Poet and Knight

At the entrance to the depths of the Ushtarav Mountains, on a hillside near Dragonfall Cliff, lies a small explorer town called White Dove.

This town was originally a hunting lodge built by Dwarf hunters from Frontier Reach. Their target was a unicorn dragon monster called the 'Red-Horned Fiercescale'. The unicorn's horn possessed unique spiritual power, which could be used to make various spiritual items, hence its high price.

However, these magical beasts live deep in the mountains. The Ushtarav Mountains are inherently rugged and treacherous, with various poisonous insects and ferocious beasts. Unexpected weather changes are also common. Even the most hardened Dwarf hunters cannot hunt for long periods of time. They can only build manors in the mountains, monitor the surrounding area, and then mobilize the majority of their forces when the red-horned beasts appear.

However, a long time ago, a prominent figure in the Frontier Reach Dragon-Worshiping Cult made a mistake when he attempted to break through to the Fourth Energy Level and transform himself into True Dragon. His breakthrough failed, triggering a massive earthquake that shook the entire Ushtarav Mountains and even the underground tectonic plates. Several mountain peaks collapsed, the mountain range shifted, and the originally rugged mountain roads instantly turned into a smooth wasteland.

Perhaps the Dwarf are truly children of the earth, for their hunting grounds survived the incredibly violent tectonic shift. Hundreds of meters behind the manor, a fissure in the earth stretched out, tearing open a massive chasm resembling the gaping maw of a ferocious beast. At the center of this chasm was the site of the breakthrough of the Dragon-Worshiping Cult expert, and the cliff closest to the entrance was the so-called 'Dragonfall Cliff'.

Although the Dwarf hunters survived, the red-horned beasts are now rarely seen in the Ushtarav Mountains, whose ecosystem has been drastically altered. The Dwarf hunters, who were looking for other ways to make a living, unexpectedly found a White Dove on their way home—a rare White Dove that had nothing special about it, no magical bloodline or spiritual power, and was purely Pre-Epoch Civilization dove.

Unless one is an experienced hunter who knows all the creatures in the mountains like the back of their hand, no one would be able to discern anything from this White Dove.

Upon seeing the White Dove, the eldest Dwarf hunter swiftly made a judgment that most people would find hard to believe: there was likely a 'Labyrinth' beneath the Ushtarav Mountains! It was originally hidden deep within the earth, perhaps never to see the light of day again, but the secret ritual of the Dragon-Worshiping Cult caused the earth to tremble, thus revealing it to the world!

And this White Dove flew out of that Labyrinth!

Following the path of the White Dove, the hunters continued their journey, and for the first time, the entrance to the colossal Labyrinth known as the Ninazu Abyss, deep within the Ushtarav Mountains, welcomed the footsteps of those from later generations.

To this day, the Ninazu Abyss remains unexplored. Its interior is extremely vast, containing a portion of its structure in nearly half of the underground region of the Ushtarav Mountains, with the deepest parts exceeding 30,000 meters. Over the years, explorers from all sides have gathered here, discovering seventeen semi-permanent underground ecosystems and two gene banks. This place is clearly a very important site for Pre-Epoch Civilization.

It is also one of the largest 'biological weapons testing grounds'.

In the Ninazu Abyss, there are indeed many ordinary creatures as weak and powerless as the original White Dove, but there are also giant earth-type psionic insects like the Crystal Nether Demon Insect Matriarch, which is comparable to the Fourth Energy Level. This biological weapon, which is similar to a hybrid of Crystal Dragon and some kind of strange psionic beetle, is so powerful that it slaughtered nearly a thousand explorers when it appeared and used their corpses to create a large number of half-human, half-crystal 'child insects'.

But this was also what those explorers brought upon themselves, because the greedy Terrans, in order to obtain more resources from the ruins Labyrinth, chose to enter those 'sealed' ecosystems by destroying the ruins' structures.

