I really only stop

[When all systems have reached their peak and there is no further progress, what are you going to do next? 】

"...I thought you were going to say something."

C'Suen's originally tense spirit relaxed:

"Development is endless. When one school reaches its apex, another will follow. At least in the foreseeable future, the fire of civilization will never be cut off - I was not asking you about the so-called intellectual The end? How does that relate to what we're discussing now?"

[Of course, Prophet.You have to understand that development also has an end. 】

"Of course I know that if there is no end to development, isn't everything we are doing now just solving a problem that has no answer? However, reaching the end of development will inevitably take a time that is almost equal to [infinity]. From a perspective, development is never-ending.”

[Very sensible judgment.For you, development is truly 'never-ending'.It's just that you are destined not to reach that point, because the solidification point of the substance 'intellect' is much lower than the solidification point of the concept 'development'. 】

"……What's the meaning?"

【What you just said is quite right. Based on the decades of observations that have come to you, I have come to almost the same conclusion as you - you are constantly improving civilization to feed back to yourself.But then, your conclusions diverge from mine. 】

Meteor calmly narrated:

【You think that your end is the end of your development. This is an immeasurable goal, and there is no problem calling it 'forever'.It's just that this is a wrong view, the end of intelligence has long been doomed - that is the 'limit of the brain's pleasure'. 】

【With the continuous advancement of civilization, you have successfully made your life more comfortable.Development may have no limits, but your intellect does. 】

[For the sake of understanding, let’s take a metaphor of a connector with different heights on both sides.The side that symbolizes "development" is [-] meters high, while the side that symbolizes "you" is only tens of centimeters high.When you add water to this container at the beginning, the water level on both sides will naturally rise at the same time. This is also the stage of what you call 'development and improvement of life'. 】

[However, if you continue to add water, the short tube that symbolizes 'you' will reach its end.Although there is still a long way to go on the 'development' side, you have stopped here forever and become a part of the ultimate ending of the world. 】

[Don't rush to refute, Prophet.The 'bliss' I just referred to is not a fleeting bliss achieved by potions or alchemical techniques.Even you know that this pleasure is illusory and useless.However, as you said, the development of technology will bring about an increase in happiness, and one day in the future, even if you don't have to do anything, the highly evolved social environment will be enough to provide anyone with a 'bliss' beyond imagination, so , Will the so-called eternally developing intelligence you are proud of change? 】

[The answer is as simple as that. When civilization progresses to a special point and your brain can no longer bear more pleasure, the condensation point will follow. It will no longer change. 】

[Yes, the ending that belongs to you is a static individual.Intellect may still exist in your brains, but it has already been filled with the simplest joys under the technology developed by you—by then, you will be no different from the stones on the side of the road. 】

[Let’s take a look again now, Prophet.There is no existence trying to destroy you, you are simply going silent. 】

[The difference between intelligence and everything in the world doesn't seem to be that big, right? 】

Chapter - 8 Blindness of 3/50 (plus)

"..."

After barely reading the crazy theory on the terminal, Oedipus' legs gave way and he fell directly to the corner of the cage.

All things will eventually go to silence?Intellect is no exception, and the condensation point is 'the greatest pleasure that the brain can feel'?

The biggest purpose of the development of civilization is to make life better. If it continues to develop, civilization has reached the limit of the joy that life can feel, and intelligence will come to an end and will not change?

Then why do we need to develop civilization?Is this also the process of [intellect] going to silence spontaneously like all things?

"—Boom!"

After punching the cage hard to wake himself up, Oedipus gritted his teeth and asked the terminal:

"... What about the people at that time? I don't believe they would easily believe in such a nihilistic conclusion. No matter when, it is the instinct of intelligence to be down-to-earth."

[The anomaly began after the record of the action code root was disclosed by a third party. 】

After retrieving my own information, the terminal replied:

[A disease called 'Bliss' suddenly appeared in all intellectual races.The pathogenesis is unknown, and the affected population is randomly unrelated to each other. The specific symptoms are just like the "intellectual coagulation point" described by the meteor outside the sky. The patient falls into immeasurable joy. There is nothing else outside.Not dead, but never changing again. 】

...This is the true face of disaster.

Sighing faintly, Oedipus understood clearly.

Doubts about the meaning of intellectual emptiness, and the crisis of "Bliss" in reality.The combination of the two is indeed enough to become the fuse to end the glory of the glorious era.

In order to save themselves, and to prove their own significance, people ten thousand years ago chose to implement [Operation Code Addition], trying to shoot down the celestial body that brought all these disasters with an annihilation cannon.

... no, wait.

Oedipus was taken aback suddenly.

According to the records left by this terminal, as of the time it was sent into the refuge space to start the experiment, the unimaginable annihilation cannon still had no sign of completion.

However, since the monkey next to me was not taken back to this world within 30 days specified in the experiment schedule, it means that the civilization of ten thousand years ago was destroyed within 30 days after it was sent into the refuge space, right?

Now that it has been destroyed, it is impossible to continue building.

In other words, the annihilation cannon of [Operation Code Addition] was aborted before it was completed, and the disaster star code-named Nan 256 is still hanging in the sky? !

A creepy feeling climbed up Oedipus's back in an instant, and he tightly grasped the chip in his hand:

"You just said that you have astrology functions? Can you identify whether the 'South 256' still exists?"

[Of course, Mr. Oedipus. 】

Chip flashes:

[To perform this function, you must first reach a position where you can look directly at the sky and have a wide field of vision. 】

"Wait, I'm leaving now."

