Arad's unruly savior

Azera strode to the window, reached out and pulled back the blue curtains that blocked the moonlight. The demonic moon, Dela Leon, still presented an unreal and illusory appearance, flickering occasionally, like a discontinuity in time, or a frame-by-frame error in a movie.

She took a deep breath, and her superior divine sense quickly spread across the main city of Terra, marking all the buildings, streets, parks, trees, and so on in her mind, drawing two detailed maps.

One map shows the urban structure of Terra, a bustling metropolis representing the pinnacle of civilization. The other map shows the desolate and ruined state of the Demon Realm after it was spread out in all directions, resembling the end of the world. When the two maps are superimposed, it is surprising to discover that the Terra Sage is now located in what is now the Ancient Library.

Azera calmed herself down and lowered her voice appropriately, then asked in surprise, "Could it be that you created the Great Library?"

The ancient library, which boasts a collection of 20 million books, is actually not very old compared to Terra at this moment, and its name is no longer that of the ancient library; it is now called the Grand Library of Terra.

Assuming a person can read and write from birth, can read one book a day, and lives to the age of one hundred without illness or disaster, their lifetime reading volume would only be around 36,500 books. This is the terrifying aspect and profound heritage of ancient libraries.

Azera recalled that at that time she did not know who was in charge of establishing the Terra Library and had not paid attention to related information.

Many Terrans consider paper books outdated, because in the technologically advanced and prosperous Terran era, there were more robust methods to preserve and record all the information in books.

A storage disk made of special material can withstand fire and lightning strikes. It may only be the size of a finger, but it can easily hold the contents of hundreds of thousands or even millions of books.

Moreover, some knowledge and information require more vivid and engaging presentation methods, such as 3D models and artificial intelligence, while the two-dimensional nature of books limits the amount of information that can be stored.

Therefore, in ancient Terra, where technological civilization was extremely prosperous, the establishment of the Great Library seems to be merely for nostalgia, to commemorate a chapter in the transition of civilization, and to symbolically commemorate the significance of paper books.

After Azera spoke, the sage's face was filled with confusion and bewilderment, replaced by a relaxed and knowing expression. She did not answer the question immediately, but calmly and leisurely brewed three cups of tea, the aroma of which wafted gently.

Then the sage closed his eyes. Before closing them, he made a shushing gesture to Azera, indicating that he needed time and that the two of them should be quiet and have some tea.

Several minutes later, the sage of ancient Terra slowly opened her eyes. Her appearance was not stunning or otherworldly, but her gentle, watery eyes were very charming. When you looked into her eyes, you could feel that they contained infinite knowledge and wisdom.

"It is me, and it is not me," the sage answered Azera's question first.

On Terra, where scientific civilization has reached its zenith and even glimpsed forbidden realms, some scholars harbor long-term concerns. They believe that the power of science is like an unreasonable gift from the gods to weak humanity, a Pandora's box.

It opened the door to the unknown, allowing humanity, with its insignificant size and lifespan of a hundred years, to stand within a small space and, with the help of scientific tools, glimpse the infinitely vast and mysterious universe.

However, along with this prosperity came a destructive "power," like a disease hidden in the human body, which could suddenly erupt at any time and destroy everything.

Can human wisdom and will control the "demons" that arise and coexist with technological development? These demons can refer to ambition, war, or even certain destructive weapons.

What if one day God takes back His gifts?

The flame of civilization that now seems so brilliant and radiant can be extinguished into a mere ember at any moment.

The sage slowly said, "Therefore, out of concern for the possible outbreak of ambitious wars and for certain super-energys, the Great Library was built. It has the highest level of defense, using paper documents to hold the embers after the extinction of civilization, and to give it the opportunity to be rekindled."

In other words, using paper books to carry the crystallization of knowledge and the essence of civilization implies that Terra could potentially erupt into a catastrophe that destroys the entire civilization, the whole world, and reverts it to a primitive era.

The sage continued:
"One of the reasons I was puzzled before was this: why was the Great Library suddenly built? You know, just collecting more than 50 million books would take an immeasurable amount of work, and then it doesn't seem to have much significance."

