Chapter 35: Because, Therefore 9000
Joshua was not actually surprised by this outcome.
Priest and the others, due to an error in their return beacon, had vanished at the edge of the World Star River. According to the information from the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground, it could be inferred that they were most likely within a lost relic of the Radiant Civilization.
Coincidentally, a few days prior, while dissecting a Void Behemoth, Joshua had also sensed an unmistakably clear aura of a strange Evil God. And these Void Behemoths originated precisely from the edge of the World Star River.
They were a very peculiar group of Void Behemoths. Juvenile behemoths often infiltrate worlds, devouring matter while spreading their seeds, offspring, or spores. Adult Void Behemoths generally pry open a world's shell to feed directly. But this group, while appearing juvenile, was essentially fragments of an adult behemoth. They had lost the ability of offspring to infiltrate worlds, yet lacked the power of an adult to shatter the barriers of an ordinary world.
Joshua had originally inferred that this was the result of being torn apart by an Evil God. But now, it seemed there might be another explanation.
'The Decay Evil God.'
Recorded in the Unified Grand Database, a hidden Evil God, holding the power to weaken all things. It could temporarily reduce a Legendary expert to a child. So it wouldn't be strange for it to turn a Void Behemoth into a juvenile form.
Three anomalies, appearing in the same place, at the same time. Joshua only needed to use his mind a little to easily connect them.
"A bit troublesome. But not necessarily a bad thing. At least we detected the Evil God's existence beforehand, rather than only noticing after it fully awakened."
Neither Joshua nor the Nature Mentor were particularly afraid of this suspected Evil God awakening. Because they both sensed that this awakening Chaos entity, even if it was an Evil God, was very weak. Even if it was recovering, it couldn't possibly return to its peak in such a short time. It might not even reach twenty percent of its full strength.
There are also strong and weak among Evil Gods. The weakest batch is probably like the 'Atmosphere Evil God,' formed from the destruction of an atmospheric life-form world without obvious civilization or intelligence. Its strength could be forced back by a single Saint of a Sage. Although it's possible that Saint was very strong and the Evil God wasn't going all out, at least on the surface, that's how it appeared.
As for the Decay Evil God, although it encountered an accident and was chased by nine Legendaries, according to the data obtained by Number Three, when it exerted its full strength, it could at most suppress five or six Legendaries simultaneously, entangled in a difficult struggle with nine. This can't be called weak, just not too strong. The Famine Evil God and the Calamity Evil God, by inference, are probably only one tier stronger than Decay.
However, the Calamity Evil God is a bit special. It releases calamities and leaves, never lingering or delaying. Stronger civilizations can basically block it. The Calamity Evil God poses no threat to them, and they have never fought it head-on.
Truly powerful Evil Gods, like the Plague Evil God, can create Legendary mother beasts capable of breeding millions of offspring... As for monsters like the Plenty Evil God, which can trigger a star's red giant phase just by passing by, let's set that aside for now and not discuss it.
In short, suppressing an Evil God at twenty percent power, one that isn't too strong—whether they could do it or not, Joshua and Galannod wanted to try. If they didn't even dare to do this, they might as well pack up and leave. Being this cowardly, what right did they have to call themselves Legendaries?
Starlight flickered. They advanced continuously through the void. The light and shadow of worlds, some bright, some dim, flew past them. Among these thousands, even millions of worlds, perhaps one or two lucky ones would give birth to life. And among millions of lucky ones, perhaps one or two would be fortunate enough to produce intelligence.
The birth of intelligent life, even civilization, is not a matter of course. Every civilization is a miracle among miracles.
"Legend has it that before the Final War, the World Star River we are in was dense with stars, inhabited by countless intelligent lives."
The Nature Mentor looked around at the surrounding star river and said softly, "Although most of them couldn't enter the void, they were still a form of civilization... But now, only these desolate worlds remain."
This was also a matter of course, having little to do with the Evil Gods.
