Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 754 [The Survival of Civilization: Iron Crown]

Xia Xiu stared at the old man in front of him. The other party's strength had made him realize that if this confrontation continued, it might only make the situation even more uncontrollable.

He sighed softly and changed the [Heaven's Lever] in his hand from a war stick to a more low-key 15-inch magic wand. The silver light quickly faded and turned into a warm glow.

The three incarnations then gradually disappeared into his body, taking away the suffocating feeling of oppression.

He expressed his kindness to the old man.

The old man still stood there, his eyes calm and reserved, quietly observing every subtle movement of Xia Xiu.

Xia Xiu noticed that the old man seemed very surprised and...admiring at the existence of the [Incarnation of the Lord].

“You’re a seeker of knowledge, right?

You remind me of my father. Like my father, you are both children of Vajuma and Mekhane; you are both sons of flesh and blood and machines, symbolizing that human civilization originated from the combination of life and reason, but is also limited by the contradiction between these two forces.

You are like my father, you are all Apollo."

Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly, his heart trembling slightly.

[Wazijuma] and [Mehane]…

The only difference between the two names is the pronunciation of the old man. In Terran language, the two are [Yadabaus] and [McCann].

Judging from the semantics, the old man should not be talking about the think tank, but the existence of the two themselves - the infinity and the broken god that He covers.

Son of Flesh and Machine...

Perfect prosthesis...

Once again, he thought of the scene when he was born on Terra, the scene when he awakened on the Spiral Road, and the deal between the Four Lords and himself.

Before he ascended the [Spiral Road], he had always been shrouded in a unique kind of meme similar to [Perception Obstacle] - he had not been able to recall the details of his appearance before and after his birth, which were basically the same, and he had forgotten some of his memories before coming to Terra.

Ever since he participated in the Deduction War, everything that happened here was disconnected from his past memories, and it also underwent tremendous changes from the original so-called "game".

Before this, the Four Lords transformed into the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and made a deal with him because of the so-called [perfect prosthesis].

Xia Xiu pondered for a moment, quickly organizing his words in his mind.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, I'm listening."

The old man said happily.

"Of course, but I hope your words are more valuable than silence. My father always said - your words must be more valuable than silence."

When Xia Xiu heard this, he subconsciously stretched out his left hand and rubbed his chin.

It seems that if one wants to get the answer from this unfathomable being, one must be brief and to the point without any further elaboration.

So he raised his head and asked three simple but profound questions in a clear and calm tone:
"Who are you? Where are you from? What are you doing here?"

Three very classic philosophical questions.

As the words fell, the air seemed to be quiet for a moment, and even the echoes around paused slightly.

The old man was stunned for a moment, then laughed softly.

His laughter was not loud, but it was as deep as a bell, with a power that penetrated the soul.

He spoke slowly, with admiration in his voice:

“Three questions that hit home, and wise people use the fewest words to paint a huge picture.”

"Brevity is the soul of wisdom, and verbosity is the shell of superficiality." Xia Xiu replied.

The old man became even happier when he heard this. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes, and he adjusted his posture slightly.

"It seems that this old man likes this style..." Xia Xiu thought to himself, and he was ready to please him.

"Very good, I like the way you put it, now it's time for me to answer."

The old man paused, then slowly raised his hand to adjust his brown ancient clothes. His movements were gentle but carried a solemn sense of ritual.

His eyes were fixed on Xia Xiu, his weather-beaten eyes flashing with an indescribable depth.

"Then let me answer your first question - 'Who am I?'"

Before he finished speaking, the old man suddenly took a step and slowly walked towards Xia Xiu.

The footsteps were clear and powerful, and the air seemed to be weighed down by an invisible force.

The old man came closer and closer until the distance between them was only an arm's length.

Close enough to launch a devastating attack with ease.

Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes slightly, and the light in his golden pupils flickered for a moment. He restrained his instinctive reaction to fight, and his fingers slightly clenched the magic wand, but he did not make any hostile moves.

He just stood there quietly, staring at the old man in front of him, waiting for his next words.

The old man stopped and stood in front of the blond young man.

His gaze swept across the golden-haired young man's pupils, which were as dazzling as gold. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including inquiry, a little sarcasm, and even a hint of imperceptible sadness.

He slowly raised his finger and pointed to the mural on the east wall. The golden man standing before the sun disk, wearing a shining crown and holding a silver-tipped staff.

The old man's voice was low but clear, echoing throughout the temple.

"I am the third son of the sun, the last guardian of Odepapadopoulos."

"My name is Set."

As he spoke, he raised his chin slightly, like a noble prince.

He added meaningfully:
"I am Set—the real Set."

[Seth] - One of the nine gods in the Book of the Dead, the god of drought and storm.

Of course, in addition to this [Seth], there is another [Seth].

One of the first three sons of man, brother of Cain and Abel.

Seth's gaze fell back on Xia Xiu, and a smile appeared on his face, with an inexplicable deep meaning.

His eyes swept across Xia Xiu's entire body, finally stopping on his golden pupils, as if he saw countless hidden secrets in them.

"My eyes saw it..." Set whispered, "You have traces of information about other descendants of Vazjuma... I feel the vibrations of the solar ship."

Seth's eyes were fixed on Xia Xiu, as if waiting for confirmation.

"You also killed the person who had his information. I can still sense the aura of my brother in you... [Cain]... You killed the person who had his information in a way that was destined to happen."

Xia Xiu's fingers gently twirled the magic wand, which was a silent defense and also kept him calm.

He didn't like the old man being so close to him. The mysterious, leisurely and slightly oppressive aura made him feel uncomfortable.

What made him even more alert was what the old man mentioned about him.

[Osiris] of Bodfell II, [Cain] of the Impaler...

The triple halo behind him was vibrating slightly at this moment, making a hissing sound of heat dissipation, which was the result of high-intensity ether calculations.

