【Youtongyou】IF WORLD

Shadow Chapter

9.

"Actually, you don't have to be so serious. Maybe it's a very boring story by accident." Quinella started her long narration with such a sentence, and Sols followed her voice And slowly sinking westward.

I sighed resignedly, "Just let me interrupt, I'm more concerned with breaking that damn wall than listening to stories."

"You'd better be patient...listen to me from the beginning." She smiled and raised her hand, gently stroking the electric light particles floating around: "Not long after I was just killed by you, I was in this posture This "World of Shadows" has woken up. Of course, this is just a name I picked up casually.Although you ruined my plan, the current "Human World" is still a lovely castle that I have painstakingly built. Even though I have lost the ability to control it, I don't want to watch it being "dark" after all. country" trampled on. "

"So, I began to try my best to discover what I could do as I could only be active in the "World of Shadows".First of all, system commands are completely invalid here, but under certain conditions, relying on the power of the mind, you can still interfere with the "World of Light", just like you can help Eugeo It's the same as using the "Armament Full Control Art". "

"After learning all this, I went to the "Kingdom of Darkness". "Speaking of this, she smiled coldly, her eyes immersed in memories revealed a brilliance mixed with hatred and irony: "The residents of the "Kingdom of Darkness" are all fools with brains full of muscles. I selected a leader of the "Legion of Darkness", used the minimum influence I could have on the world of light, gave him some hints, and easily led him into a deadly trap. "

Although I don't agree with her indiscriminate killing of innocent people, she is indeed the Administrator I know with such terrifying insight and action.

"But at the moment when his destiny returned to zero, a mutation appeared." Quinella said, "A blood-red light curtain enveloped that area, which is very similar to the "untouchable wall", but it is not in the Stopping nothing, but turning back time. "

"It's impossible!" Like a stress reaction, I instinctively refused to believe her statement.

Underworld does not have the "rollback" mechanism of ordinary games.This is a miniature real world, and all the real souls live here, so once it is "rolled back", it is very likely to cause uncontrollable collapse.

And "rolling back" is definitely not "backwards in time".The so-called "archiving" is just that the server deletes all the data that has not been archived after a certain point in time.What Quinella said has completely surpassed the program, and is close to something "unreal".

While I was still thinking fast, Quinella had resumed her story.

"Nothing is impossible." Quinella narrated the horror with a deadpan expression: "When the red light curtain dissipated, time had gone back before I hinted at him, and that miserable victim There is no memory of this period at all... No, not only him, but everyone around me has no memory of this period of time, except me. So, I tried the same method hundreds of times, but the result did not change at all, I It takes about five days to give him a hint, but since my death, the calendar of Underworld has only advanced by [-] days.”

"If this is a hidden order from Underworld, the first time I go back in time, it may be ignored because of the time difference between RealWorld and Underworld, but I have repeated it hundreds of times like this, and it is impossible for the researchers to detect it, but they are not at all There is no intention to stop me." Quinella looked straight into my eyes: "Therefore, I can think that my deduction is accurate - the effect of the hundreds of five days I have regressed in the RealWorld is the same. It's a few hundred "7 minutes" backwards. "

At this moment, I seemed to finally understand why she used such a long background story as a foreshadowing.

I don't know whether I should believe this unbelievable story. If I choose to believe it, then I am afraid that what I need to overturn and deny will be my "human" career from birth to the present.

As if waiting for me to accept, Quinella paused for a long time before continuing: "Then, I used the same method to imply a small soldier. This time, the time did not go back, and he died normally. Several people of different status and different races tried it, most of them died ordinary, and the next person who went back in time was a leader-level fighter. In fact, I already had a guess in my heart , Everything I did afterwards was just verification.”

"Leader-level fighters are not indispensable to the "Kingdom of Darkness". When a leader dies, a new leader will soon take over, just like animals.To make this world go to such great lengths to keep their lives alive proves that their existence must have a meaning other than "the leader of the Legion of Darkness". "Speaking of this, Quinella suddenly laughed, and laughed for a long time: "It's so ridiculous! Just like this! For the first time, I thought about...the world outside the world, the reality above reality."

