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Chapter 4268 The Truth
Chapter 4268 The Truth
"I don't know if you really asked this question casually."
"But since you asked, I will keep my promise."
As soon as the Decayer finished speaking, the Little Demon Master turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression: "From what you're saying... is this question really that important?"
The withered one gently shook his head: "Whether it's important or not depends on who asks and... why they ask."
It paused, its enormous eyes looking at Angel: "If you really asked this question casually, then it's indeed not important to you."
It stopped there, without uttering the second half of its sentence.
But both Angor and the imp master could understand its unspoken message: if Angor asked this question intentionally, then it was very important to the decayers.
This logic might seem strange, but it can be understood by substituting it.
For many people, the more important something is, the less they want to tell those around them; but they are willing to open up to strangers they have just met.
This is actually the same principle.
Angell understood the hint from the withered one, but he maintained a calm expression, continuing to act as if he had only asked casually.
The withered one remained silent for a moment, and did not pursue the matter any further.
Just say it...
It has kept this a secret for a long time, and no one knows about it except the gods.
The responsibility it carries on its shoulders causes it immense suffering every day.
Since Angell, taking advantage of this "favor," inquired about the reasons behind it, and since, on the surface, Angell was a complete stranger to him...
The withered one exhaled a breath of stale air, and in that breath, a trace of the stagnation accumulated over many years seemed to dissipate.
That's it.
Consider it a temporary way to relieve some of the burden.
……
"I don't know if you've heard of me, but let's assume you know nothing about me." The Decayer: "So, before answering your question, I'll briefly explain my background."
"In the question from the Chapter of the Heart earlier, I asked you about the significance of vanished civilizations for the universe."
"The reason I asked this question is because I am the sole survivor of that vanished civilization..."
Regarding the background, the Decayer did not elaborate too deeply, only briefly mentioning it.
"My people are called Prusha. Compared to the human wizard civilization, the Prusha civilization is not that powerful."
"However, the Prussian civilization also has its merits. Our people have a large number of scholars, each of whom is tirelessly pursuing the truth of the universe."
"And these scholars are called... seekers of the Way."
“I was once a seeker of truth, and I went even further than my fellow Prussians. I was not satisfied with the knowledge within civilization, so I left and came to the abyss to seek the truth.”
"After that, my civilization was destroyed... and I became the sole survivor of that civilization."
At this point, the little devil host suddenly asked in a low voice, "What happened to the Prusia civilization? Why was it suddenly destroyed?"
The Decaying One glanced at the Little Demon Host and said softly, "I don't know the specific reason, but the God once mentioned that the Prusha civilization pursued the truth of the universe too much, which attracted certain forbidden beings."
The existence of these taboos does not necessarily mean they are malicious towards you.
But they are so great that even a casual passing by could destroy a civilization.
It's like humans to ants.
The pursuit of truth attracts forbidden existences—just as ants suddenly gather together in worship, attracting the attention of passing humans.
The taboo existence, while observing the Prussian civilization, inadvertently destroyed it—just as a curious human accidentally stepped on an anthill.
Then the world collapsed, the end of the world came, and civilization shattered.
According to the cruel scholar, this is how the Prussian civilization was destroyed.
They may be innocent, but it's also reasonable to say they brought it upon themselves.
"The Prushas actually look very similar to humans; our heads were indeed not very large at first." The Decayer: "Why did my head change?"
"Because I have stored the last trace of the Prussian civilization in my brain."
at that time.
After the destruction of Prusha, the Decayers went through a period of decline and even considered suicide to die for civilization.
Later, the Decayed One met with the Cruel Scholar and temporarily gained the authority to plunder knowledge from the Desolate Lands.
The withered one naturally understands what a cruel scholar means.
Later, the withered one returned to his homeland.
At this time, the world of Prushia has been targeted by other "worlds" and may merge with the surrounding worlds at any time, becoming a subordinate world.
In this stage of the world, the earth is shattered, all life is wiped out, and not a single blade of grass can be seen; it is a scene of utter apocalypse.
Originally, the Decayer still held a faint hope: perhaps he was not the only survivor of the Prusia civilization, and perhaps he could find other companions.
But when they actually arrived in the world of Prusha, they found that there was nothing there, not even insects or wild grass. How could there be any fellow travelers?
The decaying one was in despair.
After languishing in the shattered world for several days, the withered creature remembered the cruel scholar's words to it before it left the abyss.
"It is unfortunate that your civilization has collapsed, but it would be a pity if the knowledge system that supported an intelligent civilization could simply be swept away by dust."
“I allow you to use my authority to bring back as much of the ‘lingering charm’ that the name Prusha still carries as possible.”
"For me, the wisdom accumulated by your civilization will not be wasted; for you, civilization can continue in another way."
"You wouldn't want the 'truth' that your civilization has built up over countless generations to simply disappear, would you?"
Although the Decaying One understood that the Cruel Scholar cared little for the destruction of the Prussian civilization, only for the knowledge itself, it could not be denied that His words were true.
The Prusia civilization has developed for tens of thousands of years since its inception, and it would be a pity if it were to completely disappear.
Moreover, the Decayers also hoped that their civilization could at least leave a last trace in this void, in this universe.
Thus, the withered one, enduring the pain, began to use the authority lent to him by the cruel scholar to forcibly plunder the last remaining traces of the Prussian civilization from this shattered world.
Intellectual skills, beliefs, rules and regulations, ethnic memory, and the fabric of civilization... the vast majority of tangible accumulations and intangible threads of Prussia from its birth to its demise were transformed into a pure torrent of knowledge, forcibly incorporated into its spiritual core, and engraved deep into its mind.
These lingering influences, originally scattered throughout the destroyed world, will eventually merge with the earth into the new world and disappear completely.
