Ark Undead

All that remained were the Undead, the Fire Mage, and Patches, who was still sitting by the campfire.

"Finally, it can be quiet."

Patch cursed and swore.

"That brat wasn't so talkative when I gave him soup before, but after he met you, he became incredibly talkative. I don't know why people can change so quickly."

"Are you talkative?"

The immortal thought about it, but he didn't feel anything.

"Greyhound, always has been."

"That's how he is in front of you; he seems to have a very good relationship with you."

Patch glanced at the undead over there, then simply lay back down.

He put the sickle aside, completely disregarding his appearance, and lay down next to the campfire.

Taking advantage of the warm flames, Patch comfortably closed his eyes.

However, it seems he has never cared about his image. Whenever he starts to deliberately create a persona, it means he is planning to do something.

This usually means that someone is about to have bad luck.

"You're back. What is it? How does it feel?"

The Undead tried to start communicating with Patch.

To be honest, the Undead are very interested in Patch's situation.

First of all, Patch was someone he had known since the Age of Fire. Although they weren't exactly close friends, nor were they like-minded comrades, they had indeed gone through thick and thin together, and the two had some connection.

Whether in the Ringed City or at Firelink Shrine, Patch has always intentionally or unintentionally provided some assistance to the Undead.

This also kept the relationship between the Undead and Patch at a certain distance.

Regardless, Patch knew that the Undead was perhaps the only person from that era who had some connection with him and was still alive today.

They said that the lion rider Onstan was still alive. But Patch didn't feel anything, after all, he had nothing to say to the gods.

Therefore, Patch behaved much more naturally now that he had encountered the Undead again.

When asked about the immortality, Patch answered quite naturally.

"That's about the feeling. I only stayed in the dream for fifty years."

"Fifty years."

Patch lay on the ground staring at the ceiling in front of him, seemingly unconcerned.

"It's all over in the blink of an eye. From the Age of Fire to the Age of the Deep Sea, and then from the Age of the Deep Sea to Terra, I can't even keep track of how much time has passed. Let alone these fifty years in my dream."

Patch is arguably the one who has been conscious for the longest time among all the Undead people they know.

Through his own will, he traveled from the Age of Fire to the Age of the Deep Sea, where he interacted with the Fire Mage and the Doctor, participated in the creation of the Terra Age, and is still alive today.

"Why have you been able to live for so long?"

This is something even the immortals can't understand.

Logically speaking, after the flames disappear, all the undead will lose their immortality.

The Fire Maiden could still offer an explanation. After all, she had come into contact with the Primordial Flame and was an attendant of the Undead.

But what about Patch?

He was not a hero, he had never met any heroes, and he did just some ordinary things.

Yet it was able to escape the effects of the flames and avoid the erosion of the abyss, its body remaining immortal, and it has lived to this day.

How exactly did he manage to maintain his individuality over tens of thousands of years?

Even immortals can't understand it.

"You're asking me?"

Patch couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"I don't even know when the Age of Fire ended, how would I know about this?"

"This matter was later told to me by the woman beside you. It turns out that the little undead who was with me in the Ringed City searching for the antidote stone tablet, and who I had tricked several times before, was actually a hero, the terminator of the Age of Fire."

"You said you chose the First Flame, do you know why? Then why should I know these things?"

Patch's speech was rambling and disjointed, lacking any coherent thought process.

But surprisingly, the immortals found some truth in what he said.

As Patch said, the Undead still don't understand why the First Flame chose itself as its vessel when it was resurrected.

Is he special? It seems so, but it also seems not so special.

If it wasn't him, someone else would have been chosen to be the immortal and end the flames.

He was just an immortal who did the right thing at the right time.

"However, since we parted ways in Ringed City, I have indeed undergone some changes and have developed some new ideas."

Patch pushed himself up from the ground.

He said it seriously.

"At first, I was attracted to money, or rather, some kind of special benefit. I made that my goal."

"But later I lost my memory and became a RAP. During that period of travel, I saw many things that I couldn't see before."

"That was the first time I pointed someone in the right direction... even though that direction was indeed fraught with danger."

"Since then, I have discovered that no matter what era it is, people always crave treasures that do not belong to them, and this is why sins and tragic endings are born."

"Isn't the Age of Fire the same?"

"The flames were waning, and King Wuxin, unwilling to see them disappear, sacrificed himself to keep them burning."

"Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? Oh, that great king actually sacrificed his life for righteousness and made such a groundbreaking achievement!"

Patch raised his hands and spoke in a theatrical, comical manner.

"Let's set aside what his motives are for now. Whether it's simply to keep the flame burning and not wanting to see the suffering in the world, or to prolong the rule of his own dynasty, let's put all of that aside."

Patch looked at the Undead.

"The fate of an era will not be altered by the personal will of any one person, just as a flame itself will not change."

“Even a powerful figure like the King of the First Flame will meet his end by being killed by you after sacrificing himself to continue the flame.”

"If the King of Cinder hadn't reignited the fire in the first place, and the flames had simply vanished and dissipated along their original trajectory, and the abyss hadn't spread during the conflict, would there still have been such a dark era in the deep sea?"

"After all, flames will appear naturally at some point. Just like the legendary first flame, just like your very existence now."

"Does this flame truly need us to continue it?"

This question was directed at both the Undead and himself.

“Ever since we parted ways in Ringed City, I’ve been thinking about this. I’ve lost my former goal of collecting wealth, and even my faith in and understanding of fire.”

"I saw the black sun disappear into the sky, and I saw life being born in the abyss."

“It was something else entirely, and I just kept looking at it as I walked along.”

"On the contrary, I have never lost my humanity again. Those memories and those wills have always been in my mind."

"I don't compete, and I don't deliberately try to achieve my goals."

"I can do whatever I want. Just like now that I've met you, I just want to be with you because you make me feel familiar."

"I don't know what the meaning of my life is, I just want to keep watching."

Patch spread his hands, indicating that was all he had to say.

A long silence fell around the campfire.

Having lost his purpose, Patch takes aimless wandering as his goal, becoming an observer of the times and civilizations over tens of thousands of years.

Ironically, he survived the apocalypse.

Time seemed to stand still for him, as if it were just yesterday.

The Fire Mage had known about Patch's condition for a long time, and she was still leaning against the Undead, resting with her eyes closed.

Today's battle has taken a toll on her as well.

Moreover, no one has mentioned this to the Undead yet.

The Undead were intrigued by Patch's words.

He walks on Terra for fire, to drive out the abyss.

However, as Patch said, the end and the beginning of the flames seem to be beyond the control of any individual.

Even the Doctor and his team only began implementing their plans at the end of the Deep Sea Era after encountering the Fire-type Girl.

Before this, no one could communicate with the Fire Mage, and no Abyss Child was willing to listen to her words.

On the contrary, the last batch of Abyss Children all chose to rebel against the Abyss and abandon their divine duty.

Are these really results that the PhD students could achieve through their own efforts?

Or are those so-called great miracles all predetermined in the dark?

Whether it's the rekindling of the flames or the encounter between the Fire-type Girl and the Doctor,

I can't figure it out, I just can't figure it out no matter what.

"I'm not saying this to make you give up your goal of expelling the abyss. I'm different from you; your existence must have a reason."

Patch seemed to realize that his words had actually made the undead start to think, and he immediately added.

"And I also feel that well-lit places are more comfortable; I do have my own personal preferences."

The Undead's train of thought was interrupted by Patch's interruption.

However, since there was already no progress, the non-dead man was too lazy to continue thinking about it.

More than that, he was concerned about the true identity of the Lord of the Deep Sea.

"Do you know who's taking over Agor?"