Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 1071 Cosmic Starfish - Arrival!

For players throughout the Abelio Dream World, the past few days of dream games have felt like an unconventional, officially scripted murder mystery game.

Originally, everyone was still immersed in despair over the BOSS's extreme strength and the difficulty of the forbidden zone being comparable to climbing to the sky, but then system announcements popped up one after another like a torrential rain, each one being the same.

[The boss of the Xth forbidden zone has been defeated.]

[Strategist: I'm just a passing angel]

More than one player stared blankly at the string of ID names, watching helplessly as an unfamiliar account that had never appeared on the leaderboard before swept away all the first kills of the BOSSes, directly defeating all the leaders of the ten forbidden zones set by the Dream God Group. It was as if this game did not need any strategies, teamwork, or leveling up, but only needed—one person.

"...Who is this? An NPC? An official account? An internal tester? Is a GM in disguise?"

"I don't believe this is a player. Back then, more than 300 of us couldn't even whittle down the first bar of health of the boss this guy was fighting. He cleared it all by himself?"

"Is it possible... that this game was never originally designed for players to complete, and that the system crashed, and now the developers are fixing the bug?"

Discussions like these were rampant in Abelio's online game forums and player guild chat rooms.

Some questioned whether this was a planned last-minute rescue, while others began to delve into the identity and origin of this ID. Some even speculated that this "I am just a passing angel" was actually a hidden protagonist, with the system pushing the plot forward.

But regardless, all ten forbidden zone bosses have been wiped out.

At the same time, the game progress of every ordinary player in the dream is also accelerating.

Many players found themselves encountering more story quests, dungeons, NPC interaction quests, and even Dreamcore collaboration events, and the efficiency of the system's automatic matchmaking for team formation also skyrocketed.

The entire game world was as if it had been awakened from hibernation and was fully activated.

Amidst all this enthusiasm for strategy, a young man quietly embarked on his own journey.

Lupercal Abraham, a genius player and the first player leader in the Dream World to awaken the Overlord Mode, officially founded the number one player guild – the Horizon Initiative.

This newly formed organization, whose mission is to advance the game's progress, quickly gathered the server's top strategy experts, story analysts, combat system design enthusiasts, and even supercomputing engineers who deciphered dream runes. They continuously explored within the boundaries set by the Dream Core, attempting to use the power of players to complete the puzzle of the entire world's truth.

And the entire dream world has finally moved from the initial stage of the strategy to the stage where the strategy is fully launched.

……

……

At this moment, in a room high in the sky within a dream, the skyline outside the floating window is forever bathed in the glow of dusk. The city lights have never been extinguished, twinkling like stars in an ocean of consciousness.

In the very center of the room, a virtual clock standing in the air was silently ticking, displaying the following time:

【236, 520:00:00】

Twenty-seven years—a complete countdown since the Dream Project began.

Xia Xiu leaned back in a dark gray leather sofa, his sunny blond hair slightly loose, his legs naturally crossed.

His black suit remained impeccable, and on the coffee table in front of him were traditional tea sets that the three Dream Cores had meticulously arranged for him.

Vajra Roniti, the master of the Dream Core from the Eastern District of the Dream God Group, was bending down to brew tea for him. As the tea soup fell into the jade-white teacup, it emitted a faint amber mist, accompanied by a wisp of fragrance that did not belong to this world.

"please."

Vajra Roniti handed over the teacup. Xia Xiu took the teacup, and his fingertips paused slightly when they touched the cup. It was a familiar temperature and feel—the shape and pattern of this teacup were almost exactly the same as a tea ware from a place in his hometown called "Jingzhou".

However, he quickly suppressed his emotions and took a small sip of tea.

"To be honest, the Noema Moon is truly... an incredible invention," Xia Xiu said, his voice low and slow, yet filled with genuine admiration.

He gently placed the teacup back on the coffee table and continued:

"Knowledge can be instilled through dreams, constructing thought models and even gradually permeating national memory to establish a unified concept... Moreover, this implantation is gentle, without causing aversion or rejection. After waking up, most people may only remember a vague story, but their subconscious has already accepted the dream memory."

"Once the Dream Project is fully completed, the next generation of Abelio will be shaped by the unified thoughts in the Dream... This will have extraordinary significance for the future complete takeover of Abelio by the Kingdom of Heaven."

He squinted, his fingertips tapping lightly on the rim of his glass, his gaze falling on the eternally sleepless dream city outside the window, a hint of scheming sharpness appearing in his eyes.

