"Until the world reaches its end."
Surpassing even the permanence of the sea and stone, Eden smiled, raised a hand to hook around his neck, rose to kiss his cheek, and then leaned on his shoulder to whisper,
"Then after the end of the world, will you meet me again?"
???
It was a strange question. Ye Chang'an was puzzled, pushed Eden away, and stared into her golden eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"I heard another Eden from 'Eden', an Eden without you."
Eden spoke softly, leaving Ye Chang'an speechless.
The song "Eden" was sung for Eden, filled with Ye Chang'an's feelings for her.
Yet these feelings did not stop at childhood-friend Eden; they also mingled with a trace of the Eden from the game.
After all, without his knowledge of the game, Ye Chang'an would not have continued this simulation, and would have committed suicide to return to the real world right after school on the day his memories awoke.
His emotions had been consistent from start to finish, and Eden had heard the difference between that start and finish.
"Chang'an, you've seen that Eden who walked to the end of the world with it, haven't you?"
Eden asked clearly, and Ye Chang'an nodded in silence.
It was impossible to hide; they were both far too sensitive to music.
"Hee~ Hubby, you're amazing, even the end of the world can't compare to you."
Eden smiled, a smile that carried a certain complexity.
After all, she could not compare to the end of the world.
"You're wrong, Eden." Ye Chang'an shook his head in denial, correcting her, "The present me cannot compare to the end of the world at all; I will only perish along with the world."
Such was the difference between an outsider and an insider; 001 had already told him the ending.
"Ah?" Eden was surprised, not quite understanding what he meant by the present me.
He could beat it before, but couldn't now? It was all rather odd.
She didn't delve deeper, only saying with regret, "Then if there's another me after the end of the world, I'll be in trouble. Who knows, maybe I'll wither away as gorgeously as the Eden in the song."
It was a strange sentiment, and Ye Chang'an chuckled, starting to tease her.
"Then shouldn't I also sigh for another me after the end of the world? I might not necessarily meet you, you know."
"That's different." Eden shook her head, explaining, "You like so many people, and you're so talented, you'd be happy whether you met me or not."
"(⊙o⊙)... What? So many people I like?" Ye Chang'an was blank, not quite understanding how Eden had figured it out.
He had never shown it, and had never slipped up.
"Elysia, do you dare say you don't like her?" Eden moved her face closer and issued a challenge, leaving Ye Chang'an a bit numb.
He vaguely remembered that the song "TruE" had been broadcast globally, so he nodded honestly.
Once again, it was impossible to hide.
"I knew it." Eden smiled with a hint of triumph, leaving Ye Chang'an somewhat bewildered.
"You're not jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous? You liking her doesn't conflict with liking me, and besides, I like her a lot too." Eden rolled her eyes, truly looking nothing like she was jealous.
She was truly the head of the church of Aili, fond of her to such an extent even before they had met.
Ye Chang'an gave a wry smile and let out a soft sigh.
--Too bad you two no longer have the chance to meet.
This world did not have Elysia.
However, Eden knew nothing of this and enthusiastically suggested, "Hubby, once you see Aili in the future, go ahead and pursue her."
"(⊙o⊙)... Do you even hear yourself?"
"I'm being very serious. Go on and chase after her, I'm sure she'd get along with me."
"No, no, no, this isn't a question of getting along, it's that we're already married. You're telling your hubby to chase other girls, what are you thinking? Have you lost your mind?"
"I haven't lost my mind, it's just... it's just..." Eden trailed off, blushing as she leaned close to whisper in his ear.
Well, she simply couldn't take it anymore and needed someone to share the fire.
"I can hold back." Ye Chang'an raised a hand to declare his resolve.
"How exhausting is it to hold back?" Eden pressed his hand down and continued, "Besides, if you hold back to the limit and end up acting rashly, it'll only be more trouble. Better to find someone you like beforehand, I don't mind."
The topic grew increasingly bizarre, and Ye Chang'an hurriedly covered her mouth to stop Eden from uttering such incriminatory words.
Some seeds should never be planted, lest they take root and sprout.
"Mmph~" The prolonged muffling left Eden out of breath; she barely managed to push Ye Chang'an away, her eyes swimming with seductive charm as she said,
"Hubby, I can't walk anymore, carry me back to the room."
No words were needed; he scooped her up and hurried away.
Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World : 42. A World That Leads to the Future
On the night of December 31st, New Year's Eve.
Ye Chang'an and Eden prepared a warm New Year's Eve dinner at home.
