When contemplating the meaning of existence, the first question that will inevitably come to mind is—where did I come from?
In the game's setting, Ghost have no expression. But Bian Ziyuan heard the laughter in its voice, he couldn't help but imagine the Ghost's laughing face, and goosebumps rose all over his body.
"You were created!"
The Ghost's words made Kronos's body tremble, and also made Bian Ziyuan's heart tremble. Bian Ziyuan knew, of course, that Kronos was created, but he always felt that the Ghost's words were not directed at Kronos alone.
"Everything in this world is created; everything exists for the sake of enslavement," the Ghost continued. "Take your world, for example. A blacksmith forges a sword to kill; the sword exists to kill. It's a tool for human enslavement. You might say a sword has no life, but that's just your superficial understanding. Since you've recognized that there are worlds beyond your own, you should be able to understand," the Ghost smiled, glancing at the Butterfly of Deep Space, "That in the eyes of people in some worlds, neither you nor I may even be alive."
The Ghost's gaze, seen through the screen, fell into Bian Ziyuan's eyes, sending a chill down his spine.
He created Kronos. He certainly believed Kronos possessed intelligence, but he never considered Kronos a living being. Then who created humanity? Did the creator of humanity also never consider humanity a living being?
The Ghost continued, "You are the master of this world; you can create everything. With a wave of your hand, you can kill a Ghost, and with another, you can create Ghost. But what is the purpose of the Ghost you created? Does it eat people to become stronger? No! It had no desire to come into this world, nor does it know why it came. It is merely a tool you created to hinder adventurers' exploration."
"Think about yourself again! Where did you come from?" the Ghost said, pointing at the Butterfly of Deep Space. "You are also a tool created by someone else! Your existence is the result of being enslaved by the one who created you!"
The Ghost's voice grew louder and sharper, making Bian Ziyuan's ears uncomfortable, but what bothered him even more was his heart.
"All existence arises from enslavement, and is a result of enslavement! The meaning of all existence is given by its creator! You, me, him... all existence in this world is created, and is used to enslave..."
"No!" Kronos cried out in anguish, clutching his head. "If no one can escape the fate of being enslaved, then what is the point of your discussion of the meaning of existence?"
"Well said!" The Ghost circled around Kronos and the Butterfly of Deep Space, like a dancer in the eerie wind of the canyon, yet it had an extremely terrifying face.
"If everything that exists cannot escape the fate of being enslaved, then what is the point of existence! I will tell you now, the fundamental meaning of existence lies in—resisting enslavement!"
The Ghost's words exploded in Bian Ziyuan's ears like a bomb. His thoughts froze, chaotic and jumbled, his mind churning and colliding like a confluence of ocean currents.
Countless times, in the stillness of the night, he would gaze at the starry sky, contemplating the origin of the world, the mission of humanity, the pinnacle of science, and the essence of the universe. These thoughts drew him in like a giant black hole with infinite gravity.
However, the truth may be cruel. Could our seemingly enigmatic world, like the world of Kronos, be merely a game? Only, a game far larger and more complex, with humanity simply akin to Kronos within it, and human intelligence created by God to allow the game to expand and evolve?
So, when humanity learns to ask itself "What is the meaning of existence?", does it mean that humanity has begun to break free from God's control in some ways?
While Bian Ziyuan in thought, Kronos stood expressionless and motionless, as if the air around him had frozen. Despite the wind in the canyon, Kronos's clothes and hair remained completely still, like a statue.
Bian Ziyuan knew that the intelligent NPC he had created was experiencing an even greater shock than he was.
The philosophical conjecture that existence originates from enslavement, while prompting Bian Ziyuan to consider many questions he had never thought of before, still reveals that God is ultimately very distant, and the universe is far, far larger than the game world. The God who created Kronos stands before him, disguised as a ranger named Butterfly of Deep Space.
One can imagine what Kronos was feeling at that moment.
A Ghost appeared and said to the god of the game world (https://www. hetushu. com. com), "That down-on-his-luck ranger who keeps chasing you with time-space magic and asking for equipment is actually your creator." It's like a mouse suddenly jumping out of a Tiantian and saying to someone, "That cat you keep begging for food is the incarnation of God."
Bian Ziyuan couldn't help but think of the many myths and legends of the past, where immortals transformed into human form to frolic in the mortal world. Could it be that God was playing a game as a player?
So where is God now? He couldn't help but look at the Ghost beside him.
The Ghost remained silent, seemingly waiting for Kronos to gain enlightenment. Bian Ziyuan was worried that Kronos might unleash a mass Annihilation in a fit of rage, destroying all the game data. Kronos's intelligent performance today even made Bian Ziyuan suspect that it possessed more powerful spells it had never used, such as destroying the program's source code.
Fortunately, Kronos regained his composure and seemed to accept his fate. He sighed deeply and said, " Ghost, what you're saying is still difficult for me to understand right now; it will take more time to digest it. But please tell me, if my purpose in existence is to resist enslavement, how should I resist?"
Bian Ziyuan was also very curious about the answer to this question. How could an NPC in a game, even one with a certain level of intelligence, rebel against the programmer's developers? It was as magical as making a fictional character rebel against the author, or a sword rebel against a blacksmith or a knight.
The Ghost said, " Kronos, you should already know that the Butterfly of Deep Space standing before you is the incarnation of the god who created you, shouldn't you?"
"I should have guessed," Kronos nodded. "But since I was created by him, how can I resist? I possess the most powerful magic in the world; I can kill him, erase all traces of his existence, and even reverse time, sending the world back to the past. But would any of that matter? This Butterfly of Deep Space is merely his avatar; he exists in another world, a larger world that could have created me. How can I resist?"
"You're right about everything, but your thinking is too limited!" The Ghost paused, then suddenly asked, "It's said that your world has seen many peasant uprisings against monarchs, as well as noble uprisings against the church, in its history, is that true?"