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Interlude 1550: "After Shaking Hands with Noel (Part 1)"

Have you heard the stories of One Thousand and One Nights?

"The girl told the tyrannical king a story every night in order to please him."

"With so many stories, it's impossible for every one to come from a young girl's whimsical ideas. So, she used the people around her as the basic figures and created one story after another on that basis."

“In some stories, she is a bard, and the king is the prime minister she sings praises of.”

“In some stories, she is a guard, and the king is the count she serves.”

“In some stories, she is an itinerant doctor, and the king is the knight she meets while treating patients.”

"People call this... an IF line, right?"

"And in our understanding, we call this... a possibility, right?"

"Before you become the World Tree, I want you to see the path I am trying to pursue... a path that seems freer and has infinite possibilities. You may not be able to see its full picture, but through this short journey, you can understand some of my thoughts."

"I know I can't change the outcome of 'this time' for you, but..."

"Shake hands."

"I hope this short journey will leave you with some unforgettable impressions, so that you can finish this story of One Thousand and One Nights 'next time', 'the time after that'...."

……

Su Ming'an grasped that hand.

Most of his life had already flowed into the small world, leaving behind only an insignificant shell. Even if Noel had any schemes or tricks, he was not afraid.

Sensing that Noel had something to say, Su Ming'an shook Noel's hand as a precaution.

The moment I grasped it, the scene before me changed dramatically.

He opened his eyes and found himself standing in the wind and snow, with a majestic ancient castle in front of him.

Where is this?
As he calmly observed, he was gently patted on the shoulder.

"Nor, aren't you cold standing at the door? Come in." It was a dignified and elegant female voice. The girl had blue eyes like the sea, and a face as beautiful and refined as a clear lily. She was dressed in a simple dress and passed by Su Ming'an.

Su Ming'an paused for a moment, then looked down at himself.

Golden hair falling down, a ruby ​​bow tie at the chest, a robe resembling dove wings... So, this must be a memory of Noel's? Or a story?
He suddenly realized that the beautiful girl who had just passed by looked somewhat familiar...

His heart pounded as he pushed open the door and entered.

"Squeak——!"

The heavy castle gates opened. Ancient walls, a spiral staircase with reliefs, tables and chairs leaning against each other, snow and wind blowing outside the windows, and the silent light of a pale blue kerosene lamp flickering within the glass walls.

Seven people were sitting on the sofa.

Upon seeing Su Ming'an push open the door and enter, someone smiled and waved: "You've finally arrived, Noel."

Su Ming'an looked closely.

A beautiful young woman with blonde hair flowing down her shoulders, graceful and dignified, with blue eyes as deep as the sea.

A blond man with jewels adorning his ears, wearing a toy dragon T-shirt, hands in his pockets, fingers covered in rings.

The female doctor in the white coat with curly purple hair was tall, had a gloomy expression, and looked emaciated.

The man, dressed as a detective, wore square-framed glasses, carried a pipe, and had a shrewd look in his eyes.

The red-haired youth with an earring, wearing a leather jacket adorned with studs and high-heeled leather boots, sat slouching with a lazy expression.

A gentle man with blue hair, wearing a dark purple scarf and a matching tie, and knee-length black clothes, with a smile on his lips.

A person shrouded in a black robe, whose face was not revealed, sat silently in the corner of the sofa.

Su Ming'an stopped in his tracks.

He seemed to know what Noel was going to show him...

The gentle, blue-haired man spoke first. He placed his hands on his knees, crossed one leg, looked around, and spoke softly:
……

"Good evening, everyone. The snow in 2022 is really cold."

……

Those present were: Antetria (ranked second), Black (ranked fifth), Edith (ranked sixth), Locke (ranked ninth), Mao Lian (ranked tenth), Lu Licarbos (ranked sixteenth), and one player who did not show his face.

Su Ming'an brought up the system interface, and the time displayed on the system interface was: [May 31, 2022].

This is,

This is the first cycle of the world's game.

Or rather, the first cycle of the world game in "a certain" cosmic cycle.

"I didn't expect we'd be matched together. It seems this level is extremely difficult. To maintain balance, all the top players on the leaderboard have gathered together," Lu said with a smile.

