"The space on the first floor is extremely spacious, with glass display windows reflecting light from various angles. The exhibits lie quietly in the display cases, resembling a group of children in eternal slumber.
"There are 837 items on display here," 4 pointed to the uniformly sized transparent boxes in front of him, "Of course, the history of over ten thousand years is much more than just this. These are all specially exhibited in preparation for the upcoming Hero King Festival."
"This building covers an area of approximately 150,000 square meters, divided into 9 floors. The two underground floors are used as storage rooms, while the seven above-ground floors include the second and third floors for staff use and reception of experts and scholars from other regions. The fourth to sixth floors respectively record the history of this city over the past 11,000 years. The seventh floor is not open to the public, and it is said that even internal staff find it difficult to obtain access."
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Of course, he wasn't. Wu Fan walked on the precious red wool carpet, curiously surveying his surroundings.
Some glass display cases contained skulls, snow-white human skulls similar to those he had seen in biology class, while others held dinosaur skulls (larger with protruding white horns). He saw necklaces made of gemstones and gold, with a thick rope tied around a gray rock the size of a soccer ball, resembling a boundary in Japanese mythology.
Some ancient stone tablets had irregular shapes, resembling giant leaves, with obscure and incomprehensible inscriptions.
"No one can understand those inscriptions, not even the most knowledgeable alchemists. Although the association believes that they record some long-lost alchemical knowledge," 4 pointed at the stone tablet, "Do you need me to enlarge it for you?"
"No, it's fine," he quickly moved on to the next area.
Alchemy? This reminded him of a strange and ancient book: the Voynich Manuscript. This was a very famous book in the human world, containing many inscrutable texts and illustrations. Some believed it to be a work on alchemy.
As for 4's mention of "enlarging," the boy had no intention of understanding it.
"If you're interested in anything, you can tell me, after all, you haven't obtained authorization," 4's cheerful yet stubborn voice echoed in his mind.
No need to remind me, this is fine as it is.
He shook his head and focused on everything in front of him.
Exquisite statues, about twenty to thirty centimeters in height, stood before him. They were the Star Maidens, differing only in size from the welcoming statues he had seen in front of the king's palace or the ticket booths at the teleportation platforms.
Their materials included sky-blue salt crystals, rose-red crystals, and amethyst, which reminded him of the number 13, that effeminate man.
The bodies made of comb jasper were entwined with white and red, with distinct contours and different curves creating a beauty that even those without an artistic bone could instantly understand. The light in the hall shone upon them, adding a layer of sacred and hazy feeling.
Other statues made of white jade, green agate, and light blue Hetian jade were equally distinctive.
Amidst the colorful surroundings, a jet-black statue stood out. At first glance, it was not stunning, resembling a polished piece of black charcoal or smooth wood. However, upon closer inspection, it was hard to look away. The Black Beauty only revealed her beauty to curious and patient viewers. She had closed eyes and thin lips, with a beautiful wavy mane.
She was so different, her skin shining, her curves as if they had been gently caressed by the god of art. The word "perfect" should not exist in this world, but because of her, it had a true definition, the boy thought so.
"This is obsidian, not orichalcos, a more advanced alchemical material. There are records of it in the human world, and many civilizations have mentioned its origins, but no one has truly seen it, or even if they have, they would not easily mention it to others. It has the ability to interfere with the minds of intelligent beings and exerts a great attraction on weak-willed lower beings."
You haven't fully adapted to your body yet, your thoughts still belong to humans, 4 thought so.
But Wu Fan, he remembered a movie he had seen, The Lord of the Rings. It was said that the Dark Lord Sauron created the One Ring, which had a deadly attraction to intelligent beings. They were obsessed with it, driven mad by it, and even gave their lives for it.
The obsidian statue did indeed have a significant impact on him. He could feel a part of his blood (the human part) stirring, and he walked forward, reaching out to the glass display case.
"No, stop quickly, you haven't obtained authorization."
As soon as 4's voice fell, the boy's hand was already suspended above the display case, but nothing happened.
Under his palm was not the obsidian statue, but a marble woman with hands clasped to her chest, sapphire eyes set in her eye sockets like two clear tears from the deep sea, with a fluffy gray-white curly hair on the back of her neck, and a long and thick black beard stuck to her pointed chin.
