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Chapter 1626 Final Chapter: Crossing the Sea [53] "The Great Sage Yang Mermaid and the Unsincerous People Arrive (12)"

The colorful planet outside the porthole is so close, yet people don't know where the road leads.

Historically, people did not achieve happiness. Casadiya's betrayal turned the future into hell, and many people died in despair under the oppression of the food chain, becoming food for other races.

They will not live to see the sun, nor will they live to see tomorrow.

"Look! There's a celebration over there!" Su Liujin suddenly pointed in a direction.

This is the public plaza on the 28th floor, where celebrations are occasionally held. A huge holographic projection bursts with virtual fireworks, creating a lively atmosphere. People dance spontaneously to the music, their faces beaming with fleeting joy.

The boy's golden eyes gazed at the dancing crowd, a hint of curiosity and longing flashing in them.

"Want to give it a try?" Su Ming'an suddenly asked in a low voice.

Su Liujin looked up at him in surprise.

“Perhaps if you are happy enough, you will wake up,” Su Ming’an said.

This world owes the Jellyfish Emperor too much; in my dreams, let him at least be happy.

Su Liujin hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

There were no glamorous gowns, no melodious bands, only rough work clothes and blaring electronic music. They huddled in the corner, imitating others' movements, awkwardly shifting their feet. Su Liujin initially stumbled, but quickly found his rhythm. His movements possessed an innate elegance; even in the humble setting, he seemed to be dancing a solitary and noble dance, like a born little king.

"Master," Su Liujin suddenly asked softly, "if... the Ark is destined never to reach the new home, or... the new home doesn't exist, then what's the point of everything we're doing now?"

Su Ming'an looked at him. The boy's golden eyes reflected the pale light, yet a flame burned deep within them.

"I don't know," Su Ming'an answered honestly, "but as long as we're alive and still searching, the meaning might just emerge on its own. Just like the dance we found."

Su Liujin paused for a moment, then a faint yet genuine smile bloomed on his lips. Compared to the fearless emperor in his dream, the weakened Su Liujin who had just woken up was more vulnerable, yet more real.

"Yes." He nodded gently. "The sweetness is real."

Su Ming'an led Su Liujin down the stairs, floor by floor. They slipped into a ball to eat cake. People on the lower levels didn't usually get to eat such good things, but the ark was so festive these past few days because of the celebration.

Su Liujin ate with utmost care, even carefully licking off the cream that clung to her fingertips.

"Is it good?" Su Ming'an asked in a low voice.

"It's not good." Su Liujin smacked her lips. "The cream is of poor quality, not as good as the one in the palace."

...Of course, it can't compare to the palace cakes that the emperor used to eat.

But Su Liujin ate it bite by bite, as if it were something precious.

They sneaked into the library. Su Liujin loved reading fairy tales like "Heroes and Dragons" and "Little Red Riding Hood's Adventures in the Forest," but he wouldn't take the books. He said, "These books are for children. How can the Emperor take them from children?" They sneaked into the World Games Memorial Hall. Photos of Su Ming'an and others hung on the walls. Su Liujin stood there for a long time, murmuring, "So this is what you look like. I must remember you." They sneaked into the school. Su Liujin listened to the sounds of students reading aloud in the classrooms while Su Ming'an described what the outside world was like. They sneaked into the hospital. Su Ming'an said that there were not only happy kingdoms in the world, but also countless illnesses and deaths. The Emperor finally heard the deepest lament from beneath the pale walls...

Su Liujin particularly liked the secluded paths, which, in his words, were "essential routes for the Great Emperor to overcome all obstacles." Although he would be out of breath after climbing for a while, his eyes shone brightly.

“We’ve already given the maximum dose of vitamins. When will we recover…” Su Ming’an touched Su Liujin’s forehead.

Su Liujin, pale-faced and panting, smiled and said, "Don't worry, my friend! The Emperor will live to a very distant future, and we will meet again. So, be patient, and the Emperor will do his best to recover."

