Chapter 15: Depart! Part 5, The Adventurers (10000)

Chapter 15: Depart! Part 5, The Adventurers (10000)

For the vast majority of the time, the term "adventurer" was not actually a word with a positive connotation.

In the not-too-distant past, that conservative and archaic era, the word "adventure" was actually looked down upon. Because it meant that the person engaging in such behavior had no stable assets, no stable life, and was doing something they weren't sure they could handle—adventurers were often equated with recklessness, immorality, and even taking unorthodox risks. People who loved adventure were considered inelegant and unlikable.

However, conservatism meant seeking stability, and stable eras were rare. Amid increasingly frequent turmoil and change, more and more people, either out of necessity or by actively seeking change, became adventurers. Thus, adventure transformed from a poor man's path worthy of contempt into a wonderful thing for some newly risen upper-class individuals to boast about. As social structures shifted and cultural narratives deformed, the term "adventurer" gradually became synonymous with "one who pursues glory and wealth by engaging in unusual travels and explorations."

Of course, this was still far from a positive connotation... More often than not, pursuing wealth and glory meant you didn't have wealth and glory yet. Coupled with the fact that many adventurers did indeed moonlight as bandits when idle, they remained a gray, semi-disreputable group in the public eye. At best, their "vibrancy" was worth praising.

Eras changed and definitions shifted, but the word "adventurer" could never shed its innate speculative nature, nor escape the gambling instinct in its bones—it was always half-gray, never pure white, inspiring longing in some and contempt in others.

So, what were those "rare moments" when "adventurer" could be considered a positive term?

—It was now.

Right now, when not taking risks meant death.

[To seek survival against all odds in a hopeless encirclement, to find a way out on a dead-end road with no chance of life.]
[To find an exit in a deep, dark underground cavern, to seek a sliver of light in silent, secluded darkness.]

This, too, was an adventurer.

Year 860 of the Falling Stars Era, May 22nd, Mycroft World Standard Time, 3:19 PM. Mycroft World, Empire, Spanier Plateau, Babel Tower.

Amid the deafening roar of electromagnetic acceleration towers, Void Warships, as if they cost nothing, were launched into the Void from a production base that covered almost the entire surface of the plateau, turning half the visible land into steel. It could be said that the number of warships launched into the Void from Babel Tower every hour likely exceeded what an ordinary Void civilization could produce in several years.

Operating an almost black-tech-level assembly line at full capacity, the Mycroft Civilization's ability to convert basic materials into high-level creations was limited only by the amount of material dumped and the population available to pilot them.

But that was the biggest limitation.

"It's still not enough."

Imperial Prince, overall commander of the Spanier Void Base, Alva Diamond, watched this magnificent spectacle of countless warships entering the Void en masse. Unlike others who felt awe, he sighed softly: "The population is still far too insufficient."

This was the truth—even though the entire Mycroft Civilization had desperately implemented open policies, encouraged childbirth, and even lowered the legal marriage age to sixteen, and in some areas to fourteen—not only that, they had also opened up cultural education and implemented universal education. In short, they exhausted all resources just to make everyone who could have children have them, the population growth rate hadn't seen a significant increase.

Nearly twenty years had passed, and the Mycroft Civilization's population had barely doubled, reaching about seven billion... Keep in mind, this was a society where everyone had their basic needs met, and average lifespans had greatly increased. Logically, the time for reproduction should have been much longer than in the past—but clearly, population growth didn't work that way.

Seven billion people sounded like a lot, but Alva couldn't help but laugh bitterly: "Other Void civilizations, any single colony world of theirs has a population exceeding this number."

After all, unlike Mycroft, which had been developed by excavating data from previous civilizations and catalyzed by Legendary experts, other Void civilizations had stepped into the Void for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Even without advanced technology, sheer time accumulation was enough to crush them in this regard. And in war, population was a resource—the most important resource.

"We've popularized Divine Mechanisms, barely allowing a third of Mycroft people to count as two. That's like having ten billion people. If we factor in optimized intelligent algorithms and puppet assistance, it would now only take a few hundred people to pilot a Dreadnought-class battleship—that's a tens of times improvement compared to before."

