Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

283·Creative Motivation

"Where should I begin..."

Leaving the table, Yu Man walked towards the window.

The moon's position is much higher than before.

But compared to the moon, Yu Man looked at "time".

If this person doesn't allow it, even if she knows the beginning and end of everything, she can't say a word.

But "Time" just looked at her without saying a word, which seemed both doting and indulgent.

Then tell me about it.

Anyway, Cat Senior—no, now "The Serenade of All Things" has completely revealed its cards, intending to directly confront the "Three Secrets" who manage this game. That means either ending the game early or going straight to the end.

Either way, the stories Yu Man knew so far no longer had to be secrets.

"Let's start with how the story is written..."

"How is the story written?"

It was Xiaolu who asked the question like a parrot. She also left her seat and walked three steps away, accompanying Yu Man's leisurely pace.

I listened to the serenade quietly, but my mind was still on the grilled fish - it was quite delicious, you know what.

Time remained silent.

Only six and seven flowers - by now, this person has completely given up on understanding what they are talking about.

This was a lot like one of those difficult, arduous teaching courses where if you kept your attention intensely focused, you could just barely keep up. But Liu Tong Qi Hua kept trying, yet somehow, it seemed like she was missing some crucial part.

So much so that now I can't keep up at all...

"To put it simply - I have arrived at a place called "The Final Place". It is not a special place, just outside the story, but it is the source of the story."

Yu Man leaned against the wall. The cold and hard building seemed so real.

But in the "Final Place", there is no sense of reality.

It was a special place, where only one special person lived.

"There lives only a young girl, or... would a creator be more appropriate? But this is just an objective name. From a subjective perspective, we should call her... the Creator, the only true God, the deity who created all things."

Creator?

Liu Tong Qi Hua understood a little bit. Is this the plot of some big copy?

Xiaolu had similar thoughts - but her understanding was deeper than Liutong and Qihua's. She knew that the so-called big copy was actually a long life that included their reality.

"Interestingly, the creator's pen name is... 'Aurora Borealis String'."

"pen name?"

"She is a writer." And, a long time ago, Yu Man revealed the answer to Xiaolu.

If you think about it carefully, "time" has probably told Yu Man many things in a similar way so far.

Just as Xiaolu couldn't understand, Yu Man was also in the same predicament.

But even so, she now intends to tell everything she knows so far in an open and honest manner.

“So—it all starts with storytelling. That’s where the Northern Lights Chords create the world, write the story, and decide everything.”

Yu Man could see Xiaolu's confusion. Once upon a time, she was also confused.

Therefore, she knows how to speak clearly.

"A story isn't written overnight; it's built on countless revisions and scraps. Before that, it requires a dozen flashes of inspiration, and a lot of inspiration from my own life and reality, all blended together to form the skeleton and flesh..."

therefore--

“In the old world we live in, before reality was constructed, there were many spontaneous stories created in Aurora Borealis. Each story was set in a beautiful world.”

Yu Man said calmly——

"Those worlds were abandoned midway because they were too immature. Or because they were too contradictory, or because the writer's skills as a writer were too poor to continue. Or maybe it was because I got tired of it, found it boring... or I felt I had written it wrong... a variety of reasons."

"...It sounds... like... the author is abandoning his own story... abandoning the plot... eunuch?"

Gradually, Xiaolu understood what Yu Man wanted to say.

Yu Man nodded with a bright smile: "Yes, that's what I want to say. Outside the old world, the real world, there are many such worlds. Each one was once glorious, but now they have withered and there is no possibility of moving forward -"

These worlds—

“That’s where I plan to go.”

"Yu Man...but...since everything has withered, what's the point?" Xiaolu had a good grasp of the story. He pointed to the core and asked, "What can we get by going to these places?"

“The story isn’t finished yet.”

Yu Man raised his index finger, signaling everyone to stay calm.

Only her voice kept echoing.

"Every world is born because writers have placed their hopes on it. Writers will write about things they think are shining, but often, those shining things...will exist alone in a disharmonious and broken world."

"Uh?"

"Who would understand you?"

Unexpectedly, the word that came to mind was "time".

She sighed with both relief and helplessness, and continued the conversation started by Yu Man.

"A writer might have a brilliant idea, a favorite character they really want to write about, or a sudden flash of enthusiasm...all of these things can lead to the birth of a story. But if the writer is too incompetent, and aside from the brilliant part, everything else is just crap, then the story is doomed if they can't continue writing."

The poet explained in a different way to the confused fawn and the serenade that didn't quite understand:

"But writers are reluctant to delete the things that once infused them with passion. So those truly amazing stories or lovable characters will be left alone in a withered world that looks like shit, barely supporting the story's existence, but there is no possibility of continuing any more... These are the old gods in the withered world."

