Located on the northwest side of the central continent of Zhongting Star, the Holy Mountain is surrounded by countless undulating mountains and is covered in white snow all day long. The gray-white rocks and frost are mixed together, forming a sacred landscape that the people of Zhongting have revered for thousands of years. With an average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, this is the largest mountain gathering place on the entire planet. There are steep cliffs everywhere. Except for a few tenacious coniferous plants and tundra moss that can take root here, it can be said that life is almost impossible. of Jedi.
However, right in the middle of this high-altitude mountain range where even microorganisms find it difficult to survive, and around the highest peak in the world, there is a huge and majestic building complex, with countless solemn temples standing upright under the harsh cold wind. Although the surface of the rock wall that existed thousands of years ago is mottled, it is still solid and intact on the inside. The stone-paved road can still be walked by people today. Today, hundreds of priests and ascetics wearing simple robes walk among the ancient reliefs and inscriptions on the outer layers of many temples, and worship devoutly at the temple at the foot of the Holy Mountain.
Fifteen days have passed since the Void Mother Beast was burned to ashes by the flames of Poseidon. After a brief period of joy and joy, the Atrium civilization fell into great sorrow: except for the three major colonies outside the home system, the Garden of Flowers , in the Garden of Roots and the Garden of Second Leaves, only the Garden of Flowers colony survived. On the other two colonies, a total of 67 million citizens died under the attack of the Void Mother Beast - the elderly lost their children, Lovers lost their loved ones, and only one of their best friends survived. The pain of loss hit like a tsunami, causing the atmosphere of the entire planet to drop to freezing point.
The loss of two colonial stars and a quarter of the total population was a huge blow to the people of Midgard, who reproduced slowly and had a small population. Moreover, the resources of two galaxies were lost, which was a great blow to the resource supply for post-war reconstruction. It was also a huge blow. Faced with the sudden reduction in food supply and soaring prices, the central government in Zhongting had to start material control and unified on-demand supply. This forced many Zhongting people to cut back on food and clothing, and used their few resources and The food is used on the children.
However, these alone are not enough to defeat the Zhongting people.
Late at night, in the mountains northwest of the atrium, the nameless but more famous holy mountain than any other mountain, a man in a black coat stood on a cliff covered in ice. He looked down at the entire mountain range and the entire temple area from a height close to the top of the mountain. Even half of the central continent of the atrium.
The man's eyes swept across the crowd, and he could see that in the distant city, in the severe cold of minus 30 degrees, there were devout priests running in the snow, distributing food and clothing, and encouraging everyone to survive this difficult time. . He could see that in a corner of the city, in the brightly lit and warm interior of the government-established orphanage, hard-working employees were comforting every child who had lost their parents due to the war so that they could sleep peacefully.
He could also see that in the black government hall, many officials were solemnly discussing reconstruction plans. They spoke enthusiastically, without selfish motives, and tried their best to think about the future of civilization. This was unprecedented in the countless years since the birth of Atrium Civilization. Scenes that have occurred.
Because of the war, the people of Midgard lost a lot, but because of this, the entire civilization was so united for the first time. In the cold and lonely sea of stars, they finally understood that the only people they could rely on were each other.
The man looked at this scene. Pious people were praying to the gods, and capable people were helping others. In the distance, in a shelter town built for refugees from other galaxies, the priests who were originally superior to others took the lead in using their powerful psychic powers to carry out engineering work, performing low-level work that should have been left to ordinary people and machines - between classes. The barriers between people have been broken down. There has never been a moment when people have been so close.
Joshua looked at this and moved his gaze downwards into the distance. He saw that in the temple area at the foot of the Holy Mountain, Nostradamus was assisting experts from the Atrium Government to explain from another magical perspective. The principle of the jump engine and personally demonstrated how to use magic for short-distance teleportation. While being shocked and delighted, more than a dozen old experts with withered leaves also put forward many novel insights and spiritual knowledge, which made the old experts It was an eye-opener for the mage.
In the open space around the temple, Hotaru was playing with several children of the holy land worshipers in the open snow. In addition, she was also gesturing in the air, bragging proudly about her past killing of monsters. His achievements made the children in the courtyard who didn't know what Warcraft and Chaos Monsters were look like in admiration. But behind the silver-haired girl, Rin and Xiaoguang were cooperating, and light balls erupted out of nowhere. The water column then solidified into an icicle, and the black-haired boy carved it with his bare hands into the appearance of the monsters his sister bragged about. The lifelike and ferocious appearance scared the children and their parents who were laughing and watching the scene. Jump.