The girl entered his mind without warning. This was not the first time she had appeared; outside the king's palace, in front of the Star Maiden statue, she had effortlessly and silently intruded into the boy's thoughts.
With her golden hair and blue eyes, her curls swayed in the wind along with her false beard. She was smiling at him, with two tiny dimples when she smiled.
"If you need, I can help you display all the information about it," 4's raised right hand was gently pressed down by the boy.
"No, I don't need to," a thought whispered in his ear.
He walked through the statue area, behind which was the area depicting the daily lives of ancient people.
Golden wine jugs, obsidian water jars, a musical instrument made of orichalcos, and a music box that played enchanting music. "Alchemical products, right?" he asked 4.
4 nodded, "This is the sound from ten thousand years ago."
There were also various silver plates, cups made of colorful jade, and bowls. Bronze chopsticks, shiny silver candlesticks, lead knives and forks.
Various paintings, primitive and rough, like a child's scribbles. Those with distinct layers and beautiful lines were painted on delicate silk or high-quality parchment. On a black fabric he had seen before, the scene in the painting emitted a dazzling white light.
He saw some paintings from human galleries, an ink and oil painting depicting a soaring sky tree, about a hundred meters tall, much taller than what he had seen in the sky tree forest before. A Chinese landscape painting depicted a spirited horse galloping in the grassland. In a Japanese ukiyo-e, a fierce man was wielding a sword to strike a demon to the side, he knew who he was, Susano. The sword he held was called Futsu no Mitama, and there were other paintings, but he couldn't name them.
There was a type of painting (in fact, he didn't know if it should be called a painting), it was dynamic, with figures, landscapes, and animals seeming to live in a virtual screen.
"This is not science, and I can tell the difference. This should be an alchemical product," the boy realized. Everything in the canvas seemed to have life, as if a segment of time had been captured and then placed into the frame.
There was a terracotta figurine, a sphinx.
It was covered in gold powder, with black paint outlining the hair, eyebrows, and beard, red lines delineating wrinkles, and a pair of poorly reflective black gemstone eyes in the eye sockets. As the boy stared at those lifeless eyes, it felt like he was gazing into two abysses.
He silently walked behind the crowd, where a holographic female guide was narrating history to a virtual large screen behind her.
A colorful map hung on the transparent screen. He looked at the map, with place names he was familiar with: the green Skytree forest, the Skypine River transformed into a blue ribbon winding through it.
This place, Reya Ye City, was surrounded by a river called the Holy Water, with two cities to the north, the City of Wisdom and the City of Military and Agriculture. To the south was a large expanse of azure sea, the East Sea, with a black dot marking the coastline, next to which were three words: East Sea Coast.
"When the king fled the royal city with his warriors, the snake people immediately sensed something was wrong," the virtual woman described emotionlessly, and the boy rolled his eyes, "I think any jewelry salesman would be more lively and interesting than her." He remembered the short man they had seen selling pearls before and vaguely felt that he seemed familiar, but when he tried to search his memory for anything about the short man, his mind was blank.
Maybe I'm just overthinking.
"The voice of reason is cruel, but it often contains the truth. If someone always sweet-talks you," Wu Fan looked at the smiling eyes, as if they were saying, "Sweet words are all deceit."
4 patted the boy's shoulder and said in the tone of someone who had been there, "Listen carefully, it's important for you to understand this world."
The boy blinked in confusion, and he had a feeling that 4's willingness to travel with him was not just to help him understand the city, but concealed some big secret.
"The snake people immediately organized a pursuit. When the two groups met on the Skytree Plain, the king's hundred warriors were unable to resist the thousands of snake soldiers. So the king ordered the warriors to line up and escape in different directions. He put on a soldier's uniform and hid in a thirteen-person squad."
"It was a wise and daring decision. He ordered a five-person squad and a ten-person squad to escape to the present City of Military and Agriculture, and a eight-person squad to join a six-person squad and a nine-person squad to flee to the present City of Wisdom. An eleven-person squad fled towards the East Sea Coast, and his unit joined another twelve-person squad to escape deep into the Skytree forest. He also ordered the other soldiers to scatter individually."
