Starry Sky Railway: No one understands the Amber King better than me.

Black Tower: "Just think of it as a word game. Ever played a tabletop role-playing game? This is basically a text-based simulation of the universe, so the computational load is relatively low."

Lin Yuan fell silent, then became somewhat speechless.

Lin Yuan: "No, as an investor in the simulated universe, I should be considered a major shareholder, right? And for my first experience, they're letting me play the data-saving version?"

Black Tower: "If you want to experience the full version, you can wait for the system to restart and reload. It's not difficult, but it will take a lot of time and resources. Of course, this money comes from our sponsors, you know what I mean."

Lin Yuan: "Never mind then."

Black Tower: "Oh, I didn't expect you to be such a thrifty person."

"Nonsense," Lin Yuan thought to himself.

After the market development department collapsed, all the previously signed cooperation agreements were transferred to his side, and now the funds are being used from the statistics department.

After a while, we need to find a sucker to keep making gold coins; the R&D department would be a good fit.

Lin Yuan: "Stop talking so much, let's get started. What's next?"

Black Tower: "Don't rush, it's about to begin."

As the Black Tower's voice faded, the darkness before my eyes gradually changed. First, a distant roar reached my ears, and then lines of text appeared out of thin air before my eyes.

You stand on an endless, gray-white land, barren and desolate. Gazing into the distance, you see shadowy figures, as if they were people. Further on, in the twilight, a colossal shadow stands silently.

• Stand still

• Explore forward

Lin Yuan: "What is this?"

Black Tower: "Make your choice, Sun Bro. The simulated universe will randomly generate a process for you based on your data characteristics. I'm also quite curious about what you'll encounter."

After some thought, Lin Yuan chose to explore further.

A muffled sound came from the amber sky. You walked forward, a silent wind blowing past your ears. The gray earth stretched forward. Gradually, the thing in the gray mist revealed its true form: a wall.

It stretched out before us, like the end of the world. The wall was high, so high that its top was invisible, like a boundary line across the horizon. Many figures were busy at work below it. They pushed mine carts, carried stones, and piled them up one by one.

This time, Lin Yuan chose to walk towards the crowd.

They were the builders. You stopped beside one of them. The man didn't look up, but mechanically placed the stones in his hands onto the wall, making a dull thud.

Lin Yuan: "What are you doing?"

"Build the wall." The city builder's voice was hoarse yet steady, like a stone polished by wind and sand for a long time.

Lin Yuan: "Why build a wall?"

The city builder did not answer you. He silently lifted the huge stone from the ground, turned and merged into the crowd, continuing the seemingly endless process, slowly, silently, and resolutely.

Lin Yuan: "That's it? And then?"

The voice of the Black Tower appeared again.

Black Tower: "The Builder? It's not surprising that you can trigger this kind of scene... but is that all?"

Her tone was clearly displeased.

Black Tower: "You're the Guardian of the Order! I thought I was going to run into the Amber King."

Lin Yuan: "I guess if I encountered this situation, it would be similar; there wouldn't be much to say."

Black Tower pondered for a moment and nodded.

Black Tower: "That's true, all city builders are like this, it's normal that Big Stone doesn't say anything. But what do you think this just happened signifies?"

Lin Yuan: "...Perhaps silence is the answer? The process of building the wall is the answer? Is this to show that the driving force behind preservation is dedication?"

Black Tower: "The driving force? How did you come up with that... But it's interesting. Hey, do you think if we let the simulated universe evolve into various factions on its own, could we clarify the driving force behind each destiny? Or even the possible future evolutionary paths?"

Lin Yuan suddenly felt something was off.

Lin Yuan: "Perhaps... someone is already doing it."

Black Tower: "Huh?"

Just as she was about to ask further questions, a strange sound rang out again in the darkness of the simulated universe.

This time, the sound was like grinding teeth, carrying a primal hunger that sent chills down one's spine.

The builders stood silently, and you heard a sound coming from deep within the walls, from the cracks between the stones, from that wall that had stood silently for countless years.

The wall is cracking, the gap is widening, and you see something moving behind the crack. It's a strange feeling you can't describe; it's a mouth.

It filled the entire crevice, the space between its upper and lower jaws large enough to swallow everything in its path. Its edges were lined with countless tiny, sharp teeth, layered upon layered, like a greed compressed to its extreme. You are looking at it, and it is looking at you.

"It's here!" Black Tower's voice was filled with excitement; this was exactly what she wanted to see!

But then, amidst that teeth-grinding sound, her voice suddenly betrayed a hint of surprise.

