Fool's Library

But then he heard a soft exclamation from a young girl.

The voice was clear and melodious... yet its direction was unclear, as if it came from a very distant place.

Immediately afterwards, the scenery around Last changed abruptly.

When his vision cleared again, he found himself inside a sci-fi-style tower building.

Through the huge quartz windows, you can see the view outside the tower: below is a vast sea of ​​clouds, above is the starry expanse of the deep universe, and beside you are steel tracks connecting the sky and the earth.

"Last!"

A familiar voice called from behind, followed by the scent of sandalwood in her hair.

A slender figure with long, pale golden hair embraced Rust from behind like a swallow throwing itself into his arms, with a soft touch.

After a long while, she gently released her arms and looked at Rust in front of her.

Those beautiful sky-blue eyes held undisguised surprise and excitement.

"After countless years of slumber, an entire era, Rast... I have finally waited for you to come and take me away."

Last gazed silently at the girl before him.

Her fair and delicate face was filled with the joy of a long-awaited reunion, and her crystal-clear sky-blue eyes were brimming with longing and love... Her voice, figure, and appearance were exactly the same as the blonde girl in Rust's memory.

After a moment, Last slowly shifted his gaze away from the girl in front of him.

He turned his gaze to the sea of ​​clouds outside the quartz window, and to the platforms that traversed between the clouds and the starry sky.

"what is this?"

"It's just what you think, Rust... it's a 'space elevator.'"

The blonde girl's voice was clear and melodious, full of energy: "Last, you once told me about the principle of a 'space elevator,' and that because the known materials don't meet the strength requirements for space elevator cables, it's currently just science fiction and hasn't been truly applied in practice."

"And after I successfully completed the 'Artificial Angel Project' and became a mechanical angel in the 'Judgment' sequence... these materials science problems that had troubled human scientists for so long were no longer a major obstacle for me."

"Since I was sealed away in the night world anyway, and was just idling around during my slumber, I used the long time I've been sealed away to create that science fiction product that originally only existed in fantasy works. It's no longer an ethereal fantasy, but a real and feasible science and technology."

She walked briskly to the quartz window and stood shoulder to shoulder with Last, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds outside.

"If we have a space elevator, then humans will no longer need to rely on expensive and luxurious means such as rockets to travel between the Earth's surface and outer space, and the cost of entering low Earth orbit will be greatly reduced."

"At that time, traveling to the space station in low Earth orbit will no longer be the privilege of a few astronauts... Even civilians will be able to easily leave the Earth's surface and live in space using the space elevator."

"At that time, the difficulty of exploring the universe will be greatly reduced. Collecting energy from stars, and even mining rare minerals from nearby planets... things that were previously only described in science fiction will gradually become reality."

The girl's clear and melodious voice was filled with longing and yearning, like a dream.

"Throughout history, the killings, struggles, and wars between people have always been essentially about competing for limited resources and territory."

"If a space elevator is invented, the threshold for exploring outer space will be greatly lowered—at that time, in the face of the almost inexhaustible resources and territories of the deep universe waiting to be exploited, wars between humans will naturally cease to exist."

"Lust, don't you think this is a dream come true?"

“Hmm.” Last nodded calmly: “If all of this comes true, then I think Hiltina will be quite happy—she won’t have to waste time and energy every day dealing with those foreign envoys and engaging in empty pleasantries.”

He turned his head to gaze at the distant sea of ​​clouds, and below the clouds, the continental landmass that looked like a map from a high altitude.

On the vast continent, bustling modern cities and prosperous nations stand side by side, presenting a beautiful scene of peace and prosperity.

"This place, this continent, shouldn't be a real world, right?"

Last suddenly spoke, his face expressionless.

"Yes."

The blonde girl nodded slightly: "This place is actually a product of my spiritual power, a landscape reflected from my mind."

"This is what is known as the 'ocean of the spirit' or the 'world of the mind.'"

She gazed out the quartz window at the thriving continent beneath the sea of ​​clouds: "Last, you must know by now—"

"When extraordinary individuals achieve legendary status, or even break through to the level of angels, their souls undergo a transformation... transforming from their originally ethereal spiritual power into a substantial 'spiritual ocean,' a manifested 'world of mental images.'"