"The king's decision proved to be completely correct. Even though the snake people's main force pursued along the north bank of the Holy Water and the East Sea Coast, as he had anticipated, he still faced a huge problem. The snake people were an extremely organized race, and they assembled a thousand-strong army in just a few minutes. They then quickly assembled two two-thousand-strong teams, and there were still three hundred soldiers pursuing the king's squad."
"That night, the crows were restless on the branches, vultures circled in the sky, sparrows emitted a mournful chirp, and blood stained the green grass. Countless people were lost in the quiet and ancient forest, until their flesh and blood were washed away by time, turning into white bones."
He didn't deny the poetic nature of the virtual woman's statement, even though the voice was dry and cold.
He seemed to hear the wails of pain, so much so that he felt a chill in his heart, as if the wind was carrying whispers into his ears, someone was crying, and every pore on Wu Fan's body suddenly expanded.
"Bloody battles. The other twelve-person squad responsible for cover was all killed in action. He led the remaining twelve people into a cave."
"A cave?" This word had a magical charm, and he couldn't help but look up.
That day, he and 22 had also escaped from the pursuit of the dinosaur soldiers in a cave. Could it be that cave? He dared not believe it, but there was a hint of anticipation, as if he was anticipating an unexpected encounter in fate.
"They rested around the campfire, everyone was exhausted. At this point, they understood that all of this was meaningless. The desolate firelight illuminated the faces of despair, and no one dared to think about tomorrow. The king was the same, he remained silent, watching the despondent soldiers, sighing, one sigh after another, until a voice appeared above them."
"Who is it?" The king drew his sword and said loudly.
"A beam of light broke through the darkness, and a figure emerged from the light. The person said to the king, 'It doesn't matter who I am, what matters is that I can help you through the current difficulties. Bow to me, submit to me, and I will give you strength.'"
"Why should I believe you?" The king brandished his sword, pointing it directly at the person's heart.
"The great King of Reya Ye, I know where you come from and where you are going. Your path should not end here. You are to lead your people towards a bright future. One day, the bloodline of Anunaqi will return to its origin."
"He left behind thirteen masks and then disappeared."
Thirteen masks? But there are only twelve zodiac signs, right? He looked at 4's eyes, but there was no verbal or mental response. Instead, 4 just shrugged, indicating that he had no idea. However, from those cunning eyes, the boy read his meaning: "I know, but I can't tell you."
With a touch of anger, he continued to listen to the virtual woman's narration.
"The masks possess incredible abilities. With the help of these abilities, they crossed mountains and rivers, hid during the day and moved at night, and overcame a series of hardships. Finally, they arrived here." The boy looked at the location pointed to by the pale blue finger. Although it was just a small dot on the map, his whole body couldn't help but tremble. Not long ago, he had been there. Even with the suppression of the memory chip, fear still leaked out like gas from a crack. He felt his breath quicken. That was the research base of the dinosaur people, the source of his nightmares.
"The king arrived alone at the base of the dinosaur people's empire, and the twelve warriors created a miracle with their lives."
"Alright, that's the end of this history segment. Let's continue to the next scene."
4 kindly put his arm around the boy's pale shoulder. They followed the others into a soaring light of pale blue.
They stood on a platform that rose like a well cover or a round shield, and the pale blue light lifted them gradually from the Earth's gravity. This light was different from the faint light particles emitted by the teleportation gate, which made him feel like he was swimming in water or floating in the wind. In this light, he felt nothing. His body moved upward calmly, and his mind kept saying, "No, nothing is happening."
"The Light of Evolution, I know you'll be interested in it," 4 flashed an unnecessary smile. "But I don't know whether to call it an alchemical product or a scientific invention. After all, it was created by alchemists and scientists working together."
"What, what light?"
"The Light of Evolution, the name of this machine. I heard 28 mention it. There's a similar machine in Japan called an elevator, a bulky iron thing."
"That's true. After riding that thing, no one would think human elevators are heavy or clumsy anymore," the boy said, while thinking to himself, "I've almost forgotten the concept of space."