Vajrapani, however, bowed his head slightly and slowly recited:

"Dreams are illusions of consciousness; dreams arise from circumstances; what is seen in dreams is not actually clung to; yet all sentient beings take dreams as reality, thus transmigrating through the three realms, lost in the cycle of birth and death."

He raised his eyelids, a glint of light flashing in his eyes:

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. Dreams, though illusory, actually contain the root of the consciousness of all beings. As the saying goes, one experiences tribulations in a dream, only to realize it upon awakening, all in the blink of an eye; and the feelings and experiences of the mind can then create cause and effect."

"Noema's lunar power can not only disprove the existence of the starfish, but also enlighten all people."

As he spoke, he gently picked up a pinch of tea leaves and tossed them into the cup. The tea leaves unfurled in the hot water like lotus flowers, as if all living beings were awakening from a dream.

Xia Xiu nodded noncommittally; the Dream God Group did indeed possess some valuable assets.

He quickly composed himself, becoming serious and solemn. He slowly raised his eyes to look at the three Dream Core avatars opposite him, his tone no longer casual and joking, but full of cautious confirmation.

"Now, it should be in the final stage, right?"

Upon hearing this, the three Dream Cores simultaneously sat up straight, with Sophia speaking first:

"Yes, Your Majesty. Thanks to your son, Lupercal Abraham, and the Horizon Initiative he established... they have lived up to expectations and successfully guided the entire Abelio player community to complete the necessary accumulation of cognitive antibodies."

She paused, then continued, "Now, all of Abelio's dreamers have become observers and participants in the falsification ritual, and the threshold has been reached."

"All that is needed is a ritualistic act; under the watchful eyes of the entire consciousness, the Dionysian Spear is plunged into the very body of the cosmic star, thus completing the final act of falsification."

After Sofia finished speaking, Edith calmly stood up, put two fingers together in front of her eyebrows and gently drew a line. The veil of dreams immediately rippled like lake water, and a void rift slowly opened.

Deep within the crack, a magnificent and solemn elongated box slowly floated out, its surface engraved with gold thread patterns and the unique logic key light of the Dream God Group, resembling a divine sealing artifact woven from classical mythology and ultra-modern technology.

“The Spear of Dionysus,” Edithica said in a deep and solemn voice, “is ready.”

"It is the chaotic thorn of ecstasy and pain, the seam between destruction and rebirth. It is both the end of a dream and the ignition point of a dream."

As he spoke, he pressed his palm onto the box, and the seal of the Dream Agreement immediately appeared. The six geometric locks disintegrated, and the heavy yet smooth mechanical sounds echoed in the room.

The lid of the box slowly opened, revealing the Dionysian Spear lying quietly inside.

The spearhead was entirely gold, but not a vulgar gold; rather, it possessed a deep golden radiance that could devour the eye and melt away logic. The spearhead was long and sharp, like two intertwined blades, its lines resembling the condensation of flames and blood. Beneath the spearhead was a uniquely shaped relief sculpture in a frenzied posture, twisting and coiling itself around the entire spear shaft, its expression a mixture of madness and pity, as if it were offering its own soul to weave this object.

The spear shaft features an alternating spiral and oblique engraving structure, with a surface covered in delicate and ancient patterns that reflect a halo of light under the dreamlike glow, sometimes as blurry as if drunk, and sometimes as sharp as if sober.

Xia Xiu slowly bent down, his gaze falling on the Spear of Dionysus. In that instant, countless frenzied illusions of festival nights, dances of fire, and gods and men drinking together seemed to be reflected in the depths of his pupils.

He stretched out his right hand and gently touched the spear shaft with his fingertips.

In an instant, a fierce intoxication and tearing ecstasy surged through his body, dragging him into an unspeakable holy feast.

He saw naked gods dancing in blood, saw thousands committing suicide under the moon for a jug of strong liquor, and saw the old gods transforming their shattered bodies into wine, pouring it into the depths of human dreams.

However, this madness lasted only a few seconds before Xia Xiu forcefully suppressed the probing power of the god of wine with absolute willpower.

"Truly a symbol of ecstasy and agony..." he muttered to himself.

Then, he looked out the window at the bustling city that had been constructed in his dream.

The neon lights continued to flash, the floating cars traveled through the three-dimensional transportation network, and advertisements and holographic images wrapped the skyscrapers into giant pillars of information torrents.

Everything seemed incredibly real, yet it carried a structured sense of falsehood, as if some gigantic consciousness was lurking within, gradually awakening and emerging to the surface over time.

