first player

Chapter 1609 Final Chapter: Crossing the Sea [66] "Let's meet again in the future when the dust has settled."

"Noel?" Su Ming'an remained skeptical.

"You don't really believe him anymore, do you?" the Tenth Seat said. "He betrayed you, and just because he showed you some information about the Sober Ones, you believe that's his whole scheme?"

...No, Su Ming'an certainly didn't completely trust Noel.

Noel remembers far more reincarnations than he does; how could he believe a golden mille-feuille? If Noel's goal wasn't here, but he thought he understood Noel's secret, that would be the worst thing of all.

“You can speak,” Su Ming’an said. He would think for himself.

“You should have already encountered the IF pilot projects of the Radiant Mother Goddess in various places in Rovasa; these are all Her ‘experiments’,” said the Tenth Seat.

"Experiment?" Su Ming'an raised an eyebrow.

"For example, creating a world where everyone believes in the Radiant Mother Goddess, or a perfect world... It's easy to understand, right? There will always be people who want the world to become what they want," said the Tenth Seat.

Su Ming'an lowered his eyes and remained silent. The Nightingale Clan's dome that Siber encountered was a pilot site of the Radiant Mother Goddess.

"So, He is... not satisfied with Rovasa's 'original work' and wants to write his own 'fan fiction' to cover it up?" Su Ming'an asked.

The "IF" scenarios are not difficult to understand. For example, Su Ming'an, Lü Shu, and others were originally players, but in the "School" IF scenario, they become various teachers and students; in the "Western Fantasy" IF scenario, they become various knights, kings, and sirens; and in the "Ancient" IF scenario, they become various emperors, ministers, generals, and empresses...

“It’s just a difference in perspective.” The Tenth Seat said, “In your understanding, you believe that ‘perfection’ equals ‘freedom,’ while in the understanding of the Radiant Mother Goddess, she believes that ‘perfection’ equals ‘a world where all IF scenarios exist simultaneously and there is no fixed outcome.’ A person can be a music teacher in the [School] IF scenario, a little prince in the [Western Fantasy] IF scenario, or an emperor in the [Ancient] IF scenario… As long as from the observer’s perspective, this person’s identity is not fixed, the development is not fixed, and the ending is not fixed, this is also a kind of ‘isolated observation.’”

Su Ming'an's eyes lit up.

This is indeed one line of thinking, but the difference lies in that he believes "isolation" is like erecting a wall, preventing anyone from seeing through it. The Radiant Mother Goddess believes that "isolation" is turning the world into a kaleidoscope, where ten thousand people can see ten thousand Hamlets, and no one can pinpoint the true ending.

"I see, it's the difference between 'no ending' and 'multiple endings'," the eleventh seat concluded, concise and extremely vivid.

These high-dimensional beings listened quietly, not at all considering themselves outsiders.

"How do you know all this?" Su Ming'an looked at the tenth seat.

"The bizarre and strange IF lines He created generated an extraordinary amount of emotions that attracted me." The Tenth Seat succinctly stated that He is the God of Emotions.

Su Ming'an couldn't help but wonder what kind of work this "fanfiction god" Radiant Mother Goddess had done to evoke such rich emotions in people. If Su Lin had learned from her back then, he might not have had to go to jail.

"The Nightingale Clan you encountered was merely an insignificant pilot project for Him. After creating that pilot project, He never looked at it again. The people entertained themselves, robbing sacred objects and sacrificing their own people. Their emotions were incredibly surging and moving. More than three hundred people generously sacrificed their lives, but in the eyes of the Mother Goddess, they were as insignificant as dust." The Tenth Seat said, "It's a pity that the world is so cruel."

He raised his hand, looking directly at Su Ming'an: "He has done countless things you can't understand. Can you imagine an entire country where everyone is playing a real-life asymmetrical competitive game like 'tag'? Can you imagine an entire island where people are going on blind dates and kidnapping brides regardless of gender? Can you imagine everything in a country being decided by playing chess, with everyone's position divided into [Knight], [Chariot], and [Queen], and whoever gets captured has to commit suicide to atone for their sins? Can you imagine everyone in a city being a streamer, with the streamers and all their fans and haters playing a battle royale to see who survives to the end?"

"Wow." The fourth seat shook its mimicry tail: "What a wicked fellow, and a god of order at that."

Su Ming'an was also stunned for a moment.