They had already learned some simple cooking skills. It wasn't luxurious, but it was very cozy.
If he used his authority, he could have conjured a full imperial feast in an instant, but Ye Chang'an rarely applied his authority to daily life.
He wanted to live like an ordinary person, and die like an ordinary person.
"There are 320 minutes left until the end of the world. Enjoy this last dinner with Eden properly." 001 stated gloomily, choosing not to use simulation logs for the reminder.
Ye Chang'an basically never looked at those anyway.
"Thanks." Expressing gratitude to the empty air, Ye Chang'an smiled faintly as he dined with Eden, showing not the slightest trace of abnormality.
It was merely an ending he had long since accepted.
Ever since he learned that this was a simulated world modeled after a world that had once existed, he had guessed this outcome.
In this kind of simulated world, he could change the fates of individuals, yet he could not change the fate of the world.
The prototype world had perished before January 1st arrived.
Perhaps human civilization had failed to pass the trial of the Arbiter of Reason, or perhaps for other reasons, who knew.
It no longer mattered.
"Eden, let's play a duet." Entering the courtyard, Ye Chang'an issued a duet invitation to Eden.
"Alright, what shall we play?"
Eden accepted with a smile, and together they played "Requiem".
It was a rather untimely piece of music, and Eden was puzzled, yet she followed along and played.
Destruction energy silently operated to amplify the sound, shrouding all of humanity across the globe beneath the "Requiem".
"Tch, playing again." Mobius clicked her tongue, put down her research, and found a spot to rest and listen.
She now enjoyed savoring music this way, though she had never expected to fall asleep while listening.
The rest of humanity was the same, sinking into slumber amidst the sleep-inducing melody.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and fell asleep because of the "Requiem".
Even Eden was no exception.
Ye Chang'an put down his instrument and used his authority to control the performance, his blue eyes gradually blooming with red light.
The authority of the Arbiter of Sound Reason bloomed completely at this moment, as he analyzed this entire world destined to vanish.
"I thought you would quietly accept your fate." 001 spoke up, knowing what Ye Chang'an was doing.
He was turning the falsehood into reality.
He was borrowing the data contained within the system-simulated world and recreating it with the authority of the Arbiter of Reason.
Music became his eyes and ears, allowing him to clearly and completely observe the entire planet.
He took the world as a whole, analyzed the world, and recreated the world.
"I'm not someone who likes yielding to fate."
Ye Chang'an replied casually, and boundless destruction energy surged from within his body, soaring into the sky to begin constructing a planet amid the boundless starry expanse.
The Earth's core, mantle, and crust...
The globe plunged into darkness as a new Earth blocked out all sunlight.
Land, mountains, rivers, and vegetation reappeared one by one on the new Earth, and the shells of buildings and living creatures also began to emerge within it.
"You lack the authority of the Herrscher of Knowledge, the living beings you conjure are nothing more than empty shells."
"I know."
This was merely an attempt, an attempt of refusal to submit to fate.
Since the ending of death could not be altered, why not risk his life to go all out for it.
For the sake of this life he loved so deeply, he would stake everything.
The body that served as the Arbiter Core could no longer support such a massive outpouring of destruction energy, and cracks appeared, which Ye Chang'an ignored.
The authority operating at full capacity was draining his spirit dry; even with the blessing of the mental fragments of millions of people, he still felt exhausted, yet he persisted.
"There are 10 minutes left until the end of the world."
"Thanks."
His body was already too shattered to stand; Ye Chang'an collapsed onto the ground like a dead dog, gasping heavily, his breath sounding like a bellows.
He paid it no mind, squeezing his exhausted spirit to drive his authority, and forcing his shattered physique to mobilize destruction energy.
Everything from the old Earth appeared on the new Earth, including Eden, but excluding him.
The destruction energy required for his own body to manifest was simply too vast, surpassing even the entire new Earth.
He had no spare strength to create himself.
"3 minutes left."
"..."
He could not speak, but he knew it was enough.
An instrument materialized beside him, and he began to play a symphony for the people of the world.
"Chapter of Creation: Journey to a New World"
It carried no special meaning, merely named as such, filled to the brim with his boundless expectations.
The magnificent chapter of an era should not draw its curtain like this.
A wandering soul yearns for a new birth.
A new home has already been created for you.
Go.
Go to the new home.
Go to the new world.
Go to the new future.
Music is voiceless, yet emotion has a voice.
Every person listening dreamed a dream, and within the dream lay a road with no end in sight.
Before you continue