Uncle, I am not an ordinary office worker.

Roy suddenly raised his hand, contrary to everyone's expectations, and answered casually:

"I agreed."

The Queen opened her mouth in astonishment, as if she wanted to stop him. Teutonic was also stunned, as if he didn't expect Roy to make a decision so easily on this deal that obviously required a terrible price to reach.

Facing the gazes of the two people, Roy just felt puzzled.

The Witch-King did offer him a deal.

But this transaction was so simple, so simple that it did not constitute any loss to him at all.

He said: "I can communicate Terra's secrets with you, but the price is that you need to tell me the source of these secrets."

The root cause, isn’t that simple?

Arknights!

Move aside, I’m about to start revealing spoilers!

Volume 1: Chapter 219: Block, tolerate, reject, protect, angel of comfort!

The top of the tower.

The silver-haired girl stretched out her hand, and the books in the room automatically piled up to form four chairs. She took the lead and sat on the tallest chair to make up for the weakness brought by her own body.

Not only Roy but also the Elector Emperor and the Queen climbed to the top of the tower. This was Roy's request, and the Witch King did not refuse.

After the four of them were seated, the Witch King glanced at the Elector who was still hesitating, and the Queen who had obviously made a decision, shrugged, and reminded:

"It seems that not all of you have made a decision. So, let me complete the deal between me and Mr. Roy first."

"According to the popular saying among you Casimirs now, I am Party A, so I will go first."

He took a deep breath and spoke as if recalling something:

"In the 20th year of my reign, my magic officially reached the bottleneck of human cognition. Whether it is simply manipulating the power of Originium, triggering reactions of various elements, or manipulating space and time, entities and concepts, although I cannot claim to be absolutely proficient, I have already dabbled in it. And this has reached a height that has never been achieved in ancient and modern times. I have nothing more to learn."

Having reached a height that no one before or since has ever reached, there is nothing on this earth that can claim to be something for me to learn from. What arrogant words these were, but when the Witch King said all this, his expression did not even have a trace of pride, only helplessness that went deep into his bones.

"At that time, I was thinking, after me, everyone can follow my path, but what should I do? Everything I do next should be innovation."

“It’s just that there are so many directions to create a path. Where should I draw inspiration from and where should I open up to?”

"The answer I got was unknown." The Witch King said, "Since the road ahead of me is unknown, I should naturally explore the places that represent the concept of the unknown. To this end, I searched all over Terra, read the classics, and finally found three unknown locations."

"There are three unknowns. The first is the vast and boundless ocean with turbulent waves. The second is the treacherous and terrifying evil demon that has existed for eternity. The third is..."

He stretched out his hand and pointed to the ceiling above his head, but Roy and the other two knew that he was referring to another matter beyond the tower.

"The third one is the dazzling stars and the endless sky!"

These three things are truly unknown in the eyes of the people confined to this small corner of Terra.

The Queen frowned, as if she had thought of something, and said, "So, the portrait you left behind contains..."

The Witch King paid no attention to the Queen's interruption and nodded affirmatively: "Yes, among them, except for the information about the dark demons that I finally learned, I have explored the other three unknowns. But in the end, I chose the sky."

There are many reasons for choosing the sky instead of the sea or demons. Perhaps it is because Leitania is too far away from the sea and demons, and the sky covers everyone's head equally. Perhaps it is because considering the powerful nature of demons, it is inconvenient to conduct deeper research. It may also be because the Witch King, as a "pioneer", is trying to open up a path that can be replicated, while demons and the sea have too many uncertainties for latecomers.

In short, he finally chose the sky. Afterwards, he built countless magic towers in Leitania.

"The towers I built were not simply places to live. They were taller, more majestic, and closer to the clouds. And in the tallest of them, I tried to make contact with the sky for the first time."

The Witch King's words suddenly stopped, as if words could no longer describe what he was thinking at that moment. He raised his head and looked upward. Roy then noticed that at the top of the ceiling of this room was a piece of tiny Originium crystals that looked like a scroll painting of stars.

