There were no surprises; in the fight between Prometheus and the Herrscher of Sentience, Prometheus emerged victorious.
However, in Europe, due to meme pollution and Honkai infection, the death toll had already reached a terrifying number of over a million.
The most deadly aspect was that this time, the source of Honkai began in France, radiating to most of the wealthy regions around the globe. The order of finance and trade began to teeter on the brink, shattering an important part of the United Nations.
The existence of the United Nations relies on the support of various countries.
Correspondingly, it also has the obligation to protect the relationships between these countries.
When the relationships that the United Nations strives to maintain become precarious, it also means that the existence of Fire Moth is about to become awkward.
The collapse of the financial order would lead to massive currency devaluation and skyrocketing prices.
These factors would increase the difficulty of material supply for Fire Moth, and at critical moments, reducing personnel and material supply would become an unavoidable option.
The greatest harm brought by this Honkai was precisely this.
Fire Moth urgently needed external funds to intervene.
Of course, Chen Ran at this moment did not need to concern himself with these matters.
He brought Nuwa to find Seele.
"I don't think I've introduced you yet; this is Seele, the Sixth Herrscher."
He did not hide anything from Nuwa and introduced her to Seele: "This is Nuwa; if you don't mind, you can call her Big Sister Nuwa."
"Big Sister Nuwa."
Seele was very obedient.
Her azure eyes and delicate appearance quickly satisfied Nuwa's protective instincts.
She smiled and greeted Seele, then looked at Chen Ran and couldn't help but whisper, "Senior, when did you become so close with the Sixth Herrscher?"
"Ah, didn't the Doctor tell you?"
Chen Ran chuckled and said, "During this time, I've been living with the Doctor, Seele, and others."
He paused and added, "The next experiment is also related to Seele."
"Some things are a bit complicated to explain; how about this, I'll let you join the global connection first."
The experiment Chen Ran was about to conduct was based on the global connection.
To be precise, the global connection was merely a prerequisite.
Before he returned from Mu Continent, MEI had deciphered one of the truths among five parallel truths using the Dead Sea Scrolls, namely, the Holy Body projected by Honkai on the ground.
Based on this discovery, Chen Ran also recognized another truth.
The order of Honkai in the universe.
Existence and order are two important truths that construct the world, holding equal status.
MEI comprehended the truth through her own abilities.
Chen Ran was not as clever; he actually learned about the existence of order through dialogue with the will of the overseer.
Indeed, what Chen Ran was about to do next was to rely on the global connection and Seele to verify the existence of 'order.'
And he needed someone responsible to help him record the process.
It didn't matter who that person was, so Nuwa volunteered, and he brought her along.
Of course, the most important reason was that the global connection could no longer be concealed, nor did it need to be hidden.
Through the global connection, he learned that fifty thousand years later, the Herrscher of Sentience would also appear.
This meant that the Will of Honkai also had something similar to the global connection, or rather, while he was opening up a dimension, he was also bringing greater disaster to the future.
One could say that the global connection, while linking the present and the future, also bound civilization to the war chariot.
He needed to find a path to defeat Finality as soon as possible.
Durandal could be seen as a bargaining chip, but it was not enough insurance.
Chen Ran informed Nuwa of this matter.
Nuwa listened, feeling a bit dazed: "So much has happened to you, Senior Chen Ran?"
Whether it was projecting the future or the so-called truth, it was something she couldn't digest at the moment.
Simply put, she had no concept of it.
"This is not knowledge that people can digest right now; I only have a vague understanding, just knowing that it involves higher dimensions."
"However, with Seele's help, I should be able to find the existence of order quickly."
Chen Ran had no confidence in this experiment.
Setting aside the system's assistance, he had indeed learned a lot of knowledge. But this was still not enough for him to fully grasp the experiment regarding the global connection.
Rather than saying he was the builder of the global connection, it would be more accurate to say he merely proposed an idea, with the system completing the rest.
To be precise, even the general construction of the Stigmata terminal was accomplished with the help of Unit 666.
"Anyway, let's get started."
Seele was special.
Since she became a Herrscher, she could no longer be regarded as an ordinary life form.
Mobius had conducted many studies on Seele, including but not limited to her blood, genes, and the energy levels of Honkai she possessed.
Her genes had also been made into Stigmata, inscribed in the Stigmata terminal.
However, the function of the Stigmata terminal was at most to allow for the emergence of such a person fifty thousand years later; essentially, the terminal was only meant to deduce a successful path.
In other words, the function of the Stigmata terminal would only manifest fifty thousand years later.
But he no longer had fifty thousand years.
In the simulated scenario, his final result was 'disappearance.'
Chen Ran did not know what disappearance represented, but he could basically infer that he would definitely not have fifty thousand years.
Thus, defeating Finality in this era had become a task he had to face.
However, if he defeated Finality, there probably wouldn't be a future fifty thousand years later.