Joshua thought so. After all, according to the theory of time dilation, these worlds at the edge of the World Star River had experienced at least five or six thousand years. Five or six thousand years was enough for a civilization to die and be reborn several times. Even without threats like Void Behemoths and Evil Gods, civilizations themselves are fragile existences prone to self-destruction. Isn't that the case with those demons of the Sixth Abyss? Nuclear war and chemical weapons easily destroyed their entire ecosystem.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, just as the Nature Mentor was pondering how to seed a world to restore its ecosystem, she let out a soft exclamation of surprise.
Then, Galannod stood up doubtfully from the vines of the Legendary magical beast 'Fluffy.' She warned Joshua, "Stop. There's a situation ahead."
"What situation?"
Joshua hadn't perceived any situation other than the chaotic fluctuations. But since the Nature Mentor was so serious, there must be something unexpected.
"I sense a vast number of lives moving... Too many! More than the total population of the Mycroft World!"
Galannod closed her eyes. Pale green ripples of Nature's Force could be seen spreading outward from this Legendary expert, like ripples in water. Nature's Force itself is a variant and composite of life energy, requiring a large concentration of life to function fully. Conversely, practitioners of this power can quickly locate where large numbers of life gather.
"That direction." After sensing, the Nature Mentor opened her eyes solemnly and gave Joshua a set of coordinates. The warrior looked up towards the coordinates but could only see a dense cluster of Steel Force aggregates—that is, worlds.
"I don't see any life, just a cluster of small worlds... But strange, their movement speed is too fast, and their size is too small."
Although Joshua didn't see the large number of lives the Nature Mentor mentioned, he wasn't surprised. Every Legendary walks a different path and observes the world differently, naturally having different focuses. It wasn't strange for the Nature Mentor to directly perceive life within worlds.
But worlds moving extremely fast was unusual.
Worlds themselves do move, but the amplitude is very small. The fact that the multiverse's star charts only need updating once every one or two hundred years is proof. Occasionally, some worlds move faster; those are called hidden worlds, their coordinates undeterminable by star charts, requiring a separate tracking method.
But the worlds seen in that direction were moving so fast it couldn't be a natural phenomenon. And soon, by predicting their speed and direction, Joshua reached a startling conclusion.
"Those worlds are moving towards the direction of the Evil God!"
Immediately, the two accelerated and rushed towards the corresponding direction.
"What's going on? Why are worlds actively moving towards the Evil God?"
Joshua felt this was unusual. By focusing his attention on this aspect, he perceived more clearly than before. Huge points of light were moving rapidly through the void. "Very fast, only a bit slower than a void vessel like the Grand Salfa. And there's no energy burst; it feels like natural drifting."
"Unclear... But Joshua, didn't you sense the aura of Void Behemoths?"
The Nature Mentor was also serious now. Actually, discovering a world with a large number of lives wasn't necessarily a bad thing to be nervous about. But the situation was wrong. An Evil God was reviving. If a large number of lives were delivered right to it, by destroying civilization and devouring order, the Evil God's revival speed could greatly accelerate.
An Evil God that has recovered most of its strength and one that has just awakened are completely different concepts. A dying star and a main-sequence star are both stars, but can their brightness be compared?
Furthermore, around those worlds, there were also a large number of Void Behemoths... This made things even more troublesome. Void Behemoths are naturally not on the Evil God's side, but they aren't on the side of normal life either. If the situation became chaotic, the operation to suppress the Evil God might go terribly wrong.
After sensing in detail, Joshua found nothing.
He could only perceive the points of light of the worlds, but not the pure yet abnormal Steel Force fluctuations of the Void Behemoths.
"Let's hurry over. Get to the Evil God's world before they do." Without further words, Joshua accelerated again, even slightly loosening his control over his own gravitational pull.
Immediately, one could see that within the originally chaotic yet orderly space-time turbulence, a massive vortex suddenly appeared. This vortex, like a devouring abyss, swallowed everything within its range, even the chaotic space-time flows and starlight were forcibly bent by this vortex, forming regular arcs.
Because of this, Joshua's speed increased even further.
Far away, the World Fleet.
"Sensor anomaly! Massive space-time fluctuation detected in Sector 113!"
"Warning! Unknown material entity approaching at high speed! Estimated threat level: Maximum!"
"It's coming for us!"