Xia Xiu: "So, shouldn't we awaken the Cosmic Star now?"

He slowly walked to the window, his gaze sweeping over the entire city, and whispered, "If I'm not mistaken... this city built on the moon of Noema is actually the neural network of the cosmic star, a reflection of its consciousness."

"Cosmic starfish have always existed beneath our feet."

Standing opposite him, Vajrapani nodded slowly, his expression calm, his tone as solemn as the tolling of a bell:
"To experience true tribulations, one must first plant the seeds of tribulations. If one seeks to reach enlightenment through swift means, one must stand upon tribulations to create tribulations in a single thought and shatter dreams in a single thought."

Sofia continued, her voice soft yet firm:

"In a moment, we will project this final disprovenance onto the entire world of Abelio through the Dream God Network."

All dormant consciousness will focus on you alone. This will be a unique and irreversible opportunity—failure will mean the complete awakening of the cosmic star, and the dream will turn against reality.

Editika chimed in:

"When you prove us wrong, the three of us Dream Cores will provide full support with our Dream Core level authority—but only you can deliver the true piercing blow."

Xia Xiu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them, his gaze sharp as a newly drawn celestial sword.

"Then, let's get started."

……

……

Today is an unprecedented anniversary for players throughout the world of Abelio.

At that moment, when the system interface displayed the message "[Server-wide strategy completed]", almost the entire city was swept up in a frenzy of celebration.

The crowd cheered, fireworks lit up the sky, and electronic billboards instantly switched to colorful celebratory scenes. Celebratory light strips were projected from the hovercars, and the channels of various guilds were overflowing with messages. Players shouted and laughed in the voice channels, sharing the joy and glory of victory with each other.

They finally conquered this universally popular game!!!
Immediately afterwards, an email from the game's official website appeared in every player's inbox, an announcement of completion rewards:

——【Congratulations, dear players!】——

Thanks to your unparalleled perseverance and hard work, the main storyline of <Terra Chronicles: Noema's Dream> has reached its final progress across all servers.

Every boss you defeat and every memory of fighting side by side will be permanently engraved in the Hall of Glory of the Dream God Group server.

As a reward, we will be giving away the "Ultimate Benefit Showcase" to all players.

Please wait a moment, Mengshen Group is making preparations!
-

However—just as everyone was waiting for the so-called "ultimate benefit," the game interface suddenly blurred and vibrated.

The familiar UI is gone, the upgrade section is gone, and the experience points are gone.

Instead, a series of garbled characters suddenly flashed.

ERROR—SYSTEM…

In that instant, it wasn't just the players' game interfaces that froze. The entire city's sky-high advertisements, 3D holographic floating billboards, street-side electronic projection windows, and even televisions and smart devices in every home simultaneously came to a standstill.

All screens and all images collapsed into a mass of static within a fraction of a second, then rapidly reconstructed, transforming into an indescribable image:

A star-shaped eyeball, resembling the embodiment of the will of the abyss, slowly unfolds against a black background, like a pulsed body burning with dark white starlight. Below it are five twisted and dancing tentacles that transcend dimensions and break through the laws of dreams, leaving an indelible mark between reality and illusion.

The player stared blankly at the screen, his heart pounding.

People on the street stopped and looked up at the floating image in the sky. They were just passing by, shopping, commuting or getting off work, but suddenly they witnessed the moment when the whole city connected with something.

Like the entire world of Abelio, it was slowly opened and looked down upon by an eye that did not exist in the cosmic coordinate system.

next second.

All players on the server were forced to log out.

At the same time, an unnatural rumble came from deep underground in the city. It started as a slight tremor, but quickly spread into an inescapable shockwave, as if the entire lunar-structured city shell of Noema was wailing.

That was the groan of the earth's crust.

Five cracks appeared on the surface of the city, running through the earth's strata, as if something was breaking free from the source of the dream.

Then, five tentacles as thick as mountains, burning with chaotic light, rose from the abyss's rift, piercing the sky like the fingers left behind by a fallen god, leaving starlight-like pollution in the air.

Each one exudes an oppressive aura emanating from the boundaries of the universe, even suppressing human language and thought.

And when countless people looked up, they witnessed the most unbearable sight.

The sky shattered, the starry sky torn apart.

A giant, silver-black eye, riddled with cracks and carrying an ancient will that transcends dreams and reality, slowly opened from the endless sky.

(End of this chapter)