He watched the floors appear before his eyes and then disappear beneath his eyelids. Scholars were gathered on the second floor, and a chef was preparing today's lunch in the restaurant on the third floor. He wrapped a large egg with brown patterns in mud and placed it in the charcoal fire. The boy recognized it; he had eaten one before, a dragon lizard egg.
When they reached the fourth floor, the light continued to lift other passengers, but 4 and he remained suspended in place.
"What's going on?" he asked impatiently. He didn't expect 4's explanation to make him understand immediately, but it was like seeing a flying pig; no one could resist the urge to dig deeper.
"A secret," 4 put his index finger to his lips.
This feeling was really terrible, like being at a thesis defense, preparing to face challenges from various experts and scholars, only for them to take one look at the weather and say, "Today is bad weather for a defense." Then they left, leaving you bewildered.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
So the boy walked angrily into the hall of the exhibition room.
4 shook his head and smiled. The little brother in front of him was really impatient. It had been a long time since he had communicated with a child, and even longer since he had communicated with a teenager in the human world.
The space on the fourth floor was much more spacious than the first floor, at least in terms of sensation. The boy couldn't be sure if it was just his imagination.
As he looked at the glittering collection, he immediately felt a dreamlike sensation. He felt like a despicable thief who had suddenly broken into a treasure trove.
No, it was even more absurd than that. This feeling was more like the Forty Thieves' intrusion into the temple of the gods.
Apart from the snow-white walls and the transparent glass display cases indicating that this was an exhibition hall, almost all the exhibits were made of gold. The golden color filled the entire hall with a strange "warmth," and the grandeur blurred the dimensions of the space.
Golden cups, golden vases, golden skulls lying in golden coffins, golden calligraphy, and golden masks.
The golden statues might not be as exquisite as the jade carvings, but when they were placed together, they created a harmonious beauty.
He saw similarly obscure writing on a golden stele (which was basically the same as the inscription on the first-floor stele), and some golden instruments that made him feel like he had found family.
A golden harp, a golden bone flute, a golden guitar, a golden drum, and a golden chime. Undoubtedly, these were artistic masterpieces from human civilization.
But just a few seconds later, the excitement that had ignited in his chest was extinguished. He fell into confusion once again.
This place contained the history of the descendants of Anunaqi from over ten thousand years ago. Every exhibit seemed to be telling the same story: humans are slaves, and human civilization originated from Anunaqi.
A golden tree was laden with golden apples, a golden snake coiled around the golden trunk, and a golden eagle on the golden canopy stared fixedly at the snake, which was sticking out its tongue. Under the eagle's talons were two small golden human figurines, one male and one female.
"The Bible says: God created the Garden of Eden and two humans, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve, and he commanded them to live forever in the happy Garden of Eden. Until one day, a snake appeared beside Eve, tempting her to eat the forbidden golden apple. To punish them, God drove them out of the Garden of Eden, and they wandered in a world full of pain and filth from then on. Do you know the origin of that snake?"
His smile was really annoying, as if he were treating me like an idiot. The boy looked at those pearly white teeth and said without hesitation, "Lilith. She was originally the first woman created by God. Some say she was a hermaphrodite. She was supposed to live in the Garden of Eden with Adam, but she couldn't stand that kind of life, or the kind and foolish Adam. So she willingly fell into hell and gave birth to impure monsters after mating with demons. That's why some people call her the embodiment of desire. It's said that she envied Eve, so she transformed into a venomous snake and ultimately tempted the kind Eve to eat the forbidden fruit."
What did the golden eagle represent?
He was deliberately embarrassing me. Wu Fan found that 4 was sometimes more annoying than 22. That golden eagle, he shook his head. "I don't know."
"About another myth," 4 raised his thick and smug eyebrows, "Do you know about Horus?"
"You mean the eagle-headed god in Egyptian mythology?" Of course, he knew who that was. One of the twelve main gods in Egyptian mythology, with the head of an eagle and the body of a man. The son of the god of the underworld, Osiris, the symbol of kingship, and also the god of revenge, possessing the all-seeing eye of Horus to monitor everything in the world.