In an instant, Fawn and Serenade had a simultaneous epiphany.

A feeling of sudden enlightenment boiled in their hearts.

As expected of a poet...it's so easy to understand.

But why is Yu Man, the son of a poet... complaining so much?

After finishing his speech happily, "Time" returned to his seat and cheerfully handed the right to speak back to her.

Yu Man had no choice but to continue speaking.

"In short, those withered worlds are the prerequisite for the birth of a complete story. Because every good story actually draws nourishment from many withered worlds. Because of failure, the author knows how to write next time."

The little deer has completely caught up with the idea——

"So, we are now in the process of a good story—at least a complete story?"

"Yes—in fact, it has already been done twice. The previous one was the story of the Triple Crown and "Lies", and the previous one was the story of me traveling alone to the "Final Place" to meet the author. And this time..."

Yu Man originally wanted to say to Xiaolu - this time it's your story.

But how much do I know about her so far?

"No, no, no, this time it's everyone's story." It was a serenade, she said proudly, "Let's crush this crappy game together."

It’s not impossible - Yu Man breathed a sigh of relief, since that’s what he was planning to do anyway.

"In short—these are the prerequisites, and they are also necessary for clearing the game. The old gods still exist in those withered worlds. They are old abandoned manuscripts that the author is reluctant to erase, but they still retain their brilliance."

"I understand." The deer said, "Those old gods of the withered world might be some prototypes?"

"...That's right." Yu Man clapped his hands.

"Prototype?" Serenade asked in confusion.

Time tapped Serenade's forehead and spoke again—

"Aren't you the squad leader? Cat Laoliu, how come you don't understand this? The good stories we're working on now are built on scrapped manuscripts. The creators are likely to be path-dependent, and they'll just bring out the cool parts of the scrapped works, re-create them under a new skin and name."

Serenade finally came to his senses and sighed, "No wonder some authors' different works all feel like they're just different names and skins when you read them."

"almost."

"So the story we are in is actually a re-skin of other stories?" Serenade asked again.

"Almost." Yu Man nodded and admitted vaguely.

By the way, Yu Man continued -

"And those withered worlds likely contain 'prototypes'. Since you're going to attack the 'Three Secrets', why not look for any relevant prototype plots?"

"...I understand. Go ahead." Serenade nodded and finally stopped asking questions.

Finally, Yu Man explained this long and winding story clearly.

And got the understanding of serenade.

But Liu Tong Qi Hua, who have not spoken so far, are the only bystanders.

Therefore, she understood the core of all these issues better than anyone else, and she didn't even know why everyone was ignoring it.

"Why did the Creator create a complete and good story?"

Silence fell on the Mage Tower.

Yu Man really couldn't answer this question from his teammate.

She knew the answer and was sure it was correct.

But she couldn't say it.

Seeing that Yu Man remained silent, Xiaolu and Xiaoyequ turned their gaze to "Time". They were also curious about the answer.

Rather, why hadn't I thought about this obvious question before?

"This question—actually, it should be called...creative motivation."

Time spoke calmly.

"Some people do it for money, some for fame, and some just for their own pleasure, but ultimately it's just a way to express desire. The Creator's motivation for creation—perhaps it's because God loves the world."

Having said that, she stopped talking.

And he extinguished everyone's desire to explore and curiosity with his eyes.

"I wish you a pleasant journey." "Time" stood up and waved his hand like a young man about to leave, looking very cheerful.

"Niao Laowu, aren't you going with us?" Yu Man asked.

"...Can you please use your stupid brain and think about why the Three Secrets imprisoned and expelled the old gods of the withered world, treating them as taboos and calling them reflections of the old world? And then think about who you are inviting to join you?"

"Oh, re-creation is afraid of the prototype. But the question is, Bird Old Five, aren't you the only one? What are you afraid of?"

"But I'm the Third Secretary! Anyway, this invitation is too much. Let's avoid suspicion."

"But you are from the Snake Restaurant."

"You little bastard..."

After talking to his heart's content, Yu Man waved to her.

Indeed—no matter what, inviting one of the "Three Secrets" to that withered world is truly excessive.

The situation between them is too weird. They are inseparable from each other, but at the same time, they maintain a deadly feud that cannot coexist.

Even if we only consider it from the perspective of seeking gains and help, it is impossible to travel together.

Yu Man is very clear about this——

But she just wanted to tease "Time", after all, this guy had always been thinking about exploding Yu Man's gold coins.

"So—this is the thing, Xiaohuo, I need to trouble you this time."

"--Um."

Sitting in the audience, the "Melting World Dragon" who had been quiet until now quietly raised his eyes.

She had known for a long time that this last-minute date was definitely not a good thing...but so what? It was still a rare date.

"Shall we set off now?" asked the World-Melting Dragon.

"Well, now."