Shifting his gaze from the still-roaring Babel Tower launching Void Warships, Alva turned to look at the few friends sitting in his office drinking tea. He shook his head: "But even calculated that way, it's only equivalent to the population of an ordinary Void civilization with several thousand billion people—an established Void civilization with over twenty colony worlds could easily pull out that number. And that's calculated assuming total mobilization."

"Seriously, why are you even calculating this?"

Hearing this, one of the figures drinking tea couldn't help but look up. He stared at Alva, who was still frowning and silently pondering, and asked somewhat puzzled: "Combat power in this multiverse isn't determined by the number of ordinary people and warships. We may have few people, but we have many Legendary experts."

"Even if we count one Legendary expert as equivalent to a fully organized Void warship fleet, our combat power could instantly increase tenfold—and that's not even considering High-rank Legendaries, or even Legendary Limit-level combatants. They simply can't be measured by the number of warships."

"You're quite optimistic, Priest." Hearing his good friend's optimistic words, Alva couldn't help but smile: "But more people also mean more Legendary experts. That's an unchanging truth."

"Being pessimistic doesn't help. If we encounter something terrible during an adventure, what's the point of being pessimistic except to invite trouble?"

Saying this, Priest sighed softly. He turned and exchanged knowing glances with the other four teammates enjoying Alva's royal collection. They all smiled knowingly. He turned back and asked somewhat curiously: "On the other hand, if you keep frowning all the time, maybe some 'Serious Evil God' or 'Worry Evil God' will pop up—but never mind that. Why did you specifically call us here? It can't just be to treat us to tea, right?"

"You sure know how to talk."

Alva didn't have the energy to respond to Priest's joke. He just raised his hand, checked the time, and said lazily: "Indeed, it's not just to treat you to tea... Today, I have a major matter to entrust to you all. Ah. They're here."

Just as the Elite Squad members were wondering what could possibly be considered a "major matter," a very distinct spatial-temporal fluctuation occurred in the office. Azure-blue light directly blossomed into doorways, and several individuals, their auras completely unrestrained, their wild energy fluctuations like crashing waves, stepped out of the spatial-temporal doors into the office!

The first to emerge was the Legendary Space-Time Mage, Nostradamus—followed by one of the Seven Gods, the God of Might and Justice. These two led the way, and immediately after came the remaining six gods: the Fishman High Priest, the Nature Mentor, the Rune Master, and the Psychic Overlord... along with some other Legendary experts, like Brandon and Loranda, whose true bodies were still in the distant Byros Star River, so only their avatars appeared. All other Legendary experts and deities who could come in person, including Miss 3 and the avatar of the Thunder Ancient Dragon, arrived within ten seconds!

Deities, even the Fishman and the Metal Dragon God, along with several Metal Dragon clan leaders, appeared in public for the first time—this overwhelmingly shocking scene froze the Elite Squad members who had been drinking tea. They didn't know whether to stand up or put down their teacups. Faced with dozens of Legendary experts and True Gods, they felt that nothing they did was right, and they couldn't do anything at all.

"Wow..."

Even Priest, a disciple of a Legendary expert who often encountered wild Legendary experts fighting and had even observed battles against Evil Gods up close, nervously swallowed his saliva and silently thought: "What a huge lineup!"

Looking at this, it was clear that the entire Mycroft Civilization, except for that one person, had all the high-ranking experts gathered in one place!

And it seemed they were specifically targeting him, targeting the Elite Squad!

What was going on?

Not just Priest, but the other Elite Squad members were also frantically signaling Alva with their eyes. But Alva himself was clearly also in shock—he probably hadn't expected so many Legendary experts to come. The information he had received was likely just that some Legendary experts wanted to meet the Elite Squad, but didn't want the news to spread.

However, despite the grand scene, the assembled experts didn't immediately speak with Priest and the others. Instead, they began exchanging information that was previously inconvenient to communicate through the Magic Net.

