Endless Debt

What is life?

On the way forward, Sa Qin kept thinking about this question in his mind.

From a biological perspective, the so-called life is an organism with characteristics such as cell organization, metabolism, growth, development, inheritance, and reproduction.

Before the ether invaded the material world, such a theorem may have been an iron law, but the world now is completely different from the previous world. Now Sachin lives in a world transformed by the ether, and the definition of life is not limited to There are many mysterious and mysterious things in various biological discussions.

soul.

From a scholar's point of view, the so-called life is composed of body, mind and spirit, a trinity. Every condenser regards the soul as his own treasure, until one day, the original thing is unearthed, and the soulless person They were also born in this world. At this time, they realized that the soul was not the key to determining themselves.

So what is life?

Regarding this part of the debate, the scholars in Raymond Gayton were divided into several factions. Everyone often blushed, accused each other and roared at the top of their lungs.

Sa Qin didn't like such fierce arguments. He preferred to think quietly alone, but no matter how he thought, he could never find an accurate answer.

This makes me feel powerless and angry.

"Is the so-called life really created by the so-called God?" Sometimes Sa Qin couldn't help but wonder.

Sa Qin can copy embryonic cells one by one and create terrifying alchemy creatures, but he is the only one who cannot create humans or create another living intelligent individual.

Standing in the empty courtyard, the green light illuminates each incubation cabin. They are densely arranged like insect egg sheaths, and the transparent liquid is wrapped in curled-up figures.

From young babies to full adults, the incubation cabin has everything. After years of research on soulless people, Sa Qin has indeed achieved good results. These individuals in front of him are all soulless people, pure humans in the true sense.

They are pure indeed, but also full of flaws.

Scholars try to guide these soulless people, but their eyes are dull and they rarely respond to external stimuli, just like walking corpses.

These soulless people are indeed living individuals, but they seem to be missing something crucial, confused, mindless and without wisdom.

Since they have no souls, the alchemical matrix cannot be implanted in their bodies, making subsequent adjustments difficult.

Shaking off these disturbing thoughts, Saqin tried to focus on the present. Not far ahead, a man stood there quietly, looking down at the soulless people in the incubator, the scholars around him, and him. Maintaining a certain distance, his expression was full of respect.

Sa Qin walked over. He opened his mouth to call the man in front of him with that familiar title, but in the end, like other scholars, he saluted him and said respectfully, "Your Majesty."

The man turned around. He was wearing the same robes as other scholars, and he was thrown into the crowd. It was even difficult to distinguish him. For this reason, he put on an exquisite golden mask and had a laurel crown on his head.

He used to be called many things, but nowadays people usually call him by just that name.

King Solomon nodded gently, and then moved his eyes to the incubation cabin in front of him again. Through the transparent container, he could clearly see the baby soaked in the nutrient solution.

It is only about seven or eight months old. Its abdomen is still connected to the umbilical cord. Its eyes are closed and its body is curled up, like an insect in a cocoon, waiting to turn into a butterfly.

King Solomon's voice was cold and without any emotion, "You shouldn't have hidden this from me, Saqin."

Sa Qin didn't say a word, just lowered his head slightly. Susie on the side also looked embarrassed and grabbed Sa Qin's arm with both hands.

"You violated ethics regulations,"

Sa Qin took a deep breath, went over the words he had prepared in his mind, and said, "This is to explore the truth."

He was about to continue talking when he noticed the people around him and Saqin said again, "Everyone leaves first."

The scholars looked at each other and left without saying a word, even the awakened soulless ones.

"I'm just trying to find a way to create a real life, a living, soulless person with advanced intelligence, instead of this group of muddy lumps of flesh."

Sa Qin tried to suppress his emotions and said rationally, "I completely copied these embryos according to the template of the human body blueprint, but they seem to be missing something..."

"So you gave up cultivating embryos and used this natural birth method to create soulless beings?"

King Solomon sternly interrupted Sachin.

Sa Qin was stunned on the spot, while Susie turned her head away, not daring to look at King Solomon.

"Saqin, I am not angry because you violated the ethical regulations," King Solomon said again. "The so-called ethical regulations are only to restrict those mediocre people. For us, in order to explore the boundaries of truth, we commit Are there not enough forbidden crimes?"

King Solomon's voice dropped. "What makes me angry is that you actually tried to deceive me."

