Volume 10 Bugs Final Chapter
This is my last day walking on the land of Falvi.
In the secret source of the digital world, the huge gear that determines the end of this world is already running silently. It's not that I can't change its operation, but I know it's meaningless. I know that in the world that belongs only to the spacemen, lightning has been successfully tamed by humans, and everything that the Falvi world relies on for survival is completely based on the energy called "electricity". If those who manipulate and control this world outside find that its operation is different, they only need to flip a switch to permanently close this entire world.
Why do these useless things? Since I have decided to sleep with this world, let it follow its fate and end.
I am standing in a wooden building northwest of the holy city of Freschit. This is the headquarters of an adventure guild called "A group of people who chatter about random things out of boredom". I still remember how it looked when it was first built: alleys too narrow to accommodate two people walking side by side, crumbling walls and windows, broken tables and chairs, rooms covered with dust and cobwebs... except for those "a group of people who chatter about random things out of boredom", there is nothing here.
But with these people, everything is available. Those guys trade here, accept tasks, train skills, fight... This shabby house that has been idle for who knows how many years and is almost falling apart is becoming more and more lively day by day, and then it becomes bigger, taller, and more beautiful. Today, it is a four-story brick and stone building, the exterior walls are painted white and bright and lovely, and there is a sculpture of a girl reading in the garden in front of the door. The reason why the stingy president Feiyin is willing to grit her teeth and spend more than 3,000 gold coins to buy it is because of the boring reason of "she looks like me".
What ultimately makes us regretful is that we were not able to run this guild on a larger scale and open a carriage inn of our own at the door.
A few hours ago, the cleaning deadline for this building had already arrived. At that time, there was no trace of the activities of the spacemen in the entire Falvi continent. But I still remitted the gold coins immediately, so that this building could remain clean and new in its last moment of existence.
This building contains precious and beautiful friendships, how can I let it gather dust?
My little room was still on the second floor. It had nothing but a bed, a table, a chair, and a set of alchemical equipment. The indigo sheets were neatly spread on the bed, just like the first day it came here. The last time I lay here, the feeling of warmth and stability was the same as the first day.
I left a trace of my consciousness here, in this place that I have never lost and that I call "home". In the last moments of this world, although I refused the company of my "family", staying here made me feel that they had never left.
I appeared in the Onzeklar Mountains, where there was a quiet lawn surrounded by dense forests. A shallow stream meandered through the middle of the lawn, making a pleasant gurgling sound.
On the lawn, a wild horse with a shiny black body and snow-white hooves was pacing peacefully, completely unaware of the sudden appearance of me, a mysterious visitor.
I summoned my mount—a horse that looked exactly like it, named "Shanxue".
Shanxue, my friend, if it wasn't me, then you might be the one enjoying the good times here today. You are such a wild and elegant beast that I felt the trembling and praise from the bottom of my heart when I saw you for the first time. I was deeply attracted by the vigorous breath of freedom in you. You are the wild spirit in this forest. When you run , even the wind cheers for you; when you jump, you are more like a bird with invisible wings flying.
I separated myself from an incarnation, turned over and sat on its back, and with a long roar, urged it to run with me.
Run, my friend! Run! In this forest that belongs to you, show your freedom and pride. I'm sorry, my friend, I can't give you true freedom, but at this moment, I am willing to be your loyal shadow to witness your extraordinary life. Run! Through mountains and rivers, jump over cliffs, wade through streams, and step on lawns. For the first time in my life, I am willing to help you run as hard as you can for yourself, and forever imprint your proud figure in the last memory of this land!
I came to the last open instance on this continent, "Saint Samira Palace". Ignoring the numerous guards in the instance, I walked straight to the last king of the world, "Heartbreaker" Darendil.
He is a hybrid of vampires and demons. In pursuit of great power, he turned into a fifty-foot-tall behemoth. In contrast to his notorious reputation, he is a very handsome warrior. He threw his soul into darkness, hoping to find the power to return to those lives exiled from this continent.
To the Continental Alliance, he is the lord of darkness, the alliance's mortal enemy, and the embodiment of evil.
But in fact? He is just a final boss designed to satisfy the players' desire for battle and sense of honor.
The only purpose of his life is to be defeated and killed, so as to achieve fame and glory for others.
I still remember when I and other friends in the guild rushed to him, surrounded him, and fought desperately until the last second to knock him down. He roared and struggled, but eventually he collapsed. That was the most tragic moment in his lonely life, but also the most magnificent moment, the most glorious moment, and the most satisfying moment. At that moment, he completed his mission and let everyone who bravely came to him get everything they deserved.