Suddenly, an unusual commotion arose in the distance.

Su Ming'an quickly pulled Su Liujin into a corner and turned on his personal terminal: "It's not a search... there's a high-privilege life signal approaching this area, the identification code is..." A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, "...Antetolia."

What is she doing on the lower levels of the 12 seats on the high and mighty Ark?
Antetolia arrived with only two unassuming attendants, dressed in plain clothes. As soon as she arrived, a group of children cheered and surrounded her.

"Sister Antei! You're here again!" a little girl with pigtails shouted, handing over a crooked little flower made from scrap metal.

“Sister Ante, we’ve been waiting to hear you play the violin!” another boy said eagerly.

Antetolia smiled, accepting the simple gifts one by one, and gently stroking the children's heads. Her smile was completely different from her previous mask-like, dignified smile; it was a genuine smile from the heart.

She picked up a violin, strummed the strings, and a smooth, beautiful melody flowed out. The children gathered around, humming along and clapping their little hands to the rhythm.

Su Ming'an and Su Liujin hid in the shadows, watching this scene with bated breath. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the greenhouse roof, illuminating Antetolia's golden hair. Her profile as she lowered her eyes to play the violin was as beautiful as an oil painting that shouldn't exist in this cold, steel world.

After playing the piano, she magically produced some ingredients and led the children to make simple cookies. For the first time, the aroma of flour and icing sugar overpowered the metallic smell. She also trimmed a few tenacious plants in the corner, which were blooming with bright yellow flowers.

“The original name of this flower is hard to remember,” she gently touched the bright yellow petals and winked mischievously. “For convenience, we all call it ‘smiling flower.’ Remember, after the night comes the new spring.”

A young boy who looked like the leader of the kids squeezed next to her and shouted, "Sister Ante, tell me another story! What happened to the interstellar adventure story that Brother Huibai told us last time?!"

Antetolia chuckled and tapped the boy's forehead: "Hui Bai always leaves half of his stories untold. I often say he can't make up any more." Her smile faded slightly, her gaze sweeping over the children and looking towards the dark metal walls in the distance. Her voice held a complex emotion that they couldn't understand at their age. "Later I learned that... stories are meant to be written slowly by many people together."

Hiding in the shadows, Su Ming'an felt a sudden pang in his heart. He recalled the bits and pieces of information he had previously gathered about this history—the celebrated great voyage, the long journey through the universe, the one hundred million great pioneers… Was it really as glorious and great as the propaganda portrayed? What he saw was the hardship of the lower classes, the cruel fate of the experimental subjects, the undercurrents of the choices made by the administrators, and the children in tattered clothes.

History is not only glorious; it is also filled with silent, sorrowful, and subtle cries. However, all the sorrow is buried under the phrase "they were great pioneers."

“Lighthouse Cult Leader,” Su Liujin suddenly spoke.

Su Ming'an turned his head and saw the watery light glistening in the white-haired boy's eyes.

“I want to learn a musical instrument.” Su Liujin gazed at the happy scene. “Before, when I was in the palace, even the slightest act of ‘learning’ was forbidden. They all said that the young king didn’t need to learn anything. But I’ve always wanted to learn a musical instrument. I’ve heard that musical instruments can express emotions that words cannot.”

In order to awaken the Jellyfish Emperor, the Lighthouse Master readily agreed and led the Jellyfish Emperor into a music room.

There were no expensive pianos on the lower floors, so they went to the 87th floor. Su Ming'an gestured for Su Liujin to sit down and then taught him introductory piano pieces.

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star…” Su Liujin placed her hands on the black and white piano keys.

He pressed the piano keys and stumbled out a melody.

"Twinkle twinkle little stars, how I wonder where you are……"

"Hanging in the sky, shining brightly, like many small eyes..."

Su Liujin suddenly stopped, her gaze drifting into the distance, and murmured, "What might be on the stars? Perhaps on every star there is a sleeping king, waiting for someone to awaken him."