He could feel a strange and cold gaze watching him.

This gaze was as precise as a razor, bypassing all barriers and reaching the periphery of his own information fragments.

As the [Crown], Xia Xiu's existence has long been like an "information integrator". Only an information body at a deeper level than him can confront at this level.

And Seth has obviously reached this level.

Moreover, the other party was observing directly without any disguise, which was a bit provocative.

Despite this, Xia Xiu did not show any panic.

His curiosity overcame all his discomfort at this moment. He tilted his head slightly, and spoke in a low voice with a hint of interest that was difficult to conceal:

"Cain? He's your brother?"

Set nodded, a self-deprecating smile on his face.

He turned around and pointed at a broken mural on the wall. The figures in the mural seemed to have lost their clear faces for some reason, and the only remaining outlines were blurry and tragic.

"The name of this mural," Set whispered, with a hint of deep fatigue and sigh in his voice, "is - 'The Betrayal of Three Sons'."

The old man's fingers slid gently across the rough surface of the mural, his movements slow and careful, as if he was afraid of disturbing the memories buried therein.

His gaze rested on the vague outline, and heavy emotions were revealed in his eyes, as if he was dragged into a distant past by the unforgettable pain.

"His voice was low and slow, and every word seemed to be dug out from the depths of his memory.

"This painting symbolizes the conflict between the three sons and also foreshadows the division and fall of the kingdom."

"His three sons represent reason, jealousy and betrayal respectively."

Xia Xiu listened quietly, his eyes following where the old man's finger was pointing, and the image on the mural became clearer and clearer.

His triple halo flickered slightly, and the shadows of three incarnations vaguely emerged behind him, as if responding to some kind of resonance.

The old man continued:
"The eldest son... He is the embodiment of machinery and rationality. He is known for his logic and calm wisdom, but it is this blind pursuit of rationality that makes him try to replace his father, using logic to strip away humanity, believing that only machinery and rationality are the eternal answers."

"He gave a passionate speech to the people of the world, appealing for reason and rationality, and asking his father to hand over the throne to him."

"The kingdom bowed to the first son and worshipped him as a god, but the father cursed him, saying that his pursuit would lead to irreversible rigidity and destruction, and that he would corrupt the land and his followers."

"He was exiled and forced to wander in the most desolate land on earth until the sun rose in the west and set in the east."

The man in the mural has a serious face, holding an exquisitely carved but angular scepter, and his eyes reveal indifference and indifference.

"Second son..."

The old man's finger moved to another place.

"It symbolizes an over-reliance on the power of flesh and blood. He believes that blood and force are the only ways to inherit the throne. He rebelled because he was jealous of his father's power, trying to seize the kingship through violence and conquest."

"He raised an army and ravaged his father's land, holding up swords and torches, razing the world to the ground, but he was struck down by his father and locked in a stone tomb deep underground."

He ran his finger over the image of a strong man on the mural, whose eyes revealed anger and anxiety.

"I think the story is not as simple as it seems. You have overlooked the real contradiction."

Xia Xiu looked at the mural and raised a real core issue.

He did not completely believe the words of the man in front of him named Seth, because his words were full of symbolic meanings.

When the old man was speaking, he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

If the eldest son symbolizes machinery, the second son symbolizes flesh and blood.

So, the real point of conflict lies not with their father, but with their brothers.

For Sarkic and Broken.

Xia Xiu has an extraordinary intuition.

Seth looked at Xia Xiu and couldn't help but admire him again:
"You are indeed a blend of flesh and machine."

Seth continued:

“Indeed, there are many more details to the story. The story just mentioned is just a macro-narration, and the real details are still to come.

In fact, the real reason for the war was the conflict between flesh and blood and machines. At that time, the eldest brother Cain and the elder brother Abel had already fought a war for the throne.

However, there was a brief pause in the war.

At that time Abel's brothers came out of their tents and offered peace to my eldest brother Cain.

But at that moment, the eldest brother who claimed to be the most rational...

He was indeed his father's child, and he still possessed the deepest instinct of [Wazjuma] to devour everything. He picked up the Spear of the Iron God from the ground and killed his brother Abel.

He pressed Abel's body under him, shouting wildly that he was the legal master of heaven and earth and the only legitimate heir to his father's throne.

Then his rationality returned... He burst into tears, deeply regretting everything he had done and feeling extremely desperate.

He brought the body of Abel's brother to the gate of his father's city and called out to his father.

Father... cut open the eldest brother's body, fed the arms he had used to kill Abel to the wolves and then placed several curses on his soul.

From now on, he is doomed to wander the world, and every ground he steps on will be cursed.

He was also cursed with a perfect memory, so that he could never forget the fear in Abel's eyes when he was pierced by the spear."

"When Father returned with Abel's body, Brother Abel had changed."

"His spirit was torn from his body, and a truly terrible hatred filled them, and he brought the werewolf order into the world."

"It's ridiculous."

"The eldest brother who followed reason, killed his brother in the most bloody way; the elder brother Abel, who believed in blood and force, tried to convince reason with kindness."

"In the end, they all went to extremes and ended up back where they started."

“The father felt sorry for what had happened to his son, and he put Brother Abel in a cave where he could keep his hatred forever.

But I tell you - even when my father was filled with despair, he was still terrifying. During that time, the gods trembled when they saw him, and so did I. "

The old man's finger stopped at the end of the mural, where the missing person was.

He paused, and his tone became even lower:

"The youngest son... his father's favorite. Intelligent and charismatic, he inherited his father's crown, but through greed and betrayal, he stole [the survival of civilization] for his own use."

"The youngest son went into his father's room while he was sleeping and took the crown from his head.

This is the greatest betrayal, because the father loves his youngest son the most..."

The old man paused again, and continued with a hint of fatigue and sadness in his voice:

"When his father's kingdom collapsed, he cowardly fled into the night.

