Those Past, Present, Future, and Unknown

(This chapter absolutely has to be a large cup!)

In reality, inside a private house in Unknown Province and City.

This is an old two-bedroom house on the fourth floor. It's not big, but it has a strong sense of home.

The room was cluttered with all sorts of things; if you looked closely, you could find all the traces a person left behind from childhood to adulthood.

Toys, graffiti, textbooks, posters, figurines, suitcases...

Each item retains its original position and appearance before the [gods] descended, without any change.

For six months, not a speck of dust accumulated on their surfaces.

As for the reason... it's obvious, someone has been wiping it.

This is the old house of the Cui family, where Cui Qiushi and his father Cui Ding Tian lived.

For the previous eighteen years, two people had lived here.

Later, for well-known reasons, the place changed owners, but not long after, the old man from the Cui family returned.

Although he paid a price, he felt it was worth it.

The old man didn't know why Qiu Shi, who loved home, didn't choose to come back. He didn't want to guess, didn't want to think about it, and dared not think about it.

Actually, Cheng Shi the previous Trials, Cheng Shi wanted to ask Cui Ding Tian why he didn't participate in the "Prayer Trial" to find people, but later he figured it out.

Old Cui didn't not want to, he just didn't dare.

But today, he changed his mind.

Because he no longer had time to wait, his life was down to... just three days.

Cui Ding Tian held a rag and gently wiped his son's favorite model. He recalled the scene of the ground covered with "Divinity" during the previous Trials.

If only I could have taken some back then, even just secretly kept a portion...

No, Cheng Shi has already promised him, so it definitely doesn't count as stealing!

Just one dose might extend his life for a while.

But he gave up.

He understands human nature, and he knows what Greed is.

He might have been able to resist the temptation of Greed in the past, but not now. He feared he would lose control of himself before the end of his life.

Once that door is opened, he will jump straight into the Abyss.

But this choice has left him with no other options.

Do you regret it?

Regret!

But if there were another chance to choose...

The old man still chose to regret it.

My father named me Cui Ding Tian, hoping that I would live uprightly and be a person of integrity!

The old man wiped every corner of the house, washed the rags, tidied the clothes, sat in Qiushi's room, and finally touched Qiushi's suitcase.

In those old eyes, which were not cloudy, there was both endless longing and... anticipation of their impending reunion...

"All living beings are destined to decay, and all things will perish."

Your devout Believer pray to you, beginning a Trials...

In reality, it's a vegetable garden on a barren mountain in Unknown Province and City.

Tao Yi hadn't even opened her eyes when she heard the phone ringing beside her.

"Ring ring—"

There were no internet or telephone lines on the desolate mountain, and she had no idea whether the rotary telephone on the table was connected to the Void or something else.

This was a gift from one of her friends, given to her on her last birthday, two months ago.

Tao Yi smiled and stood up, seemingly ignoring the ringing phone.

She walked towards the endless terraced fields on the hillside in front of her, took out a ray of flowing light from her personal space, and carefully sprinkled it on the fields at her feet.

Only after the "fertilizing" work was completely finished did he leisurely return to the place where he woke up and answer the still-ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"You're deliberately ignoring my calls, aren't you, Xiao Yi? You've changed your mind."

"No, I was fertilizing at the time and didn't have time."

"Is that so? I doubt your excuses, but I'll let you off this time since I'm in a good mood."

What happened to make you so happy?

"We ran into that madman today. You know what, even though he's crazy, he's really generous. The four of us split up a little bit of the [Divinity] fragments, so we got a small reward."

"Oh, what a coincidence, I also found a little bit of [Divinity] today, and I used the method you suggested to spread it as Divinity."

Is it useful?

"It seems not yet."

"Well, I just happened to glance at the biological Experiment records of the Tower of Reason. Whether they're reliable or not is anyone's guess. You..."

The person on the other end of the phone seemed about to say something, but Tao Yi suddenly interrupted them and asked:

"By the way, have you ever conducted human experiments?"

