Chapter 145
Chapter 145
In the hall, the Elder spoke unhurriedly. “The first question: the relationship between them has to do with one word-‘Genesis.’ As for anything more, you do not yet have the right to know.
“As for the second and third questions, I can only answer part of them.
“The two worlds are different worlds. Our world developed problems because of Nüwa, while the Eerie World developed problems because of its native inhabitants.
“God chose you to resolve the problems that appeared in the Eerie World, while Taoyuan needs God to help us deal with Nüwa.
“So it is not hard to understand why I became God’s envoy and helped you smoothly clear the Instance in the Eerie World.”
The Elder put away the holographic screen and said, “It is not yet time to answer more questions. Knowing too much is not necessarily a good thing.”
“When will we be able to know the whole truth?” Wei Sen asked.
The Elder operated the screen, and the throne slowly moved away from the round table. “When… you have enough Merit Points to fulfill your wishes.”
“Is there any faster way to meet God?”
“Joining Taoyuan is the fastest way for you.”
At the hall entrance, a new Transit Pod arrived.
The Elder said, “Next, you may all enjoy a pleasant one-day tour of Taoyuan. Once you’ve had your fun, CC will take you back and explain what comes next.”
Seeing that the Elder’s question-and-answer session was over for the day, everyone tactfully got to their feet.
“Does eating here cost money?” Xu You suddenly asked.
“No, but you must not waste food.”
At that, Xu You was already impatient to get going.
“Then can I take photos and check in?” Lin Xiaoxue asked, raising her hand.
“You may, but you cannot publish the photos, and you cannot let anyone outside Taoyuan know.”
“No problem! I’ll just keep them as souvenirs!”
Chen Lin pushed up her glasses and asked slowly, “Is there any chance we might run into danger here?”
“No. This place is absolutely safe.”
Wei Sen looked at Xu You and the others. “You go ahead. I’ll come find you later.”
The others exchanged glances but did not ask too many questions.
“Okay, Sister Sen, make sure you come soon!” Lin Xiaoxue waved.
Wei Sen watched them leave in the Transit Pod, then turned back to the Elder with a serious expression.
“Have you met me before?” she asked directly.
A trace of surprise flashed through the Elder’s eyes. “Why do you ask?”
“I lost my memories of the past. Since I don’t remember, anything is possible. Also, when you said, ‘Sure enough, still the same,’ and the way you looked at me just now, it seemed like you’ve known me for a long time.”
The corners of the Elder’s mouth slowly lifted. “You are very clever. But I am sorry. You do not even know who you are, so I cannot answer that question for you.”
“So you do know me!”
The Elder merely smiled without speaking.
“Tell me. Who exactly am I?!”
“What you have lost can only be recovered by you.”
Seeing that he refused to speak no matter what, Wei Sen changed the question. “What does Ether Group have to do with me? Or rather, what does it have to do with the Eerie World?”
“Before you figure out who you truly are, I cannot answer these questions.” The Elder’s attitude was firm, carrying the smug arrogance of someone in a superior position.
Wei Sen frowned, her expression darkening.
He had better hope she never discovered the fatal weakness of this Silicon-based Lifeform before her. Otherwise, she would not mind using a few cruel methods to pry the truth from his mouth.
After all, meeting him was far easier than meeting that God.
Besides, whether it was the Elder before her or the God of the Eerie World, in Wei Sen’s eyes, status alone brought no halo. Only true power could make others submit.
“Fine. You don’t have to answer me. Then what about this?” As Wei Sen spoke, she summoned the glowing green sphere from her System Space. “What does it have to do with the [Heart] you mentioned?”
The sphere dropped out of thin air onto the table, and Wei Sen sensibly took a few steps back.
The Elder abruptly rose from his throne and strode to the table, cupping the sphere in his palms. He looked at Wei Sen in disbelief. “You… how did you take it out? The way it appeared just now was not the Watch’s storage function!”
Wei Sen gave a cold snort and said, “Sorry, I cannot answer that question unless you answer mine first.”