Inside the central hive, countless spores expanded and burst. Biological currents carrying information, mixed with a strange psychic force, traveled along fungal pathways. Soon, the information detected by the sensors reached the core royal court.
"My King! An unknown powerful entity is rapidly approaching the left flank of our fleet. Unable to determine if it holds hostile intent."
The black eight-legged fungus processed all the information silently, receiving streams of biological currents.
According to the fleet's sensor predictions, a massive material entity was approaching them at three times the fleet's maximum speed. Whether this entity was friend or foe was indistinguishable, but at least they knew that with its speed, they couldn't escape.
"Estimated strength level: 'Star Devourer'... Prepare defensive measures. Have the feeding behemoths stop. Continue advancing towards the World Devourer in a defensive formation. Its target might also be the World Devourer, not us."
Such matters were temporarily beyond the Great Khan's purview. The black eight-legged fungus thought this and issued a second command: "All Shepherds and Breeders, cease work immediately. Leave the 'Empty Realm' and take refuge inside the behemoths."
Star Devourer-level existences are not rare in the multiverse. Not counting this lost star river, even in the World Star River where the eight-legged fungus originated, Star Devourers were quite numerous.
But there are also differences among Star Devourers. Some powerful Star Devourers, even just after sublimation, can suppress some veteran Star Devourers. And some Star Devourers, even after living for tens of thousands of years, might not see much increase in pure combat power... But being able to suppress other Star Devourers doesn't mean this expert has greater destructive power than others. Everything is relative.
Of course, this is also due to the different paths they choose.
In the World Fleet of the Star Shepherds, each behemoth possesses 'Star Devourer'-level power. This is the confidence that allows them to cross World Star Rivers, and it is the origin of their name, Star Shepherds.
Even in the multiverse, few races can accomplish such a feat: domesticating behemoths that traverse the void as servants. This is something they are proud of.
However, this was not something they actively sought. If their homeland hadn't been... In short, the Star Shepherds paid an unimaginable price and sacrificed countless eight-legged fungi to achieve this. Moreover, within the entire Star Shepherd race, only a few, called 'Kings,' the rulers of the Empty Realm, could control one or two behemoths. The one who truly domesticated and controlled all the behemoths was only one, the only one.
That was the supreme Great Khan.
Without the Great Khan, the Star Shepherds wouldn't have escaped their home star domain; they would have been destroyed along with their mother planet. Without the Great Khan, relying on the Star Shepherds' early simple ships and void warships, they couldn't have established a foothold in this multiverse, let alone thrive.
"All glory belongs to the Great Khan."
Muttering this in his heart, Kumosinda stopped paying attention to the suddenly appearing Star Devourer-level existence.
The entire World Fleet had over twenty behemoths. No existence would be crazy enough to oppose the entire Star Shepherd fleet.
Meanwhile, in the unknown world, in the elven camp, Priest and the others, who were trying to persuade the entire elven tribe to take refuge in the Aklafa Hub, didn't know what turmoil was brewing outside the void.
They didn't need to know. The inside and outside of the void are two different worlds.
"We cannot leave the Mother Tree."
Facing Priest's earnest advice, in the half-collapsed underground cave, the Stag-Crowned Elf organizing materials calmly refused again. "We are one with the Mother Tree."
"Nonsense! Elves and Mother Trees have never been one!"
Priest, who had been persuading for at least three and a half hours, had several times wanted to knock this stubborn old fool unconscious. If the other party wasn't Su Er's father, and if the spirits of these otherworldly elves weren't connected—knocking one out wouldn't help—he wouldn't be wasting his breath here. "So many elves on the Mycroft Continent roam all over the world! Your ancestors were the pioneers who first colonized the multiverse! How can you say you can't live without the Mother Tree?!"
Even the Father of Nature never constrained elves to his side, allowing them to evolve into forms that didn't need him, like various plains elves and mountain elves. Such a tenacious race, when did they become delicate darlings needing the Mother Tree's protection?!
But these arguments were useless. The Stag-Crowned Elf still shook his head. "No, leaving the Mother Tree, we will indeed die."
Hearing this, Priest was dumbfounded.