The Crystal Nether Demon Insect Matriarch, which should have remained dormant, was awakened within Awakening. After eliminating all the illegal intruders who were destroying the ruins, they returned to sleep. Through experiments, it was found that as long as one does not touch the areas warned by the Labyrinth or violently damage the Labyrinth structure, they will not Awakening.

Since then, adventurers exploring the Ninazu Abyss have become much more restrained, transforming short-term raids into long-term explorations. The hunter's manor that first discovered it has also evolved into a rest and recuperation area, serving as a base for many adventurers to gather supplies and rest before entering the Labyrinth.

White Dove Town, Red Horn Tavern.

This tavern is the oldest in White Dove Town. Its original owners were the old hunters who stayed at the hunting lodge to settle here. The red horn head sign hanging at the entrance of the tavern is a real red horn beast with its horn.

Many thieves coveted the precious psionic materials, but they could hardly escape the deep mountains from the hunters' pursuit—the pile of skull decorations next to the tavern was proof of that.

At this time, the weather was damp and cold, and there were few pedestrians in the remote mountain town.

Even adventurers are reluctant to venture deep into the mountains to explore the Labyrinth before the heavy snows of early winter close the mountains off.

However, the Red Horn Tavern was still bustling with activity, with flickering firelight shining through the cracks in the windows, and a bard playing the lute.

The melodious music and the distant singing filled the air. An adventure team that had just emerged from the Labyrinth, finished their exploration, and made a fortune were celebrating their successful adventure. Everyone was able to return home before the heavy snow blocked the mountain and have a good New Year.

"That was a close call, Old Iron Head. My sword strike wasn't bad, was it? It saved the other half of your good head from the Crystal Insectoid!"

"Go to hell, one-eyed bastard! I'm standing in front to cover you!"

"Let's drink, let's drink, forget about all that! Cheers to all of us for successfully completing the mission without losing any limbs!"

"Yes, we can earn at least tens of thousands of Su'en (Ganterigum currency, 1.5 times that of Taler) this time. Everyone can get more than 10,000. It's worth a drink to that!"

Six adventurers, each with a different appearance, race, and even varying degrees of physical attributes, are raising their glasses in a toast, sweeping away the gloom brought by the approaching deep winter.

The Elf mechanics of Canaanmore, the Dwarf archers of Ganterigum, the Iron Folk puppeteers of Frontier Reach, the tiger-men psionicists of the Azure Heaven Royal Court, the Gold Folk rogues of the Empire, the Sea-Born armorers of the Farshore Island... Such a complex team, with its rather unconventional professions, would definitely attract a lot of attention in the outside world, but it is not so rare in the field of Labyrinth exploration.

After all, those who would leave their hometown to explore dangerous Labyrinth in faraway places are mostly different from their own kind in personality. Simply put, they're crazy.

"Cheers!"

As they clinked glasses, the other guests remaining in the tavern also raised their glasses in salute—this was a tradition, where every successful exploration team that wanted to celebrate in the tavern would treat all the guests to drinks, and the guests would toast them in return.

On the other side of the tavern, the white-haired, blue-eyed bard also quickened the tempo with a smile, smoothly transforming the originally melodious country tune of the Bosaka Region into a fast-paced melody with a hint of excitement.

"When did that bard over there arrive?"

After drinking and boasting to each other, the Elf mechanic in the group noticed the bard's superb skills and couldn't help but be a little surprised.

Although he had loved mechanical devices since childhood and was out of step with his peers in the family, he had still received some artistic training and knew how to appreciate the quality of performance. He noticed that the bard's music was not abrupt at all, and even while affecting their mood, it did not give them the slightest feeling of "there is music at this moment". The more he thought about it, the more incredible it seemed.

"I don't know." But the other companions didn't have that kind of artistic talent. Some of them had already started loudly boasting about their adventures, or were eating heartily at the food and wine on the table. Only the tiger-man psychic seemed to have noticed something. "That poet... seems to be a psychic?"