Black Tower: "It's... Him?!"

........

Chapter 424 Simulated Universe (Part 3)

Gluttony

Without further description, the name naturally came to mind for Lin Yuan and Hei Ta.

Black Tower: "Damn it, aren't you the Guardian Envoy? How come you summoned this guy right away?"

Lin Yuan: "How would I know? Go ask Him. Maybe He's mistaken God for someone else and is looking for revenge against me."

The walls crumbled, darkness surged like a writhing sea. Beneath the surface, something moved. A vast, slow, insatiable movement.

The sea split open, and an eternally gaping mouth rose from beneath the surface. A faint light illuminated its outline, but you could not see its entirety, for your gaze began to bend and be swallowed up as soon as it touched its edge.

Floating on the dark sea, what do you choose...?

I've exploded with him!

He was refined!

Black Tower: "?"

Black Tower: "Are you even normal? Wouldn't a normal person run away from a glutton?!"

After Black Tower finished speaking, Lin Yuan had another option in front of him.

Silly children, run!

"How is this not normal? Isn't this perfectly normal?"

Lin Yuan muttered to himself for a moment, then, to give Black Tower some face, chose the third option.

You struggle on the dark sea, the gaping maw behind you like a bottomless abyss, devouring everything on its surface—the real, the illusory, even the concepts themselves. It wants to swallow everything; it is never satisfied.

You cannot reach escape speed. You will be devoured by Him, along with your very existence.

Lin Yuan: "Are you kidding me? It's just a simulated star god, just destroy it!"

Black Tower: (⊙_⊙)

A white light shone from your body, making you stand out starkly against the dark sea. Gradually, you lost your strength. But suddenly, a sound came from ahead, and something was drawn to you.

On the boundless, indifferent ocean, dark gastric juices churn up waves, choking you in your nostrils.

In the distance, a ship approaches you. Its hull is dilapidated, and its sails are sewn together using outdated interstellar tropes. Standing on the deck is a masked figure, the Fool. He raises a goblet and waves at you.

The Masked Fool: "Hiccup! Friend, hop on board!"

You climbed onto the Fool's Ship. The deck was rocking, and the deep rumbling of some enormous creature came from the bottom of the ship.

You're sitting on the deck of the Fool's Ship, which is sailing backwards, not because it's going the wrong way, but because the navigator just told a joke about directions, and everyone's laughing so hard that nobody remembers to hold the steering wheel.

Lin Yuan: "Where to next?"

The Masked Fool: "Where to? Of course, to leave this boring place."

Lin Yuan: "Then why do I feel like we're heading towards that giant whirlpool?"

The Masked Fool: "Because we weren't fast enough to get away, are you surprised?"

Before you came up here, we'd been wandering around in circles, trying to find our way. But now I declare, that's where the real fun begins!

Laughter echoed throughout the ship. You were caught up in the atmosphere and became excited—no, you couldn't control the excitement; you couldn't stop.

Your attention begins to wander; you love the vibration of every data byte, you revel in the laughter of your mind, until you realize something is wrong, this isn't you.

Black Tower: "Watch out, He's coming!"

Aha: "Look who's here!"

A voice appeared, laughing maniacally.

"Nice to meet you, I've missed you so much!"

[Amidst joyous sounds, cannon salutes, and cheers, Aha appears before you. He has no head and holds a mask. He waves at you and spins around on his own.]

Aha: "Why did you take so long to get here? Do you know how I've been these past few days?"

His voice suddenly turned sorrowful.

Aha: "Akivili died, and then everything started to go wrong! But that's what I wanted!"

Oh, and you too. I want to hug you, but unfortunately, I'm an equation in a computer. Oh, that's kind of cool.

Black Tower: "That bastard found out again. I'll have to get Screwgoom to change His data again..."

Black Tower's voice was somewhat exasperated, clearly indicating this wasn't the first time.

Aha: "What are you doing? Oh, it's just a big eater! You really are that idiot, no, you're a madman! But I like it!"

Fireworks lit up the dark sea, illuminating the gigantic maw below. Then, as mocking laughter filled the mind, the Fool's Ship capsized.

Everything around seemed to have changed; the original abyss transformed in the light into a soft and delicious cake.

Aha: "Time to eat cake, hahaha."

Aha left, and the sound of chewing echoed all around. The sounds overlapped, as if more than one mouth was swallowing, or as if something was devouring each other.

Every bite makes one blush, filled with desire and longing, accompanied by boundless satisfaction and joyful laughter.

Lin Yuan: "What kind of nonsense is this?"