As if the entire elven tribe was impatient, the Stag-Crowned Elf slowly began to explain. "If we go too far from the Mother Tree, our spiritual connection will disappear... Many people have thus disappeared into the forest, as separate individuals, eroded by the otherworldly sickness, turning into monsters."
The Stag-Crowned Elf's expression was as gentle as ever, but without warmth. Even though the previous night had seen blood rain, earthquakes, and the coverage of a purification field, this elf still seemed indifferent to everything. The Stag-Crowned Elf said flatly, "We thank you for using the sacrificial holy mountain to drive away the otherworldly sickness for us. But we cannot leave the Mother Tree. The Mother Tree holds all the knowledge of our tribe. And becoming a separate individual is very painful for us."
Saying this, he seemed to look at Priest with some sympathy. "That feeling is like having no hands, no feet. Eyes that were once clear suddenly blur. Even amidst a crowd, you are alone... I can't even perceive the thoughts in the heart of the person next to me, don't know what they think of me, whether they hate me or respect me... This unknown and terrifying feeling is more frightening than any monster. It will tear apart the peace among us elves, bringing conflict and hatred between us... The otherworldly sickness spreads through this."
"...So you think we humans, who are alone, are pitiable?"
Calming down, Priest suppressed his anger at the wasted time and said with forced composure, "You mean, the reason Su Er became an outcast is because she's not in your network. You don't know what she thinks, likes, or fears, so you find her very unsociable?"
"Yes. You humans don't even know each other's thoughts and feelings... Can't share each other's pain, can't share each other's joy... And my daughter, unfortunately, cannot join us."
The Stag-Crowned Elf answered bluntly, without any hesitation. "So I let her go with you. Because in essence, she is more like you."
Hearing this, Priest even managed a smile. So it seemed that when those elves first invited them to join the spiritual network, they were actually acting with great goodwill! Their wariness towards these elves was indeed a bit paranoid.
But the other party having goodwill and being a good person doesn't mean their actions are right. Of course, it also doesn't mean they are wrong. After all, all the humans and dwarves that once existed in this world were dead, leaving only these elves who acted this way. This proves that, at least before, the elves' choice was correct.
But this doesn't mean that continuing to be stubborn when it's time to change is a praiseworthy persistence!
Priest subconsciously clenched his fist. He came to persuade these elves to take refuge in the Hub, not because of Su Er, but because he was the Count of the North, the student of the Legendary expert Radcliffe!
He was a warrior determined to fight for order!
From his teacher's teachings, Priest had known from the start that the differences between nations, powers, and races on Mycroft were trivial matters like floating clouds. Only the conflict between order and chaos was eternal and supreme. Since these elves still belonged to order and were descendants of the Legendary experts who once sealed the Evil God, they shouldn't be erased like garbage by the inevitable impact that would surely come.
Yes, the inevitable impact.
When Priest learned that the planet beneath his feet was likely a cage imprisoning an Evil God, he was so scared he almost fainted. If he hadn't been nearly half-dead from the information stream impact at that time, he definitely would have passed out.
And because he didn't faint, Priest also understood that if something went wrong with the seal, causing the slumbering Evil God to stop its self-annihilation transformation, the best outcome for this planet would be to be torn in half like an eggshell by the emerging Evil God.
Perhaps... just like that frozen world devoured by his teacher. It looked intact on the outside, but the inside was completely hollow.
That's why Priest wanted to drag these elves to the Hub for refuge and send a super-space-time signal as quickly as possible to notify the many experts of the Mycroft World to come and suppress the Evil God. This was the only way to save most lives.
But these elves were just stubborn, refusing to leave the Mother Tree!
Yes, the environment around the Mother Tree was good, with no earthquakes or various disasters. If the weather was dry, the Mother Tree would draw groundwater, even seawater, to distill fresh water. If the weather was hot, the Mother Tree would evaporate water to create cool air. Heat, humidity, heavy rain, blizzards—the Mother Tree could handle them all perfectly. It was the best living environment.
The Mother Tree even stored all production information. With abundant resources around, elves could live comfortably without thinking... But that was just living! This seemed like a comfortable paradise, but in reality, it was a hell!