Sa Qin was silent for a while, and then said, "Over the years, I have tried many methods, but there has been no progress. I once began to doubt that maybe my attempts were not wrong, and these are the correct answers."

That's a terrible idea.

"Perhaps, pure human beings are what we see in front of us. They are confused, mindless, and no different from ordinary beasts. It is the involvement of ether that transforms our bodies and brains, thus giving us wisdom. What separates us from the beasts.”

King Solomon still looked at him without saying a word. Sa Qin did not dare to look at him, and the image of King Solomon once appeared in his mind.

Sa Qin could hardly remember how his junior brother became what he looked like in front of him. It might have been the day he put on this mask and called himself King Solomon.

It was as if he had changed into a different person, becoming completely different and strange. Maybe this was Hill's original appearance. It was just that for so many years, he had hidden his ambition so well that no one noticed it.

"After repeated trial and error, we made some irrational attempts, just like a foolish worship ritual. Since we couldn't understand the flaws of the technology, we tried again using the now mature route."

Susie's voice paused and continued, "We no longer use embryos for cultivation, but natural pregnancy and childbirth..."

"I need the truth, Suzy."

King Solomon's invisible gaze cut into Susie's body like a knife.

"I...I want a child of my own, that's all."

Susie has never been good at lying. Faced with the pressure of King Solomon, she forgot the words Saqin taught her and confessed, "He was determined to be a dead baby before he was born. I just want him to live." come over."

At this point, the corners of Susie's eyes turned red, and she grasped Sa Qin's arm tightly. No matter how much Susie missed her little junior brother, just like what was happening in front of her, everything was different from the past.

This time King Solomon did not say any more words of rebuke. After a long time, a faint sigh came from under the mask, and he turned his head to look at the hatching cabin aside.

"Does he have a name?"

"Not yet," Sa Qin shook his head, "but I plan to use the name on the starting scroll."

King Solomon asked a series of questions, "If you succeed, how do you plan to treat him? Connected by blood? Or a scholar and his experiment?"

"I haven't thought about this. After all, this has not been successful yet, and I don't have the energy to think about unnecessary things."

Sa Qin walked to the incubator and whispered, "I still don't understand, what is missing here?"

"You should talk to me about this." King Solomon's tone softened.

"With you?" Sa Qin smiled, "Do you remember the last time we met? It was a few years ago. You have been hiding in the Golden Palace for too long, and I don't have time to wait for you. .”

A strange silence enveloped the three of them. After a long time, King Solomon put aside those disturbing emotions and asked from an absolutely rational perspective.

"Do you understand the purpose of the Soulless?"

At this point, Sa Qin couldn't help but put away his emotions and answered with the same rationality, "According to the content we deciphered from the starting scroll, as pure human soulless people, although they cannot implant the alchemical matrix, , but a perfect vehicle...a perfect vehicle for the devil.”

"Do you think the devil will notice what's going on here?" King Solomon asked again.

"I...I don't know."

Sa Qin shook his head, "They are so weird, omnipotent and limited at the same time."

King Solomon nodded gently, and suddenly he came close to Saqin, and the two people's faces were infinitely close, until only each other's eyes remained in each other's sight.

Behind the mask, Sachin saw infinitely bright starlight.

"Very good, senior brother."

Suddenly, King Solomon's tone softened, he changed his title, and then took off his mask in front of Sa Qin.

At this moment, Sa Qin's heart was inexplicably suspended. He had not seen the true face of King Solomon for a long time, and he even suspected that the body under the mask had long been distorted into some unknown existence.

Fortunately, what was revealed behind the mask was still a familiar face, but compared to the youthful appearance in his memory, he was undoubtedly a lot more tired and weathered now.

"I'm worried about you. I'm worried that you are too stubborn and that the devil will take advantage of you."

King Solomon, or... Hill, while expressing his worries, he opened the incubator and took the baby out of the nutrient solution.

"I have always felt that there is a mysterious and mysterious link in the birth of life. Just like when an engine burns, it needs a little spark to ignite the fuel. Artificial life also needs this spark."

Hill held the baby to her chest, "and the devil is very good at providing that spark."

"I have always been wary of the devil." When it came to the devil, Saqin's attitude became tougher.

"very good."

Hill held the baby and rocked it gently. He could feel the body temperature coming from the baby, and could also detect his breathing and heartbeat, but he just couldn't really wake up.