They flickered one after another, and the colorful colors embellished the entire "sky" like the Milky Way in the sky on a midsummer night. In it, Roy seemed to see this brilliant galaxy across the sky, like a giant dragon with countless stars, dividing the sky in two. The stars danced here, intertwined with each other, and merged into a wonderful starry sky painting. And the nebula in the center of the Milky Way was like a mysterious mist, which made this dreamy starry sky scene even more intoxicating.

Even though he knew that this was just a near-real illusion created by the Witch King's magic, Roy still felt a surge of emotion. Not only him, but also the Queen sitting next to him and the Elector Kurfürst sitting on the other side of them all showed an expression of true longing.

That is the truest appearance of a tiny creature called human being in front of the "greatness" that truly does not need to be described in words.

The Witch King, who was also intoxicated by the starry sky for a moment, woke up earlier than the others. His voice was like a sharp thorn, piercing through this beautiful and somewhat unreal picture of the galaxy:

"When people look up at the starry sky, they always feel an endless melancholy in their hearts. The Milky Way is like a long river of time, condensing thousands of years into this gorgeous starlight. It has witnessed countless historical changes and the changes of heroes. Even the most outstanding poets cannot describe how real stars are born and die. This is the difference in status."

"I believe that above the sky there will be the unknown that I am pursuing, there will be magic, the earth, and a brand new starting point for Terra, so I chose [Ascension]."

"My body is limited by gravity, but my soul is not bound by anything. As long as I step into the ancient empire of consciousness, I can soar into the sky."

He paused, and the Queen held her breath.

She knew what happened after that. The Witch King ascended to heaven in the tower, and when he returned he was already the Mad King. This historical mystery has troubled countless scholars in Leithania, giving rise to countless speculations and schools of thought. But no matter which version is used, none is more reliable than the Witch King's own oral account.

She wanted to know the answer. Although this could not change anything now, as a person who took over the scepter of the Witch King, a warlock, and a scholar, she was curious.

However, the Witch King turned his gaze to Roy, as if observing his reaction.

He said:

“I saw a false sky.”

"Through the gas barrier, there is endless darkness outside. The sky dotted with stars never existed, and the two moons splashing with silver light were nothing but silent ruins. Countless steel, materials, and unidentifiable buildings crisscrossed and lingered on the planet under our feet, drifting, sitting in a long and regular movement."

"I am trapped somewhere. In a world where there is truly nothing. In a darkness and despair deeper than death, unable to go up, unable to go down."

Roy frowned.

Passing through the gas barrier, this should refer to the atmosphere? But according to common sense, if a person passes through the atmosphere directly without any protection, not to mention whether he will be vaporized directly, you Caprini don't need to breathe?

Forget it, you are a spirit traveling through time, this is very magical and mystical, it’s none of my business.

As for why the Milky Way and the twin moons changed their appearance, this was normal. After crossing the Earth and reaching the scale of the universe, the Milky Way was nothing more than dust on the black background of the universe. As for the twin moons, they could glow because of reflection. This was basic knowledge that Roy had before crossing.

There are also stargazing families like the Xingji Family on Terra. Although their knowledge of the sky and the universe is almost blank, it seems that they are not so ignorant of these things. Moreover, if the false sky only refers to this degree of "falsehood", it would be a bit too ridiculous, right?

Roy looked at the Witch King. He knew that he must have more to come.

Sure enough, when Roy looked at him, the expression on the Witch King's face finally changed from calm to relieved and even happy. His demeanor gradually changed, and his tone began to rise until it became crazy:

"After a long time, I have finally understood the secret hidden in the darkness!"

“I was finally able to move my body, and with the help of the skeletons of those steel buildings, I broke out of the network they had built!”

"At the very end..."

"I see a barrier!"

He raised his hands and cried out as if on a pilgrimage:

"It blocks everything, rejects everything, yet embraces everything, protects everything. It is like a mother hugging her child, embracing the entire land of Terra. This is a silver-white barrier!"

Roy stood up suddenly and blurted out:

"Angel of Peace?!"

Volume 1: Chapter 220: The Law of Development of Cosmic Columbia

"What is an angel of peace?"

As if he had grasped his lifeline, the pale and frail face of the Witch King was stained with a layer of blood-spurting crimson, and his eyes seemed to be cast with a pig spell, ready to shoot lasers. Roy even felt that he would rush up in the next second, straddle him, hold his shoulders, and force him to spit out everything he knew.