"Tap tap." The red-haired youth tapped impatiently on the table. "Richard Bos, stop talking nonsense. Locke, use your [Information Insight] skill to think of a solution. What's going on with this dungeon?"

The detective-looking man adjusted his glasses and replied unhurriedly, "You all should have already experienced the theme of this instance these past few days—the fourteenth instance, [The Eighteen Trials of the Liar]. Players climb the tower from hell, experiencing escape rooms, snow-covered mountain lodges, and life-or-death games. The elements include medieval, Western fantasy, quick transmigration, and infinite flow."

"Oh~" The blond man with jewels adorning his ears whistled, "A tower-climbing dungeon, that's quite a rare sight."

"Blake, be quiet," the gloomy purple-haired female doctor said coldly. The blond man immediately scratched his head, like a mouse before a cat.

Locke coughed to draw people's attention back: "My credibility is limited. Let's leave the rest of the information to our second-ranked player, the beautiful royal jewel, Lady Antetria."

Upon hearing this, people fell silent.

In the center of their gaze, a blonde woman, as dignified and beautiful as a Greek goddess, revealed a pair of blue eyes and spoke softly:
"As you all have already experienced, the previous level was an 'escape room,' and those difficult-to-solve rooms left a deep impression on us. The next level's level may be similar to games like 'Box Girl Game,' 'Russian Roulette,' or 'Who's the Spy?' You have to climb the tower in sequence to finally clear this level."

“As for the checkpoint on this floor…” She shifted her snowy neck slightly, her gaze sweeping across the snowstorm outside the window: “It should be called ‘The Snowstorm Manor.’ A secluded castle where, once a murder occurs, the guests can only suspect each other until the murderer is found, or they all die…”

Su Ming'an remained silent, observing his surroundings.

What caught his attention most was the man in black robes sitting in the corner of the sofa. This man hadn't uttered a word from beginning to end, remaining isolated, and the other top players on the leaderboard ignored him as well.

At that moment, a maid came over, handed out a mask to everyone, and then turned and headed towards the stairs.

The group realized that they were being told to follow.

"It seems we're about to meet the owner of this castle," Mao Lian whistled.

The group entered the banquet hall, which was magnificent and adorned with beaded curtains and jade curtains. The carpet was covered with scarlet roses, and there was a faint scent of red wine and decadent flowers.

Besides the eight of them, another group of eight players, all wearing masks, walked over from the other side.

At the very top, the castle's owner finally revealed himself to the expectant gaze of everyone.

—A blue-haired boy.

He sat with his legs crossed, casually swirling his wine glass. Beside him sat a doll-like girl with long, flowing black hair, lifeless eyes, and a gorgeous long dress adorned with flowers. Her skin was dull and lifeless; she was a corpse.

"Welcome to my castle, everyone," the blue-haired boy said with a smile.

Locke's eyes flashed blue as he activated a detection skill. Then, with a slight movement of his hands, invisible blue threads pierced into the earlobes of each player, and his voice rang in their ears: "The master of the castle, Count Totacco, is a illustrious nobleman of this bizarre medieval civilization. Legend has it that a young girl's corpse always sits beside him, his deceased lover. In his quest to resurrect her, he has been researching forbidden black magic, even to the point of madness and disregard for everything."

"And we are a group of profit-seekers with our own goals. Some want to ask the Earl for investment, some want to ask the Earl for medicine, some are here to investigate the Earl for big news, and some are here to curry favor with the powerful. In short, we have gathered here for all sorts of purposes to attend this Earl's banquet."

Su Ming'an glanced at him sideways.

Wow, that's impressive! This is what an information flow player does. They can gather so much information with just a brief observation, communication, and skill usage.

"How many groups of guests are we having now?... Never mind! Since you've all come as guests, let's play a game!" The blue-haired boy suddenly stood up, waving his arms and saying:
"I, the Earl, have made my decision! Today's game will be called 'The Last Supper'!"

...Playing games?

The players looked at each other, wondering what kind of game it was. They had expected to play a game.
“If it’s a card game, I’m better at it,” Antetria said with a dignified smile.

“Oh, I’d rather it were a betrayal-themed game… I like seeing you all running around aimlessly…” Edith said in a gloomy, hoarse voice.

"Hahaha... Let's be peaceful, wouldn't exploration games be much better?" Locke said helplessly.

