Chapter 713
Meeting the New Commander
"The Creator created this world..."
"This is the greatest masterpiece in His dream..."
"He longs for humanity to break free from all the constraints of time, space, dimension, and causality, and come before Him..."
"Then why does He continue to create suffering for humanity?"
"For the Creator, His dimension should be devoid of emotion. The elevation of dimensions brings the annihilation of emotion, and supreme reason would eliminate all sensibility. So why was there such a dark and painful period that lasted for half an epoch? Humanity struggled in suffering, constantly searching for hope amidst death, only to be plunged into despair time and again by the greed or folly of one or two rulers."
“I do not believe this is an inherent human trait. Perhaps the Creator was already contemplating the light of the ‘Eirishera’ within the seven dimensions of time. So why is He unwilling to bestow light and the gospel upon the humankind He created?”
"Pain... is a necessary process... No one can obtain the highest and greatest gospel without experiencing pain... This is the Creator's test for humanity, and also His self-analysis... Perhaps, this long test is now nearing its end..."
"Is this just empty promises? A test of humanity? Interesting. Athokosya, you should know that the Khitans have an eternal proverb from the dragon race: 'Those who start things will have no descendants.' When people completely abandon their faith in gods and creation, this test becomes meaningless."
“As long as God is there, as long as the gospel of creation is there, there will be people with faith, Wright, perhaps we can make a bet…”
"what?"
"If in the future people no longer believe in the Creator and the gods, I will grant you 'eternal and indestructible spirit and power.' If the Creator and the gods still have a wide following, then you will become my servant until the cycle of reincarnation of this generation of humans ends..."
"An interesting deal. I think I should accept your offer."
"The contract is now complete, and the wheel of fate is turning... The ice of the Far East is gradually melting, and the burning heart of fire awaits your arrival..."
……
新元历558年2月20日，清晨7点45分。
Cruz Federation, Nebusk City, on the edge of the city center square.
"Am I...am I back on the surface?" Wright shook his head a few times, trying to shake off the sudden hangover. He spread his arms wide, which were covered by a tingling sensation, and slowly climbed up from the icy concrete ground.
Soon, after a blinding glare that could make anyone dizzy and fall over, Wright finally saw the truly gentle sunlight he hadn't seen in the past few days.
"Am I... up here?" Wright muttered to himself, gazing at the not-too-bright sun overhead, a symbol of the dawn.
“That’s right, Wright, you’re back, back to the world that truly belongs to us.” A familiar voice came from behind him. As the instinct of a “Guardian Warrior” etched deep in his soul and memory was activated, he clenched his fists and remained vigilant about his surroundings even after just waking up.
Whoosh!
Just as he turned around, a "strange" figure wearing a Cruz khaki uniform came into his view. In that instant, he threw a punch, but the "Crusz soldier" in front of him easily dodged it.
Seeing his attack miss, Wright pressed down on his body, rolled smoothly on the ground, and maintained a half-crouching defensive posture, looking at the slightly blurry figure in front of him.
"Who are you? Are you Iaesherif Nebrius's guard?" Wright questioned.
"You don't recognize me? Wright, I think the 'Crimson Zone' is really interfering with your perception." The "Krusd soldier" in front of him said irritably, taking off his heavy felt hat, raising his hands above his head, and slowly walking up to Wright. "Dark, it's you. By the way, why are you wearing a Crusd uniform? I thought it was someone from the Federation coming to cause me trouble." Wright breathed a sigh of relief, squatting on the ground and panting heavily. Due to fighting for too long in the "Crimson Zone" and the "Palace of the Creator's Avatar," coupled with the fact that the "Creator's Mechanical Heart" he had just received had not yet fully integrated with his body, he felt severely exhausted.
After squatting on the ground for about two or three minutes, Wright felt his heart pounding lessen. With the help of Dak's strong hands, he slowly stood up, supporting himself on the slightly warm ground.
“What do you mean ‘it was me’? Yadaloni, that ‘Red Wolf’ and I have been worried about you for a long time. We were really afraid that ‘Blood Wolf’ would kill you and not let you out of that dangerous place.” Dark complained for a moment, then quickly put on a serious expression.