"But why?" When this question came out of his mouth, he suddenly knew the answer. This was the museum of the descendants of Anunaqi, and he thought to himself, "Myth originated tens of thousands of years ago." This answer made his already bad mood even more melancholic.
"Myths have many versions, and there are many races in the human world. But tracing back to the source, you can find a common thread, just like how Christianity was born from Judaism, and Jerusalem is not only Islamic but also the holy city of Christianity."
"Do you know what this is?" He pointed to the golden mask in the display case and looked at Wu Fan. The boy shook his head out of habit, but soon, the knowledge in his mind made the answer slip out, "The golden mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamun."
That was one of the most famous symbols of Egypt.
"By the way, his name is Tammon," the boy was struck as if by lightning.
"Don't be so surprised, it's nothing," came 4's comforting voice in his mind.
"What are you telling me all this for? Are you trying to tell me that humans are nothing but a bunch of pitiful slaves, and now the slaves are returning to their master's embrace, like a lost lamb finding its way back to the fold?" His voice thundered in 4's mind like a resounding storm.
"Calm down, I have no such intention, child. You need to know these things in order to fulfill your mission."
"What is my mission, exactly?" His roar drew the attention of everyone around. Without a word, 4 took the boy's hand and led him to the end of the hall.
A three-meter-tall golden statue leaned against the snow-white wall. The statue had a European face, adorned with a crown of twelve pointed tips, each set with a thumb-sized emerald. It wore ancient Asian armor and held a golden sword that doubled as a cane, with a baby-sized sky-blue gem embedded in the hilt. Its eyes were terrifying, gray-white stones with hollow, blind gazes.
"King Reya Ye is undoubtedly great, but even with his wisdom, can he truly foresee and understand his future mission from the very beginning?"
"He overestimates me, as does everyone else. They are all fools, madmen. I am just an ordinary person, with no potential to be a savior."
4 firmly pressed his hand against the boy's chest and suddenly lowered his head. "Raj Komodo is willing to serve Wu Fan," his tone was no longer cheerful, but as cold as iron.
He was serious, solemnly bowing to me.
It all seemed so absurd, but Wu Fan couldn't laugh. It was a familiar feeling, deep in his blood and memories, familiar enough to make him want to cry.
Just as a boy had stood before another man many years ago, where had that boy gone in the end? Three words faintly surfaced in his mind: the betrayer.
"Will you betray me?" he suddenly asked the man before him. The man did not give a direct answer, and 4, adept in his unique language, laughed heartily.
The boy was afraid of asking himself this question, feeling as if he was no longer himself.
"Alright," he nodded.
This simple reply seemed to possess an incredible power, connecting the earth, the sky, the mountains, and the oceans. It forced the world to acknowledge, as if it were a covenant between gods and mortals, where fallen leaves found their resting place.
The fourth floor was bright and warm, but the fifth floor was dark and deep, a world of black orichalcos and obsidian palaces.
4's earlier oath was just a small episode, but a question arose in his mind: "Could it be that I am truly the savior?" Since arriving in this world, he had experienced too many extraordinary episodes. Sometimes he felt as if his body no longer belonged to him, hearing a voice in his mind and seeing inexplicable fragments of memories.
It must be something they did to me, or perhaps there is something strange about this world. The genes of the dinosaur people are changing me, he thought weakly, feeling despondent in the gray tones.
A chilling scene unfolded as he sighed and looked up. If not for the memory chip adjusting his emotions, he had no doubt that he would have been scared to death by the monster before him.
The black statue opened its eyes, fluttering its long eyelashes and breathing heavily. He could feel its heavy heartbeat.
"This, this, this..." It could only repeat the same word, its wide eyes staring at 4 in panic.
4 grasped its fingers. "Metal of life, there's no need to panic." His smile had a reassuring power, and the boy patted his chest, feeling relieved.
"Obsidian is not just about confusing people. With it, life metal can be created. Do you understand what life metal is?"
Wu Fan shook his head. "Life is composed of organic matter, that's common knowledge in human society, right?"
Wu Fan nodded.
He looked at the boy quietly, suddenly becoming indifferent, then burst into laughter a few seconds later, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Humans define life, and they dare to define life. Ha ha ha, ha ha ha."
