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Chapter 1577 Final Chapter - Crossing the Sea [46] - "Ming".

Su Ming'an opened his eyes.

After his death and subsequent rewind, he returned to the World Tree and opened the book.

"The pink-haired person is conscious. No matter which point in time I jump to, it will only affect the internal workings of Rovasa, not the conscious individuals. So even if I go back to the previous point in time, the pink-haired person will still follow, and the development won't change much..." Su Ming'an pondered.

"Therefore, we must continue to leap forward until we find the complete image of the Supreme Lord in order to solve all the problems at their root."

Fortunately, he has already memorized the [Twelve Stories - "If I Had Never Seen the Light"]. His soul will not change with death and rewind. Even if the system shows the progress as 0% now, as long as he tells all the stories at the end, the story progress will instantly jump to 100%.

He changed his mind about reverting to a previous save and decided to solve the problem in one last burst of energy.

……

Your current page number is: 1540.

……

【The Death of the Purple Rose】(Travelable. Possible possession target: one conscious individual.) (You can carry a maximum of one companion and one card.) (Page 1476)
……

This is currently the only time point that can be skipped.

Since the 'Book Turner' is at level B, it can only jump to the nearest point in time.

This mission has two parts: First, we need to raise the 'Book Turner' ability to at least Rank A in order to jump to a more recent point in time. Second, we cannot die, otherwise the ability upgrade will be meaningless.

He chose the card emblem of purple and his companion Siber, believing that this time he wouldn't be as pathetic as last time, being chased by the pink-haired man. Moreover, the object of his possession is also highly anticipated; since it is "a conscious being," it should be stronger than Li Ziqi's frail body.

“As I jump through more and more time, I will accumulate more and more cards. Purple Emblem is just the first one; in the end, I will have many cards…” Su Ming’an pondered. “My skills are all within the expectations of the Awakened Ones, except for the card system taught to me by the white-robed man. Therefore, if I really do end up fighting them, the card system will be crucial…”

"World Yu-Gi-Oh!"

"In short, I must establish a good public image this time."

A bright white light shone out, and he closed his eyes.

……

Flames burned, and books collapsed.

Su Ming'an opened his eyes and saw the burning library.

—This is where Su Wenjun and Qi Zhou died together, at the foot of the World Tree. Could it be that I've possessed Qi Zhou's body?

He stood up, but felt that the weight was a little off.

"...?"

He raised his hand.

—What came into view was a white claw.

Looking down at the small puddle on the ground, I realized I was a round, white ragdoll cat. My mind went blank for a couple of seconds before I realized—I was a white ball.

This white cat in the space was always running around and would occasionally dart out of Su Ming'an's backpack. He basically didn't pay attention to its movements. At that time, the white cat was actually here.
The system clearly states that he will possess a "conscious individual," so...

He soon received an unbelievable answer.

The white blob... is it a "conscious person"?

Indeed, it's the influence of ingrained thinking; there's no such thing as "the sober one" having to be human!

The universe is full of wonders, and a cat is certainly a living being. It can have intelligence and can become a "wake-up" chosen by the Lord of Dreams!
……

Su Ming'an knew there was something wrong with the white cat; otherwise, it wouldn't have jumped out of its enclosure every time he came home.

[—The 416th Memory Mirror: "The End of the Seventh World"]

……

...So you really do have a problem!

He uttered, "I...you..."

It can speak normally, not meow; this cat has indeed been pretending to be stupid all along.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he said, "Transform into human form."

The next moment, his figure suddenly grew taller, transforming into a white-haired youth. Looking around, flames raged, but he didn't see Siber. It seemed his companions and cards were different; they hadn't been with him from the beginning.

"Cough...cough cough cough!" A weak voice rang out.

Su Ming'an reverted to his original form and walked towards the source of the sound, where he saw Qi Zhou lying on the ground, covered in blood. The Lord of the World was nowhere to be found.

