Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 184 "Humanity"

(I actually got the definitions of the realm of necessity and the realm of freedom mixed up... No wonder something felt off yesterday. Luckily, it was just the names that were reversed, and I've already corrected them.)
In this new world, everything is forcibly reshaped and embedded according to its own rules.

The sun, which once hung high in the sky, became a giant fireball with a diameter of 139 million kilometers. The moon, which once accompanied the sun, became a companion star orbiting the Earth with a diameter of 3400 kilometers. The giant serpent became the Earth, the snake woman Mona disappeared without a trace, and gods and demons became ethereal legends. Everything was disrupted and reorganized. This is the new world.

However, the vertical eye that opened above the heart stared directly at the sky, at the only thing that had not changed: the last remnant of the old world...

Crystal Sky.

That original cosmic driving force, the Heaven of Heaven above the Seven Heavens, the abode of the gods, is the only thing that has maintained its original form.

This universe, spanning over ten trillion light-years, is so vast and complete that even gods no longer need it, and naturally, it no longer requires any cosmic driving force. However, this dwelling place, under the influence of the Great Serpent's power, has become the only thing that has been preserved, drifting in the cracks of spacetime.

Within that crystal heaven, the gods have fallen into eternal slumber, and the great serpent is asleep. There are no more chess players, yet the black and white chessboard continues to silently record everything.

The board was already covered with countless pieces: knights, chariots, bishops, soldiers... Every epic tale was a movement of pieces, every crushing move was a rise and fall of nations, and the battle between black and white pieces formed the long scroll of human history.

At this moment, the black pieces have gradually gained the upper hand. However, the old world has disappeared, and the omniscient and omnipotent one has never come to this new world. Without the bet, the outcome of the game is meaningless. This remaining crystal sky is nothing more than discarded information from when the system was running, a useless illusion.

However, on that chessboard that should have been abandoned, something inexplicable was now surging and brewing...

His vertical pupils grew increasingly cold.

……

"You just mentioned freedom and God, so in your eyes, what is freedom and what is God?"

Engels felt as if a soft female voice was whispering in his mind, prompting him to ask Marx a question.

Without realizing it, he had already stood up. His mind was still hazy, but the words he spoke were incredibly clear, as if some kind of will was controlling his body and speaking through his mouth.

"Freedom? God? That's an interesting question."

Upon hearing this, Marx looked at his good friend with some surprise. He didn't notice anything unusual about his friend and just smiled and said.

In Europe at this moment, all the issues arising from human rights are being hotly debated: divine right, monarchical right, human rights, law, freedom, morality. Ancient ideas cannot explain the world today, and all sorts of complex concepts are being reinterpreted in this great era.

Savoring his beer, he pondered for a moment before slowly sharing his thoughts.

"In my view... freedom is a state of self-mastery."

The German man in his thirties was unaware that an ancient phantom was quietly listening behind Engels.

That ancient phantom gave birth to the first human ancestor. She had no regrets in her life, but a question lingered in her heart. She was a being created by God, destined for eternal life and everlasting happiness, yet she gave up everything God had given her.

Inspired by the devil in his lifetime, he argued with the devil and struggled to find the answer to his confusion. Until his death, he still had not found the answer and could only wander among his descendants with unfinished regrets, waiting for the answer that may never come.

And now, the obsession that has puzzled the ancient phantom for countless years seems about to be answered...

"As I said, in the realm of necessity, primitive animals are unrestrained and seemingly free, yet they have no control over their own destiny, nor do they live, die, rise, or fall in accordance with the laws of nature. This freedom is false, because it has never been truly free. Although the body is not bound, it is constantly subject to various constraints. How can this be called freedom?"

Marx shook his head.

"Engels, you mentioned God, so let's take a story from the Bible as an example. Humans lived happily in the Garden of Eden, ignorant and carefree, but what does that mean? Is the reason why humans lived happily simply because of God's will? This kind of happiness is nothing more than happiness under God's control. Happiness under God's control cannot be said to be anything other than happiness, but even slaves can feel that they are happy."

“Only when mankind abandons the Garden of Eden can mankind be said to be free, because mankind finally begins to truly take control of its own destiny and rule its own fate with its own will, rather than relying on God’s charity and mercy.”

"Engels, in my view, freedom is not merely physical freedom, but more importantly, spiritual freedom. Freedom is not what you can do, but what you are not forced to do."

The calm words captivated the ancient phantom, drawing it into a deep listening gaze.

"As for God...you know, I'm an atheist."

After a moment's thought, Marx shook his head.

Clearly, Marx didn't really want to discuss the topic of God, or rather, he felt there was nothing to discuss.

"But what if God really exists in this world?"

However, Engels stubbornly countered with a question.

Marx wanted to refute Engels's statement that there is no God in the world, but looking into Engels's eyes, those eyes that seemed to be filled with strange magic, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and unconsciously accepted Engels's statement, and began to think about it.