He didn't understand what was so funny until he heard the surrounding laughter. Everyone was laughing, looking at him. Their laughter was so loud that it buzzed in his head, like a swarm of bees.
He shook his head vigorously, blinked, and the ceiling spun above him. Everything around him spun with it, and the statues in front of him revealed eerie expressions, cawing like crows. He was completely lost in the laughter, unable to distinguish between living people and statues. He covered his ears, crouched down, and felt as if he had entered another world, becoming a clown in a circus, surrounded by spectators.
"Wake up, wake up." Something was tapping his arm, and 4 looked at him with concern.
"What happened? Sir." He looked around in confusion. Everything was as quiet as before, with no one speaking, and the visitors were focused on their own interests.
"You were confused by it," 4 said, moving slightly. The obsidian statue in the boy's eyes was now closed, breathing with a rhythm of life.
"Life metal is a forbidden creation that blurs the boundary between life and death. When I first came here, I was just as shocked and scared as you, and I was also confused by it. But it is not life, because it lacks self-awareness." 4's expression became serious once again. "But as I got used to its existence, I realized how beautiful they are." His brow relaxed again, showing a relaxed expression. It took the boy a while to completely calm down.
4 took his right hand and led him past the peculiar statues.
A woman's gaze might make him blush, but the gaze of the statues left him indifferent. However, he couldn't judge the gaze of the woman statue, and from a distance of over ten meters, the boy never dared to lift his head.
Until they stood in front of the largest light source in the room. "Take a look at this," 4 forcibly pulled his hand and straightened his bent back. A Rubik's Cube appeared in front of him, a four-square grid emitting a milky white light, floating in the air. The cube kept rotating, and the dust-like light slowly scattered around.
"A heart," he couldn't help but say.
4 hesitated for a moment, surprised by the boy's words. "Yes, a very apt metaphor, a heart. This is an engine. Can you guess what it is used for?"
"I don't know," he said.
"It powers most of the devices in this world and is also an excellent power source."
The boy nodded, his eyes fixed on the rotating square. "There's something I can't figure out, something that has been bothering me for a long time."
"But feel free to ask," 4 said with a smile.
He was a deceptive fellow, possessing a vast knowledge that was completely at odds with his appearance. Being with him was more reassuring than being with 22, but the confusion he brought was perhaps more attractive and deadly than obsidian or life metal.
4 was dangerous, but his danger was not directed at me.
"What exactly is the intelligent mainframe?"
"Didn't 22 tell you?"
"I didn't ask him."
"Why didn't you ask him?"
He didn't answer, even though a voice inside him said, "He doesn't know anything? What can a drunkard like 22 tell me?"
"Are you worried that 22 can't explain it to you, that he knows nothing?" 4 could see his thoughts from his hesitant expression.
"Indeed, 22 really knows nothing about it, just like your judgment," 4's tone became increasingly relaxed. "I am the one who guided you through this city and explained its history, not him. Undeniably, as an alchemist, I do know a little more than they do."
"You're an alchemist?" His words made him unable to control his emotions.
Another question that had troubled him for a long time was suddenly answered. No wonder 22 knew so much about alchemy. It wasn't just because of the influence of his old friend, James Lawrence, a scientist who believed in mysticism. It was also because this world had alchemists, and most importantly, his close friend was an alchemist.
"I thought 22 would reveal something to you?" The boy's surprise made 4 look puzzled, but like a fleeting foam on a calm sea, that look of surprise vanished from 4's face in an instant.
22 had once praised Wu Fan as a person with a keen mind, and in fact, the subtle expression on 4's face did not escape the boy's eyes.
Were they both wary of each other? Or was it for some other reason? Thoughts rose in his mind again.
"Shut up, I don't want to hear you speak," he shouted at the thoughts in his mind.
"Alright, let me tell you the answer to this question." He clearly didn't notice anything amiss, and there was no trace of a meaningful expression on the boy's face, who was engaged in an internal struggle.
Wu Fan held his breath, and the other's smile seemed to indicate that this was a particularly simple question.
"The answer is, I don't know."