Isn't this the meaning of his existence?
You have a powerful body but are just a monster without a soul; you face every battle loyally and with all your strength, but what you finally get is only failure; you have a glorious reputation and shocking legends, but all of this is just a fantasy made up by others for their own entertainment.
The huge demon dragged a long knife, majestically patrolling in the cave full of magma, and the loud roar shook people's hearts, like a proud declaration, but also like a contemptuous challenge. You are the demon king who makes everyone tremble, and you are also the idol that everyone worships and makes pilgrimages.
But tonight you are destined to be alone. No one will come to you as usual to prove your bravery and reap your glory. You will feel lonely, right, my eternal enemy? You have accompanied so many people through thrilling sleepless nights, but now you have to face the end of everything alone.
Someone should accompany you, no matter whether you can understand it or not. You are the last pride and suspense of this world, I am willing to stay here and greet our common ending with you.
Leaving this wisp of consciousness behind, I came to the center of the vast sea of comets. With a flick of my hand, I pulled out bits and pieces of bytes from the code world, put them into bricks and stones, piled them up high, and based on my own impressions, I created the ruins of a castle out of thin air.
This is what the Rubblestone Fortress, the city that brought a huge turning point and change to my life, should look like. I tried my best to restore every broken wall and every walking corpse of the castle. On the highest watchtower of the fortress, the black Arthur Denggot stood proudly, eager to bring the fate of destruction to her kind who betrayed her oath and justice.
Oh, it's not you I'm looking for, ma'am. It's the old troll who is sitting cross-legged beside a bonfire, waving his cane in the most inconspicuous corner of the city.
Old Carlson, the only soul mate I have ever met in this world, is smiling at me quietly in a familiar manner. Long ago, he once faced an irresistible disaster of destruction. At that time, I wanted to stand with him and face it together. However, out of love for me, he refused my request.
Now, the notes of fate have come full circle and returned to the starting point. I, who had escaped the catastrophe, now have to face an irresistible final fate.
This time, can you please accompany me to the end? My friend, my teacher, my father. I have chosen this path, but it does not mean that I have no fear. I can feel that my soul is also struggling and trembling in fear in the face of this final moment of extinction. At this moment, I need your company more than ever, even if it is just a shadow of you, even if it is just a body without a soul.
I picked up a broken porcelain bowl and scooped out a bowl of light green juice from the cauldron hanging over the campfire. Oh, Teddy Sinno, the drink of the trolls, old man, don't try to trick me into drinking this disgusting thing again this time. I held the broken bowl and sat quietly across the campfire, watching the smile of this blue-skinned old man rise and flicker in the flames, and the warm feeling spread from the depths of my heart.
I carefully preserved this consciousness, and the next second, I was at the gate of a manor in the wilderness. Because of the war, this originally peaceful and tranquil manor had now become a heavily guarded fortress, with walls reinforced by large stones and huge trees enough to keep out any possible invading enemies.
I walked through the city wall and entered the meeting hall, ignored by teams of patrolling guards.
There, I saw the owner of the manor, Baroness Lemore.
I don't know how many people still remember this poor and respectable girl. When we passed by her manor, she asked us to bring back the message of her brother. When we saw her brother, he had fallen forever on the battlefield of the Stone Fortress due to the poison that corroded his soul. In my task list, there is still an unfinished task to this day, which is "Miss Lemore's Instructions". At that time, I didn't understand the rules of the world. I naively thought that as long as I didn't say anything, I would add a possibility to the world; and now, even if I know that all this is fabricated, I don't want to bring this sad news to this poor girl.
After so many years of war, the girl has grown up. She is wearing heroic armor and holding a sharp sword, standing in the center of the meeting room, looking at the defense map in front of her. There is no weakness and panic in her eyes, but the determination and courage to defend her homeland.
Your brother is very proud of you, ma'am, and I'm sure he would be happy to tell you that himself.
I quietly raised a bunch of codes and directed them to arrange and combine in the void, until a handsome and upright noble young man appeared. He had brown hair, wore a set of 13th-level "light metal armor", and also wore a plain long sword on his waist. With a smile on his face, he slowly walked to Miss Lemore, put his arm around her shoulders, and then gently kissed her cheek.
Brave and respectful lady, I was once an adventurer hired by you. I lived up to your trust and successfully completed the mission, bringing your brother's message back to you.