"...the world beyond the world, the reality beyond reality." I repeated this sentence in a low voice.

"If the Underworld is a fake program world, then the RealWorld must be real?" Quinella raised her hands, raised her head, and looked up at the fake sky: "If the absurd facts that appear in front of me are all If it is true, then I can only make such a hypothesis - whether it is RealWorld or Underworld, they are all just a fiction of a certain "Creator God".I tried to kill a character who might be about to appear in the future, which triggered this logically impossible time regression phenomenon, which is absolutely impossible for us, and for "Creator God" In other words, it is just a "setting" caused by thinking. "

Quinella smiled sarcastically: "I used to foolishly think that I was loved by the world, that I could trample on all the laws of the world, but I was actually just prepared to contrast with a certain "protagonist", a miserable "loser" ;The belief and will that I have been firmly implementing are actually nothing but pawns laid out to wait for a certain "plot" to happen. "

I was stunned for a long time, unable to digest this information, and finally could only cover up my confusion with witty words: "Miss Quinella, this story... is not boring at all."

Not only is it not boring, it is simply too much fun.

I closed my eyes and pressed my hands to my forehead, trying to calm down the chaotic thoughts.But once a human being is opened up to a thought that has never been involved, the mind will uncontrollably explore this road endlessly.

...Worse, I have even guessed who the bastard protagonist who has all the good luck in the world and is hated by countless people is itchy.

At this time, Quinella narrowed the distance to me a little, to the point where she had to look up at me with her height: "I don't know how this "World of Shadows" was born, but I can be sure that here not only It will not be observed by researchers, and it can also escape the eyes of "Creator God".After realizing this, I completely "denied" myself.I got rid of all my past likes and dislikes and tried to do things I would never have tried in the past... Finally, as you can see. "

"I appeared in front of you, Mr. "Protagonist". "

I thought about it for a long time, and Quinella didn't rush me.Until Sols completely sank below the horizon, and this "world of shadows" was literally wrapped in shadows, I finally made up my mind.

"Quinella, I don't believe what you said." I clenched my fists.

"Oh?" She wasn't surprised or angry, but just stared at me calmly.

"Unlike RealWorld, everything you say can never be proven, and it can never be denied. You think what you see is the truth, but it may not be your dream." I'm not sure how Quinella felt about RealWorld To what extent is your understanding reached, and try to explain in an easy-to-understand way: "If someone puts your consciousness in a program and uses electric current to simulate the scene you see, the same effect can be achieved .”

"The story of 'brain in a vat'? Quinella seemed to remember something, and smiled contemptuously: "There was a very boring man who told me this story."

"Uh..." My expression froze, I even taught her this kind of thing, what are the staff of Lars doing... I coughed lightly and continued: "Although I don't believe it, but next , I will act on the premise that "your hypothesis is true". "

Quinella's eyes widened and she looked at me thoughtfully. "Oh? That's an interesting way of saying it."

I organized my language a little bit, and continued: "Whether this world is real or fictional, there is only one thing that is most important to me, and that is to "guarantee Eugeo's survival".I don't have time to think about the reality of the world, nor the meaning of my own existence. I only know that if I can't save Eugeo, I will regret it for the rest of my life.So if this hypothesis is a breakthrough, I am willing to try it on the premise of this hypothesis. If the attempt fails, I will change to other methods until I find his soul. "

"So you'd rather deceive your own heart about it?"

"That's right." I nodded without hesitation.

"You...do you really value that child that much?"

"..." I took a deep breath, "That's right."

10.

After listening to Quinella finish her story, my mind became strangely relaxed.So I followed Eugeo with the "Sword of the Night Sky" as a guide, and discussed the next move with Quinella.

I couldn't wait to ask: "Then please tell me your opinion first, the highest priest. Since you will come to me, then you must have some ideas about Eugeo's situation, right?"