He had expected to be angry, but 4's response sounded more like a mockery than an answer. Yet, he felt relieved, as if this was the real answer he needed.
"Some fish are suited to living on the water's surface, while others are suited to the depths. Curious cats are not in short supply. If you want to catch the fish at the bottom, you must first clear the fish on the surface. If you reach for the bottom right away, be careful not to drown there." This was the warning from the thoughts before they disappeared.
"This is one of the unsolved mysteries of the reptilian world. No one knows where the intelligent mainframe comes from, and no one knows who created it. It seems that the reptilian world was just established, and it appeared along with it."
"My mentor, Ro, specialized in this matter. He was an extraordinary alchemist and archaeologist. He once deciphered a stone tablet of the aquatic race, and some of the information mentioned on it suggests that the appearance of the intelligent mainframe may have been earlier than the migration of the dinosaur people from the human world to this world tens of millions of years ago. The stone tablet also mentioned something else: the intelligent mainframe may be related to the StarSouls."
"StarSouls," this term made him uneasy. A sharp pain then surged through his brain, as if a mysterious veil was about to be lifted, and the emperor's new clothes were about to be exposed.
"Alright, let's go upstairs." He grabbed the pensive boy's hand and walked into the Light of Evolution.
The sixth floor was neither warm nor cold, it was full of life and death. There were many specimens here. The plants thrived, and the animals were not life metal statues. He saw a manta ray suspended by a copper rod, a black python and a long-dead hunting dragon side by side, with several lizards of different colors beneath them. A black crocodile specimen was soaked in murky milk, and the hunting dragon and python had raised their heads, their eyes still retaining their sharpness from life. Following their gaze, Wu Fan felt his heart stop, he covered his mouth, stopped breathing, and it took him several seconds to recover from the immense shock.
A breathtakingly colossal creature stood beneath a huge crystal chandelier, emitting a powerful and ferocious aura in the golden light.
Sharp teeth, claws, eyes deeper than an eagle's, and a gaze sharper than a sword, exuding an air of invincibility. The rough scales shimmered, and it was not just a specimen, but more like a piece of violent aesthetic art.
A dragon, a mythical creature. Its outspread wings covered the painted sky on the ceiling, a symbol of dominance and evil, as well as legend. There were many stories about it in the human world, and the most mentioned and romanticized was the hero fighting the evil dragon.
"Dragon," the boy kept muttering. The shock from the sixth floor was even greater than the life metal on the fifth floor and the golden sanctuary on the fourth.
"Dragon," 4 repeated the word, "a great symbol in the human world," he smirked, "but here, they are law-abiding citizens."
At that moment, he doubted whether he had misheard, or if 4 was using some kind of embellishment. How could the notorious dragons in the human world be law-abiding citizens here?
They possessed unparalleled power, and it was this power that made them commit all kinds of evil deeds. They looted treasures, slaughtered life indiscriminately, and countless kingdoms and farms were razed to the ground. They had magic and surpassed human intelligence. Their strength made it impossible for mortals to defeat them.
Until they met their match, the son of the gods, the hero. The hero possessed the same formidable power as them, and after enduring countless hardships, he would reach the dragon's lair, slay the evil dragon, and save the princess, distributing the dragon's treasures to those in need.
"Child, dragons are very powerful in your impression, right?"
He looked at 4's gentle face and knew that what he was about to say next was not simple.
"Dragons not only exist in this world, but also in the human world."
"But why can't we see them now?"
He couldn't understand. Ancient books and myths described dragons, and it was these descriptions that allowed him to recognize the origin of the colossal creature before him. This indicated that dragons had indeed appeared before humans in ancient times. However, with the development of technology, humans could travel to the sky, dive into the depths, and go anywhere, yet they could not find the existence of dragons.
"Because they possess a higher intelligence and carry much more advanced technology than humans."
"Shouldn't it be magic?" In myths and legends, dragons were adept in magic, but there was no mention of them being adept in technology.
"It's technology, after all, biological science falls within the realm of scientists." Biological science, a familiar term. But Wu Fan understood that the biological science of the dinosaur world was probably not the same as that of the human world.
"Guess how many eyes are watching the human world?" 4 revealed that annoyingly mysterious smile again.
