"Every time I successfully enchanted something, every time I used this pattern, it was, in a sense, an affirmation of their civilization's value... and a tribute."
As he said this, Angel raised his head.
His gaze happened to meet the Decayer's.
Yes, the Decayer had finally pulled its attention away from its own thoughts and turned its gaze toward Angel.
Yet Angel still noticed that, even as it met his eyes, the Decayer showed little emotion. It merely studied him in silence.
Angel did not mind. Being able to pull the Decayer back from its own world into reality meant the story he had just told was already half a success.
"So, Mr. Examiner, let us return to this question."
"Does a vanished civilization still hold meaning for the universe?"
"My answer is: yes."
"Its meaning lies in the fact that later generations like me still use the Greenblood Gold they created, still draw sparks of inspiration from their culture when our own inspiration runs dry."
"Its meaning lies in the fact that its wisdom still pushes individuals of another civilization forward."
"Though it has vanished, it has not failed. It has merely taken another form of existence. It has become the cornerstone upon which civilization endures, holding up those who come after so they may move steadily onward."
"Through this inheritance of knowledge, civilizations pass the baton across time and space."
"And this relay does not involve me alone, nor this era alone, nor this one civilization alone!"
"Even if, in the future beyond the future, someone creates a more suitable material upon the foundation of Greenblood Gold, Greenblood Gold will still be carved upon civilization's towering monument of history..."
"...and endure forever."
"This is what I understand as the meaning of a vanished civilization."
After Angel finished speaking,