Chapter 1014: 'Mind Over Matter'

Chapter 1014 "Mind Over Matter"

In the temple at the roots of the sacred tree in Doma City, fireflies danced in the air like a pair of eyes that gathered and scattered.

Ye Shi sat cross-legged on a rattan bed, his eyes staring blankly into the sky, his gaze seeming to pierce through the flickering fireflies and the rattan walls that could block all light.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Like flipping through a picture book and suddenly locking eyes with the little figures inside.

But unlike before, this time he was not the one turning the pages.

The eyes that met his were those beyond the paper-thin pages.

"...So that's it."

In an instant, he finally understood why She said that Gaia and the Yggdrasil were both Her and not Her.

And even more than that—

He also understood why She said that was an answer meaningless to them.

"You broke the 'fourth wall'..." Ye Shi blurted out.

That was a word the forest people could never understand, like theories about dimensions.

After all, their civilization was still in the primitive tribal stage, not yet having given birth to those brilliant thoughts.

A soft laugh came from the unseen, the sound seeming to emanate from the gathering and scattering fireflies.

She had always been here.

And had always been.

"That's right, clever little rascal... Congratulations on finding the answer, but sorry, no trophy."

Ye Shi's eyes widened.

A creeping chill climbed up the back of his head, like a character from a TV show suddenly crawling through the screen into his living room.

He wanted to tear off his helmet immediately, to confirm there was no second person in his bedroom.

But soon he realized how stupid that was...

It was just a game.

Even if it was realistic in every way.

"...What lies behind the wall?" Ye Shi stared intently at the mural and asked.

The flickering fireflies answered with a soundless voice.

"Nothing."

Ye Shi was stunned.

"...Nothing?"

The voice answered slowly, or perhaps the answer had been written on the wall all along.

He was just reading too slowly.

"Correct, there is nothing here, yet it possesses everything. Transcending matter, we became eternal; our fate no longer at the mercy of possibility, we left this barren universe entirely... And that is precisely the lifelong pursuit we were willing to give everything for, after knowing everything about this universe."

Reading this information from the flickering light, Ye Shi's shock was beyond words.

So that was it.

It was imprecise to describe Her existence as either Gaia or the Yggdrasil.

Humans had only been to the exoplanet of Alpha Centauri, so they subconsciously thought Her footprints only appeared on the third planet of the Alpha Centauri AB main sequence star.

Gaia was merely a trace She left on this planet, including the later "Yggdrasil," perhaps some kind of "autonomous ecological maintenance system."

The Three-Year War was never a war between humans and Gaia, but an upgraded version of the war between forest people and valley people; Gaia was at most a trump card in the hands of one side.

And the weapons of both sides had evolved from spears and arrows to "neutron torpedoes" and "Gaia seeds."

The so-called hive of the mutant slime mold was an artificially cultivated product from the start.

On this matter, a researcher from the Academy named "White Dove" had provided ample experimental evidence to support it.

Even including the hive called "Sia" in the center of Clearspring, which lacked interstellar travel capability and could not have reached Earth on its own.

From the beginning, it was a biological weapon developed by colonists using technology learned from Gaia, and even its memories were likely artificially implanted.

This was not hard to prove; for instance, Xiaoyu was the best example.

Its memories were also taught by the people of the Alliance, just with entirely different content.

That catastrophe ended in mutual destruction; both the colonies and the Human Union were buried in the dust of history due to their own limitations, left for later generations to judge.

Now, a new civilization had been born on Gaia, and Earth in the solar system had rekindled the spark of civilization.

As for Her—

Calling Her Gaia was indeed one-sided, including the Yggdrasil discovered by the crew of the Gemini.

If Ye Shi were to rename Her, perhaps "The Pioneer" would be more fitting.

That was a civilization far older than humanity; the time span between their existence in this universe might be measured in hundreds of millions or tens of millions of years.

For their own reasons, they chose the latter between matter and spirit, and after reaching the peak of both material and spiritual prosperity, they completed an ascension within their civilization, transcending to another dimension.

No—

Perhaps it was not just another dimension.

Describing their existence with dimensions was one-sided, for both low-dimensional and high-dimensional universes are part of this universe, and they broke the fourth wall.

To define their existence, a new term might be needed.

For example, "the Void."

That was the world beyond the sight of all beings in this universe, the world beyond the "fourth wall."

If this universe were compared to a computer game, then what they passed through was the monitor screen.

They drilled a small hole or opened a big hole in the screen, and went to another universe with a completely different Planck constant.

But come to think of it, did that have any meaning?

Having gone to another universe, they might have lost their former forms, even mass ceased to exist, leaving only a beam of light or a segment of electromagnetic waves.

And the universe outside the "window of the horizon" might also have its own "window of the world," like a nesting doll, existing in its own void.

Relative to the universe they once inhabited, they had undoubtedly completed the ultimate ascension and met their "creator."

But relative to their own infinitely prosperous existence, it was also a kind of collapse.