"The front lines are still stable for now. The main forces of the Evil Gods haven't arrived yet, but we've already made contact with the vanguard of their minions—the fortress frontier under Loranda's command had its first clash with them. The losses are within acceptable limits."

The first to speak was a blue-haired beautiful youth, the God of Annihilation-Law, Order and Destruction. He didn't intend to keep secrets. After setting up an isolation array covering the entire office, he solemnly created a light screen in mid-air displaying a Void scene, then said: "Look, this is the battlefield after the first engagement. The Evil God's minion army destroyed seven permanent fortresses, but they were also completely annihilated. The destroyed fortresses, after a little disinfection, can still be used."

On the light screen, a chaotic Void battlefield could be seen. The wreckage of thousands upon thousands of warships littered this star domain, dancing in the spatial-temporal turbulence. The chaotic energy sources made the entire screen blurry. Only those with the deepest cultivation could see, through the hazy energy clouds, fully armed fortress strongholds still operational.

"But look."

The God of Annihilation-Law used his divine power to erase the blurry clouds on the screen, even masking the energy light emitted by the many fortresses. He clicked on a seemingly empty patch of darkness, then zoomed in to display: "This is merely the vanguard, the scouts, of the Evil God's minion army."

In that seemingly empty darkness, an even deeper darkness could be seen surging—an endless dark curtain whose edge couldn't be seen even in the Void. It was surging forward, unconcerned whether its insignificant tip was being eliminated.

"Evil Gods have no self-awareness. If a world is a person, then they are mobile high-energy pollution sources, extremely hazardous radiation emitters. Their minions are the germs invading the body, the radiation damaging cells."

Barbarossa, the Elemental Master, who had been buried in research and increasing his strength recently, spoke up. He frowned deeply and said in a low voice: "So, if the impact we felt from this initial contact is quantified as '1,' then the real vanguard of the Evil God's minions is probably '50,' the impact of the main minion army is '100,' and the collective impact of the Evil Gods, the source of all radiation, is 'incalculable.'"

"The fortress cluster in the Byros Star River can handle '1,' '50,' and even '100.' The maximum impact level our fully constructed defensive line can withstand is '125.' But this is just a theoretical number. The Evil God's minions are endless, and transporting our resources takes time. Moreover, no one can be sure if the minion army will contain a large number of Legendary-rank minions, like those in the 'Starry World.'"

Due to the influence of the Near-Saint, the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate, the Plague Evil God's minions could easily transform into Legendary-rank Plague Mother Beasts or Void Giants. But currently, even among Evil Gods, few had numerous Legendary-rank minions. If they did, it was just a handful.

However, the existence of Near-Saint Evil Gods had already been confirmed—no one could be sure if, over the long ages, the most powerful Evil Gods had already cultivated a Chaos army composed entirely of Legendary minions.

"The Byros Star River fortress cluster absolutely cannot hold."

The God of Change, Guardian and Change, said this indifferently. He toyed with the smoking pipe in his hand, neither smoking nor stopping, just constantly spinning it between his fingers. The Dwarf deity's tone was cold: "According to the information I got from my last exchange with Joshua, the Near-Saint, the Ultimate Sublimation Aggregate, confirmed that among the Evil God extermination army appearing at the 'End of the Era,' there are definitely 'Near-Saint-level' Evil Gods. That means monsters like the 'Plenty Evil God' and the 'Cataclysm Evil God,' whose mere passage can stir up an entire Star River."

"An ordinary fortress cluster in the Byros Star River might hold against ordinary Evil Gods, but if that level of Chaos appears, the moment it shows its face, all the defenders would be instantly annihilated."

"But the Byros fortress cluster is necessary. Without this buffer zone, the fragile and loose rear of the Multiverse Star River wouldn't even have time to retreat or plan."