When the father... the sun, reduced the world to a smoking ruin, we... those who followed the few, disappeared into the shadows.

Hunted by the kingdom and his eldest and second sons, we fled in the dark night for a thousand years.

All they want is the crown, all they want is [the survival of civilization].

To do this, they searched the entire world.

But it stayed hidden, away from them, until they disappeared into legend, and finally the legend became myth.

When I finally returned to the sunlight, the world had changed again.

The fields are lush, the forests are dense, and the weather is sunny.

The people I escaped with rebuilt families, and their families are spread all over the new world.

People who describe this place call it the Central Plate. "

Xia Xiu stared at the mural. He already understood something, but he still asked in a low voice:

"What was their end?"

The old man turned around and looked at Xia Xiu, his eyes showing complicated emotions:
"The eldest son was devoured by flesh and blood, becoming its eternal slave; the second son was imprisoned by his own reason, trapped in an endless maze of logic; as for the youngest son..."

The old man's voice was low and tinged with sarcasm.

"He wore the Iron Crown, only to collapse under its weight and fall deeper into the abyss. Everything he coveted came back to bite him."

Seth said in a very sad tone:

“This mural not only symbolizes the past, but perhaps also foreshadows… the future.”

Xia Xiu's gaze was still fixed on the murals on the east wall, his eyes sharp, as if he wanted to see deeper truth from those faded pictures.

He spoke slowly, his tone mixed with tentativeness and curiosity:
"Why didn't the youngest son return the Iron Crown to the sun?"

Seth was slightly startled, then a slightly sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He slowly raised his hand, pointing at the picture in the mural, at the golden man, at his staff and crown. His voice was lowered a bit, and every word was full of irony.

"why?"

Seth's tone was a little harsh.

"Because the kingdom was destroyed long ago because of his betrayal."

“My father was the founder of Odepapadopolis. He used the power inherited from [Wazijuma] and [Mehane], combined with abnormal technology and knowledge, to build this extraordinary city.

This city is the first great city where humans and anomalous forces merged, and is known as the "place where existence descended."

Audapaupadopolis, in our language, means 'the shining city' or 'the source of life'."

Seth then asked in a desperate tone:
“Why don’t you return it?”

"Because the kingdom had long since perished because of him. The real Odepapadopoulos, that glorious country, was destroyed by his own hands. Yet he was so arrogant that he shamelessly called himself... the last guardian."

“We had actually been hiding from him for a long time. After my brother Abel was killed, I knew that other brothers would kill their own siblings to take our father’s crown—so I stole the crown and ran away.

My children hid like bugs with me.

Because I felt my father's wrath—some kind of inescapable wrath.

It was like a heat wave, an inferno, sweeping out from him in all directions like a storm, scaring away the few people who remained in the city.

But we endured, until a hundred years later he gradually recovered and returned to his empty halls.

But we...we heard some legends.

Tales of the dark host aboard fleets of longships, kings dancing beneath scarlet stars, and of my father standing alone against them before the crown disappeared."

His eyes were filled with self-contempt, self-scorn, pain, and self-blame...

His eyes fell on the broken lines on the mural, and the images that had lost their original bright colors seemed to be responding to his accusation.

"He knew that the glory he once had could never be restored, and he was not worthy of standing under the sun again."

Seth's voice echoed in the empty temple, and every word seemed to carry a deep resentment.

Xia Xiu frowned slightly, and a thoughtful gleam flashed in his eyes.

His eyes swept across the mural and landed on the faint ruins at the feet of the golden man:
"So, his so-called protection is just to cover up his own crimes? Just to deceive himself and maintain some non-existent glory?"

Seth suddenly sneered. He stared at the golden eyes of the blond young man, and for the first time, coldness appeared in his eyes.

"Deceiving yourself?"

Xia Xiu looked at the other person without fear.

Seth quickly withdrew his gaze and said in an extremely self-deprecating tone:
"Yes, this is not only self-deception, but also a betrayal of the past. He stole the Iron Crown, he destroyed the kingdom, but he tried to stand on the ruins and pretend that he is still the child of the sun."

Upon hearing this, Xia Xiu gently turned the magic wand in his hand, and a complex light flashed in his golden pupils.

His voice was slow but contained an unquestionable power:

"So, what he protected was never the kingdom, but his own sins."

Seth's gaze was fixed on Xia Xiu, and a hint of complex emotions emerged in his cold eyes.

He nodded slowly, his voice low but filled with endless resentment:

"Yes. He guarded his crimes. He justified his betrayal with lies and covered his vileness with the glory of the Iron Crown."

Seth paused, his eyes fell on the mural again, his eyes became deep and distant.

He continued:

"The next question is, where did we come from...billions of years ago—"

"Billions?" Xia Xiu couldn't help but interrupt him, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"Are you sure you didn't use the wrong quantifier?"

A hint of sarcasm flashed in Seth's eyes, and he whispered:
“That’s right, I would even say, or longer ago.

Billions of years ago, we were once as young as the world and creation itself.

It’s just that a long time has passed since we really started to move, to act in the material world, to exercise our wisdom, and to study the truth—so those billions of years ago were all nothingness and meaningless.”

"But, in the beginning..."

The old man's tone gradually became low. He slowly raised his head, his eyes seemed to penetrate the temple and look back into the endless past:
"We saw the God of Steel dot the sky with fiery stars; the God of Flesh and Blood sprinkled the first drops of blood on the earth, giving it life.

The serpent and his dark brothers laid the foundation for what was right and wrong, and I was just a child at the time."

Seth's tone suddenly paused, with an indescribable feeling:
"When the world began to turn, I saw the first sun rise. I saw its glory... and its death."

He paused, looked at Xia Xiu deeply, and said with a meaningful tone:
“I think the facts I told you may not be the answers you expect.

