The Herrscher still did not care. It was not used often, and its Destruction energy replenishment speed was far inferior to that of this vessel itself.
Thus, the song did not merely ring out within the Sea of Consciousness. It reached the ears of every living creature across the world, and even those earlier words were broadcast aloud.
"This is... Chang'an's voice." Eden touched her ear, delight written across her face.
"It seems he's fine. You can rest easy now." Mobius touched her ear as well and let out a sigh of relief.
Being able to transmit his voice like this was enough to prove that Ye Chang'an was in decent condition and had not died because of the Herrscher's appearance.
Old K was left somewhat dumbfounded by the voice. Seeing the Herrscher on the satellite feed not moving his lips, he found it baffling.
"Say my name when a tree susurrates~"
A soothing voice began to sing, and the whole world listened together.
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Ye Chang'an sang with complete devotion. Every line reminded him of Elysia's story.
And as he remembered, the vast ocean of consciousness beyond the land began to surge.
Pink petals appeared in the sky, while blue waves crashed across the sea.
The world, overflowing due to the Chang'an Melody, responded to the emotions he poured into his song and manifested the image of the girl from it.
This had always been one of the Chang'an Melody's effects. It was just that whenever Ye Chang'an made music, he became so immersed that he forgot himself and had never noticed the changes within the Sea of Consciousness.
Even now, it was the same.
Ye Chang'an was immersed in the beauty of the music, completely unable to see the girl formed from waves and drifting petals beyond the land.
The sea level began to fall, every source of water becoming nourishment for the girl.
In the end, the Sea of Consciousness dried up, revealing countless springs and a bottomless, boundless abyss.
"New stories have yet to start~"
The singing stopped. The Sea of Consciousness dried up, and the petals ceased to fall.
Ye Chang'an closed his eyes to savor the lingering tune, a contented smile on his lips.
The girl remained suspended high in the air with her eyes closed, like a doll meticulously crafted by an artisan of the heavenly palace, bearing Elysia's likeness.
But a doll was still only a doll. She was not truly Elysia.
Until Ye Chang'an murmured contentedly, "Answer me, Elysia~"
After performing this character song that belonged to Elysia all by himself, Ye Chang'an could not help muttering that famous line.
Unlike Mei's shout, it was only a gentle call.
Those words reached the audience in the Sea of Consciousness, as well as every human on the Herrscher's side.
~
~
Everyone, including the soldiers watching the Destruction-side Herrschers fight among themselves, heard Ye Chang'an's song and became utterly absorbed.
How could they describe that feeling? It was simply fresh.
Because this style was entirely different from Sleepless Chang'an's previous songs, chiefly because of the difference in accompaniment.
Sleepless Chang'an had never held a concert with a band. Either they used finished melodies as accompaniment, or they simply accompanied one another.
There was no need to mention the latter. One person could not play too many instruments, so the accompaniment was relatively monotonous.
The former had richer accompaniment, but the listening experience was merely passable.
Digital media limited the accompaniment they could create, while the band's playing techniques could not keep up with their skills.
That was why Ye Chang'an and Eden's concerts had always been imperfect, at least by their own standards.
But now, this one-man band accompaniment was perfect. It gave everyone a fresh experience and drew them in of their own accord.
As they listened to the melody and the song, the deeply emotional performance was incredibly infectious, and the story and image of a pink-haired girl involuntarily surfaced in their minds.
That girl, who made people yearn for her, won everyone's affection in the span of a single song.
"Answer me, Elysia~"
Ye Chang'an's murmur reached them, letting them know the pink-haired girl's name and igniting the longing in their hearts.
"Answer me, Elysia!" Someone could not help crying out with him, but he was only the first.
Then came the second, third, fourth... Everyone who could speak could not help saying it. Those who could not speak screamed it madly in their hearts.
At that moment, all humanity was calling for Elysia.
Even the Pseudo-Arbiters fighting Death Warriors and Honkai Beasts spoke in unison.
"Answer me, Elysia!!!"
They had heard Ye Chang'an's voice as well. Their collective howl left even the Herrscher dumbfounded.
What kind of sight was it when all humanity called out one person's name?
What kind of power was it when all humanity longed for one person's arrival?
The Herrscher did not know, but the converging voices and wills could be conveyed.
~
~
"Answer me, Elysia!" The audience within the Sea of Consciousness shouted in unison. Their cries had been guided by the song, just like those outside, but they were not cries of submission to the song.
Music never forced others. Music that forced others was not music, but a tool.
Ye Chang'an deeply loved music and would never treat it as a tool.
Therefore, this cry was humanity's own will, love born from humanity through the song.
Love for Elysia.
"..." Invisible wills converged into a river and flowed into the heart of the girl, who was merely a doll.
Her eyelids began to tremble, and her body began to fall.
In the end, she fell into the boundless abyss and merged with the cocoon-like object at its bottom.
Perhaps she would grow within it. Or perhaps she would be rejected as an anomaly.
