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Chapter 4264 Orphans of Civilization
Chapter 4264 Orphans of Civilization
The moment Angell finished speaking, the air fell silent.
In particular, the line "Sacrifice has never existed" caused all the eyes of the Mind Devil examiners to blink simultaneously in a very short time.
In that cold gaze, something seemed to gradually soften.
"What if individual consciousness finds that it is better for its own development to detach itself from the whole?"
Angell shook his head without hesitation: "What you have raised is a problem that can only exist in a civilization of individual consciousness."
"But in a true collective consciousness, this is a false proposition that cannot stand at its very foundation!"
"Do you think a grain of sand would calculate whether it would become stronger after leaving the desert? A drop of water would deduce whether it would become more vast after leaving the ocean?" Angell shrugged: "Obviously not."
"Because whether it is a grain of sand or a drop of water, their existence is meaningful because of the whole to which they belong."
A hand detached from the body will only decay.
Under the highly interconnected collective consciousness, every cell, organ, and limb of the "body" is complementary and meaningful.
The information and reasoning abilities that an individual can obtain are almost limitless within a collective civilization.
With such limitless deductive ability, any qualified individual can easily deduce an absolutely correct formula: individual fate equals collective fate.
Therefore, as long as individual consciousness can still engage in logical thinking, the only optimal solution it calculates must be: my optimal development is the optimal development of the collective.
Only with this understanding can we establish the foundation for building something great from small beginnings.
Only then can the soil for the birth of a civilization based on collective consciousness be created.
"Therefore, under these circumstances, the option of 'betrayal' simply does not exist from a logical standpoint!"
It's not that there's no betrayal, but rather that at the core of a collective consciousness civilization, betrayal is completely unnecessary.
For a collective civilization, "mutual complementarity and assistance" is like air to humans—a natural and objectively existing necessity. In this context, no one would entertain the idea of "betrayal," just as no one would consider surviving without air.
After he finished speaking, all was silent.
At this moment, the Mindbreaker examiner's eyes were gleaming with a gentle light.
Or rather, when Ingres was halfway through his presentation, it had already changed from its initial coldness and rigidity.
After a moment of silence, it slowly spoke: "You judged my stance from the very beginning?"
Angell was taken aback.
I thought the examiner would continue to ask questions, but unexpectedly the conversation suddenly turned to the issue of political stance.
In response, Angell could not answer directly, but instead chose to pretend he didn't understand.
"What stance?"
"This is my honest answer; I have never considered the issue of stance."
Angell spoke with a firm and serious tone.
The Mind Flayer examiner stared intently at Angor for a moment, then said softly, "That's why I dislike individual consciousness civilizations—it's because they always lie."
"Individuals in a civilization of collective consciousness will never lie."
This is why it mentioned at the beginning: "In the past, those test-takers, knowing that I could not answer, would still ask about my identity, putting me on a high platform from which I could not get off."
Because as a member of a collective consciousness civilization, it cannot and will not lie.
Lying, like betrayal, is an option that doesn't exist in the underlying logic of collective consciousness and civilization.
"However, although you lied about your stance, your carefully prepared statement still moved me."
"As a member of a collective consciousness civilization, I certainly acknowledge that my civilization is superior to that of an individual consciousness civilization." The Mind-Stealing Examiner calmly said what seemed like arrogance: "But I also acknowledge that individual civilizations can occasionally produce sparks of brilliance, just like those works of art and innovative inspirations, which are all treasures of civilization."
"Even if they were born in a inferior civilization, it doesn't affect my appreciation for them."
"Like now."
Even if I know your stance and that you may not be on the same side as me, I am still willing to praise your point of view.
At this point, the Mind Flayer Examiner gently extended a tentacle, slowly drawing a circle in the void before spiraling inward to form a tranquil and profound "vortex".
"This is a gesture in our civilization that represents praise and sympathy."
"Congratulations, you have passed my test."
The moment the words fell, its body, constructed of pure spirit, seemed to be summoned by the invisible sea, and began to transform from the edges into specks of golden light like fireflies.
The radiance did not dissipate, but flowed and swirled, being absorbed into the seal stone from which they had come.
As soft ripples spread across the surface of the sealed monument, the Mind Flayer re-entered the small cube.
The surroundings returned to their original calm and clarity, as if nothing had ever happened.
Only the progress information that popped up in Angor's text box indicated that it had truly passed the first test of the Chapter of the Heart.
"The Test of the Heart"
Current progress: 1/3
Angel glanced at the text field, and after confirming that everything was correct, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
Then, he did a brief review.
The first question in the Chapter of the Heart was not difficult for him.
While he didn't entirely side with the examiners, he also didn't side with individualistic civilization. On the grand issue of the essence of civilization, he leaned more towards Mr. Jon's teaching of "each appreciating its own beauty."
We neither blindly promote the collective nor excessively support the individual.
Without a clear stance, he can find reasonable arguments for either side.
In addition, due to the special nature of the Mind Flayer examiner, it almost never engaged in any "debate" with Angell, but only raised different questions and silently listened to Angell's statements.
Therefore, customs clearance went smoothly.
I just don't know if the Q&A session will go as smoothly as this.
Thinking of this, Angor looked at the little demon presiding who was squatting on a certain seal.
Seeing Angor looking at him, the little devil host let out a few strange laughs.
"Quack quack—"
"Your performance has somewhat surprised me."
Angel touched his chest slightly and bowed slightly, saying in a self-deprecating tone, "Regarding the efficiency of clearing the checkpoints, the host shouldn't think I'm exaggerating anymore, right?"
The little devil host didn't give a definite answer, but instead raised his head and fluttered his thin, ripped wings: "Don't be arrogant."
