Chapter 166: Black Swan: Enough, enough! Seriously, no more "Fables"!
Herta Space Station.
Ruan Mei, Screwllum, and Herta temporarily set aside their tasks to watch this video.
When they saw the segment introducing Nous, they naturally heard the Morse code embedded in the background music.
Ruan Mei tilted her head slightly to listen.
She quickly calculated that the Morse code translated to the decimal number 42.
Herta said in surprise, " 42?"
"Why that number again? What's so special about it?"
Ruan Mei explained, "In a certain world… it is considered the answer to [ Life, the Universe, and Everything ]."
Herta tilted her head: "You believe in that nonsense too?"
Ruan Mei remained non-committal and said, "But it's worth noting that 42 is also 101010 in binary. In the Xianzhou's sixty-four hexagrams, it represents [ 64 ]. This hexagram signifies that [ matters are not yet concluded and must continue to develop ]."
"If placed within Nous, this universe-level supercomputer, [ 64 ] represents that the myriad things and infinite truths of the universe are endless and cannot be fully calculated."
Herta: "Oh, so it means—the answer to the question is an infinite solution, which is equivalent to everything being meaningless."
"Looking at it this way, this question itself is actually a form of [ Nihility ]."
...
[ IX ]
[ The Nihility ]
[ All progress forward the void, all resist the void, all will become a void… ]
The first volume of the "Fables About the Starry Sky" continued.
At this moment, it was being watched by numerous players across the universe.
After Yaoshi.
It was IX's turn.
The art style shifted abruptly!
A planet was moving relatively within a purple band of light, while surrounding asteroids appeared to be in a constant state of falling.
And this.
Was just a corner of the movement surrounding a certain celestial body.
[ Blindfold your eyes, they say, that the approaching darkness may strike no fear in you. Let it not burden your soul nor numb you stride. ]
That celestial body resembled a mass of irregular slime, yet the substance composing its body was a part of the entire universe.
A pair of mournful "eyes" opened from the celestial body.
This was IX.
The real-time bullet comments did not decrease because of IX; instead, they surged instantly.
…
"The Slacker Aeon is here!"
"Just slack off, because everything is meaningless."
"As a believer of Nihility, I'll slack off first as a sign of respect."
"There really is a pair of eyes! It looks so aggrieved."
"Uh oh, why do I find it a bit cute?"
"It looks like a stellar-level jelly…"
…
Next.
The music suddenly became grand and soaring.
When players saw this name, they immediately felt a sense of solemn respect!
[ Qlipoth ]
[ The Preservation ]
[ The philosopher gazes at the sea of stars, seeking the ultimate goal of civilization—to build a wall. A majestic echo resounds in the mind: Build a wall. ]
The towering figure appearing in the frame had appeared in the plot before.
During the great battle between the Trailblazer and Cocolia, He had cast a glance.
He had even struck down a hammer.
Welcoming a new Amber Era!
[ Push open the majestic gates, they say, and lift up the tablets of lapis. Read them aloud- let the fire that forged the bricks and the ones that laid the wall's foundation be known! ]
In the lobby of the [ Reverie ] Hotel.
Everyone sitting on the sofas in the lounge area stood up!
Whether they were employees of the IPC or high-level managers.
At this moment, their eyes burned with fervor.
Some were so excited they directly shouted the IPC's slogan!
"The Amber Lord!"
"All for the Amber Lord!"
"Praise the Amber Lord!"
"Preservation… my God!!"
"Who exactly is the person speaking in the background? They've already given fables for six Aeons in a row!"
"Could the voice in the background also be an Aeon?"
In the back.
At the divination stall.
Black Swan's expression began to turn grave.
This first volume of "Fables About the Starry Sky" involved the secrets of many Aeons…
And Feathered Spirit had specifically chosen her to introduce it.
She had clearly only spoken fables related to the [ Stars ]!
But paired with these images.
The feeling was instantly different!
It was as if she already possessed the secrets of all the Aeons!
Black Swan even had an impulse—
To quickly pack up her stall and leave before she was noticed.
But the video wasn't over yet!
The next Aeon to arrive was…
[ Xipe ]
[ The Harmony ]
[ Behold, a perfect home, with no sorrow for spring or autumn, no rebellion against the path. No need for anxious waiting, no point in remembering bitterness or sweetness. How enviable. ]
[ Then, they say, O you who have reached the end, enter into the paradise that envelops all! Join this grand choir and feast, listen to the beating of billions upon billions of hearts, holding you in their embrace— ]
While these fables were spoken.
Another voice overlapped in the background.
Xipe's image appeared within the universe.
Her body seemed like the deep background of the cosmos.
While her skin displayed fragments of a jigsaw puzzle.
Atop her head was a massive and magnificent ring of stars.
She possessed a triple face.
Currently, the front-facing side was a peaceful and beautiful face with closed eyes.
This time.
The IPC people sat down.
