Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1492 - Finale: Shorekeeper Arc [4] - "Where Shall I Return
The communication with the Radiant Mother God went very smoothly.
Su Ming’an requested the coordinates of Luowasha, and the Radiant Mother God readily provided them.
A string of complex ancient characters gradually transformed into Arabic numerals familiar to Su Ming’an: (s2928, x3822, jw1931).
He placed his right palm in front of his pupils, and a strand of starry purple glow flowed into the numbers. This was the starfire card verifier given by Huan Jiala; the glow did not extinguish, indicating that there was no issue with the coordinates—at least, direction-wise, there was no issue. As for whether the Radiant Mother God would set traps in the details, that’s something for Starfire to worry about.
Su Ming’an only needed to deliver the coordinates to the [Dark Side] Huan Jiala.
"Thank you, I will fulfill the prior promise to take you off this sinking ship at the final moment. Then, if you wish to become a deity again in Eden, I will instruct Eden’s master to aid you in ascending." Su Ming’an deliberately left a hint. He did not know whether Eden’s future master would be the newborn Rin Clan, or Noel who had usurped the newborn Rin Clan, or perhaps Sique successfully awakened.
To become a world’s controller, one must have enough foresight and a purely steadfast soul, along with an energy body capable of bearing the World’s Source. Apart from a few strong contenders, there were no other candidates.
The Mother God responded with a gentle smile, like a compassionate mother watching over a younger generation: "You’ve traveled for too long, rest with me for a moment."
"No need, I have an arch-nemesis racing against me for time." Su Ming’an shook his head and said, "The coordinates have been received, I’m leaving now."
A Golden Giant Dragon appeared amidst the mist, just about to raise its head and howl, but upon swiftly glimpsing the mountain-like authority of the Radiant Mother God, it immediately became a little dog lying on the ground. The Cloud City Deity frowned slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed, patted the back of the giant dragon, and jumped on, saying to Su Ming’an:
"Let’s go."
The god’s acuity suggested this was not a place to linger. Even if the Radiant Mother God’s attitude was gentle, the Cloud City Deity felt something was off.
The two rode the giant dragon, its wingspan like reflective gold, with clouds swirling, dashing thousands of miles.
Yet, at this moment, the Radiant Mother God joined her hands together, her secretive eyes revealing a look of pleasure. Her head, heavy as the sun, tilted slightly and gently rested on her clasped hands, as if posing for a short nap:
"...Have a good dream, child."
...
The giant dragon flew away from the Radiant Light Temple, with night as thick as ink.
Su Ming’an heightened his spirit, staying vigilant, yet in the blink of an eye, he noticed the ambient atmosphere seemed to shift. This change was extremely subtle, but Su Ming’an’s divine thought caught this thread of change immediately.
...He is dreaming!
Just in that very instant, he fell asleep, and everything now was a dream.
Indeed, there was something wrong with the Radiant Mother God, seemingly generously giving away the coordinates, but actually casting a spell to make him fall into sleep as soon as he relaxed after leaving... Fortunately, he was always vigilant and immediately realized he was in a dream. What was the Mother God’s aim? To seize his real-world body? Or to keep him in sleep, preventing him from intervening in anything?
Su Ming’an looked at the giant dragon still flying forward, at the Cloud City Deity beside him, and called out: "Su Rin, Su Rin! We’re dreaming!"
He thought this was a collaborative dreamscape, not just him; the Cloud City Deity was also dragged into the dream.
The Cloud City Deity glanced sideways, a layer of light mist over her eyes, softly saying:
"...I want to go home."
"Hmm?" Su Ming’an never expected the Cloud City Deity to speak this. Shouldn’t this person immediately display light pollution, causing a chaotic burst, and forcibly kick the dream away?
Soon he realized that the reason the Radiant Mother God used a dreamscape was probably for this point—dreamers cannot realize they are dreaming. Even with the strongest strength, there wouldn’t be a thought to break it.
"Then why did I realize this is a dream... This should be related to positional rank, the Cloud City Deity’s rank is below the Radiant Mother God. Is my rank above the Radiant Mother God’s?" Su Ming’an wondered inside.
At this moment, he noticed a familiar figure in the distance.
A white-haired youth, quietly sitting on the edge of a floating island’s white jade colonnade, gazing out at distant white seagulls and the sea. A wreath of wheat ears on his head, a dark red silk cloth draped over his shoulders, with a white robe trailing the ground.
——Su Liujin.
"That’s right, this is a collaborative dreamscape. The Radiant Mother God likely borrowed many people’s dreamscapes to trap me here. So I’m seeing others, this is their dream..." Su Ming’an gently pulled aside the not-so-awake Cloud City Deity, took over the reins of the giant dragon, and approached Su Liujin.
In reality, Su Liujin had been left by him in the sea.
What dream is Su Liujin having at this moment?
Su Ming’an leaned closer and saw Su Liujin chatting with someone. That person had purple hair and moon-like eyes, skin like porcelain, and a face as beautiful as an elf. It was the Fifth Thrones Starfire.
