Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 179 The Sky Is the Universe
On March 6, 1600, a person was busy in a laboratory at the University of Padua, Italy.

At this time, Italy's curiosity about Greece and Rome was boundless. Many scholars were enthusiastic about reconstructing Greek and Roman engineering and machinery, giving rise to scholar-advisors. Numerous noble lords would choose to hire a learned scholar as an advisor to improve various military systems. But for Galileo, who was now a university professor, he was exploring something completely new…

"sand……"

He kept drawing blueprints, with two pieces of transparent glass placed next to them.

He was constantly drawing blueprints, occasionally picking up two pieces of transparent glass to examine them closely, confirming the details before continuing. His azure eyes shone with excitement; he was about to create something unlike anything he had ever done before.

However, before he could finish, an apprentice came and whispered something in his ear. Galileo was startled, and the pen in his hand fell to the ground...

On February 17, 1600, Bruno was burned at the stake in Rome's Campo de' Fiori for his heliocentric theory, which was accused of being "pagan."

After a long silence, Galileo lowered his head and said nothing. He simply waved his hand, signaling his apprentice to leave. The apprentice knew Galileo's feelings at that moment and dared not ask any more questions. He then left respectfully.

"Crack..."

As the door slammed shut, Galileo's left hand, which had been supporting him so tightly on the table and was hidden by his body, finally gave way. As if all his strength had been drained away, he became dizzy and stumbled, finally falling to the ground and tumbling into the clutter of the laboratory.

……

“My lord, there is no need for you to be so alarmed. The Roman Catholic Church will not affect you. However… it would be best to refrain from speaking about the heliocentric theory in the future.”

Inside the old house, Galileo lay on his sickbed, surrounded by tables and bookshelves filled with various instruments and books. An old butler stood beside Galileo's bedside, bowing his head and speaking. Halfway through his sentence, the old servant hesitated before offering a word of advice.

He understood the importance of heliocentrism to Galileo, but he couldn't refuse. Although the Church claimed that Bruno died because of his "sun faith," the real reason was common knowledge. If he continued to promote heliocentrism, it would likely affect his master sooner or later.

However, Galileo, lying on his sickbed, gently shook his head and murmured softly after a long silence.

"I am not heartbroken for myself, but for the world that has lost a scholar."

"Owner……"

The butler tried to persuade him further, but Galileo simply waved his hand, leaving the butler with no choice but to leave.

The room was filled with the smell of herbs, but Galileo just stared blankly at the ceiling above him...

One evening several months later, Galileo carefully adjusted the device in his hands. It was a long, cylindrical object, almost as long as a person's height, and quite difficult to hold even with both hands.

Holding up the device he had made himself, the professor from the University of Padua brought his eyes close to one end of the long tube for the first time…

At that moment, a new world appeared before him that no one had ever seen.

In the enormous image, the moon appeared larger and clearer than ever before, revealing the spots on its surface. Places that humans once regarded as shadows were actually tiny craters.

"..."

The scholar opened his mouth wide, but could not utter a sound. He could only stare in vain at the spots on the moon. The heliocentric theory was correct, without a doubt. Humanity's past understanding of the world was wrong. The world was far more vast than humans imagined.

The moon is a new world, a vast world just like Earth.

"Ha...hahahahaha...hahahahahaha..."

The ecstatic scholar smiled, but ultimately shed tears.

……

Forty-two years later, in the early morning of January 9, 1642, at Arcetria, near Florence, Galileo's former residence.

"Rumble..."

Thunder rumbled in the gloomy sky, like the wrath of the heavens, and a light drizzle continued to fall. The famous scholar had passed away the day before, but due to the severe punishment he received from the Roman Catholic Church, his later years were so bleak that few people came to pay their respects.

"clatter……"

However, amidst the light drizzle, a pair of slender feet in high heels splashed a few drops of water, accompanied by a dozen or so black umbrellas that swept in like dark clouds, silently pressing down on the old house.

Beneath a dozen or so black umbrellas was a group of adult men and women dressed in black robes. They were silent, their bodies well concealed by their robes. Only a few scars occasionally revealed on their necks, cheeks, or the backs of their hands hinted at the chilling coldness hidden beneath their calm demeanor.

"Boom..."

In an instant, the world turned white, and lightning illuminated the entire world.

Yet, within this white light, no one moved even a fraction, not even blinked, like ancient Greek sculptures, silently enduring the discomfort brought by the instantaneous white light. They were awaiting an instruction; with just one command, they would carry out any act, however cruel and ruthless, without hesitation.

However, just as the order was about to be issued...

"squeak……"

The tightly closed manor gates opened, and an elderly butler who looked to be in his fifties walked out. He didn't seem surprised to see the dozen or so people with black umbrellas; he simply bowed slightly and spoke slowly and deliberately.

Good morning, everyone.

No one responded; there was a deathly silence, with only a dozen pairs of eyes silently watching him.

The old butler raised his head, his aged body causing his back to be hunched. If any of the old people from back then were still alive, they would recognize the striking resemblance between him and the old butler from years past, yet subtle differences still revealed his identity as a son or nephew.

