Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1562 - 38: If Not for Him Looking Back
Su Ming’an instantly became wary.
But he did not show any abnormality, merely standing calmly in place.
The inhuman figure approached, "sliding" over like a stream, countless eyes of different colors gazing at him simultaneously.
A book fell into Su Ming’an’s hands.
Su Ming’an thought it was some kind of cosmic philosophy or ancient mystery, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a "Lighthouse Guide Secret Manual."
"...?"
"With trust and love, sacrifice and resolve." The words of the Lord of Dreams danced around like a rainbow, visualized in the air: "’Blessed Star Koi System’ has bestowed you with great luck. As long as you wish, you will surely encounter him, leading to a series of events that enhance favorability. Through those events, his favorability towards you will increase, and in the end, you die in a grand sacrifice before him. Before dying, you guide him into this dream, and he will very likely agree, for you’ve exchanged your death for his trust."
...So practiced?
Su Ming’an thought he was exposed, it turned out the Lord of Dreams only came to speak with Hui Zi.
"I know you resent this, always acting passively and unwilling to approach him, even deliberately staying in remote villages," said the Lord of Dreams. "Don’t forget, you’re already dead, do as I say."
Su Ming’an understood the situation, curling his lips in a smirk, mimicking Hui Zi’s arrogant tone: "You High Dimensional beings truly have one way of doing things, can you be a bit fresher?"
Dieying wielded familial bonds to grip Xiao Ying, while the Dream Master used life to manipulate "Hui Zi." Perhaps to them, human lives were seen as ants, caring not if their methods were despicable, focusing solely on the end goal.
The Lord of Dreams was indifferent, looking towards the drowsy Bei Wang in the background.
A thin sword, entirely purple with a golden-red hue, fell before Su Ming’an. Its material like crystal, crystal clear, resembling a slender glass pen.
"To express your loyalty, kill him." The words of the Lord of Dreams caused Su Ming’an’s expression to slightly change.
"I barely know this guy, how does killing him demonstrate my loyalty?" Su Ming’an stood with arms crossed.
"He is a threat," said the Lord of Dreams.
Su Ming’an’s gaze shifted... Bei Wang is a threat? This indeed seems so. Bei Wang unconsciously entered here more than ten times, even bringing others along. This may relate to Bei Wang’s dreaming talent, as no normal person would sleep incessantly, achieving sleep within sleep. Bei Wang’s concept talent for "dreams" is extraordinarily high.
In the past, Su Ming’an would never have thought that the white-haired youth’s habit of oversleeping would become a pivotal point in this long journey, almost laughable.
So, should actions be taken?
If not acted, Hui Zi’s line breaks. Killing Bei Wang earns the trust of the Dream Master, ensuring future information about the "perfect golden path."
If acted...
Su Ming’an decided in half a second, calmly looking back at the Lord of Dreams, remaining motionless.
At this moment, he realized deeply the divergence between himself and Noel Agnini.
Silent stillness persisted for several seconds, just when Su Ming’an thought the Lord of Dreams would act, a glimpse of snowy white entered his view.
The youth had a slightly sharp cheek, eyes in deep dark green, like carrying smoke from vision across the world. A white robe embroidered with dark Mandala, boots treading over the stream, engraving profound nail marks.
"—Master, a threat can also be an opportunity." Lü God stood in front of Su Ming’an: "My battle for the Heir of ’Magic Girl’ has dragged on eternally. Since this Bei Wang has such talent, why not let him become an Awakener."
...Battle for Heir?
Su Ming’an remained silent. The Lord of Dreams selecting an heir, Lü God and an Awakener named "Magic Girl" are competitors?
"You want me to deliberately leave a hidden danger?" The words of the Lord of Dreams carried a metallic rust.
The words were heavy, Lü God remained silent, the atmosphere growing tense.
Suddenly, a white sparrow appeared in the dream, out of nowhere. Its silver eyes lingered on Su Ming’an for a moment, then quickly landed on the Dream Master.
"Join me for a cup of tea." A light snowy voice emitted from its beak, imparting an inexplicable cleansing to body and soul.