"Uh... ah? There are too many, which one do you mean?"

"The kind of thing that seals [Divinity] within someone else's body."

"Am I sick? Can't I hide things on my own body or something? What kind of question is this? Why are you asking this?"

When did you join the Rationality Association?

"Huh? What...?"

Tao Yi interrupted again, saying, "I've used the thing you gave me."

"No, Xiao Yi, you're acting a little strange today, I..."

"Oh dear, I forgot to water them. I have to go now."

After saying that, Tao Yi decisively hung up the phone.

She stood on the hillside, facing the sunlight, and smiled with her eyes narrowed.

He looked like a little fox who had caught a whiff of a secret.

As for the person on the other end of the phone...

"Beep beep beep—"

"?"

In reality, in an apartment in Unknown Province and City.

Gao Yu stood in the corridor outside the door and exhaled several deep breaths.

He straightened his clothes, put on a new backpack, and then raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Knock knock—"

"Who is it? They're here."

A man's voice came from inside the door, and a moment later, the door opened.

Standing in the room was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline. He stubbed out his cigarette and gave an awkward smile.

"Xiaoyu... why did you get out of school so early today? I just lit one up, really, and you just happened to run into me."

The man awkwardly tried to explain himself, but when he realized he couldn't cover it up, he quickly threw the cigarette butt out of the house.

Gao Yu smiled and glanced at him before walking straight inside.

"Smoke two fewer cigarettes, Dad."

"I don't usually smoke, and it's all because of your mother..."

"What? What now? What did I do to upset you so much that you can only smoke, huh?"

A roar came from the kitchen. The man ducked back, pointed at the kitchen, and muttered to Gao Yu in a low voice:

"Look, I was scared."

Although the man's reactions were genuine and his speech was fluent, a closer look revealed some incoordination in his limbs, as if he had joint problems, making all his movements slightly sluggish and awkward.

"You know, my mom just takes too good care of you."

Gao Yu casually tossed his schoolbag onto the sofa and shouted towards the kitchen:

"Mom, what are we having for dinner today?"

"I'm already full of anger, what's the point of eating? Keep it down, Xiaolin is resting in the room, don't wake her up."

Gao Yu really wanted to say, "Who has a louder voice than you?", but after thinking about it, he gave up. He gave his father an innocent look, pouted, and went back to his room.

The bedroom wasn't big, but it was cozy and didn't seem like a boy's room.

A pretty young woman was lying on the bed in the bedroom, breathing evenly, taking a nap.

Gao Yu didn't wake her, but carefully moved the stool out, and then took a... from the workbench.

Scalpel.

He lifted his shirt, looked at his chest, and then ripped his skin open with a swift upward pull.

Blood spurted out, staining the tabletop red.

Just as he was about to cut the wound a little deeper, a strong little hand grabbed the hilt of the knife.

"Woke up?"

"Okay, I'll do it."

The little girl's hand holding the knife didn't tremble at all, as if she had done this action a thousand times. She carefully cut open the skin on Gao Yu's chest, dissecting along the muscle texture. Before long, she touched the Metal Heart Casing hidden under the skin and flesh.

She carefully removed a button-sized object from beside her heart and then began stitching.

Gao Yu gritted his teeth and endured the most painful moment, holding the metal button in his hand, lost in thought.

"Whose story is it this time?"

"This is not a story, but a prophecy."

"?" The little girl was taken aback, then asked with a smile, "What prophecy?"

"Hiss--"

"Sorry, it was an accident. Let me see. Luckily, it was just slightly off-center, nothing serious. It's probably just that the Spatial Locator in my left hand is broken again..."

"... It's alright, I'll just make another one."

"Yes, thank you. Aunt Qin's left leg abductor muscle unit is also having problems, and Uncle Gao's Mimic Lung... Xiao Yu, I really need to advise him to smoke less."