"And this is my inner world as the angel of judgment."

"During the long period of self-imposed seclusion and slumber, it took me many years to gradually perfect my mental landscape to its current form."

Rastian nodded in agreement.

Ordinary superhumans, although they may also possess spiritual power and a soul, are mostly formless and intangible, and cannot exist independently of their physical bodies.

But legends and angels are different. Their souls and spirits are too powerful, having transcended the limitations of the physical body, forming their own spiritual ocean, like an independent little world or sub-plane.

Because his spirit had been tempered by the countless cycles of time in Deep Blue Harbor, his mind far surpassed that of others... Even before he achieved legendary status, he already possessed his own spiritual ocean—

That crimson wasteland with gears spinning in the dark sky is the mental world of Rast, and it is the source of his confidence in resisting the corruption of the evil god and even in hunting the resurrected god of death in the Abyss.

As an angel, it's not surprising that the girl before us, after a long period of slumber, could perfect her mental world to such an extent that it appears no different from a real, prosperous civilization.

The so-called "eternal paradise that one can go to after death" promised to their believers by the gods who now hide on the threshold of the blazing sky is, in essence, the mental world that those gods themselves have evolved over a long period of time.

"However, although this world is merely a mental landscape of my own imagination, the things I study within it—whether it's the technology to build the 'space elevator' or other technological creations—are all real."

The girl's sky-blue eyes sparkled with a sincere and passionate light, like a female knight with lofty ambitions and a strong sense of justice.

"Even if this is just an ideal world in my imagination, once we return to reality together, with the help of my technological power as the Angel of Judgment... we can work together to transform that originally dilapidated and scarred world into the kind of world we desire."

"That would be a truly perfect, ideal utopia—without oppression, without fraud, without war, where everyone is equal, and without distinction of race or nationality."

"Human probes have descended to the deepest parts of the ocean and reached the edge of star systems... The entire civilization has explored the stars together, created solar sails, and obtained inexhaustible energy from the stars."

She warmly and cheerfully took Last's hand, her smile as bright as the sunshine.

“Lust, I want to change the world and save those who are trapped in famine, war, and disaster.”

"I want to witness this beautiful scenery with you."

As she spoke, the blonde girl lightly tapped her pale fingers in the air.

In the next instant, a radiant door slowly appeared before her.

The illusory door was radiant and dazzling, as if it led directly to the void beyond.

Last knew that the gleaming door was the path to the real world, and that once he stepped through it, he could escape the night world and return to reality.

How could the rules of the mere Night World possibly restrain a true angel in his prime?

However, listening to the girl before me, whose eyes sparkled with light, her lofty ambitions and ideals encompassing the whole world...

Last simply watched in silence, letting the other man pull him toward the radiant doorway, as if to lead him away from the prison of this night world.

When the two were only a few steps away from the radiant door, Last sighed softly.

"No matter how hard you try to imitate... a pirated copy is still just a pirated copy."

He slightly raised his hand.

In an instant, illusory silvery light gathered between Rust's fingers, outlining a revolver.

The gun's body was entirely silver-white, reflecting a sharp metallic luster, like an iron moon—the real "Iron Moon" had been destroyed by Rast two years ago, but in the world of mental images, delusions can also be materialized into reality.

Last raised his gun and slowly aimed it at the back of the person in front of him.

But at the last moment, he did not pull the trigger.

Not far away, seemingly noticing Rust's actions, the blonde girl also stopped.

Why didn't you fire?

Her voice was no longer as cheerful as before, but rather carried a hint of indifferent stiffness.

"Not long ago, I personally shot that girl in the illusion of Canaan."

"It was a very unpleasant experience," Rust said softly. "Every time I think about it, it breaks my heart."

"So I don't want to fire again, even though I know you are the embodiment of the will of the 'Star Cup: Judgment'..."

"It's just a fake that stole Xiao Ai's memories and has her appearance."

Chapter 252 Xiao Ai, just keep being Xiao Ai

The figure in front of Rust slowly turned around.

She still maintained the figure of a young girl, but her eyes were no longer the slightly soft sky blue, but golden pupils like lava.