The Lord of Dreams withdrew attention, walking with the sparrow to the distance, soon, both figures vanished.
With its departure, the frozen atmosphere relaxed instantly, everyone patting their chests, gasping for breath. The Lord of Dreams carried great authority, everyone’s Golden Fingers tied to it, none daring to offend.
"Fortunately, Lord Sparrow arrived." A sunflower patted its petals, still shaken.
"What’s that? The Dream Master’s pet?" A heap of blue slime asked.
"Shh... Mind your tongue! That’s the Dream Master’s friend, often comes for chat and tea, likely a significant figure."
"Lord Sparrow has been visiting frequently, probably due to that civilization called Luowasha, they all value it greatly." A thin piece of paper extended noodle-like fingers, wiping non-existent sweat.
Su Ming’an stared in the direction of the sparrow’s departure, sensing an ethereal connection between himself and the sparrow, that was... the card [SSR·Dark Tower] drawn by Su Qing, Holy Initiation. This sparrow, evidently the consciousness of Holy Initiation itself.
Ming Hui’s Holy Initiation perished during the coming-of-age ceremony, yet Holy Initiation should possess a High Dimensional form, otherwise, why would its cloning have a combat power of 9999?
"Little Fortune Star, according to what the Lord of Dreams just said, did you really go to Luowasha to strategize against Su Ming’an?" At this moment, a sand timer adorned with pink gravel approached Su Ming’an, its eyes embedded with gemstones, blinking occasionally: "What kind of person is he? Is he gentle?"
Instantly, the nearby life forms gathered around, one after another:
"I heard he saved Minecraft, is it true?"
"Is he the Savior named ’Su Leqing’ in my civilization’s history?"
"Is he easy to get along with? Does he like you?"
"Can you pass a message for me? I’ve liked him for a long time! He’s a great benefactor to my ancestors!"
Amidst the cacophony, Su Ming’an finally understood the sensation of "Su Ming’an has extremely high popularity among the Dream Patrol Family." They must have mostly read "Welcome to the World Game," the shared story detailing Su Ming’an’s deeds, making it hard not to admire him.
Moreover, since the World Game has cycled over 400 million times, Su Ming’an has traveled this far, having saved countless civilizations, and is even considered a "Cosmic Savior." He traverses different civilizations like a white egret skimming over water, turning night into day, penetrating dawn, dispersing clouds and mist, illuminating the world, only to quickly fade away, like the most dazzling ephemeris, with only historical records preserving his name and achievements.
Slaying sins in the darkness of the British Era, piloting SSS-level mecha in interstellar civilizations against the Insect Queen, sacrificing himself during revolutions, leaving behind the Supreme Immortal Technique at the peak of the Immortal Dao...
Thinking carefully, if Acto suddenly revives in a hundred years and appears alive before those he once saved, what sort of scene would that be — this is what Su Ming’an is facing now.
"Is this like the World Tree, or what Captain Mu likes to see... is this where after a bigshot dies, everyone in the world remembers them..." An absurd thought crossed Su Ming’an’s mind, and he quickly realized that this was a great opportunity to retain this identity of ’Little Fortune Star Hui Zi’ to access more information.
Just then, some people handed over gift boxes, hoping Hui Zi could assist them in delivering gifts to Su Ming’an.
"This is my gift, make sure it reaches Su Ming’an’s hands!" they instructed.
Su Ming’an glanced down.
Preserved chicken legs, razor blades, Lighthouse sculpture, dog food, glowing support sticks, Oscar Trophy, silver ring, Golden Palace Ornament...
These "Awakeners" offering gifts weren’t so diverse; they sent only these eight types, as if it was a regulation.
"Other gifts can’t be taken, only these eight can." At this moment, the Dark Mandala came into view, and Lü God approached: "These are items exchanged using memories, condensed by the Lord of Dreams’ mana, capable of transcending time and space. Among them, the most expensive is probably that Golden Palace Ornament, requiring very precious memories for exchange."
Su Ming’an touched these objects, sensing extremely dense energy.