"Perhaps," the old man said with a self-deprecating smile, "you will think this is just a crazy old man talking nonsense, but..."

Before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly became serious, and his eyes seemed to be burning with a penetrating knowledge. He said in a low and solemn voice:

"We actually saw the sum of all dimensions and realities. We saw the beginning of the universe, and we saw the symbol of knowledge - the tree."

Xia Xiu's brows furrowed slightly, and his heart was filled with ripples.

He intuitively felt that this was not a lie, but what exactly was this "tree"?
The old man ignored Xia Xiu's doubts. His eyes seemed to be recalling some grand truth, and his voice echoed as if from the depths of endless time:
"It is a bridge between 'existence' and 'non-existence', a symbol of wisdom, creation and the pursuit of truth. At that time, our numbers were still few. We lived in a world of infinite mystery, and the haze of creation shrouded the planet."

The old man walked slowly, his fingers lightly running across the stone pillars in the hall, which were engraved with unrecognizable ancient symbols.

His voice was low but powerful:
"And yet, in that haze, we learned many great truths.

We studied, observed, and learned for countless millions of years. When we learned what we could, we came here and built the first city on this land - Odepapadopoulos.

Right here, this is where Existence came.

At that time, men and women with unimaginable powers walked the streets of Odepapadopoulos.

Me and my brothers, the man with the miraculous eyes, the king in the scarlet cloak, the lord of the dragon and the sky, the messenger of Saturn, and so on.

But the greatest of these was the first king of the world.

He is the sun. He can create mountains with a snap of his fingers, cross the wilderness with a lift of his foot, and call the sea to mind with a loud shout.

His voice was brisk and powerful, like the whisper of a thunderstorm on the horizon.

He wields a spear that is said to kill gods, and his gaze reaches beyond the heavens to the realms beyond.

We call him the Sun because we believe he is the embodiment of the joy of creation."

""exist"……"

The old man paused, and his tone became even lower:

"That's exactly what I'm saying. I'm sure you've witnessed many incredible [miracles], but I want to tell you that there are only two true Gods in this world."

He looked up at the dome of the hall, as if he could see through the sky to the end of truth. His voice gradually became low and loud:
“Being and non-being – they are neither substance nor thought – they are both being and non-being.”

Xia Xiu's eyes flickered slightly, and a hint of shock flashed in his golden pupils.

He listened quietly without interrupting the old man.

“When the work of the Being was done,” the old man’s voice sounded like a bell in a storm, “what remained of the truth became the Serpent—a Being that studied only whence it came, learning those truths about itself that it had lost.

And the other, 'Non-Existence', was once the shadow of 'Existence'.

"Non-existence" contains "existence", and as a long nothingness, it extends beyond the world - and beyond."

Seth's eyes were as blazing as fire. He stared at Xia Xiu, his tone as shocking as thunder:
"They coexist as the truest knowledge. Everything that has ever been, yes or no, occurs simultaneously before them. When these truths are first realized, the world is created."

The atmosphere in the hall was like solidified amber, and an indescribable solemnity permeated the air.

Xia Xiu still stood there, complex emotions flashing in his golden pupils.

He stared at Set, as if waiting for more revelations.

Seth raised his head slightly and his eyes fell on the carvings on the top of the hall.

"I have said before that the 'Tree' is the sum of all dimensions and realities.

It is the origin of all things, the root of all creation and the old gods.

The tree exists beyond time and space. It was created by the [Three Brothers of Death] and the most compassionate [Spark of Creation], and it is protected by the ancient [Snake]. "

"The three brothers are among the [original architects], they built the skeleton and soul of the world, while the [Spark of Creation] is the recorder and interpreter. The spark uses its everlasting brilliance to illuminate countless truths and wisdom. Together, they created the 'Tree', placed it at the top of all things, and made it the core of the world."

"And the center of the tree..."

Seth paused, his voice became deeper, with some indescribable awe:
"In the center of the tree is the [Exile's Library].

A vast repository of knowledge that transcends time, space, dimension and reality.

There are stored all the books that have been written, are being written, have not been written, and will never be written.

The knowledge is so vast that it is unparalleled, and the library itself is built on the back of the [Serpent].

"The library is on the back of a snake?"

Xia Xiu repeated in a low voice, with surprise that was hard to conceal in his voice.

Set nodded, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, the snake is the guardian of knowledge, but also the seducer. It guards the truth of the tree, but also extends a deadly invitation to those who dare to climb the tree. My father--" "My father, under the guidance of the snake, walked into the library, into the forbidden place where all the books that have been written, unwritten, and will never be written are stored."

“He is the one who gets his wisdom from the trees.”

Xia Xiu stared at Seth with a sharp gaze, tapping his left hand with the wand in his right hand. There was a hint of inquiry in his tone:

"So, what is this wisdom that your father plucked from the tree?"

The corners of Seth's mouth twitched, revealing a bitter smile.

He turned around and looked at the huge tree shadow in the mural again. After taking a deep breath, he slowly said:

"There he learned to resist. No longer content to be dominated, he resolved to usurp the throne. He shattered... the throne of his own 'father'."

Xia Xiu frowned slightly, his voice was low but clear:

"His father?"

Seth nodded, as if recalling some painful and unforgettable past:
"His father, the Iron God [Mehane], was one of the original creators."

"My father, the sun. He longed to break free from that endless bondage, and the first flame of betrayal grew in his heart. He plucked wisdom from the tree, met a woman who called herself Lilith, united with her, and gave birth to two children - Cain and Abel."

His voice lowered:

"After that, Lilith left him. My father cut a rib from his chest in the shape of a snake and used it to shape my mother. I am their only child. But my birth came at a heavy price - my mother died soon after due to extreme weakness."

Xia Xiu's thoughts sank slightly. Lilith...

Another information integration body that was defeated by itself in the interpretation war, the true darkness engraved in Hope by the Crimson King.