"But it's not some kind of combat psionic energy; it's more like a calming psionic energy that can make people feel happy."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, the Elf mechanic understood. So it was psionic energy. I never imagined that some kind of artistic master would emerge from this remote mountain village.

While it's strange that a psionicist would become a bard, Terra is a vast and wondrous place. Look at that Dwarf over there, he's become an archer too.

The only question is, why would a bard come to White Dove Town during the Celestials? Although the adventurers in this place are generous and always happy to reward those who succeed in their adventures, just like him, who was already planning to reward the other party with a few Su'en right now, and judging from the gray-gold coins in the small box next to the other party, he has indeed earned quite a lot recently.

But coming here at this time seems really strange.

Thinking this, the Elf couldn't help but glance sideways at the White Folk bard.

Although his face was mostly obscured by a long, pointed hat, one could tell from just half of his profile that this bard was no ordinary man. His singing voice was clear and melodious, and the occasional glimpses of his blue eyes from the shadows proved that he was indeed a psionicist.

Not only that, but on one side of his shoulder, an ice-blue Native Fairy was fluttering its wings slightly, seemingly intoxicated by the poet's song. These little Fairy, which have not yet fully transformed into true Fairy, have basically no intelligence, but they are protected by Fairy. Fairy that follow humans like this are really rare.

Beside the poet's boots, a small, pure black cat, as black as ink, lay prone... no, a small dog?

Blinking, the Elf mechanic began to doubt his own eyes. He had just seen a cat, so how did it suddenly turn into a puppy?

But in the next instant, the puppy turned into a kitten. In the blink of an eye, the Elf mechanic even saw the kitten suddenly extend a jet-black tentacle, grab a beetle that was darting around, and then abruptly retract it.

The sound of the beetle being crushed filled the air; it was eating happily.

He opened his eyes wide, but before he could even be shocked, he discovered that in the shadows behind the bard, there was a tall, silent knight guard—his physique, his posture, his aura—if you didn't notice him, that would be fine, but once you did, even a fool would know that he was not someone to mess with.

The Elf mechanic turned around and downed a large glass of wine—he intended to pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Don't be fooled by the many ragged adventurers in White Dove Town; those who can operate deep in the Ushtarav Mountains are at least First Energy Level. A seemingly weak psionic bard must have guards.

Do not seek out truths that you are clearly incapable of seeking; this is a virtue that all seekers should uphold.

Time passed, the fireplace Crackle, the tavern was bustling, and the music was melodious. As the banquet drew to a close, the bard's tune gradually came to an end, and he began to play the most familiar tune to the adventurers of northern Terra, "Tell's Far Gaze".

This is a folk song that originated in Frontier Reach and later spread widely in northern Terra. It has many variations, and it can be said that it varies from place to place, but what remains unchanged is the praise for a pioneer named Tell.

In the distant, primitive era, people were trapped around their settlements, surrounded by wild beasts, poisonous insects, and harsh weather. They lacked resources, land, water, and everything necessary for survival. Tell, originally just a farmer's son, built a high platform out of mud and gazed at the other side of the Wilderness. He saw through the fog and clouds with his eyes and saw the green beyond the gray and black. He led his family across the Wilderness, overcoming many dangers and hardships, and finally obtained an ancient treasure. They arrived at a brand new grassland and used the wealth brought by the treasure to build the southern city of Freuden.

In the melodious songs of bards, Tell has crossed Wilderness and mountains time and again, becoming a symbol of adventure, exploration, pioneering, and courage. It is the prelude to adventurers' departures and the final chapter of their celebratory return feasts.

Each region's Tell will have different adventures and elements added by the local bards— Tell in the snowy plains must cross snow-capped mountains to find treasure in the ice and protect themselves from the migration of white moss behemoths, while Tell in the coastal regions must cross man-eating mudflats, avoid crocodile Crocodile Dragon hunting along the river, and finally find treasure at the source of the spring... In short, the goal is to find treasure.