"Does ’High Hat’ have high popularity among the Awakeners?" Su Ming’an recalled something, immediately asking Noel.
"Very high. You know, the World Game is the hottest topic right now, and any powerful player involved has a strong reputation. Plus, ’High Hat’ is also one of our peers, occasionally seen in dreams, making the reputation even louder." Lü God said indifferently: "Among us, ’High Hat’s’ popularity is second only to ’Magic Girl.’"
Su Ming’an understood... no wonder Noel had so much energy before; it turns out it was gathered from these Awakeners. By maintaining high popularity, one can receive gifts from other Awakeners, which transform into massive energy.
Previously, Noel sent him a gift box, which contained these eight gifts, though Noel had already absorbed the energy, leaving only the empty shells. Su Ming’an was puzzled about what they were, realizing it was a kind of hint.
This hint was too subtle; who knew what those eight items signified? Like trinkets bought from roadside stalls, thought they were scams by the Lord of Dreams.
"Wait, speaking of which..." Su Ming’an suddenly thought about the card shop at the beginning of the instance.
...
[1. Su Jingtang: Interstellar Mecha (Quality: Epic) (Price: 500 words)]
[2. Su Jingtang: Garden Long Shirt (Quality: Excellent) (Price: 300 words)]
[3. Su Qing: Magic Boy (Quality: Legendary) (Price: 1000 words)]
[4. Su Qing: Desire to Buy Osmanthus and Wine (Quality: Epic) (Price: 500 words)]
[...]
[13. Favorable Gift: Lighthouse Sculpture (Price: 500 words)]
[14. Favorable Gift: Glowing Support (Price: 500 words)]
[15. Favorable Gift: Oscar Trophy (Price: 1000 words)]
[...]
[25. Glimpse of the Divine (Price: 3000 words)]
...
This stuff, in plain view, seems crafted by the God of Trade, but it should still be the Lord of Dreams. The gift system is identical.
Awakeners spend memories to buy these, while Luowasha people spend word count, which is written using Inspiration.
Hence, memories and Inspiration... are what the Lord of Dreams needs.
By leveraging such trade systems, gathering massive "wealth," exploiting information gaps and logistical advantages, absorbing people from various civilizations across the Universe, selling them some trendy secondary goods, obtaining memories and Inspiration from multiple worlds in the Universe.
Su Ming’an isn’t interested in cards; he trusts his own Strength more, and thus he never touched the Card System, surprisingly missing this trap — the Lord of Dreams hasn’t obtained much of his memories and Inspiration.
He’s remained clean from start to finish.
At this moment, an excited voice came from the other side:
"—It’s the ’Magic Girl’! The ’Magic Girl’ is here!!!"
Instantly, half of the crowd moved away, while the remaining half continued giving gifts to Su Ming’an. The lifeforms flocked towards one direction, like a scene of fervent star-chasing.
Su Ming’an even saw a group of lifeforms jumping up and down, welcoming that "Magic Girl."
"Is that your competitor?" Su Ming’an looked at Lü God. Over at Lü God’s side, people were fearful, while over at the "Magic Girl’s," people adored her, presenting quite a stark contrast.
"Yes. My philosophy is completely opposite to hers," Lü God replied calmly,
"This is the 3,030th heir selection by the Lord of Dreams. The heir requires collecting enough Inspiration, and by the end, whoever has the most Inspiration wins."
"The Lord of Dreams has set three rules."
"Firstly, the scope for collecting Inspiration for her and me is limited to the world where Su Ming’an resides. Su Ming’an is in Luowasha, so we are in Luowasha. If Su Ming’an goes to a small world, we must find a way to sneak into the small world. As for the settlement time, it ends when Su Ming’an’s ending is determined."
"Secondly, neither she nor I can drastically change the world, nor can we expose the existence of Awakening individuals. In the initial stages, we can appear in front of the protagonist to grab a share of the spotlight, but once the world starts to develop through progress and formally collects Inspiration, we must retreat behind the scenes, only secretly pushing others to create Inspiration."