In order to preserve his innocence and the image of the Witch King, Roy was silent for a moment, then opened his mouth to confirm:

"May I assume that you have told me all the secrets of Terra that you know, and now it's my turn."

Roy hoped that the Witch King would say more. The more he said, the more certain Roy would be of his guess. But unfortunately, the Witch King gritted his teeth and shook his head.

Maybe he had finished what he was saying, or maybe he didn't want to continue. In any case, he stretched out his hand to Roy and signaled, "It's your turn."

Roy took a deep breath, pondered for a moment, and decided to start his long speech with an easy-to-understand hypothesis:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's make an assumption here. I believe that you have all been or are currently paying attention to the Great Frontier Movement in Columbia, right?"

The Queen and the Elector looked at each other and nodded. Although they didn't know why Roy suddenly mentioned the country that was founded less than 50 years ago, as one of the rulers of the earth, a qualified politician and conspirator, no matter what their position was, they could not help but pay attention to a political entity that was rising at a very fast speed.

The Queen said frankly: "Although the countries of the earth, especially the old core circle empire headed by Victoria, still have complete contempt and even disdain for Columbia, even I cannot deny that the achievements made by this country in just a few decades have surpassed many civilizations that have existed for more than a thousand years. This is especially reflected in their technological level."

Although not a single word about Kjerag was mentioned, Roy felt that the Kjerag people were offended.

The Elector Emperor continued, "As for the Great Pioneering Movement, it was a wilderness development movement recruited by the Colombian government and funded by major companies. Colombia was once just a colony of Victoria. After its independence, its population, land area, and economic strength could not be compared with other countries, let alone join the competition in the core circle. The Great Pioneering Movement was the way they chose to survive in order to avoid the most direct conflict of interest with other countries."

Roy nodded and said affirmatively, "That's a very good explanation. Now, let's officially start this hypothesis. Suppose you two and the Witch King are a pioneer team in the Columbia Desert, and in front of you is a tribe with uncivilized civilization and very weak military strength. It is easy to conquer them. What would you do?"

The Queen and the Elector frowned at the same time, clearly hesitating. But the Witch King clearly had no moral bottom line. The second after Roy asked the question, he answered directly:

"Destroy them."

His voice was firm and unwavering, as if there was no room for negotiation. The Queen's Elector, including Roy, all looked at him, but he just slowly explained his reasons:

"This land will belong to Colombia in the future. They can either join or surrender. But I think there is no need to spend time, energy, and waste resources to educate a group of indigenous people who may awaken and rebel in the future. It is better to eliminate them directly in a physical sense."

Roy pursed his lips and nodded helplessly. He knew that the Witch King was not joking. He adopted the same attitude towards the indigenous people [Winter Elves] in certain areas of Leithania, and it was even worse.

So, he continued:

"Yes, this is also a choice. So, what if you put this choice on the scale of the universe, that is, the starry sky?"

On the scale of the universe, a country similar to Columbia that is currently expanding outward has discovered a nascent civilization in the vast starry sky. This civilization has not yet sent any probes beyond their home planet, and has not even been able to achieve unification among all races and nationalities. What will that "Cosmic Columbia" do with such a civilization?

"Your answer is to destroy them."

Looking at the Witch King, whose expression gradually became solemn and seemed to have realized something, Roy coldly stated the reality:

"Similarly, Cosmic Columbia also gave their answer. To destroy this backward indigenous civilization that may develop in the future and pose a threat to their pioneering land, in order to achieve this goal, that is, to occupy the [pioneer land (planet)] and eliminate the species on it, they developed a weapon - [neutron annihilation]."

Roy's knowledge of physics was not enough to explain to the Witch King what a neutron was, but because of the assumptions and metaphors he made in advance, the Witch King immediately understood what the so-called "neutron annihilation" was.

He was like the biological gas and poison used by the Columbian pioneers. Just a small sip or a small drop could kill all the wild camel herds that had lived and multiplied in the wasteland for thousands of years overnight.

