Night World Players

Chapter 193 Night World, Start! (Two in One)

"Artificial Angel Project?"

Rast looked at the ferret in front of him and repeated the somewhat unfamiliar term.

"It sounds like they intend to use human technology to reach the eighth level of mythology, above Legend, and become a true 'Angel'?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Dean Yin flicked his tail and said, "You know."

"Those ancient civilizations that vanished in the old era were all based on humans, but due to the different emphases of their technology trees, civilizations in different eras often took completely different paths."

"And those former civilizations that survived the Bronze and Silver Ages of germination and growth, and entered their Golden Age of peak prosperity, would inevitably, through various means, perceive the end of that era, the final calamity brought about by the laws of the plane, or, in other words, the law of nature."

It rolled up a small dried fish from the secondary dimension and put it into its mouth: "Those former civilizations naturally wouldn't all choose to sit and wait for death—"

"Although civilization has already crumbled before the end of some eras, order has collapsed and fallen into chaos..."

"But there are also some past eras where humans choose to resist to the bitter end, devoting all their civilizational strength to fight against the inevitable end of the era."

"I know that."

Luster nodded.

After hearing about the origins of the Gravekeepers and Shorekeepers from Noah, he made a special trip to the Mysterious Tower to inquire about information about the previous five eras.

Fortunately, the night world from the First to the Fifth Age had already been explored and conquered by previous generations of night travelers over the past thousand years. It was not like the Sixth Age, which was still hidden in the mist of history and difficult to see clearly.

Aside from the First Age, which was the Age of Gods when the nameless Fool created the "Fool's Library" and established the Tombkeepers, due to the vast distances and the incomplete information storage technology of the time, only vague texts remained, with no detailed records.

From the Second to the Fifth Age, those predecessors who traveled by night left behind very detailed information.

"Almost every civilization from the Old Era had a plan to use all its strength to resist or survive the end of the era."

"But in reality, the only two of these plans that were successfully executed and nearly completed were the wizard civilization of the Second Age and the virtual world civilization of the Fourth Age."

Last recalled the night world exploration records he had seen in the Mystery Tower.

Humans in the Second Age discovered the existence of magic in its early stages.

Therefore, the development of human civilization throughout the Second Age was closely related to magic, wizards, wizard towers, and so on... In that era, wizards held an extremely high status. Even wizard apprentices who had just completed their arcane initiation had the same status as aristocrats.

During the most prosperous period of wizard civilization, three wizard towers built by legendary wizards stood on the earth.

After realizing the existence of the end of the era, the previous civilization chose to use all the power of the civilization to weave a "magic network" covering the entire plane, attempting to rewrite the laws of the plane and fight against the "natural law" deep in the root.

It is different from the wizard civilization of the Second Age, which directly confronted the rules of the world.

The Void Civilization of the Fourth Epoch, in the process of its development, inadvertently discovered another dimension called the Void Realm, and established connections with the Void Life therein, and even the Void Spirit Gods in the depths of the Void.

Eventually, a civilization system that was highly symbiotic with the virtual world gradually evolved.

After the virtual world civilization learned about the existence of the end of the era, the plan they made was to escape.

Migrate the entire continent, along with all life on it, to the dimension of the virtual world.

Leaving his hometown, he lived a life of escape and wandering in the dimensional abyss.

But it was clear that both the Second Epoch Wizard Civilization's "Magic Net Project" and the Fourth Epoch Virtual World Civilization's "Void Migration" plan ultimately ended in failure...

If not, there would be no new era or new civilization to restart in the future.

And those grand plans formulated with the full strength of civilization were buried in the dust of history along with the disappeared civilization, and were not rediscovered by night travelers until tens of millions of years later.

"Yes."

"Both the 'Magic Web Project' and the 'Void Migration Project' were grand undertakings achieved through the combined efforts of all humanity at that time, and they are the most glorious creations of a civilization."

