels like after having a seed."
She had read a book.
The book said that a human’s heartbeat could signify a variety of things.
And if one develops longing or anticipation for certain things in the world...
The heartbeat will accelerate.
"Thump."
Su Ming’an felt her heartbeat.
Slippery, soft, like the texture of silt.
He was just a step away from being divided and falling into an abyss, doomed forever, unable to open his eyes to a fearful end. At that moment, a pair of holy and broad wings enveloped him, these warm wings leaned down and told him:
"I see your hesitation."
"So, this time, let me take over your destiny."
...
Wilderness City, Ocher Plain.
Shi Ying wiped the sweat off her forehead.
It was already past noon, but there was no sign of the temperature dropping.
Yet, Granny Marthalia, holding a special white stone, was neither hot nor cold, without a single drop of sweat. This white stone seemed to have an endless energy source, continuously producing cool air.
No wonder it’s a five-star strategy target, so special.
However, this white stone was impervious to all tactics. Shi Ying had been strategizing for a long time, but her "moving eye tactics" and "pitiful tears" were wasted on the blind.
"Shi Ying, I heard it’s your birthday today." The white stone cheerfully countered: "Can you wish me a happy birthday?"
"Happy birthday..." Shi Ying said weakly.
She was so hot that, even as one of the [Protagonist] candidates, she couldn’t bear the heat. She thought to herself: "Besides, I’m not a good person. This stone is so hard to strategize against, I might as well sell it off quickly. The nobles would certainly ruin themselves to buy cool air... selling it would make me rich!"
Despite being a [Protagonist] candidate, she was the poorest one.
"Hey, your eyes look scary, you’re not thinking of something bad about money, are you?" The white stone murmured.
"Bad money?" Already unbearably hot, Shi Ying was thoroughly irritated and angered, deciding not to placate this unstategizable master anymore: "What kind of young master who doesn’t concern himself with mundane matters are you? Five Rol currency is ten loaves of bread. With fifteen Rol currency, you can save some for hospital bills and get some firewood, so a family won’t have to huddle together shivering. One day’s work at the construction site earns five Rol currency, and a night at the tavern is fifteen Rol currency... as my mother told me when I started making money at fourteen. Someone like you would never understand, would you?!"
Unexpectedly, after her outburst, she heard: [(Special White Stone) Favorability increased by 10 points].
"So... sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just afraid you’d sell me off..." The white stone whispered.
The white stone’s straightforwardness made Shi Ying uncomfortable. So, was the strategy for the white stone not about flattery but about showing true emotions?
Since she was young, to support her younger siblings, she had been instilled with the idea that "feelings are tools for monetary transactions" and "your beauty is valuable," she vaguely understood these were wrong, but almost everyone told her that was the way to survive.
The Red Tower Scoundrel Hui Bai’s casual ride in the Cat Car started at five Rol currency, which was the equivalent of Shi Ying’s entire family’s daily wages. The class disparity in Luowasha was so vast it was despairing.
The Twenty-seven Gods above the firmament wouldn’t concern themselves with the fate of small characters outside the stage; they were all awaiting the "Number One Player," waiting for the "Rin Clan," awaiting the "great Savior"—but even when these great people came, who would care for families as humble as dust in the corners?
The Saviors had never left the borders of "World Tree," "Red Tower," "Central State," "No.1 Experimental City," "Undead Imperial City," "Heavenly Clan Cloud Mist Island," These luxurious and wealthy places. They had never set their noble feet in muddy corners.
If the world was like this, then why was she brought here? If life was born only to suffer and endure, then why was birth seen as joyous and miraculous?
Even if Saviors exert their utmost effort, there was no eternal Ivory Tower and Eden. Those destined for pain still suffer. Those born like reeds serve as fuel their whole lives.
Would the path of two worlds to an exiled universe bring happiness to the poor? It would remain the same, only they would continue surviving.
Shi Ying let out a bitter laugh, perhaps it was only her selfish nature that earned her the [Affection Strategy System], such a self-centered Golden Finger.
Thus, her first reaction to a white stone was to strategize, and her second reaction was to sell it.
"Selling it, I could at least gain 10,000 Shar Currency, after the Red Sun, I could buy a large estate, plant lots of wheat, and never run out of bread... hmm, I’ll need to buy lots and lots of firewood, and never be cold again..." she thought:
"Then build a welfare home, bring back the girls from the tavern, some are just thirteen or fourteen... they could still attend school, This probably needs 5,000 Shar Currency. Also, a relief fund, to rescue families like mine... just 80 Shar Currency, would be enough for a family’s basic needs..."
She vaguely realized that a stone with infinite energy was a thing even Deities coveted.
"If only I could strategize against that ’Child of the Plane’... the system says he’s a lighthouse-loving fetishist, with a strategy difficulty of seven stars..." Shi Ying thought, biting her nails.
"Shi Ying, do I look silly and dazed?" The white stone suddenly asked.
"Uh... no, of course not." Shi Ying stammered, hiding the fact she always considered the white stone a fool: "Kind-hearted people do appear silly and dazed."
"Do you think kindness is more important, or intelligence?" the white stone asked.
"..." Shi Ying thought for a moment and gave her honest answer: "Intelligence is more important, intelligent people can live well, kindness is worth less than weeds."
Sure enough, the white stone didn’t respond, seemingly becoming withdrawn.
"Hey, Granny Marthalia, look! What is that!" Shi Ying suddenly noticed something and looked up.
Granny Marthalia lifted her head hastily.
Under the setting Red Sun, the two of them gazed at the distant sky, in the direction of the World Tree, where a bright Manzusha Flower seemed to be blooming.
