Chapter 1604: The Three Crucial Crystals
Hao Ren’s fears were not unfounded. After all, there had been many similar precedents. The ultimate goal of the Weaves of Destiny was to keep the universe exist forever after the death of the goddess. It was unimaginable that such an important system would simply stop working. So, there simply would not be an eight-hour working day and five-day working week and stuff like that. Vivian might not be able to get down from the throne once sitting there.
Vivian shook her head after some thoughts. “I am not worried about those possible dangers. According to the information that the goddess of creation has left behind, the Throne of Destiny is just an I/O interface, my connection with it is not mandatory and permanent. I can leave whenever I like, and it cannot stop me. All the instructions run at the back of my soul, and it will not affect my free will. But then again, since no one has ever tried out this system, it is a little scary to simply go and sit up there.”
The system’s BOSD incident was pretty disturbing for her.
Hao Ren sighed and looked helpless. “We cannot help it. The goddess of creation has not been to school, and I really do not dare to try anything that she has left behind.”
Salaman had been controlling his emotion all this while, and now, he finally could not help but speak up. “Perhaps there are really some issues with the Throne of Destiny, but it is the precious hope that our Mother has given to this world. It is the sole reason for the Guardian Legion to remain in this place; we are waiting for the coming of this day.”
While speaking, Salaman looked at Vivian. “I hope you can seriously think about it. I do understand your concerns, and I agree that you should not throw caution to the wind. But—”
“Wait a minute! I think you have misunderstood something.” Hao Ren saw Salaman was getting a little agitated and quickly waved his hand. “We never said that we wanted to abandon the Throne of Destiny, let alone insinuating that the guarding of this place by the Guardian Legion for the past thousands of years was meaningless. I just said that I did not want Vivian to recklessly sit on the throne to only become a human-server. And I highly value the Throne of Destiny and the Weaves of Destiny.”
Salaman was a bit confused. “Not letting her sit on the throne? You mean—”
“We will study, analyze, crack its secrets, understand its underlying mechanism, and then patch whatever loopholes and fix whatever problem it has. Worse comes to worst, at least we can learn how it works.” Hao Ren said slowly. “We will use various technical means to ensure that the Throne of Destiny could be activated safely and controllably, instead of risking the safety of Vivian by simply sitting on it.”
Salaman listened to Hao Ren with even more resentment. “Do you really know what you are talking about? The Throne of Destiny is the most complicated and mysterious part of the Weaves of Destiny! Even our it took our Mother many years to finish it! Now, you say you are going to figure it all out in just a short time? This is—”
“Nothing is impossible.” Hao Ren interrupted Salaman. “I know how important the goddess of creation to you and that she is the wisest and most powerful synonym. I do admit that I cannot completely understand with my level of knowledge this high-tech thing that the goddess has made. But I am different from you. I have technical support and an entire organization behind me.”
Salaman said nothing.
Vivian looked at the old giant. “General Salaman, perhaps you would believe in my words. You all are trapped in this universe and can only see this much. I am fortunate that the goddess has sent me to the other side of the wall, where there are a far vaster world and knowledge that is beyond imagination. We have just told you about the inspectors and the foreign gods. It seems that you have a limited understanding of them.”
Apparently, the words of Vivian, as the certified ‘daughter’ of the goddess of creation, carried more weight than that of Hao Ren. The expression on Salaman’s face quickly changed from strong resentment and suspicion to careful contemplation. “I just cannot believe it. The Guardian Legion has been guarding this place for 10,000 years. Our mission is to defend this place and to wait for return the rightful person to return to and sit on the Throne of Destiny. Now, you tell me that the plan has just changed and that the throne itself is no longer safe. This is—”
“The significance of the Guardian Legion is unquestionable. Without you guys, we will not have the opportunity to even discuss this issue here.” Vivian shook her head. “But at the same time, you should be more flexible. Let’s not talk about the bugs in the Throne of Destiny first. Just the rebellion that happened here three thousand years ago has caused severe damage to the Heart. Moreover, and strictly speaking, I am not a complete Guide. I just told you that I had an accident in another world, where I was undergoing division and contaminated. After the purification, I can only be regarded as a half-creation of the goddess. Under such circumstances, it would be disrespectful of me to forcibly activate the Weaves of Destiny, the most significant legacy of the goddess of creation.