Su Ming’an suddenly realized that even though Su Liujin in reality had lost his memory, a human brain is like an iceberg; deep memories remain engraved in the depths of the mind. Even lost memories might resurface in dreams!
In Su Liujin’s dream, Su Ming’an could see the memories that Su Liujin had forgotten!
Su Ming’an couldn’t help but silently draw a cross in his heart, thanking the Radiant Mother God for assisting him unintentionally. He himself hadn’t thought of exploring Su Liujin’s dream, but the Radiant Mother God, intending to cause trouble, had inadvertently pushed him to this point.
Su Ming’an immediately began to observe Su Liujin’s dream.
It turned out that long ago, Su Liujin knew Starfire, and they had even talked while sitting together.
...
"Did you so readily refuse the identity of ’Observer’ to become an ordinary person?" Starfire asked.
"Yes." Su Liujin said: "Lin Qinghuan, Li Qingyu, Little Monk, storyteller, the old man by the cliff, Chen Ping, Rocksha, Qianqin, Great Saint... so many people have told me through their actions that this world shouldn’t be destroyed like this. I refused destruction, and therefore, I refused extraordinary strength."
"Mm, that’s good for you. You have things you want to do, you’ve never left your homeland." Starfire said:
"And I... I can no longer return home."
Su Liujin was surprised: "Isn’t Luowasha your homeland?"
Starfire shook his head: "My true homeland is in a faraway world. There, the sky is blue and purple, with a light source like the bright moon. The one I pledged allegiance to is called Holy Initiation, my comrades were named Hui Shuhang, and my true name is Su Xinghuo, a True Army Mage."
His words abruptly stopped, he didn’t say more.
Su Liujin, out of curiosity, asked: "Can you tell more?"
Starfire just smiled, his porcelain-like cheeks especially pale, making him seem somewhat fragile:
"Like a protagonist in an adventure story, I’ve gone through many life-and-death adventures, and became a being of the High Dimensions."
"After becoming High Dimensional, I could no longer return, halfway encountering the World Game, I became the Fifth Thrones of the organizers. Countless times, I looked towards my homeland from afar, yet I could only wander alone."
"I once had a friend, he was very good, but later he was gone. So my only wish became: I want to help those who are like him, at all costs, without hesitation. I have nothing left, and I hope this act can bring a bit of calm to my exhausted heart."
"Perhaps." He lowered his head with a smile:
"I am the only one who doesn’t seek any benefit among the High Dimensions. An anomaly among them, not pursuing brethren, nor benefits, only the tombstone in my heart."
Su Liujin silently listened, and in a few brief words, he heard so much heaviness.
"Then, what do you plan to do next?" Su Liujin softly asked.
"I can’t stay here too long, when the players arrive, I should return to the cage of the World Game." Starfire said: "What about you?"
"I... I..." Su Liujin lowered his head.
A few days ago, when he resigned from the mission of the Observer to the World Tree and returned to Chengfu Town, the white-haired Li Yuqing was already lying on the bed, no longer breathing.
"Ms Qing! Ms Qing!"
It was a rainy night, a white-haired young man with a hurried gait, wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat, stepping on rain boots, rushed back with a food box filled with fragrant and warm dishes. Through the window bars, he quietly watched the sleeping elderly woman, a copper wind chime under the eaves shaking incessantly.
The elder smiled, holding a box of milk cake in her arms, as if it was her everything.
Like one walking at night, not seeing the bright moon.
He unearthed a red silk handkerchief from under the house, clutched by her when she was a young bride, embroidered with his little likeness. It was how he saved her the first time, chin stained with rouge, chest brushed with flowers, poised as a handsome young man.
Devouring the milk cake, he buried Li Yuqing, and went to the former Divine Mountain, Royal City, storyteller’s booth... only to find things had changed, those he once knew were no longer there, either perished in war or dead of old age.
"When I wanted to save them, I couldn’t act. When I could save them, they were already gone." Su Liujin quietly watched the sea and said slowly: "I want to rest for a while, I want to live in seclusion in the sea."
He didn’t know whom to save, nor how to be a "Great Saint." No one taught him anymore, they were all gone.
He was very tired, and he wanted to rest.
"Yes, you have traveled too long and should rest for a while..." said Starfire.
...
Su Ming’an watched the figures of the two gradually fade away.
This was a very long time ago memory, a very early Su Liujin.
The next scene that came into view was the vast, endless sea, with a jellyfish swimming around.
A blond youth was steering a ship and caught the jellyfish, saying, "Forget Yuyu, I’ll take you to chop down the World Tree, how about that?"
The blond youth mentioned that Luowasha had changed a lot recently, with many incidents occurring.
The reclusive Great Emperor gradually was persuaded to leave his seclusion in the sea.
Later, it seemed to be known that the Great Emperor entered the zeroth Disciple Game.
At this point, Su Ming’an had fully understood the life of Su Liujin on the surface.
...
Su Ming’an continued to travel forward, wanting to see more people’s dreams.
He discovered that the dream scenes had changed, turning into a gloomy ancient castle.
