Hearing Azrael's words, the World Consciousness sighed with regret before transforming back into its previous white form. "It seems you don't like it very much."
"But don't worry, I don't have the ability to pull humans into Valhalla. Otherwise, the world wouldn't be in its current state."
Azrael's words had merely been a joke. He sat down cross-legged on the ground, surveying the pure white space around him. "Why haven't I heard of this place before?"
Long ago, he'd learned from Tempest and several other Lore Cardians that after reaching the Master level, one could vaguely sense the state of the World Consciousness. But he'd never heard of anyone being able to communicate face-to-face with it like this.
There wasn't even any written record of this space.
The World Consciousness leaned back slightly, hands resting on the ground, head tilted, its features obscured. "Because you're different from them."
"?"
Azrael was stunned. He knew he was different from most Lore Cardians on Earth, a fact he'd realized since meeting Geralt.
But further details remained unknown.
Fortunately, the World Consciousness wasn't here to play the role of a riddler.
Just as it had said earlier in Fox Nine's secret realm, it would tell the young man everything.
Everything, including the anomalies in his card creation, the strange strength of his cards, and the origins of the young man himself.
The World Consciousness leaned forward, hands on its knees, staring intently at Azrael. "You should have noticed when creating cards in the past that most of the cards you have now can be successfully crafted, even if the stories woven into them were relatively simple."
Hearing this, Azrael nodded silently. This was something he'd always found strange.
Although Tempest had said the World Consciousness would favor talented Lore Cardians and relax some of its judgments when making cards, Azrael felt it was being a little too lax.
As if reading his inner thoughts, the World Consciousness shook its head slightly. "I told you, you're different from them."
"I can indeed relax the judgment when those kids make cards, but it comes at a small price."
"After all, the raw materials are essentially the condensation of demonic power. The so-called card creation failure is simply because the story and the power don't align. To relax the judgment, I naturally need to slightly modify the essence of this power to make it more consistent with the story they provided."
Azrael suddenly understood.
He didn't ask why the World Consciousness could only make small modifications. After all, it had stated there was a price to pay, and doing so would undoubtedly drain its own power.
If it had really made modifications recklessly, the demonic invasion wouldn't have even happened, the World Consciousness would have been drained long ago.
Ultimately, the Lore Cardian profession was more like the world's immune system, essentially serving to eliminate invading demons and then gain sustenance from them, forming a sustainable self-reinforcing cycle.
If everything required the World Consciousness's help, it might as well do everything itself.
Seeing Azrael's pensive expression, the World Consciousness knew there was no need for a detailed explanation, so it continued. "But you're different. From the beginning, I haven't interfered with your card creation, except for Shiraori."
Hearing this, Azrael instantly thought of Shiraori's absurd trait, Immortality.
The World Consciousness nodded. "Immortality was created through my intervention. Under normal circumstances, this trait wouldn't exist."
"As for the reason, consider it my insurance policy. After all, you've made it this far, and I can't bear to see you disappear like this."
Azrael was speechless.
He finally understood why Immortality was limited to Earth. It turned out to be the price paid by the World Consciousness before him.
But he had to admit, since his promotion to Diamond rank, if it weren't for Shiraori's Immortality, he would have died countless times.
After a moment's silence, Azrael asked, "So the ease with which I create cards is related to me, correct?"
The World Consciousness nodded. "Indeed."
"You, like me, are a World Consciousness."
"Azrael."
"We're of the same kind."
"That's why you're here."
Upon hearing such explosive news, Azrael opened his mouth, unsure what to say.
Although he'd already had a vague suspicion, he still found it difficult to contain himself in the face of such shocking confirmation.
The World Consciousness silently observed the young man, waiting for him to digest the information.
After a long moment, seeing that Azrael had regained his composure, the white figure continued. "So those stories were already within you. You simply read into them when you created the cards."
"And the cards you create are so much more powerful than those of ordinary people, naturally, because of this reason."
At this moment, Azrael suddenly realized a blind spot.
He looked at the World Consciousness across from him with suspicion. "Then why do I only remember things related to anime, manga, and fiction?"
He couldn't say that his World Consciousness was also an otaku, could he?
The crux of the matter was that, at this moment, his mind contained only the memories of the individual named "Azrael," and no information about being a world consciousness at all.
In response to Azrael's question, the white figure raised a hand and scratched its face.
Despite lacking facial features, Azrael could still detect a hint of embarrassment in its movements.
The World Consciousness was silent for a moment, coughed lightly, then spoke. "Because you're not complete."
"You know some animals regurgitate their cud, right?"
"Your current state is just like the food they vomit, just scraps."
"...It's just that I was the one who ate you."
After hearing the explanation, Azrael's eyes twitched. After a moment, he said sarcastically, "Can't you come up with a better description?"
"Disgusting."
But to be honest, he didn't particularly care about the World Consciousness's words. After all, its actions were likely driven by survival. Furthermore, he hadn't yet fully grasped the idea that he himself was a world consciousness.
As for how this world consciousness had appeared in this world...
Combined with the appearance of Geralt, the matter was quite simple.
Earth should have disappeared, and it was even likely to have turned into a secret realm.
Although he had no relatives on Earth, it was inevitable that he still felt a little sad.
Thinking of this, Azrael sighed silently, then asked another question. "How did you think of spitting me out?"
Facing Azrael's inquiry, the World Consciousness said with some nostalgia, "To be honest, I've eaten a lot of my kind over the years."
