Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 306 Heart of Stone

"You are not a stone man."

Bedrock slowly said:
"You're not from Griggan either."

Aowu and Heitan became a little nervous. Not all worlds are human; rather, the temple only selects human or humanoid worlds.

This raises a very serious issue: as outsiders, especially with completely different appearances, it can easily lead to various problems.

Therefore, most apostles have developed the habit of going straight for their target, skipping unnecessary interactions with local forces or figures.

The ability to navigate between different factions with ease is a skill not every apostle possesses.

Local world figures are not fools either.

Bedrock then dropped an even more shocking statement.

"You are not from this world."

Aowu and Heitan suddenly went on high alert, even though they had heard legends about characters in the story or local figures guessing the identities of the apostles.

But this is the first time I've actually encountered it!
Li Xia remained silent for a moment, neither denying nor admitting it.

The temple forbids its apostles from revealing information about the temple itself, for fear that the natives would go mad if they knew about this miraculous place.

For those who have already reached the pinnacle of their respective worlds, there are endless possibilities and an unlimited path to becoming stronger.

This is a fatal temptation; once they know the location of the temple, it's hard for them not to seek a way to join this miraculous place.

And when they get no response, they become increasingly frantic, such as engaging in large-scale massacres, hoping to sacrifice their lives and blood.

Such horrifying things have happened before.

Long ago, there were no restrictions on the existence of the temple; apostles could freely reveal its existence.

They call themselves beings sent from heaven, traveling between worlds and stirring up their destinies; the title of apostles was given to them by the natives.

The powerful individuals who had reached the end of their own worlds were so desperate to enter the hall of fame that they did all sorts of incomprehensible things.

Eventually, they even began a large-scale hunt for the Apostles, trying to prove that they were stronger than them.

The result, of course, was nothing, and even the original fate of the world was thrown into chaos, causing a sharp decrease in global output.

Later, the temple added a rule prohibiting apostles from voluntarily revealing the temple's existence.

Therefore, behind every seemingly inexplicable rule lies an even more inexplicable story.

When the apostles' identities are guessed by the characters in the story, their most common approach is to neither deny nor admit it.

Thus, the local people could only know that the Apostles were not from this world, but they were unaware of the incredible power behind the Apostles.

Bedrock shook his head, a low, hoarse laugh echoing in the room, as stone dust dripped from his body.

"Even if you come from another world, it doesn't matter. Since we can accept the Grigan, we can accept others as well. As long as you consider us Stone Golems as friends, then we will be your friends forever."

That's true, because when the Griggans first came to this world, it was the Stone Men who extended a helping hand.

How strong are you?

Bedrock asked again.

"My overall strength is probably slightly weaker than that of a centurion, but in a life-or-death struggle, a centurion might not be my match."

Li Xia pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke.

Slightly weaker than a commander of ten thousand?

The sharp fingernail of the bedrock tapped lightly on the stone table, quickly carving a small, shallow pit in the desk.

"How long do you need to possess the Gregan relics?"

"10 hour."

Li Xia didn't reveal everything, but instead added two hours.

"Then your strength is still not enough, at least not stable enough. Ten hours is very difficult."

Bedrock closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his scarlet eyes seemed to be glowing.

"I'll help you, no, the entire Stone Golem race will help you!"

Black Charcoal's round eyes widened, and its ears, hidden in its mane, twitched and stood up.

"What about the conditions?"

"After the whole thing is over, send the Heart of Stone back to the Skywall Mountains, back to the origin of the Stone People."

"The Heart of Stone?" Li Xia frowned.

"The Heart of Stone, the most precious treasure of the Stone Clan, is currently inside my body. It is because of the Heart of Stone that I have been able to hold on until now."

Bedrock stated frankly:
"The Heart of Stone has no effect on others who are not stone people. I sent it back to the ancestral land for the sake of the future."

Awoo suddenly raised its paw and asked curiously:
"Why doesn't the stone figure return itself? Tianbi Mountain is right above your heads, isn't it?"

"because."