A world where effort equals reward, where hard work leads to progress, where giving leads to gaining—that is a paradise! But a comfortable, peaceful, indulgent, lazy environment is pure poison for a civilization. Moreover, there was the Decay Evil God here, a Chaos entity that could weaken thinking ability and make people forget knowledge! If these elves continued to be so mediocre, then in a few thousand years, the ones living in the forest would be primitives!
"Damn it, I'm warning you one last time. It's not up to you to refuse now. If you still don't come with me, I'll..."
The more he thought, the angrier he got. The originally calm Priest was about to explode. His reckless energy rising, he was about to utter some harsh words and then knock out these local Gold-ranks, then hijack all the elves into the Aklafa Hub. Although they were all Gold-rank, the Elite Squad lived up to its name. Each of them was an expert that ordinary Gold-ranks couldn't match.
If they wanted, the five of them alone, by surprise attack, could eliminate most of the Watchman Elf tribe.
But suddenly, he smelled a strange, fragrant incense.
"This smell..." Priest's spirit jolted, but his heart was alert. The next moment, the Stag-Crowned Elf in front of him became unsteady on his feet. Even though he, as a Gold-rank expert, was immune to most toxins, his mind couldn't help but become dazed.
"Good opportunity!"
Priest didn't waste any words. He immediately stepped forward. Amidst a sharp sonic boom, a heavy collapsing punch hit the Stag-Crowned Elf's stomach, then a reverse hand chop knocked him out. The movements were fluid, like art.
After knocking him out, Priest roughly understood what was happening. He squinted, looked at the Stag-Crowned Elf he had taken down in one second, then carried him on his back and brought him out of the cave.
Out of the cave, as expected, Priest saw the Alchemist spraying potions everywhere. Large patches of elves were collapsed around the Mother Tree's roots, their limbs twitching.
"Hey, Captain, how's my special elven potion?"
The Alchemist, who was born with half-elf blood, stood at the roots of the Mother Tree, waving a small dark purple bottle in his hand, grinning. "High-dose psychic stimulant! These elves have spiritual empathy, right? I made a few thousand of them high together, high to the point of mental confusion!"
Priest saw that the other three Gold-ranks of the Watchman tribe were also collapsed in various places. The Knight, Clergy, and Spellcaster were using fishing nets and tree trunks to make a square hanging basket, stuffing piles of unconscious elves into it, and then taking turns flying, bringing them back to the Aklafa Hub.
"These elves are really kind. They helped us make these hanging baskets." The Alchemist looked at this scene, seeming quite proud. Seeing that his psychic stimulant was almost used up, he pulled another bottle from his waist and used magic to evenly disperse it into the air.
"Using addictive narcotics on friendly natives. Your report will be hard to write. Get ready for a reprimand and confinement."
Priest deliberately put on a stern face and said fiercely, "You also need to explain why you carry this explicitly prohibited addictive substance. That's a crime!"
"Injustice! Injustice! I'm an Alchemist! An Alchemist making a stimulant, can that be called a crime?!" The Alchemist immediately pretended to be pitiful and defended himself. But before he could finish, Priest smiled and threw the Stag-Crowned Elf on his shoulder to him. "Take him back too. Then no one will know about this. I'll go to the seaside first. There should be some elves working there."
"Alright. The Knight and I will come to pick you up later. Remember to arrange them neatly. If not, just drag them all away."
The Alchemist didn't say much. Their cooperation needed no words. The training course for the External Exploration Team even included a 'communicating with eyes' course! With just a glance, the five quickly divided the work, leaving Su Er alone, looking blankly at the large pile of collapsed elves with blissful expressions, not knowing what to do.
"Hey, sis... Miss Su Er, help put your compatriots into the hanging baskets too."
The Spellcaster was using magic to neatly place elves into the baskets. Seeing Su Er's dazed look, he couldn't help but laugh. "You're our accomplice now. Don't just stand there."
"Mm... Right."
Su Er wasn't stupid. She naturally knew that Priest and the others were doing this to help the elves, and these elves didn't seem to be in any pain... Since that was the case, Su Er threw off her mental burden and began cheerfully carrying a sleeping elf and throwing it into the hanging basket. "Heave-ho!"
A few minutes later.
Priest had already arrived at the seaside.
