Lost Light of Civilization

Chapter 18: The Lost Light of Civilization

Not long after, night began to fall.

In his room, Luo Zhen, feeling the complete restoration of his magic power, took the laptop off his lap. He closed the game interface and stretched.

"Almost time."

Luo Zhen muttered to himself.

Whenever his magic power was full, it was time for Luo Zhen to hone his Magecraft skills.

Even after what happened today, Luo Zhen didn't want to neglect this habit.

Just as Roman said, the usually lazy Luo Zhen was exceptionally diligent and serious when it came to Magecraft.

The boy, who genuinely loved the technology of Magecraft, couldn't abandon the hard-won miracle.

"Today, I'll practice a new summoning. It would be great if I could complete the summoning of the fourth intermediate Familiar."

Luo Zhen said with anticipation, preparing to get out of bed.

At that moment...

"Tch!"

The automatic door to Luo Zhen's room suddenly opened with a sharp sound.

"Hmm?"

Luo Zhen was slightly startled and reflexively looked towards the door.

He saw a girl rushing in, looking flustered.

"Fou!"

Fufu, lying on Luo Zhen's bed, immediately made a greeting-like sound.

"Mashu?"

Luo Zhen was also a little surprised.

"Senpai!"

The usually polite Mashu ignored the reactions of the boy and the beast, panting as she looked at Luo Zhen.

In that instant, a bad feeling arose in Luo Zhen's heart.

It was because Mashu's beautiful eyes held an unprecedented emotion.

Mashu continued to pant, staring at Luo Zhen.

After a moment, Mashu spoke a sentence.

"The lens Sheba has detected an anomaly."

Those words confirmed the premonition in Luo Zhen's heart.

In Chaldea, on a corridor leading to the Central Control Room.

Luo Zhen and Mashu were currently running along this corridor, heading quickly towards the Central Control Room.

"Senpai! Please hurry!"

"I'm... I'm already going as fast as I can!"

Mashu, running ahead, kept urging Luo Zhen, who was staggering as if he were about to die, causing Luo Zhen to feel a pang of sorrow.

As a man, being urged by a woman to run faster while he was panting like a dying dog was just too embarrassing.

"It can't be helped. It's just that my Magic Circuits are so excellent that they're affecting my body's functions. That's right, it's not that I'm too weak, it's all because I'm too excellent..."

Luo Zhen could only keep comforting himself like this, taking unsteady steps, swaying as he ran quickly towards the Central Control Room, urged on by Mashu.

Finally, after passing an elevator, the two arrived at the Central Control Room.

As soon as the automatic door opened, Luo Zhen, sweating profusely and supported by Mashu, saw the scene.

"Abnormal values rising!"

"Abnormal values continue to rise!"

"Try to control it quickly!"

"It's no use! It's already beyond the limit!"

Inside the Central Control Room, a group of staff members operating the instruments in the command room were shouting in panic, some even letting out faint cries of despair.

Olga Marie, who had been sulking in her room, seemed to have been notified earlier and had already arrived. She was engaged in a heated discussion with Leff, who had a serious expression on his face, her face also carrying unprecedented anxiety.

And in the center of the Central Control Room, Chaldeas, suspended in mid-air like a giant globe, was experiencing an anomaly.

"...No way?"

Looking at the condition of Chaldeas, Luo Zhen muttered in disbelief.

Chaldeas, which had always shone with a beautiful blue light and the fluorescent fire of civilization, was constantly changing color.

Those who saw this scene weren't just Luo Zhen and Mashu, but also the other Adaptable Ones who had received the message and rushed over.

"This..."

"Could it be..."

"Has it finally..."

The Adaptable Ones who arrived here whispered amongst themselves, staring intently in the direction of Chaldeas, their expressions grave.

Naturally, Roman had also come here.

"...I didn't expect it to accelerate in such a short time."

Roman, who had come to the central control room, gazed in the direction of Chaldeas and, after a moment, made this unusually calm statement.

"Doctor?"

Mashu was immediately at a loss.

Luo Zhen also turned his head to look at Roman.

After all, Roman's statement sounded far too much like he knew the details.

In other words, this change hadn't taken him by surprise.

Immediately, Luo Zhen asked, "Do you know something, old man?"

Luo Zhen asked without any politeness.

In response, Roman also looked at Luo Zhen and sighed, as if he felt there was no need to hide anything.

Then, Roman told Luo Zhen something.

"Actually, Chaldea's observation personnel discovered that Chaldeas was changing color several months ago."

A simple sentence, but it immediately made Luo Zhen understand the situation.

"It started changing color several months ago...?"

No wonder.

No wonder Chaldea, which had been carrying out observation missions in an orderly manner, had suddenly been constantly summoning the Adaptable Ones in the facility for simulated battles during this period.

So, it wasn't just for experiments and training, but also because the situation might develop in the worst possible direction?

Chaldeas had begun to change color.

This was not a situation that could be ignored.

You should know that this Earth Environment Model is a device that presents the state of the entire planet.

Once it shows abnormalities, it means that there is a problem with the planet.

"Could it be..."

Luo Zhen couldn't help but think of the worst possible situation.

And this situation was voiced by Mashu, who had been watching Chaldeas, with a cry of surprise.

"Senpai...!"

Hearing this, Luo Zhen immediately turned his head and looked in the direction of Chaldeas.

There, Chaldeas, which had been shining brightly, finally dimmed down gradually in a struggle-like undulation.

"————"

The entire central control room suddenly became silent.

Everyone stared blankly at Chaldeas, which had become completely dark, and lost their words.

"The light... is gone...?"

Mashu's murmur sounded as if it came from a distant place, filled with a sense of illusion.

Luo Zhen was also silent.

The flame of civilization of Chaldeas, which represents the planet, proves that humanity will be safe and sound for the next hundred years as long as it remains lit.

And once it loses its light, it only means one thing.

————"Human history is about to disappear."

That's all there is to it.

Olga Marie stared at Chaldeas, which had lost its light, her face somewhat pale.

However, Olga Marie did not lose her composure.

"Immediately begin gathering Master candidates!"

Olga Marie gritted her teeth and issued an order concerning the future of humanity.

"I want to see all the Master candidates from around the world concentrated in Chaldea within a month!"

This also means...

"The battle is about to begin...?"

Luo Zhen's whisper escaped.

Accompanied by a complex heart.