The next day, the pioneer team was able to clean up the poisonous corpses with ease, carry them to the incinerator or even the food factory, disinfect and process them, and sell them to the infected people who could not even afford a meal, receiving a wave of grateful praise.

During this period, the pioneers would not even feel the slightest bit of guilt or embarrassment, because the gap between different species was enough to smooth out this discomfort, and human morality, as the name suggests, only applies to humans.

The cold iron law was revealed before the Witch King, leaving him speechless for a moment.

After listening to the answers from the Witch King and Roy, the Queen finally interrupted and spoke:

"What if I leave these people behind?"

"Leaving these people here means a threat. And it means nothing to you as a pioneer," Roy rejected. "Just imagine, if one day in the future, these natives finally develop to the point where they can look up at the sky, but suddenly find that their planet, their country, and their living and development space have been taken over by someone else, what will they do?"

They will rebel, they will raise the flag of resistance, they will declare independence.

The Queen knew the answer very well. Under normal circumstances, she might choose to destroy them directly, but this was a hypothetical situation. If she also chose to destroy them, she would only get the same answer as the Witch King. So, after thinking for a moment, she said:

"Then it will be fine as long as I make their existence have positive meaning for me, right?"

"If we look at it from the perspective of the Star Sea as you mentioned, perhaps there is a way to eliminate their threat once and for all and preserve their civilization?"

The Queen asked tentatively. She didn't really have much hope for this answer, because it sounded like a thankless task. After getting used to the fact that everything on Terra was a zero-sum game where you win and I lose, or you die and I die, it was hard for her to imagine any other solution.

But Roy nodded unexpectedly.

The Queen's expression brightened a little. Did Roy's words mean that the pioneers of the star sea really have such a high level of morality?

But Roy's expression remained cold, and there seemed to be a hint of irony in that coldness.

He felt a little sad in his heart. The fact that the Queen could show such an expression showed that she had not yet truly placed herself in the sea of ​​stars and regarded "civilization" as a concept that could be distinguished like ordinary humans and the infected.

So, he said indifferently:

"Yes. With the development of technology, any miracle that seems impossible to us may be reproduced. It is certainly possible to solve the threat to a civilization once and for all."

"We already know that Space Columbia is a civilization that can explore other planets. So, what kind of civilization can he consider to be [non-threatening]?"

Without waiting for an answer, Roy asked himself,

"The answer is a civilization that is incapable of space exploration."

"Just like a herd of camels cannot compete with Columbia's high-speed warships and cannot conduct space exploration, a civilization that only controls the resources of a single planet cannot compete with Columbia, which already controls the resources of several star systems. This is a gap in hard power that cannot be bridged by any means."

"And what Space Columbia has to do is to ensure that the indigenous civilization will never be able to explore space. So, [Angel of Peace] was born."

Roy raised his head and looked at the sky: "The Angel of Bliss will create an insurmountable barrier outside the entire planet. This barrier will isolate all communication. The life on the planet will never be able to open the barrier by its own power, because the technology and conditions for verifying the technology it needs only exist in space, and space is an unattainable world outside the Angel of Bliss. But on the other hand, if other civilizations do not open the barrier from the outside world, the civilization inside the Angel of Bliss will not be disturbed by any external interference. They can survive without worries, just like living in a paradise blessed by angels."

Roy commented: "Or, in the zoo?"

The outside world cannot interfere with the inside, and the inside can never break through the barrier to enter the outside world. It is like an animal being kept in a zoo called the home planet. It can only look at the outside world through the glass called the [barrier], and be scared to hide back in the embrace of the home planet.

An ending that seems gentle and happy, but has all possibilities cut off, a slow death.

"This is... the truth about the barrier outside Terra? This is the false sky?" The Witch King's voice trembled noticeably. He looked at Roy and couldn't help asking.

Roy shook his head and gave an answer that was neither good nor bad: "I'm not sure."

After all, he did not witness everything the Witch King saw with his own eyes. Even if he really witnessed it with his own eyes, as the "National Will" in front of the computer at that time and as a member of civilization now, the stars at that time and Terra now, two different perspectives looking at two different technologies, he could not necessarily confirm whether it was the Angel of Comfort in his mind.

The Witch King was silent, his eyes were a little dim, and no one knew what he was thinking.