And not far from this empty snow field, at the foot of the Holy Mountain, two huge statues are being carved. Two huge rocks over a hundred meters high were taken from the mountainside of the Holy Mountain and were used by powerful psychics. The spiritual energy was cut and split from the mountain, and then placed here, and the most famous digital sculptors of Atrium Star worked together to carve them. After several days of continuous polishing, the two originally square and huge rocks had a rough shape. Among them, one can vaguely see a four-armed giant standing on top of the ferocious monster, with his arms crossed in front of his chest, standing with an ax in his left hand, and a giant sword in his other right hand. Point into the distance.
There were footsteps behind him, but Joshua did not turn around, but said casually: "It doesn't have to be like this, Milhabs, Tarquin."
Standing on the cliff, the warrior turned his back to the Supreme Consul of the Atrium and the Commander of the Central Fleet who were strolling over. The hem of his coat fluttered with the cold wind on the plateau. Joshua closed his eyes and no longer looked at the Holy Mountain. Looking at the statues and monuments being carved at his feet, he said calmly: "Your resources should be used in the most critical places, not what statues should be built for Nostradamus and I, or what shrines should be enshrined."
"My lord, the resources required for a statue and monument can be provided by an Omega psyker's rest time after lunch."
Standing behind Joshua, the middle-aged supreme governor bowed respectfully to pay tribute to the warrior, but in response to Joshua's words, he shook his head gently but firmly: "But the spiritual power it can provide , it is immeasurable for today’s Midgard people. We are a civilization that uses spiritual energy. Sometimes, spiritual encouragement is more powerful than material.”
"It's not important."
Still not looking back, Joshua opened his eyes and looked at the mountains in the distance. He said: "I remember, on the Forerunner, I said that I would not become your new god. I don't need those extraneous things." Honor, judging from the recent period, you are still continuing to promote this... Look, the temples of Nostradamus and I have been erected, right next to the temple of the sage. Your actions are really fast. , but what’s the benefit of this? You spent a week holding seminars just to revise doctrines and scriptures. It’s a waste of time.”
"Because we need a role model, my lord."
Regarding Joshua's obviously reproachful words, before Milhabs opened his mouth to explain, Tarquin next to him took a slight step forward and spoke. The old soldier in the atrium spoke slowly but quite quickly. Calm and powerful: "In order to fight against the evil that comes from the void, we must have an example."
To this answer, the warrior did not respond immediately, but after a brief thought, Milhabs followed Tarquin's words and said with a serious expression: "Maybe you can't understand, but today's Midgard people are in a state of In a dangerous situation... they began to fear the stars and the darkness behind the stars. Many people would rather stay in their hometowns and be ordinary people for the rest of their lives than go to the other side of the star sea to explore new planets... The disaster caused by life in the void Planting the seeds of fear into their hearts, if this is not changed, the people of Midgard will have no future.”
Joshua nodded silently. What Milhabs said was true. Nowadays, many people in the Middle Garden are indeed beginning to fear the universe and the unknown. They refuse to accept all actions related to exploration, distance and unknown. They just want to I want to stay on the small island called my hometown and refuse to sail in this boundless sea of stars. These Midgardians who have personally experienced the disasters caused by the Void Mother Beast, or whose relatives have died as a result, believe that whether it is the exploration of the mysterious void or the voyage in the star sea, it will lead to a catastrophic outcome. They even advocate closing down all Midgardians. With his spiritual power, he will never say no to the voice on the other side of the curtain.
And of course this is not possible. A race that has lost its desire to explore and its curiosity about mystery and unknowns will only gradually disappear in the long river of time and become nameless bones, whether it is Milhabs, Tarquin, or other Midgardians. All reject this negative view.
"So, we need your name, your story."
Together with his old friend, the Supreme Archon of the Atrium knelt down on one knee to the warrior with his back turned to him. He said in a sincere but firm tone: "Your temple is being built, your legend is being spread, and your statue will be Appear in the squares of every city, side by side with saints - the transformation of the Poseidon Fortress has been put on the agenda. It will become a huge monument suspended in a gravitational orbit, promoting your victory over the mother-in-law with Lord Nostradamus. The deeds of the beast, and the Great Red Spot of Poseidon will become a memorial area and be recorded in textbooks."
"... It doesn't have to be like this."
"It must be so, my lord."
