People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

As he spoke, he turned to look at Vina and gave her a helpless look.

Vina's complexion improved slightly.

She could certainly tell that Ernst was indeed very busy; just now, even she had to put in a lot of effort to squeeze into the social circle surrounding Ernst's schedule.

This place is full of real big names, from Helena, the Black Queen of Letania with her little lamb named Otto, to Seria, the acting head of Rhine Life in Columbia. They are all well-known figures in Terra. Now that they are all gathered here, the various exhibition halls inside the Expo seem a bit deserted, as if this place has been opened as a separate exhibition hall called "Ernst".

Her anger earlier was somewhat unfounded; she had simply felt a sense of crisis instinctively when she saw Rafishini's smile. Now, realizing what had happened, she felt a pang of panic and regret.

After all, she and Lafsini were old friends. When she revealed her identity at the first World's Fair, Ernst was clearly unaware and even somewhat furious. If Lafsini hadn't subsequently revealed herself to Zhong Quan, inadvertently diverting some of his attention, Ernst might have really held a grudge against her.

I'm actually getting angry at her over such a small thing. How petty of me.

Fortunately, Ernst wasn't angry.

King Ivangelista XI was somewhat bewildered.

He had a keen sense that he might have inadvertently gotten involved in something, but after observing Ernst and Vina's expressions, he couldn't discern anything amiss. He could only adjust his small round glasses in confusion and decide to get down to business first:

"Miss Vina, excuse me for a moment."

“Mr. Ernst, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. Please come with me.”

Chapter 1002 In the basement of the Papal Palace, in a place no one can find.

Lateran, Papal Palace, underground.

Nearly two years later, Ernst returned to this underground fortress.

The magnificent gate, made of an unknown alloy, was covered with flowing blue energy patterns. As Ivangelista XI inserted his scepter into it, the patterns turned from blue to red, and a series of muffled booms echoed from the depths of the underground fortress, reverberating throughout the dimly lit passageway.

With its unique design, futuristic technology, and violent aesthetics, the main unit gradually and undeniably dominates everyone's field of vision.

For Pope Ivangelista XI of Laterano, this was the "law" upon which Laterano depended for its survival, the "supreme authority" that calculated the entire landscape of Terra, ensured eternal peace for Laterano, and allowed the Sarkaz to separate from the Sarkaz and enjoy an inviolable life like that of the people of Utopia.

As a pope and a leader of a country, he certainly has many principles, but ultimately, the law is his principle. Therefore, no matter how absurd the choices made by the law may seem to outsiders, he will carry them out without hesitation.

Therefore, he could abandon the principle that "there cannot be two suns in the sky" for the leader of a country, and honor Andorn, Ernst, Arturo, and Federico as saints.

For Ernst, the "law" meant another distant past that had been swept away like dust.

On Rhodes Island, Ernst asked the Doctor a question.

"If Project Heaven's Pivot had proceeded smoothly without any unexpected issues, would Ed still be alive?"

It's perfectly reasonable for him to ask this question.

After all, Prissis, the head of the Originium Project, one of the four major survival plans of the prehistoric civilization, is still alive. Although she has integrated herself into the internalized universe, if she wanted to, things like extracting a piece of information or creating a body would probably not be difficult for her.

Trevor Friston, the head of the Preservator Project, is also alive. Although, strictly speaking, it can only be considered Trevor Friston's uploaded consciousness, in Ernst's time, whether this form of "digital life" could be considered the real person might be controversial. But in the era of prehistoric civilizations, changing bodies was as easy as changing clothes, and consciousness uploading was already considered a convenient technology. Therefore, since Friston acknowledged that he was Friston, Ernst naturally wouldn't question it.

Although neither Precys nor the Doctor have explicitly mentioned her current status, Ernst leans towards the assumption that Lo, the person in charge of the Deep Blue Tree [Nurturer] project, is likely still alive.

After all, Skadi's words, "I can feel a familiar feeling in you," kept lingering in Ernst's mind.

Not to mention the person in charge of the survival plan, the doctor, who never died and has been living in a sarcophagus until now.

Therefore, Ernst always subconsciously assumed that Ed had also survived in some way, perhaps without realizing it or even waking up yet.

The fact that Heaven's Pivot has suddenly made contact with Amiya, who possesses the [Continuation of Civilization], may be a sign, a sign of the resurgence of another Prehistoric Father.

Ernst had to consider this issue carefully—because, according to the Doctor, Precys, and Trevor Friston, his relationship with Ed was the worst among them.