Su Ming'an realized what had happened—the original situation was that the World Lord had killed Qi Zhou, and Su Ming'an had killed the World Lord. However, the World Lord then uttered a profound statement:
"I lost to you today, Su Ming'an. But I also won, won my own ending."

"In this new world... please don't write about me anymore."

Then, the Lord closed his eyes completely.

Su Ming'an initially thought it was an ordinary death, but the World Lord's frantic words before his death made him uneasy. Did the World Lord think he could transcend the cycle? He was a member of the Rovasan, confined within its framework, so why was he so confident?

However, upon reviewing the documents, Su Ming'an discovered that the World Lord was indeed no longer there.

The purple roses have disappeared.

He seemed to have burned all cause and effect, destroyed all traces of existence, and disappeared from the page. Even if you looked back and flipped through the pages, you could no longer find any trace of him.

Recalling his boastful and confident words before his death, Su Ming'an suddenly realized that the World Lord was one of the few people like Si Que who retained the memories of the Great Reset of Rovasa. Therefore, he had ample time to prepare everything. Knowing that fate was irreversible... he chose utter annihilation in the face of death. It's unknown how much preparation he made, leaving not even cause and effect behind.

"Dead without a trace, never to be brought back to life...that guy..."

……

"I have a friend who, more than anyone else, realized the fragility and emptiness of this 'perfection,' and therefore chose to reject it," Qins said.

"How is he now?" Phoenix asked.

"He chose to burn himself beneath the World Tree, along with the causal threads he had found through countless reincarnations. Therefore, I can no longer call him by name—he has vanished from the descriptions in the 'Book of the Universe,' transcending this fate confined by 'perfection,'" Qins said. "He embraced eternal peace and death."

……

……Ah.

He was the first to attempt to break free from the fate of the Book of the Universe, and the first to have the courage to reject "perfection." If he could not destroy it, then so be it—he would die before the Book of the Universe was formed.

He was truly an extremely proud person. He preferred a realistic tragic ending to a predetermined, perfect one…

For a moment, Su Ming'an thought of Su Wensheng wearing an earring.

He walked toward the dying Qi Zhou.

Since the Lord of the World disappeared, the cause and effect of "Su Ming'an killing the Lord of the World" also disappeared. Only Qi Zhou, who was injured by someone unknown, fell here.

Upon examining Qi Zhou's wounds, Su Ming'an was astonished to discover that they were inflicted by a sickle!
—Pink-haired person!?
Things have changed, and pink-haired people have caught up!
This was the first time Su Ming'an had become wary of the timeline shift. Since this wasn't his own death rewind, but a product of the collective power, even though he had jumped forward, real time continued to flow. Therefore, aside from the Rovasa people, he couldn't determine the actions of the higher-dimensional forces.

However, in theory, they wouldn't jump forward with you; instead, they would remain in the original time.

The pink-haired person actually followed us!
"Won't changing the past only make things worse... Steins;Gate?" Su Ming'an quickly thought of the anime he had watched.

The pink-haired man, being lucid, should have guessed that he had a death-rewinding ability. Then why kill him? Did the Supreme Being send someone to stop him from collecting images?

"Pink hair, aloofness, silence... those characteristics do match those of the Order Guardian, Xiaobai. Moreover, Pudding and Xiaobai share the same origin; since Pudding is a conscious being, it makes perfect sense that Xiaobai is also a conscious being..."

"Pink-haired person...is she Xiaobai?"

Suddenly, a noise came from in front of me.

A hand reached out and touched him.

“…Kitty?” Qi Zhou looked at him weakly, his eyes slightly brightening.

This guy, as expected of someone wearing a cat-ear hat, is clearly a cat lover; he's almost dead and still petting cats.

"Was it a pink-haired guy who attacked you?" Su Ming'an asked.

Qi Zhou was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in amazement, "He can actually speak human language."

"Never seen a Ragdoll cat?" Su Ming'an said, "Cat lover, answer my question."