In response to Joshua's repeated response, Milhabs shook his head and said: "This is not a project to please you, this is to prove that our enemies, those beings from the void, have appeared, destroyed, and wreaked havoc. We have been... and have been defeated. The value of these monuments and statues is not to show off victory, but to tell our people and future generations that we have defeated despair and defeated monsters from the void."
—So there is no need to be afraid of the darkness and the future.
Milhabs did not say the last part, but both the warrior and Tarquin knew what he meant. Joshua was silent for a while, then nodded, agreeing with the answer, and asked curiously: "From what you said, it seems that you are still preparing to make enemies of chaos - that is, void creatures?" He emphasized. The tone changed: "But as long as you don't use the Void Door Ceremony at will, they will not come to this world."
"Except for the desperate situation, we will not use the Void Door Ceremony again."
Milhabs shook his head. He turned his head and looked at the silent Tarquin. Then the commander of the central fleet said in a strange tone: "But you may not believe it, my lord, in the fleet Many people in the government and high levels of government received revelations in their dreams.”
The old man from Zhongting looked tired, but his momentum was inexplicably exciting. He looked up at the gray sky, which seemed to be within reach, with heavy snow falling, and whispered: "In the dream, there was a huge , the warm existence has inspired us in the Midgard, and even the civilization in the entire star sea... It says that evil has invaded, and in every corner of the galaxy there are enemies from the void peering into this sea of stars. We must defeat it. They take the lead and destroy all enemies before they grow up, otherwise we will never have peace!"
It's the Steel Python 'Star'. Joshua immediately understood that the self-immune system of the star world was activated, so the consciousness of this world appeared and announced the beginning of war to all its people. Through a kind of precognition, the warrior can even foresee fragments of the future: countless warships from different civilizations and races gather in the cantilever of the Milky Way, becoming a steel river shining among the stars, and then, they will move towards the swallowing The stars, an almost endless cluster of darkness, are sailing away. The war between the two will span countless galaxies and light years. Tens of millions of suns will be extinguished as a result, and hundreds of millions of lives are destined to be wiped out in this battle and become microscopic creatures in the universe. Invisible dust.
This scene is so grand and spectacular that it cannot end even after thousands of years. With the dark starry sky as the stage, countless stories and legends will be staged. Joshua doesn’t know who the final winner will be, but he is willing to Believe in the power of life.
"Mirhabs... I know that the people of Midgard have a splendid civilization that spans thousands of years, but what you have to face is that evil has existed since ancient times. Their birth even preceded the awakening of the wisdom of your ancestors."
Because of this, Joshua gave advice: "Your technology is not weak, and is even far better than the civilization I am in, but it is really lacking in top-level force... This is caused by the characteristics of civilization, but regardless of After all, you can’t deal with them quickly, at least heal your own wounds.”
"Your teachings are the principles for our actions."
Lowering their heads slightly to show respect, Milhabs and Tarquin then raised their heads together, and then said slowly in a slightly hesitant tone: "But, sir... when do you plan to leave?" After saying this As he spoke, Mirhabs paused, then lowered his head and continued: "It's not that we don't welcome you to stay in the atrium, but that your companion, Lord Nostradamus, has mentioned it several times, and you are with him in the courtyard. There are still unfinished missions on the other side of the void, and we dare not interfere with your mission, so we want to know the time of your departure so that we can prepare for the return ceremony."
But what Joshua said next made the two of them raise their heads in shock and stare at his back.
"immediately."
Joshua, who has not yet looked back, glanced at the two people who represented the highest secular power in the atrium, raised his head and stared at the thick clouds rolling in the wind. His eyes seemed to be able to penetrate the haze and reach somewhere inside the world. In the corner, the soldier said calmly: "There is no need for a return ceremony - in fact, I was supposed to leave seven days ago. The reason why I am still staying in this world is just to wait for a late response and reward."
"But now, it's here."
The next moment, before Milhabs and Tarquin could figure out what Joshua was talking about, a hazy silver light flashed at the foot of the Holy Mountain. The small light that was originally cooperating with Rin to carve the ice sculpture suddenly suddenly The whole body flashed with misty starlight, and all the people and things illuminated by this light seemed to have stopped time. The snowflakes solidified in the wind, and the frost stopped spreading. Then, it and Joshua disappeared into reality. world.
Inside the world, under the dome of the star sea, the warrior looked up at the steel python 'star' wrapped around the Milky Way. He shook his head helplessly and said: "You are late."
The window in my room was broken yesterday... The wind of minus 23 degrees poured into the house through the cracks, making typing a painful torture... It was already late at night to repair the window, so I can only update it now...
(End of chapter)