Chapter 306
In a sense, Kevin trusted Ai Yue even more than he trusted Dr. Mei. If something came from Dr. Mei, he would at least ask more questions, but if it was something Ai Yue proposed, he would simply carry it out.
Not just him, but anyone who knows Ai Yue would probably place the same level of trust in him. After all, it would be hard to find another person in this world who possesses such powerful abilities as Ai Yue and is also willing to help humanity unconditionally.
His ideas may seem somewhat shocking, but he would never do anything harmful to humanity—otherwise, no civilization would have survived to this day.
"It's already shut down." After the massive mechanical construct stopped operating, Kevin continued, "Besides that, is there anything else I need to do?"
"You don't need to worry about the rest," Ai Yue said casually, then added as if remembering something, "Oh, things might get a bit noisy later, so if possible, try to calm things down."
Appeasement work? Appease whom? The Post-Civilization generation?
Kevin wanted to ask something more, but Ai Yue had already disconnected.
Just as he was hesitating whether to stay in the Sea of Quantum to see what was going on or return to the Real World to meet up with the others, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
That was a kind of keen perception formed after a long stay in the Sea of Quantum —in Kevin's current perception, the Sea of Quantum seemed to have become "lively".
It was a feeling that was hard to describe. It was as if, in the dead of night, a sudden burst of dense sounds broke out, as if countless people were whispering, or as if hundreds or thousands of people were walking past him in groups.
Kevin quickly realized that this strange situation actually represented only one thing: the Sea of Quantum was "boiling".
Some special force is stimulating this chaotic and disordered realm, causing its internal energy to surge violently at an unprecedented level. If the Zhenhai were still operating normally at this moment, Kevin would be able to see directly from the monitoring data of the mechanical creations just how "turbulent" the Sea of Quantum is now.
In other words, Kevin's current strength can be considered quite heavyweight; otherwise, he might have already been overturned by such an exaggerated energy reaction.
It's started so soon?
Just as Kevin was lost in thought, another call came in, "Kevin? What's the situation on your end?"
This time, the person who contacted him was Hua—currently the highest-ranking person in charge of the entire project, who had matured rapidly during this period.
The price is that her voice always betrays an undeniable weariness.
"Ai Yue just found me..." Kevin briefly described what had just happened, "That's about it. Did he not tell you?"
"Mr. Ai Yue only mentioned it briefly, saying that I could ask you directly for details," Hua sighed, "But as of now, only he knows the specifics."
"Could things be chaotic in the real world?" Kevin keenly sensed something from Hua's tone. "I'll go back immediately."
"No, Kevin, you can't move. We need a strong enough person to oversee the Sea of Quantum so everyone can feel at ease." Hua rejected Kevin's suggestion and said seriously, "Besides, the situation here... just like Mr. Ai Yue said, we can only do some appeasement."
Clearly, Kevin is of little use when it comes to appeasement.
"I understand." Kevin understood this himself, so he didn't say anything more. "Then good luck to you guys?"
"Hmm." After ending her communication with Kevin, Hua turned her gaze to the other side. "Just as you thought, Seele ... the situation is the same over in the Sea of Quantum."
"Is that really how it is?" Seele's tone carried a hint of worry. "First the Imaginary Tree, then the Sea of Quantum... Mr. Ai Yue, what exactly is he planning to do by simultaneously manipulating the forces of both sides?"
Clearly, Ai Yue did not only approach Kevin, nor did he merely activate the energy of the Sea of Quantum; now, a surging torrent of energy is also flowing through the Imaginary Tree.
No one knew this better than Seele, who was in the observation center. At this moment, she could even feel the entire observation center shaking violently due to the intense energy reaction. If Ai Yue hadn't given them a heads-up beforehand, they probably wouldn't have been able to maintain their observation status.
"I don't know either, but since Mr. Ai Yue has taken action, it means he may have found a way to remedy the flaws in the rules of this world." Hua gazed quietly at the sky. "But what will the price be?"
At this moment, the sky above her head was shrouded in unprecedentedly thick dark clouds, and even though it was midday and the sun was blazing in Hua's area, she could not feel any warmth from the sun.
Even when looking at the sun through thick clouds, all she could see was a sphere emitting an eerie blue light.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth, Kiana also sent a message. In the other hemisphere at night, the sky was unobstructed, and the stars and moon were clearly visible—except that the moon was also radiating a terrifying crimson light.
The blue sun and the red moon—is this why Ai Yue said he needed to do a good job of appeasing people? After all, people in this era haven't yet developed a correct understanding of Tianwen phenomena, and seeing such a scene can easily lead them to associate it with some metaphysical matters.
