That was right.
Ren Yi, hidden in the lining of Evans’ clothes, was certainly not just sitting idly by as a spectator at this moment.
Don't forget, he still had the mushroom known as the “Honest Gift” inside his stomach!
Although he had hidden both himself and the mushroom, that didn't stop him from using the mushroom as a “lie detector.”
“Phew... good thing this old man wasn't just blowing smoke,” Ren Yi thought to himself with a sigh of relief.
Otherwise, if that mushroom started to swell and Ren Yi couldn't hold it back, things would have gotten quite awkward.
If that happened, he would have had to spit the mushroom out prematurely and let Evans make up some excuse, like “I kept it inside my body to ensure you were trustworthy.”
However, it seemed that “Pops,” the old man at the bottom of the Deep Abyss, and Sword-man clearly needed something from Evans.
That was why they were explaining this series of questions regarding the world’s origin so seriously and without reservation.
After confirming the truth of the situation through Ren Yi’s “cheat-like prompt,” Evans’ brow furrowed even deeper.
“If the world resets on its own, then why does the City of the Sky Lake claim every day that they want to use artificial means to ‘open’ a New Era?”
“And, since the world eventually resets automatically and all the dead will eventually reappear... what’s the point of all your struggling?”
Ren Yi silently gave Evans a thumbs-up.
Evans wasn't very old, but his grasp of the core issues was sharp, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Faced with this potentially devastating question, Pops merely took a sip of tea and said:
“Don't be in such a hurry, young man. I haven't explained the true principle behind the birth of a ‘New Era’ yet, nor... why a New Era exists in this world in the first place.”
“However, I can answer your question directly.”
“Child, you’ve misunderstood.”
“During the reset of a New Era, the world’s mountains and rivers will reset, those bizarrely shaped Anomalies will reset, and even that moon above our heads will reset...”
“But the people of the world are the only things that do not automatically refresh.”
Pops set down his teacup, his tone turning slightly cold.
“When ordinary people die in this world, they are simply dead... or perhaps it would be more accurate to say they have ‘vanished.’”
Evans’ expression darkened instantly, his brow twisting into a tight knot.
“Why?”
“Because based on their essence, the world itself and those indestructible Anomalies have a dimensional level that is... theoretically higher than ‘carbon-based lifeforms,’” Pops said slowly.
“Don't misunderstand; I don't mean to disparage them.”
“You should be familiar with the logic the City of the Sky Lake uses to number Anomalies, right?”
“Some Anomalies produce other sub-entities.”
Evans nodded. “I know. For those sub-entities, the City of the Sky Lake adds a dash and then a secondary number at the end.”
“Snap!”
Pops snapped his fingers, a hair-raisingly mocking smile appearing on his face.
“If we calculate it that way, every ‘person’ who has ever existed in this world from ancient times to the present should actually have such a sub-designation following a dash.”
“Because... they are all mass-produced assembly line products ‘made’ by a certain Anomaly.”
In the corner, when the wooden cross in Sword-man’s hand heard this, its carved features twitched violently in extreme terror.
“Holy sh—”
However, before it could utter another syllable, the quick-handed Sword-man covered its mouth and shoved it back into his trench coat pocket.
“An Anomaly... making them?” Evans’ voice was somewhat raspy.
“Indeed,” Pops smiled slightly, his expression tinged with irony.
“The ‘Creator’ of this world is an Anomaly.”
“The tragic part is that this ‘Creator’ is currently lying obediently in a box at the lowest level of the City of the Sky Lake.”
“It was even given a designation that isn't particularly respectful by the very things it once created—”
“【S-001】.”
“The so-called Law of Indestructibility for all things is actually just the fact that S-001 cannot be completely destroyed.”
“Isn't that ironic?”
Evans’ pupils suddenly constricted to the size of pinpricks!
The latest information provided by Ren Yi appeared in his vision, consisting of only a single word.
【True!】
The mushroom hadn't reacted at all.
This meant that Pops’ seemingly absurd statement was actually true!
Evans opened his mouth several times and took several deep breaths before finally finding his voice again.
“Are you saying... all the ‘people’ in this world have been fake from the very beginning? That they are all inferior imitations molded by S-001?”
“I didn't say that,” Pops denied calmly. “Truth and falsehood are merely relative concepts to me.”
But Evans, who was on the verge of having his worldview shattered, was clearly not buying it.
The youth’s breathing gradually became heavy as he stared intently at Pops, his expression slowly turning distorted.
“So, your so-called resurrection in a ‘New Era’ is nothing more than ‘making’ those people all over again?”
“It's not quite accurate, but you can understand it that way.”
Pops answered the youth’s question somewhat coldly.
Looking at Evans, who was almost on the verge of exploding, he tapped the table with his hand and added a few points in a calm tone:
“However, there are a few things this old man needs to explain further.”
“First, a New Era isn't something humans can open whenever they want. S-001 has its own energy replenishment cycle.”
“The condition for its activation is presumably based on the energy required for a ‘reset.’”
“You can think of it like this: as more Anomalies are destroyed and more people die in this world, the dissipated energy will greatly accelerate this process.”
Hearing this, a flash of realization struck Ren Yi.
Was this the reason for the Lord of the City’s irrational nuclear bomb?
Pops paused here, seemingly waiting for Evans to digest the information, before continuing.
“Second, when this restart cycle arrives and the New Era officially begins, a ‘Subjective Operator’ is actually permitted to exist.”
“Of course, this isn't an absolute necessity.”
“An operator can use their own memories to ‘reproduce’ people who are identical to those from the previous era, even down to the details of their emotions.”
“As for those who were not part of that process... they are gone for good.”
Rate on N.U.