"I don't really remember why I got here..." Qi Zhou looked conflicted. "I remember I was following someone I hated terribly, trying to pull some dirty tricks on him. But when I got here, I realized I was all alone... Who am I even hating?"

This is the effect of the disappearance of the world's ruler.

Qi Zhou followed the Lord to assassinate him. After the Lord disappeared, Qi Zhou couldn't remember why he was there. Like a puppet in a book, the puppeteer pulls the strings, leaving the puppet bewildered and helpless.

Qi Zhou hated manipulation his whole life... However, in the end, he even forgot who was controlling his destiny.

The controlling father—the World Lord—has disappeared.

"Kitty." Qi Zhou touched her again; her stomach was still bleeding.

This guy acts all arrogant when he's around people, but he's surprisingly kind and gentle when he's around cats.

"I just got here and saw a girl with light blue hair. She slashed me with her knife, but when she realized I was alone, she left." Qi Zhou said, "Cat, who are you?"

Su Ming'an believes that in order to improve the "book-turner" ability, it is necessary to start establishing a persona now.

He said, "On the surface, I am just an ordinary Ragdoll cat, but in reality, I am the Old God Arthastor, the Guide of the Old Ones, the Torch of the Wasteland..." He patiently repeated his long-standing persona.

Qi Zhou was stunned. After a moment, he said, "There are so many people."

Su Ming'an had already learned from reading the Book of the World that this point in time was crucial, with two major events taking place.

Firstly, Hui Bai, Xiao Bai, and Ran Bo are creating the Lin Clan in the experimental city.

Secondly, Shi Ying found a white stone with almost unlimited energy.

"So... which way to go?" Su Ming'an turned and walked away.

"Hey!" Qi Zhou immediately shouted, "You're just leaving like that?" He clutched his gash, his intestines almost spilling out.

...By the way, Qi Zhou now meets the requirements to become a card. This guy is on the verge of death, becoming a card could save his life.

Su Ming'an originally wanted to say, "Become my card and fight alongside me," but then he stopped abruptly, remembering the persona he was supposed to be playing, and immediately changed his words:
"—Would you answer my call, hang on my blade, and become the guardian of the Old God Arthastor?"

Having been immersed in the world of anime and manga for a long time, Su Ming'an mastered this speaking skill without any formal instruction; it was definitely not something he learned on his own.

Qi Zhou was stunned for a moment.

Then, he said with a wry smile, "Do I still have a choice? Please help me, kitty."

Previously, he was consumed by revenge, single-mindedly wanting to kill the World Lord. However, the World Lord's sudden disappearance left him feeling as if he had been abruptly abandoned in a deserted snowfield, unsure of where to go. He couldn't tell if this was good or bad.

Thankfully, there are cats.

……

"Ding dong!"

The dying youth transformed into a crystal-clear card, lying in Su Ming'an's palm.

……

You have obtained the "SR Card - Prayer of the Day".

[Class: Knight (Front Row)]

[Deity worshipped: None]

[Personality Alignment: Chaotic Good]

[Darkness Value: 70 points]

[Level: lv.62]

[Rank: 0 stars]

……

Holding the card, Su Ming'an returned to human form.

Unexpectedly, Qi Zhou's voice rang out the next moment:
"You should just turn back into a cat..."

"how?"

"I don't like humans."

"...You need to get your cat addiction treated."

"Humans are nowhere near as cute as cats."

"Then you must hate yourself too?"

"Yes, otherwise why do you think I wear a cat hood?"

"I am not a cat, I am a human."

"A cat is a cat."

After failing to reach an agreement, Su Ming'an broke through the spatial barrier and left.

He remembered that the white cat always had a terrifying passive skill:
……

[Passive Talent Skill - Spatial Companionship: The pet's 'space' ability develops in sync with the player's, requiring no experience sharing and automatically leveling up; it is a growth-type pet.]