Chen Ran was not very clear.
But he could only try.
…
…
When Nuwa connected to the global connection, she sensed from her consciousness that the entire global connection had already linked multiple channel locations.
She had never ventured into the realm of consciousness, but this was not her first time sensing such a thing.
When Chen Ran performed the super transformation surgery on her, Nuwa had already experienced this feeling once.
However, at that time, she needed to manipulate her consciousness to accommodate the Honkai factor and merge with her body.
That experience, akin to 'out-of-body,' was deeply etched in Nuwa's memory, like having a lucid dream.
But now it was different.
Her consciousness followed the connection terminal and arrived in another world.
"For idealists, this is the Origin of all existence."
Chen Ran did not mind introducing the global connection once again.
However, this time he decided to start from consciousness.
"People have always debated a question: does consciousness determine matter, or does matter determine consciousness?"
"And thus, there are two different views: materialism and idealism."
"The existence of Honkai reveals to us the true nature of consciousness."
"Nuwa, have you ever thought that what actually controls our behavior is another form of Honkai?"
When Chen Ran said this, Nuwa couldn't help but look at him in shock.
"This... this is impossible..."
Chen Ran smiled and said, "Don't be nervous; I'm just making a metaphor. Let's put it this way, to conduct the next experiment, I need to help you sort out some things."
"What do you think is the first thing that constitutes a world?"
"Material," Nuwa answered without hesitation.
"So, in a world made of material, what is consciousness?" Chen Ran asked again.
Nuwa hesitated: "Invasive... invader?"
"Correct."
Chen Ran said, "For the vast universe, cold stones are the norm, while we, who are the result of countless coincidences, are the invaders of this world."
"Consciousness exists outside of four-dimensional space; all beings that exist with consciousness are actually guests of the universe. Honkai is like this, and so are we."
"From the perspective of the universe, we are Honkai."
"How we deal with Honkai is how the universe will reject us."
When Chen Ran explained this concept to Nuwa, she felt a twinge of fear.
If what Chen Ran said was true, then from the universe's standpoint, civilization should not exist.
Endless silence is the norm of the universe, while the civilizations birthed within it are the anomalies.
Thus, humanity's struggle against Honkai is, in essence, no different from throwing eggs against stones.
And it was this realization that allowed Chen Ran to understand why Kevin would execute that doomed Project Stigma.
Project Stigma was a replica of the global connection.
But unlike the global connection, the core of Project Stigma was not humanity.
It was Honkai itself.
The true meaning of Project Stigma was to make humans a part of Honkai, thus being accommodated in this universe in a new way.
Mobius might be very pleased with this.
Because she had long believed that humanity should evolve.
However, for the rest, this was simply turning humans into another kind of being.
At that time, Project Stigma had not yet been made public, and Chen Ran did not intend to implement it, so he naturally would not tell Nuwa about these things.
Nuwa took a deep breath: "Senior Chen Ran, just tell me what I need to do."
"Aren't you curious? I wanted to say more."
Chen Ran joked a bit and then said, "Actually, what I need to do is very simple, Nuwa. There's something called proof by contradiction; you should know about it."
"Deriving the process from the result, anchoring the process as the result, what's wrong with that?"
Chen Ran laughed.
"That actually explains Seele very well."
He paused and said to Seele, "Now that you are taking on the will of Honkai, how would you maintain the order of the universe?"
"I maintain the order of the universe... does that mean the universe is not to be interfered with by civilization... oh no, by the consciousness you mentioned?"
Chen Ran showed a satisfied expression: "Exactly."
"Then that means controlling Honkai to destroy civilization."
Seele instinctively said.
However, Chen Ran shook his head in disappointment.
"That's just a superficial solution," he said. "If civilization is treated as an unwelcome invading entity, then new civilizations could be born at any moment in the vast universe. Because the universe itself is infinite, even if the conditions for the birth of civilization are harsh to the point of being outrageous, under the premise of infinity, every minuscule probability is actually infinitely close to one."
"This civilization has collapsed, yet there will still be another civilization."
Seele couldn't help but sigh.
"Well, that seems quite difficult to deal with."
Chen Ran nodded, "Exactly."
"It's like a person with a strong immune system; there will always be pathogens that the antibodies cannot resist. Somewhere in the universe, there is always a hidden civilization."
"So, if the result the universe pursues is a silent eternity, then the answer that Honkai gives to the universe is assimilation."
"The so-called Herrscher destroys civilizations, and the Finality Destruction world, the motivation behind this is assimilation. To assimilate all life into Honkai life is naturally considered a success."
"Therefore, the concentration of Honkai Energy in the universe has actually been increasing."
"And for us, the assimilation by Honkai can be seen as a form of alienation, or it can be viewed as a form of evolution. No organism would refuse the desire for evolution, whether it's MANTIS or Stigmata, they are essentially byproducts of evolution."
