Colonial Suit

Dong...

A faint heartbeat... so weak, so tiny...

Yet it seemed to resonate throughout the entire world, in the hearts of everyone. As if by a miracle, with this heartbeat, the violet lightning storm outside the Second Divine Seat froze in unison, then rapidly contracted and dissipated. In the blink of an eye, it vanished without a trace. The city's shield was still surrounded by the deep sub-space, where was there even a shadow of the storm?

All the mercenaries looked at each other in dismay, hardly daring to believe what they had just seen.

They had all heard it, that weak heartbeat, like that of a newborn... but no one would associate that heartbeat with what was happening before their eyes. The retreat of the storm felt more like a dream.

The city's residents cautiously poked their heads out of their windows, carefully looking around. Soon, they saw sunlight.

The warm, gentle sunlight shone once more above the Second Divine Seat. The blue sky slowly rose, as if a new day had begun. They carefully stepped out of their homes, feeling the familiar warmth, and smiles appeared on their faces.

The heartbeat was gone too... as if that one beat had been just an illusion.

But the Speaker and the man in the ornate robe knew that it was no illusion. It was real...

It was the heartbeat of a newborn world.

In front of them, the man in the ornate robe's force field was still operating steadily, but the deep hole vortex was gone, replaced by a writhing mass of black mist. The black mist gradually thinned in the sunlight, revealing the Blood Pupil's hands and feet... vaguely, his curled-up figure.

The Speaker silently watched the Blood Pupil, his lips moving slightly, and after a long time, he groaned softly.

"So powerful..."

"Indeed..." The man in the ornate robe also sighed. "To actually influence reality immediately after completion. His world must be vast and complex. Young people these days are truly getting bolder and bolder. I miss our days. We must have been just as brave as him back then."

"Perhaps reckless," the Speaker said, his expression not improving much, "If you weren't here, he would have been finished."

"Who knows? I only helped him guide a little bit of the rules," the man in the ornate robe shrugged, seemingly unconcerned. "For an elite participating in the Alpha Maze, I think this bit of effort is well worth it."

"I still need to thank you," the Speaker insisted. In fact, he knew, of course, that the man in the ornate robe's so-called 'little bit of guidance' couldn't be taken literally. Even if the Blood Pupil had opened the passage between the positive and negative spaces himself, it would have been impossible to plunder such a massive amount of energy in such a short time. Without the man in the ornate robe's secret help, he wouldn't have been able to maintain his cognitive world, let alone complete it.

As the most powerful authority in the sub-space, the man in the ornate robe had the power and confidence to do so.

"Alright. Don't say such useless things," the man in the ornate robe didn't mind at all, as if what had happened before was just a trivial matter to him. "I came here this time because things are a bit restless over there, and I wanted to avoid the storm at your place. I didn't expect to encounter such a thing. It's quite a coincidence."

"Oh?" The Speaker was taken aback. "Over there... wasn't it agreed upon?"

"It's never that easy," the man in the ornate robe rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. "You know what those things are over there. Any random race can sweep through half the universe. They were created during the Great Chaos, and none of them are easy to talk to... Even if we signed an agreement with them, we're still just seen as thugs and slaves worth exploiting. You don't think they'll really accept us, do you?"

"What about the agreement?" The Speaker frowned. The agreement he was referring to was one that humanity had signed with a certain race in the Second World. The cost was not small, and the rewards were naturally important as well. In fact, the Second World was different from other lower-level worlds. The most basic requirement for survival there was to gain recognition. Civilizations that were not recognized could not survive in the Second World.

Humanity wanted to join this camp. There were too many things they had to pay. But since they had already paid, no one would choose to give up.

Even if it was just a non-public agreement, the Speaker didn't want it to become just a piece of paper.

"Let's wait and see..." Speaking of this, the smile on the man in the ornate robe's face disappeared, replaced by a hint of melancholy. "In fact, the reason things are restless over there isn't because of us, but because of some more important things. Have you heard? Alpha was active recently. So some civilizations in the Second World are speculating that the legendary event may be coming."

"Alpha, the legend?" The Speaker's eyes widened. "Are you talking about... the Great Destruction?"

"It's just a rumor. No one knows the truth," the man in the ornate robe muttered in dissatisfaction. "After all, no one has ever seen that legend with their own eyes, and no one has ever survived it. The universe has been running for so many years, nurturing so many civilizations. Suddenly you say it will disappear, who would believe it?"

As he said this, the man in the ornate robe looked nonchalant. But the Speaker didn't laugh, but looked seriously into his eyes. He said, word by word.

"At least, you believe it, and I believe it."

"The reason we're desperately trying to climb higher is to know more, acquire more, and then be safer at some point, isn't it? The Great Destruction is a legend, but since it can be passed down, it means there's some basis for it. That era of Great Chaos probably had the shadow of this thing behind it."

"Are you saying the Great Chaos was also related to the Great Destruction?"

"At the very least, it made the universe's resources highly concentrated, dividing it into seven levels of worlds, didn't it? If the Great Destruction really appears, then the civilizations at the top of this food chain, the civilizations that acquire the most resources, will naturally be the civilizations that are most qualified to survive. They all say the Great Chaos was Crodir's sin. But you and I both know that with Alpha around, even without Crodir, there would be other civilizations..."

"Crodir is just a scapegoat. And a man-made one."

The man in the ornate robe nodded, acknowledging the Speaker's words. After a while, he sighed. "I still can't catch a break... It seems I have to go back again. The little guy you recommended this time is good. I hope he can bring us more surprises. Not just the Alpha Maze, but something else..."

"I'm not Alpha, I'm not used to manipulating," the Speaker replied bluntly. "What's more, he might not even be our companion."

"It always takes time to verify... I have high hopes for him," the man in the ornate robe smiled, then waved to the Speaker.

The next moment, his figure blurred in the air and disappeared without a trace.

The Speaker stood in place and thought for a while, then turned and walked towards the Blood Pupil.

The black mist around the Blood Pupil had dissipated, revealing his curled-up figure. He seemed to be asleep, his expression peaceful...

Like a baby... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation...)