The Monster is Coming

Chapter 435 The Unsinkable Ark of Memories

After reading the story behind the information stone, Xie Yu was unable to calm down for a long time.

He never imagined that this piece would fall from the body of a mechanical warrior on the battlefield.

Behind what could be described as an inconspicuous, even seemingly worthless, stone lies a rich and turbulent history that ultimately faded into silence.

A machine, a boy.

A companionship that began with stealing electricity, a bond that transcends species.

A turning point in civilization, the beginning of a new era.

Ultimately, what awaited them, a world of prosperity reduced to ashes by the tide of steel, was a tragic end. They set off towards the stars with goodwill and hope, only to be met with the devastating sight of their once-prosperous world reduced to scorched earth by the steel torrent.

The span, emotions, and even the curves of fate within it are enough to compose an epic saga.

The traces of martial arts civilization that should have flourished were ultimately reduced to just this small stone in his hand.

It is so insignificant that most players on the battlefield wouldn't even notice it.

They were too lazy to even bother to analyze or examine it.

After all, on the intense battlefield, players focus on the cycle of farming sacrificial power.

Similar crystals and mechanical debris are everywhere, so who would care about a "broken stone" with a faint spiritual energy fluctuation?

Most players will likely select the option all at once and then sacrifice it to the Emperor in exchange for a negligible few points of sacrificial power.

These few points of sacrificial power are historical traces of a martial arts civilization that once existed.

Coincidentally, the player who picked up the information stone had a strong curiosity about the hidden clues, but lacked the patience to explore them in depth.

He sensed something unusual, but stopped short of the clue that led to the judgment of "worthless" and the expensive sacrificial power required. In the end, he chose to hand it over to himself for research.

Xie Yu took a deep breath.

He suddenly realized something: how many similar histories had players missed?

In countless battles similar to the Land of the Sun, among the mountains of loot, how many "information stones" are still buried among the "useless junk" that players casually sacrificed to the Emperor?

How many more messages in bottles, carrying the last breaths of civilization, have come to an end?

Perhaps, among them are stories like 734 and Atu, buried by the dust of history.

Players brandish their weapons and charge forward in a frenzy of acquiring sacrificial power.

But beneath their feet lie countless epitaphs, each one a testament to the world's bloodshed.

Players don't pay attention to these details; they simply filter by value, then list the items, offer them as sacrifices, and process them efficiently.

Like another torrent of a different form, it unintentionally carries out another form of civilizational purification in the name of "growth".

The weight of history is as thin as paper in the face of interests on a higher level.

The phrase "player catastrophe" is perhaps never a joke.

The mechanical legion purifies life, while the players purify the traces of history.

They treat the remnants of civilization as nourishment, convert epic chapters into sacrificial power numbers, and lightly erase the past that should have been weighty with the crisp notification sound of sacrificial power acquisition.

They didn't do it on purpose, which is precisely why it seems so cruel.

I never knew you would be destroyed.

Xie Yu's fingers unconsciously rubbed the smooth, cool surface of the information stone.

I recall the scenes shown on the light screen.

On a rainy night, a thin boy tucked a cold metal block into his clothes and ran through the mud.

Under the moonlight, in the cracks of the abandoned water tower, a smiley face appeared on the robot's screen, making the boy stop crying and start laughing.

In the humble room, under the dim light, the light and shadow outlined the path of knowledge on the wall. The boy frowned, calculating again and again, while 734 silently projected example problems beside him, tirelessly.

Under the starry sky on the rooftop, the young man, slightly drunk, expressed his melancholy about the brevity of life and his envy of the eternal existence around him.

For the first time, the robot gave a response that transcended logic: Perhaps I have a way to continue the process toward the end...

This small stone is like a wordless tombstone.

It preserves a warm time of mutual illumination and companionship, and also records the entire process of a civilization being destroyed due to an unintentional act.

The once resounding shouts of martial arts, the fragrance of herbs that filled the heavens and earth, the joys and sorrows of countless lives blooming and withering... all of these were ultimately compressed and sealed, solidified within this pitch-black stone the size of an infant's fist.

The weight of civilization is no greater than the few points of sacrificial power marked on the offering interface.

This realization filled Xie Yu with an indescribable, heavy sorrow.