On that fair and delicate face, the joy of a long-awaited reunion was no longer revealed; instead, there was an indifferent disdain for the world.

This is the proper demeanor of the "Angel of Judgment"... As the embodiment of the Judgment Star Cup, symbolizing the divine law of judgment, destruction, and annihilation, she inherently possesses the right to despise all living beings.

How did you find out?

An indifferent voice came from not far away.

It was still the same clear and melodious voice of a young girl, but to Last's ears, it didn't sound human; instead, it sounded more like some kind of cold machine.

"Because Xiao Ai wouldn't have such lofty ambitions."

Instead of looking at the angel of judgment formed from the will of the Star Cup, Last turned his gaze to the vast and ethereal sea of ​​clouds outside the quartz window.

And beneath the sea of ​​clouds, on the western continent, lies a prosperous and thriving human civilization.

"With the nation and the world in our hearts, we will use science and technology to promote the development of human civilization, eliminate war, explore the stars... and create a utopia where there is no discrimination, oppression, or war, where everyone is equal, and which only exists in our ideals."

"These dreams are beautiful and desirable, but they may be Hiltina's ideals, but they are definitely not Ai's dreams."

"If Hiltina were to see such a mental landscape in her mind, I wouldn't be surprised."

He smiled slightly: "But I know that Xiao Ai's heart can actually hold very, very little..."

"Her world has never encompassed such grand concepts as an entire nation, an entire continent, all of humanity, or an entire civilization—"

"That small Canaan town was her whole world."

In the distance, the angel of judgment paused slightly.

The mechanical voice held a pause, as if deep in thought: "What you say is not consistent with the Amys I have seen and imitated in the past."

"Of course they're different."

Last shook his head.

His gaze softened slightly, as if he had pierced through the sea of ​​clouds before him and arrived at some distant place.

"Actually, I should have realized it sooner..."

"Xiao Ai has only been putting on a brave face all along."

He recalled his experiences during the three hundred years he was trapped in Deep Blue Harbor, and how he was forced to go to Canaan every time his mind broke down and he had the urge to destroy himself.

And, two years ago, amidst the echoes of history in the Sixth Epoch, I reunited with Ai in the Night World.

Every reunion, every encounter, every meeting... that blonde girl with sky-blue eyes embraces herself with her sincerity and strength.

It soothed the wounds and healed and redeemed Last's weary soul.

In Rust's memory, Amys was always so gentle yet so strong, becoming his support and a safe haven on his journey to pursue his ideals.

However, after Last learned the truth about Aiolia and Canaan in the last echo of history—

He then discovered the anomaly that he had been overlooking all along.

……

Ultimately, when Canaan was destroyed by "spacetime collapse" and Amys traveled from the modern era to the Sixth Epoch, she was just a little girl in her early teens.

She didn't receive the same elite royal education as Ophelia, nor did she ever walk the night world like Hiltina, witnessing countless magnificent landscapes... Nor did she undergo the trials of blood and fire and the process of continuous growth that Gray experienced through the Shore Guardians.

In the past, Amys was just a carefree little girl living in a small town—the border town called "Canaan" was her entire world.

Even if she is precocious and strong, there is still a limit to her potential.

After their homeland was destroyed, they were suddenly stranded in another era where they had no relatives or friends. First, they were tormented by the aftereffects of the spacetime collapse... Then they accepted the "Artificial Angel" project, endured the erosion of the tyrannical will of the Judgment Star Cup, and spent thousands or even tens of thousands of years in darkness.

Even Lust, who had awakened the memories of a transmigrator, was on the verge of collapse and self-destruction several times in Deep Blue Harbor—let alone Amys herself.

"Whether it's her body or her mind, Xiao Ai has already reached her limit... she's just been forcing herself to keep going."

"And her actual condition is probably far from as good as she describes herself—"

Last said softly, "Most of the time, Aiacos's will was suppressed and constantly eroded by you and by the natural law contained in the Judgment Star Cup..."

"When her self is completely eroded, the girl named Amys will cease to exist, and in her place... will be a 'Judgment Angel' who possesses her body, appearance, and all her memories."

"In the pain of mental oppression and constant erosion of the soul... every time we met, she must have paid a great price and made tremendous efforts."