This time, the white-haired bard sang of Tyre's Tell across mountains, eventually venturing deeper into an unnamed cave deep within the forest, where he finally discovered treasure in an underground Labyrinth.

Upon hearing this, the adventurers of White Dove Town knew that it was the 'Tell's Far Gaze' unique to their Ushtarav Mountains, and they burst into laughter, making the atmosphere even more lively.

"These bards are just talking nonsense. They've never been to the Labyrinth, but they sing it so vividly."

Sea-Born Jiawei laughed heartily. As a rare Sea-Born earth-elemental Sublimer, his favorite thing was exploring deep mountain caves. He always took pride in his own experiences and achievements, so he naturally looked down on these bards who made money by singing their stories even though they hadn't really gone into dangerous places.

Some others nodded slightly, while others were unimpressed—why are you arguing with the bard? If you really want to talk about it, with so many legendary stories on Terra, did those authors really experience them all?

That's the logic, so after the Sea-Born armored guard complained, he started drinking with the tiger-man psychic next door.

Only the Dwarf archer suddenly froze.

--wrong.

More familiar with the Ushtarav Mountains than anyone else, and more familiar with the mountains and Labyrinth than anyone else, the Dwarf archer, a native of White Dove Town who had taken it upon himself to explore the Ninazu Abyss since childhood, was certain that the exploration details sung by the bard were not unfounded, but rather baseless rumors!

He knows far more than anyone can imagine!

"Danjilin District, nameless void. I remember that was clearly a secret entrance to Labyrinth within the clan. However, the area accessible through that entrance wasn't very valuable. According to what this bard said, behind the 'Land Where Roots Spread,' there's a wall that's only partially abutted, held in place by the roots of giant trees."

"But at the height of winter, the roots of the giant tree contract, allowing the hidden doors in the walls to be opened—and that path leads directly to the 'treasure' surrounding the core of the Labyrinth!"

For a moment, the Dwarf archer's heart skipped a beat. Outsiders could never possibly know about the many hidden entrances and exits that their race had sealed off. Putting aside the Labyrinth exploration details that outsiders thought were just made up, the very fact that the other party knew about the hidden entrances and exits was worth exploring!

So, at the banquet, he secretly made a gesture to his companions, and the other companions who were drinking were slightly taken aback. Although they frowned, they all responded one by one.

After the banquet ended and the six people left, some time later, the tavern changed shifts. The white-haired bard put away his harp, and together with his black kitten and Ice Fairy, he left the tavern with a tall knight.

Instead of returning to the inn, they headed to the Free Camp outside town, where most of the poor adventurers gathered. The only problem was that it would be buried by heavy snow in winter, which was why the number of adventurers coming to White Dove Town would plummet in winter.

In the woods on either side of the Free Camp, five pairs of half-eyed eyes (the puppeteer was one-eyed) were fixed on the bard and the knight.

—An old man, a poet, a little Fairy whose awakening is not yet complete, and a magical beast pet.

—Just be careful not to provoke the Fairy. If others find out that we killed a Fairy who was about to gain sentience, we'll be taken to Falling Star City to be used as fertilizer.

That old man doesn't look like someone to mess with.

—Even if they're not easy to mess with, can they be more difficult to mess with than the Crystal Insects? Those are monsters that are close to the Third Energy Level, and we still managed to take down a dozen of them!

With that in mind, they went ahead.

Then they were instantly killed by the old knight.

To be precise, saying they were instantly killed is a bit of an exaggeration, because the old knight actually used two sword strikes against the six of them. One of the sword strikes knocked out all six of them, along with all the puppets, leaving only the tiger-man psionicist's psionic spirit looking around in horror. This allowed the knight to strike a second time, knocking out the psionic spirit as well.

"Is that enough?"

After knocking the group unconscious, the old knight turned to the poet and said, "Although they did come straight at you as planned... are you sure they will accept your terms?"

"Of course, teacher, I'm sure."