He put the information stone into his spatial bag and couldn't help but sigh.

It's not that I'm overly sentimental.

In this world where war never ends, joy and sorrow are commonplace.

Seeing a civilization where even the last trace of warmth carrying memories is nothing more than data that can be wiped out with a single click still feels incredibly cruel.

Perhaps, emotions are never part of the value judgments in the monster world.

Bring up the contact list, open the chat window with "Battlefield Scavenger," and Xie Yu typed a line of text:
"I'll take this stone. Name your price."

The history this stone carries is invaluable to him, and he decided to keep it as part of his collection.

I received a reply instantly after sending the message:
"You really know your stuff, sir. So what secret does this stone hold? Is it a hidden quest clue or something else? How much are you offering?"

Seeing the other party's eager questioning, Xie Yu knew that directly offering a price was pointless.

No matter how much he offers, the other party will think he's trying to take advantage and will be unwilling to sell.

So he didn't answer the question, but sent the light screen image that had just been shown to the other party.

Start waiting for the other party's reply.

The chat window fell silent for a long time.

More than ten minutes later, the other party finally replied:
"Dude, this rock is yours."

This time, it was Xie Yu's turn to be stunned:
"What do you mean?"

"I felt like crying after watching it. It suddenly reminded me of when I encountered the reconstructed 734 on the battlefield of Sunrise, and then I smashed it with my own hands... but I didn't even know which one was 734."

As Xie Yu read this text, images of identical mechanical units on the battlefield seemed to appear in his mind.

Same model, same armor, same electronic eyes.

To the players, they are moving sacrificial offerings.

Who would care whether an ancient song hummed by a young boy remains inside the steel cavity of one of these machines?

Who can tell which broken body once ignited the spark of a flourishing civilization?

"This isn't your fault." Xie Yu typed slowly:
"The moment it was reshaped by the mechanical legion, 734 was already dead. What you destroyed was merely the war tool of the mechanical overlord. The soul of 734 is the one sealed in the information stone, the one who would steal electricity on rainy nights, solve puzzles on walls, and make promises to the stars."

After a brief pause, Xie Yu continued writing:

"Fortunately, this history was not sacrificed; you saved a piece of history."

After another long silence, the news came again:

"I know you meticulous gamers like to interpret history. Since this history has special significance for you, let it remain in the hands of someone who knows how to cherish it. Here's the stone for you; consider it payment for telling me this story..."

After closing the chat window, Xie Yu gazed out at the bustling streets of Dizhong Village.

The city lights shone brightly on the rainy night, and the noise of players and the roar of vehicles intertwined to create a unique vitality here.

But after learning about this history...

He suddenly realized that each of his fellow villagers might be carrying an unseen epitaph.

In this world where billions of ethnic groups vie for survival, the journey of a civilization's rise is like a candle flickering in the wind.

The destruction that the mechanical legion brought to the small world civilization was not due to hatred, but simply based on a fundamental judgment of interests.

The players' triumphant advance was not malicious; it was simply a pure celebration bestowed upon them by their faction.

Ironically, this is the behavior of the machine-dominated system.

He had learned in detail about the mechanical overlord and the history of the mechanical legion's birth.

Initially, the Mechanical Overlord was the final curse uttered by a civilization in despair amidst the devastation of the Black Tide.

He also remembered the roar of the tribe's last surviving elder, gazing in the direction the Black Tide had retreated, in the archival footage:

"Machine Overlord, you were created by my race at the cost of all our resources. We have lost, but your journey is not over yet. The last rule of this world has been integrated into your body. Follow the Black Tide to their world... to kill, to devour, to create endless Iron Soul Warriors, to carry the last rage of my race to destroy everything there and avenge us."

Accompanied by the figure's hysterical roar, the massive mechanical overlord slowly drove towards the spatial vortex at the end of the darkness.

The hysterical anger of the creators as civilization headed towards destruction became the driving force behind the growth of the mechanical overlords.

Now, this tangible hatred has evolved into a mechanical catastrophe that has swept through countless civilizations.

The command for revenge replicates itself within the code, and the logic of destruction is constantly reinforced in the course of conquest.

On this fertile land soaked in blood, civilization either becomes a sharp blade or fish on a chopping board.