“Right, Su Liujin…” He remembered that he had been briefly summoned by Su Liujin before. It was a battle similar to the “Holy Grail War”, in which nine summoners led their Heroic Spirits to fight each other, and the last one was the winner. Could it also be the work of the fan-made god, the Radiant Mother Goddess?
This guy really goes all out to bring all sorts of "what if" scenarios into this world.

“But these are just pilot programs,” Su Ming’an said.

“That’s right. He simply chose various regions in Rovasa, created all sorts of bizarre settings, and watched people develop on their own. It didn’t affect anything.” The Tenth Seat said, “However—since you decided to venture into the sea and came into contact with the concept of the Awakened, He received the help of the Seventh Seat, the Eternal Lord Eurydilora.”

“…” Su Mingan frowned.

It really is the effect of cause and effect.

If he hadn't chosen to venture into the sea, and the concept of a sober person had never entered people's eyes, would this incident have never occurred?

"The power of the Eternal Lord is precisely to turn the 'moment' into 'eternity,' and to cover 'reality' with 'falsehood.'" The Tenth Seat said, "I suspect that the two of them have been allied for a long time. The Radiant Mother Goddess's extensive experiments have been waiting for the Seventh Seat's help—their joint dream of covering the world with eternity. Her experiment has been fully gestating and is waiting to become reality, covering the entire Rovasa, and even spreading throughout the universe."

"Of course, as you think, this is indeed a way to isolate observation. After all, the entire universe has become a mess, and it is even impossible to distinguish whether this person is a music teacher, a little prince, an ancient emperor, or the number one player Su Ming'an... [The original world and various fanfiction IF lines have been completely mixed together, so observation can be isolated]."

"Su Ming'an—are you going to stand on the side of the Radiant Mother Goddess?"

The question posed by the tenth seat silenced the surroundings.

The fourth seat wagged its large tail, and as it did so, it suddenly murmured, "...If that guy really succeeds, and even spreads throughout the universe, I won't turn into a pink fox who only knows how to make sarcastic remarks, will I? The stereotype of a doujinshi god is unacceptable..."

Su Ming'an remained silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

“I can’t quite accept it,” he said. “But I can’t give a clear objection either. I need to see His actual actions before I can judge.”

He intuitively felt that this method was feasible, but it always felt somewhat distorted.

But having explored this far, they knew that this was the only way to "isolate observation." Since the Radiant Mother Goddess had experience, she wanted to investigate in person to see if she could devise a more suitable method based on the existing one.

He clearly saw the light at the end of the tunnel, which was excellent and very motivating.

“Where is His greatest test?” Su Ming’an asked.

The attitude of the Radiant Mother Goddess underwent a complete 180-degree turn. She had originally thought highly of him and even gave him a little sun, but in the end, she wanted to hunt him down... He suspected that it was related to the slander of the Seventh Seat, which made the Radiant Mother Goddess regard him as an enemy.

“Unfortunately, the concept of ‘pilot program’ no longer exists,” said the tenth seat.

"What?" Su Ming'an looked up sharply.

“…The reason I’m willing to tell you this information is because He has already begun to put it into practice.” The Tenth Seat said, “When you flow backwards, it is also the beginning of the Radiant Mother Goddess turning the ‘experiment’ into ‘reality’—He is also flowing backwards with her.”

"He also seems to have received help from the awakened 'magical girl,' and in a more distant part of history... Rovasa has completely become a fan of Him."

This passage was not easy to understand, but Su Ming'an quickly grasped its meaning:
—If I continue to jump forward, I will no longer enter the original timeline, but rather a fictional history that has been altered by the Radiant Mother Goddess.

The players' initial experiences, such as Su Ming'an riding a cat cart in the Red Tower, Lu Shu attending a banquet in the vampire clan, and Su Lin becoming the owner of an antique shop... these real histories have all been rewritten and are now unknown.

He was about to return to a completely unfamiliar time. Although it was indeed the early part of the story, it was entirely different now.

If he couldn't stop the "fan fiction" from covering up the Radiant Mother Goddess in the past, he would now be covered up by "fan fiction" when he returns to the normal timeline.

“Leave the past to me. As for the present, let’s leave it to Lu Shu, Su Lin, Yamada and the others who are still stuck in the original timeline…” Su Ming’an thought to himself.