Sixteen figures shrouded in black mist were tasting the dishes on the table.
Su Ming’an’s gaze instinctively fixed on one person among them - this person was also shrouded in black mist, with a plate of sugar-frosted tomatoes in front of them.
Perhaps sensing the attention, this person raised their head, glanced at Su Ming’an, and then lowered their head again.
This scene quickly shattered, transforming into bizarre, dazzling colors.
"Such inexplicable scenes... Dreams are indeed strange and illogical..." Su Ming’an didn’t see any useful information and continued to move forward.
He saw the dreams of many people, most of which were chaotic and devoid of any information.
"Delicious, slurp slurp..." It was Yamada Machiichi voraciously indulging in braised spare ribs.
"Buyers requesting refunds can just drop dead, it’s so annoying ahhhhh!" It was Lin Yin selling second-hand Hanfu and merchandise, her hair disheveled from frustration.
"Work... work..." It was Lunxue sitting in front of the computer desk, her eyes bewildered, realizing she was also working in her dreams.
"zzz..." Bei Wang was actually sleeping in their dream; this person was the ultimate sleeper, truly a marvel.
"..." It was Lu quietly playing with a plush teddy bear, which seemed to be from his childhood. He sat in a corner, playing alone with the plush toy, with some bloodstains lingering on his sleeve cuffs.
Su Ming’an realized that the dreams were incredibly disorderly, preparing to find a way to leave, when he drove into a brilliant sunflower field.
A blond boy was rolling around in the flower field, his blue eyes like the sky. He placed his right palm in front of his eyes, staring dazedly at the sunlight through his fingers.
Seeing this scene, Su Ming’an suddenly had an idea:
Since he had entered Noel’s dream, he might as well take the opportunity to probe Noel’s subconscious, as people generally don’t lie when dreaming!
Thus, he might be able to find out how Noel intends to harm this world!
Su Ming’an leaped down, stirring up a large patch of sunflowers.
Noel was momentarily stunned, then slowly turned his head to look at Su Ming’an.
Golden petals danced in the air, Su Ming’an’s black robe fluttered, his expression cold.
"...Oh, I’m dreaming." Noel paused for a few seconds, patting his head, saying a bit sluggishly.
Su Ming’an slightly furrowed his brows. This guy still retained some sharpness, knowing he was dreaming. However, since it’s a dream, Noel should not be so guarded.
Su Ming’an crouched down and softly asked, as if afraid to wake him: "...Do you want to become the new master of Eden?"
Noel gazed slightly stiffly at Su Ming’an and then smiled, "No."
His demeanor was like someone who had drunk too much, in a kind of swaying, blurry state.
...Not? Su Ming’an was slightly surprised, and soon his heart sank a bit. If Noel’s target wasn’t to possess the newborn Rin Clan, it indicated Noel’s target was even more dangerous.
"...Is your target the demonized Radiant Mother God, to thoroughly destroy Luowasha’s retreat?" Su Ming’an lowered his voice. This was also, up to now, Noel’s most possible, most reasonable, and most dangerous move.
Those blue eyes blinked, the dreamy pupils without a trace of murky ink, still naturally blue, smiled and said:
"No."
...Still not?
This answer far exceeded Su Ming’an’s expectations; he almost hadn’t thought of any other possibilities.
Then what could it be, Noel couldn’t have another way to destroy Luowasha, could he?
Su Ming’an immediately began to recall if there were any dangerous loopholes he overlooked. He further lowered his voice, careful not to wake the other, cautiously probing: "You delayed the arrival of the Lord of the End of All Things, how do you plan to cut off our retreat?"
Noel stared at him for a while, his gaze deep.
Just as Su Ming’an felt slightly creeped out, Noel suddenly said:
"Su Ming’an."
"Here, we finally have no reason for hostility."
...So? Su Ming’an maintained a cautious probing stance.
Noel smiled brilliantly:
"Then why not take a good rest?"
Su Ming’an did not expect to hear such a sentence.
After saying this, Noel lay back into the sunflower field, hugging a plush crow, flipping somersaults left and right, rolling around. His fluffy blonde hair rubbed against the plush crow, then against the sunflowers. He rolled freely as if shedding all complexities and painful things.
Su Ming’an looked on with a complicated expression, asked a few more questions, realized Noel only beckoned him to rest, and then turned to leave.
Even in a dream, he would not relax and rest with an enemy.
The river was pushing him forward, and he had promised to make everyone happy.
... 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
The Radiant Mother God Temple.
The golden giant dragon succumbed to gravity, collapsing onto the temple platform, closing its sleepy eyes.
The two youths on the dragon’s back also closed their eyes, leaning against the dragon wings, falling into a deep sleep.
Mist hovered, the sun wheel stood firm, the temple was silent.
A few seconds later, Su Ming’an suddenly moved slightly, slowly opened his jet-black almond eyes.
A dazzling hexagonal sun wheel flashed in his eyes; he touched his cheek and smiled slightly:
"From now on, ’I’ am Su Ming’an."
...