The Nature Mentor couldn't hide her fatigue—she had recently been at the Aether Ring World, artificially catalyzing and seeding millions of Ring World sectors, each the size of an ordinary world, to create natural ecosystems. Even for a Legendary expert, this was a difficult task, but duty called, and she gave it her all. Now, Verdani forced herself to stay alert: "Although the first contact battle had some issues with adaptation, the Chaos impact, even at the scout level of the vanguard, destroyed seven fortresses and killed hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It's hard to imagine the scale of destruction in the full-scale battle to come."

"Or is this just a sacrifice?"

Using the lives of some as a price to buy enough reaction time for the vast and loose entity known as the 'Multiverse Star River Civilization Alliance,' allowing them to fully transition into a state of war readiness... or to prepare for retreat?

"It is a sacrifice."

The God of Love and Decay said this. This Elf goddess's expression was calm, without a ripple: "Among the Seven Gods, I, the God of Law and Freedom, and the God of Wisdom and Choice will go to the front lines later. Deities from other civilizations will also go. We will garrison the Byros Star River fortress cluster. With us True Gods guarding, the impact of the Evil God's minions is not something unmanageable."

"But what about the main Evil God army?"

On the side, the Elf Empress, Hervalo IX, couldn't help but ask. As a fellow Elf, she seemed to have guessed the other's choice, but her question was an instinctive utterance.

"We will enter the 'Divine Annihilation' state at that time, using our strongest power to test the upper limit of the Evil God's main force, to see if the Near-Saint-level Evil Gods will act, and if so, how many."

Without any hesitation or delay, the God of Love and Decay spoke of death, her tone devoid of any fluctuation. She looked around at the somewhat shocked middle-aged people and said calmly: "Don't look at me like that. The number of mortals who die will be trillions of times that of gods. In that battle, Legendary experts will snap like branches in a storm, and gods will be no exception. I am merely choosing to make my departure more valuable."

"Chaos is coming. This is the enemy we have feared and awaited for a thousand years. Now that it's here, there's nothing left to fear."

The Elite Squad members, huddled to the side, unable to speak, let alone interject, and Alva, sitting like a stone statue, were still deeply shocked.

Casually planning their own life and death, treating eternal lifespans—whether others' or their own—as nothing in the eyes of mortals.

Was this what it meant to be a god? A powerful life form that was no longer 'human,' an ultimate Transcendent individual surpassing the definition of ordinary Legendary...

"What's wrong? Don't be so surprised, young man."

Turning his head, the God of Change looked at Priest, whose expression was a bit unnatural. The God of Guardian and Change laughed heartily, approached him quite amiably, and patted his shoulder: "Don't be so nervous. We are merely 'phantoms' who should have departed thousands of years ago. While our shadows still remain, we might as well burn a little brighter. Otherwise, in a few hundred or thousand years, like coal, we'll burn out and just be ash."

"But you are different. You are full of vitality, with a great future, full of hope."

Even though Priest considered himself bold, even daring to tweak the nose of a Legendary-rank monster, being patted on the shoulder by a True God still left his mind blank—until the end, he vaguely began to understand why these Legendary experts and deities had called over their team of Ultimate-rank explorers and revealed so many secrets.

"Could it be... because they're bound to lose a lot of high-end combat power, the higher-ups plan to cultivate some talented and loyal enough individuals into a new generation of Legendary experts?"

Not to boast, but in terms of talent and loyalty to civilization, Priest was confident that he and his teammates were top-notch. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been nurtured from ordinary exploration team members to their current level, even winning the first Multiverse Star River Civilization Invitational Tournament's Gold Group Championship. They indeed had the potential to become Legendary.

But was it really that simple? Five future Legendary experts—counting Alva and the First Squad behind him, that would be ten. While ten new Legendary experts sounded terrifying and impressive, Priest, who had seen high-rank Legendary battles, knew very well that someone like his teacher, a Legendary Limit-level expert, could wipe them all out with a single finger.

His teacher killed Evil Gods like chickens and crushed Legendary experts like ants—in this Transcendent world, increasing quantity was far less efficient than increasing quality.

"Still, I've been mentally prepared for a long time."