“Perhaps it wasn’t a king, but a hero,” Su Ming’an continued. “After defeating the dragon, the hero was trapped on the highest tower.”

"Then let's go save him!" Su Liujin suddenly laughed, her golden eyes shining. "The Emperor and the Sect Leader will form a rescue team and pilot the Ark to the top of the tower to rescue the hero!"

"What dangers will we encounter on the road?" Su Ming'an guided this impromptu fairy tale.

"We'll encounter...singing man-eating flowers!" Su Liujin's eyes lit up. "They lure travelers with their beautiful songs, and then—swallow them whole!"

His expression suddenly dimmed for a moment as he touched his arm.

"You know what? The leader of the Lighthouse, every time I'm about to wake up, someone comes and injects me with a drug, and then I remember nothing."

"Those mangled and destroyed machines will not perish completely after being recovered. Instead, a portion of their successful personality data will be extracted and implanted into my body... because I am currently the machine with the highest success rate."

"In other words, I devoured them to become the vibrant person I am today."

Su Ming'an's pupils dilated in shock. He stared at Su Liujin in astonishment, suddenly remembering the true nature of the Lin Clan. The Lin Clan was also a ship of Theseus, stitched together from countless races.

Su Liujin, however, is an emperor stitched together from countless "himselfs." Those personalities that were "extracted" and "stored" were implanted into him.

“I’m confused.” Su Liujin looked up. “What am I, created like this? This isn’t how I naturally grew up; it’s a form that was forcibly shaped. Even my appearance as the ‘Little King’ is a dream that was implanted in me. Humans wanted me to be this way, so this is who I am.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "If I weren't called 'Su Liujin,' if I didn't have this white hair and golden eyes, if I weren't a chattering jellyfish, if I wasn't portrayed as simple, innocent, kind, and upright... If I were allowed to grow freely, if I didn't grow up in a candy house, if I was allowed to think and learn more profound things, what would I be like?"

He gave a somewhat lonely smile: "...Master, I really want to know."

Beneath the white hair, one could vaguely see a pair of eyes with slightly red rims.

Su Ming'an opened his mouth, but Su Liujin raised her head high and suddenly laughed:

"But now that I have become the Great Emperor! And that the Lighthouse Cult Leader has led me toward freedom, I will no longer consider these fruitless matters!"

"The Great Emperor is indeed the Great Emperor! The Great Emperor is right here!"

“Master, let us look to the future! After all, the past cannot be changed. I am already like this, and no one can control me in the future. Let me become truly free!”

Su Ming'an's eyes flickered slightly, shocked by the white-haired boy in front of him who was only sixteen years old.

He had always underestimated the Emperor, and although he addressed him as "Emperor," he had only done so out of consideration for Su Liujin. Now, he truly realized why the "Emperor" was called the "Emperor."

The emperor had his pride, his freedom, and his unwavering determination and arrogance that set him apart from ordinary people.

"My Lord! Don't underestimate yourself. In my eyes, you are an extraordinary person!" Su Liujin's fingers danced across the piano keys: "Let's continue our fairy tale. Don't be afraid of those man-eating flowers. We'll defeat them with music! Because our songs contain something they don't!"

“There is love,” Su Ming’an affirmed.

“Yes, there is love.” Su Liujin nodded vigorously. “There is love in our songs. It is the love left to me by those who came before me. Even though they are no longer here, I can still feel it.”

He closed his eyes and gently pressed his fingers on the piano keys:
"When I'm scared, a pair of hands will gently pat my back; that's the tenderness left behind by No. 024."

"When I am confused, I think of clear analysis, which is the wisdom left by No. 287."

"When I am in pain, a strange courage wells up in my heart, which is the resilience left behind by No. 312."

"When I'm lonely, I hear someone singing in the distance; it's the song left behind by number 523..."

“They are all me, yet none of them are me. I bear their deaths, and I also bear their love. I have become the future, complete, undeniable, flesh and blood fully grown, unique—Emperor Su Liujin.”