"Terra today has neither the flames of war nor any destructive super-energy involved. The establishment of the Great Library is somewhat strange and too hasty, seemingly purely driven by sentiment."

Upon hearing the sage's words, Azera and Yelin exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise on each other's faces. It turned out that the ancient library's peak collection actually contained more than 50 million books.

I did hear from Curator Monica that during the long journey of the Eight Faces of the Demon Realm as they drifted through the cosmos after leaving Terra, the Ancient Library suffered many setbacks, including but not limited to battles against invasions by otherworldly life forms, meteor showers, fires, and disasters caused by the magic scholars' own mishaps, resulting in the loss of a considerable number of books.

However, I didn't expect the losses to be so large, accounting for three-fifths of the total.

Ye Lin transmitted his voice and said:

"Another part is due to the passage of time and the effects of natural factors. The paper has aged, and some of them disappeared before they could be copied and replaced."

The ancient library doesn't just rely on its 50 million books. Since the Demon Realm broke away from Terra, the library has been constantly losing old books, but it has also been constantly adding new knowledge and new books. Some empty bookshelves will be filled with new books.

Therefore, of the 20 million books currently in ancient libraries, the older the history, the fewer the books, and the closer to the present time, the more books there are.

Azera understood that in the original Terra world, because the entire world was involved in the research on artificial gods, which touched on the Supreme Realm, some scholars were very worried about whether Terra could control this powerful force and whether there was a risk of playing with fire and getting burned. Therefore, based on the possibility that civilizations would be destroyed, the Great Library was established.

The Terra of today is different from the one of the past. Her chief leader, Hilder, died young. Without her leadership, the artificial god system simply does not exist. There are only a few obscure ideas, and therefore no threat of forbidden energy.

The Great Library, the embers of civilization, was built in a seemingly illogical and hasty manner.

Of course, this absurdity is actually very minor, and ordinary people wouldn't find it unusual; at most, they might just say a few sentimental things.

The sage, dressed in a simple uniform, crossed his legs, the length of which was indistinguishable, and held a still-warm teacup in his fingers. He looked at Azera and said:

"Can you tell me what the truth is? My ability to foresee the future is limited."

Despite having anticipated and prepared for it, Azera couldn't help but feel a wave of surprise. In Terra, where science and technology were highly developed, "superpowers" basically only existed in fantasy. Apart from artificial gods and related experimental subjects, no one in Terra possessed the power to break the laws of nature.

The Sage truly possesses unconventional power in this almost "demon-sealing" era.

The sealing of demons involves stories from a more distant, mythical era. The elemental goddess Pushia sealed the golden bloodline of the Terrans, and also sealed almost all the inheritances of the mythical era.

In this respect, the civilization progress of Terra and Celestial Realm is almost the same.

Azera looked at Ye Lin, seeking his opinion on whether to reveal the truth to the sage who had previously served Hilder. "Hmm." Ye Lin nodded slightly. Since the sage himself had noticed the discord, there was no need to continue hiding it. They could follow the clues from this flaw.

Afterward, Azera took half a minute to organize her thoughts and words, and then told the Terra Sage in front of her the whole story.

This is actually a "false" past world... She and Ye Lin come from an extremely distant future... However, Terra's time is in the present... thus presenting a complex contradictory state, as if the past, present, and future are all integrated into one.

A long silence followed. The minute hand of the old-fashioned clock had completed half a circle when the sage finally let out a long breath. Then she turned her complicated gaze to the window. The neon lights of the night were dazzling, like large swaths of paint carelessly discarded across the city. Without the curtains to cover her eyes, she would not be able to sleep and would feel her spirit constantly being drained.

Life in Terra City moves at a very fast pace.

"You believe...?" Azera was quite surprised. For a sage whose mind was stuck in ancient Terra, her story should be very far-fetched and not so easy to accept.

“The truth of fate often lies in the details. Not long ago, Morley came to see me.” The sage lowered his head and gently stirred the now-cold tea with a spoon; its once vibrant green color now seemed to have turned brownish.

Azera nodded and said, "I saw it on the news."