He knew that the Lilith that Set mentioned was not a projection of information, but the real Lilith.

On the mural on the east wall, in addition to the two sons, among the four people surrounding the sun, the naked woman with a snake wrapped around her body should be Lilith.

Seth closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and continued:
"After my mother died, my father was no longer the same. He became lonely and silent, but the first sin began to grow in his heart - jealousy. He began to look up at the sky, longing to make that piece of sky his own. He regarded that piece of sky as a symbol of his ambition and conquest."

"When we built this city, Odepapadopoulos, the first city of 'mankind', he already longed for more.

He touched creation itself, reaching out to another dimension. He became the first person to transcend the cosmic order."

Seth slowly raised his head, with a hint of fear and awe in his eyes:

"He brought certain things from another world, another 'existence'... the most important of which was a crown."

"It was an iron crown - he took it from another existence and called himself the 'king of all that exists'.

In this place of existence [the Promised Land], he ascended to the throne of power.”

Xia Xiu quickly understood the meaning of the words on the front wall:

"They will know what existence is—"

Seth's voice gradually became low, as if he was narrating a forbidden truth buried by history:
"He is still kind and beautiful, but his desires grow stronger. He longs for more, and his gaze penetrates the earth, the stars, and even beyond. He needs to obey its call."

"It?" Xia Xiu keenly caught the key point in Set's words.

Seth nodded gently, his eyes deep, as if he could see through the end of time:
"That crown, that is [the survival of civilization], is a call that he cannot resist. Only the 'most powerful and ambitious person' can be recognized by the crown.

The youngest son of the sun steals the crown... but - he is not as good as his father, and [the survival of civilization] cannot exert its true power in his hands."

“Only a father can light the crown, and only a superman who is both human and divine can wield it.

For the sun, for Apollo—he could no longer think of anything except the great universe."

Seth's tone was tired, the memories were painful for him, but he continued to speak.

He answered Xia Xiu's last question - what he was doing.

"In the beginning..."

Set spoke, his voice full of weariness and regret.

“I’ve been running away.”

"The kingdom was broken, and the successive blows and betrayals had exhausted my father.

The first son, his most loyal general, led his soldiers to rebel against his father's rule; the second son, his wisest child, led the people to try to rebuild a new kingdom; as for the third son..."

Seth's voice paused slightly, as if he was suppressing his emotions.

"When his father fell into deep sleep, he arrogantly stole the Iron Crown, thinking that this was a way to relieve his father's worries."

"The loss of the Iron Crown and the betrayal of his youngest son filled his father with rage beyond measure."

"He placed a curse on the entire kingdom and his own descendants."

Seth's tone became increasingly low, and a hint of pain flashed in his eyes.

"The land of the kingdom became a wasteland, and the cities were covered with smoke and ruins. He inflicted extreme punishments on each of his three sons. Then, he left Odepapadopoulos."

"Leave?" Xia Xiu repeated in a low voice, trying to grasp the hidden meaning in these words.

Set nodded, with a hint of undisguised sadness in his tone:
"Yes. He left."

“Perhaps because the war caused him to be unable to maintain the balance between flesh and blood and machinery, he was afraid that the earth would be swallowed by that unknown force.

So, he left, but no one knew where he went.

Maybe he's dead, maybe he's rotting deep in the planet's core, no one can tell."

Xia Xiu didn't say anything, but just listened quietly, and the desperate scene of this "father" dragging the entire kingdom into the abyss emerged in his mind.

Seth's voice continued to echo in the hall.

"Afterwards, in order to atone for my sins..."

Seth's tone was regretful.

"The youngest son set out to find the true heir to the Iron Crown. After traveling through civilization after civilization, he met someone who could wear it.

The man wore the Iron Crown, which he called Apollyon.

"[Apollyon] built his own halls, temples, and libraries. He was the hope of mankind, the closest thing to the Father's will that I have ever seen."

Seth raised his head, his eyes shining, as if he was recalling that brief period of glory:

"In his time, every elder in the land of Youyang bowed before him and addressed him as 'The King Beyond Darkness.' When he died, the crown passed to his son Uwen, and I left that family.

After saying goodbye, I returned to the East - to this city that my father and my brothers had built. Here I found a little peace, and for the first time since the creation of billions of years ago, I was able to rest.

He paused, his eyes dimmed:

“So, I can finally rest.”

"And then?" Xia Xiu broke the silence, with an invisible pressure in his voice.

Seth let out a long sigh, and his voice lowered, as if carrying an aftershock from the depths of time:
"When I awoke, the world had changed completely. New powers and a deeper darkness had descended."

"Bloodthirsters appeared in the East; the Daevites and their mad king took up arms against the West and fought a thousand long bloody battles;
The descendants of [Apollyon]—my friend’s family—call themselves the kings of the sky and are conquering every colony on the continent and plundering every ruler.

In the West, rumors spread of a race of men from the darkness, of great power, who fashioned weapons from trees and roots. These wars came upon the world, sweeping away everything."

Seth's voice was low but powerful:

"You can find these ruins of war, but you can never understand them. Those wars are so old that their meaning has long been lost, but they laid the foundation for the future world."

"Then," Set's eyes were deep, as if he was looking through the hall in front of him to the end of time, "I could only watch. I watched as kings came and went over thousands of years, each inheriting a throne that was filled with blood and curses, but my father's iron crown was always worn on their heads."

His voice was mixed with endless fatigue and vicissitudes, but the majesty that had witnessed a long history still existed.

"I saw the Daevite hero slay the only son of the Second Sky-King on the battlefield of the Holy City. I saw Ultan el-Metho, the mad magician, raining fire from the highest heavens to consume the [Firstborn] of the East, until Malus the Wrathful, grandson of the old Sky-King, pulled him down from the sky and burned him to ashes."

