Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
The afternoon sun was exceptionally warm and the bustling crowds made this small town seem somewhat busy. Looking up, the vast, cloudless, azure sky stretched above, with the bright, dazzling light of the evening star too blinding to gaze upon directly, showing no hint of gloom. Yet, all this brightness and warmth were merely the final bloom before death; no one could predict if dawn would still come after the next nightfall.
The area of Xing Chui Town wasn’t large. Shu Xun and the other two had been strolling leisurely for over two hours, having already crossed the town. As they walked, the most profound impression they got was that this world truly revered faith and culture to an extraordinary degree. The architectural styles along the streets reflected this, and they occasionally spotted figures resembling bards by the roadside, praising their beliefs and history through poetic songs.
These bards were never without an audience and the listeners were not just passersby there for amusement. Shu Xun could feel that the people listening were praying earnestly with devout faith. What surprised Shu Xun even more was the subtle yet undeniable energy he could sense whenever they passed through such areas. It wasn’t spiritual energy or supernatural power, but something gentle yet incredibly strong.
Due to the large native population, Lie Yang couldn’t use the energy tester. The natives of this world were highly evolved. A single misstep could expose them, which would likely lead to the judgment Shu Xun had witnessed earlier at the altar.
“Is it thought and faith? Can intense thought generate energy? Is that possible?” Lie Yang muttered under his breath as he glanced back at the dense crowd after leaving the bard’s area.
Shu Xun also fell into deep thought. “Maybe there’s a reason why this world’s worship-based civilization has reached such an extreme. If faith can transform into energy to strengthen the world’s consciousness, then the immense power of Twilight Galaxy’s world consciousness makes sense. And if this powerful consciousness feeds back into the world, promoting the evolution of intelligent life, the symbiotic effect would lead to not just the evolution of advanced life forms, but also the evolution of the world consciousness itself. If…”
At this point, Shu Xun abruptly stopped speaking, a flash of surprise flickering through his calm eyes.
“If what?” Lie Yang asked, curious as to why Shu Xun had cut his sentence short.
Shu Xun tugged at his hair before continuing, “I just thought of a hypothesis. If life forms alone can’t evolve beyond to the next civilization, then could the simultaneous evolution of world consciousness be the key to making that leap? Individual power is ultimately limited, but the perspective of a world consciousness is far broader. Once it reaches a certain level, could the world consciousness actively guide the evolution of life forms until they break through the limits of their civilization and advance to the next one?”
Lie Yang nearly stumbled in shock, but Shu Xun’s calm tone soothed his emotions. He glanced at Shu Xun, who remained indifferent, though Lie Yang couldn’t shake the awe that lingered. Shu Xun’s hypothesis sounded entirely plausible. Ever since entering the interstellar age, the five major races had been searching for clues and conditions to transcend to the next civilization, but it seemed that every race had hit a bottleneck. No matter what methods or attempts they tried, there wasn’t the slightest sign of further evolution.
It wasn’t just Lie Yang who was deep in thought. The audience from various races watching the live stream also fell silent. Some keenly realized that what Shu Xun had casually proposed might shape the future direction of the universe, and it could very well be the truth! The key to transcending to the next civilization lay not just within individuals.
Seeing Lie Yang’s drastic change in expression, Shu Xun patted his shoulder helplessly. “Don’t overthink it. It was just a sudden hypothesis. But perhaps this peculiar worship-centered civilization could provide us with some verification. Instead of dwelling on it here, let’s continue exploring Twilight Galaxy.”
Both Lie Yang and Gray nodded, feeling an odd surge of enthusiasm.
In the live stream:
“This is incredible! Who else but my Xun could have such leaps in thinking?”
“I think if it weren’t for Xun Tuanzi, no one would’ve made this hypothesis, even after the game ends.”
“I have a strong feeling that this hypothesis will be validated in Twilight Galaxy, and it could influence the entire universe!”
“It’s just a hypothesis. Aren’t you all overreacting?”
“No, no, no! I don’t know why, but I trust that Xun Tuanzi’s guess isn’t baseless. Xun Tuanzi’s hypotheses are usually based on some discovery or theory, so even if this one isn’t completely correct, it won’t be too far from the truth!”
“……”
Shu Xun’s hypothesis was indeed not made out of thin air. Since entering the Twilight Galaxy, neither the world consciousness nor the advanced intelligent life forms showed any awareness of impending doom. After seeing the bards and that strange energy of faith, Shu Xun deduced that it was highly likely that the world consciousness had some means of communication with the natives.
