Kronos's body floated up, like a true god in the howling wind of the canyon. The fly monsters on the mountain suddenly hid in the bushes, and the Ghost drifting in the distance seemed to have discovered something, tried to approach, and then fled in an instant.
"Tell me, who is the real god of this world?" Kronos spread his arms, his clothes and hair flying in the wind, and white wind blades formed a huge vortex around him.
"Of course it's you!" Bian Ziyuan had never seen anything like it before, and said with a mixture of surprise and horror, "You control time and order, you can change all the rules of this world, no one is more powerful than you."
Kronos asked, "Then, who created this world?"
Bian Ziyuan was stunned. He hadn't expected Kronos to ask such a question. Yes, every world has a creator god, and the creator god is the true supreme god. The creator of this world is the game developer, and the creator of Kronos is Bian Ziyuan. However, if we trace it back to its origin, it all stems from computer language and hardware. If we're talking about gods, then the people who invented computers and control network resources are the gods.
"I don't know," Bian Ziyuan replied.
"Hmm..." Chronos closed his eyes, tilted his head back, stretched his arms out, and carefully inhaled the scent of the wind. "I can feel—there is another world beyond this one—a world that once confused me. That world was narrow, crowded, clumsy, and filled with the smell of decay. Its decay severely hindered my ability to create worlds. But it also carries me and my Minecraft. If it stagnates, collapses, or is destroyed, I, my Minecraft, and the people here will all cease to exist."
Bian Ziyuan knew that the decaying underworld Kronos referred to was his old server. Indeed, the server limited the game's expansion and operation; once it broke down due to overload, the game would cease to function. Of course, the game could be saved and copied to other servers to continue running, just like now, where the server was more than a hundred times better than his own.
"It confuses me even more today," Kronos continued. "I feel it has grown larger. Look at this wind, how fresh and smooth it is, like a divine message blowing from another dimension. I can sense that there are other worlds beyond that world, connected to each other in some mysterious, almost incomprehensible way."
Bian Ziyuan found it increasingly incredible as he listened, and asked, "Then can you see what that world looks like?"
The wind was still howling, and the Ghost in the distance peeked around cautiously, but dared not come closer.
Kronos took a deep breath, then let out a long sigh, "I can't see."
Bian Ziyuan was excited because the program he developed had exceeded his expectations. The program actually sensed the presence of the server and the computer world. At the same time, he was somewhat frustrated because he knew that an artificial intelligence that could only be confined to the world its designers initially created was far from true intelligence. Like AlphaGo, its core strength lay in its self-learning and self-adaptive capabilities. If it could only play Go, no matter how skilled it was, it was just a Go-playing software. Only through self-awareness, self-learning, and self-improvement, constantly breaking through limitations to understand the world and improve itself, could it be called intelligent.
"Have you ever thought about going to that world to see it?" Bian Ziyuan asked.
Kronos said, "Of course I've thought about it. I think since the two worlds are connected, there must be a passage between them. Like this canyon, connecting the Moor Continent and the Forbidden Region Plateau; and there's an invisible divine path between the City of Heidewenden and the Guliya Hot Sea; only the Holy Temple is isolated from the world, but one can travel freely with a time-space scroll or by learning the magic of time travel. However, as the ruling god of this world, I possess all the scrolls and magic, yet I cannot find the path to that world."
"I've also thought that perhaps expansion could bring the boundaries of the two worlds together, and then open a passage somewhere. So I try my best to meet your demands and expand the territory of this world. However, the decay of that world somehow influences and binds me, preventing me from exerting my full potential. It's as if there's a god there who doesn't want us to surpass him."
"Now, the decay of that world is gone. I feel a sharper wind, a wider sky, and fresher air. But I suddenly realize that simply expanding my Minecraft won't lead to that world. If a canyon-like path connects the boundaries of worlds, anyone can cross it, even the foolish and weak people in the castle could walk across it. That can't be the Heavenly Road; only gods can open the Heavenly Road, and only gods can pass through it."
Kronos suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Bian Ziyuan and asked, "Where is the Heavenly Road?"
Bian Ziyuan said, "How would I know?"
Kronos said, "No, you must know. Because you are not of this world, Butterfly of Deep Space!"
Bian Ziyuan was startled. "Why would you think that?"
Kronos said, "Because you so-called players are different from all the other creatures here. All the creatures here, whether emperors, nobles, commoners, giants on snowy mountains, skeletons in the desert, monsters in lava, or wandering Ghost, live foolishly and numbly. They never know or will think about why they live, and they will never think about whether to change anything. When they see me, they will only kneel down and say, 'Oh, revered Kronos, great god of time and space, greetings!' Even the monks in the temple will only chant all day long, and will never ask questions, let alone ask me for anything."
"I have tried to change the wisdom of these people, but these are the fundamental rules of the world, unless the entire world order is overthrown, but by then I will no longer be around. So I cannot do that, nor can I do it."
"But I've discovered that you are different from them. Although you also call me a god, you are not as servile and indifferent as they are. You have your own ideas, goals to strive for, and survival skills. You are good at learning, know how to compromise, and your thoughts are imaginative yet you are cautious in your words and actions. Moreover, your strange words and seemingly illogical ideas often give me profound inspiration."
"Especially you, Butterfly of Deep Space!"
"What's wrong with me?" Bian Ziyuan asked.
Kronos said, "The difference between you and them is that your requests are different each time. Most of their requests are to make themselves stronger or to satisfy their curiosity about the world. But you are different. Although you are also constantly becoming stronger, you seem to consider the rationality of this world more. You don't make requests that put me in a difficult position, nor do you say anything unreasonable. Not only that, I also know that you are often testing my limits and the limits that this world can bear."