Quinella frowned slightly and stared at me for a moment, then sighed softly: "I have never seen a strange human being like you, but forget it, if I continue to struggle, it will make me narrow-minded. About that Children, you only need to explore three things: first, the reason why he had to die; "

The reason why he had to die, the reason why he couldn't be resurrected.

After all, why should I discuss the cause of Eugeo's death with Eugeo's murderer!Of course... this kind of thinking should not exist.

Since I am determined to act on the premise of "the world is fictional", I cannot simply attribute the cause of Eugeo's death to Quinella's crimes, but this does not mean that I forgive her for what she did. It's just that I can't let my hatred burn my reason.After thinking carefully for a moment, I slowly said: "The reason why Eugeo died, I think... is to exaggerate the tragedy of that battle, because your strength is to the point of despair, if you don't pay enough price, The story loses its convincing power.”

Quinella rested her chin on one hand, and said slowly in the usual steady tone: "Well... this is barely one of the reasons, but it's just a reason for the "plot".For a story, the "plot" is just flesh and blood, and the characters and spirit conveyed by the author are the soul. "

Speaking of which, I couldn't help thinking of the situation when Eugeo and I met in Gigas Cedar.At that time, I thought that Eugeo was an AI without authorization, and I also imagined Eugeo's creator as a gentle and understanding person without authorization. As I realized that Eugeo was an artificial Flucut-Light, that kind of The thoughts quickly dissipated.But thinking about it now, when the "Creator God" created Eugeo, what he wanted to create was a perfect same-sex friend.

The appearance of Eugeo can be said to have filled the biggest hole in my heart. His existence itself can make me feel extremely at ease. To be so happy... Could this be why Eugeo had to die?Impossible, this is too unreasonable. Although I don't know how to write, I can also understand from my experience along the way that the "Creator God" must not bother to write such deliberate writing. tragedy.

"Do you want to know why Eugeo became an integrity knight?" Quinella asked suddenly.

"..." I hesitated, I wanted to know, of course I really wanted to know, but I also understood that this must be the darkest desire in Eugeo's heart that he least wanted to be known.I don't want to pry into his heart, I failed to understand his mood in time, and I may not be qualified to let him fall into despair alone... But in order to reverse the desperate ending, I must face the truth, at least, I must To have a chance to apologize to him.Finally, I nodded.

However, Quinella did not directly tell me the answer: "In my opinion, the reason why the child had to die was..."

""Death" itself is a part of his existence. "

"Just like his "Blue Rose Sword", he is a fleeting but incomparably beautiful existence. Mr. "Creator God" regards this ending as his final, precisely because this kind of curtain call surpasses " "Plot" itself, and even endowed the character with a unique soul.Maybe many years later, countless stories are submerged in the torrent of time, but the story between you and him will still be engraved in the memory of many people. "

"This kind of statement..." I stared blankly at a certain place in the void: "... Isn't it hopeless?"

No, I shook my head vigorously.

This statement may convince others, but not me.

I raised my head and looked straight into Quinella's eyes: "Even if the "death" is beautifully whitewashed, it is an extremely sad thing. That kind of saying is almost like... Eugeo is here to welcome "death" "It's just like being born!"That sort of thing... is unreasonable in itself! "

"But I'm afraid you're the only one who thinks this way. In the world outside the world, there may be many people who love you and feel grief for what happened to you, but at the same time, they are happy with this grief."

"Quinella, do you know why I chose to "don't believe"? "I said seriously, as if I had put all my will on it: "Because even though we are really "fictional" existences, at least at this moment, my thoughts and feelings are "real".From the moment we stepped into the world of shadows, from the moment we got a glimpse of the truth of the world, from the moment I decided to change my destined destiny with my own hands, I was real. "

"..."

"So even if I break the rhythm of this story and destroy this perfection, I must bring Eugeo back to life. Because the him I saw in "Blue Rose" would feel sad because he had to part with me, He also feels guilty for leaving me alone. He wants to live. Like every ordinary human being, he longs for the most basic rights of being human... I know, he wants to live! "

Quinella was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed softly: "As expected of the human being who defeated me, you really won't let me down."