"Most of them are of no value and can only replenish some strength for me."
"But some still retain the spark of resistance."
"Just like you."
At this point, the white figure paused, then continued. "To be honest, when I first saw you, I didn't expect there would be such a hard-core person like you among my kind."
"At first, I was going to eat you like before."
"But finally, I decided to give it a try. After all, the pressure on me has been mounting in recent years, and simply replenishing that little bit of strength is a drop in the bucket."
"It's just that I had already digested most of you back then, so after I vomited you out, only this much was left."
"But now it seems I did the right thing."
The World Consciousness added, as if fearing Azrael would misunderstand, "But in fact, you were already eaten once before I devoured you."
"So your current state isn't entirely my fault."
Azrael was speechless. He hadn't expected to be eaten twice.
Then he thought of Geralt, who now seemed to be in a similar state to himself.
Suddenly, the World Consciousness asked, "So, should I call you Earth now, or Azrael?"
Faced with this question, Azrael fell into a long silence.
After a long pause, he sighed deeply. "Call me Azrael."
The past could not be reversed. Not only did the young man no longer remember his past as a World Consciousness, but more importantly, he had already formed his own bonds on Earth.
He was now simply an individual named "Azrael," nothing more.
The World Consciousness didn't seem surprised by his choice, rather, it was expected.
Shaking his head, Azrael was about to pass over the topic. "By the way, were you responsible for the materials I obtained in the secret realms?"
This was something the young man had always been very curious about. If all the materials he obtained were coincidental, then his luck was too good.
As expected, the World Consciousness nodded slightly to confirm his guess, but then shook its head. "Some are, some are not."
"After all, I don't have time to keep staring at you."
"And part of the reason for this meeting is to teach you this method of replacing materials. After all, you won't have to go through me to make cards after you reach the Master level."
Hearing this, Azrael's heart began to beat uncontrollably. He hadn't expected such a good thing to happen, but then he caught another key piece of information. "What do you mean by making cards doesn't have to go through you?"
Faced with his continuous inquiries, the World Consciousness did not seem impatient, but patiently explained. "After you're promoted to the Master level, you'll have your own card creation space, and you'll also be able to perform simple conversions on some materials."
"After all, we're the same kind. What I can do, you can naturally do. It's just because you're a remnant, so you can barely do these things after being promoted to the Master level."
"This is why I chose to meet with you at the Master level."
"Of course, if you continue to advance, one day you'll be like me."
Upon hearing this, Azrael's immediate reaction was that Jin's lifelong pursuit had been achieved so easily.
Perhaps this was the difference between people, some pursued something their entire lives, while others were born with it.
As if sensing his inner thoughts, the World Consciousness said in a strange tone, "Those rebellious children, I simply blocked their access to the card creation space."
"I can't interfere with anything else."
"And normal Lore Cardians, after reaching the Sovereign level, must find a way to break away from me and create independently. This is the key to their next step."
But honestly, the World Consciousness didn't know how to allow a normal Lore Cardian to break away from it and create independently. Otherwise, Earth wouldn't have fallen to its current state.
It was then that Azrael finally understood why Edley's attitude had been so strange.
While this Sovereign-level Lore Cardian from the Indo-American Federation undoubtedly had similar motives to the Skinner, he still had some conscience, which was why he'd allowed Azrael to expel the Four Evil Gods.
Shaking its head slightly, the World Consciousness brought the conversation back on track. "Let's get down to business. Accept the document."
"?"
[The World Consciousness has initiated a face-to-face quick transmission.]
Azrael's mind inexplicably echoed with this thought. He paused, confused, and then, nothing happened.
"Alright, you'll know how to do it when you return to your card creation space." The World Consciousness shrugged. "Anything else?"
Hearing this, Azrael reflected carefully, then nodded. In a serious tone, he asked, "Can you tell me the name of the mastermind?"
The World Consciousness, of course, had no objection. It simply warned, "It's okay to tell you, but don't spread rumors after you leave."
"[World-Devouring Disaster Star]."
"His name."
Azrael silently memorized the name and said to the white figure in front of him, "No problem. Send me out."
"Okay."
As the World Consciousness finished speaking, Azrael's figure flickered and vanished.
Seeing that it was alone, the white figure slowly stood up.
With its movement, the pure white space rapidly collapsed, transforming into a starry sky in mere seconds.
Gazing at the blue planet beneath its feet, the World Consciousness murmured, "Grow quickly."
"I can't hold on much longer."
Elsewhere, Azrael's vision blurred. He realized he'd left the pure white space and arrived in a place identical to the mysterious space he'd previously created.
However, unlike the dead silence of that mysterious space, this one made the young man feel a warmth like home.
More importantly, he felt as if he could manipulate this space at will.
With a subtle shift in his mind, the pitch-black void around him began to ripple.
The next moment, a vast manor materialized out of thin air.
It was Azrael's residence in Pixar.
Seeing this, the young man raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
But the manor was still a bit empty for one person, so in the end, Azrael simply transformed the space into his study in Pixar.
As soon as he sat down, he noticed a strange interface floating above his desk.
[Card-Creating World Consciousness Quick Training System v0.1].
"What is this?"
Azrael couldn't help but twitch his lips. Judging from the name, this should be something given to him by the World Consciousness.
Curious, he stretched out his right hand and lightly touched the interface.