"And the reason we've been able to develop so rapidly in this world is precisely because we've learned from these previous civilizations. The existence of the Night World allows us to learn from the strengths and weaknesses of these previous civilizations’ technologies—"

"For example, the magical technology and alchemical potions we use now come from the wizard civilization of the Second Age, and the network technology that transmits communication signals through the virtual world comes from the virtual world civilization of the Fourth Age."

Dean Yin paused.

"And the civilizations of the Sixth Epoch, as it stands now, have already fully embarked on the path of technological development—even further than we have gone."

"The 'Artificial Angel' Project is the culmination of the most advanced science and technology of Sixth Epoch Civilization."

"Simply put, they want to use purely technological means to create a cyborg life form capable of carrying a human soul."

"And with the power of science, I've given this mechanical creation a completely new sequence, one that has never existed in history—"

"Judgment"

Dean Yin looked into Last's eyes and said, "According to their assumptions and calculations, when this plan is truly completed..."

"That long artificial sequence, enabled by technology, will directly reach the eighth level, the level of 'Angel'."

"That was the ultimate weapon created by the Sixth Epoch's humanity, led by Gray, with the entire power of civilization, to combat the impending apocalypse, the gods on the Threshold of Blazing Heaven, and the gravekeepers—"

"Anti-mythic weapons that truly use the gods as their imaginary enemies are what are called 'artificial angels.'"

"Because the final product of this plan possesses the unique sequence 'Judgment', it can also be called the 'Angel of Judgment'."

Luster nodded. "So, Dean Yin, what did you just say about Canaan?"

"Not sure, really not sure."

Dean Yin shook his head. "You should be aware that a major project like this, one that expends the entire power of a civilization and could even directly impact its fate, must be kept extremely confidential."

"All research related to the 'Artificial Angel' project is being conducted at a top-level mechanical research institute in the Echoes of History."

"And that technological civilization in the remnants of history had far more high-level experts than the present world, and its science and technology were far more advanced than ours. All the advantages the Night Traveler had over the natives of the dungeon no longer existed..."

"Not even one member of the Starry University's Night World development team managed to sneak into the Mechanical Research Institute."

"The word 'Canaan' is all we know. I specifically told them to pay attention to it because of you."

"If you want to know more, you'll probably have to explore the Night World yourself." "After all, you are the pillar of support for the great leader Gray, the one who stands alone against the world..."

"Stop, don't say anymore, I get it."

Last spoke directly, interrupting Dean Yin's spellcasting chant.

Even without Dean Yin bringing it up, continuing to explore the night world was already Last's established plan.

After Dean Yin mentioned the clues about "Canaan", the priority of exploring the night world immediately rose several levels in Last's mind.

He had been wondering whether he, Xiao Ai, and the huge explosion that razed the entire Canaan town to the ground two hundred years ago were related to the Sixth Epoch.

Now it seems that this question mark may have been erased.

So, on this trip to the Night World, I should finally be able to know the answer I've been longing for -

About Xiao Ai, about Canaan...

The truth of everything.

"That's right. Other night travelers won't be able to get in, but little Rust, you will definitely have no problem."

The little ferret gave Rust a look that said, "You know what I mean." "To be honest, I'm starting to wonder if you're the illegitimate child of the Night World."

"Otherwise, it doesn't explain why you're so special. You're like the darling of the world... It seems like every time you enter the night world, your style is completely different from that of other night travelers."

For other night travelers, entering the night world is like opening a new copy after an update of the new version of an online game. They are all cautious and steady, focusing on collecting intelligence. They do not seek to make any achievements but to avoid mistakes. After all, life is only once, and people will die if they are killed.

Even if he occasionally participated in some major historical events as the background of the dungeon, he was just an insignificant little shrimp, at most a supporting role with a name.

But this guy Last is different. Every time he enters the night world, he rushes around recklessly and makes himself the protagonist of major historical events.

It was as if the entire "night world" was created specifically for this guy.

……

A month later, in the Mystery Tower, the Epoch Hall.