With this in mind, Oedipus immediately stood up from the cage, and quickly drew a pattern symbolizing power with his right hand.

[Fayin·Strength Enhancement].

The simple name brought an extremely terrifying buff. Oedipus grabbed the metal mesh in front of him with one hand, and Oedipus just pulled it lightly, and a big hole was easily torn open in this cage that was only built to imprison experimental animals. .

"..."

Facing the exit and stopping for a moment, Oedipus suddenly summoned a flame with one hand, turned around and threw it at the experimental animal trapped here to death in the corner of the cage.

... As a prisoner in a cage from which escape is impossible, this is the last thing I can do for you.

Watching the monkey's corpse gradually turn into ashes through the mask, Oedipus stepped out of the cage without hesitation.

My current position is at the bottom of a deep pit known as the [Pit of Heaven's Punishment], and above my head is a sea of ​​trees that is so dense that it is chilling.If you want the chip to start stargazing, you have to move it to the ground first.

While thinking this way, Oedipus moved towards the edge of the pit.

However, before he took a few steps, the chip tightly held in his hand suddenly became hot:

[External signal is detected and data is received. 】

[Terminal holder: Dr. Flin, first-level researcher authority.On the premise that there is no answer for ten thousand years, it is allowed to receive higher-level confidential data, and the action code-fire summary has been entered into the database. 】

[Reminder, received action code Addition, command level, the highest level. 】

[Execute the self-deletion procedure. 】

"--What did you say?!"

Although a little confused by this series of inexplicable terms, Oedipus understood Chip's last sentence:

"Stop! Stop it! Don't delete that stuff!"

[Sorry, you do not have permission to suspend this command, the data requested by Operation Code Addition has been completely cleared. 】

"!"

Quickly opened the storage space of the chip, and Oedipus was in a daze for a while.

Disappeared.

Most of the news coverage from the past century is still there, but the closer we get to the end, the more news is missing.And the reports that directly mentioned words such as "disaster" and "bliss" that I just read were cleared without exception.

After tens of thousands of years, an invisible ghost still lingers on this land, persistently trying to erase any truth about [disaster].

"Then... can you still find the stars in South 256?"

[Searching... No records related to the keyword 'South 256' were found, please confirm and try again. 】

—It's all over.

Oedipus raised his hand to throw the chip away, but froze in place the moment he was about to let go.

That being said, there are still a great many unresolved questions.

Does disaster still exist in this sky?

Why can our civilization survive the disaster unharmed and continue to this day?

Named [Operation Code Addition], it was supposed to be a counterattack to build an annihilation cannon. Why did you delete the data in the terminal?

Who and why concealed the truth from thousands of years ago?

Will that terrifying anomaly called 'Bliss' return to the earth?

Why did the elves become like this ten thousand years later, who is the mother, and what is her purpose——

——It doesn't matter anymore.

Allowing his body to fall to the ground along with gravity, Oedipus looked at the sky above which was completely covered by the sea of ​​trees in front of him.

so dark.

According to the estimated time, it should still be daytime.Even with the cover of the sea of ​​trees, the surroundings should not be so dark.

What the hell is black?

wrong.

What exactly is light?

Covering his eyes with his hands, Oedipus was weary and surprised to find that in his subjective feeling, the world hadn't changed at all.

Not blind, if he didn't cover his eyes, he could see everything around him clearly.

What really went wrong was inside him.

From the very beginning, there was no trace of color on the bond named "Oedipus".

And a person whose eyes are pitch black cannot recognize other colors.

Chapter - 9 Encounters of 3/50 (plus)

Walking to the nearest small town in a daze, Oedipus did not enter the town, but sat down on a nearby stone at random.

Part of the chip hanging around the neck is still functioning normally.The signal from [Operation Code Addition] only deleted all the information about the disaster, and did not affect other basic functions.

However, these are meaningless to Oedipus now.

After nearly half a year of non-stop searching and verification, when I was finally able to take a step closer to the [truth], a certain invisible hand suddenly struck and easily destroyed everything I had worked hard for.

Thinking about it carefully, not only this time, I seem to have never [win] in my life.

Memories of being ostracized by everyone when he was a child, memories of his mother "Eve" destroying his homeland, memories of living in fear and disguise after being sent to the holy land of elves... These past events drilled into Oedipus's mind at this moment, constantly Weaving, circling, and finally freezing on a smile——

"Oedipus, did you bring joy to others today?"

——It was a smile that was supposed to be as innocent as a baby, but it was creepy.

The plan that Oedipus puts into practice with all his time and energy is not as good as a fool's trick in the eyes of the 'mother'.

Therefore, she didn't even get angry with him.

Facing his desperate decision to be ready for death, she just brushed it off in a joking manner, and gently accommodated him in that 'mother' tone.

This kind of contempt, which is not contempt, is more terrible than any severe punishment. It completely made Oedipus see the reality of his own powerlessness, and extinguished his hope of finding light from the root.

...Yes, I have a deep understanding.

From the moment I was born, the world in front of me has been permanently fixed in black.

There was no color, no light, not even phantoms.

He covered his eyes with his hand, and took it away after a while.Looking at the blue sky above his head, Oedipus just sighed in a daze:

"It's so dark..."

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the monkey who was trapped and died in the cage just now.

Although the so-called 'refuge space' was surrounded by white mist, from the perspective of the monkey before it died, it should also be surrounded by darkness.

So what do you see when you die?

Is it still 【Black】?Then it would be the same as it is now.

Yes, since there is no difference, why should I be afraid of death?