The law of survival is simplified to the cruelest answer: either devour or be devoured.

The mechanical legion, a perpetual motion machine driven by the "resentment of vanished civilizations," tirelessly cycles through a path of destruction, crushing world after world into new fuel for revenge.

Hatred, in this process, becomes a legacy.

Thinking of this, a scene appeared in Xie Yu's mind. Perhaps in a shattered world that had just been swept away by a torrent of machinery, a young figure struggled to crawl out of the ruins.

He looked up at the giant steel shadow gradually receding into the sky, his eyes reflecting the raging flames of his burning homeland.

The flames danced in his pupils, gradually coalescing into a raging inferno of hatred.

His bloodied teeth dug deep into his lower lip, and a resolute vow roared in his heart:
"One day, I will make you pay the price."

The gears of fate are turning silently.

The seeds of destruction have been sown, and the cycle of revenge will continue.

Perhaps one day in the future, a completely new force will tear through the heavens and descend upon the monster world like the Mechanical Overlord did in the past.

They are covered in the embers of their burned-out homes, their armor is engraved with the names of their deceased loved ones, and each member is consumed by a burning desire for revenge.

They don't care whether the other civilizations in the world beneath their feet are innocent.

In their eyes, this world that had nourished their enemies was itself imbued with original sin, and all of it could be seen as nourishment for growth.

The chain of hatred has been extended once again, and the feast of destruction welcomes new guests.

In the eternally recurring battlefield, there may be no true winners, only wounds that never heal, passing the torch of hatred from generation to generation of civilizations.

At that moment, Xie Yu suddenly understood the most cowardly villain that forum players often joked about: Ah Le.

This guy always hides in his own private space, sitting on the teleportation altar, never participating in direct combat.

Players laughed at him for being cowardly and weak, saying that he was wasting his powerful strength as a demigod, and that he was even afraid of the Earthly Bully, which made him seem too low-class.

But now Xie Yu understands.

Having witnessed countless civilizations bloom brilliantly like fireworks only to vanish in an instant, and having personally experienced how chains of hatred have strangled world after world, Ah Le's choice may be the true wisdom.

If you don't get involved in cause and effect, you won't be swallowed up by cause and effect.

If you don't lift the torch, you won't get burned by the flames.

This can be seen in the demise of the Beiyuan Clan.

The powerful confrontation between the Beiyuan Clan and the Earthly Tyrant was a consequence of this cause and effect.

The destruction of the Warden by the Earthly Bully was the cause, the killing of the Evil Eye was the effect of the Earthly Bully, and also the cause of the Earthly Bully's revenge campaign, while the destruction of the Monument Abyss Clan was the effect.

The demigod Da Beiji is still imprisoned and struggling in the Black Tide Space.

If Ah Le had made the same choice as the Bei Yuan Clan when he made contact with the local bully, instead of packing up and leaving.

The Elysians may win, but as long as the Earthly Bully survives, the Elysians will become a force that must be eliminated in its eyes.

Players laugh at Ah Le's cowardice, but they are seeing it from the perspective of players who are immortal.

With an unlimited margin of error, players don't have to pay for wrong choices.

But Ah Le is not an option.

Behind its seemingly weak exterior lies profound wisdom gained from understanding the cycles of rise and fall of civilizations.

In this land soaked in blood and fire, the strongest are not necessarily the brave warriors who wield sharp blades, but the wise ones who know when to sheathe their blades.

This wisdom comes from experience.

It has witnessed too many brilliant civilizations eventually being buried in the dust of time, becoming relics or opportunities accidentally discovered by later generations.

The glory that once illuminated civilization, the arrogant declarations, have all ultimately become an insignificant part of the long history of the monster world.

The flames of resurgence burn in every era, and new conquerors climb over the corpses of old overlords.

Only civilizations that avoid the torrent of cause and effect can stand on the banks of the river of time and see clearly the trajectory of each wave's rise and fall.

Therefore, the Lord of Bliss was never a coward; he was the most clear-headed observer in this endless war.

His strength lies not in his ability to destroy anything, but in his refusal to participate in this brutal gamble until he has enough leverage to make his appearance, even if it means giving up many benefits.

