Poverty makes me capable of anything.

They don't have to be slaves.

After losing their right to be masters of their own destiny, they also gained better living conditions.

With hard work, and of course, even more importantly, good talent is required.

In short, they still have hope.

Although I don't know when the day that I hope points to will come.

The only thing that truly moved Derrick was the story An Ran recounted.

"You've achieved your current strength in less than thirty years?"

Derrick suddenly asked.

An Ran sat on the metal chair with her legs crossed, leaning forward and resting her hands naturally on the armrests.

“That’s right, absolutely true. If you include the so-called past life, then it’s been more than thirty years.”

Derrick shook his head: "Whether it's 20 or 30, it doesn't make much difference to me."

“That’s true.” An Ran laughed heartily. “After all, I heard you’re over 200 years old.”

"..."

Cough, cough...

Derrick cleared his throat and said, "The ordinary girl you're talking about isn't the kind who can easily lift a house or kick down a building, is it?"

An Ran asked, "Do you have any idea what 20 kilograms weighs?"

"Probably."

"She's the kind of ordinary girl who gets out of breath after carrying 20 kilograms of weight on her back for only a short distance."

Derrick imagined the scene in his mind.

Such physical qualities are far inferior to those of a 10-year-old child in the Feathered Civilization.

But An Ran only took a little over twenty years to become the ruler of the star field.

"Is it based on faith in machines?"

An Ran shook her head: "When I established the Cult of the Machine God, I was not far from becoming the ruler of the star field. Establishing the Cult of the Machine God was just an experiment for me."

"So this is just a fictional god?"

"No, although I have never seen it with my own eyes, the God of Machines truly exists. Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it by another name, the God of Aether."

Derrick said thoughtfully, "You don't seem like a true believer."

An Ran suddenly asked, "Do you know how this world was born?"

"emmm..."

Derrick fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, he said, “Before these things happened, I would have believed that the world was created by God. But now I understand that the so-called gods are just beings with greater power. Just like the Origin God I have always believed in, they were actually a race that was wiped out by beings from higher dimensions many years ago. So-called miracles are all traceable. The reason we can’t understand them is simply because we haven’t reached their level.”

An Ran nodded: "My opinion is similar to yours. However..."

"Ok?"

"Space, time, dimension, energy, matter, soul... What level of civilization do you think would be needed to completely simulate a world as complete as ours? Not just a seemingly powerful empty shell, but also the actions and thoughts of every living being. How many lives are there in this world?"

"Uh."

Enron's problems left Derrick completely baffled.

I don't quite understand what you're saying.

Anran said, "Just answer literally."

Derrick replied, "That depends on the direction of that civilization's development. If it's a technological civilization, it would probably have to be at the galactic level. If it's another type of civilization, it would probably have to go even further."

An Ran nodded silently.

According to the information she gathered from the forum.

The era in which the player exists is completely different from the era before she entered the game.

Their technology is clearly much more advanced, but the degree of advancement can be measured.

The world over there remains chaotic. Space technology has advanced further, but it still hasn't been able to conquer the solar system.

Enron found it hard to imagine that a single game company could master this level of technology.

But so far, everyone she has met in the game has their own independent thinking and the most genuine emotions.

"Can counterfeiting really go this far?"

Derrick noticed that Anran had raised her head and was gazing at the boundless starry sky.

“The starry sky here isn’t very beautiful,” Derrick said.

"I know."

What's so interesting about a piece of black cloth?

Is there a true god behind this starry sky?

"what?"

"Or rather, there is another possibility."

Derrick looked completely bewildered: "What exactly are you trying to say?"

Anran did not answer Derrick immediately.

What if God didn't create all of this, but rather it's all an illusion?

Yes, cruel.

Or perhaps this is an experiment or program similar to "The Truman Show." She is the only real "player," and everyone else is an actor.

Actors who interact with her perfectly play their "roles," while actors who don't interact with her can quietly go offline and rest.

Yes, it's the same cruel truth.

It's no fun being treated like a monkey.

“Derrick, what is your goal, or rather, your dream?” Anran asked.

Derrick shook his head: "I have no dreams anymore. I just want to lie here quietly. If you don't kill me, I'll probably leave after a while."

"It used to exist?"

"It would be even better if I could serve in the tower and protect the Feathered Civilization."

“My dream is different.”

"Ok?"

"At first, I just wanted to grow until no one could threaten me."

"And now?"

An Ran smiled and said, "I still think so now."

"..."

"However, I have no intention of dominating a star field. I just want to go outside this world and see what's outside this universe. Is there even an outside of the universe?"

Derrick really wanted to tell Enron, "No nesting dolls!"

But seeing the longing in An Ran's expression, he knew he shouldn't say anything.

Nothing is impossible; nobody knows what the world really looks like.

Speculation is just speculation.

Even if you prove a certain law, it could be something that a god from outside the world deliberately shows you.

"If you have no dreams left, then treat this as your dream. On the road to the endless void dimension, you are already ahead of many others."

Derrick felt like he had grasped something.

"So you're really not going to kill me?"

Have you ever heard of a stranger?

Derrick shook his head.

"Stranger from afar..."

Anran explained to Derrick the common understanding of "outsider".

"Infinite resurrection..."

Derrick chewed on the word.

"Rather than describing them as some kind of creature, it would be more accurate to say that they are players who have come to this world under the guidance of [God]."

"..."

"By the way, didn't you say that Ke Ming came from a collapsing singularity? How did he escape from that singularity and achieve dimensional ascension? Where exactly was that singularity he was in before? Which race in the higher-dimensional world created that singularity using what methods?"

Anran unfolded a book called "100,000 Whys" in front of Derrick.

"Does the evolution of the Feathered Civilization according to the map of species origin have any hidden dangers?"

"%$＃@?"

"#$&?"

"I understand."

Derrick said.

Goals are not something we are born with; they are formed along with our interests as we grow up.

"You want me to do things for you?"

“Everyone hopes so,” An Ran said without any attempt to hide her feelings.

Derrick asked doubtfully, "You are one of the main culprits behind the downfall of the Feathered Civilization. Aren't you afraid I'll betray you?"

An Ran said confidently, "You can't possibly kill me right away. After that, you'll face an attack from at least three Star Domain Rulers. And, most importantly, it won't be long before I surpass you. Besides, I was just an executor, not the main cause, of the Feathered Civilization falling into its current predicament."