After all, in this era, unusual celestial phenomena are mostly considered "ominous omens." If people cannot break free from this atmosphere of panic, it's hard to say what kind of chaos it might cause.
Just as Hua was pondering how to appease the situation, he received an even more indescribable message.
That was a communication from the Cocoon of Finality--
"Elysia, could you please repeat that?" Upon hearing Elysia's words, Hua's face showed utter confusion. "What do you mean by 'the whole world has fallen into a state of stillness'?"
"It means exactly what it says. Although time is still passing, the operation of space has 'stagnated'," Elysia's tone was no less confused than Hua's. Clearly, even she was finding it difficult to understand the current situation. "The more crucial point is that Earth probably won't be rotating between day and night anymore."
In other words, will this situation continue for a long time?
Before Hua could think too much, he heard slightly hurried footsteps behind him.
She turned around and saw a woman dressed in a dragon robe and wearing a crown walking towards her in a flustered manner. This woman, who was now the highest ruler of the land of Shenzhou, had lost her usual majesty. Her face was full of worry and doubt. "Immortal, what is this strange phenomenon?"
As the strongest being in the current theory of Shenzhou civilization, she was obviously able to see through the thick clouds and perceive the sun's eerie blue light.
Although she unified the country, she did not secure her position. If such a situation were exploited by someone with ulterior motives, who knows what kind of chaos it would cause.
Of course, what she's more worried about now is whether this situation will directly lead to disaster, since such things have happened before.
"No need to worry, if any disaster does occur, we will naturally help you resolve it." Although the outcome was still uncertain, Hua still had to maintain a calm and composed demeanor. "Besides, we also need to be prepared—this situation will continue for some time."
"Will this continue for a while?" The ruler paused, then asked with concern, "How long will it last?"
"Yes, how long will it last?" Hua sighed softly, muttering to herself in a voice only she could hear, "Mr. Ai Yue, are you alright?"
Just as Hua had worried, Ai Yue's condition was not good at the moment.
Simultaneously drawing upon the energy of the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quantum to infuse this world was undoubtedly an extremely insane decision, so insane that even Ai Yue dared not tell Kevin and the others the true nature of the plan, for fear of provoking their opposition.
More importantly, such a powerful and uncontrollable force must not be directly injected into this world. Otherwise, the storm stirred up by the two conflicting forces would be enough to tear the already fragile world to pieces—and given the special nature of this world at present, it doesn't even have the chance to turn into World Bubble and survive.
Therefore, a "filter" that can simultaneously accommodate two forces and even transform them for one's own use becomes a necessary condition.
So, does such a thing exist? Yes, brother, yes.
That was Ai Yue himself.
"You're insane! How could you do something like this?"
After ending her communication with Hua, Elysia's consciousness detached from the real world and turned to "look" in the other direction. "I must have been crazy to agree to cooperate with you."
"Haha, after all, we're kind of people, I knew you'd agree." Not far from the Cocoon of Finality, a figure emitting white light flickered intermittently, and Ai Yue's voice came from within, "This is for the safety of billions of people, how can we not do it?"
"Billions of people?" Elysia sighed softly, then suddenly said, "What if I said that I value your safety more than these billions of people? What would you do then?"
"Hey, don't joke like that," Ai Yue was taken aback at first, then laughed, "That's why I didn't ask Aponia and the others for help, just to avoid that possibility."
More than the risks of bearing these two forces, Ai Yue was worried about whether the Post-Civilization he had preserved within his body would be affected.
This is also why he sought Elysia's help—relying on the special nature of the Cocoon of Finality, Elysia could temporarily replace Ai Yue to maintain the stability of the Post-Civilization information state. In this way, Ai Yue could face the impact of the two forces in a nearly intact state.
"...Hmph." Elysia made a cryptic sound and didn't continue the conversation. "The information has been received, but you'd better hurry up and finish it, I can't store it for long."
Elysia's tone turned unusually cold, as if conveying a sense of "not really wanting to talk to you."
"Then I'll leave it to you." Ai Yue smiled. "Don't worry, it won't be long. I'll be right back."
"Wait!" Elysia suddenly called out to Ai Yue again, "It'll be very painful, won't it? If you can't hold on, just give up. We still have a long time; we'll always find a way."
"That won't do. This isn't just an opportunity for the world, it's also my opportunity." Ai Yue's response was without hesitation or doubt. "Don't worry, when have I ever failed?"