But at this moment, because of the power held by the cruel scholars, they were captured one by one by the decaying ones.
Finally, the Decaying Ones, carrying the gifts of an entire civilization, returned from their shattered homeland to the City of Abyss…
"So, your head got bigger because it's filled with all the knowledge of your civilization?" The little devil host looked surprised and somewhat incredulous.
The withered one nodded, then shook his head.
"The enlargement of the head is indeed related to knowledge overload, but it is not a direct link."
The authority that cruel scholars have given it allows it to easily contain "knowledge and information".
No matter how vast this information may be, the decaying being will not change in any way due to the power of authority, nor will its head grow larger.
However, the decaying one did something that defied authority, and that was the main reason for the head growing larger.
It contains not only "knowledge information," but also... "soul information."
While plundering the remnants of the Prusha civilization, the Decayers discovered scattered information in this devastated land that could not be contained by the Authority. According to the Authority's feedback, this information originated from fragments of the soul.
It can also be understood as the lingering echo of the souls of the Prusia people after their deaths, which had not yet completely disappeared.
These fragments are too numerous and unsystematic, belonging to the lowest level of the "information pool" as determined by the cruel scholar, and may even pollute the entire information pool.
Therefore, the authority emanating from cruel scholars naturally cannot contain them.
"To the gods, they are lowly dust; to the world, they are ephemeral bubbles." The withered one's voice was extremely low, as if he were whispering.
"They vanish in an instant, leaving not a trace."
Its huge eyes were slightly narrowed, containing no tears, only a bottomless desolation.
"Perhaps they are not systematic, and perhaps from a rational and objective analysis, they lack the depth and value of knowledge..."
"But...inside are lullabies hummed by mothers, annotations under the lamplight of scholars, the unwavering resolve of soldiers going to their deaths, and the laughter of children chasing butterflies..."
"If authority does not permit it, the rules will not accept it."
"But I can't bear to part with it."
"I……"
"I'm not reconciled."
Its voice was as soft as a sigh, yet it carried an undeniable, resolute finality, as if it had given its all.
"Since nobody else cares, then I will!"
"Since no one else is in charge, then I'll take charge!"
The decaying one spoke the final truth with resounding words:
"Although the authority of the gods cannot contain them, since they can filter out this soul information, they can forcibly seize it!"
Although these soul fragments, after being forcibly plundered, could not be contained within the "authority".
But it doesn't matter.
Even the decaying things themselves have a place to store information.
That's right, it's its brain, its information processing center, its... head.
"If you won't take back the power—I will!"
The Decaying One relentlessly collected these soul fragments, storing them in its brain, one or two, then in groups... In the end, because it had forcibly retained too many soul fragments, the Decaying One's brain began to swell and deform, eventually stretching its brain into the bloated balloon it is now in...
"So your head got bigger because..." The little devil host was stunned, utterly shocked by this truth.
The decaying creature seemed to slowly regain its composure, and it nodded gently:
"This is the price: consciousness overload, head swelling, listening day and night to the broken noises within the fragments of the soul."
"However, I am happy to do it."
Because this is the only thing the Decayer can do for Prusha, for its brethren...
At this point, Angor finally understood why such a dramatic change had occurred after the Decayers returned to the Citadel.
The root cause of the changes in the head of the decaying being is that it single-handedly bore the entire Prussian civilization.
The skull contains not only knowledge of civilization, but also the scattered souls and thoughts of countless compatriots.
Or rather, it has now become a living tomb, a walking monument. Buried within are the last vestiges of the entire Prussian civilization, its unfinished thoughts, and its broken cries.
It once sought death to sacrifice itself for civilization; now it cherishes its life because it fears that once it dies, these collected fragments of souls will be left unattended, uncared for, and unclaimed.
So it perseveres, even if it becomes ugly, ridiculous, painful, and empty... it will survive.
In order to survive and to preserve its soul fragments for longer, it even came to the Chapter of the Heart and used the power of the Sealing Monument to seal itself.
Its emptiness is real, its pain is real, but the stubbornness hidden beneath its withered exterior, the unwillingness to let civilization come to a complete end, is also real.
And the question it posed to Ingres and countless successors was: "Does a vanished civilization still have any meaning for the universe?"
It is this stubbornness that resonates in reality.
It doesn't really want a standard answer from the test taker.
In this way, it is questioning the stars, time, and all surviving civilizations again and again on behalf of the countless silent echoes of the souls within its head.
Every question it raises is a tiny act of resistance against the word "extinction".
Each time it listens to a response, it is as if, in the endless void, it is trying to anchor a faint but undeniable proof of its existence for itself and for the entire Prussian civilization.
……
At this moment, Angell was also deeply moved by the withered figure before him—a tragic orphan of a civilization.
Even if the withered one was just a stranger to him.
But the thought of such a withered being, bearing the weight of an entire civilization on his own, filled Angel with a strange sense of awe.
Although it has fallen into nihilism and is fighting against an existential crisis, it undoubtedly possesses a fearless and indomitable spirit far beyond that of ordinary people.
If it were Angell himself, he felt it would be really difficult to achieve that level.
not to mention.
The decaying creature had never told anyone else these things before; it carried them all on its own.
If it weren't for the book fairy's request today, Angell would neither have been able nor had the standing to ask this question.
He was truly grateful to the Book Fairy at that moment.
Because of her request, this ember, which carries the last spark of a civilization, this indomitable epic hidden deep beneath a decaying shell, may forever remain silent.
And now, he has become a witness to this silent epic.
This is undoubtedly lucky.
However, what made Angell even more "fortunate" was that as the withered one finished speaking, a fairyland notification quietly popped up in the text box.
"You have achieved your special objective—"