The poet lazily remarked—he had actually been deliberately luring this elite adventurer squad to attack him from beginning to end? But how could that be possible? How could he know that the half-true, half-false information could incite these adventurers to attack, and how could he know about the hidden entrance to the Labyrinth deep in the Ushtarav Mountains, a place rarely visited by humans?

The answer is, he is Ian!

Before long, the six adventurers, bound hand and foot Awakening in a cave deep within the Ushtarav Mountains, a place undetectable by any human or detection equipment.

"Gulp, I admit defeat. I'll accept whatever fate brings!"

The first Dwarf archer to Awakening, who was also the mastermind behind the raid, shouted, "But the responsibility lies with me. My companions were merely misled by me. If possible, please spare their lives!"

The bard, sitting on a rock and leaning against the wall, watched him with a smile but did not reply.

Only after some time had passed and everyone Awakening did he slowly speak, "You all came for the treasure in the ruins, whether it was attacking me or your previous explorations."

"So now, I want to ask you, what do you want to do with the treasure?"

Although Ian didn't say anything threatening, the adventurer team could sense a hint of seriousness in his tone—if they didn't answer the question properly, their outcome would certainly not be good.

Since we've already been captured and our lives are in the hands of others, there's nothing shameful about telling the truth.

"Engineering machines are very expensive," the Elf said, and the Iron Folk Puppeteer nodded in agreement. "It's also very difficult to improve constructs; you need to be very rich—and I also need to Inheritance on my skills."

"I want to take more wives to continue my family line." This was the Tiger-Man Psionicist, whose thoughts were very ancient and influenced by the Azure Heaven Royal Court. The Sea-Born Heavy Armorer, on the other hand, was more focused on himself. "Although it's unlikely, we still need to prepare for the Third Energy Level, right?"

"My family is in debt." The Gold Folk Wanderer had the simplest reason, but in the end, only the original planner, the Dwarf, remained.

The Dwarf opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he remained silent.

Ian raised an eyebrow, and behind him, the old knight drew his gleaming silver sword.

"No, brother, hurry up and tell us!" The other five became anxious and urged him on all at once. The Dwarf hesitated for a long time with a bitter face, and then told the truth, "I... don't have any reason."

"I just couldn't accept the thought of those long-lost treasures hidden in that Labyrinth, never having seen the light of day. I had to unearth them all... It's that simple."

The reason was indeed too simple, so much so that the other five were stunned for a moment, while Ian nodded in satisfaction. "Yes, that's it, just tell the truth."

He had known this for a long time. Dwarf are technologists; they seek out hidden treasures and want to unearth ancient technologies and machines that have long been lost to time. Elder Pude's father was such Dwarf, which is why most Dwarf are a standard part of major adventure groups. This is not only because they are good at dealing with the environment of underground Labyrinth, but also because their pure thirst for knowledge makes them rarely betray the team for money.

"As you can see."

After everyone shared their reasons for exploring and adventuring, the poet Ian calmly said, "I am physically weak and it is difficult for me to enter the Labyrinth to explore, so I have a request to ask of you all."

"As I chanted in the Tell's Far Gaze, this quest can only be carried out in winter. Recently, you are the only adventurer group with the strength to complete it. I hope you can accept this quest."

"As long as you can bring back the 'treasure' I asked for and hand it over to me, I will surely give you a reward that is rich enough to ensure that each of you can fulfill your wish."

The adventurers knew they had no right to refuse, even though they had thoughts like, "How can you guarantee we'll complete the mission instead of just running away or giving up?" But the next moment, Ian's outstretched hand made them all wail in despair.

Ian's hands were fair and slender, comparable to the most exquisite white jade sculptures, but from the palm of such a hand slowly emerged silvery-white tentacles, cold, moist, with a metallic gleam and an extremely dangerous aura.