"Shut up! Be quiet!" the blue-haired boy shouted, jumping up and down. "This Earl is about to announce the rules!"

"Four of you sixteen are demons!" The blue-haired boy pointed at the group. "Hmm... the game has two phases: 'Midnight Bell Rings' and 'Dinner Time'!"

"During the 'Midnight Bell Rings' segment, you are free to move around the castle, and of course, the demons can kill without restraint!"

“During the ‘dining time’ segment, the bells in the banquet hall will ring, and you must return to the banquet hall to vote and banish the person you believe to be the devil!”

"Alright, now I, the Earl, will issue you your identities! Now, eat the food in front of you. If it tastes bitter, then you are a demon! Come on, eat up!"

On the long table, the tablecloth slipped off, revealing the plates.

Su Ming'an controlled his expression.

—What's on the table isn't a delicious meal at all, but a person!

A living person!

Slightly curly purple hair slid down the white tablecloth, and the person's face was covered by a white veil, revealing only the dissected human body.

Su Ming'an had already recognized who the Earl was. The former Ninth Seat Divine Envoy, Wu Yi. Lu Shu had taken his position as Divine Envoy.

In the first world game, the Wingless character actually appeared in the fourteenth instance?
Rovasha didn't clear the game until the 400 millionth time, so in the first world game, Rovasha was not cleared and may not even have appeared in the fifteen dungeons.

After a moment of silence, Antetolia was the first to move. She ate a piece of fruit from the edge of her plate and then put down her silver fork. Her demonstration made everyone realize the importance of eating only the fruit from the edge.

Su Ming'an took a bite of the fruit, and a slightly bitter taste emerged.

...His own identity is "demon".

After the meal, we were free to move around. Suddenly, the candlelight went out with a "whoosh," and everything went completely dark.

"Ah!" A scream rang out, and one of the "demons" had already made its move.

Just as Su Ming'an was about to act, he suddenly felt someone grab his hand and pull him away from the banquet hall. They ran until the commotion behind him gradually subsided, and the person spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Be careful, that piano in the banquet hall looked a bit dangerous."

Su Ming'an paused for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He pretended to check the other person's injuries, but actually gave him a gentle hug.

As if they had connected on radio waves, he sensed that the other person instantly relaxed.

The other person took off their hood.

—A face with jet-black hair, jet-black eyes, dark circles under the eyes, soft facial features, and a slightly gloomy expression was revealed.

“Su Ming’an…” Su Ming’an said.

"Hmm." Su Ming'an from the first world game said, "I am a demon, and you?"

“Me too,” Su Ming’an said.

“That’s good,” the other person said. “I don’t trust anyone else, not even demons. Losing this dungeon will only send you to the next level, not make you truly die. We can kill everyone else.”

...Wow, how gloomy I am.

Su Ming'an sensed a dark aura. Sure enough, because he had been tainted by the dark aura, the other top players on the leaderboard seemed to be keeping their distance from him.

“My Eye of Detection has spotted something interesting. Come with me.” Ying Su pulled Su Ming’an forward, and they arrived at a library, where voices could be heard coming from inside.

Su Ming'an glanced over and saw a blond man named Blake standing with a young man dressed in Chinese clothing, talking to each other.

"...Mr. Black, I invite you."

“…Oh? If I remember correctly, you are the clone of Su Ming'an, the eleventh ranked player, right?” Blake crossed his arms and laughed, “That gloomy guy is full of dark aura, and no one is close to him. Only you, his clone, are loyal to him.”

The young man in Chinese clothing smiled brightly, placing his hand on his chest: "But who would like to have their destiny controlled? Although my lord is good to me, I cannot be satisfied with the role of an 'avatar.' Don't I also want an independent life?"

Su Ming'an suddenly remembered that if Su Ming'an in the first world game was the base of the "clone", then who were the two clones of Su Ming'an in the first world game?
"What are the names of your clones?" Su Ming'an asked in a low voice.

Ying Su raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of stupid question this was. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Su Jingtang, Su Qing."

Ming's clone corresponds to Su Jingtang.

The shadow clone corresponds to Su Qing.

Both of these individuals were cards drawn by Su Ming'an from Rovasa in over 400 million world games. However, in the first world game, they were Su Ming'an's clones.

interesting.

