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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 409:
"Edgar? Do you know him?" Freya asked, slightly taken aback.
"Of course, I remember we traded once three hundred years ago," Dolores replied with a smile. "That guy is a merchant, and his biggest interest is to open a shop in the known world, selling some rare items. Basically, every now and then, someone wants to find him through various means; it seems you are one of them."
"Is that so?" Freya nodded in understanding, falling into deep thought.
Through this brief exchange, she had vaguely guessed something significant.
This place existed in the World Root, called Sunrise Tavern, which seemed to be a defensive outpost similar to a war front.
The people in this tavern appeared to be entities akin to World Guardians.
And as for Dolores, it seemed that any World Guardian should know about this place due to World Heritage.
However, up until now, she seemed to have no idea what World Heritage was. She had reached this point solely through her own gradual exploration.
"Speaking of which, it seems I have really overlooked something," Freya furrowed her brow.
She recalled all the worlds she had experienced, and their levels of activity seemed much stronger than that of the Wizarding World.
Whether it was Hell World or Abyss World, the creatures governed by World Rule were excessively numerous; even the lowest-tier Abyss World had an Abyss Lord to protect it.
"And so far, it seems I am the only one in the Wizarding World. Why is that?" Freya's mind was filled with confusion.
She was certain that the Wizarding World could not be entirely classified as either a Higher World or a Lower World.
"If the World Guardians are manifestations of World Rule, does that mean the rules of the Wizarding World are incomplete?" A sudden thought popped into Freya's mind.
If this is true, then it's not good news.
A world without rules is a serious flaw in itself, and it could lead to the collapse of the world if one is not careful.
Thinking of this, Freya's expression darkened.
Even though she could abandon her identity as a World Guardian for her beliefs, she did not wish for the Wizarding World to suddenly collapse.
However, since Dolores and Edgar belonged to the same level of existence, their understanding of the world was certainly more profound than hers, who was a newcomer.
Of course, all these questions depended on whether her own assumptions were correct.
After a pause, Freya raised her head to look at Dolores and said seriously, "Mr. Dolores, I would like to ask you a question."
"Please," Dolores replied casually.
"I want to know what exactly World Heritage is and what the relationship is between World Guardian and World Heritage."
"The issue of World Heritage is quite complex; it relates to the origins of each world, so I cannot elaborate much on that," Dolores pondered for a moment before continuing. "However, I can explain the relationship between World Heritage and World Guardian. The relationship between the two is somewhat like that of a mother and child. World Heritage gives birth to World Rule, and the direction of its inheritance represents the trajectory of the world. The World Guardian embodies World Rule; it exists to manage and maintain World Rule for its stable development."
This answer largely aligned with what Freya had in mind, so she continued to ask, "Then why is it that I am unclear about my World Heritage's guardian?"
"There are many reasons for this. It could be because your world is still in its nascent stage; its world consciousness is still quite immature and lacks the power of inheritance. It could also be that the world consciousness is in slumber. Of course, this situation is much more complicated since there are many reasons for slumbering, and there is a certain probability that some World Guardians may miss out on inheritance."
Dolores looked Freya up and down and stroked his chin. "From your appearance, it doesn't seem like you're in the first category; you might be an exceptional case of missing out. However, World Heritage can also be known through other World Guardians; it's just a bit more troublesome."
Hearing Dolores's explanation reminded Freya of her previous speculation, and her expression turned slightly grim.
"So, if I am the only World Guardian I know of in my world so far?"
"Hmm? You're the only World Guardian?" Dolores paused for a moment, then became serious. "That can't be right. Although World Guardians belong to individual wills, there should be subtle sensations and connections among them. Could it be that your World Rule is lacking, causing the world's consciousness to sleep and preventing it from being passed on?"
"I think that might be the case," Freya said darkly.
"Every world and civilization connected to the World Root is incredibly valuable to us. Since you are able to come here, it means your world is also recognized as an existence by the World Root." After a moment of contemplation, Dolores continued, "I consider myself a half-guide of the World Root. If you trust me, follow me; the answer may lie ahead."
Since awakening in this Rising Sun Inn, Freya had not felt any hostility. She thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright, then I'll trouble you."
"Mm." Dolores waved her hand and turned to say, "Let's go."
Freya stood up and closely followed behind her.
They navigated through the tables and chairs of the tavern until they reached a wooden door at the back of the bar.
Without any visible action from Dolores, the wooden door swung open to reveal a narrow path made of silver-gray metal.
On either side of the path was a pitch-black space, flickering with dense bright silver light, resembling a starry sky.
Freya followed Dolores, her curious gaze sweeping around. For the first time, her mental sensing seemed to fail; aside from feeling the technologically advanced surface beneath her feet, everything else was a void.
It was as if she were in a boundless universe.
Sensing Freya's confusion, Dolores explained ahead.
"This is the Starry Bridge. Beyond the bridge lies 'Infinity.' If you don't fly out with your heart, it will be very, very troublesome to come back."
Freya remained silent, merely nodding.
It seemed that the existence of the World Root was not as described in the materials she had previously seen.
From Dolores's description, she vaguely felt that the World Root resembled a vast organization that extended into countless worlds.
'Incredible,' she murmured to herself.
The two walked along the path known as the Starry Bridge for about two hours when a wooden door appeared in their line of sight on the silver road ahead.
