Night World Players

Chapter 129 Lost Paradise, cleared! (7k)

Fire thief?
Listening to Noah's words, Rast was slightly stunned.

This was also the first time he understood so clearly the concept of the gravekeeper.

Although there was no way to verify it, Rast could feel that Noah had not deceived him on this point.

At the end of every era, there will be a catastrophe that ends the era and destroys the entire civilization, or the so-called great disaster.

This can also be proven from the exploration of the night world by the current night travelers...

Six epochs and seventy-two night worlds, each night world corresponds to a disaster in past history.

The so-called "End of Night Reverberation" at the end of each era is far from being comparable to the ordinary night world reverberation, whether in terms of the difficulty of attacking or the level and scale of the extraordinary people participating in the battle.

That is the most difficult level that can only be conquered by the combined efforts of all the night travelers in the world, at the cost of blood and fire.

In fact, according to the records that Last found out in the Arcanum Tower... in the past, in the process of conquering the Doomsday World and the Last Echoes of each era in the present world, the legendary Night Traveler had died more than once.

Therefore, there is a high probability that the final catastrophe that Noah spoke of is real.

If the development of civilization is compared to a living organism, then it also has a life cycle of germination, growth, prosperity, aging and withering.

However, when the cycle of civilization goes from prosperity to decline and enters an irreversible ending stage.

The legends born in every era and the leaders of every civilization will make completely different choices.

Or choose to accept it calmly and quietly welcome the demise of civilization.

Or they may abandon civilization itself and stand alone on the long river of history, looking down indifferently on the ebb and flow of history as recorders and witnesses, watching the changing of times and civilizations... or even actively speeding up the process in order to conform to the laws of nature and rules, like a gravekeeper.

Or, reject this destined outcome and burn yourself like firewood for that tiny possibility, like the shore watcher.

These are different legends, different choices made when facing the death of civilization.

There is no right or wrong, but only a difference in stance and philosophy... But precisely because of this, when two different stances collide, there is no room for mediation.

All that remains is a war of blood and fire.

And war never ends until one dies.

However, compared to these.

What really concerned Rast was what Noah said about the shore watcher.

The first generation of the shore guard was a traitor among the grave keepers?

Moreover, according to Noah's description, the first shore keeper also stole a "fire" from the grave keeper.

To the extent that such an ancient legend revealed a look of hatred and coldness when talking about this... it can be seen that the "spark" must be an extremely precious thing.

For the legendary strongmen, they all have extraordinary significance.

Last wanted to find out more information about this, but it was obvious that Noah had no intention of explaining more.

When facing a legend, if Rast showed too much desire to explore, it would inevitably arouse the other party's vigilance and suspicion.

However, despite this——

In fact, in Rast's mind, he already had some guesses about the so-called "spark".

However, it still needs further confirmation.

"So, you should be able to understand why I came here on behalf of the gravekeeper."

Noah's indifferent words rang in Rast's ears again.

"What we pursue is not only the immortality of life, but also the eternity of civilization."

"And in order to survive for a long time... the alternation of the creation and destruction of eras, the destruction and rebirth of civilizations are all necessary."

"However, the shore guards led by Cecil attempted to break this rule that has lasted for several epochs—"

"For that unrealistic fantasy that is like a moth flying into a flame... he is reckless and unscrupulous, and has reached a point of near madness, completely disregarding the longer-term future."

"Therefore, the shore-keepers must be eradicated—"

"Before the civilization of this era truly offends the will of heaven and encounters a backlash of catastrophe, causing irreversible consequences."

He paused for a moment, "On the other hand, vile betrayers and thieves must also be punished."

"Retrieve the lost 'spark' from the hands of the fire thief."

There was a hint of shock and confusion on Rast's face.

He hesitated for a moment, and finally asked.

"Master Noah, I have another question."

"Faced with the shore guards, why don't we, the grave keepers...use more powerful forces to suppress them without reservation?"

"As far as I know, the current Shore Guardian organization is not that strong. There is only one legend, Cecil."

"A mere legend should be insignificant compared to us grave keepers."

"Ah."

Last felt a deep gaze on him.

After a long time, it was finally removed from his body.

"We grave keepers, although independent of history, will not be worn out by the long river of time, grow old, or die like the lives of the mortal world...

"However, the corresponding price is that for most of each era, we can only witness everything in the world as recorders and observers."

"And if you want to interfere with the real world, there will be various restrictions."

"Just like the gods imprisoned outside the Threshold of Blazing Heaven... As true gods, they cannot easily descend to the world, and can only descend through believers, sacrifices, ceremonies, etc."

Noah's voice became a little deeper.

"If they hadn't been subject to so many restrictions, how could the shore guards, who live in the shadows, have survived for so long?"