There were indeed some elves preparing to fish by the sea. But it seemed the tide hadn't receded yet, so they weren't working, just waiting on the beach. And because of the spiritual empathy, these elves, like their compatriots in the tribe, had all fainted with overly excited expressions.
"Spiritual empathy has this downside too... Learned something new."
Shaking his head, Priest neatly stacked all the elven fishermen together. After doing this, he stood on the high beach edge, waiting for the Alchemist and Knight to arrive later.
At this time, the sky was just beginning to lighten. He squinted, looking into the distance.
Dawn broke at the horizon line. A slightly dim orange star leaped out of the water.
Priest watched the seemingly heatless sunlight shine on the sea, causing the breaking waves along the shore to reflect countless points of light. He let out a breath and sat down on the sandy beach, relaxing his muscles and body that had been overly tense for the past half day and were still tight.
On a normal day, those elven fishermen would have started working long ago. They would have set sail when the morning tide just began to recede, casting nets and fishing with laughter. Priest knew how they lived, and he knew how comfortable, peaceful, and reassuring that life was.
How peaceful it was.
Priest liked this peace. He wanted his sister to live in such a world. Who wouldn't want that? Such a tranquil sea, such beautiful scenery, a world like a garden. Anyone would be captivated by it.
But such peace could never have any future.
Peace and abundant resources would destroy a civilization's ambition. Moreover, this civilization had no internal conflicts. They weren't an ant colony, born to reproduce and spread. They were ordinary life, but with a shared spirit.
"Humans are flawed. To be precise, human flaws are so great that they can't be fully described in a few words."
Priest could vaguely hear a voice. It was his teacher, Joshua van Radcliffe. That powerful Legendary expert was always very serious when teaching, unreservedly sharing his thoughts with his disciples. "Humans are selfish, cruel, kill each other, have no bottom line. Because they have a self-will that can overcome instinct, they can become more beastly than beasts. They can even coldly watch the death and end of other people, even other civilizations, without a ripple in their hearts, even with pleasure."
"Humans don't understand other humans, and won't try to understand them. No one can truly empathize with another. Everyone's suffering is their own suffering, and happiness is their own happiness. So humans envy, compare, detest, and hate."
The teacher's voice was low, as if it could pierce the deepest part of the heart. He mercilessly dissected the base nature of humanity, but his tone held no condemnation.
Because this was never a condemnation.
Yes, elves are agile, united within their tribe. Even with conflicts, they can resolve them quickly. They are intelligent, flexible, adaptable, and full of adventurous spirit. Their long lifespan gives them enough confidence.
Yes, dwarves are strong and tough. Their will is so strong that even molten lava burning their bodies won't draw a single scream. They can repeat the same work day after day, without a single complaint or boredom, even if a mountain is hollowed out.
Yes, every race has unique strengths. Winged humans can fly. The courage in their hearts supports them to soar in the sky, fearless of any challenge. Orcs are stubborn as stone. Once they make up their minds, they will step forward without hesitation, even facing a mountain of swords and a sea of fire.
Halflings, goblins, harpies, lizardmen, centaurs... Those extinct and not yet extinct races, each has its own characteristics. The civilization of every race is so unique.
Only humans seem to have nothing, their bodies full of countless flaws.
"Whatever."
Priest suddenly laughed. He looked up, gazing at the nine moons that hadn't yet faded in the high sky. "Although it's not peaceful at all, and every step is a crisis... What does it matter?"
Although living in a world that is not a paradise, full of suffering, although hearts cannot connect, preventing everyone from understanding each other's thoughts... Although everyone is full of flaws.
But it is precisely this humanity, with countless flaws, selfish, cold, conservative, cautious, with infinite desires.
That is humanity.
Because of selfishness, there is selflessness. Because of coldness, there is passion. Humans are both humble and brutal, both sincere and cruel.
Precisely because we are all conservative, cautious, selfish, and arrogant ordinary people. Precisely because we live in a world that is not peaceful, full of conflict.
That is why, generation after generation, adventurers leave their hometowns alone, carrying dreams unknown to anyone, belonging only to themselves, and stride forward without hesitation, heading into the distance.