Although many thoughts ran through his mind, only a short time had passed in the real world. Priest shook his head, clearing the distracting thoughts, and silently muttered to himself: "Whether it's going to the front lines or scouting the periphery of the Evil God army, I'm mentally prepared... I just need to inform Su Er and Brandy. I need to find someone to take care of things after I'm gone."

As disciples of Legendary experts, even the strongest within that realm, whether Priest, Alva, the entire First Squad, or even the Dragon Girl and her group, they had all long been mentally prepared to bear the responsibilities commensurate with their status.

There was no escaping this—they had received resources far superior to ordinary people, guidance and teaching from the strongest. It was only natural for them to become strong, and it was only right for them to bear the responsibilities of the strong.

And his teammates, though not his teacher's direct disciples, had been cared for over the years, making them more like disciples than not—Constantine worked part-time in his teacher's modification organization, Wayne was one of Master Nostradamus's grand-disciples, and Saide and Clark were, respectively, a freak genius from the Three Mountains Holy City and the champion academy's self-cultivated valedictorian. They had all been treated gently by this world, entrusted with expectations by everyone, and they willingly accepted that gentleness and those expectations.

So, now it was their turn to give back.

But then, the words of one of the Seven Gods, the God of Might and Justice, shocked them greatly.

"Priest O'Minney, from today onward, you are the Captain of the Ark-class giant ship 'Seed Vessel,' the Supreme Commander of the 'Voyager Exploration Fleet.' The entire Elite Squad is incorporated."

The humanoid radiating golden divine light spoke in a tone of imperial authority that Priest was all too familiar with, leaving no room for refusal. Then, He turned to look at His human-era descendant: "Alva Diamond, from today onward, you are the Captain of the 'Glimmer' Ecological Cycle Ship, the Supreme Commander of the 'Wanderer Nomad Fleet.' The entire First Squad is incorporated."

"From today onward, all your past duties and information will be hidden. In three minutes, you will cease to exist in this world. Except for the Unified Grand Database, no place will have any trace of your information."

Wait, Ark-class giant ship? Explorer fleet? Ecological cycle ship? Nomad fleet?

What were all these?

Both Priest and Alva looked stunned. These names and titles sounded wrong. Out of confusion, the young warrior instinctively asked: "Your Majesty, what... what does this mean?"

"It means you are all Seeds."

The God of Might and Justice's gaze shifted slightly. He said softly: "This is the mission of your entire lives."

"But I'm willing to go to the front lines!"

For some reason, Priest frowned deeply and growled in a low voice. Even facing numerous Legendary experts and deities, he dared to grit his teeth and roar: "Your Majesty... I am Radcliffe's disciple, a warrior's student! I don't fear death or Evil Gods! I have courage! I can bear my responsibility!"

Don't give me special treatment just because I'm his disciple... I don't need it, I really don't need this kind of 'special treatment'!

"Yeah, the captain is right! Our Elite Squad has faced plenty of dangers. Even if you told us to scout the Evil God army, we wouldn't even bat an eye!"

On the side, the most thick-skinned knight, Clark, immediately echoed. He also looked very unhappy, a kind of unwilling pride at being deliberately favored.

Alva didn't speak immediately. He just gave his 'father' a deep look, then said softly: "I still remember that day over a decade ago, when you took me and my second brother to walk the Empire, teaching us what responsibility and courage meant."

"I haven't forgotten. I don't need special treatment either, Your Majesty."

The Legendary experts and deities present exchanged glances but said nothing. The God of Might and Justice slightly raised His head, looked around at the young men who had expressed their 'dissatisfaction' and 'resistance,' and then laughed.

"Isn't this quite courageous?"

The deity chuckled softly: "But you might not understand yet—what requires more courage and adventure than moving forward is 'retreating.'"

Raising His hand to quiet the others who seemed about to speak, the God of Might and Justice said calmly: "You think this is special treatment? You're completely wrong. This is the most difficult responsibility. Don't think being a 'Seed' is some cushy job. We don't have such good positions reserved for you stubborn pieces of iron."

"Moving forward, you can grit your teeth, even think of nothing, and charge ahead with a surge of passion. That way, both death and despair can be cast aside—but retreating is different. Young men, especially leading a group in retreat, is even more different."