It seems that the two of them most likely betrayed Su Ming'an and left because they didn't want to be clones, and entered Rovasa to become independent beings. In the end, they were drawn back to Su Ming'an's side.

Blake stroked his chin and shook his head: "Although I don't like that gloomy guy Su Ming'an, I also don't like traitors! I dare not agree to your cooperation."

"How could I presume to ask a great player at the top of the rankings to cooperate with someone as humble as myself?" Su Jingtang said modestly. "I merely invite you to witness with me the truth of the world."

“Not interested, get lost.” Blake didn’t mince words; he was always forthright and despised immoral behavior.

"Oh?" Su Jingtang smiled. "What if I said I came to invite you on behalf of the castle's owner?"

Blake's expression changed. If it concerned an important NPC, he had to hear what this kid had to say; he could always refuse to cooperate. He snorted with a sour face, "I want to see what this 'truth of the world' is all about. Lead the way!"

The two figures gradually disappeared into the distance.

“Your clone betrayed you,” Su Ming’an said.

He was joking, but Ying Su said calmly:
"...I'm used to it."

I've gotten used to too many betrayals.

I've gotten used to too many cold stares.

Su Ming'an's expression froze, and he sighed. He had gone through such a difficult past... Fortunately, he was lucky this time.

"Let's go, follow them." Ying Su said, raising her arm, and a dark curtain covered the two of them, like an invisibility cloak.

Su Ming'an recalled that Su Wenjun's room had taken many photos of him in the world game cycle. Sometimes he was a priest, sometimes a magician, and sometimes even a bard... This time, is his profession similar to a shadow assassin?
“Someone is also following them.” Ying Su closed her eyes and sensed for a moment: “Ahead are Hui Bai and Antetolia.”

“The number one player is Hui Bai,” Su Ming’an said.

"Hmm." Ying Su snorted, giving a look that said, "Why are you so dull today?" "I didn't see him in the hall earlier. He's good at hiding... Let's go, find an opportunity to kill them, lest they banish us."

"Rank 11 kills Rank 1," Su Ming'an said.

“I’d even kill someone on the zero list,” Ying Su said without any politeness.

In the distance, Blake and Su Jingtang walked onto the rooftop of the castle.

Through the distant wind and snow, beyond the distant mountains, three suns can be faintly seen.

The rooftop was covered with vines, wide enough for several people to walk side by side. Su Jingtang took the lead and stepped onto one of them. Blake frowned, but followed.

Hui Bai and Antetolia followed closely behind, and then Su Ming'an and Ying Su.

The group of six walked on the vines. Su Jingtang looked up and said, "Mr. Black, look at the sky. There are three suns in the sky. The sky is round and the earth is square because the boundary of the world is indeed square."

"We have to thank a scientist from the past. At that time, it was generally believed that the world revolved around the sun, but he insisted on the theory that the sky was flat and the earth was round. Later, he was burned to death, but people finally proved that the sky was flat and the earth was round."

"Later, people also discovered another rule: food would fall from the sky at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m. If someone continuously crashed into the edge of the world, food would also fall."

"Nonsense!" Blake couldn't help but say, "Do you think I haven't heard of the 'turkey scientists' in The Three-Body Problem? The farmer fed the turkeys every day at noon, and the turkey scientists believed that 'food falls from the sky every noon' was a natural law. Until one day the farmer changed his routine and started feeding them at six o'clock in the evening, all the turkeys' science collapsed, and the series of scientific laws they had studied also vanished."

"So, it's just because there's a 'farmer' above us, in a higher dimension, feeding the birds, and the world we're in now is a turkey farm. That's why food is falling from the sky."

"As for what you said about food appearing when we hit the edge of the world, that's because the 'farmers' noticed the 'turkeys' rebellion and gave us extra food to appease us. That's not a scientific phenomenon at all!"

"Oh, you are very knowledgeable," Su Jingtang said with a smile after hearing this.

"I may be careless, but I'm not stupid!" Blake glared angrily.

“Well then, I have a question for you.” Su Jingtang narrowed his eyes.

"put!"

“Mr. Black,” Su Jingtang said with a slight smile.
"—How can you be certain that Zhai Xing's existing 'natural laws'—such as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west, the law of conservation of matter, Newton's first law, the second law of thermodynamics, and Fermat's law—are not the result of intentional manipulation by higher dimensions?"