"Of course, this restriction from the world's laws will continue to weaken as civilization progresses."

"When an era comes to an end, when the end comes, all restrictions and constraints will be lifted."

"At that time, no matter we, the grave keepers or the gods trapped on the threshold of the blazing sky, will be free from constraints and will be able to descend to the mortal world in full glory... the gods will walk on the earth."

"However, by that time, what the shore guards have done may be irreversible."

"At the current time point, although the progress of civilization and era has turned from prosperity to decline and entered the second half of its life cycle, it has not yet reached the point of extinction."

"So, although the restriction has loosened, it has not been completely broken. Being able to accommodate my arrival is already the limit... There are many grave keepers who are more powerful than me, but the restrictions they face are also greater."

“Besides—” Noah paused for a moment, “Ever since the first generation stole the fire, this fire has been continuously accumulated and grown through the inheritance of successive shore keepers…”

"Although there is only one person, Cecil, who holds the fire, is not just an ordinary legend."

The Threshold of Blazing Sky?

Are those true gods trapped on this so-called "Threshold of the Blazing Sky" and therefore unable to descend and walk the earth without restraint?

Last silently memorized this piece of knowledge in his heart. These were secrets that he had no way to know before.

At this moment, Noah withdrew his vague and distant gaze and focused it back on Rast.

"Of course, these things have nothing to do with you at the moment."

"Although they are rare, every era and every epoch has its own legends... As for the legendary seeds that have opened up the road to legend and have the potential to become legendary, their number is several times greater."

"However, not every legend can be invited to join the gravekeepers."

"However, at this moment, you do have the qualifications to travel with us."

Noah looked down at Rast. The plants in the courtyard were growing vigorously around him, full of green vitality.

"For the sake of survival and eternity, the Shore Keepers must be wiped out."

"There will definitely be a battle between Cecil and I... But that battle won't come immediately. Both me and him must prepare for it and accumulate strength."

"And what you need to do... is to use the Death Star Cup that you forcibly contained as a medium to control the remaining power in the remains of the Death God and use it for your own benefit."

His gaze once again fell on the dim yellow illusory ocean in the distance, which was the abyss formed by the remains of the god of death.

Rast also followed Noah's gaze and looked in the direction of the Nether Abyss.

Deep in the illusory ocean formed by the blood of the god of death, at the end of the abyss, there is an abyss that swallows up all light.

Faintly, as if it were there and not there, there came a breath that made Last feel quite familiar.

That is Akshia's energy.

Although Rast used Cessel's dagger of light to break open his heart and take away the Star of Death from it.

But as a transcendent being at the senior level of the Death God sequence, even if the Star Grail was taken away and she lost the ability to call upon the power of the Death God's remaining body, Akshia's status would not fall due to the solidification over the years.

Possessing the ability of "Pale Body", there is no concept of fatal flaws on Axia's body. Even if the heart is pierced, she will not die easily.

At this moment, the former queen of the underworld is sleeping like Sleeping Beauty, quietly sleeping at the bottom of the abyss.

It is extremely dangerous to others. As long as they are stained with a drop of divine blood, they will be assimilated by the true god's status and swallowed up by the abyss...

To Akxia, it seemed like just a peaceful haven, similar to her bedroom in paradise, with no difference at all.

"After all, those are the remains of a true god. Even a centipede is still alive after death, let alone the old god of death..."

"Such a majestic being, under the right opportunity, only needs a strand of flesh and blood to return."

Noah also seemed to see through the abyss that swallowed up the light, and saw the girl who was sleeping at the bottom of the abyss.

"Even if you have forcibly contained the Death Star Cup at this moment, you should be able to feel that the Death Star Cup only uses you as a container and a temporary parasitic host..."

"It is parasitic on you, and is constantly trying to use its power to erode, pollute, and assimilate you... And if you fail to resist this erosion and assimilation, and are controlled by the Star Grail—"

“Then, even if you can ascend to the legendary realm or even step into the divine realm through the power of the remains of the God of Death… you will no longer be yourself at that time. You will be the old God of Death, who has resurrected in this body with the help of your body.”

"But if she were here, everything would be different."

Noah's words followed closely: "This Queen of the Underworld named Helen... has contained the Star Cup of the God of Death since she was born. However, unlike ordinary people who try to get their hands on the power of God, she is not rejected by the Star Cup of the God of Death and suffers no backlash or erosion. Instead, she is able to control the power of the Star Cup freely." "She is an extremely special existence, a container that can contain the Star Cup naturally. I even suspect that she is the life transformed from the characteristics of the old God of Death, or a new life bred on the remains of the God of Death."

"To some extent, she is the offspring of the old gods, a descendant of the same blood as the gods, the daughter of the god of death."