"You will live your lives diligently, never daring to relax, because you know you are walking the path of retreat. Every step you take will be tormented by the pain of duty and expectation. Every choice you make, if wrong, will bear condemnation ten times more terrifying than moving forward—whether from others or from yourself."

"What moving forward requires is probably just a big heart. What retreating requires is a heart that is tenacious, cautious, and indomitable."

Saying this, the God of Might and Justice clasped His hands behind His back, turned around, and no longer looked at the group. He said calmly: "Alva might be a bit of a stretch, but you are the most suitable person, Priest. We all know you have chosen the path of guardianship. You naturally understand that the true meaning of guardianship is not to betray the fates of the countless protected ones gathered in your hands. And now, an Ark-class giant ship, an entire exploration fleet, the fates of millions of people are entrusted to your hands."

"Instead of blindly venting your courage, you should think more about how to become a better leader."

The God of Might and Justice departed. He had many things to do, was very busy, and still needed to meet with the Triple Veil of the Starry World and deal with several deities of Emotion Force. After exchanging some important matters, the other Legendary experts and deities also left one by one.

Before leaving, each one smiled and blessed the still-dazed and somewhat confused group. Finally, only Nostradamus and the God of Change, Guardian and Change, remained. These two experts slowly stepped forward.

"This is your future responsibility."

The old mage patted the man in front of him, who was taller than himself. He vaguely saw the shadow of that man from the past on him. Nostradamus smiled and shook his head, then said: "Some choose sacrifice, and some are asked to leave. Don't think you're being given special treatment, because the dangers you may face are far greater than those who seek death."

"Listen, plan for defeat before victory. The battle with the Evil God army has just begun. This war will absolutely not be resolved so simply—and you, as the most dazzling group of the new generation, are the Seeds of humanity."

"You, Priest." Taking over from the old mage, the Dwarf deity said flatly: "You are responsible for leading the 'Seed Vessel Ark-class Giant Ship,' an 'Inner World Giant Ship' carrying a 'Star World' similar to the back of a Star Shepherd's Void Behemoth. It contains a complete continental-level ecosystem, tested by the Nature Mentor to sustain millions of people for over 900,000 years. Your duty is to lead this Ark-class giant ship through the 'Shadow Subspace Passage' newly created by the Shadow Sage to other 'Multiverse Star Rivers,' planting new seeds for humanity. Rest assured, we've had professionals prophesy—that Multiverse Star River is still safe, at least for the next few hundred thousand years."

"And you, Alva." Turning to the Imperial Prince, who was still clenching his fists, the God of Change narrowed his eyes: "Your duty is even more dangerous and arduous... Don't think your father is giving you special treatment just because you're His son—don't overthink it! The 'Glimmer Ecological Cycle Ship' is similar to the Seed Vessel, also having an Inner World, but it can last longer, even indefinitely, as long as the population doesn't expand."

"Furthermore, it is equipped with a unique Ethereal Silence Array, the same type as the Aether Ring World's Silence Array. Your duty is to lead a selected group of technical personnel, sail into the depths of the Silent Void, and never, ever return. Unless one day, we win the war and find you, you must sail forever into the depths of the Void, even to the end of the Multiverse, and never stop."

"Now, do you still think this is 'special treatment'?"

Everyone was speechless, no one uttered a sound. But in the silence, something seemed to be ignited.

That blazing temperature was the color of 'fighting spirit'!

"Hmph, I knew it. If I didn't make things sound difficult, you stubborn bastards wouldn't get motivated." The Dwarf deity snorted coldly. The God of Change turned around, clearly intending to leave—but before leaving, He stopped: "Oh, by the way, both the Ark-class giant ship and the Ecological Cycle Ship contain a copy of the entire Unified Grand Database. Holding them, you represent human civilization."

"Don't embarrass us. Live well! When the day of victory comes, there will be a time for your return."

With that, the God of Change also left, leaving only the most familiar Legendary expert, Nostradamus, still present.