"The carnivorous plants were defeated by our song; they had never heard such complex music before. It contained both sorrowful bass notes and joyful treble notes, both lonely chords and warm melodies."

"And then?" Su Ming'an guided this beautiful fairy tale.

"Then the Lighthouse Master and the Jellyfish Emperor continued their journey and encountered the sleeping kings—they were all sleeping peacefully in crystal coffins, each with white hair like mine, and each with a dazzling star on their chest." Su Liujin's voice softened. "I cannot awaken them, because once they do, they will disappear, but I can collect their starlight..."

The boy's fingers moved lightly across the piano keys.

"I put the courage of No. 001 in my left pocket, the humor of No. 009 in my right pocket, and the kindness of No. 018 in my heart... I continue on my way because I want to see the end of the story for them."

"This is the Emperor's mission—to live a life that is truly magnificent, so that all the stars will not have lived in vain!"

"Where the Great Emperor goes, none can prevail!"

Who is this boy?
He is White Stone, a tool that grew up under endless malice and moral blackmail from the whole world; he is No. 001, the champion of the zeroth Disciple Game, who was killed in the end while pursuing the truth; he is the lonely boy waiting in the sea with a wooden box in his hands; he is the cheerful and playful voice of the War God Dragon King in his ear; he is the ruthless and desireless observer who travels all over the world; and he is also the little king who grew up surrounded by countless loves.

He was sliced ​​into pieces, each personality extracted and nurtured in different organisms. After the organisms died, these were retrieved and sewn back into his body. Should this be seen as part of him, simply cut out, nurtured, and then sewn back in? Or should it be seen as an independent individual?

His misfortune was built upon the deaths of other white-haired youths, and his fortune upon their love. He took their love to experience sweetness and the aroma of maltose, yet he also lived his own life—the Emperor.

He is the continuation of all those who have passed away.
They are the inheritors of all unfulfilled dreams.

“But if that were the case, you should be the only Su Liujin who survived. Yet I encountered so many Su Liujins afterward…” Su Ming’an was puzzled.

Despite his confusion, he still took out a small cake from behind his back.

"Happy birthday, Su Liujin. Although I don't know your real birthday, every day since you were reborn is worth celebrating. This is my belated birthday for you. I hope you wake up soon. Today it's just the two of us, and from now on it will also be just the two of us. Make a wish, Your Majesty."

Su Liujin clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and his long white eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks. He remained silent for a long time before silently making a wish:
I hope……

May all those who secretly helped me, all those innocent people... be happy.

I hope……

Destroy all that is cruel, dark, and painful.

I hope……

Both this beacon leader and I can realize our ideals and move towards happiness.

They shared the small cake, and Su Liujin ate with particular care, her eyelids gradually drooping. Perhaps the Emperor was tired from the long activity.

Su Liujin barely opened her eyes and yawned: "So sleepy... So this is what happiness feels like... It feels like being gently embraced by countless hands... Mom... So warm..."

His voice gradually became barely audible, and he gently rested his head on Su Ming'an's shoulder, his breathing becoming even and deep.

Su Ming'an remained motionless, gazing out the window—the virtual screen displayed images of a vibrant planet, its brilliant colors shimmering in the darkness like countless distant stars, like countless pairs of eyes watching.

It seemed as if a voice was softly singing in my ears.

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are!"

Sleep well, little king, in your dreams there will be candy and fairy tales.
"All of you gather into a galaxy, all love will return home."

"The day you wake up, you won't be afraid of anything anymore..."

"Su Liujin, I need to go to that planet. It may take some time." Su Ming'an looked out the porthole at the colorful planet. "Wait for me here. Take your medicine and get your injections on time. I'll be back to find you soon."

He stayed here not only to awaken Su Liujin, but also to find out more details about what happened back then.

"Hmm..." Su Liujin was sleeping soundly, seemingly dreaming of collecting starlight.

……

outside world.

Lu Shu and others are releasing origami cranes together.

Wang Xingkong walked to Lin Yin's side and handed her a box.