Seth paused, as if he was sorting out the broken memories from the long time, and continued:

"I also saw Joel Apollonia sail across the sea to meet the kings called the Sons of the Night. Her end was to be buried alive and then sacrifice her heart to their terrible goddess tree - the roots of the tree buried the deep sins of mankind."

Xia Xiu stood there and didn't interrupt.

His fingers gently stroked the magic wand in his hand, his brows slightly frowned, obviously full of doubts about the ancient names and events in Set's narration, but also full of curiosity.

“I can only watch and wait while the world keeps turning.”

Seth raised his head, his eyes revealing an ancient sadness.

"Then Sarus VIII, the eighth Celestial King, crossed the sea and destroyed the last of the alien race. When Sarus IX buried their princess, the princess brought a powerful blasphemy that brought destruction to his kingdom as well."

Seth's voice was filled with painful memories:
"It is with deep sorrow that I watch the kingdom of men crumble, and Sarus betrayed on all sides. His knights, one by one, kneel before the evil god, and degenerate into monsters and beasts. To the west is Lahiel, to the north is Ogier, to the south is Hector, and to the east is Lancelot - once Sarus's prime minister, but he betrayed him and became his final enemy."

Xia Xiu raised his eyebrows slightly, his voice was low but with a hint of irrepressible interest:

"Lancelot? King Arthur? The Sword in the Stone?"

"The last ally?" Xia Xiu raised his eyes slightly, seeming curious about the title.

Seth's gaze fell on the distance, as if he saw the earth-shaking battle through the mist of time.

"For several weeks, Lancelot fought a long battle with the ancient dragon Bharata, the sea lord Arcturus, and the last Daeva king. They were the last great heroes, but now forgotten. The battle claimed the lives of every one of them, and in the end only Bharata and I were left."

There was a tremor of pain in Seth's voice:

"With his last gasps, Bharata tore out Lancelot's stinking heart and threw his broken body into the Palace of the Setting Sun. But Bharata left, taking his last breath with him, leaving me alone."

"The last Titan dragon also died because of me."

His eyes dimmed:

"The rest, and my brothers. They wander the land, seeking our father's Iron Crown. My father is somewhere, too, I imagine, assuming he's not rotting away in the center of Terra."

Seth took a deep breath, with a hint of self-mockery in his voice:
"The crown was lost long ago, when the darkness of blasphemy consumed Sarus IX, the Iron Crown fell with it. And when the palace of Apollyon collapsed one night, the last of the heavenly kings died, and the kingdoms of men were once again torn apart."

His voice lowered, almost like a whisper:

"[The Children of the Night] sailed across the ocean in their vast and terrifying ships, plundering everything they could carry away. What they could not take away was left forever in this desolate land."

The Children of the Night...

Xia Xiu recalled the records about the Children of the Night. He had read the encrypted documents of the Kingdom of Heaven and knew a fragment of the records about this race:
[The Daevite army is so powerful that no one can stop it, but they are not always such behemoths.

When the empire was first established, the unity was complete, and the Matron Council was established. The newborn Daeva used the grass children and wooden beasts stolen from the [Children of the Night] to form an army and expand the troops.

One of the early tactics was to target small enemy farming communities, plunder their livestock, and capture many slaves; in this way, the Daevas learned to cut off the enemy's food supply before advancing to the city.

It is said that rituals are performed to comprehend the outcome of the battle, and if the result is not what the mistress wants, the tactics will be changed. Because of this, the Daeva military force has become synonymous with unstoppable power and unpredictable asymmetric warfare.

——Excerpt from Daeva’s Sociological Analysis.

The Night Children, one of the constructs of the Daevite paramilitary, are mentioned several times in the memes dating back to the First Occult War, but nothing is specifically said about their origins.

I didn't expect to hear this from Seth.

What is certain is that the history and civilization that Set described took place before the First Supernatural War, and is even older than the Glorious Era.

Xia Xiu raised his head, his eyes were filled with searching light, and his voice was steady:

"and after?"

A heavy look appeared on Seth's face, as if the dust deep in his memory was uncovered again. He took a deep breath, and his tone was low but full of majesty like telling history:
"Then...the great flood came."

His eyes became deep and distant, as if he was looking at a past that could not be undone.

Xia Xiu couldn't help but connect this matter with the [Crisis Sequence: Yggdrasil/World Tree] of Heaven, and he also thought of the Ivy War, which is closely related to him now.

The Ivy War is essentially the combination of two [Crisis Sequences], which formed a new Houkai thing [Golden Tree].

The original intention of Heaven's participation in the Ivy War was actually very simple - once the opportunity arose, the [Golden Tree] would be cut down immediately.

Seth's words continued:

"I don't know why it came. But I always feel that its battle with the gods and the war between flesh and blood and machines are inseparable. Those wars devoured countless worlds and eventually pushed everything into the abyss of destruction."

There was a hint of chill in Set's voice, as if that distant disaster scene was reappearing before his eyes:
"The arrival of the Great Flood was accompanied by intermittent and unusually heavy rains. The rain was not an ordinary natural phenomenon, but some kind of more ancient magic. The water level continued to rise, reaching a height of 1.3 to 2.8 kilometers, swallowing up all low-lying areas. Those creatures that could not adapt to underwater survival, or those that could not find shelter in high places, inevitably died in the rising water level."

"The sea will not swallow it, and the way of growth and darkness is also--"

Xia Xiu remembered the only words left on the south wall. He frowned and asked in a low voice:
“Has all life been destroyed?”

Seth shook his head and continued:
"Not everything was destroyed. Some of the forests of the Old World adapted to the new environment. Trees grew in the flood, forming floating ecosystems beneath their branches. I'm sure this was also the result of some entity's thaumaturgy at the time. But other than that, the remaining ecosystems, including most of the animals and plants, were completely destroyed by the flood."