Bedrock shook its head bitterly:
“We can’t go back. Tianbi Mountain is too steep. The higher we go, the steeper it becomes, until finally it’s almost vertical.”

Li Xia immediately understood. He clearly remembered that the Stone Golem illustrations mentioned that the Stone Golems had very low agility, and their climbing movements were actually limited.

The Tianbi Mountains are over 10,000 meters high and steep at nearly 90 degrees, making it impossible for stone figures to climb them.

He suddenly realized how brave the stone figure who dared to come down from Tianbi Mountain back then was.

It was precisely because of this courage that they saw a vast new world.

What do you think will be the final fate of the Stone Golems?

Jiyan looked at Li Xia, who was deep in thought, and asked in a low voice.

Li Xia raised his head without the slightest hesitation: "Extermination of the clan or complete domestication."

“That’s right—” Bedrock nodded sadly: “Eradication or being kept in captivity, everyone in the tribe knows the outcome.”

The reason they haven't taken full action yet is because the Griggan haven't found a way to force the Stonefowl to reproduce.

However, the Gregans never gave up and continued their research. Once they found the results, the stonemen would be completely wiped out.

Anyone with a modicum of insight within the Stone Golem race could see this clearly.

Despair had never been so intense. The Stone Golem rebels, though they sounded impressive, were utterly powerless against the four legions of the Gregan.

It was called resistance, but it was just an indomitable soul making its final cry.

"The Heart of Stone stores the history of the Stone People, the joy and happiness we felt after leaving the Skywall Mountains, and the deep-seated hatred we have for the Griggan people."

The bedrock's voice was very low, yet suddenly it rose to a passionate crescendo:

"But we will not perish. Wildfire is born from the ashes. We are children of the stars. One day, new stone men will be born in our ancestral land."

We left the Heart of Stone to the future, and history to them.

We, these dying stone figures, will give them experience with our lives.

Li Xia listened quietly until the bedrock calmed down again and looked at her.

He nodded:

"it is good!"

"Boss, has the mission been changed?"

After the meeting with Bedrock, Li Xia was taken to a secluded room in the rebel base.

After politely bidding farewell to the Stone Golem warrior who had brought him there, Aowu couldn't wait to ask.

"The mission remains unchanged."

Li Xia shook his head. He had previously thought the mission would turn into sending the Stone Heart back.

Unexpectedly, the task was not changed.

"That's strange, should we still deliver it?"

"No rush. If nothing has changed, let's finish the main quest first." Li Xia lay on the cold stone bed, closing his eyes to carefully recall the information he had learned after meeting with Bedrock.

This move was undoubtedly the right one, given that he was a warrior who had personally ventured into the holy land and seized the sacred artifacts.

The intelligence provided by Bedrock was extremely important.

The current situation is that obtaining the sacred artifact is not difficult; the difficulty lies in dealing with the pursuit.

As for the help Jiyan offered, Li Xia had no idea what kind of help it would entail.

Jiyan said it would take some time to gather manpower, and asked him to rest for a day before setting off.

"Go to sleep, we'll talk about it tomorrow. The Temple of Light has given us quite a bit of time this time."

Baozuan walked silently through the streets of Tianbi City, glancing expressionlessly at the towering Griggs Watchtower in the city.

He lowered his head again, hiding his face in the shadows.

What echoed in his mind was the conversation he had with Jiyan yesterday.

He was an orphan; his parents were taken away by the Griggans when he was still a stone fetus.

Just as Honghong said, the stone man would not stand idly by and watch the stone fetus die.

They will do everything they can to help the newborn.

That's how Baozuan was taken in by Gangyan and raised as his own child.

And they gave him the name "Diamond," which is highly symbolic among stone figures.

The one who stands at the forefront, radiating light to guide all those behind him, is a jewel.

From a young age, he followed behind Gangyan's younger brother, Lord Jiyan, learning how to fight, how to live, and all kinds of knowledge.

He kept in mind all the evil deeds and suffering inflicted on the stone man by the Griggans, turning them into motivation that spurred him to strive upwards.

For decades, he has strived for this, working to become the precious diamond that Grandpa Granite and Grandpa Bedrock had hoped for.

