The Ultimate [One] (Please continue reading~~~)

Silence.

The three of them stared blankly at Aurelion Sol, their pupils trembling slightly as if they had forgotten how to breathe.

Lefiya's lips quivered, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum.

"Lord Aurelion Sol, what you said... about becoming the observable universal constant itself, becoming the vessel and embodiment of the laws of creation... what exactly does that mean?"

Aurelion Sol chuckled softly, picking up the bottle condensed from Stardust.

"Let's use this bottle as an example. Its existence possesses many definitions and descriptions. For instance, it has an [inside and outside], it has [boundaries], and at the same time, it is [extremely fragile], shattering easily if dropped on the ground."

"Now, suppose the definition that this bottle [has an inside and outside] suddenly vanished. What do you think would happen to this bottle?"

Lefiya's brows furrowed tightly.

She felt her thoughts being torn apart by a concept that transcended her cognition.

The concept of the bottle having an inside and outside suddenly disappearing... what would this bottle become?

She racked her brains for a long time before asking uncertainly, "Would... would it become unable to hold a drink? Would the liquid inside end up outside the bottle?"

This was the only answer her meager imagination could provide.

Aurelion Sol, however, chuckled.

He blew gently at the bottle—

Whoosh.

The crystal-clear container vanished into thin air, turning into a sky full of Stardust that shimmered with fine light in the dim space.

"No. This bottle never existed to begin with."

"Whether it is creating stars or creating a universe, one can never escape the dualistic relationship of [creator and creation] in essence. But when I completely grasped that ultimate knowledge..."

"I transcended all dualistic oppositions and became the ultimate [One]."

Lefiya felt her heart gripped by an invisible hand.

She struggled to understand the meaning behind Aurelion Sol's words, but only felt a wave of dizziness.

"I am no longer the writer; I have become the narrative grammar itself."

"I am no longer the painter; I have become the laws of color and perspective themselves."

"The [bottles] you know, regardless of who created them or what methods were used to create them..."

The Stardust in the air shifted again, this time forming countless containers of various shapes.

"They are all composed of a fundamental substance and rule named [Aurelion Sol]."

The last bit of Stardust extinguished in his palm.

"And I have become the concrete vessel for that part of the universal laws known as [the birth and death of stars]."

Lefiya felt her body go limp.

She subconsciously reached up to support her forehead, only to find her hand covered in cold sweat.

She finally understood why Loki was so terrified; even gods could not explain the existence of Aurelion Sol.

They could only use crude terms like [phenomenon], [concept], or [greatness itself] to summarize his existence.

Lefiya's thoughts turned with difficulty under the massive impact.

Soon, a thought surfaced in her mind.

She looked up abruptly, staring at Aurelion Sol with confused eyes, and asked weakly.

"Lord Aurelion Sol... since you are already so... so great... then why are you... still trying to restore your power?"

The air seemed to freeze.

That's right.

Since Aurelion Sol is so great, why is he still trying to restore his power?

If he is the laws themselves, then wouldn't the concept of restoring power not exist to begin with?

But Aurelion Sol's answer once again exceeded the expectations of the three.

"I don't know."

This answer caused Lefiya's breath to hitch.

Aurelion Sol's voice was very light, yet it carried a weight that transcended time and space: "The moment I became the ultimate [One], the personality named Aurelion Sol vanished."

"Why am I here? Why did I suddenly recall the knowledge of creating the Starry Heavens?" He shook his head. "The answers to these questions are unclear even to me."

After a brief pause, his voice became clear and firm once more.

"But I know that I am Aurelion Sol."

"I am the very essence of the laws of [the birth and death of stars]."

His gaze refocused on Lefiya.

"And right now, what I need is to obtain 1,000,000 units of [Stardust]."

He slowly curled his five fingers, clutching those flickering glimmers into his palm.

"Only then will I be able to understand everything."

The three of them suddenly felt a heaviness in their hearts.

A sense of emptiness, as if they had witnessed a great existence, permeated their minds.

Lefiya's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the lunch box, Thor's words still echoing in her mind.

Those descriptions regarding the essence of the universe made her feel as if she were standing on the edge of a bottomless abyss, catching a glimpse of some truth that transcended cognition.

She subconsciously looked at Ais and found that similar shock was flickering in Ais's eyes as well.

Thor, however, suddenly gave a relaxed smile, breaking the stalemate.

"Of course, I only have 85 Stardust right now, so I'm still very, very far from reaching 1 million. Let's set our goal at recovering 100 Stardust for now."

These understated words were like a lifeline, pulling the three of them back to reality from that near-suffocating sense of emptiness.

Bell quietly breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was soaked with cold sweat.

As he spoke, Thor stood up, brushed the dust off his trousers, and said, "Since everyone has rested, it's time for us to continue exploring the Dungeon."

Only then did the three realize that, without even noticing, they had finished all of Syr's terrible lunch.

Lefiya looked at the empty lunch box and let out a surprised gasp, "Ugh, amazing, I actually finished it all..."

Seeing Thor stand up, Ais also hurriedly rose to pack away the lunch boxes.

Her movements were a bit faster than usual, as if she wanted to use this busyness to dilute the shock in her heart.

Thor instructed them, "Don't forget to take the trash with you; protecting the Dungeon environment starts with me."

Although the three were still a bit dazed, they gradually shook off the sense of emptiness.

That's right, what was the point of thinking about such grand things right now? They were far too distant.

For now, it was better to focus on the present.

However, Thor's words were not without impact.

Seemingly wanting to work harder so that their goddess could recover her strength as soon as possible.

Bell's Dungeon exploration that afternoon was even more vigorous.

The red glow on his body was brighter than it had been in the morning, and every charge carried an unstoppable momentum.

Yet, as Bell attacked a Killer Ant, the dagger in his hand, worth 9300 Valis, snapped in two!

If not for Ais being quick-witted and saving Bell, he would likely have been devoured by the monster by now.

After being rescued, Bell stood frozen on the spot, looking at the remaining hilt in his hand, momentarily at a loss, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Hmm..." Seeing this scene, Thor also whispered, "It seems I need to prepare a suitable weapon for Bell."

He could forge one himself, but what he lacked right now was money and a forge capable of containing his power.

Thor quickly thought through who might be able to help.

Soon, he thought of the North Street Calamity, that twin-tailed goddess who had once nearly killed him and made him recall the Starry Heavens.

It seemed she was the only one who could help, right?