Before anyone knew it, the strange black creature, which kept changing shape and was neither a cat nor a dog, came into the poet's arms. Its eyes were a peculiar seven-pointed red star, and countless bizarre tentacles, sharp teeth, and grotesque limbs could be vaguely seen intertwined within its flowing, dark body.

Silvery-white tentacles clung to the back of each member of the adventurer's group's head, injecting something into them. The bard's blue eyes gleamed. At this moment, everyone in the adventurer's group inexplicably sensed a gaze. They instinctively knew that their thoughts, vision, and even their lives were now in the hands of the frail bard before them.

The tiger-man psionicist roared instinctively. As a psionicist, he couldn't accept the feeling of his soul being controlled by someone else. He instinctively wanted to resist, but the old knight standing behind Ian swung his sword sheath and knocked him unconscious again. To be honest, surviving three sword strikes from the old knight was an achievement that was extremely rare on the entire Terra Continent.

"Don't be in too much of a hurry."

After finishing all this, Ian withdrew his hand, let out a weary breath, and then said leisurely, "What I'm giving you isn't just supervision, but also benefits... Feel it, aren't your minds already aligned?"

"In addition, you will have a certain level of psionic vision, thinking ability and calculation ability, and your memory will be greatly enhanced—this is the most authentic prototype of Brain Attachment. Even in Pre-Epoch Civilization, there are not many Brain Attachment of this level."

"This..."

To be honest, although being forced to undergo enhancement was hard to accept, the Elf mechanic quickly realized that although his brain seemed to be linked to something strange, just as Ian had said, his thinking ability had been greatly enhanced. In just a few seconds, some engineering problems that had been troubling him were quickly solved. This feeling of his brain being completely upgraded made him subconsciously utter a respectful term. "M-Sir... since you have such means, why did you choose us..."

"Because I have no power."

Ian said lazily, "And you guys are not ordinary. I have high hopes for your 'future'... Believe in yourselves. At least four of you six are destined to go down in history. It's really not easy to get this team together."

Upon hearing Ian utter the words 'no power' again, the old man behind him, whose body was as imposing as an iron tower, swayed slightly. The most perceptive Gold Folk Wanderer sensed a faint trace of guilt.

After being untied, the adventure team left.

They will follow Ian's request and, in winter, enter through another Labyrinth entrance to reach the core of the Ninazu Abyss, gaining control of the core of fifty-five different ecosystems. Even the mutated Crystal Nether Demon Insect Matriarch will obey the commands of the core authority.

Of course, Ian also knew that this team, which was full of hidden talents and would eventually produce two Fourth Energy Level, an alchemy master, and a royal general, would definitely not obediently follow his orders. Instead, they planned to use the Labyrinth's technology to break free from his control over them... But they never expected that he held 'Star God- level' authority.

Sigh, back then I had to go to great lengths to beat the game, pretending to be a big shot to scare people. I never thought it would be so easy to get through the story now with the permissions I got after beating the game.

In short, the core Labyrinth authority deep within the Ushtarav Mountains will be successfully acquired this time. And deep underground within the Labyrinth, the true cause of the Dragonfall Earthquake, hidden behind everything, the 'Thousand-Stars Beast' —a protrusion—will be appeased, allowing peace on the continent to last for a few more years.

The bard left this place.

The bard's journey is the whole of Terra.

Under the cloudless sky of the Star-Chasing Plains, the poet rode his half- Dragon War, galloping across the turbulent green grassland.

In the deep, dark forests of Frontier Reach, the poet hid in the fluffy wings of a chocobo, avoiding the cursed spirits.

In the crimson Sea of Blood and Whale Songs, the poet plays ballads and rides Sha Sha across this ancient battlefield of Sea Demon Worm.

Under the solitary glow of the silver moon, the poet rode a griffin, soaring around the City of Knowledge of Thousand Towers, feeling the howling of the wind and the sky.

He always makes moves, always gives, always provides hints and guidance. He guides heroes who have perished to grow, offers clues from seemingly hopeless situations, and provides those who have yet to break through with the tools or warnings to do so.

