The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 398 The Butterfly of Myriad Phenomena
"It was an era of boundless light, but it also sowed the seeds for the prelude to darkness."

The curator uttered these words with a sense of sorrow and grief, then his gaze fell on the butterfly on his shoulder, and he began to narrate the following history in a storytelling tone.

Having mastered the "subspace texture technology," the Solipsians' "Shadow Society" finally created an instrument capable of actively observing the virtual world.

For the first time, they turned their gaze beyond the "frame," attempting to peek into the source of the miracle and search for "Colin," the god they had worshipped for thousands of years.

“I can imagine the excitement we felt at that moment. We had found our ‘Creator,’ or rather, you were not far from us, even closer than the stars. It wasn’t on the Pillar of Creation tens of thousands of light-years away, but right above us.”

The curator's emotional state suddenly became complex.

"However, when we pointed the instruments at the source of the miracle, what we saw was not a solemn and sacred divine kingdom, but a dimly lit room. We saw creatures that were not in the form of Solipsius, operating around a huge, luminous lens."

"At that moment, the truth came crashing down on us like a thunderbolt."

He slowly turned to Luo Yan, his flowing spiritual message containing a deep sigh.

“The Kingdom of God does not exist, my Lord. What exists is... a dimly lit room, and a group of observers, just like you, casting their gaze from beyond the void.”

The butterfly that landed on his shoulder fluttered its wings gently, as if nodding in acknowledgment.

“You are right, but your pope should have known this a long time ago.”

"Yes."

The curator nodded slowly, continuing to speak with a gentle, spiritual ripple.

"He knew all along, even... every pope knew. But they still chose to weave a benevolent lie for us, who were still in our infancy, so that our spirits would not be lost in the boundless starry sky. This day will come eventually, even if we desperately hope it will come slowly."

His narrative returns to the presentation of history.

"'Colin'... Please allow me to address you as such for now. At this moment, we realize that you are not an omnipotent creator, but merely an observer from another time and space, perhaps even earning a modest salary and living in a cramped house."

"The beliefs and foundations of our entire civilization are nothing more than an experimental record of a higher civilization. Our myths, which have lasted for thousands of years, have been completely deconstructed in the face of irrefutable observational results."

"In this process, we completed the demystification of the gods."

"Congratulations, this shows that you are becoming me... or even surpassing me." Luo Yan sincerely praised you, like a father facing his children who have surpassed him.

Although this meant he lost control of the 440th virtual realm and could no longer play tricks behind the scenes, he didn't think it was a bad thing.

While chives may taste delicious, true friends are even harder to find, let alone those who can connect across the stars.

In particular, the nature of the virtual realm means that no one can reliably exploit the resources behind it, and treating the civilization behind it as a tool to be harvested is a waste.

Why not give them a ride?

In any case, they will eventually complete this destined journey on their own, so why not take this opportunity to forge a good relationship?

He might gain some interesting insights from it.

Of course.

The above is only from his own perspective.

From the perspective of a magician from a school of magicians, what they are doing is actually the most beneficial choice for themselves.

After all, "Coke of Wraiths" can really raise the level of a soul!

This thing held little appeal for a noblewoman like Ophia, who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but it was fatally attractive to most of her apprentices.

At least for now.

The curator smiled, his complex emotions turning into joy.

"Thank you."

"Although I know you will say this, I still hope to hear it with my own ears."

Luo Yan nodded the wing tip with pleasure, then asked another question that had been on his mind.

"But I want to know, why do you say this is the prelude to darkness?"

The curator's tentacles pointed to the next painting, moving his body, embraced by countless tentacles, forward along the red carpet.

"This brings us to the next painting."

It was a magnificent era full of creativity and confidence.

The image likely depicts a laboratory, a colossal structure far more magnificent than the Great Sage's Tower, standing amidst the stars.

Through that breathtaking wonder, he could also see the details beneath the grandeur.

Countless Solipsians are manipulating ethereal energy, weaving incredible warp structures, each one radiating pride in controlling their own destiny.

Unlike Mentor Merck's misunderstanding of the refrigerator and advertisement in Virtual Realm 178—

The Solipsians of the 440th Virtual Realm truly made it possible in the third millennium to grant every individual in the civilization the right to explore the Virtual Realm.

They explored.

They conducted research.

Then, according to their spiritual frequency, they shape the world behind the void, spread the gospel they define themselves, and seek kindred spirits in the wider sea of ​​stars.

"...After the truth was revealed, the old theocracy collapsed peacefully, and we erected a huge monument for you as an answer to the past."

"Because our civilization had already reached a considerable level, our society did not experience violent upheavals, but rather naturally transitioned to the next golden age over a long period of time."