The sage, knowledgeable in both ancient and modern times, enjoys a very high reputation in Terra. She not only possesses extraordinary abilities during the Age of Demon Sealing, but also has unparalleled talent in the field of science.

The sage paused for a moment, then said calmly, "Molly said that he discovered a mysterious and powerful force in the universe through satellites."

He said that if they could capture it, they would surely discover more secrets of the universe, which would make our civilization more prosperous.

"Huh?" Azera's beautiful eyes widened, and she made a sound involuntarily in surprise, almost standing up. Why was this happening?

After Herder's untimely death, it was thought that the artificial god project would be completely cut off and go down a completely different timeline. However, it seems that Uncle Morley has taken Herder's place.

Just as Azera was calming down and preparing to ask for more details, another unexpected event suddenly occurred.

She saw the sage's lips moving constantly, as if he were speaking, growing more and more anxious, revealing a look of urgency, and finally sounding more like a shout.

Even though they were in the same room and less than two meters apart, Azera couldn't hear anything.

The curtains that Azera had just drawn back let in a warm, bright light, and the outlines of the buildings became clear. It was a light unique to daytime, the radiance of the sun.

Azera quickly glanced at the old-fashioned wall clock. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the clock had already pointed to the next day, and the seat in front of her, the place where the sage had sat, was now empty.

The sage was gone, and the three teacups on the table had also disappeared.

"Time is accelerating." Azera, possessing the power of a transcendent being, immediately understood what had just happened; time in Terra had been accelerated.

"This is not what we envisioned."

If the Great Will wants to replace the Terra of the past with the Terra that has been reunited, then it should pursue truth in all aspects that conform to the order of the universe, such as the truth of time, the truth of all life, and the current acceleration of time is unreasonable.

Ye Lin gently grasped Azera's hand, nodded, and then disappeared from the sage's room. The place where he reappeared seemed to be a laboratory, surrounded by steel walls and mysterious scientific equipment. The missing sage and a very burly man with a somewhat indifferent face were standing in front of a huge projection screen, talking about something.

“Uncle Morley!” Azera almost shouted out, then quickly gestured to Ye Lin, “That man is Morley, the one I told you about. He’s incredibly talented, a leading figure among scientists, but he’s always been overshadowed by Hilder.”

Ye Lin slightly opened his and Azera's invisibility, facing the sage directly. Upon meeting his gaze, the sage frowned and said in an unpleasant tone:

"Azera? What are you doing here? Who is that person? Is he someone you brought?"

“Azera?” Morley turned around, but found no one behind him; it was empty except for the painted metal walls.

At that moment, Ye Lin and Azera re-entered stealth mode.

"You must be mistaken, Sage. Azera isn't in Terra City. She went out and hasn't returned yet. Could it be that the supernatural power you wield has gone out of control?" Morley's tone held a hint of ambiguity.

It sounded like envy, or perhaps a little jealousy, which is why the words weren't very polite.

Morley said, "Sage, the satellite's feedback is becoming increasingly clear: there exists some force in the universe that is even greater than the sun."

On the other side, Ye Lin transmitted his voice to Azera: "This sage seems to have forgotten us after the time acceleration, as if her flaw was discovered and then fixed. Let's wait and see."

……

Molly manipulated the projection screen beside him and said in a tone of shock and ecstasy:
“Sage, you have no idea what I’ve discovered. The latest satellite footage is absolutely beyond our previous understanding.”

The projection screen rapidly changed, and then a not-so-clear image appeared. The image was facing the sun, and in the blinding light, under the holy and brilliant sun, there were two blurry figures.

Although the image may not be clear due to the intense light, it is still possible to discern two human figures. Are there humans in the cosmos?!

Moreover, the two figures seemed to be surrounded by an infinite halo, like the divine halos of gods bestowing blessings, which was beyond all comprehension.

Unable to contain his excitement, Molly clenched his fist and said:

"If we can capture these two forces, it will surely make our civilization more prosperous."

Hidden in the shadows, Azera and Yelin wore strange expressions. These two figures somehow resembled Siat and Momei. (End of Chapter)