Elegy from Another World

Exhausted, I finally returned to Utopia. After placing the severely damaged Noriljung, whose sparks occasionally flickered, along with the still-chattering Hero's Sword that I had picked up outside, in the enhanced prison area, I finally had a chance to catch my breath.

Tia immediately rushed forward, her face filled with worry and lingering fear: "Lady Liscia, I'm so glad you're alright! What was that... that red thing just now? The aura it emitted was terrifying!"

I sighed and relayed the information Noreljon had told me to her: "Noreljon said that it's the 'management program' of this world, called the 'Guardian.' It's also what summoned those so-called 'heroes' to this world."

"Management...program?" Tia keenly caught the word, her face instantly turning pale, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of barely perceptible fear. "Could it be...that the world we're in now...is a...virtual world?"

"This..." I was speechless for a moment; this question also deeply troubled me. I looked around at the solid metal walls of Utopia, feeling the real touch of the tentacles, breathing in the air tinged with engine oil and the scent of life. "I was convinced this place was real. But... the way that red code existed, and that brain that suddenly appeared, saved us, and called itself an 'entity'... especially that pure green space, which it called the 'New Data Layer,' and those operations that sounded like pure computer terminology..."

I shook my head, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness: "I... really don't know anymore. The reality of this place has suddenly become blurry."

Tia was silent for a moment, then gently took my hand; her palm was a little cold. "Whether this world is real or virtual, at least our feelings right now are real, the pain and joy we've experienced are real. Lady Liscia, we've just survived the Hero's attack, and that red code has temporarily left. Right now, what we need most is rest."

I nodded. Tia was right. Worrying about the nature of the world now was pointless; survival was the priority. "Okay, let everyone rest and recover their strength first. We'll discuss the next steps once we've calmed down."

However, the brief period of calm did not last long. A new question arose before us: how should we deal with Norrelljohn?

During the meeting to discuss the repair of the magical doll, Tia, Edseysis, and Isen had a disagreement.

"The Demon King Noreljohn is ultimately an evil being!" Tia's attitude was resolute. "Now that our common enemy, the Hero, has temporarily disappeared, who can guarantee he won't turn on us immediately? Repairing him is like planting a bomb that could explode at any moment!"

Edseysis expressed similar concerns: "His power is too dangerous, and his nature is difficult to change. We cannot take the risk."

Yisen, however, considered the matter from a pragmatic perspective: "Repairing him would consume a lot of resources, and if he immediately turns against us after the repair, it would be a huge loss."

I understand their concerns, but I thought of the escape. "I understand your worries. But think about it: when the 'Guardian' attacked me, Noreljon didn't abandon me and run away alone. He took me with him and even got seriously injured protecting me. Admittedly, he might have thought that if I was eliminated, he would be next. But this at least shows that the likelihood of him being our enemy is low until the 'Guardian,' a much larger and deadly threat to all of us, is dealt with. We need all possible resources to deal with future crises."

These words seemed to have some effect. After a heated debate, everyone finally reluctantly agreed with my point of view. The technical team began working on repairing the damaged magical doll.

Half a day later, the repairs were completed. Noriljung, now restarted, stretched its brand-new joints, its scarlet electronic eyes sweeping over us without showing any aggression, merely letting out a cold snort: "It seems this king will have to stay with you ants for the time being." The situation was just as I had predicted.

Over the next four days, Utopia slowly recovered amidst an atmosphere of outward calm but inward tension. I began to restart the technology research and development program that had been interrupted by the arrival of the heroes.

However, news from the outside world was far from optimistic. The Yisen caravan brought a report: "Miss Liscia, things are very unsettled outside lately. For some unknown reason, the number of refugees flocking to various places has increased dramatically."

"Why didn't they say what happened?"

"We asked them, but they were all vague and their faces showed extreme fear. They only said that their villages and towns were attacked by a terrifying thing that was 'indescribable' and 'disappeared as soon as it was seen'."

My heart sank. Indescribable, vanishing upon sight… this description sounds too much like that red gibberish—"The Guardian"! Could it be that because it can't find me, it's started indiscriminately eliminating me?

"Should we take in these refugees?" Yisen asked.

"Let's take them in," I decided. "Utopia still has room; organize the expansion of the residential area immediately. Use armed transport vehicles to pick them up, but be careful."

Groups of terrified refugees were brought into Utopia. As is customary, we connected them to the symbiotic network, partly to calm their anxieties and partly to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences.

The feedback confirmed my suspicions—the attacker was indeed that red, nightmarish "Guardian." For the native inhabitants of this world, "garbled text" and "programs" were completely incomprehensible concepts; they could only describe them as "demons," "divine punishment," and "invisible reapers." Fear spread like a plague through the refugee camp.

Looking at these people who had lost their homes and were filled with fear, I sighed. The truth of the world was cruel enough to be hard to accept. "Settle down here for now; it's safe here for the time being. However, as usual, living here requires paying 'rent,' so please contribute some energy to the pleasure converter."

Just as I was trying to calm the refugees and arrange the aftermath, suddenly, an extremely sharp, angry and painful roar, like a real shockwave, came through the symbiotic network, making my head spin.

"Xiao Bei!" I immediately contacted the core, "What's going on? Where is that sound coming from?"

Xiao Bei's response carried a hint of helplessness and annoyance: "[It's the Forbidden Zone...that Hero's Sword. For some reason, it suddenly became extremely agitated, constantly emitting this kind of mental roar.]"