What if God really exists?

But this confusion didn't last long, and the bearded German shook his head.

"Even if God truly exists, I would still be an 'atheist'." "Why?"

Engels pressed on.

Marx did not answer directly. Instead, he slowly took out his pipe, sat on the round wooden stool, lit it, took a deep breath, and exhaled. The round smoke rings slowly dispersed in the air. Then Marx looked at his friend, who was only a table away from him, and said.

"Why? Engels, what do you think 'God' is?"

Marx looked at Engels and couldn't help but smile.

Engels: "Throughout history, mankind has always worshipped the concept of 'God,' but in ancient times, 'God' was a real being."

"Ancient humans worshipped wild boars in the mountains and forests, crocodiles in the swamps, lions on the plains, rhinoceroses, tigers, cheetahs, bison, and even antelopes. Humans revered the strength and speed of these powerful beasts and regarded them as gods. For this, they did not hesitate to offer up the food they had worked hard to hunt, or even voluntarily sacrifice their lives to these beasts."

"These primitive and wild creatures are the most ancient worship, the most ancient primordial gods."

"But in the end, these ancient 'gods' were abandoned by humankind. Did they change? No, it was humankind that became more intelligent and rational. Humankind began to realize that these 'gods' were just ordinary animals. The 'gods' became animals. Abandoning these 'primitive gods,' humankind turned to worship the sky, the earth, the sea, and the mountains. This worship has even persisted in many places to this day."

"Engels said that worship and faith originate from one's own weakness, from the fear that arises from that weakness, and from the desire for great power. Ancient humans worshipped beasts, ancient humans worshipped mountains and rivers, the sun, moon and stars, and modern humans worship the ethereal 'omniscient and omnipotent God'..."

As he spoke, Marx shook his head, tapped the ash from his pipe, and continued.

"For example, if one day we suddenly discover that the Earth is actually a giant snake coiled up... how would we view this snake that was once worshipped by countless humans and regarded as 'Gaia' and 'the god of the earth'?"

For some reason, an absurd idea suddenly flashed through Marx's mind, but he naturally used that idea as an example to illustrate his point.

He looked up at his thoughtful friend and said.

"The answer is... it's a monster, a gigantic beast unlike any other, nothing more. No matter how powerful this beast is, humans will no longer worship it as they did in ancient times, because humans have now acquired reason and wisdom. Even if a god were to appear one day, in the eyes of humans, it would merely be a very powerful being."

"So you're asking what would happen if 'God' really existed?"

"My answer is: I am an atheist, because..."

As he spoke, Marx patted his heart with his palm, a small gesture that was enough to attract Engels' attention.

he said softly.

"In my heart, 'God' is dead."

That calm voice, however, was resounding...

Unbeknownst to her, the ancient phantom had vanished, for the confusion in her heart had been resolved.

……

"Engels, as I have said before, I have wondered if the absolute spirit is a logical force of the universe, then what is the absolute spirit of mankind?"

"If we consider humanity as a whole, we can easily see that humanity has stumbled and struggled its way from the dawn of civilization to where it is today. Humanity has always been striving to change the world. Humanity is constantly growing, and we have always been trying to take control of our own destiny..."

The vertical pupil paid no heed to the sounds around it, even though it could hear all the conversations of humans on this planet, because it was currently focused on what was on the chessboard.

The black and white chess pieces clashed, and as they fought, these divine and demonic pieces unknowingly began to swirl like clouds above the chessboard, as countless heroes and historical figures coalesced into an inexplicable force...

It was an unprecedented behemoth, sprawling across the land, using farmland to divide civilization from barbarism, with scattered towns as its body, kings and sages as its brain, spirited armies as its fangs, laborers toiling in factories as its hands and feet, and endless caravans as its lifeblood…

Its consciousness is not yet unified, and amidst the chaos of thought, hundreds of nations are still fiercely fighting, and the struggle between continents and oceans continues. But the eyes that were once ignorant for countless years have now opened, and looking around at the world it inhabits, it is no longer ignorant.

Resembling neither human nor beast, it greedily draws upon the earth's power, striving to grow stronger.

As if sensing the gaze of the vertical pupils, the colossal creature, still in a state of chaotic confusion and without even a complete form, glanced at it unconsciously. Unlike its own immaturity, that gaze contained no fear or apprehension, only the calm and profound wisdom of a sage.

Although the many life forms that make up it are unaware of the existence of the vertical pupils, a very small number of life forms are aware of the existence of the "sculpture".

"Did you think you'd always be in charge...?"

A brief glance can convey more than a thousand words.

The snake-like vertical pupils stared coldly at the "monster" brewing on the chessboard.

After a long while, only strange, mocking laughter rang out from inside the dwelling, mocking the young beast that, though not yet fully developed, dared to roar and threaten at the ferocious beast.

(End of this chapter)