After leaving those words, his figure completely disappeared from Elysia's perception.
In the space where the Cocoon of Finality resided, only a soft sigh remained.
Elysia didn't know was that Ai Yue's plan had no way out—from the moment he chose to activate the two forces, the plan had only one path left: it had to succeed.
The plan had already begun the instant Elysia received all the information from the Post-Civilization.
Ai Yue, who had left Elysia with an air of confidence, let out a muffled groan the next moment. At this moment, the stone statue he left on the moon was covered with cracks all over its body, like a broken piece of porcelain, which could shatter into pieces at any time.
Within those cracks, one could vaguely see three different forces reacting violently to each other—the golden light representing the Imaginary Tree and the dark blue light representing the Sea of Quantum were intertwined, each collision leaving a crack on the statue's surface.
Meanwhile, the white light, representing the Power of Light, struggled to move between them, trying to squeeze in between, divide them, suppress them, or even assimilate them.
Under Ai Yue's intervention, the situation finally improved, but the clash between the two forces could not be completely avoided. The more he suppressed it, the more intense the resistance became. In fact, as time went on, the cracks on the statue not only did not decrease, but showed signs of worsening.
If things continue like this, neither side will be saved—so why dwell on a crippled body?
The Power of Light itself can serve as a vessel, can't it?
As Ai Yue's thoughts shifted, the giant's statue gradually lit up with a dazzling light. The white light was so radiant that people in the dark hemisphere could see a glimmer of white light in the crimson moon when they looked up.
However, the light quickly dimmed again, but in the Sea of Laws no one could reach, the scroll woven from golden threads was once again stained with the familiar white.
That was Ai Yue's last attempt, after completely abandoning his "self" and pouring everything into this place.
Chapter Twelve: He fled, he pursued; they could not escape even with wings.
An unusual color suddenly appeared within the golden scroll woven from the threads of law.
Ai Yue transformed everything within himself into pure Power of Light, carrying the power of the trees and the sea, and crashed headlong into this area where no external force should have intervened.
Thus, the once calm and peaceful Sea of Laws was suddenly confronted with a "storm" beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Among these, the most striking is the Power of Light that Ai Yue controls.
With the skill accumulated through repeated attempts, Ai Yue's consciousness rapidly expanded the moment it entered the Sea of Laws, firmly grasping the area belonging to the Earth-Moon system within the golden scroll.
This is why the Earth in the real world exhibits the strange phenomenon of "stagnation," which is a manifestation of Ai Yue forcibly locking down the underlying rules to protect it from external influences.
The reason for doing this is to prevent people on Earth from being affected by the upcoming "world riots".
Because under the guidance of Ai Yue, the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quantum also touched this area.
Despite the Power of Light of Ai Yue acting as a conduit and filter, the characteristics of these two forces could not be completely eliminated. As they surged into the Sea of Laws, their diametrically opposed properties began to influence the underlying rules of this world.
In Ai Yue's vision, the Imaginary Tree, as one of the fundamental forces that created this world, should tend to maintain the stability of the underlying rules, while the inherently chaotic and uncertain Sea of Quantum will inevitably interfere with the underlying rules, thus inevitably stirring up huge waves here.
However, compared to the direct collision of the two forces, this "battle" that interferes with the laws of the world is obviously more conducive to Ai Yue's observation and understanding of the operation of the world's rules. Moreover, after being filtered by the Power of Light, the conflict between the two forces is no longer so intense, so there is no need to worry about directly ruining the entire world.
However, the "raging waves" that Ai Yue had imagined did not materialize.
The power of the Imaginary Tree easily merged into the Sea of Laws. If Ai Yue hadn't been so familiar with this place, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect that dark gold, different from the underlying rules, within the golden hue.
Compared to the Imaginary Tree, which thrived in its environment, the power of the Sea of Quantum was far more glaring. Its appearance also encountered the most intense resistance from this Sea of Laws.
Countless threads of law trembled and resonated, releasing intense energy fluctuations, seemingly trying to expel the power of the Sea of Quantum from this place. However, their resistance appeared weak and powerless, even ineffective, when faced with the Sea of Quantum.
After all, in terms of status, the power of the Sea of Quantum is significantly higher than that of the world's rules. As an existence that can stand on equal footing with the Imaginary Tree, even if its power has been weakened to some extent by the Power of Light, it is still far beyond what a small-scale world can withstand.
The energy fluctuations emanating from the laws of the world were easily swept away by the Sea of Quantum. The deep blue power spread along the golden threads of the laws, and everything became dim and even disappeared completely. From Ai Yue's "perspective," the entire golden scroll looked as if a piece had been eaten away, revealing a terrifying void.