The writing on the taskbar gradually faded away, and finally became a blank. I finally lived up to my responsibility to this world. From this moment on, this will be a world without any regrets for me. Even if the next moment is its end, everything at this moment will become beautiful and perfect.
I did not leave my consciousness here, this space only belongs to the relatives who reunited after life and death. This is the best thing I can do for this world, for which I feel extremely proud and gratified.
I stepped through the constraints of space and came to the streets of the small town of Campnavia. The vendors were still busy doing business silently. Even without any customers, they still felt so fulfilled and satisfied. Oh, there is still enough time. Although I have the ability to travel thousands of miles in an instant, at this moment, I still want to rely on my feet to walk this wonderful journey.
On Rose Street, the flowers that symbolize love on the roadside are still blooming, and the fire in Santa Bakery is still dancing, spreading the sweet aroma of baked bread in the air.
Marianne, the lovely girl, still supported her cheeks with her hands, looked up at the clear sky, and smiled faintly.
Before this, I had never dared to walk into this small bakery. I could only stand on the side of the road, or stand in front of the window opposite, staring at the figure of this beautiful girl, laughing at my own cowardice and immersed in the longing for her.
What a luxurious yet poor love it is. It is so hungry that it seems as if it can never be filled no matter what, but it is so easily satisfied that even a glance can make one feel great happiness.
But today, as the world is about to end, I want to be brave...
I opened the door of the bakery.
When the shop door opened, it collided with the wind chimes hanging behind the door, making a pleasant "ding-dong" sound.
"Welcome, what can I do for you?"
A fresh face of a smiling girl turned around behind the counter , and her voice was as clear as a wind chime.
Oh, that's her voice.
So much time has passed that I have almost forgotten how gentle and lively her voice was. It was like a dewdrop reflecting the moonlight, crystal clear and sparkling, untouchable.
I walked up to her and cleared my throat nervously:
"Whether you can understand or not..." I stared into her eyes and spoke slowly, "...I want to tell you a story...a story about a foolish warrior who fell hopelessly in love with a bakery girl."
"…This story has been buried in my heart for a long time. I only want to tell it to you…"
In the affectionate gaze and sincere narration, I left that trace of consciousness. I didn't want to alarm the girl, so I didn't open the door, but walked directly through the wall.
Turning back, I saw a shy young man, facing an extremely cute girl, blushing and stumbling as he told her about his foolish love that would never have any hope. The girl stared at the young man in front of her with her big round eyes wide open, looking at him politely, and it seemed that she just regarded him as an ordinary customer among the countless customers who had entered this bakery.
For a flower in a dream;
Or the love of a corner of clothing is hopeless;
Hopeless love is tender;
I suffer from a more gentle disease of nostalgia;
Since you left behind your voice like a pearl;
My melancholy thoughts were startled;
That's it, it's also good.
…
There is only one minute left before the world ends.
I flashed to the gate of Campnavia.
At the city gate, a young soldier wearing a helmet and armor and with a determined gaze was standing upright at his post, performing his duty of guarding the city meticulously.
His name was "Gate Guard Jeffreys Kidd".
Oh, that was me.
Suddenly, I seemed to remember something, and I pulled out a small bundle of Moon Soul Grass from the bottom of my backpack. It was something that a careless person accidentally put into my hands during a transaction when I first gained consciousness.
I have always suspected that my soul and my life are closely connected with this bundle of moon soul grass. Perhaps this bundle of herbs that can be found everywhere contains some magic that I still cannot understand, which brought my soul and consciousness into my body at that moment. With such doubts, in my long adventure career, no matter what situation I encountered, I never threw away this bundle of moon soul grass. An irrational superstition made me afraid that after throwing it away, everything I miraculously possessed would be gone from me.
After putting the Moon Soul Grass back into my backpack, I turned around and faced my former self.
A magical power surged from my body, making my body gradually become transparent.
I took a step back gently, and my body turned into a disembodied shadow as I had hoped, gradually merging into the body of the man behind me named "City Gate Guard Jeffreys Kidd" until they completely overlapped.
This is where it all began.
This is also the end of everything.
From here, I started an incredible journey. During this wonderful journey of life, I have been fortunate to meet many interesting travelers and travel with them.
But in the end, it is still my life, the life of "Jeffreys Kidd". Everyone's life is a journey that belongs to him or her. In this journey, I have been alone and will eventually reach the end alone.
...five, four, three, two, one...
The last stroke of the World Clock sounded quietly.
Endless emptiness came, unable to see through the night, filling the originally colorful world.
Oh, it’s dark…
