Chapter 527: Chapter 526 This brainstorm even amazes me! (Part 2)

“……”

Facing Fang Zheng’s inquiry, everyone present involuntarily swallowed. Although they didn’t fully understand the meaning behind Fang Zheng’s words, terms like “extinction,” “ash,” naturally did not carry a positive connotation. However, since they had come this far, they naturally weren’t about to give up……

“I, I want to know it all!”

James was the first to respond.

“Please tell us, great Giant Dragon, what you know……”

“Very well……”

Upon hearing James’s response, Fang Zheng’s lips curled slightly upwards. Then he lifted his head to gaze at the starry sky. Afterward, his voice echoed in everyone’s hearts.

“In ancient times, before the world had diversified, it was enveloped in a mist. But one day…… a flame was kindled, and everything changed because of it…… Light and dark, cold and heat, life and death. Then, there were a few species born from the darkness, drawn to the flame, and around the flame, they found the soul of a king……”

As they listened to the voice echoing in their minds, everyone began to tremble slightly. That vast, ethereal past seemed to be transformed into vivid scenes alongside the voice, appearing in their minds.

“… They were the first of the dead, and the witches of Izhalis and the daughters of Chaos. The King of the Sun and his knights…… and……”

At this point, Fang Zheng slightly narrowed his eyes, glancing over James and the others.

“…… the dwarves never known to others……”

“They ruled the world and created a new era; thus began the Age of Fire. It was once a prosperous, holy, and majestic time, filled with unparalleled radiance and wonder. But…”

Fang Zheng let out a faint snicker.

“…… the flame will eventually extinguish, and darkness will be all that remains. With the ancient king and their subjects passing, the flame slowly began to die out, darkness was about to descend. The beings of that time refused to simply give in; they began the search for remnants of fire, the path to rekindling the flame once more. The dwarves, unknown to all, became their backbone. Through enduring great hardships, they managed to rekindle the flame, however dim and meager compared to the original Divine Fire, just enough for them to struggle for survival amidst the darkness and fog.”

While speaking, Fang Zheng once again lowered his head and looked toward the distant sea.

“…… And when the flame extinguished again, they had nowhere to run; the dark age had finally arrived. Without the protection of the flame, those once driven away by it, who fled in fear and fell into a slumber, waiting in the depths of the Dark Abyss for all this to come to pass, were about to return. Regrettably, the protection of the flame would never come back…… just like this!”

Upon saying this, Fang Zheng suddenly raised his right claw, slamming it hard against the ground while silently invoking in his mind.

“Sealing!”

“———-Swoosh!!”

To everyone’s amazement, the world in front of them changed completely in an instant. The moment before, they were at the docks of the Hong Kong Base, but now, they stood at the entrance of a city that lay upon the pinnacle of the clouds, with an endless sea of clouds and a faint red sunset in the distance. Before them was a giant, magnificent city gate. It was protected by a pure white wall hundreds of meters tall, and the white spires emerging from the mist testified to its past splendor.

But now, what remained was nothing but ruins. The massive white archway had crumbled into scattered stones., as flames seemed to engulf everything. Signs of decay were visible throughout the city, and pitch-black eerie shadows covered the white walls and ground, bringing a touch of darkness to the place.

“This, this is……”

Stunned by the City in the Clouds before them, the crowd was speechless. Fang Zheng, however, turned his head with a complicated look in his eyes.

“Indeed, this place is known as Lothric, where the King of Salary once gathered. They had once kindled the flame here, illuminating the world. But as the flame died out, the former radiance also faded, and what remains now is nothing but ruins……”

Fang Zheng shamelessly changed the name of the Supreme Heaven–after all, it was his Sealing, and he had the final say in what it was called.

“And now, the Primordial Fire is extinguished, darkness descends…”

Accompanied by Fang Zheng’s voice, darkness gradually emerged, and the distant sunset dipped below the horizon, immediately after which they found themselves back on the dock.