They had gone from giants to dust.

Ye Shi could not understand why they did this, but from Her answer, he felt that She had known the outcome from the beginning, and knew it far better than he, an insignificant ant.

But She did not care.

Why?

Because that was their lifelong pursuit.

They burned all versions of themselves in their original universe and transformed into light beyond the cosmos...

"We passed through the 'Window of the Horizon,' found our Creator, and said hello."

"Though He could not see us, we all saw Him... and that was enough for us."

"From then on, our story no longer resides in this universe; even what you see now is merely an echo after the 'Big Bang.'"

"As for Gaia, the saplings of the Ynsov Tree... they are but traces we left behind of our existence."

"Your compatriot was clever—he found the answer, and I believe you have noticed it too. As I said, 'It's not like you haven't succeeded before.'"

"The answer was on the mural before you from the start; the child named Dora read aloud the part she could understand. And what you see now is the content she could not grasp."

After comprehending all of this, Ye Shi heard this voice in his mind.

The two seemed to occur simultaneously.

In his contemplation of the mural, he gradually "saw" everything the crew member who had once unraveled it all had experienced, along with the complete record etched in the growth patterns.

The unbelievable events stirred ever greater shock in his heart, even making him doubt the very nature of this game.

Gazing at the increasingly bright fireflies, he couldn't help blurting out a question.

"How did you do it? That ascension... including venturing into the void."

The voice from the beyond did not answer.

Or perhaps it had already answered, but he could neither hear nor understand it.

After all—

Between them, engaged in this conversation, lay countless millennia.

The experience aboard the Orion had already proven that information transmission across time and space was not omnipotent.

They could only follow each other's teleprompters, only hint at existences known to both.

It spoke slowly, leaving one final message.

"We have communicated enough; knowing too much will do you no good."

"If I must say anything, my only advice is this—"

"Unless you make the exploration of the spiritual world your lifelong pursuit, do not attempt to break the fourth wall."

"Not everyone can pass through there smoothly; many chaotic things are trapped within the wall. Even a single glance from afar could bring you immense trouble... You should be grateful that you encountered me."

"By the way, there was a fool among you who begged me to take him to the 'heavens,' but he did not realize that the 'heavens' have their own labyrinth. As you have already understood, beyond the universe lie new universes, beyond the horizon lie new horizons... Truth is infinite."

"In any case, good luck to you, foolish materialists."

"Perhaps we will meet again."

The voice vanished.

Ye Shi stared blankly at the fireflies above, feeling a sense of loss that lingered, unable to let go.

After spending nearly a month in this temple, he thought he had successfully broken the fourth wall, only to find he was still a step short.

What he saw or heard was merely the explosive echo left in this world by some pioneering civilization shattering the void countless millennia ago.

That was all the information left on this planet.

The crew of the Gemini had recorded their research findings on the temple murals.

To find more clues about the pioneers, he would likely have to venture to other galaxies in the universe.

"...Though blaming the destruction of the Human Alliance on the pioneers behind Gaia is a bit far-fetched, the cost of excavating this ruin was damn heavy."

Thinking back on past experiences, Ye Shi couldn't help but smile bitterly, finding it hard to judge for a moment.

Of course.

Human civilization did not come away empty-handed in this process.

Besides gains in biotechnology and aerospace engineering, their harvest in sociology was equally rich.

Reborn, they would be tougher and stronger than their former selves.

As for himself, he had gained much from this expedition.

Though without a VM to determine sequence rank, he could clearly feel his perception attribute had strengthened significantly, jumping at least three or four levels.

And that wasn't all.

Ye Shi suddenly realized he could now fluently read the growth patterns on the temple walls.

Moreover, those fireflies seemed to understand his voice, as did the cricket-like insects.

His "psychic power" seemed to have awakened.

...

Just as Ye Shi marveled at the changes within himself, the war between the Forest People and the Valley People reached its climax.

The allied forces of the forest tribes, led by Tun Nan, won battle after battle with frequent clever strategies, pushing the Qiu Kingdom's defenders along the mountain ridges into retreat and flight.

In a recent battle, Tun Nan, clad in power armor, descended like a primordial ancestor, his body of bronze and iron impervious to blades and spears. Riding a giant bear, he charged through the Qiu army's ranks as if through empty space, slaying even the bravest Qiu warriors on the battlefield.

Countless soldiers dared not meet his gaze, let alone block him, throwing down their arms and fleeing.

Power armor appearing on a primitive battlefield was undoubtedly a "dimensional strike."

As for how Tun Nan mastered the use of power armor, that was no great difficulty.

He only needed to connect with the past through "psychic power"—a simple task for him.

That battle became Tun Nan's apotheosis; single-handedly, he routed thousands of Qiu soldiers!

The battlefield situation grew perilous for the Qiu Kingdom, yet the elders had no way to deal with the "invulnerable" Tun Nan, praying only for the ancestor's protection.