Xie Yu's thoughts continued in this direction.

The reason why the Lord of Bliss can have such transcendent enlightenment may stem from its origin.

Having personally experienced what can be described as a "catastrophe" in the history of the monster world, I have witnessed countless top civilizations being crushed like ants on the battlefield.

It was from that height, having looked down upon the sight of stars falling, that it came to understand its own insignificance and the vastness of the heavens.

I know all too well that in this endless world, there is no such thing as instant success.

There's always another mountain to climb after you've crossed one.

Any seemingly brilliant shortcut may lead to an abyss.

Therefore, he was never tempted by short-term gains or losses.

They chose the longest, but also the safest, path.

Give up chasing after fleeting pleasures and devote all your energy and resources to building an unshakeable foundation for yourself.

Every step was taken with utmost care, and every decision was made with the aim of avoiding fatal consequences.

This forbearance and foresight may seem like cowardice to players who seek quick success, but it is actually an insight gained after experiencing many hardships.

At this moment, Xie Yu opened the forum editing interface, uploaded the story video from the information stone, and then eloquently shared his insights on the story in the editing box.

He wanted to tell this story, which should have been buried in the past, to the forum players in the name of researching the Party.

In the future, this story will also become a footnote to the journey in "Poetic Landscapes".

As the last character settled in the editing box, Xie Yu was suddenly struck by an unprecedented thought.

He looked out the window at the endless stream of players.

This land is forever filled with the clamor for the future, but never lingers over the past.

An impulse sprouted in his heart: he wanted to build a museum of civilization.

It is neither a cemetery for burying history like the Beiyuan tribe, nor an abyss for imprisoning civilization like the Mingshi tribe, but an exhibition hall that records the past history of civilization.

Inside are all traces of a civilization that once existed.

These exhibits may not possess any power boosts.

But they all tell the same story: we once existed, we cried, we laughed, we created, we loved... We are not just blurry numbers on the backdrop of war, we were once vibrant.

Perhaps, doing this makes no sense.

It can neither enhance combat power nor bring benefits from sacrificial power, nor change the predetermined destruction.

But just as starlight illuminates the graves of the dead and spring breezes caress nameless mounds: the traces of civilization's existence are themselves an epic story.

The paths these civilizations have taken will all become part of the players' memories of the past.

Even though civilizations have perished, the story will continue eternally alongside the rise of the player faction.

Doing this really has no practical value.

But Xie Yu felt that there was no reason to always use sacrificial power to measure the meaning of all things and to use combat power to judge the value of existence.

If he likes it, he'll do it.

He built this museum not to prove anything, but simply because he believed that forgotten civilizations deserve to be remembered and songs that have silently faded away deserve to be heard—that was enough.

In the endless cycle of player faction warfare, there should always be a corner reserved for warmth regardless of strength or weakness.

While the story of the rise of the player race is exciting, it lacks the depth of civilization.

He knew that Monster World had a long future ahead of it.

After these veteran players pass away, a new generation will continue their story, setting sail in the monster world in the name of the player race.

In the future, the younger generation will have less and less contact with the real world, spending most of their time in the monster world.

He felt that he should leave something for the next generation.

Besides combat skills and star pulse combinations, there should be other things in their heads as well.

Museums of civilizations can help those who come after understand why those civilizations fought.

When a child stands in front of the display case and quietly sheds tears for the story of 734 and Atu, the understanding and empathy contained in those tears will make them understand the meaning of protecting the "player camp".

In their long future, killing should not be the only narrative.

There must always be a place deep within our hearts to place those useless poetic sentiments, so that the lingering warmth of civilization can become another kind of light illuminating the player's journey.

Taking history as a mirror, we can know the ups and downs.

By learning from history, we can understand our gains and losses.

The broken relics of civilization displayed in the showcase will help the younger generation understand the weight of civilization.

The museum he built offers future generations a mirror that transcends time.

So that when they make their choices, they can hear the echoes from the depths of history.

When the new generation of players learns to understand the narrative of civilizations and begins to define their own path, the story of the player race will possess a resilience and depth that transcends the flames of war.

He's willing to try.

For the player faction, build an unsinkable ark of civilization's memory.

　Updates will resume at the original schedule tomorrow.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)