"Didn't it still see through your final stance? So you still need to practice your acting!"
"Fortunately, the first examiner did not lie, so it did not betray its own heart."
"But the examiners you encounter later may not treat you the same as usual after they discover that you lied."
"So you still need to practice your acting!"
Angel nodded naturally: "I also admit that my performance is not yet perfect, but I personally think that its ability to see through my position is not necessarily a problem with the performance."
Don't be fooled by the Mind Flayer examiner's seemingly reasonable demeanor at the end; in reality, his questions are tinged with arrogant scrutiny from the very beginning.
Its problem was presupposed by Angell's position.
Therefore, I personally feel that it wasn't a problem with his performance, but rather that the Mind Flayer examiner was determined to take Angel's stance with malice from the very beginning.
In this situation, whether his stance was exposed or not made no difference to the mind-stealing examiner.
"Moreover, even if problems still arise after my performance, I believe..."
Angel paused mid-sentence, glancing at the little devil presiding on the seal tablet: "...I'll be lucky enough to continue selecting suitable examiners for me."
The implication was clear, and the little devil host, not being stupid, let out a few short, sharp laughs: "Who knows? Luck, that's a thing, often comes with a hidden price tag."
At this point, the little devil host suddenly changed the subject: "Speaking of which, I flew here specifically to listen to your nonsense... but this sealing monument under my feet is so slippery that I can't even stand up straight."
"The old sealed monument was better."
After speaking, the little devil flew back to the original sealing monument.
However, the lantern on its tail faintly illuminated the seal stone from when it left.
Angell immediately understood.
Even while he was still battling Mind Flayer, the Imp had already chosen a second examiner for him, representing "efficiency"—the very same monument where it had been sitting.
Since the goal was to achieve "efficient" passage, Angor naturally did not hesitate and strode to the monument, which was about the size of an adult, and reached out his hand.
When the fingertip touches it, a soft halo of light ripples across the surface of the seal, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
Slightly different from when the Mind Flayer appeared before, this time the size of the sealing monument was perhaps just right to accommodate its size. It was not "sucked" out, but rather walked out slowly on its own, as if strolling.
The light from the sealed monument simply faded to both sides, as if opening a door, from which a silhouette against the light slowly emerged.
As the light faded, the silhouette of the figure gradually became clearer.
Its body was unusually withered, like a candle flame about to burn out. However, in contrast to this slender body was an unusually large head with a heart shape.
It was as if all the body's nutrients had been stolen by that enormous head.
The enormous head rested quietly on the slender neck, like a ripe, heavy apple hanging from a withered branch that could not bear its weight.
Despite wearing an exquisitely tailored dark robe, the gorgeous attire could not conceal the strangeness and disharmony of its figure.
However, aside from the oddity of its "head-to-body ratio", it still looks like a "person" overall.
Most likely from some humanoid civilization?
This was also the first time Angell had seen this group, so he tentatively called them "Big-Headed Examiners".
Besides his strange physique, this big-headed examiner also had something else that was strange about him: his overall demeanor.
It gives people a very elusive feeling, a sense of illusion that you feel like you're not actually there, even though you're in the same place.
Its eyes also held a certain bewilderment.
It slowly raised its head, glanced at Angell, and then silently lowered its head again.
He seemed to be immersed in his own world.
After a while, it suddenly remembered something and looked up: "Oh right, I think I still have a mission..."
It speaks with its mouth, in a universal language, in a flat and emotionless tone.
"It's you, isn't it?" Its gaze was clearly fixed on Angor, but Angor felt as if it were looking through him at something ethereal and intangible. "A human, what a lucky lad."
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic."
"You should know the rules, so I won't go into detail..."
"My question is, does everything a civilization that has completely perished still have meaning in this boundless universe?"
"Once you've thought it through, you can speak. Don't worry about my state of mind; even if I'm looking down and thinking, you can still speak, and I'll be able to hear you."
After speaking, it lowered its head again, like a "task NPC" that had finished explaining the established process, completely immersed in its own world.
It completely disregards Angell, the "player," and doesn't even care about its own environment.
Looking at its "it doesn't matter" attitude, Angell couldn't help but sigh helplessly, feeling that it would be difficult to persuade such an examiner.
Before Normefens could send any information about the examiners, Angel pondered the questions that the chief examiner had asked.
Do extinct civilizations still have any meaning for the universe?
At first glance, this question struck Angell as somewhat strange, like a question that would pop into his head in the dead of night when he was lost in thought.
It's not that this question is meaningless, but rather that it evokes a sense of... emptiness.
It felt as if I had stepped into thin air and fallen into an endless, dark void.
All I see is confusion, and I can't find a foothold to lean on.
The question itself, like the examiner, hovers on the boundary between reality and illusion, leaving people baffled.
However, now that the problem had arisen, Angell was too lazy to think about what this sense of powerlessness was all about, and instead began to ponder how to solve it.
But just then, Normeffens' voice came to my ears.
So fast this time?
Angell paused for a moment, then immediately perked up his ears to listen.
"You're lucky! That person knows the examiner!"
The "that one" that Normefens was referring to was the Book Fairy.
Angel was overjoyed. Since the book fairy knew this examiner, it seemed that Normefens could provide the examiner with a clearer stance this time!
Sure enough, Normefens then said, "This examiner is an orphan of a destroyed civilization!"
The mere background information is enough to define the stance.
Because it is a direct manifestation of this problem!
Ingres could even imagine that the question he raised was from the perspective of a civilization's orphan, questioning the universe whether their own civilization still had any meaning.
Therefore, our stance is already very clear.
Tell it: It makes sense!
In fact, Ingres' own position is also "meaningful".
Perhaps we can take the path of sincerity in this matter?