"Thus, the invasion of Honkai can also be seen as an embrace of civilization."
Chen Ran spoke all this in one breath.
However, both Seele and Nuwa were left in a daze.
"Forget it, I'll get to the point."
He was not someone who liked to ramble.
But if he didn't clarify things beforehand, the next steps would be shrouded in confusion.
"If we already know that Honkai is equivalent to consciousness power, then we can also construct our own Herrscher of Finality through the construction of consciousness."
"And Seele herself is a Herrscher, so I hope to take this opportunity to glimpse the power that resembles Finality within you."
"That is, the power that allows humanity to fully evolve."
When Chen Ran said this, both Seele and Wendy understood.
But because of this, they felt surprised.
Seele seemed to think of something and said, "Finality…"
Nuwa directly asked, "Is this really possible?"
Chen Ran replied, "If we consider everyone connected in the full domain as a civilization, then theoretically, there is enough power here to give birth to Finality."
At this moment, after Chen Ran and the others entered the full domain connection.
Bia was outside, beginning to detect values.
Naturally, Bia was called over by Chen Ran.
As Chen Ran's current 'strongest brain,' Bia was responsible for a very important task.
She muttered, "That Prometheus really makes me angry, hum, once I get the data on Finality, I must show off properly."
She needed to fully observe the trajectory of Finality.
The full domain connection is established on the connection of consciousness, theoretically allowing for anything to be achieved through it.
However, it's like an AI generating images; for example, an AI can create images in any form, but it requires a great magician to chant the scriptures to find the satisfactory one.
Bia played the role of that great magician.
She needed to play the role of creating Finality within the full domain connection.
To be precise, she was the programmer.
This simulation was a very lengthy process; even though there is no concept of time in the theory of full domain connection, Bia needed to make hundreds or even thousands of adjustments to achieve the perfect conditions for creating Finality.
Although theoretically, each simulation incurs no time loss, it was a significant mental burden for everyone in the full domain connection space.
Nuwa and Seele did not need to bear such a burden; it was Chen Ran who endured it.
At this moment, in the full domain connection space, Chen Ran observed Seele's every change.
And at this time, Seele's entire consciousness had been occupied by the dense Honkai.
Like Finality.
"It's done." Durandal said, "Although I can't prove or disprove it yet, I have simulated the special power of Honkai through consciousness; this should be what is called Finality."
Chen Ran: "Good, at least it adds a bit of hope for humanity."
——
Fifty thousand years later.
Wendy looked silently at the Herrscher of Sentience subdued by Fu Hua.
To be precise, it was not Fu Hua who ultimately subdued the Herrscher of Sentience, but Elysia.
"Unfair, this is unfair! Two against one, what kind of hero is that!"
The Herrscher of Sentience was furious.
However, Elysia smiled brightly, "Well, Hua and I don't really count as heroes, you know."
Fu Hua slightly turned her face away, saying, "In a one-on-one, I am not as good as you."
The Herrscher of Sentience was slightly pleased, "You are not as good as me anyway; if it weren't for Elysia… hum, but I am magnanimous, I'll temporarily forgive you."
Wendy: "…"
This Herrscher had no awareness of being a captive at all.
Moreover, she didn't seem very smart.
Elysia smiled brightly, "Then thank you, but how should I address you?"
"I must… darn it, the old antique is still here; I need to come up with a name that distinguishes me from the old antique and bids farewell to the past."
The Herrscher of Sentience frowned.
Elysia said, "Then let's call you Senti."
"Huh, that name won't do."
Elysia said, "It's clearly a name with a good meaning. Hua, don't you think so?"
Fu Hua was an honest person.
She hesitated a bit.
"Um, the name does have a good meaning."
Herrscher of Sentience: "Then doesn't that mean I've become a child?"
Elysia: "Hmm, don't be so calculative."
She paused, then spoke to Wendy.
"Honestly tell me, do you want to travel?"
Wendy was slightly taken aback, instinctively saying, "If I want to travel, I can just go by myself… you mean…"
Elysia arched her brows, "Exactly, just as you think, to fifty thousand years ago."
Wendy immediately became excited, "Is that possible?"
"It wasn't possible before, but now we have the Herrscher of Sentience, right?"
Although the praised Herrscher of Sentience still didn't know what she was supposed to do.
But as long as she was praised, she would feel elated, saying, "Of course, there's nothing that the Herrscher of Sentience cannot do."
The Book of Fuxi muttered quietly, "I could name ten things off the top of my head."
"What did you say?"
The Herrscher of Sentience was furious.
The Book of Fuxi quickly ran to Hua's side, "Wooden head, help me."
Fu Hua: "…"
Elysia smiled and said, "Alright, now you can listen to me."
Her eyes rarely revealed a hint of seriousness.
"What we are going to do can overturn the Origin of this world."
"This is also everyone's last chance to unravel the fate as a weight."
"I'll take a trip to the moon and be back soon."
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