But the hotel staff, the family attendants… everyone stood up!
"Wow, wow, wow!!"
"It's here… it's here!"
"The Mother Goddess of the Triple Face!"
"Praise the anthem of the Thousand-Faced God!"
"We shall share all suffering and happiness!"
"I joined the Family voluntarily!"
"This is the beauty of Harmony! To catch a glimpse of the Thousand-Faced God's visage, I have no more regrets in this life!"
Black Swan looked toward the hotel lobby.
Originally, those who could come here were all people of status.
Everyone was polite, maintaining a modest level of quiet and harmony.
But at this moment.
It was like the scene of a missionary convention.
The worship and fanaticism on the faces of the IPC people hadn't even faded yet.
The people of the Family were all worked up too!
There was no longer a distinction between guest and host; everyone seemed to have transformed into incredibly devout believers.
Savoring the image of the Mother Goddess they believed in as she appeared in the video.
Black Swan felt her situation was becoming even more dangerous…
That's about enough…
It's fine.
Really, that's enough.
There have already been seven Aeons!
She was a bit worried.
If this continued, would it really draw the gaze of one, or several, of the Aeons!?
At that moment.
The images in the video.
Suddenly seemed to burst like fireworks.
Amidst streamers and lights.
Laughing masks appeared one after another.
It was the Aeon of [ Elation ]… [ Aha ].
In the livestream room.
The bullet comments exploded instantly!
…
"The Troll God!"
"Praise my Lord Aha!"
"Aha really has no face."
"Join the Church of Elation, thanks meow!"
"Blessed be my Aeon of Elation, praise the Joyous Celestial Lord!"
"Trolls, rejoice!"
…
After Aha.
Two words appeared on the screen.
[ The Voracity ]
Two Aeons corresponded to the parable: [ Look upon the courtesans' extravagance(Hedonism), the mariners' intemperance(Gluttony). ]
In this segment.
Basically, every sentence had unique annotations.
But even with annotations, the imagery these words pointed to was not something that could be sorted out in a short time.
[ Listen to the infant (End of All things) in the mirror, the waves (flapping wings) as they enter the dream (Consciousness), the tipping of the ballance (Samsara), the shapeless crown prince (Against the Current). ]
After [ The Voracity ].
In sequence came [ The Beauty ], [ The Finality ], [ The Propagation ], [ The Enigmata ], [ The Equilibrium ], and [ The Finality ].
The reason [ The Finality ] appeared twice.
Was because this segment of footage became more chaotic and rapid compared to before.
There were only names and some corresponding visual scenes.
The name of [ The Finality ] appeared between different transitions.
This point.
Was captured by Black Swan.
Enough!
Really, it's already enough!
Is this meant to make her inventory every single deity in the universe?
[ …Finally, measure the world against yourself, ]
The moment this fable sounded.
Yet another Aeon's figure appeared in the frame!
Like a statue carved from crystal, the features were blurred, wearing a crown with hanging bead curtains.
This time,
There were no explanations or text.
But Black Swan realized in an instant.
This was… the deity of the Path she herself walked!
The Aeon of [ Remembrance ]—[ Fuli ]!
[ And take all such things to heart. ]
[ This is the path you should walk, they say. ]
As the voice fell.
The Astral Express sailed past Fuli!
[ Akivili (Trailblazer), depart (connect the worlds) once more, Akivili (Trailblazer)! ]
The train traversed the universe.
And beside it.
Streaks of golden light followed closely!
And in this fable.
The most information-heavy part was undoubtedly the small characters annotated above the words!
Players watching this obviously noticed this point as well!
…
"Holy cow! This information density is huge!"
"There's some kind of inevitable connection between the Trailblazer and Akivili!?"
"Could it be that the female Trailblazer is actually Akivili's reincarnation?"
"This is too explosive!"
"Who is the person talking? Can you speak clearly!"
…
Black Swan's heart was in an uproar!
That was stuff annotated by Feathered Spirit, it has nothing to do with me!
How would I know what connection the Trailblazer has with Akivili…
I haven't even met the Trailblazer in person.
Even a true Aeon might not be able to assert whether Akivili is still alive, or has been reincarnated as the Trailblazer or something similar, right?
However.
The video did not end there.
The scene shifted.
It arrived at a scene resembling a divination room.
[ Countless shooting stars streak the night sky, should you choose the right one… ]
And the person flipping through a book on the table.
Was Black Swan herself!
Through various details at the beginning of the video, Black Swan already knew the person speaking was herself.
But she didn't expect.
That at the end of the video, her own image would be directly revealed!
Directly laying it all out!
This scene was as if it were saying…
"Yes! Those fables and secrets about the Aeons were all spoken by me!"
"If there's anything else you want to know, you can come find me."
Black Swan didn't feel the slightest bit of excitement or honor in appearing in Feathered Spirit's video.
Instead, a bad premonition instantly surged.
This… is a complete public execution!