Regardless of the feasibility of the Radiant Mother's plan, he intended to stop it first. Firstly, there was a high possibility that the Seventh Seat harbored ulterior motives. Secondly, a world controlled by gods wasn't truly "free," so the plan definitely had problems and needed to be revised. Thirdly, if the future Rovasa was also covered up in the Radiant Mother's "follow-up stories," then the Radiant Mother's power would be paramount; would Zhai Xing truly be treated well?

He had to keep the power of discourse in his own hands—therefore he had to stop the Radiant Mother Goddess first, and then discuss the feasibility on an equal footing.

"So once I go back, I'll go straight into Rovasa, which is covered by the Radiant Mother Goddess," Su Ming'an said. "It really is a hellish initiation. Won't the God of Chaos and the Demon Mother Goddess stop Him?"

"The power of the Demon Mother Goddess has been dormant for a long time, and the God of Chaos is indifferent to worldly affairs." The Tenth Seat said, "Therefore, if you want to stop the Radiant Mother Goddess, you must awaken the Demon Mother Goddess. She will help you... as long as that player named 'Yi Song' speaks up."

...Is it easy to sing?

Su Ming'an sighed at the cruel twist of fate, who could have imagined that Yi Song and the Demon Mother would be the final turning point?

"Find the key to awaken the Demon Mother Goddess, confront the Radiant Mother Goddess, finally isolate myself from observation, slap the Lord of Dreams a few times, and end it all..." Su Ming'an completed his plan in his mind. He really enjoyed this feeling of controlling the future. As for the truth or falsehood of the Tenth Seat's words, he would verify them himself.

"What do you want from me?" he asked the tenth seat.

The tenth seat seemed to be laughing, and several bottles clinked together: "...the vibrant emotions you can unleash in this play... are exactly what I love."

"It seems you really want me to win," Su Ming'an said. "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"

"Heh... Klitschs has no creativity, he only knows how to copy world games. You might see a hodgepodge world beyond your imagination," said the Tenth Seat.

...Having witnessed the Holy Grail War and the Vault, how much more strange could it be?
It wouldn't do to see one familiar face after another, knowing it's the last time, and everyone would gather together... Su Ming'an shuddered at the thought. He didn't know the taste of the Radiant Mother Goddess; what if she sat at the same table as Team Mu of the World Tree?

He thought he had already turned "official history" into "unofficial history" by going back from the beginning, but he didn't expect that someone was even more "unofficial" than him. He wondered how "unofficial" the Radiant Mother Goddess's "unofficial history" was, and whether it had preserved some special history.

“…Friend.” At this moment, Xiao Su grasped Su Ming’an’s hand.

He was very smart; he understood a lot just by listening in.

"Do you want to come with me?" Su Ming'an asked. This should be his last leap forward, and he had collected all twelve stories.

He extended a final invitation.

After a moment, Xiao Su slowly but firmly shook her head.

“Friend, you are about to return to the past, but what I see is the present,” Xiao Su said. “If I am not here now, my old friends will lose the ‘First Player’. I must go back and lead them into the future.”

He grasped Su Ming'an's hand, his eyes shining brightly:
“Friend—no, Su Ming’an.”

Let's meet again in the future when the dust has settled.

Su Ming'an patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, you and the people of the 2021 version will stabilize the present, I will save the past, and Lu Shu and hundreds of millions of other players will rewrite the future."

He wasn't surprised by Xiao Su's decision; after all, this kind of guy was too attached to his hometown.

"We will meet again when everything is settled," Su Ming'an said with a smile.
"Then, tell me your story. Let me know who you really are. And I will tell you what I've been through along the way."

"Xiao Su...may I call you that?"

He always outwardly called her "Su Ming'an," but now, they both knew in their hearts who was the only real Su Ming'an.

Although their initial encounter was full of drama and jokes, Su Ming'an now considers Xiao Su a true friend and hopes to call him a unique and different name.

"Okay." Xiao Su smiled: "Friend, then I'll still call you friend, that's all I'll call you."

Sure enough, at times like these, there are always those who spoil the mood and ruin the atmosphere.

"Oh my gosh~ So touching~ I'm about to burst into tears... Waaah..." The boss rabbit picked up a pink handkerchief and sobbed, her rabbit ears twitching as she cried her heart out, rolling around on the ground.

Just as Su Ming'an was about to turn around, the eleventh seatman walked over and stuffed something into his palm.

“Go.” The eleventh seat looked at him and said, “End this endless cycle, end this long journey.”

"Run towards the true happiness and freedom that belongs to you."

Beneath the black mist, He seemed to be smiling.

……