The door opened automatically, and they entered one after the other.
Behind the door was a massive starry sky, like an inverted bowl, with a mirror-like surface beneath their feet.
Freya stared blankly at this space; she could even feel a gentle night breeze brushing against her cheek.
With each step she took, ripples spread across the ground, extending endlessly as if there were no end in sight.
After walking for another ten minutes, Dolores turned back and said, "You wait here for a moment."
"Okay," Freya nodded and stood still.
Seeing Freya's demeanor, Dolores smiled slightly and turned to look at the starry sky above. At that moment, his dark eyes returned to their peculiar state of one blue and one red.
Within his mismatched pupils, two spinning hourglasses slowly appeared.
Standing behind him, Freya seemed to sense something and lifted her head.
Suddenly, a thread of silver light brightened in the originally silent starry sky. These silver lights intertwined like strands of silk, and before long, they formed a massive translucent tentacle floating in the air.
The tentacle twisted as if it had its own consciousness and then descended towards Dolores.
The tip of the tentacle trembled slightly, and an aged face emerged.
The face looked at Dolores and forced a grim smile.
"Hi, Dolores, long time no see. What made you think of contacting me? Didn't you retire over a thousand years ago? Can't stand the loneliness and want to come back? Selena has been waiting for you."
"Cut the nonsense, Alecto," Dolores said expressionlessly. "I'm here to ask you to investigate something regarding a world with significant potential that might be at risk of falling. It's a world that even the World Root has overlooked."
"Oh? That sounds serious. What about the time-space Coordinate?"
Upon hearing his question, Dolores slightly turned to reveal Freya's figure.
"This is the guardian of that world."
The enormous tentacle behind the face shifted slightly, revealing Freya, and the face showed a look of confusion.
"A newly appointed World Guardian. Seems like you're missing something. Let me take a look; relax, I won't harm you."
Under Alecto's gaze, Freya felt an indescribable sensation, as if her body had turned transparent.
Even her Royal Serpent Bloodline began to boil, uncontrollably wanting to transform into another form.
"I didn't detect any World Heritage, just a small amount of rain and life rules, with souls carrying special Time Attributes—this represents order. This represents neutrality."
The face murmured incomprehensible words, while the translucent tentacles behind it slowly undulated.
Silver points of light were shed, forming a massive planetary shape.
It seemed to be searching for something through Freya's body.
These translucent planets, known as Phantoms, flickered rapidly, and soon a light blue planet suddenly came to a halt.
The planet emitted a faint gray-black halo around it, and besides the blue representing the ocean, there was also a soil-like yellow for land. However, there were many fine black areas, as if something was shrouding them.
When Freya saw this planet, a strange sensation connected to her; it was the amplification of her power by the World Power.
"I think I've found it. Is this it, buddy?" Alecto asked in confusion.
"Yes," Freya nodded. "This is my world."
"Oh, that's good."
Once Freya confirmed it, the planet representing the Wizarding World slowly enlarged before the two of them.
The tentacles brought Alecto's face closer to the planet, and strands of silver light quickly flowed in his eyes.
"The World Barrier has been severely damaged, the world's will has fallen into slumber, and the rules are missing. It seems this used to be a Higher World; otherwise, such damage would have turned a Lower World into an 'infinite' source of nourishment. The injury to the world's will has also caused its guardians of World Heritage to fall into slumber. Oh? In such a catastrophic situation, it's surprising that this world's civilization has developed to this extent. It seems that the guardianship of this civilization has prevented further deterioration of the world. Such occurrences are rare in most worlds; it appears we have been negligent."
Listening to Alecto's continuous analysis, Dolores directly spoke up.
"What about remotely repairing a former Higher World?"
"Not possible," Alecto shook his head. "This world is very fragile right now; our power is too overwhelming. If we were to repair it, we could only do so gently in conjunction with the world's will. Otherwise, you wouldn't want to see it destroyed prematurely. Moreover, I see that this world's level of civilization has developed quite well; they have even reached a point where they can plunder resources from other Lower Worlds. It seems that in some time, they might be similar to Claredo World."
"That powerful civilization that used technology to transform the entire world?" Upon hearing the name of this world, Dolores raised an eyebrow. "That civilization is just an exception, and reaching that level basically eliminates the emergence of World Guardians. For us, aside from creating cannon fodder to fend off low-level Void Creatures, its potential is quite limited. I still think a naturally developed world is better. Are there any other methods?"
"If you don't want to spend a long time on repairs, then we can only capture a high-level Void Creature, decompose it, and use it for rule completion. From the traces of damage on this World Barrier, it seems to be the result of a Void invasion, possibly related to our last battle. However, I believe that even though this world has great potential, relying on a single high-level Void Creature is still too much unless you can provide some kind of guarantee, or if that guy behind you is willing to offer something."
"A guarantee?" Dolores shook her head. "I've already retired. You know I'm just a tavern owner now, so there's only..."
She turned to look at Freya.
Freya understood what she meant.
"So what do you need to offer?"
"Actually, it's nothing much—just a job contract," Alecto said with a hint of a smile on his aged face. "The World Root needs new World Guardians like you to collapse the 'infinite' order, and within that lies things beyond your imagination, including the 'truth' of the world's origin." (To be continued.)
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