The old mage looked at these successors, whom he had witnessed step by step to their current realm, filled with emotion. But after thinking it over, he couldn't find any good words to say. He could only softly continue to instruct: "Don't worry. You've already proven yourselves. The strongest adventurer team among humanity—that's an undeniable fact. Even we Legendary experts dare not say we surpass you in this regard... So, you are the best."

"The Shadow Sage has opened a path to other Multiverse Star Rivers. So, Priest, head in that direction. And you, Alva, a child I've watched grow up, you will sink into an eternal, solitary void of nothingness. But I believe you can absolutely bear this expectation."

"Keep it up, strongest adventurers."

Nostradamus also left. What remained were two glowing orbs of light—complex divine rune keys that could teleport them and open the world-class giant ships, whose locations were currently unknown.

"Seriously."

Everyone was silent for a long time. It was the knight, Clark, who broke the silence. His expression was unprecedentedly solemn: "I think this journey of ours will definitely have many hardships."

Everyone looked up at him, but the knight was oblivious. He said loudly: "But we will surely triumph—just like countless times before."

"There's nothing to fear, is there?"

"Well, that's the first sensible thing you've said." Putting away his Truth Spell: Silence, the priest, Saide, shook his head: "I just wonder if we can bring our family and friends... It should be fine, right? Those big shots didn't mention a word about it."

"Ah, I still need to go to the lab to inform those people..." Alva, however, had a much bigger headache than the Elite Squad members: "You guys are easy to gather, but they're scattered all over the place..."

It seemed Alva was completely unfazed by his father's and the Guardian God's words. He even, uncharacteristically, showed a hint of a smile as he spoke: "But Clark is right. There's nothing to fear."

"Yeah, indeed."

"At least it won't be more dangerous than the last time we encountered the Black Mist—if it weren't for having to drag along at least a few hundred thousand dead weight, I guarantee we'd reach another Multiverse Star River smoothly."

"Oh, shut up. Last time we encountered the Black Mist, you were screaming 'My life is over!'"

Voices clamored, but soon, due to some unspoken tacit understanding, the discussion fell silent.

Then, everyone reached out their hands, smiled, and high-fived each other.

This might be the last time in their lives they could high-five so easily and happily.

So, the adventurers had to smile, step forward with hope, towards a future filled with hardship and duty, overflowing with toil and despair.

...

—Year 860 of the Falling Stars Era, September 29th, Mycroft Standard Time, 7:31 AM. Unknown Star River, Unknown Star Domain, Near the Void—

"Why do you look worried, Brandy? This time, I'm not leaving you behind. We're going together."

At an unknown Void port, Priest held the hand of a green-haired Elf floating in the air like a ghost, while leaning down to smile at a somewhat sullen girl on the other side: "Look, Su Er is so happy, can't wait to set off. Why are you different from everyone else, with a long face?"

"Because... I'm just a bit worried."

Although she had grown into an excellent woman, Brandy still occasionally showed her vulnerable side in front of her brother. She looked up at the magnificent Ark, whose end she couldn't see even with all her effort, and couldn't help but murmur: "Is this giant ship our future home?"

Stunned for a moment, Priest couldn't answer immediately. But Su Er on the other side cheerfully and carefreely shouted: "Of course—wow, it looks so cool! When can we get on, Priest?"

"Haha, soon, very soon."

Quickly replying, Priest also let out a hearty laugh. Their cheerfulness dispelled some of the worry in Brandy's heart, making her unable to help but let out a giggle.

And so, Priest decisively led his unique family members, striding towards the entrance of the magnificent Ark. Also arriving were the other members of the Elite Squad and their willing family and friends.

They smiled, greeted each other, and advanced together.

[—Why worry? Why grieve?
My friends, this is a brilliant and magnificent Legendary path. We will set off together, heading for other Multiverse Star Rivers!
This is an unprecedented grand adventure, a difficult journey with no predecessors.
So, sing for us!
Praise humanity's courage! Praise humanity's resolve!]

—Adventurers, depart!