“The world, shrouded in darkness, will naturally attract the creatures of the dark…”

Saying this, Fang Zheng once again closed his eyes.

“This is your destiny, the ashes of a dying fire. Struggle with all your might, until the very last moment…”

“………”

Watching the Giant Dragon fall silent, no one disturbed it any further–they had just had their worldviews completely upended by what they had witnessed. Although everyone inside was profoundly shaken, at this moment, all maintained silence, cast one final look at the Giant Dragon that seemed to have fallen into slumber, and quietly left.

My acting skills should score a perfect ten!

Sensing James and the others leaving, Fang Zheng internally gave himself a thumbs up. Just kidding, after all, he was a planner himself, and could still pull off both the cutscene CG and the BOSS’ aura! And now, it seemed that his words had thoroughly bamboozled the humans of this world. For Fang Zheng, that was enough.

Of course, he was well aware that there were many vague and even flawed aspects in his words, but Fang Zheng wasn’t worried. Humans are a species that would deny anything they hadn’t seen and affirm anything they have. By appearing before them and taking them for a tour through the Sealing, he had almost completely duped them. The rest depended on how the humans of this world would use their imaginations to fill in the blanks… and that was no longer Fang Zheng’s concern.

And indeed, these people lived up to Fang Zheng’s expectations. Upon leaving, they immediately convened the world’s most renowned scientists, researchers, historians, occultists, among others, to try to analyze Fang Zheng’s hole-ridden, frivolous ramblings that he had made up out of sheer boredom… and they actually managed to rationalize it!

According to their theory-crafting, the scholars believed the Giant Dragon’s mention of the “Primordial Fire” could very well refer to the cosmic explosion, which would mean that the universe started in Chaos and only took shape after such an explosion. Furthermore, there was a group of Transcendent beings who gained powerful forces from this explosion, and with it, they became powerful “Kings of Salary” and worked hard for the continuity of the universe.

However, due to the law of conservation of energy, nothing is eternal. Just as the dragon said, “Flames, too, will come to an end,” the power of the Kings of Salary began to weaken, and eventually, they vanished into the dust of history.

Well said, then, what does this have to do with humanity?

Of course, it does!

According to the conjectures of the scholars, the “Kings of Salary” mentioned by the dragon could very well be the deities in various ancient mythologies from around the world! After all, myths from every part of the world speak of gods who created heaven and earth, most of which share similarities, and many of which are themed around light and flame, fitting well with the description of “Primordial Fire.”

Following the downfall of these deities, the timelines in the mythologies indeed become strange. While many myths initially feature reports of gods themselves, with time’s passage, the frequency of gods’ appearances diminishes, and conversely, so-called demigods, immortals, and witches begin to dominate the mythologies. According to the scholars’ guesses, these beings may be the inheritors of the flame mentioned by the dragon, possessing Transcendent power, albeit not as formidable as that of humankind.

So, the question arises, why does modern humanity no longer hold such power?

It’s because the fire has been completely extinguished!

The dragon also said, “The Primordial Fire is extinguished, darkness descends.” Moreover, the dragon kept referring to them as “the ashes of a dying fire,” the meaning of which is still unknown. However, it’s easy to understand literally–ashes of a dying fire, now just ashes, naturally wouldn’t possess the power of the flames.

With that, the entire matter becomes clear–this world once had beings of immense power that held the Primordial Fire. And though it’s not known what this fire was, it clearly banished the monstrous, evil creatures, causing them either to flee from this land or to slumber in the dark Abyss. But now, with the Primordial Fire gone and darkness returning, those creatures that had left or been in slumber will awaken once more!

And this time, they cannot rely on the power of deities or Kings of Salary; they can only depend on themselves!

Yes, this is the true nature of their world! It all makes sense, no problem!

I must admit, when Fang Zheng hacked into the network and obtained this report, he was stunned himself.

This level of imagination is so impressive, it even has me convinced!