The poet has no power whatsoever. The unawakened Ice Fairy can only freeze him awake in the middle of the night, and the Star-Seeking Kitten Bug brought out from the South Sea Grand Labyrinth can only deal with the unfinished food. Only his teacher is a true helper, helping the poet solve those hard power problems that he cannot solve on his own.

The poet doesn't stay in one place; he leaves once he has achieved his goal. But these goals don't have any definite purpose. Often, he just wants to see the world. The journey itself seems to be Ian's purpose. He enjoys the life of going to a place, enjoying its local cuisine, learning about its customs, and listening to its legends.

After seven or eight years of wandering, the poet and the knight traversed the wilderness, passed through forests, set foot on volcanoes, and strode across frost.

And finally, they arrived at the place where they had started.

South Sea, on the coast of Harrison Port.

It was autumn, and a heavy rain was falling.

Endless rain Skyfall, plunging into the azure sea. Under the dark gray clouds, countless raindrops crashed against the water's surface, splashing up water droplets that resembled flower petals or crowns.

Only then did the old man finally suppress his doubts.

"Ian."

He spoke, revealing his true thoughts. "At this point, I have even lost all joy."

"Over the years, I have come to fully understand your methods. It is a wisdom that I... and even Inyaga cannot match."

"Ian... why? Why did you have to go to such great lengths to save me?"

"You could have achieved even greater things without me!"

"It's my fault for dragging you down!"

The old knight bent down slightly, pressing his hand painfully to his heart.

There, a young heart beats, carrying the power of the Dragon Heart Core, allowing an old man who should have died long ago to still be alive.

More than a decade ago, at the end of the South Sea Grand Labyrinth incident, as the old knight was about to die (a continuation of the original timeline), Ian performed a virtually impossible surgery using the Swarm and facilities in the South Sea base as raw materials.

He completely replaced the internal organs of his teacher that had been corroded by the Frost Prison Calamity Ash, and then used the authority he had somehow obtained to order the Frost Prison Calamity Ash to stop operating. He then replaced his teacher's core with his own heart, some of his internal organs, and some cloned flesh, allowing the old knight, who was only half a step away from stepping into the underworld, to return to the mortal realm.

However, as a price, Ian's body was severely damaged. He filled the missing parts with the flesh and blood of the Swarm, losing his humanity.

It could even be said that the original Ian was already an empty shell; in reality, he had completely transformed into a humanoid Swarm.

Although he could continue to advance as the 'Swarm Overlord', he was unwilling to do so.

Even if you sweep across Terra with your Swarm, I still believe you can save the world.

The old knight spoke with undisguised trust.

This is only natural. He has witnessed his students manipulate the situation between major nations simply by using their wisdom and investment. Who would have thought that behind the various policies and heroes that influenced the start and end of the Terra World War, the vast majority of them were actually due to a bard who couldn't even catch a cat?

"You finally asked, teacher."

In the pouring rain, the white-haired poet stood calmly on the seashore, gazing at the boundless blue sea, and said calmly, "Saving the world is a very ordinary and natural thing for me. For me, doing such a thing is just a matter of lifting a finger."

"But even now, I yearn for one thing... a better possibility."

"A possibility for you, as a teacher, to survive."

Turning his head, Ian met Hilliard's gaze and said with a smile, "Teacher, although you are not curious about all this, you can still see my abnormality—I obviously know too much, even beyond what the prophet can explain."

Hilliard didn't speak; he just looked at Ian with a questioning yet composed gaze.

He did have his doubts, but he didn't want to think about such trivial questions. He believed that everything Ian did had a reason, and that the other party would definitely explain it to him.

And Ian did indeed provide an explanation.

"This world."

The poet said, "It exists only for the sake of 'Hilliard being able to live'."

"Teacher, I have already reached a better future, and that future is only missing you."

"Then didn't you succeed a long time ago?" Hilliard asked doubtfully. "More than a decade ago, you saved me from the impossible. The fact that I'm still alive is a genuine miracle."

