I changed the timeline with the game.

Chapter 1176 Thron's Journey

According to Ite, he repeated this sentence.

She raised her hand and waved it, and a hidden door in the corner of the room slowly opened, letting in a faint light.
"Inside lies the core data source left by Seren; the answers you seek are all within it."

I will not stop you.
Because this is my final act of respect for Sorren.

Inside the hidden door was a spacious metal platform. Around the platform stood energy pillars inscribed with the script of the Sephidaros civilization, and in the center floated a semi-transparent golden cocoon of light.

The moment Elias stepped out of the star shuttle, the cocoon of light shattered, and countless golden particles reformed in mid-air, transforming into an ancient holographic projection.
He was Natsume Chie's grandfather:

Selene.

In the projection, Seren was dressed in an ancient gray robe, his hair and beard were all white, but his eyes were still sharp. However, that sharpness turned into gentle kindness when he saw Natsume Chie.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the group with a profound depth that seemed to see through time and space:

"Since you were able to find this place, it seems you have successfully breached the outer defenses."

I knew you would come, child.

According to Yite, he watched this scene without interrupting.

The projection of Seren turned around, gazing into the endless darkness beyond the platform, and slowly began to recount the long-forgotten past:

"I am not a person of this era."

Precisely,

I am a remnant of a long-forgotten civilization from the Fourth Age.

In the final moments before the destruction of the Cypheros civilization, I was sealed in a quantum hibernation pod and drifted through the universe for millions of years until I was awakened by a faint signal from the origin point of the Fifth Era.

Thinking of this,

He seemed to shake his head subconsciously as well:

"It's a string of code, but because it involves too many secrets, I really can't tell you directly."

But I'm certain it came from: [the last successor of the Human Federation].

A deeper meaning appeared in Serren's kind smile.

"As for my experience."

After awakening, I piloted the last remaining interstellar escape ship, following that signal as I traversed several star systems, chasing the origins of the Fifth Era.

The signal contained an aura of destruction.
I know that if the source is not found, the next thing to be destroyed may be a newly emerging civilization.

However, upon reaching the solar system, the escape ship's power core suddenly failed, ultimately causing it to crash on Mars.

The old man's tone carried a hint of melancholy, and the projected light flickered slightly.

"But none of that matters anymore."

Because here I have seen another source of destruction from the Third Age.

Upon hearing this, a mocking smile appeared on Fayit's previously expressionless face:

“That’s right, my cooperation with Seren is to protect you.”

I was merely charging some interest on top of that, yet you all squandered that opportunity.

Then,

She seemed not to even look at the old man's last projection, but simply sighed.
"But let Seren tell you that secret."

Especially you, my sister, I originally wanted to take all of this upon myself.

Those who detached from the data recovery team actually think the same way.

after all,

According to the Faistar Cluster Project, it is the spark that ignites the entire Sephidaros civilization.

Whether you admit it or not

You are the only leader chosen by the Great Sage.

Therefore, the decisions you need to make must be even more careful than mine; many times, you may not be able to make a decision.

But regarding the argument that was about to erupt...
Old Seren simply waved his hand:
"The two young girls shouldn't hold such a grudge. Besides, the last adaptive signal I left behind already knows about the shady things you did in Tokyo."

You're not doing this for my sake.
According to law, it is in accordance with the law.

"In this matter, you made the wrong choice. Radicalism, on the other hand, also represents destruction. They are here to correct you." "It's judgment, sir."

Su Wen's tone was gentle but devoid of any emotion.

As a gamer, once he understands the fusion of reality and gaming, it's difficult for him to become a purely lawful, benevolent, and sanctimonious individual.

Old Seren did not refute this.

He clearly made his next words the focus.

because,

That is the real crisis threatening Earth.

"You young people can decide what to do next. Anyway, let this old man finish the story."
After the crash,
The shockwave from the explosion nearly destroyed all my equipment, and the life support system in the hibernation pod was on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, as a fifth-order 'adaptive' individual modifier, I wasn't injured. I just crawled out of the wreckage and tried to search for repair materials on this planet.

But I never expected that beneath this seemingly desolate red land...
It conceals a secret powerful enough to overturn the entire understanding of the Fifth Age.

Seren's projection turned around.

His gaze returned to Natsume Chie, and a touch of tenderness appeared in her deep eyes, as if he had returned to the moment he first arrived on Mars.

"The area where I crashed,"
It happened to be a deep canyon in the northern hemisphere of Mars that had never been explored by the Fifth Age civilization.

Instead of sandstorms, the area was covered with a thin layer of pale blue fluorescent crystals.

The crystals, like some kind of energy conductor, outlined a passage leading underground in the darkness.

At the time, I was obsessed with that signal and had a need for energy.

Therefore,
And so we walked down the passage step by step.

But at the end of the passage was not a magnificent domed building, but a simple yet exceptionally sturdy natural cave.

On the rock walls deep within the cave, there are faint energy fluctuations that share the same origin as the signal that awakened me—the very code I cannot fully decipher.

But you'd never guess what's protecting that password.

Kill the insect swarm,

Can you imagine that the final secret of the Third Age was forged by the very source of destruction that destroyed it?

Hear this,

Caroline frowned slightly, and she subconsciously looked at Su Wen. A hint of surprise flashed in both of their eyes.

But old Seren did not stop.

Instead, his tone became more serious:

"I exhausted the remaining scanning energy of the hibernation pod, but I was still unable to crack the full picture of this code from an ultra-long distance."

It's like an abyss locked by layers of shackles. I can only vaguely sense how vast the scope behind it is, but I can never reach its core.

perhaps,

Only by eliminating that group of so-called 'predators' can we analyze the situation up close.

Therefore, those [killing swarms] were more like a trial. What alarmed me even more was that I deciphered the most dangerous information from the energy fluctuations—this string of codes was linked to the power of 'memes'.

You may not be able to comprehend the horror of meme destruction.

It doesn't have the smoke of war, nor the omens of disaster.

Once touched and spread by those lacking the corresponding abilities, it will spread like a plague, distorting cognition, disintegrating will, and ultimately causing the entire civilization to self-destruct in madness.

Seren's projected image flickered violently:
"The last empress of the Human Federation left it behind, certainly not to cause disaster."
But I can't give it to anyone.

The secrets that need to be protected by slaying swarms of insects, or that need to be spied upon.

This is a top-secret experiment that even the Sephiroth civilization must treat with extreme caution.

unfortunately,

I found it.

It was discovered too late.

(End of this chapter)