Just as the Qiu people seemed doomed, a warrior named Qiu Ling suddenly stepped forward.

He had previously appeared before the council with the ancestor's prophecy and ventured into the depths of the Forbidden Forest to find the lost sacred relic.

Though the relic remained unfound, he had passed the ancestor's trial and brought back the prophecy left by the ancestor.

The ancestor named Qiu Shiye told them their mission was to journey to the world's end, to keep walking until no path remained.

The ancestor's decree came like rain after a long drought, relieving the exhausted Qiu people.

They had long borne the duty of guarding the Forbidden Forest Valley, and now they could finally leave this increasingly difficult land.

Qiu Ling brought not only the ancestor's prophecy but also hope of escape.

He reorganized the Qiu army, led revitalized soldiers to repeatedly thwart the forest tribes' attempts to encircle and annihilate them, and escorted the tribe's elderly, women, and children, along with livestock and supplies, over mountains and through passes, fleeing into the desolate eastern ranges.

There lay the lower reaches of the Nameless River, connecting to a calm sea.

According to the ancestor in the sky, once they crossed the mountains, passed through the hot rainforest eastward, and traversed the vast desert and grasslands, they would find a land far richer than the Forbidden Forest Valley.

It was the resting place granted by the ancestor.

There, they would build countless cities, establish an infinitely prosperous kingdom, live in peace, and explore a world far broader than the Forbidden Forest Valley.

Qiu Ling convinced his people to set out in peace, then stayed behind with 500 cavalry at the eastern mountain pass to cover the retreat.

Though Tun Nan had taken the Forbidden Forest Valley, his high spirits were not satisfied with mere victory; he wanted more.

Ignoring the prophecy brought by the temple maiden, he led three thousand elites of the Doma clan and two thousand of the finest young warriors from the tribes, following the trail of the retreating "sinners" to the foot of the eastern mountains, and launched his attack at dusk.

Qiuling had long been waiting there.

He ordered his soldiers to cut the vines binding the rolling logs, letting the stones and timber tumble down the slope.

The cascading rocks and logs, like a collapsing mountain torrent, instantly shattered the five thousand tribal warriors under Tunnan's command.

How could those forest dwellers, who had never witnessed the terror of a landslide, see it as anything but a divine punishment from the Ancestor? Even those not battered bloody by the stones were so terrified by the earth-shattering scene that their hearts and livers split, and they fled in all directions.

With the organizational capacity of a tribal age, once morale collapsed, it was nearly impossible to rally again.

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Qiuling led his five hundred lizard-riding warriors in an immediate charge.

The wild lizards, cascading down with the rubble and logs, became a nightmare that the forest people could not shake.

Watching his soldiers scatter like grains of sand, Tunnan could have ground his teeth to dust.

Though he knew defeat was certain, he refused to give up, relying instead on his impenetrable "iron armor" and riding a giant bear, charging alone toward the heights.

Just then, a crisp sound of an arrow cutting through the air reached his ears, followed by a sharp "clang."

Before he could grasp what had happened, an arrow pierced through his kneecap.

That was an arrow shot by Qiuling.

In his hands was the divine bow bestowed by the Ancestor!

As for the arrow, it was nothing special, merely tipped with a dark green crystal.

Tunnan screamed and fell from the giant bear's back, tumbling down to the foot of the mountain.

Only then did he recall the prophecy brought back from the forest by the temple maiden named "Dora"!

Though he had misunderstood the true meaning of the "Arrow of Punishment" in every sense, at that moment, the arrow piercing his knee was undoubtedly a warning to him.

"Retreat!"

Swallowing his humiliation, he finally gave the order to retreat, leading fewer than three hundred survivors back into the forest.

Meanwhile, Qiuling, who had shot Tunnan down the slope with a single arrow and stopped a "vast army of hundreds of thousands" without losing a single soldier, became a myth in the eyes of the Qiu people, a new legend on this land.

But he did not, like Tunnan, linger in this contentious place out of greed for victory.

They were headed farther away.

They would tread the shores of the ocean, sowing the seeds of civilization in every corner of this land.

"Forward!"

He raised his longbow high, bellowing to his spirited soldiers, then reined in his wild lizard by the neck, turned direction, and led them deep into the mountains.

Though he wanted to finish off those foes, Tunnan swallowed his hatred.

The sudden, crushing defeat shattered his plan to unify the forest.

Even if the Doma tribe succeeded in reclaiming the sacred land, they were now severely weakened.

And after this, he and his people would have to face the Ancestor's punishment.

Rising with the help of his subordinates, he felt an unprecedented weakness; the swelling pain of his wound made him feel his days were numbered.

Only regret remained in his heart—regret for his stubbornness, for not heeding advice, for not sparing those "sinners" a path to life, and for not giving himself a chance.

But now that things had come to this, it was too late for words.

After the sun set, both sides declared their own victory and set out toward the futures they each believed in.

As for what happened after that, that is another winding and lengthy epic...