He was originally a dead infant, and his golden soul had long since dispersed, but Saqin did not give up. Since the balance of the trinity of body, mind, and spirit had collapsed, he transformed into a soulless person through a series of techniques and tried to empower Its new life.

Hill suddenly said, "Maybe I can wake him up."

Sa Qin was stunned for a moment, then looked at him in disbelief, "Are you sure?"

Hill asked back, "Aren't you curious about what I have been studying in the Golden Palace?"

"It's time to show you."

As Hill spoke, he snapped his fingers, and the supreme power belonging to King Solomon was released. Raymond Gayton responded. The space where the three of them were was distorted, fell into darkness, and then dispersed again.

When everything became clear, they had left the soulless person's cultivation room and arrived in a blue and quiet space.

Sa Qin was in a trance for a moment. After a few seconds, he realized that this was the place where Hill was crowned King Solomon, but this place had changed too much from what he remembered, especially in this high-concentration ether environment. …

"The etheric realm?" Sa Qin asked doubtfully.

"Well, I turned this place into the overlapping point of the material world and the etheric world, so as to obtain a steady stream of ether to provide energy for my research."

Solomon held the baby and walked to one side. At the same time, he did not forget to tell him, "Don't go inside. If you continue to move forward, you will have completely entered the etheric realm. You are aware of the dangers inside."

Sa Qin looked up at the array of artificial stars. The day-like ball of light was at the core. Looking at the end of this blue and quiet place, Sa Qin couldn't help but shudder.

"You can get a steady stream of ether here, but what about the devils? Aren't you afraid of them using this to invade?"

In response to Sa Qin's question, Hill just smiled and did not answer. Susie pulled LS Qin's arm and motioned for him to follow Hill.

After becoming an overlapping point, the space here has been completely distorted and changed. In the unfamiliar place, Saqin could only follow behind Hill. With his guidance, Saqin and Susie once again set foot on the upward stairs. The array of stars also became clearer, as if he was approaching them.

It was also at this moment that Saqin noticed the stone slab standing under the star.

The material of the stone slab itself is not special, it is just an ordinary rock. After years of torture, its surface is covered with fine cracks, and its edges and corners have been polished smooth, leaving behind layers of textures that have changed over time.

Even without any professional knowledge, when ordinary people see this stone slab, they will clearly realize its age.

Sa Qin took a few steps forward quickly, feeling a little excited, and gently touched the smooth surface of the stone slab, feeling a slight coolness coming from the palm of his hand.

There is nothing special about this slate, but if there is anything worth noting, it is that a series of complex patterns are carved on the slate. It has experienced a long time together with the slate, and the bright colors on it have long faded, but the blurred lines It can still reveal strong emotions, as if it is telling a great epic that has long been forgotten.

"Start picture scroll."

Sachin murmured, immersed in an inexplicable emotion. After a long time, he turned his head and looked at Hill, "Did you put it here as a souvenir?"

"Pretty much," Hill said. "After all, that's how I became King Solomon, wasn't it?"

Sa Qin chuckled twice and said nothing more.

Hill is indeed a genius. After discovering the original thing, he was keenly aware of the existence of the etheric world. In the days that followed, he actually broke the barriers of the material world, successfully penetrated into the etheric world, and from I brought back this stone slab called the Starting Scroll.

Such achievements alone are not enough for Hill to wear the sacred crown. What really determines all this is the message Hill deciphered from the stone tablet.

That is a secret buried deep in their minds that must not be revealed, and it is also the truth that reveals everything in the world.

"Saqin, after reading the secret on the starting scroll, I have been thinking about one thing, how can we get rid of this damn reincarnation." Hill also came over, holding the baby in one hand and stroking it with the other. The cold slate said, "Good news, I thought of it and succeeded. Well...it's not a complete success. It still has one final step left."

Sachin felt infinitely uneasy in Hill's words, and he asked, "What have you done?"

"Since this world is the hunting ground of devils, and they are endlessly harvesting our souls, then as long as we open up a new world and leave this hunting ground, can't we get rid of them?"

Hill ignored Sa Qin and continued to talk to himself.

"I have done it. I have invested countless souls towards the boundary of the etheric realm, the real nothingness, and one of them has found a brand new world."

Hill's voice gradually became stubborn and tough.

"New World."

Sa Qin's eyes were a little dazed, and Hill's words were a bit too impactful for him.

A brand new...new world?

Sa Qin felt that something was wrong, and soon he thought, "Won't the devil follow us? Then we can find a new hunting ground."