"The pride rooted in the blood of the Solipos makes it impossible for us to accept the fate of being used as experimental subjects. We have abandoned our illusions about external gods and instead embraced our inner strength, extending our tentacles to the distant stars."

He continued to recount that memory, and the former "Shadow Society" naturally became the new leader of civilization.

They certainly didn't do all this in the name of the shadows, but rather wove a new name for themselves—"Ether Builders".

From then on, the historical goal of the Solipsians was no longer to please the gods, but to surpass the gods and become a more perfect creator than "gods".

The curator's emotions became incredibly intense at this moment.

"We refuse to be specimens in a glass dish, nor do we need to please false gods anymore. From that moment on, we crown ourselves—"

"We are our own creators."

The stirring musical score turned to the next chapter, and soon came the fifth painting.

It was a picture depicting the tearing apart and chaos of the universe, like a tangible wail.

In the scene, countless stars are twisted into dying spirals, and magnificent nebulae are torn into tattered shreds. A once infinitely prosperous world is reduced to dust like a piece of paper in the violent turbulence blowing from the warp...

The curator's emotional turmoil was filled with profound sorrow.

"That happened in the fourth millennium."

"After revealing the truth about 'God,' our civilization did not find a new direction, but instead entered a void due to the collapse of faith."

"Simply playing the role of creator can no longer fill the emptiness in our hearts. We have decided to use our world to complete an unprecedented painting to prove that we truly exist in this universe, and are not just a floating leaf in the void."

“A project even more magnificent than the colossal structure for observing the void has begun, which our ‘ether architects’ call the ‘ether space’ project.”

Luo Yan remained silent.

He roughly guessed what these Soliposians were up to, and was utterly shocked by their ambition and madness.

As the curator predicted, the Solipsians, entering the fourth millennium, began to use their advanced subspace technology to treat the entire universe as their palette.

Like mad artists, they "cut" out what they considered the most beautiful scenery from countless galaxies. Among them were the corona rings of stars, the splendor of nebulae, and the event horizons of black holes—scenes that far surpassed the beauty displayed in the gallery right now.

Then they used these "beautiful scenes" that didn't belong to them to assemble a new world that was entirely their own.

Seeing the "ancient god" speechless with shock, the curator continued speaking with gentle mental ripples.

"Of course...we will rearrange a planet in the universe for those civilizations that have lost their homes, a planet far more bountiful than their former world."

"...Demolition?"

"You could say that. Although we are well aware that our compensation is insignificant compared to the future they have lost, just as all great works require sacrifices, we are prepared to give everything for this... I believe you can understand me."

Luo Yan remained silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure... What happened next? Did you succeed?"

"Success and failure are hard to define our final work, but... we stopped when we were about to complete the last piece of the puzzle."

The curator calmly recounted this past, but Luo Yan could hear a trace of sadness flowing through the emotional ripples.

"We underestimated our own capabilities and overestimated the limits of the universe. It's like a fragile soap bubble; it can contain everything about us when we're still a cell, but it will eventually burst the moment we transform from a pupa into a butterfly."

Before the "Ancient God" could ask, he continued speaking with gentle mental ripples.

"This plundering and piecing together of the universe without any respect for its laws ultimately led to a devastating backlash. When we took the last bit of color from the universe, space itself underwent an irreversible collapse, just like a black hole... but its power far surpasses that of a black hole."

"More than four-fifths of the Solipsians vanished instantly in the unstoppable warp turbulence, and our civilization was nearly destroyed... We call this catastrophe the 'Great Collapse' event."

"And the painting before you is a moment captured in despair by a Solipsian artist. An etheric architect sealed it within this frame woven from subspace technology, and it was eventually housed in this gallery."

The curator's emotional fluctuations did not reveal much sadness, but rather a sense of nostalgia, as if recounting an ordinary past event.

"So... your civilization has been destroyed?" Luo Yan's mental fluctuations carried a hint of regret.

"Not yet." The curator led the butterfly, which housed the soul of an ancient god, to the next and final artwork.

It was a tragic painting, the composition once again divided into light and shadow.

The fortress, plunged into darkness, silently watched the departing starship sail towards a vast rift leading to the unknown.

It was a rift leading to the void. They couldn't be sure what lay behind it, but perhaps they could find a glimmer of hope by going through it.

Or, staying there wouldn't be bad either.

The curator's mental state became complex, and the tentacles all over his body rippled gently like waves.

"...After the 'Great Collapse,' the surviving Solipsians split into two factions. One faction, led by a leader named 'Norvel,' decided to abandon our shattered homeland and flee beyond the void in search of new fertile land."

Upon hearing the name "Novell," Luo Yan's mental state showed a hint of surprise.

“Novel?” He looked at the curator in surprise and blurted out, “I’ve met him! But… that was before we met?”