……

Therefore, the white cat's strength increases proportionally to the level of Su Ming'an's spatial abilities. Although it cannot become a god due to its pet status and is not as powerful as Su Ming'an himself, it is already among the strongest pets.

He rushed towards the central laboratory, more concerned with Hui Bai's artificial Lin Clan than Shi Ying's white stone. However, as he entered the experimental city, he saw a familiar figure—

She has long, slightly curly, light blue hair, wears an ornate mask, and holds a sickle in one hand and a leaf in the other.

This guy was actually waiting for the rabbit to run into his trap!
Su Ming'an immediately unleashed a spatial vibration.

"Boom—!" An explosion rang out, and the pink-haired man staggered for a moment before looking at Su Ming'an with a cold gaze.

...If this guy dares to confront head-on, his strength must be at least at the level of a second-tier god.

After testing him, Su Ming'an transformed back into his original form and ran away, tearing through several spatial rifts along the way. Although the white cat was not as strong as the pink-haired man, it had the advantage of extremely strong spatial attributes and was very fast, quickly leaving him far behind.

Unable to get close to Hui Bai for the time being, Su Ming'an chose to approach Shi Ying first.

……

"Ding dong!"

You have triggered the "Eleventh Day Story: The Kind Nightingale"

……

Space tore open, and Su Ming'an stepped on something.

He looked down and saw it was Lun Xue. This teammate had always been rather unremarkable, and he had unexpectedly run into her here.

The person was acting suspiciously, hiding in a cabinet. As soon as Su Ming'an landed, she stepped on her.

"Are you Su Ming'an's pet white ball? You really do run around everywhere." Lun Xue saw Su Ming'an and whispered, "Shh... don't make a sound, I'm being watched by a crazy woman, and I'm hiding from her."

...A crazy woman?

“Her name is Hui Zi, and she’s trying to steal what I have.” Lun Xue pointed to a white stone she was holding in her arms: “This thing has a lot of energy. It was given to me by a red-haired woman named Shi Ying. She wants to sell it to a laboratory, and I was thinking about whether I should intercept it.”

Su Ming'an quickly understood the situation.

Shi Ying ultimately decided to sell the white stone in exchange for future wealth and glory.

She had simply picked up a white stone by chance, exchanged a few words with it, and discovered that it could provide continuous cooling. If she sold it, she could get a large sum of money.

What is friendship? In the eyes of someone who is about to starve, can it be eaten?
Su Ming'an had witnessed Tian Ying's ruthlessness, so he could understand Shi Ying's decision. Tian Ying and Shi Ying were like him and his clone Ming Ying, originating from the same source, yet heading in different directions. However, he didn't know what had caused Tian Ying to be so cruel, while Shi Ying remained an ordinary girl.

"Hui Zi?" Su Ming'an asked about the Hui Zi card.

"I wasn't the one who stole the stone. I've always been in your card space... That's 'Hui Zi from the past.' That is, the 'Hui Zi who possessed me.'" Hui Zi said in her mind, "Since she has already been killed by you in the future, this 'Hui Zi' should be a product simulated for the sake of causal integrity. She will act according to the behavioral logic of 'Hui Zi who is awake,' and do the same things as 'Hui Zi who is awake' in history."

Therefore, we can simply consider Hui Zi during this period as "Hui Zi who is awake".

Su Ming'an looked at Bai Shitou, who was clearly angry. Shi Ying was its first friend, but it had been betrayed by its friend.

Su Ming'an tentatively called out:
"Emperor?"

“What emperor? I’m Super Stone!” White Stone retorted.

"Your Majesty, you really have so many petals," Su Ming'an said.

"I am Super Stone!" White Stone emphasized.

Su Ming'an didn't know what Su Liujin had done to split into so many petals, but Bai Shitou didn't know who he was.

"Are you... really going to sell me to the lab?" Shiroshi remained silent for a moment.