[Heaven's Pivot] is another super weapon that clearly possesses the power to destroy the world. If Ed awakens, will he, like the others, choose to help him?

If he refuses, or even becomes his enemy, what will Ernst do next?

For these reasons and considerations, Ernst asked the doctor this question.

The doctor's answer surprised Ernst, yet it also dispelled all of Ernst's concerns.

The man buried his head in the shadow of his hood, his expression inscrutable, seemingly tinged with sadness and regret.

他 说:

"If nothing unexpected happens, Ed will already be gone from us."

died?

How could someone in charge of a project to preserve prehistoric civilizations die?

Perhaps sensing the astonishment on Ernst's face, the doctor shook his head with a wry smile:

"Ernst, this is the norm."

This is the norm.

The doctor did forget many things. He couldn't remember the responsibilities he had once shouldered, the secrets he had once possessed, or the decisions he had once made. But after all that was "forgotten," what impressed him most was the "departure" itself.

Memories fade, civilizations fade, and so do people.

If, as Kal'tsit and Ernst said, they came from a more powerful civilization, then the departures they have endured to this point must have become commonplace, and certainly, "Ed" is not the only one!

This was an unexpected, yet perfectly reasonable, answer.

After all, compared to others who focused on escapism, defense, or simply burying their heads in the sand like ostriches, Ed's plan was the most radical. He used the "Heavenly Pivot" to unify human intelligence, calculate all possibilities, and then used it as a weapon to find ways to harm the "Observer." This arrogant and head-raising approach, as the saying goes, "The tallest tree catches the most wind," and it was an ending that did not surprise anyone.

Eddard may have ultimately failed. The Heavenly Pivot, buried underground for tens of thousands of years, was accidentally unearthed by the migrating Sarkaz tribe, regaining the computational power to perform its calculations. The weapons he left in space, also without human control, could only endlessly send out signals of destruction, echoing among the now-empty cosmic ruins.

Zero waited until another ten thousand years later, when Ernst finally arrived.

Humans appear insignificant beneath this colossal machine; neither the jewels on Ivangelista XI's scepter nor the various "ornaments" adorning Ernst can compare to its radiance.

7 Ernst, with a solemn expression, slowly walked to the main unit, reached out and gently touched the surface of the huge machine.

This was the very essence of Lateran's supreme principle, and Ivangelista XI should have forbade any attempt to touch it, for that would have been considered disrespectful. But Ernst, too, was a saint chosen by the law, so he merely pursed his lips and remained silent.

The majestic Heavenly Pivot did not receive any orders from the outer space [recording] this time. The moment Ernst reached out and touched its outer shell, a ripple seemed to spread across the void in front of it.

The magnificent Law revealed its original form to this audacious outsider, who was also a Saint (the one with authority).

This is a famous quote engraved on the first page, first line, first sentence of the Lateran Bible. It is a short sentence written in an unknown language, yet understood by Sarkaz, including Ivangelista XI, through empathy.

3. It was embellished in the Holy Scriptures by successive Lateran popes, presenting this imagery.

Slip—God created the world.

But actually, it's just a simple greeting, a conventional rule, a tradition followed by all programmers.

Slurp—【HelloWorld!】

Ernst retracted his somewhat offensive idea from two years ago.

When he saw this text displayed on the computer, he subconsciously thought: It's like a bald senior saying "hello" to a visitor from tens of thousands of years later whose name, identity, and purpose are unknown!

But time flies and things change.

Seeing this short greeting again now stirs up a deep and unsettling emotion in Ernst's heart.

He already knew that everything in Terra was shaped by the information released from the Originium, and that the Originium itself was himself.

Did ancient civilizations really follow the tradition of "Hello World!" when programming?

If not, then among the people who come here tens of thousands of years later, who would suddenly understand such a small "Easter egg"?

Perhaps Ernst was being a bit presumptuous, but he suddenly felt that his relationship with Ed might not be as bad as Precys, the Prophet, and Friston thought.

Even if I am powerless to help someone who stubbornly insists that human civilization must die standing, I would probably agree with that, right?

Ernst no longer knew whether Ed was bald or not. But Ed must have learned about his "characteristics" from Precy and the Doctor.

Perhaps, when he first tapped out this little Easter egg, he wasn't entirely unaware of the later arrivals who would eventually reach this place.

Or perhaps he truly didn't know the name of the person who would arrive here ten thousand years later, what their purpose was, or what new identity they would have in that era. But he wouldn't truly be unfamiliar with this person.