Even though he knew that the Stone Man's power was gone and he was powerless to turn the tide, Baozuan never gave up hope.

Until yesterday, Grandpa Jiyan told him about his decision.

The Heart of Stone—that's what sustained Grandpa's life.
Baozuan stopped in his tracks, clutching his chest. He felt as if the core of his being was convulsing, and an indescribable pain was gnawing at him relentlessly.

The feeling was so unpleasant that Baozuan's body was trembling slightly.

"What are you doing! Are you up to something?!"

The Griggan's whip lashed out without warning.

"Snapped!"

The special whip left a deep scratch on Baozuan's hard skin.

He didn't dodge, but let the whip strike him. It didn't hurt, at least not as much as the convulsions in his life core.

"Tell me, what are you doing?"

The Griggs sentry walked up to him, his arrogant eyes peering at him through the gaps in his visor, filled with disgust and disdain.

“I’m just sad, sir.”

Baozuan lowered his head to avoid revealing the murderous intent on his face; his body was still trembling.

"Sad? You bunch of stupid rocks actually feel sad? Hahahaha!"

The sentry chuckled for a while, looking at the diamond that resembled a stone, but found it somewhat uninteresting.

He curled his lip; all these stones looked the same, and there was no pleasure in bullying them.

He had no choice but to lash out again, and seeing that the welts were almost identical to the ones from last time, he couldn't help but feel satisfied with his skill.

"Get out of here, you stone men have no heart!"

Baozuan's body strangely returned to calm, and he expressionlessly raised his head to glance at the departing Griggs sentinel.

He clenched his fists tightly and took another step.

That phrase is a famous saying of the Griggans, used to deny the Stone Men's help and to alleviate the few remaining feelings of guilt they felt for wronging their benefactors.

King Grigan famously proclaimed, "A stone man has no heart."

Yes, the stone figure has no heart, so it is not a person, but merely some kind of object.

Their slaughter of the stone figures was merely the destruction of an unwanted object, nothing more.

Baozuan thus arrived at a small stone shop, where the stone people's furniture was mostly made of stone.

Therefore, the city of the stone people is filled with stone tool shops of all sizes.

The shop in front of us is just an inconspicuous one among many stone tool shops.

Baozuan stood at the door and watched for a long time, but did not see a single stone figure go inside.

In the end, he took a step and entered the store.

The dimly lit room was filled with all sorts of rough stone tools, which were not exquisite, no wonder no one came to buy them.

He watched the old stone figure, chiseling away at the stone, and after a moment of silence, he slowly said:
"Old stonemason, Lord Bedrock requests an audience with you."

"Bedrock?"

The old stonemason stopped working, a smile appearing on his aged face:
"What does that kid want with me?"

"I need your help to protect someone and stop Griggs' pursuers."

"What kind of pursuers?"

"The same kind of pursuers he had when he broke into the Griggs."

"Clang, clang, clang—" The chisel struck again: "No, there's no point in going to steal the sacred relic."

“Grandpa Bedrock said—” Diamond paused, a hint of melancholy in his voice: “This time, Heart of Stone will return to its ancestral land.”

"when----"

The old stonemason stopped working again, and this time he remained silent for an exceptionally long time:

"If I can't stop them alone, who can?"

"One-eyed, lame, painter"

"I see."

The stonemason pounded his hammer against the chisel with all his might, and the clanging sound rang out once again.

Baozuan bowed deeply, gave a solemn salute, and then turned to leave.

"when--"

The old stonemason's voice rang out behind us once again:

"Leave the most dangerous places to me."

————————————————————

1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

I originally planned to update twice, but after playing with the little carp for a while, I felt dizzy and my vision went white when I got up.

My heart rate jumped to over 100, and I almost collapsed to the ground.

I sat in front of the computer, my hands were shaking, and I could see double.

To be honest, I thought I was going to die, and I even shakily Googled what signs of sudden death were.

I paused for half an hour, thinking maybe I should just cancel today.

Fortunately, that feeling gradually subsided, and there wasn't much time left, so I quickly wrote one down.

(End of this chapter)