"Oh dear, I originally intended to keep your money for myself." Lun Xue sighed, "It's not easy for working people to save up some savings. But now that Bai Tuan is here, I can't keep it from Su Ming'an anymore, I have to bring you to my boss."

She fully embraced the persona of a "working class" and addressed Su Ming'an as "boss".

Su Ming'an glanced sideways.

However, in the original timeline, Lunxue did not bring the white stone to him, and Lunxue even disappeared in the end.

What happened next?
Bai Shitou was silent for a moment before speaking:

"For the sake of the world, I understand."

“I don’t know who I am. I woke up in a daze… I finally met a friend, but she sold me out in the blink of an eye… I’m just a stone. What can I do? I can’t become a person, and I can’t have my own life and future.”

"Perhaps becoming an energy source is my only fate. I can understand if you sell me out."

"Humans are good and bad, I will never trust you again. Shi Ying also said that humans are all kind, but it turns out that was a lie."

Lun Xue clicked her tongue: "I feel a little guilty... Boss Cat, what do you think?"

She calls Su Ming'an "boss," and therefore calls Bai Tuan "boss cat."

Before Su Ming'an could speak, the cabinet door was suddenly opened.

A stunningly beautiful girl with blonde hair and purple eyes smiled as she looked at them.

……

On the other side, the Ochre Plain.

Shi Ying took a few steps, constantly reminding herself not to be soft-hearted and not to turn back.

...By selling the white stone, I can get a lot of money, and then I can go to the new world and find happiness.

I'll never have to sell myself again, and I'll never remember being rejected by my parents again... Yes, I'm going to be bad. Only by becoming bad will the world respect me...

If I were to become bad without hesitation... would I become a powerful person? Shi Ying looked up at the sky, holding Martha's hand tightly.

"Cough, cough cough..." Without the white stone, Masalia quickly weakened. The sun was blazing overhead, and it was incredibly hot. She was soaked in sweat.

“Mother-in-law, just bear with it a little longer. Once the new world sets sail, it won’t be so hot anymore… We’ll get a lot of money, and then we’ll have clothes, delicious food, big houses… everything we need…” Shi Ying comforted her softly.

Suddenly, a person stood silently behind her.

Startled, she drew a dagger from her waist and pointed it at the man: "Who are you!?"

The man laughed, revealing a few strands of golden hair beneath his black robe: "I'm just a passerby who overheard your troubles. Are you really going to throw away that stone? I just saw you chatting happily with it. You just said 'humans are all kind,' and the next moment you sold it."

Shi Ying gripped the dagger tightly, her hair standing on end, and said, "What's it to you? Who are you?! I've heard some big shots say that blondies are all bad news! The general public should be wary of them!"

Suddenly, her expression changed as she heard the notification from the cheat system:

"Ding dong!"

[The person in front of you has been detected. Strategy rating: Six stars.]

……

A six-star difficulty level... this is no ordinary strategy...

“Go, go and get it back.” The man in black smiled. “I will accompany you and help you.”

Shi Ying dared not refuse and headed towards the laboratory.

Behind the man in black robes, another voice came: "Are you really going to help her get the white stone back?"

The man in black robes turned around and chuckled softly, "How could that be? Of course, all that energy belongs to me. It's just that she doesn't understand one thing: she was the first person to find the white stone, and only she can easily destroy its protective shield and get the energy inside. We, on the other hand, have to put in a lot of effort... And, I'm more worried about you. You're not planning to give the white stone to Su Ming'an, are you?"

The direction he was looking at was a young man in a white suit, with a star and moon brooch on his chest and a silver chain swaying slightly.

"Of course not." The young man in the white suit smiled and spread his hands.

"Yes...you are free now. By the way, is betrayal by clones a tradition?" The black-robed man's blue eyes were deep: "Once you get rid of Su Liujin and the newly formed Lin Clan, you can ascend to the throne without any obstacles—the future Lord of Eden."

"bright."

……