"You are worthy of being an Administrator." I retorted, "I knew it, you came to help me, and your purpose is not pure."

"Don't worry about these details, let's say we have the same purpose at this moment." Quinella's expression at this moment made me think that she might have the same expression when she tempted Eugeo to become an integrity knight. Cooperating with her at the time may also step into an incredible abyss, but now is not the time to mind these things.Quinella then continued, "As for the reason why Eugeo couldn't be revived, you probably already guessed it, right?"

I nodded.

Once I completely switch my thinking to the "developer mode", the answer to this kind of question that stays on the "plot" is ready to come out.

"I think it's because of 'logic'. "I said quickly: "Eugeo's "death" has become a foregone conclusion, and the plot of the character's death cannot be reversed at will like a child's play.I don't know whether the appearance of Integrity Knight Eugeo was predestined by "Creator" or a mutation caused by me, but since I lost consciousness as the "price", the return of Integrity Knight Eugeo can be regarded as appropriate sense.But his soul is different, without a strong enough "opportunity", it is absolutely impossible for Eugeo's soul to leave "Blue Rose", and I think this "opportunity" should also...do not exist . "

"It's amazing, it's amazing." Quinella applauded lightly, "Maybe you can consider becoming a writer when you return to RealWorld."

"...Sorry, your jokes will only make me feel creepy." I shook my head helplessly: "Speaking of which, this is the Underworld, and the world I live in is the RealWorld, so what should the world outside the world be called? Woolen cloth?"

"You're very rude." Quinella glanced at me sideways, "Also...Although I know some English, don't you think it's a bit embarrassing for me to choose an English name?"

...It seems that this is really the case. I thought for a while, and a name formed in my mind: ""If World", how about it? If has the meaning of if, uncertain, and it is suitable to describe the world that can never be proved to exist by "seeing is believing". "

"Not bad." Quinella affirmed, "Speaking of which, this is my own fault. Because the "Taboo Index" restricts people's thinking, Underworld literature has not been able to develop.Therefore, I don't know much about stories. I'm afraid you can only find the way to rescue the child by yourself. "

Third, how to change the idea of ​​"Creator God".

This is probably the hardest part to do.All the development of this world depends on the pen in the hand of the "Creator God", which is far more powerful than any artifact, sword or sacred art.Even the most cheating mind skills in Underworld can only be effective with his permission.

Every experience I have won in the past cannot be used as a reference, because this time the enemy is the will itself that has allowed me to break through all despair countless times. This time, I am afraid that the world will not be on my side.

"Maybe I need to think about it more carefully." I bit my lower lip hard: "Maybe, I still need to observe how the "World of Light", that is, the world described by "Chuang Shi Shen" will develop. "

Quinella nodded: "Okay, but I also want to remind you that there is not much time left for you. You are the "protagonist", and you cannot sleep forever. Once the "Creator God" prepares to let you Wake up, I'm afraid you will say goodbye to that child forever. "

"I understand." Of course I understand that I have been stepping on the "main plot" all the time. Even if I don't know how the future will develop, I still have an almost intuitive hunch about the "plot". "In short, let's talk to Eugeo first." Let’s go to the “Eastern Gate” together. If there is no accident on the way, the process of rushing like this will only be mentioned briefly in the story. At least I can think about it during this time. "

After listening to me, Quinella suddenly smiled: "Although you "don't believe it", you are already in a state of "very convinced". "

During the conversation, I saw Eugeo's back.

He was still carefully pushing the wheelchair, his thin body covered by a black cloak, walking step by step in this world that made him have to "die".

Looking at his back, Quinella said softly, "It's a pity, there is no place for him in the RealWorld that you want to take that child with all your heart."

"So what." I clenched my fists and swore in the most reverent tone:

"If this world must make him disappear, then I will deny this world."

TBC