When such a "void" is presented in the real world, it manifests as an unimaginable collapse.
Jupiter, a gas giant, suddenly froze at this moment. A few moments later, it began a bizarre collapse, and a terrifying gravitational pull was abruptly generated from within the planet, tearing apart everything in its path.
The entire planet was undergoing intense compression, and the powerful fusion reaction unleashed an unimaginable energy storm. As matter contracted, it exploded in all directions. Many smaller celestial bodies surrounding the planet were bombarded into fine powder by the energy storm before they could be pulled into Jupiter's orbit by the sudden gravity.
But soon, a dark golden power spread out along the broken golden threads of law. They extended and intertwined silently, quickly filling the huge hole again. It looked no different from the original painting. Ai Yue could even sense that the law that was filled by the power of the Imaginary Tree was more "resilient" than the original.
As a result, everything in the real world began to violently "roll back," the value of gravity returned to normal levels, Jupiter's volume began to expand again, the terrifying energy storm silently shrank back into its body, and even those celestial bodies that had been blasted into dust re-condensed as if time had reversed.
But the power of the Sea of Quantum did not stop its rampage. It wandered freely in the painting, leaving behind only voids wherever it went. The entire Solar System was violently shaken and shattered under its rampage. Countless rules were twisted and corroded, almost turning the world into chaos.
However, the power of the Imaginary Tree also followed closely behind, repairing all the chaos and restoring a stable order. The conflict between the two forces unfolded in a relatively mild way, with the underlying rules of the world as the battlefield. Although this situation was not quite what Ai Yue had imagined, fortunately, the result was not too different.
The cycle of order and chaos, the destruction and reconstruction of the world's rules—these two forces seem to be in conflict, yet they subtly carry a certain unspoken understanding... All of this is magnified and slowed down in Ai Yue's perception, allowing Ai Yue to clearly capture every detail.
He could sense that the power of the Sea of Quantum was constantly deconstructing and destroying the underlying rules, and transforming them into a part of itself in order to maintain its influence. Those voids were not truly empty, but were filled with chaotic and disordered power, making it impossible for order to exist there.
He could also sense that the power of the Imaginary Tree was not simply about integrating itself into the underlying rules to continue and repair the world's rules, allowing everything to stabilize and return to normal. While operating, it was also absorbing the power of the Sea of Quantum and using it to replenish its own losses.
It is this mutual transformation that allows the power of the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quantum to maintain a delicate balance, preventing chaotic and rampant expansion that could lead to the collapse of the entire world, and also preventing the complete stabilization of order that would eliminate the chaotic void.
And isn't this "reincarnation," when magnified within the entire tree sea system, precisely the operating rule between these two entities?
The Sea of Quantum washes over the branches of the Imaginary Tree, devouring those that are not strong or resilient enough and transforming them into its own power. At the same time, the roots of the Imaginary Tree also pierce into the Sea of Quantum, absorbing its power to grow more and more luxuriant branches and leaves.
"The tree wants to drain the sea, and the sea wants to swallow the tree." This was a certain understanding that Ai Yue once had. But now it seems that the tree cannot drain the sea, and the sea cannot swallow the tree. They seem to be hostile, but on a larger level they are in harmony. Therefore, they will continue to turn eternally, with orderly birth and death, and endless reincarnation.
Of course, this situation will continue only if no third factor intervenes.
But now, a third factor has emerged.
Ai Yue understood all of this, yet he also denied it all—whether it was a macro-level or micro-level cycle of reincarnation, this cycle of destruction and rebirth was essentially nothing more than spinning in place. Even if it were to cycle to the very end of eternity, what one would gain would be no different from what one had at the beginning.
In other words, such a rule is simply to loop a video. The content may change as it plays, but it can never escape the nature of the looping video itself.
Ai Yue disliked that kind of thing; a world that was rigidly defined was incredibly boring.
But if you only offer rejection without providing a better solution, you're nothing more than a disruptor.
Ai Yue understood this, which is why he chose to take this opportunity to completely grasp the rules of this world—he wanted to use this world as a canvas to write his own answers.
A beautiful and hopeful answer.
After all, this is a positive and uplifting story, right?
As his thoughts became clearer with each insight, the theoretical model was completed with the final piece of the puzzle. It was at this moment that Ai Yue suddenly sensed something and a smile appeared on his face.
That was a system notification—a notification Ai Yue had never heard before.