Salaman was stubborn but not stupid. After rationalizing his feelings, he realized that it was indeed not the right time to activate the Weaves of Destiny. He nodded gently. “What you say makes sense. I agree to postpone the plan to activate the system, but one thing I must stress: no matter what you do, you must not destroy the Throne of Destiny; it is something unimaginable precious.”
“Of course, no worries.” Hao Ren grinned. “My job is to protect all historical relics.”
Vivian mumbled softly, “Are you sure about that?”
Hao Ren coughed.
He quickly shifted the topic. “Then let’s put the issue of the Throne of Destiny on the backburner. The most important thing for us now is to solve the problem of the rebel forces around the Heart. General Salaman, you asked for Amantir to be set free in the last battle. Can you give us an explanation now?”
Salaman glanced at Vivian and nodded. “The planetary fortress and the freaks in the fortress are not important, but the Amantir crystal must be protected at all cost because the crystal is the lead to the whereabouts of the Star of Creation.”
Hao Ren was wide-eyed. “What?”
“The Amantir crystal, the Agodal crystal, and the Naqdal crystal currently in your hands are the navigation core of the three planetary fortresses. But they have another function, that is when the three crystals are synchronized, they will become a road sign.” Salaman’s voice was calm, but it struck Hao Ren as if lightning. “Mother has sensed the activities of the Mad Lord and the changes in the universe under its influence many years ago. The fundamental information of the world is shifting. As the Mad Lord is the cornerstone of this universe, the world itself will resist any forces that could destroy the Mad Lord—even if the forces are actually saving it.”
Salaman pause, giving Hao Ren’s time to digest the information. He then continued. “This will of resistance will not manifest itself directly, but the subtle influence it produces through the connection between cause and effect is greater than any other type of resistance. The resistance of the world would stifle the plan to destroy the Mad Lord.”
“What was the ‘accident’ and prevention that the goddess of creation had postulated all about?” Vivian could not help but interject, “Was it related to the Star of Creation?”
“Yes. The most important part of Mother’s plan was to use the power of the Creation’s Engine to delete everything divine and divinelike. It was because the Mad Lord might be able to bounce back by tracing the link of cause and effect from the slightest traces. And the accident at this particular point was the disappearance of the Star of Creation. The Creation’s Engine, even after activation, could not completely erase traces of the goddess. Years later, when the remnants of the Star of Creation and the goddess reemerged in the main material world, the power of the Mad Lord would rekindle on these residues.”
Hao Ren and Vivian looked at each other, as the accident that happened during the deicidal war 10,000 years ago came to mind.
A violent energy shock led to the explosion of the divine realm. The power released at the point of death of the goddess had pulled the Star of Creation and most of the galaxies in the vicinity into the dimensional distortion. Eventually, the divine realm disappeared from the main material world and fell into the mysterious Umbral Realm.
Hao Ren had once sent drones and probes to search for the lost divine realm but to no avail. The Gate of Solenne, the closest place to the divine realm, showed no signs of it.
This was the accident that the goddess of creation postulated. The plunging of the Star of Creation and her remains into the Umbral Realm had accidentally saved them from the purging program of the Creation’s Engine. This also unintentionally made it possible for the Mad Lord to survive.
It showed the power of the cause and effect and fate.
“So, the goddess has left a sign by which we can find the Star of Creation,” Vivian said slowly. “There is only one purpose to it; it is to ensure the complete destruction of the Star of Creation and her divine remains.”
Salaman nodded with a heavy heart. “It is precisely the case.”
Hao Ren felt it incredible. “You guys accepted this arrangement without questions?”
“It was the will of Mother and her lifelong pursuit to destroy the Mad Lord, the divine rule, and to free the world from all shackles and ushered in true everlasting freedom and tranquility,” Salaman said in a low voice. “For this vision, we are willing to accept any mission. The guardians like us were specially nurtured since birth and knew the ultimate destiny of our mother. So, we accepted it a long time ago. But our brothers who we have never met before may not so readily receptible to this reality.”
“Holy moly…” Hao Ren buried his face in his hand. For a moment, he was unsure what reaction he should have. “I suddenly have a feeling that the goddess of creation was also a tyrant.”