Blake's eyes widened, his mouth trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.

Su Jingtang said, "If I said that before the emergence of humankind, the sun and moon were in the same sky, rather than rising in the east and setting in the west. The sun is bright red, and the moon is deep blue, so it should be a red sun and a blue moon, not a red sun and a white moon, do you think that's impossible?"

Blake's pupils trembled.

How is that impossible?

...Of course it's possible.

Although the phrases "crossing the sea line" and "guarding the coastline" are spoken lightly, as if it were just changing save files in a game, in reality, each ending represents a cosmic Poincaré return. The lifespan of the universe is astronomical relative to humanity, and relative to Su Ming'an himself.

“Creation…” Su Ming’an murmured to himself slowly.

The most striking example is Roivasa. Oliver and other pioneers were essentially "farmers" who rewrote the rules of science, turning the common cold into cancer and cancer into the common cold. Given enough time, people will only remember that the common cold is cancer, and that's the truth.

So, given that the sea-crossing line and the guarded shoreline have been cycled so many times... and given that so much time has passed... how much has changed since the beginning?
"—What if I told you that long ago, Zhai Xing was always bathed in the same sunlight and moon, always had a red sun and a blue moon, and even had an ancestor named Oliver, would you believe me?" Su Jingtang crossed his arms and smiled slightly.
"If I told you that Su Ming'an was an organizer a long time ago, would you believe me?"

"If I told you that Boss Rabbit is actually Zhai Xing's world consciousness, would you believe me?"

"Do you believe it?"

"Don't you believe it?"

Su Ming'an felt his sleeve being tightly gripped, while Ying Su lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the ground.

“I…” Blake opened his mouth.

"—Of course, none of that matters." Hui Bai suddenly appeared.

He stood in front of Blake and said to Su Jingtang, "Whatever happened in the past, so what? What's the point of dwelling on how much was altered in the past?"

“That’s right, only idiots would dwell on such things from the past.” Su Jingtang smiled slightly: “But the premise is… that we are not threatened.”

"What do you mean?" Hui Bai raised an eyebrow.

“Right now, there are some ‘farmers’ above us.” Su Jingtang pointed to the sky: “Everything we stand on is built on the limited knowledge of those people. Once their ideas change, everything we stand on will fall apart.”

"The most frightening thing is that our history, people, past, society, order, and future, spanning thousands of years, are all built on the limited knowledge of those people. Once they lack certain common sense, then we will also lack that common sense in the present moment."

"For example, once they think in their minds that 'strawberries grow on the ground,' then strawberries will grow on the ground from now on, and the concept of 'strawberry tree' will no longer exist."

"But common sense, which has been around since ancient times, tells us that even a six-year-old knows that strawberries grow on trees."

Upon hearing this, Su Ming'an suddenly felt a moment of confusion and frowned.

Do strawberries grow on the ground or on trees?
It seems to be... growing on a tree.

Yes, they've always grown on trees. Back in the Ruins World, North Lisel planted many strawberry trees for Asar.

……

No matter how many strawberry bushes are planted in North Lisser, or how many years are waited, they will never see them again.

[—The 773rd Memory Mirror: "Lu Shu, Asa"]

……

Could it be that... this law of nature was altered long ago?

"But—God!" Su Jingtang opened his arms wide, tilted his head back, and laughed loudly in the wind and snow:

"If all the fixed laws of science have been erased, if everything we understand is based solely on one person's common sense and values."

"Our fate can be changed if they so choose."

"So."

He turned around and slowly looked at you.

……

"You said."

"Shouldn't we kill 'them'?"

……

"boom--!!"

Suddenly, the sky turned pure white.

Something white and square pressed down on the vines.

Upon contact with that thing, Su Jingtang's body shattered instantly, turning into swirling snowflakes. Next came Blake, who then pressed down on him...

When Su Ming'an opened his eyes again, he was standing in the library, with Ying Su standing beside him. Blake and Su Jingtang were chatting.

...It's been rolled back.

It wasn't their own death rollback, it must have been Ying Su's death rollback. That suddenly appearing white thing killed them, causing the death rollback.

Su Ming'an frowned, but a voice came from beside him:
"Noel, Su Ming'an."

It's Huizhou white.

The blond youth stood in the darkness, looking at them.