His tone became more serious, as if he was describing a doomed tragedy:

"Whatever human civilization existed at the time was wiped out in this disaster. After the flood receded, the surviving human settlements degenerated into a primitive state of hunting and gathering. The once glorious civilization was gone, leaving only broken ruins and undecipherable symbols for future generations to see."

"but……"

Seth paused, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"The dramatic decline of human civilization was not just the result of the flood itself. What was more fatal was that after the catastrophe, a powerful force began to introduce a reverse meme effect to the world. It was a kind of magic that used the catastrophic nature of the flood to completely erase certain memories of the past of mankind."

"Erase the memory?"

There was a sharp flash in Xia Xiu's eyes.

"What is the purpose?"

Seth sneered and replied:
"It is clear that the purpose of that power is to completely sever humanity from its violent and thaumatologically active past. This anti-metamorphosis effect has weakened most humans to a nearly inhuman state. They no longer even have the ability to understand history or pass on civilization."

"pity……"

There was a hint of sarcasm in Seth's voice.

"Those attempts to erase the abnormal history were ultimately in vain. Soon, the Scarlet King came to the mortal world."

"Three Chaos Lords followed, bringing new wars and disasters."

Seth paused, an unconcealable fatigue appeared on his face:

"The Red King was the most powerful being of his time. He brought the Daevas to their knees and inherited the entire legacy of the Nightborne.

The Daeva army at that time, with the help of the excavated objects in the ruins, had mastered many ancient magics, including the "blood magic" that was lost in the flood. The terrifying military [tree pets] of the [children of the night] were also reawakened and carried forward by the Daevas. After the flood, they developed more than 50 subspecies and adapted to various battlefield environments.

It is no exaggeration to say that Daeva was the most powerful nation after the Flood. "

"The Scarlet King almost ruled the entire planet, but because of his change of faith, the inheritance of blood magic fell into the hands of another... person who amazed me - he went even further on the path of flesh and blood than my father did. He almost enslaved [Wazjuma] and built a throne comparable to the Iron Crown.

He built a huge palace and paradise in the body of [Wazjuma]. His throne controlled the power of the boundless beast. He was already at the level of my father. I thought he would be the one who truly unified the planet..."

Xia Xiu listened silently. He certainly knew who was looking for the Iron Crown, he also knew what paradise looked like, and he had even seen what the throne looked like.

He was one of the heirs to that palace and throne.

Moreover, when the other party mentioned the Red King, Xia Xiu immediately thought of the history of the Chaos Monarch at that time.

The reason why Set mentioned three Chaos Lords was because [Salishi] had not yet been born at that time.

The birth of "Salis" is closely related to the battle between Robert Broom and Ion.

This is another incident involving machinery and flesh.

"if……"

Xia Xiu's thoughts surged, and he secretly speculated:

“If the man in the mural is indeed Robert Broom, then the timeline and history don’t seem to fit.”

He recalled the records in history and whispered to himself:
"Robert Blom should be a hero of the post-flood era, a contemporary of Ion. However, this mural shows that he actually existed at the same time as the Sun, which is simply impossible..."

His golden eyes flashed with a calm and sharp light, and he came to a bold conclusion in his mind:

"Unless, there are two Robert Brooms in history."

He raised his hand and pointed at the iron man on the mural, his voice calm but with a hint of questioning:
"Seth, do you know this man named Robert Broom?"

Seth followed Xia Xiu's finger and looked at the mural, his eyes also fell on the iron figure. A thoughtful look appeared on his face, and he nodded slowly:

"Of course I know... He is a prophet, the prophet of Mehane."

"prophet?"

Xia Xiu's tone rose slightly.

Seth's voice was slow and firm:
“Yes, he once represented the father of the sun, that is, [Mehane], the embodiment of reason, to meet the sun.

By that time, [Mehane] had already been shattered, so the Prophet walked on earth, representing the will of the Iron God.

He paid the highest tribute to my father in the name of reason and order, and was pleased that my father was spreading the ways of reason in the kingdom.

He ... was Cain’s teacher.”

"Cain's teacher?" Xia Xiu's tone was full of surprise.

"So why did he appear in the post-Flood era to fight against Ion? He doesn't belong to that era at all."

Seth retracted his gaze, with a complex look in his eyes:
"You ask a good question. In fact, I did meet a man named Robert Broom in the post-Flood era, but he was extremely stupid. He didn't know what he was interfering with."

Xia Xiu exhaled slowly, a gleam of enlightenment flashing in his eyes.

He said softly:
"I see... The Robert Broom in history is two people. One is the true prophet, the messenger of [Mehane]; the other is the person who was replaced in the post-flood era."

"No wonder... Ion's rise was traceable, but Robert Blom's unification of the mechanical city-state seemed hasty and abrupt, like some kind of miracle... or some kind of manipulation by external forces, as if he was born to suppress Ion."

Three of the four main outsiders surrounding the sun on the east wall already knew.

A king in crimson robes and a flaming crown, offering a hand of friendship—the Crimson King.

Next to him is a naked woman with a snake wrapped around her body - Lilith.

A man made of iron - the Prophet.

There is another one, a wizard in dark blue robes, who is he?

"Who is the last person on the mural on the east wall?" Xia Xiu asked directly.

Seth raised his eyes and looked at the wizard on the mural, a subtle smile appearing on his face.

There was something strange in his tone, even mixed with some complex emotions that could not be concealed:
"Wondertainment."

"Wendetingment?" Xia Xiu frowned and repeated the difficult-to-pronounce name.

Seth nodded, his eyes wandering over the outlines of the wizards on the mural.

His voice was low and slow. "He...or they, is a mystery. Some call him a genius, while others call him a madman. There are different legends about his name among many civilizations, but most of them are related to 'toy' and 'child'."

Xia Xiu narrowed his eyes, seeming to find it hard to believe:
"Toymaker?"