The evidence is that after the audience with the Law and the Pivot of Heaven, the Law suddenly and unexpectedly "coronated" a non-Sarkata outsider, which was beyond the comprehension of Ivangelist XI and caught Ernst off guard!

It's like accidentally triggering an Easter egg and getting a hidden reward!

A kind of romance for science and engineering guys.

"Do not blame yourself, my compatriot. The decision you made standing here will be respected by all mankind."

Ernst took a deep breath and silently repeated the revelation that [Heaven's Pivot] had given him. He pressed his forehead against the huge mainframe, as if he could feel the determination flowing within it—a final gamble in a desperate situation, a resolve to die singing in the rain.

"Even if everything is destroyed, the glory of mankind will live on forever."

As if the machine's soul had truly been soothed, the light emanating from the Heavenly Pivot before them gradually softened.

Ernst smiled slightly.

He was smiling, but Ivangelista XI, standing behind Ernst, couldn't smile.

He felt like his world was collapsing.

He glanced at the scepter in his hand, then tried to check his aura and empathy to make sure that neither was malfunctioning.

That makes the situation even more bizarre!

He, the pope—no, it should be said that none of the eleven Lateran popes named "Evangelista" could appease the spirit of the Law and restore it to peace.

But you, Ernst, did it!

What does this mean?

In Lateran, where the law is the "principle" itself, what does this mean? It means that he, the pope, doesn't even understand their great law as well as Ernst did!

Ernst, brother, can I call you brother now? Please spare my life.

I just asked you to discuss the sudden appearance of new features in the [Law] system, and you immediately label me a heretic and excommunicate me!

If this gets out, how can I face the Sakortas of the entire city of Wulatland and my tenth Papal ancestor?!

What are you going to do? Are you going to destroy Laterano?

[Law] Ah! You're biased! If you keep doing this, why don't you just give up my papacy to Ernst!

For a fleeting moment, such a disrespectful thought crossed his mind, but King Ivangelista XI quickly shook his head, his smile becoming respectful as he leaned closer:

"Mr. Ernst~"

Ernst shuddered and looked at Ivangelist XI, whose tone was as sweet as if he had eaten 20 Portuguese egg tarts, with a look of horror:

"Your Holiness, what are you doing?"

"Mr. Ernst, it's alright, don't be nervous. I just wanted to learn how you communicate with the [law]."

Ernst's hair stood on end, and he took several steps back, waving his hands frantically.

"Hey! Stop grabbing! Move away!"

King Ivangelista XI smiled:

“It’s alright, Mr. Ernst. This is the underground of the Papal Palace, an underground fortress that no one but you and I can find.”

"We have plenty of time, so please teach me slowly!"

"Teach me!"

Chapter 1003: Give him the truth and make him thank us!

Ernst went to great lengths to convince the Pope that the [Heavenly Pivot] Machine Soul Joy really had little to do with him.

Although they are actually related.

But some things don't need to be explained so clearly. When you're being chased by a wrinkled old man with a white beard, you don't think it's Santa Claus bringing you a present!

Whether Ivangelist XI believed Ernst or not is unknown, but at least after confirming that Ernst had no intention of making public the method of appeasing the "law," he returned to normal.

He understood very well: it doesn't matter whether I have this method or not, what matters is that others can't have it.

He is already the Pope of Lateran, and mastering a new method will not greatly help his position, but if others master this method, it will pose a great threat to his position.

What group? You're saying the person who mastered this new technology is Ernst?

That's alright then.

Ivan Gelesta XI was not entirely unafraid that Ernst might take advantage of his status to do something to Lateran. Of course he was afraid, but what good was being afraid?

If it's going to rain, it's going to rain; if a mother wants to remarry, then even if Ernst really wanted to do something, with Ivangelista XI and Lateran's current abilities, even if they fought to the death, they couldn't change anything.

For example, in this underground place, Ernst seems to be all alone, without any guards. This is indeed a "top-secret basement" that no one knows about except him, Ernst, and a few other people, and no instrument can detect. But would he, an old man, be able to fight Ernst?

Don't be ridiculous, if he dares to pull the trigger, this place will be packed with people in the next second!

Let's hope he doesn't end up being nailed to a cross.

Furthermore, if Ernst really wanted to do something, he could directly drag Sarkaz into revealing the origins of the Sarkaz, which would be far more destructive to Laterano than anything else!