He didn't want to be seen as a fool, so he remained silent, raising his hands and tilting his mouth.
"Do you hear the chirping of insects at night? And the pleasant bird calls? When you open the window in the morning, do you hear the crisp chirping of sparrows? Are there mice, geckos, or snakes crawling in the corners you can't see?"
He didn't understand the meaning 4 was trying to convey. These were all ordinary things.
"Look, how wonderful, the scout is right beside you, but you never noticed." 4 deliberately elongated his tone, raising the volume by at least five or six decibels.
"Scout," he felt something was wrong as he repeated the word softly, "scout," he repeated, and by the third time, he was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Don't forget that the dinosaur people are the rulers of this world. There is only the Dinosaur Empire here, and no Dragon Kingdom." 4 observed the boy's every move with interest. This was the darkness lurking deep within him, and he loved to see others confused.
Wu Fan nodded absentmindedly, recalling a sentence he had heard from Cha in the dinosaur base: "Our eyes are everywhere in the human world."
"45, Wu Fan, you must understand that for higher beings, lower beings are completely exposed in front of them." This statement was no less than a heavy blow to the boy who knew the truth, and seeing his troubled expression, 4 smiled silently again.
"Alright, buddy, at least we are no longer naked monkeys, or perhaps in front of higher beings, we are two naked dinosaurs. Who can say for sure?" He patted Wu Fan's shoulder, and the smile on his face made Wu Fan feel nauseous and chilled. The boy hated this devil, feeling his hope dissipating bit by bit.
So, in anger, he stomped forward.
Ahead was a pile of iron chains, black in color and gleaming like metal, but it was not orichalcos or obsidian. This was not life metal, at least Wu Fan did not see them "come alive."
"This is Omega, a more advanced alchemical material. Don't underestimate these iron chains. Their power is enough to lock down any spacecraft."
"Are there really spacecraft in this world?" This thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly admonished himself, "Forget it, knowing these things is of no use to me, it only adds to my troubles."
Above the iron chains hung a huge coffin of the same unknown material, its black surface reflecting a faint light. The coffin seemed to absorb light, and at the edges (in fact, it was not square, but composed of curved and straight lines), there was a phenomenon of light distortion. Some light particles that couldn't escape disappeared into the darkness, and the escaping milky mist gathered towards the ceiling, falling onto a mural of a black tree against a black background. It was a half-prosperous, half-withered towering tree.
The coffin was tightly bound by six thicker Omega chains, the other ends of which were fixed to six different circular pendant fixtures on the ceiling. As he looked at those fixtures, a blue hexagram involuntarily formed in his mind, and then he saw a moon, a strange, gigantic blue moon hurtling towards him.
He wanted to dodge, but found there was no escape. Memories that did not belong to him were once again stirred up by a sharp pain, and a boy suddenly flew from the blue moon in front of him, his black bangs covering a small part of his strange eyes reflecting two full moons.
A stronger surge of pain burst through his brain, and he couldn't bear the agony, so he screamed out loud. In front of him, the boy suddenly floated away again, back to the strange blue moon, and a weapon appeared in front of Wu Fan, a jet-black katana. The sword was so familiar, like a lover he couldn't forget, an indispensable part of his life. It was so beautiful, as if it had a heartbeat, connected to his veins.
"It is my heart," a indescribable anger suddenly rose in the boy's heart, as if darkness hated the light, and death ignored life. He gripped the sword, drew the blade, and the pitch-black blade exuded an aura of destruction. What he held was not just a uniquely shaped katana, but more like a black hole capable of devouring the universe, where light could not exist.
Wu Fan struck, and the blue moon split in an instant, the vast void like the wind, and darkness opened its mouth, obliterating the light.
Before he fainted, he heard the gradually calming pulse of a huge heartbeat, and the crisp sound of chains mixed with the faint friction of gears turning.
4 stepped forward and embraced the fallen boy. Wu Fan didn't know what had stimulated him just now, and he walked dazedly to a glass display case, then fainted. He looked at the display that the boy had been staring at, inside was a piece of black, rod-like object, and he swept his hand over the display, and the word "unknown" floated in the sky.