This move will undoubtedly bring disaster to another world.

"This is the most perfect plan I can imagine, Sachin."

Hill became indifferent, as if putting on a mask again, and he continued, "Now, the soul with the coordinates needs a container, a carrier that can perfectly carry it."

He looked down at the baby in his arms, and Hill said, "Regaining the balance of body, mind, and spirit may allow him to survive."

Sa Qin stared at Hill blankly. For a moment, he didn't know what to say, let alone what to do. At this moment, Susie on the side asked him questions.

"Then after he comes back to life...who will he be? Is it the soul, or a newborn existence?"

"Human beings do not have souls," Hill said. "To us, souls are more like a special and precious product of ether that distorts us. That's why the devil is so obsessed with it."

"In other words, it is not the spirit that really dominates us, but the heart."

Hill reached out and touched his chest, and then put his fingers on the baby's heart. "Consciousness, personality, and self, in my opinion, are more like things that are slowly formed based on the sum of a person's experiences. The soul will record all of this... The soul now carries the records of another world, and when they are put together, there may be a spark that awakens the 'heart' and makes him come alive."

"What's your decision?"

Facing Hill's inquiry, Sachin didn't know how to respond. This series of conversations completely disrupted his expected words. At the same time, a strong sense of uneasiness aroused in his heart until it emerged.

"Isn't this too much of a coincidence? Hill," Sa Qin stared at him closely, his eyes repeatedly wandering between Hill's face and the baby in his arms, "You disappeared for so long, and now you suddenly appeared and said these words to me. "

Hill shook his head indifferently, "I can definitely use other soulless ones."

A burst of ridiculous laughter sounded from the side, but only Hill could hear this laughter. Likewise, the devil, which only Hill could see, walked slowly, holding his cane, just like when Hill saw him for the first time. That way, maintaining an elegant posture.

"You are really suitable to be a devil, Hill," the devil praised him. "You lie constantly and keep your face straight."

Hill ignored him, as if he couldn't see him, and the devil was not angry. He just lowered his head, gently stroked the baby's forehead, and whispered.

"The perfect vessel, the vessel to escape the prison."

"No... no, it can't be like this," Sa Qin suddenly shook his head and cursed angrily, "Hill, you bastard, you are the one who violates ethical regulations and is extremely cold-blooded!"

Hill didn't refute, just looked at Susie, "I can bring him back to life, do you want to try?"

Susie didn't respond. She let go of Sa Qin's hand for the first time and walked towards Hill. She opened her arms, but Hill didn't resist and put the baby back into Susie's arms.

"Does he have a name?"

Hill asked. He had been immersed in his research for too long. Not only did he not attend Saqin's wedding, he also never witnessed the birth of the baby.

"Yes, it's a special name, just like Wolfgang Gold," Susie hugged him and rocked him gently, humming from time to time.

Susie couldn't help laughing as she said, "The name was chosen by me. It was a line of words typed out randomly on the typewriter. The surname came from the name deciphered on the initial picture scroll."

Hill guessed the name immediately, "The first person to rise from the dead?"

Suzy smiled and nodded, then her smile froze and broke.

Roaring ether reactions burst out from one side of the space, and then the space burst and the cracks in the winding path bloomed one by one. A pure white, bloated, maggot-like monster got in along the cracks in the winding path, and the terrifying aura suddenly rose and spread. .

Its face had no facial features, only a mouthpart that struggled to open. Its throat was filled with circles of sharp-edged teeth, and it made a series of piercing screams. As most of its body got into it, a An equally pale arm also poked out from behind the crack in the winding path.

Countless palms pressed the edge of the winding crack, tearing it apart and expanding it, revealing more parts of the body. Countless wailing figures were seen hanging on the surface of the maggot's body, as if they were growing with it. They stood together, their limbs twisting randomly.

Power that was extremely noisy and vaguely beyond glory erupted from this monster, and the crazy air flow ruthlessly beat everything in its path.

Susie screamed and rolled to the ground holding the baby. Sa Qin rushed over and barely protected her.

For a moment, it seemed as if the end was approaching. Everything in the field of vision collapsed, except for the stone slab that was still standing and Hill, who was facing the monster.

"Mammon?"

Hill heard the exclamation of the devil beside him, and it was through him that Hill judged the identity of the person who came.

The evil in this world is swallowing the throat of the abyss.