"Thirdly, the amount of Inspiration depends on quality. The richer, more complex, and more philosophical the world development caused by our secret efforts, the more Inspiration there is."
"She believes in humanity’s own Inspiration and good intentions, thinking that as long as humans have the ability, they can independently escape the predicament. Thus, she chooses to listen to people’s wishes in secret, granting them abilities, becoming a role like a ’Wishing Cup,’ and through the World Tree granting eight protagonists in Luowasha a Golden Finger, hoping they can make this world more complex and exciting. She hopes to establish a Paradise akin to ’The Republic.’
"She advocates for kindness in the world; she is pure white, benevolent, and worships salvation."
"She is like a pure white line."
Upon hearing this, Su Ming’an looked into Lü God’s deep-set eyes.
"Then, you..." Su Ming’an began.
"I am the complete opposite of her." Lü God’s hand brushed over the mandala on his robe, a highly toxic flower, his eyes harboring congealed dust: "I don’t believe humanity can save itself; destiny is immutable, unless by mechanical intervention or an external hand. Human existence has inherent flaws; rather than offering help, it’s better for me to be the high-dimensional hand, grasping resources to change the situation from the bigger picture rather than relying on individual efforts."
"Hence, I secretly push for the fall of gods, and I coerce the Radiant Mother God, I coerce Qin Si. I believe that tragedy and struggle are where Inspiration is maximized. A stagnant world is a tedious assembly line world, while development with conflict and death is the means to build Paradise."
"I believe the world tends towards evil, human nature is inherently flawed, and without guidance, they can’t break free from shackles."
"She is a pure white line, and I am a black line."
Su Ming’an contemplated.
The possibility of self-redemption versus the inevitability of external intervention forms a profound topic that has entangled the human spirit for millennia.
One believes in the potential power of human inner Inspiration and good intentions, that it should be empowerment rather than replacement, nurture rather than blockade. Another thinks human nature’s limitations stubbornly exist, and macro systemic intervention is an indispensable corrective measure.
Like the market economy and macroeconomic regulation.
—[If not for Su Ming’an’s Death Rebound, this "external intervention," could humans rely on "self-redemption" to be saved?] The conflict between the Magic Girl and Lü God happens to be comparable to this topic.
If Su Ming’an hadn’t risked rebounding to break through, would humanity fall in some high-difficulty instance? Or, does humanity have the means to launch such a breakout battle against high dimensions, or merely repeat the established tragedy?
Should their Honor be grounded on "external intervention" or "self-redemption," or perhaps both?
One side believes that the greatness of a lifeform is rooted in its inner reflective ability, creativity, empathy, and yearning for "goodness." "Inspiration" should be based on human self-awareness and ascension; it is the courage, mutual assistance, and resilience of ordinary individuals that constitute the main force countering darkness, stimulating Inspiration, and triggering world change.
The other side argues that the Magic Girl’s assistance is merely condescending charity, fundamentally incapable of igniting the inner power of individuals. When resources, information, and violence are highly monopolized, however much "Inspiration" individuals possess, it’s hard to resist systematic oppression; the gap between humanity and high dimensions is like a chasm. Instead of inefficiently watching humanity self-consume and resources being ineffectively utilized, it’s better to concentrate resources on key points that can leverage the big picture, using the "invisible hand" to help the whole rise, shrink the gap, to truly ignite humanity into breaking the chains, rather than relying on eight people’s personal heroism to solve problems, which might only be reinforcing chains.
It’s not so much the competitive conflict between two people as it is the universal life dilemma across the universe.
"...And whether micro-help or macro-intervention, its ethical value lies in creating conditions for individuals or groups to realize potential," Su Ming’an said slowly towards Lü God: "Rather than depriving them of responsibility and subjectivity."
Pareto Improvement.
This theory suggests that without reducing anyone’s welfare, by changing the current resource allocation and improving at least one person’s welfare, it emphasizes improving social welfare by optimizing resource allocation without harming anyone.
This is the ideal state shared by both parties, yet too difficult to achieve.