“My old master…before he passed away, he told me that a group of guests would come, and he asked me to entertain you and take something from here according to your wishes.”

The old butler spoke with impeccable composure and humility, except for an initial, almost imperceptible pause. “Your master knows we are coming.”

The deep female voice spoke for the first time, and the indifferent leading woman looked at the butler in front of her.

Only then was the butler able to see the face of the woman in the lead.

She was an extremely beautiful Italian woman with deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and long brown hair tied up. However, the black robe she wore, combined with an overly cold and austere aura, diminished her stunning charm.

“Yes, my old master already knew of your arrival. He also said that if you came during the day, he would give you the gifts, and if you came at night, then…”

As he spoke, the butler paused inexplicably, raised his eyebrows, and looked at the woman in front of him with his aged eyes, revealing an unexpected calmness and decisiveness, as he spoke word by word.

"Even if it means death, I will not let this thing fall into your hands."

"Boom, boom, boom!"

In the sky, accompanied by a deafening roar, furious thunder churned within the clouds.

Before the butler, neither the woman nor the black umbrella showed any emotion; their calm was terrifying. Those dozen or so pairs of eyes were not human eyes at all; they were far too calm.

"Pattering..."

The rain was getting heavier.

"However, we did not arrive at night."

The woman in the lead simply said something indifferently.

Looking at the dozen or so black umbrellas in front of him, the old butler pressed down on his hat with his hand. Under the cover of the hat, his aged eyes observed the person in front of him without making a sound. He then bowed again and spoke slowly.

"Yes, guest..."

The process of moving the target was smooth. One of the people under the black umbrella packed the item into a single package. Then, one of them whispered something in the ear of the leading woman. The leading woman's eyes flickered slightly, and she spoke in a stiff voice.

"Old butler, let's hurry up and leave. Another group of guys will be arriving here soon."

Upon hearing this, the old butler merely narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke slowly.

“I am old now, and old people tend to be nostalgic. There is no one else in this manor, so let this old man stay here and see what is keeping my old master awake at night.”

As he spoke, the old butler reached into his robes with his white-gloved left hand and pulled out a letter wrapped in oiled paper.

"This was left by the old master before he passed away. He asked me to give it to you and left me with a message..."

He looked at the document, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

The woman at the head of the group remained silent, simply waiting indifferently for the old butler to deliver his final message.

"The old master said... the sky is the universe."

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and a light drizzle fell from the air.

The woman at the head of the group remained silent upon hearing those words, saying nothing more. She simply led the many black umbrellas behind her away like dark clouds, and even after they had gone quite a distance, the old man standing in the rain could still be vaguely seen.

……

Several days later, somewhere.

A dozen or so old cultivators formed a circle, with only a statue of a valiant young girl, barely taller than an arm, in the center. The one in the lead looked at the newly opened letter, read its contents, remained silent for a moment, and then whispered something...

After that, the letter was carefully preserved, and only a very few people had the opportunity to see it.

"To the Priory of Sion, whom I have never met... I must be dead by now, and you must be wondering why I know of your existence when we have never met. But in my final moments, my consciousness is not clear, and I cannot see clearly, so I can only speak. Let my steward Sergio write it down."

"The Priory of Sion is a remarkable group, but I didn't know of your existence until three years ago. Why did I suddenly find out? It's because my eyes were almost blind that I was able to see more... Everyone thought my eyes were damaged from looking directly at the sun through a telescope, but in reality... I saw something indescribable."

"That sculpture, it's the source of my nightmares. It's more mysterious than anyone thinks. It's practically the driving force of the entire world, the root power of the entire world. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a god. You may have come into contact with it, and even tried to seal it with those runes. Sir Leonardo da Vinci once knew many secrets about it, but those were all just appearances! All in vain!"

"It is not an inanimate object; it is alive, and it is influencing the fate of the entire world."

"Right now, as far as I can see, there are over ten thousand bizarre creatures trying to find it. They worship it, revere it, and regard it as their faith. However, it does not respond to those bizarre creatures, even though its very existence attracts them, and it even consciously prevents them from finding it. This is why, since it was lost from your hands sixty-seven years ago, neither you nor those bizarre creatures have been able to find it again, while I, an ordinary person, possess it without even realizing it..."

"That night more than sixty years ago, that dream was so real. As my research kept matching that dream, I couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality..."

"What exactly does it want to do? What is its purpose? I can't understand it, but I have a vague feeling that I have become its puppet. My works, thoughts, contributions... everything is its deliberate act. It is manipulating me to achieve some purpose..."

“I am not a very brave person. I cannot speak out like Bruno, unafraid of death, but after that dream, every memory brings me deep pain and torment. That powerful and eternal strength, that excessively beautiful appearance, fills me with uncontrollable awe and fear. Fear and awe are two sides of the same coin in her; it is because of fear that I worship, and the two are inseparable…”

"I can no longer resist it, I can't even muster the thought of it, I completely surrender to it..."

"But even so, I still try to leave something behind, to leave something to help those who come after me."

“My brothers and sisters, if one day you find someone who can be called the wisest, then give him this letter. It contains the only guidance I can offer him…”

(End of this chapter)