Seth smiled gently, but there was something strange in his smile:
"Yes, a manufacturer, or a group of manufacturers of children's toys. But what they make goes far beyond the scope of 'toys'. The power contained in those toys is enough to subvert a city, or even a world."

"Wendetinment is a strange being, so strange that even those of us who have witnessed countless reincarnations of the ages cannot truly understand him. He is stranger than any other being I have ever seen. He always wanders between order and chaos like a shadow. His purpose and intention will always be a mystery."

Xia Xiu stood there quietly, with his head slightly lowered, lost in deep thought.

His golden eyes flickered in the dim hall, like burning flames.

He digested in his mind every word Seth said, comparing and analyzing the symbolic parts with the knowledge he had mastered.

This ancient being spoke with astonishing frankness about everything he knew.

This attitude is completely different from that of the Riddlers in this land who like to hide every word in layers of fog.

"I also want to remind you of something," Set's voice broke the brief silence.

He raised his head, his eyes revealing an indescribable heaviness and worry, "Be careful of the original devil."

Xia Xiu raised his eyes to look at him, puzzled:
"The original devil?"

Set nodded and took a deep breath.

"The four knights of Apollyon."

"La Hire was the first to bend the knee, followed by Lancelot, Ogier, and finally, a reluctant Hector."

"They swore fealty to Sarus IX, but when the blasphemer's foul words emerged from the ground, their hearts changed."

His palms slowly clenched, as if he was trying to control his emotions.

"They fell. They took on strange forms, like the old Fae Gods. For their treachery, their hideous appearance became known as the Curse of Sarus IX."

"Lancelot was good at using the scepter, so his arm was deformed. His mind was filled with anger and destruction, and he had no other thoughts. When he climbed over the mountains, the sound he made was like a group of pigs squealing."

Seth paused, as if recalling some unbearable scenes, and his voice trembled a little:
"I have seen La Hiel moving invisibly in the west, like a dark shadow. Noble Hector sleeps in the south, his dreams disturbed, and here Lancelot lies, but his body... is not cold."

"Why?" Xia Xiu asked.

Seth took a deep breath, and his voice became more serious:
"Because, the indestructible blasphemer they said appeared again in the sky. Lancelot prayed to it, hoping that it would grant him great power."

Xia Xiu's right hand tightened slightly, and his fingertips brushed across the magic wand in his hand.

He whispered:
"You mean, some things are still moving, and some things are already asleep?"

Seth nodded, his eyes showing deep worry:

"Yes, these original demons have not completely perished. And the burden of this city will eventually exhaust my energy. I cannot protect it forever."

He turned his head and looked directly at Xia Xiu, with a hint of sadness in his voice:
"So, I need your help. I'm not truly immortal, I just lived long enough, but that doesn't mean I can live forever."

"This city and its secrets will be passed on to you in the future - the holders of the original book, the children of men, you must keep these secrets."

At this moment, Xia Xiu's mind was filled with questions. He didn't know how many times this had happened.

"The Book of the Beginning..."

He whispered, a hint of inquiry in his tone.

"You've mentioned it several times, but what exactly is it?"

Seth looked at Xia Xiu, with a faint light flickering in his eyes.

"My father received revelation from the serpent's guidance when he set up his throne at the beginning of time. He found the Fruit of Knowledge, the First Book, in the library on the tree.

'Book' might not be the right word, but it's the closest way to describe it."

His finger gently pointed in some empty direction in the air, as if the library was floating at the other end of this space.

"We have mentioned before the Serpent's Library - the greatest repository of knowledge in the universe. It has grown beyond time and space, dimensions and realities.

The words in those halls describe everything that exists and exists.

The Original Book not only describes existence, it is existence.”

Xia Xiu frowned slightly, his hand gently stroked the wand, and his mind quickly sorted out the complex information.

Seth continued, with a hint of regret in his tone:

“That book contains truths of the most elemental kind, truths that can never be understood by man or beast.

'How and why'...

These and more are in the book.”

Seth paused, his eyes became deeper, and there was a hint of weakness in his tone:
"I tried to read the book to know the truth. But I failed. I believed that if I could only read it, I could correct all the mistakes in the world. But I was just a confused and ignorant child."

Seth sighed softly, and his voice became deeper and deeper:
"I almost got lost in another book..."

"Another book?" Xia Xiu asked immediately.

Seth's eyes darkened. He turned his head to look at Xia Xiu and said slowly:
"There are two books in the library - the 'Original Book' and the 'Non-Existing Book'."

He paused, with a hint of fear in his voice:

"The latter also contains truth, but it is an impossible truth, a truth that does not exist. Its content is dark and ancient, about everything that cannot be understood."

Xia Xiu tightened his fingers slightly, a hint of caution in his eyes, and he whispered:
"Does the library still exist?"

Seth replied:
“The barrier created by the Spark still exists, but it will fail one day.

Some people know what’s out there, and they’re going to go find it.”

After a moment of silence, Xia Xiu's eyes flickered with complex light.

He stroked his chin gently, as if weighing the authenticity of certain information.

Heaven is the owner of the "Book of the Beginning", so Eden might be...

Many of the deepest secrets of heaven flashed through Xia Xiu’s mind.

"The Book of the Beginning", "The Spiral Road", "The Twin Doors"...

"I want to ask, how did you determine that we are the holders of the 'Book of the Origin'?"

He asked suddenly, with a hint of inquiry in his tone.

Seth looked at Xia Xiu and said slowly:
"The reason I can be sure of this is because you have the aura of 'non-existence'...

It is strange, very strange, that you are the impossible and yet are written by existence.

Your essence is the same as my father's, both of you are impossible things. In some ways, you are both children of flesh and blood and machines.

That’s why I’m so open with you.”

Xia Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly.

【! ! ! ! ! 】

[The above related settings refer to the "Completion Plan" and are set up in the same way. 】