“He can no longer pierce my throat with those fangs, never again.” Wright turned his head to look at Dark, revealing a smile that was both chilling and meaningful.
“It seems ‘Blood Wolf’ is indeed dead, right? Let’s go back to our room at the St. Basil’s Grand Hotel. There are ‘Dark Night Investigation Team’ members guarding it, so it’s quite safe now. I’ll explain what happened these past few days to you when we get back.” Dark put Wright into the “Improved-Ashes of the Beginning” mechanical vehicle next to him, and then pointed to the Crusad uniform he was wearing.
……
About thirty minutes later, the "Improved - Ashes of the Beginning" mech, which had been driving on the deserted "clean" streets, slowly came to a stop in front of the St. Basil's Grand Hotel.
As soon as Wright stepped out of the car, he noticed that in just a few days, the hotel's security level had been rapidly upgraded from "no one in sight" to the level of a federal administrator. He and Dak were stopped by a group of Crusad soldiers dressed in Nebusk local military uniforms as soon as they got out of the car.
"Are you Commander Dark Tirith and Commander Light Socrates? The new Administrator has been waiting for you in the rooftop reception room for quite some time." The leading soldier, wearing a double-headed eagle mask, gave the two a standard Crusader salute and then gestured for them to proceed.
Since he was unfamiliar with the local soldiers who had just taken control of Nebusk and did not want any further contact, Dak simply nodded slightly, signaling the soldiers to lead the way.
Wright, however, noticed that these Federation soldiers in their military green Crusad uniforms might not all be from Nebsk; at least some should belong to the Federation Council. After all, the Nebsk army always wore the "Ice Lotus" medal, symbolizing the "Eastern Frontier," and even though Nebrius was dead, that deeply ingrained habit did not instantly crumble.
Moreover, none of the soldiers here wore the "Ice Lotus" medal. On the contrary, some of them were faintly wearing the "Concealed Crimson Weapon Insignia" of the "Federal Council" on their chests.
He recalled that in the Federation Council-controlled outposts near Novayask and Belogersk, their soldiers, whether loyal to Vasily or Shaneva, had a tradition of wearing this crimson badge.
"Perhaps the Federal Council wasn't completely wiped out. Or perhaps, the remnants of the Federal Council are plotting to regain control of Crusder." Wright thought to himself as he followed Dark and the leading soldier into the opulent hall and into the gold-themed guest elevator.
“Shaneva wants me and Dak to stay and serve the Federal Council. Vasily and Shaneva are both men who love talent, and they will stop at nothing to attract or destroy a powerful target. If this son of Nebrius, the newly appointed city administrator, is in cahoots with the Federal Council, then the plan to travel east across Eventre to Chidanris will be postponed again.”
As he was pondering, Wright suddenly felt a throbbing in his heart. Then, countless piercing mechanical roars and low, nightmarish whispers began to flash in his ears. The surrounding lights began to display an indescribable chaotic glow of pitch black and pure white. In the relatively dim space, an elusive, scorching heat suddenly enveloped him.
Bang, bang, bang, bang bang bang bang bang bang...
Wright felt the "Creator's Mechanical Heart," a flesh-and-blood heart that was transforming, begin to beat powerfully and uncontrollably. This beating was not like the trembling of a body about to collapse, but rather like four or five hearts pumping blood at the same time, desperately trying to make the body come back to life.
The surrounding space began to melt and disintegrate like a dream. Flesh and blood bodies were frozen in place like ice, while those seemingly solid steel objects melted like butter and escaped into the outer layers of space.
A terrifying low growl and a piercing roar began to intertwine and entwine within Wright's mind; a nightmarish gale raged between his eyes; and a uniquely human emotion called fear and despair began to seize his thoughts, until…
Ding!
A crisp ringing sound pulled Wright back to reality from his sudden, brief dream.
"It seems I'll have to work on getting along with this 'Creator's Mechanical Heart' for a while longer," Wright muttered to himself. (End of Chapter)