When he met Novell, he didn't even have the identity of an Imperial Prince, and his understanding of the Academy was limited to a few words from an apprentice.

The curator smiled gently, his mental state becoming deep and calm, seemingly unsurprised by the bewilderment of this former "creator".

"This is not surprising, my dear Lord. If you exist long enough, you will find that time does not actually exist."

Before the beloved "ancient god" could process this statement, the elderly curator continued in a casual, unassuming manner.

"It does not belong to any dimension, nor is it a tangible entity. It is not born from any physical laws or axioms, but comes entirely from 'our' perception of the material world."

"Looking down at our universe from the perspective of emptiness, the birth and heat death of the universe occur simultaneously, including the encounter and separation of two civilizations, and the birth and death of a person."

"The fact that you can see him proves that he has succeeded. He has vanished into the void and become an omnipresent yet elusive being."

“But you don’t need to blame yourself. Even without you, ‘he’ would still be born—as long as there are people in this world who long for ‘him’.”

Luo Yan felt no remorse, just a little confused.

According to the curator's theory...

Wouldn't that make him Novell's father? Of course—

This guy probably has many fathers, so he doesn't make a difference.

Perhaps feeling that Novell didn't deserve a prominent place in the history of the Soliposians, the curator didn't elaborate on that point, but instead began describing another part of the painting in front of Luo Yan—

Those Solipusians who remained.

"...We have influenced countless worlds, but only the world where we exist truly belongs to us. There are many young civilizations in this universe with wonderful cultures and memories, and we do not want those children to pay for our mistakes."

"Therefore, we decided to do something for the home we once lived in during our limited lifespans..."

Following the "Great Collapse," an operation called the "Great Return" began.

The last of the Solipsians began to use the remaining technology to mend the shattered universe, returning the spaces they had carved out from various galaxies to their original coordinates.

After making enormous sacrifices, the collapse of the universe miraculously stopped, although the wounds already created were permanent.

All young civilizations can see that ugly scar in the starry sky—a starless region.

However, while the universe was reborn, the Solipsian civilization came to an end.

Their civilization was built entirely on the plunder of space. When everything was returned, their world was left with nothing but a faint trace of warmth.

In the final moments of civilization, the Solipsians, known as "curators," collected the remaining remnants and memories of their civilization and constructed this "Echo Gallery," separate from the main world.

Feeling the awe-inspiring spiritual ripples from the ancient gods, the curator turned his gaze to the magnificent spectacle before him, composed of countless fragments of space, and spoke in a gentle, rippling voice.

"...This is the origin of the gallery in front of you."

"It's not about showing off art or miracles, it's simply about proving that we were here and ultimately chose to save rather than destroy everything."

Time flowed quietly between the two souls.

After a long while, Luo Yan let out a sigh from the depths of his soul.

“Incredible… You accomplished all this over fifty centuries.”

A sense of relief washed over the curator.

“I am honored to receive your praise. Perhaps you have already noticed that, to us, you are like a father to us. Although we grow old before you, we will eventually come together at the end of time.”

"Thank you so much for listening to our story until the end... Even if we turn to dust in the near future, there will be people in another distant universe who will remember us."

As he spoke, the curator stretched forward, and a silver necklace appeared on his tendrils.

The core of the necklace is crystal clear, and its shape resembles a colorful butterfly, so beautiful that one can't help but wonder if it belongs to another world.

"...This is a creature we observed in your world. We like it very much. Its lifespan is short, but it is so beautiful in its limited life that we don't want to look away."

“We constructed its body with ether as a container to hold you. Now that our farewell is over, I would like to ask you to accept it… Although it is not a very valuable gift, it may provide some insignificant convenience for your future journey.”

Just by examining it closely, Luo Yan could sense the extraordinary nature of this necklace.

After all, it was created by an advanced civilization, and the magicians of the Bangyuan School of Law were obviously no match for the Ether Constructor.

After circling the necklace once, Luo Yan asked a question out of curiosity.

"What's it for?"

The curator replied with gentle ripples.

"It's called the 'Butterfly of All Things.' You only need to inject a wisp of spiritual energy into it to summon one or more butterfly clones made of ether. You can swap positions with any of the ether butterflies at any time without worrying about the backlash from the warp."

"I guess you've mastered the technology of teleportation, but the travel experience it brings you must not be very pleasant, right?"

That guy was right.

The experience was not just bad, it was downright terrible, and the stronger the individual, the stronger the backlash.

Upon hearing the curator's words, Luo Yan almost instantly held his breath, and after a long while, he responded by suppressing his excitement.

Even if it's...going to another planet?

The curator smiled and nodded.

"As long as we're in the same universe, it doesn't matter how far apart we are."

The implication is that the other world beyond the void is inaccessible.

But that doesn't matter.