"If you forcibly contain the Star Cup and carry the power of the remains of the God of Death, then you will only become a carrier for the resurrection of the God of Death."

"In front of the gods, human self-consciousness is as lowly as dust and will be crushed mercilessly..."

"However, if you use her as a vessel, and when the Death Star Cup erodes your body to a certain appropriate time point, you can use the descendants of the Death God as a sacrifice to complete the ritual."

"Then you may transfer all the side effects to her, the vessel used as the sacrifice."

"Completely obtain the divinity and authority contained in the Death Star Cup, and also be able to fully gain the authority to control the remains of the god."

Noah's words became gentler: "Even though you are only accommodating the divinity and authority of the Star Grail, and not directly absorbing the power in the remains of the god... it won't improve your rank and strength much in a short period of time."

"However, this way, you can completely avoid all risks, as well as the possibility of the God of Death's consciousness reviving in you."

“At that time, your path to becoming a legend, or even to the divine realm, will be completely opened… In time, perhaps a few years, or perhaps decades, you will definitely become a legend, or even a god, and you will not encounter any obstacles or hindrances along the way.”

"And the power of the remains of the god will not be wasted. Although the will of the old god of death still remains in these divine powers, they are too dangerous to be absorbed directly..."

"But you can control the remains of the god and help me wipe out the shore guards."

“Although several epochs have passed, and most of the power in the remains of the God of Death has long since dissipated, with only one tenth remaining, but in a short period of time, it is still not a problem for that corpse to burst out with legendary power.”

The gardener-like old man spoke calmly, yet with an indescribable temptation.

"After the shore guards are destroyed, I will recommend you to join the grave keepers for your contribution in helping me to destroy the shore guards and recover the "fire" from the fire thieves."

"I have contained an ancient god's star cup without any side effects, and have become one of our tomb keepers... I have eternal life, standing above the long river of time and history, and I am no longer bound by lifespan, birth, aging, sickness and death."

"One day, perhaps you will be able to truly ascend to the throne of God and become the new God of Death."

"It is even possible that he can go one step further than the old god of death."

……

"The ritual of using Helen, the Queen of the Underworld, as a sacrifice to help you truly contain the Cup of the Death Star requires quite a long time to prepare, and the ritual itself also requires waiting for the right time."

"Also, I also need to find more helpers for the battle with Cecil."

"While I am fully prepared... you will stay in Paradise or the Abyss and try to contain the Star Grail as much as possible to deepen your compatibility with it."

"Also, the now vacant throne of the Underworld should be occupied by you."

“When one day you step into the divine realm and embark on the path of becoming a god of death…these dead in the paradise of the underworld will all be your natural believers and the source of your power of faith.”

"There's no need to worry that Cecil will attack you again... People like him have too many things to worry about. They use mundane emotions, which are like illusions, as shackles to restrain themselves."

"As long as my whereabouts are not confirmed, he will have to guard against the forbidden creatures in the ocean and worry about me destroying the entire Shore Watcher organization. He will never dare to leave the headquarters of the Watch Tower."

"There may be other shore guards chasing you, but for you now, Paradise is your home. Even though they just forcibly took the Star Cup... they shouldn't pose much of a threat to you."

Noah's last words disappeared along with a distorted halo that made the sky and the earth spin around him.

When the surrounding scenery freezes again.

Last found himself in the royal city of Paradise again.

"What happened? Why did the palace in the inner city suddenly collapse and disappear?"

"Logically speaking, even if such a large building collapsed, there should be some ruins left. But just now someone had the courage to go in and take a look. It is clear that there is nothing on the site of the palace."

"Is Queen Helen safe?"

It was clearly already night, and in this era, it was far from being a city that never sleeps like in later generations.

But the streets of the royal city were still filled with the noisy and chaotic discussions of the people.

The residents of this paradise naturally had no idea what had just happened on the top of the mountain in the suburbs... They only knew that Queen Helen's bedroom in the center of the paradise's royal city had collapsed for some reason.

It disappeared silently, without leaving even the slightest trace of its existence.

Last blended into the noisy crowd and calmly made a shooting gesture to his temple.

The next moment, the light in his eyes disappeared.

As the mental suggestion was initiated, in Last's mind, the self-hypnosis that he had cast on himself not long ago was also lifted.

This is a necessary matter.

Although he and Cecil had planned from the beginning to infiltrate the gravekeepers and become an insider.

However, facing a gravekeeper of legendary rank, even the slightest fluctuation and ripple in his heart would most likely be detected, and his intentions would be understood.

Although he was confident in his acting skills, he was facing an old monster who might have lived for several epochs, so he had to be cautious.

