Chapter 546 - 502: The Old Gods Will Eventually Fall.
A violent, tangible tremor emanated from the planet’s core. It caused some of the dilapidated statues and skeletal remains in the Ten Thousand People Square to crumble, sending a deafening roar across the silent, dead world. The sound kicked up clouds of accumulated dust that lingered in the air.
’What is this?’
Huang Ji’s expression shifted slightly.
Similar to the previous anomaly, the nascent will of the Cosmic Country was changing again, and this time, it was far more intense.
It was like an unborn child, not yet awakened but kicking in its mother’s womb, eager to be born into the world. As a mother herself, Huang Ji could deeply empathize with the current state of the new Cosmic Country’s will.
’Yes, it needs a mother!’
’And I am an experienced mother!!!’
In contrast to the empathetic Huang Ji, the more rational Bertutan analyzed the cause of this disturbance. ’Was it our arrival that triggered this change? Or is there another variable in the Tomb Star Realm, one significant enough to influence the growth and birth of the new Cosmic Country’s will?’
"Huang Ji, can you sense its exact location? We need to examine the condition of the nascent Cosmic Country’s will up close. Only then can we finalize our next plan."
"I’m looking for it now."
Huang Ji closed her eyes again, her consciousness seemingly drifting away in a trance. The recent tremor had made the faint aura of life much more distinct, making it far easier to sense than before.
She led the group away from the Ten Thousand People Square.
The brilliant Sword in the Stone stood there as always, unaffected by the dust from the crumbling ruins. Ron glanced at the blade before following the others out.
He was ambitious.
But now was not the time to show it.
From the very beginning, Ron had been under Candela’s protection, so he hadn’t expended much energy. The power remaining in his body was enough for him to cast a complete "Destiny" twice. ’If I get a chance to act alone, I wouldn’t mind returning here. Although my body is incorporeal and can’t draw the sword, I can still use my skills to influence it. If I can use Destiny to impose a hypothetical fate upon it, and combine that with the Divine Rune that will eventually fall into my hands, then I will undoubtedly be the one who profits most from this divine expedition!’
Candela walked ahead of him, providing protection as always.
Even the wise Bertutan couldn’t understand why the Time Giant would bring along such a burden—someone who hadn’t even reached the New God realm. But they wouldn’t ask, much less interfere.
The favored of fate always has his reasons for what he does.
...
...
...
「A quarter of an hour earlier.」
「The Abyss of the End.」
Shi Ming was interpreting the information within the Civilization Prologue.
’Setting aside the connection between the names for a moment,’ he mused, ’since the Z-rank commission has been activated, does this mean I’ve already completed the W-rank commission, "Arrival at the End"? That means I’ve earned 3,000,000 Civilization Stones! There’s no mercenary terminal here to confirm it, but the terminals are connected throughout the entire Tomb Star Realm, so it can’t be a mistake. The next time I use one, it should credit me with the reward. 3,000,000 Civilization Stones is a massive prize, a fortune even. It’s enough for me to redeem the second most valuable treasure in the Divine Treasure Vault: the Apocalypse Divine Artifact.’
’Arrival at the End, the Abyss of the End, and the Apocalypse Divine Artifact... all three contain "End." I wonder if it’s a coincidence or the work of fate.’
But whether by coincidence or destiny, what interested Shi Ming most right now was the content of this Z-rank commission.
The content had finished parsing:
[Z-Rank Commission: Will Resonance]
[According to the revelation of fate, the Abyss of the End on the Primordial Star shall be the place where the Cosmic Country’s will falls.]
[But death is not the end. It will become fertile ground for new life, giving birth to a new and more perfect will.]
[Oh, successor! Please help me search for the eight most fundamental energies of the Star Sea and supply them to the nascent will of the Cosmic Country. In doing so, you must resonate with it to help awaken it. This may not be an easy task, but I promise you in my capacity as a god: when the new will of the Cosmic Country is born, you shall become the true Heir of the Gods, the regent of the Cosmic Country, and the guardian of the new will.]
[The old gods will always fall.]
[But the will must not be severed.]
[Commission Time Limit: Indefinite.]
’The old gods will always fall, but the will must not be severed?’
Shi Ming felt that when the god issued this commission, they already knew their own demise was imminent.
This final Z-rank mission was simply a contingency plan left for the rebirth of the Cosmic Country.
The moment Shi Ming’s consciousness touched the Civilization Prologue, the Z-rank commission was automatically accepted. It transformed into a ray of light and seeped into the "Heir of the Gods" title above his head, making the already radiant title seem even more impressive.
’Automatically accepted?’
’They’re just forcing this on me, aren’t they?’
Not that Shi Ming was complaining. The rewards for this commission were just too generous!
The true Heir of the Gods.
The regent of the Cosmic Country.
The guardian of the new will.
Once the commission was complete, Shi Ming would undoubtedly become the number one person in the new First Civilization Cosmic Country. At that point, wouldn’t he have the final say on how all the resources in this nation were used and allocated?
’Ron? Some false god? In my domain, even dragons have to coil and tigers have to crouch!’
Besides, the commission didn’t seem that difficult. The mention of "the eight most fundamental Origin Powers of the Star Sea" instantly made Shi Ming think of the eight Holy Hall Origins that constituted Zero. They had once belonged to the fallen god as a part of "Zero." After splitting apart, they became the Eight Holy Halls, sustaining the ecosystem on Earth and creating a miracle of civilization isolated from the Star Sea. Their powers were indeed the most fundamental; Life, Death, Time-Space, Destruction, Eternity, and Fate all represented the essence of a certain type of power.
After Shi Ming accepted the commission, the faint ball of light floating in the dead silence seemed to grow more intimate with him. This ball of light was the nascent will of the Cosmic Country, now reviving. It wasn’t strong yet, appearing insignificant amidst the stillness, possessing only a hazy consciousness, like an embryo in gestation.
Shi Ming extended his right hand.
At his will, Zero separated into eight different energies: Life, Death, Time-Space, Destruction, Eternity, Fate, Corruption, and Purification. They seeped into the ball of light, establishing eight bridges between Shi Ming and the nascent will.
At the same time, a faint call emerged from the core of the light. It was young, innocent, and pure, filled with curiosity and longing, just like a newborn baby.
"Fa...ther..."
???
’Did I just become a dad?’