Luo Yan didn't actually have that need.

He was quite satisfied with the universe he was in; traveling through time again would simply mean doing the same things he had done before.

How can I take it out?

Faced with the "Ancient God's" intriguing question, the curator smiled and said, "It's easy. The moment you touch it, it's already on you. Actually... there's something similar in your sea of ​​consciousness, isn't there? I think I can sense its presence; it seems to be something behind the illusory realm as well."

Something like that?
Does it refer to the "stone tablet" that symbolizes divinity?

Luo Yan only knew that it was a relic left behind by Lint Isaac, but he had never heard Principal Evan mention anything about its connection to the Void.

However, if I had to say, it could be connected to the void.

After all, Linte Isaac didn't belong to the continent of Os; he was a transmigrator like himself. Their souls didn't belong to this world; they were outsiders.

"Thank you... Uh, should I give you a little something in return? But we don't know how to send objects behind the Void Realm yet, or you can just take what you want?" Luo Yan suddenly felt a little embarrassed after accepting the gift. The value of this gift even surpassed that of a demigod-level artifact to him. He had never received such a generous gift before.

The curator simply smiled upon hearing this.

"No need. You have already given us so much, and this gift is our way of returning your kindness. Thank you for giving us positive guidance when we needed help the most; otherwise... we certainly wouldn't have met you again."

Luo Yan didn't think he had done anything so great; he was more like an irresponsible father, just like his own father.

However, the Solipsian had already reconciled with the Creator, so there was no need for him to engage in meaningless modesty.

That would be superfluous for both of them.

Happy times are always short-lived.

Although there are still hundreds of millions of paintings worth seeing here, time is running out for the Solipsians and the Oos.

After presenting the gift to the ancient god, the curator, with the butterfly perched on his shoulder, walked through the long corridor displaying the rise and fall of civilizations, and returned to the starting point of their journey—before the painting depicting pastoral landscapes and megaliths.

He stepped back into the painting with the revered ancient god, returning to that tranquil field.

That was where they met.

Standing under the windmill not far from the monument, the curator used gentle ripples to express a final farewell.

"We praise our encounter; we have no doubt that it must be the most beautiful meeting in the universe."

"But please remember not to wander in the void for too long."

"And watch out for that guy named Novell."

"You will meet him again."

The time for parting has come.

The virtual passage connecting the two worlds will not collapse, but there will be no more secrets to explore in this world, nor anything worth digging into.

This is just a painting that records the past.

Luo Yan promised the curator that he would honestly record everything he saw in the virtual world for future generations to admire.

As for the pendant, since it was a gift from the Solipsians, there was no reason for him to leave it to Xuebang, especially since he couldn't give it to them anyway.

Just as consciousness was about to depart, Luo Yan suddenly remembered something and looked at the curator, saying, "Wait a minute... I forgot to tell you, my name is Luo Yan."

"That's my real name."

Anyway, there's no one else here.

The two communicated directly using mental waves, and he wasn't worried that anyone would hear them.

Upon hearing this candid remark, a knowing smile flickered across the curator's expression, and he responded casually.

"We already knew that."

That was the last sentence he left in Luo Yan's consciousness.

The moment his mental ripples faded away, Luo Yan's consciousness returned to reality.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and the concerned faces of everyone in the Corinta Laboratory came into view, including Youyou, who was also standing beside him, looking at him anxiously.

"My Lord Demon King, are you alright?"

Luo Yan did not answer, but looked at the researchers who were looking at him with concern.

"How long have I slept?"

The researchers present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Miller was the first to speak.

He said in a low voice.

"About thirty minutes..."

thirty minutes……

That wasn't too long.

Luo Yan thought he had been in the virtual realm for a whole day, but he didn't expect that his time there had been accelerated.

He looked toward the virtual passage not far away, and sure enough, the world behind the lens had returned to normal, a peaceful and idyllic pastoral scene.

The curator, who resembled a pope, was nowhere to be seen; instead, the actors who had been working in the fields returned to their original positions.

As the curator said, they always need to find some sense of ritual for the rest of their time. Perhaps for them, showing their diligence to the ancient gods in their memories is also a kind of satisfaction.

After all, the ancient gods initially bestowed upon them a "harvest".

"Your Highness... what did you see?" Miller asked cautiously.

Miller wasn't the only one waiting for his answer; all the magicians present were looking at him with expectant eyes.

Even Youyou.

"That's a long story. Let me sort it out first before I tell you. Give me some time."

Luo Yan sighed softly, gave an ambiguous answer, and then looked down at his palm.

He could clearly feel the power imprinted in his mind, ready to burst forth.

However, what surprised him most was not the crystal-clear "phantom artifact," but something else entirely—

It seems he's made another breakthrough.

(End of this chapter)