Ye Chang'an did not know. He only snapped out of the lingering melody and opened his eyes, then received a bewildering response from 001.
"Host, there is no Elysia in this simulated parallel world. She cannot answer you."
Customer service truly was customer service. It answered all questions within its responsibilities.
Even though Ye Chang'an had not asked one.
But hearing that sentence now... nearly made him stupid.
PS: A quick explanation: the essence of the Sword Heart Art was Divine Sound, the thing from the Divine Sound Experiment.
The Sword Heart Art was something Fu Hua modified in the Current Civilization while discussing it with a friend, in order to suit the martial arts style of Shenzhou.
Fu Hua did not understand the essence of Divine Sound, so she could only add certain things onto its foundation. In other words, the Sword Heart Art contained things that only Fu Hua possessed, such as—Feather Dust.
That was why those who cultivated the Sword Heart Art developed such an odd thing as a Sword Heart. It could be considered part of the Herrscher of Knowledge's authority.
Since the Herrscher of Knowledge's authority was at work, having a Sea of Consciousness Space seemed perfectly normal.
PS2: Also, Elysia's birth was actually quite confusing. As a Herrscher of the Previous Civilization, why would the Cocoon of the End create an anomaly like her? Did the program bug out? And how did that bug happen?
So I came up with this plot: she was born from all humanity's love, fell into the Cocoon of the End, and was then expelled by the cocoon as an anomaly, descending into the world as a Herrscher.
That was why this simulated world had no trace of Elysia's activities. In the earlier list of people watching the livestream, I did not include Elysia, Kalpas, or Griseo. That counted as foreshadowing planted beforehand.
Spoiler: the protagonist will also have to make a trip to the Cocoon of the End before he can regain control of his body. As for what kind of being he will become in the end... just think about his surname.
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World: 37. I Will Draw Near the End and Return to Eden's Side
"There's no Elysia? What does that mean?"
The man who had been looking so satisfied turned utterly bewildered. This was the second-most bewildered he had ever been in his simulated life.
The first time was when Eden confessed to him.
"It means exactly what it says. Elysia did not exist in the original world this simulation is based on. Kalpas did not exist either."
001 explained calmly, leaving Ye Chang'an even more bewildered.
Damn it, Brother Kalpas was gone!
Without Elysia and Kalpas, could this world even still be played? Two major carries were missing!
"Why don't they exist? And what do you mean by the original world of this simulation?"
There were too many questions. His brain could not keep up.
He wanted to borrow someone's brain.
"The original world is a world that once existed and serves as the reference for this simulation."
001 answered patiently, and Ye Chang'an was completely dumbfounded.
"A world that once existed..." he murmured. The more he thought about it, the stranger it felt, because it differed from his original understanding.
Then he fell silent.
He looked at the microphone in his hand and the instruments floating around him, then at the millions of audience members below, all fired up by the song just now. A faint smile gradually tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"So what if this world is fake?"
He chuckled softly. This revelation, which overturned everything he believed, did not strike him down.
Because in this false world, he had found something real: the heart that Eden and the audience had awakened within him.
He loved music.
He had loved it before, and he loved it even more now.
Thus, he was not disturbed by what was false or real. He strolled to the front of the stage, looked at the audience, spread his arms, and declared loudly,
"Everyone, I need your help.
Please lend me your strength and let me return to the world that belongs to us."
To live wholeheartedly in this false world, he needed the strength of these millions of people to reclaim his own body.
"Alright!"
Millions shouted together, agreeing to his request without hesitation before transforming into spiritual light and pouring into his body.
These people were already dead. The moment they had been flooded and corroded by Destruction energy and turned into Death Warriors, they had all died.
But Ye Chang'an did not need to collect the fragments of their remaining souls, because their relationship with him differed from Walter's relationship with those three hundred thousand people.
Walter and those three hundred thousand had been strangers, merely victims of the same disaster, bound together by the same hope.
But these people knew Ye Chang'an. They were his fans, and they loved music as well.
At that moment, Ye Chang'an's love for music did not come solely from himself. It also came from millions of fans.
With every stream of spiritual light that entered him, Ye Chang'an could feel that fan's delight upon first encountering music and the excitement they felt upon finding music they loved.
Humanity had always pursued beauty, and people would engrave the moments when they attained beauty deep into their souls.
Ye Chang'an accepted it and felt it, the smile at his lips never fading.
His mind became clear. It seemed he had borrowed some brains.
He had borrowed millions of brains.
Yet he still could not sense the projection's existence. It seemed the Herrscher personality was not within his Sea of Consciousness.
The Herrschers of the Previous Civilization had no personalities!
Ye Chang'an instantly arrived at the answer. Looking at the empty seats, he bowed deeply.
Then he rose and flew away, determined to find a way to reclaim his body.
When he saw the dried-up Sea of Consciousness, he paused slightly before locking onto the enormous abyss at its center.
Before you continue