“You!” The Elder was struck speechless. Then he fell into a frenzy of thought. After a long while, his eyes widened, and he looked up at the dome in utter shock. “Could it be… Could it be… them…?”
“What do you mean, them?”
“Hahahahaha!” The Elder held the sphere and burst into unrestrained laughter. “Wonderful! Hahaha! Wonderful! Time is finally about to start flowing again!”
Wei Sen had no idea what he was talking about. Right now, the Elder in front of her looked like a lunatic trapped in his own world.
“Do you want to know what it is?” The Elder looked at Wei Sen with a deranged smile. “Aetherion!”
“Aetherion?”
Aether meant ether…
“What does this sphere have to do with the Ether Group?” Wei Sen wondered. If this sphere really was connected to the Ether Group… then why hadn’t Li Shuhan taken it away in Aurora Village? Why had she left it in the shrine at the village entrance instead?
“This sphere…” Not only did the Elder refuse to answer Wei Sen’s question, he even tucked the sphere away and said, “belongs to me now.”
Wei Sen froze.
Last time, the [Heart] had been confiscated by CC. This time, the mysterious sphere she had brought out of the Eerie World had been pocketed by the Elder!
Did everyone in Taoyuan have a robbery problem?
“Answer my question, and you can have it!”
“You are in no position to bargain with me right now.” The Elder’s smile cooled bit by bit. “Not unless you recover your identity first.”
Wei Sen did not care whether she gained or lost the sphere. She only wanted to know the truth!
But the person in front of her wanted her to recover her identity first…
How was she supposed to recover her identity?
Perhaps… the Eerie World could give her the answer.
Taoyuan Residential Area, a street-side restaurant.
Holographic peonies bloomed across the glass doors. Above the entrance, a Ming-style wooden plaque was streaming with digital rain, its gilded seal-script characters bleeding cinnabar light into the damp air.
A mechanical arm dressed in a mamian skirt extended from the foyer, its joints wrapped with faded peace knots. It carried over an enamel tray of food and set it on a rosewood Eight Immortals table by the window.
At that moment, CC, Xu You, Lin Xiaoxue, and Chen Lin were seated around the table.
Taoyuan was enormous. If they wanted to tour the whole place, even three days and three nights might not be enough, so they had found a restaurant to sit in while they waited for Wei Sen.
From CC, the group had learned a little more about Taoyuan. Taoyuan had quite a large population now, roughly equivalent to that of a first-tier city in Dragon Nation, so food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all readily available here.
The difference was that everything here was free. All labor was voluntary, and most of the hard manual work was done by machines.
Although Taoyuan’s overall environment was far worse than the Surface, the happiness index of its native residents was not necessarily lower than that of people on the Surface.
At the table, Xu You was eating with gusto. Lin Xiaoxue and Chen Lin clearly had no appetite, but they still could not resist taking out their phones to snap commemorative photos.
Soon, Wei Sen pushed open the glass door and walked in.
“Sister Sen, over here,” Xu You called.
Wei Sen walked over and sat down. Looking at the table full of food, she saw nothing different from what they had on the Surface.
“Want something to drink?” CC asked.
“No need.” Wei Sen had no appetite either.
Xu You gnawed on a chicken drumstick and said, “Gotta say, people here like strong flavors. This is salty as hell.”
CC explained, “The food here has special nutritional supplements added to it. They don’t get sunlight all year round, so they can only make up for the missing nutrients through food. Also, the vegetables here are all grown in the fruit and vegetable base, so they taste much blander than produce from the Surface. That’s why they use relatively more seasoning.”
Xu You paused. “Then if a normal person like me eats the food here, wouldn’t it be easy to overdo it on nutrients?”
“Mm.”
Xu You stared at the drumstick in her hand and hesitated for two seconds. Then she looked toward the mechanical arms in the kitchen and shouted, “Five more drumsticks is enough! Can’t eat too many!”
The corner of CC’s mouth twitched slightly. She turned to Wei Sen. “How did it go? Did you get the answers you wanted from the Elder?”