Today, Rast is no longer the freshman who was taken by Ingrid to visit the Arcana Tower for the first time. For him, the process of entering the Arcana Tower is as simple as eating and drinking water.

In the words of Professor Barbarossa, he regards this place as his home.

Of course, Professor Barbarossa warmly welcomed this.

After all, for most night travelers, the Arcana Tower and the "End Night World" within it are terrifying places that make people fear like tigers and wolves. Entering once could cost half of your life. Therefore, it is not certain that you will see any human figures for ten days or half a month.

Only a weirdo like Rast would be so diligent and tireless in caring for this empty-nest old ape.

As for Last's preparations before entering the night world, he had already become familiar with them after going through them so many times that there was no need to elaborate on them.

The only special thing about this preparation process is that Last spent more than a month in the Mechanical Research Institute of the Ashes Academy of Dean Agatha.

He knew very well that he was not like Hiltina, who was accustomed to fighting with swords.

Last's military fighting skills have been honed to maturity during the reincarnation in Deep Blue Port, and they will not be a hindrance when used when necessary. However, when it is not necessary, Last prefers to use mechanical weapons such as guns and bullets to solve problems because it is simpler and more efficient.

However, as Last's strength grew, the "Iron Moon" revolver and the "Seven Heavy Fields" sniper rifle could no longer keep up with his combat intensity.

It just so happened that this time he entered a near-future science fiction world where science and mechanical technology were highly developed. Last planned to use this trip to the night world to gradually shift himself to the mechanic's fighting style.

Compared to the clash of swords, the mechanic who controls the machinery is indeed more in line with his personality.

Gather your thoughts and return to reality.

Last stood in front of the dark stone tablet, and the ancient words engraved on the Epoch Tombstone came into view.

Looking at the epoch tombstone standing in the center of the Arcane Tower, he suddenly remembered what Cecil had told him before, the true essence of the Tombkeeper Organization - the "Eternal Night Stele", which could be returned from the long river of history countless times as long as the mark of the Tombkeeper members was engraved on it.

Now it seems that it is quite similar to the epoch tombstone entering the world of the Last Night in the Mysterious Tower.

Even the "virtual reality full immersion game with a historical background that is popular all over the continent" that Dean Yin mentioned earlier, its existence form is so similar to the night world.

It’s just that the latter is far more real than the former, so real that once you die in the night world, reality dies with you.

The Sixth Epoch, the Gravekeepers, the Shore Keepers, the Night World… There seemed to be too many extraordinary connections among them, just waiting for one to explore.

"In short, I've collected all the information I should have, and I've told you everything I should have told you."

"I've been exhausted from being an intelligence dealer these past few months. I need a good rest."

"I'm not worried about you being in the Night World, Little Rust. After all, you're truly the Night World's own son... But even if you leave, what will happen to my meal plan? Little Xia and Little Tina are both very busy people."

Dean Yin's voice sounded behind Last, like an old mother nagging her child before he left for a long journey.

"Ah, you guys won't even carry a Shadow Crystal with you no matter what. I can't even watch the live broadcast... I can only sleep at home with nothing to do. Oh, I'm really curious about that full stealth game."

"Since Dean Yin is so curious, why not come with me into the night world?"

Last suddenly spoke, interrupting Dean Yin's sigh.

"Eh?"

Dean Yin was stunned. "But I'm just a ferret. There's no way I can be recognized as a night traveler by the night world. I've tried before."

"Why not try again? Just because it didn't work before doesn't mean it won't work if you follow me."

Last smiled and said, "After all, Dean Yin, you always like to say that Night World is owned by my family, so what if I want to bring a pet along?"

As he spoke, without waiting for Dean Yin to answer, Last picked up the still somewhat confused little ferret and grabbed Destiny by the scruff of the neck.

He stretched out his other hand and touched the stone tablet.

The next moment, the night sky, like a gauze, rippled before Rast's eyes, enveloping both him and Dean Yin.

(End of this chapter)