"Oh well, whatever. This is the kind of thing I like most in this life. I'll just go to the Trials and find some materials to make a new one."

"Okay... it's sewn up. Can we hear stories now, oh no, can we hear prophecies?"

"Okay, sure."

Gao Yu first took a small box off the wall, then put the button inside. Immediately afterwards, the sounds in the room became more vivid.

"This is no joke, Zhao... oh right, Zhao Qian."

It seems you don't quite trust me. Fine, in that case, I'll give you a reason to die.

"Don't be angry. Perhaps after knowing all this, you will not only be willing to die, but also deeply grateful to me..."

Do you know how I learned the names of you Fire Keeper?

At the first Audience Assembly, a Beast Tamer, in an attempt to win His favor, shared his story of refusing the Fire Keeper...

Then, the poor Beast Tamer was killed by Cheng Shi.

Don't be surprised, you heard right, it's Cheng Shi, the Cheng Shi who died right in front of you.

I know he's not dead. I don't want to kill him, and I can't kill him anyway.

At that time, he was only ranked tenth on the Ladder of Audience, but he acted with such decisiveness, as if... he himself was also Fire Keeper.

You're curious about his identity, aren't you?

Unfortunately, he wasn't.

He told us that the Fire Keeper was not known to the gods because He was helping to keep it a secret. Hahaha, Zhao Qian, I love your expression right now.

This is not a lie, although Cheng Shi and I are indeed His Believer...

I was shocked at the time, but from then on, everyone present told themselves to forget everything they heard.

Because exposing you would displease Him.

He has chosen you, or perhaps it should be said that He has chosen a performance that is about to begin, and His Believer, in order for this grand performance to proceed as planned, have no choice but to keep it a secret.

It wasn't until much later that we learned... well, never mind, this part of history isn't exactly glorious.

So... what I'm trying to say is:

If I don't bring back a corpse today, Cheng Shi will still die and be hunted down by the people who sent me back in time.

But if he really dies, what will become of you Fire Keeper...?

It is obvious.

So, Mr. City Builder, what are your thoughts?

"..."

"..."

"Borrowing from the greatness of the gods, let us strive to build a new nation!"

For the continuation of humanity!

For the new kingdom!

Goodbye, world!

"Boom--"

Finally, there was the sound of flames burning.

"This is..." The little girl's unchanging eyes showed no shock, but her body language betrayed the fact that she was almost stunned into silence.

"Yes, a piece of history that should be buried in the past... concerning the future..."

Gao Yu took the button out and solemnly placed it on the cabinet.

Looking up now, you see a cabinet covering an entire wall, densely packed with identical metal buttons.

History is known to posterity because it is always recorded by devout chroniclers.

Unknown space, unknown time, unknown place.

"Click".

A hand pushed open an ordinary wooden door.

The four people outside the door opened their eyes in response, looking at the man who dragged the charred corpse in with different expressions.

When they keenly noticed the faint flickering of the dying embers on the corpse, everyone's expression changed.

The man on the far left sighed:

"Looks like bad news."

The woman on the far right scoffed and turned to leave.

The two remaining men in the middle stared at the man who had entered for a while, then said in unison:

"Who's coming?"

"You're coming?"

The man on the far left laughed again, "I'll take care of it."

The two people in the middle nodded and disappeared instantly.

The man dragging the charred corpse was rendered speechless by the immense pressure from the moment he entered. He didn't even have time to deliver his prepared speech before his vision slowly darkened as a large hand approached.

In the last moments of his life, he saw two completely different powers of Faith swirling around that hand, intertwined perfectly, their flowing traces so dazzling and captivating.

Unfortunately, he never had another chance.

"What a pity, I knew he wouldn't die, sigh..."

But brother, that's a bit unfair of you. Why did you bring back someone Passing the Flame?

Damn it, I shouldn't have taken on this mess.

How can we play like this?

The man casually tossed the two bodies off the high-rise building and left the scene whistling.