The natives of the planet couldn’t sense the death of the Twilight Galaxy, but from the world consciousness’s perspective, it would be impossible not to notice. Yet, there was no warning from the world consciousness, which suggested one thing—that the world consciousness must have already found a way to prevent the planet from meeting its end.
Given Twilight Galaxy’s size, once it died, it would inevitably collapse into a black hole. With the current level of civilization, no race had any means to deal with black holes. If the world consciousness could handle a black hole, then its civilization level must be far higher than now. This was exactly why Shu Xun came up with this hypothesis.
Though both Shu Xun and the audience had a vague feeling at this point, none of them imagined that, much later, this premonition would become reality. The holographic footage of this part of the game would be preserved as precious material, where a long-haired boy casually strolled through streets with a unique style, calmly speaking words that would one day influence the entire universe.
In the game world, Shu Xun and the other two had walked through the bustling town center and arrived at the residential area on the town’s outskirts. The buildings on either side were mostly two stories tall, and the cobbled alleys were becoming more common. The crowd, however, was thinning out. Just as the trio was about to take a different route back to the tavern, a very familiar-looking army appeared at the corner of the alley.
Shu Xun and Gray instinctively stopped in their tracks. At the far end of the narrow alleyway, there were many natives gathered, as well as a strikingly dressed army. The person standing at the forefront looked extremely familiar.
Gray’s eyes narrowed dangerously. Although the man’s face was not visible, Gray was certain he wasn’t mistaken—this was the same person who wore metal armor at the altar last night, the one who had stabbed Qing Kong during the judgment, only to be shot through the heart by Qing Kong afterward.
The man was now standing before a house deep in the alley, tall and straight like a pine tree, showing no signs of injury. The wound that had pierced through his heart had miraculously healed overnight! Although Shu Xun and Gray had suspected this after seeing Qing Kong’s wounds rapidly heal, witnessing it firsthand still felt somewhat unbelievable.
Deep within the alley, the army seemed to be sealing off one of the residences and was conversing with the nearby natives. Not long after, they appeared ready to leave. The natives continued to gather outside the house, while Shu Xun and the other two stood off to the side near the entrance of the alley. The army, led by the man in metal armor, passed right by them.
To their surprise, as the man in the metal armor walked by, he casually glanced at the three of them. With that one glance, Shu Xun was certain—this man had recognized Gray! During last night’s rescue, due to the urgency of the situation, Gray had only used a basic disguise. Coupled with the bright firelight at the time, anyone with keen observation skills could have discerned Gray’s identity. Just as Shu Xun’s hand hanging at his side began to secretly form a spell, the man in the metal armor simply shifted his gaze indifferently and continued to ride away without altering his pace.
Even after the army’s figures completely disappeared at the end of the street, the confusion in Gray’s eyes remained. He had clearly realized that the man had recognized him, yet he hadn’t exposed them. In fact, the man had passed by without any intent to pursue the matter. What did that mean?
A low sigh escaped Shu Xun. “The world is unpredictable. Let’s go take a look ahead. If I’m not mistaken, that should be Qing Kong’s former residence.”
Gray seemed to understand the sentiment behind Shu Xun’s sigh and finally let out a disdainful chuckle. “If not for pity, I could have walked away unscathed.” Gray had deep feelings for Qing Kong. Ever since Shu Xun had known him, Gray’s emotions were mostly restrained, rarely revealing his feelings so openly. It was clear that Qing Kong’s injury had struck at his most sensitive spot.
Lie Yang, completely baffled, looked at the uncharacteristically sharp Gray. “What happened? What are you two talking about? Did we just skip over something?”
Shu Xun: “…”
Gray: “…”
Shu Xun patted Lie Yang on the shoulder, then took the lead, walking deeper into the alley. As they walked, Shu Xun recounted the events in detail again. In truth, these matters had already been uploaded to the chatroom, but it was clear that Lie Yang hadn’t fully grasped them yet.
After hearing Shu Xun’s explanation, Lie Yang seemed lost in thought. “So, what did that man mean just now? Has Qing Kong really left?”
Shu Xun and Gray fell silent, not answering Lie Yang’s question. While their logical reasoning abilities were flawless, emotions were much harder to explain definitively.
In the silence, the three had already reached the deeper part of the alley. Before they even approached the house, the discussions of the natives reached their ears.