Therefore, from the moment he actually faced Noah, Rast began to hypnotize himself.

He truly put himself into the perspective of the gravekeeper... Having experienced wear and tear himself, he was extremely afraid of the passage of time and self-collapse, and was willing to pursue eternity at all costs.

All the experiences and past that Rast told Noah, including his inner journey and transformation, are real... He sincerely believes that the shore keepers are the wrong party and agrees with the correctness of the gravekeepers' ideas.

The only difference is that Rast blocked the past about Canaan from his memories.

If it weren’t for "Canaan", there would still be Xiao Ai.

Then, for Last, who has experienced hundreds of years of cycles in Deep Blue Harbor and personally experienced the wear and tear of his soul and the collapse of his self... there is a great possibility that he will really embark on the path of becoming a gravekeeper.

Only in this way could he possibly hide from a true legendary gravekeeper.

Of course, Last would not unconditionally believe all the information Noah revealed to him.

He and the other party were just getting to know each other briefly.

After taking in the Death Star Cup, he had the value to be used by the other party, and there was a basis for cooperation.

But if you believe everything Noah says, you will probably be sold out and have to count money for them.

For example, Noah said that the reason why the grave keepers did not come out in full force to encircle and suppress Cecil was because of the life cycle of the era, which resulted in limitations on the power of the grave keepers and the gods when they descended...

This kind of limitation is very likely to exist. After all, if the true God could bring down power at will, the Sixth Epoch would have been reduced to ruins long ago. It would be impossible for it to survive for so long relying on a legend like Cecil.

But is Noah really the only legend in the Tomb Keeper Organization?

Even Noah himself said that Cecil, who holds the "spark", is not something that can be measured by an ordinary legend... So, in order to eliminate Cecil, how could the gravekeepers not have enough combat power left?

and also--

If it was just to encircle and suppress Cecil and recover the fire...

So, why was it that the grave keeper who was sent to paradise this time was Noah from the Fertility Sequence?
Rast was no stranger to the long-stage sequence of abundance, and it was also not uncommon among the night travelers in the world today. Hiltina's deceased best friend, Fran, was also a long-stage of this sequence.

The abilities of the "Abundance" sequence are quite useful in support, healing, medical care, and logistics... but they have certain shortcomings only in pure frontal combat.

If the gravekeeper only came to eliminate Cecil, then he should undoubtedly choose a legend with stronger frontal combat capability in his sequence.

and--

The long ranks of the "Abundance" and "Death" sequences hold the power over life and death...

Although they seem to be two forces of completely opposite attributes, they also represent that these two sequences are part of the rules of life and death and come from the same source.

So, Noah's explanation to himself, and the ritual with Akshia as the container and sacrifice... Was it really just to allow him to contain the Star Grail of the God of Death without any side effects, and then use the remains of the god to help him encircle and suppress Cessel?

Or is it that Noah’s own interests are also involved in this?
As his mind raced, Last also turned his gaze in the direction where the people around him were looking.

"Also, can you fill the vacancy on the throne and become the new king of the underworld and paradise..."

Laster couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at the empty area in the center of the royal city where a prosperous palace once stood but was now empty.

"In this way--it would be like dancing and mocking in little Grey's face."

"That little guy must hate me to the core. He might even be so angry that he can't sleep well."

"However, if you want to become a qualified leader of the shore guards in a short period of time... then this is the price you must pay."

Luster paused for a moment while talking to himself.

“After all, whether it’s me or Chief Cecil.”

"The time we have left to continue to accompany you, little Grey—"

"I'm afraid it won't be long..."

The next moment, Rast raised his head.

Suddenly, hazy starlight appeared above the dark sky.

Under his gaze, the starlight intertwined with the gauze-like night.

Then, like the night sky, it gently wrapped up Last and the entire broken world.

In the increasingly dark night and the gradually fading consciousness, Last saw lines of azure blue words passing through his mind.

[Night World Mission - "Echoes of the Era: The Prologue of the Legendary War (Lost Paradise)" has been cleared]

[Current task rating: EX]

[Task rewards have been distributed]

[Your sequence long-stage "Tower" has reached the fourth stage]

[You have obtained the emblem costumes: "The Unfinished Fairy Tale Book", "The Winged Emblem of the Betrayer"]

[Civilization epic event - "Battle of Broken Coast" has begun]

[The current historical node has been locked. Please choose to exit the Echoes of the Era or continue to stay.]

[Tip: After leaving the Night World, except for the emblem costumes that have been recognized by the Night World, the phantom items obtained by the Night Traveler in the Remnants of History will become virtual and unusable.]

[The next time the Night Traveler enters the Echoes of the Era, he will enter the locked historical node and continue the epic event of civilization]

(End of this chapter)