"If I remember correctly, your story is called ’Black and White.’" Su Ming’an suddenly remembered this, becoming enlightened.
"Yes. She is white, and I am black," Lü God said: "I see the ambition in your eyes... Will you support me? All previous heirs did not satisfy the Lord of Dreams, but I must obtain this position to realize my wish."
"If you stand by my side, I will also fully support your path."
He leaned in, lowered his voice: "I know who you are... Su Ming’an. The Lord of Dreams has been too busy recently, without observing Luowasha, but I happened to notice your movements. If you help me, I will cover up the traces of time jumping for you."
"Whatever perfect path you wish to embark on, I will not interfere with you, and can even cooperate with you. All I want is the position of heir."
Su Ming’an felt a stir in his heart.
After understanding both sides’ philosophies, if he wants to gain more information, it’s best to select one side to assist.
Do you choose black, or do you choose white?
Do you choose evil, or do you choose good?
He finally understood why the Lü God suddenly vanished halfway—it turned out the task of "collecting inspiration" had begun, and the Lü God had to retreat behind the scenes.
...Wait a moment.
According to the same logic, the person who suddenly vanished in the middle of Luowasha’s scenario is the Lü God’s competitor—the super-popular Awakener "Magic Girl."
And, it was a young girl.
So, this heir is...
Su Ming’an had a feeling and turned around.
The beings cheered the nickname "Magic Girl," throwing flowers and candies into the air, enthusiastically welcoming her arrival and asking her for a smile.
—And at this moment, the girl who stepped into the dreamscape also looked in Su Ming’an’s direction.
With long pink hair, flowing gaze, wearing a whimsical short skirt embroidered with jelly patterns.
...
["I am the female protagonist of Luowasha," the girl said. "I know all the future plots that will happen. And you, you are my male protagonist."]
[Next, she was like a novice guide in a game, teaching Su Ming’an the definitions of "Protagonist," "Character Setting Play," "Supporting Male Character," "Disciple Game," and "Card."]
...
[Su Ming’an was a bit unaccustomed to the girl’s way of speaking; she really seemed to treat Luowasha as a game.]
["Is it the [helpful righteous faction protagonist], or [the hot-blooded rebel in the team], or [the mature and steady big brother], or [the comic relief in the team], or..." the girl enumerated.]
...
[Then, the girl explained her identity, her real identity was confidential; as for the Red Tower Kingdom’s princess, it was just a role she [played].]
...
[The girl seemed to know Su Ming’an’s past very well, and the entire structure of Samantri University was much like Su Ming’an’s former university.]
["You have breakfast in the cafeteria at 7:30 in the morning, at noon around twelve at the east gate..." the girl said.]
...
[To her, the grievances and joys of billions of beings, the grand and yet to unfold plots, seemed like just a game or a book that had already been written.]
[Her eyes still held nothing.]
[...It seemed she had already "seen" the HE storyline of Luowasha.]
...
She is an Awakener.
She indeed had "seen" countless HE storylines.
—In her eyes, Luowasha’s future development, she’d already seen countless times, countless times.
As an Awakener, she understands Su Ming’an exceptionally well.
—That’s why the places she took him to, all perfectly matched his preferences.
She wanted to rely on humanity to obtain "inspiration," believing in humanity’s initiative and hoping the protagonist could lead the world upward in development.
—Therefore, she was the first to approach Su Ming’an, teaching him many things about Luowasha.
She is Yijulai’er’s oc, yet also a person with independent consciousness.
—When the tide of the world begins to develop, she handed the stage’s anchor point to Xiao Bai and then silently faded into the shadows.
When the pink-haired girl’s gaze fell upon Su Ming’an, her eyes revealed a moment of confusion, then she walked over, followed by a large group of followers.
"Hello, I am..." Pudding extended her hand to Su Ming’an: "’Magic Girl.’"
Hui Zi, this marginal character, had never spoken with the ever-popular "Magic Girl," but "Magic Girl" came forward on her own.
"Hello." Su Ming’an extended his hand, slowly shaking hers:
"I am... ’Little Fortune Star.’"