"No... teacher, you must live. Live, and embrace the possibility of a better future."

The bard smiled and said, "Only if you develop a curiosity about the unknown can I invite you... invite you to the 'Pioneer Space'."

"Only in this way can I use you as a starting point to trace back everything and revive those 'dead you' in all time and space."

"After all, even I couldn't save everyone from the beginning... Teacher, I need your help now."

"Ha ha."

Hearing this, Hilliard chuckled, "That's all? Ian... what's so difficult about that?"

"The Pioneer Space, is it? I don't know what kind of place it is, but if it can help you, then I agree."

Tavern at the End of the Universe.

So, you want to resurrect someone who's almost immortal? That shouldn't be difficult for you right now, right?

What? You were already resurrected? Then why are you even asking this question?!

"Hmm, you mean you want to resurrect all the dead beings under that name in an infinite number of parallel universes? An infinite number of parallel universes? No, generally speaking, isn't resurrecting just one enough?"

[All Ian are Ian, all teachers are teachers... I think I understand what you mean now. This is the path you're walking: acknowledging everything, embracing the chaos of all things, saving even the worst possible scenario in an infinite number of parallel universes, and striving for even the best possible scenario in an infinite number of parallel universes...]

If you believe you can do it, then 'guidance' is an ever-flowing, Stillness force that propels you upward.

[...]

To be honest, among those who have achieved Dao integration within this sealed multiverse, there are very few as crazy as you. You are truly an exploration madman. However, since you have promised to convey information to us losers, we are willing to think of a way for you.

[An infinite number of parallel universes, resurrecting an infinite number of people, even completely reversing the past and future of that infinite parallel universe's foundation from the multiverse, reshaping all spacetime with your power, forcibly achieving the perfect ending in your heart—this requires a power that transcends the Dao, a power called 'The Torrent'...]

Moreover, you probably need some 'great Inheritance '... that power called 'Horn of Time' might be what you need.

Of course, besides these, there are also some simpler methods.

That is the place to go through reincarnation, the true 'reincarnation,' the abode of all true spirits—but for now, the Great Seal still exists, and unless a Torrent, it is virtually impossible to reach there.

Haha, we're not kidding you, it's just that your goals are too big, and that's how difficult it is. Either become Torrent, obtain a great Inheritance, or simply break the Great Seal... Anyway, the former is the easiest. You decide what to do.

[The seal will eventually break, that's true. But honestly, even with our years of cultivation, it's unlikely we'll see that day come. After all, we're all losers. Perhaps you'll live to see it.]

You've waited a very long time, so you probably don't mind waiting a little longer, right?

After leaving the Tavern at the End of the Universe, the white-haired figure pondered for a long time before coming to his own conclusion, "Indeed, although I don't agree with Jinyuan Dao's correctness, I really can't wait that long."

"The hidden fragments of the monster have begun to stir, and it is time for the great being to awaken."

"However, with my current abilities, it will take some time to achieve the Torrent... How about trying to Awakening the Great being, or break Great Seal? Anyway, if I don't do it, those monster fragments will do it anyway, so I might as well do it myself."

After thinking for a long time, the white-haired youth smiled and said, "Why don't we... give it a try together?"

"It's more interesting when all plans go hand in hand."

So...

Wake up.

Wake up.

The age of miracles is about to begin.

Happy New Year everyone! I've been taking a long break lately, and I'll probably start the new book around the 15th at the earliest or after the Lantern Festival at the latest. I originally wanted to release this extra chapter for free as a New Year's gift, but I updated so quickly that I didn't realize it was a VIP chapter. I'll make up for it with a free extra chapter next time!

High Heavens and Monsters do indeed share the same worldview, and this part of the story takes place before Monster Killing and after High Heavens 2.

Since it's the New Year, let's just revive all the teachers together and celebrate a happy ending. That's the kind of good ending our overcast worldview should have!