It was my first ti using the Forgers' technique; claiming not to be nervous would be a lie. Luckily, I had simulated it many tis before, and I was confident in my Hand of Confinent, so I wasn't panicked, nor was I afraid of losing control.
After my return to Current Circumstances, the first thing I did was contact the Existence Institute and upload all the techniques left behind by the Forgers. I didn't treat it as so precious treasure or property. Whether as a mber of the Astronomical Society or as a part of Current Circumstances, while enjoying so many conveniences, one still has so obligations to bear. The main reason for doing this was obviously to entrust this technology, which was too profound and obscure for , to trustworthy individuals for appraisal. After all, it was the technology that had once resulted in disasters like the Eternal Frozen Heart and the Eternal Life Machine, so there could still be a risk of solidification. Otherwise, if any mishap occurred, it wouldn't matter if I died, but I estimated that if the negative Source Substance and all the ssy stuff inside erupted, it could even contaminate the Ivory Tower, implicating innocent students as well. It's always best to avoid unnecessary calamities. Caution is necessary.
Although Tong Ji or the Great Grandmaster could also be asked to deal with this, the task was indeed a huge and arduous undertaking requiring ticulous effort. Just verifying all possibilities of the Casting Furnace could take an unknown amount of ti. It was too much of a hassle, and I really didn't want to ask. By contrast, with so many human and material resources available at the Existence Institute, and without any cost, isn't it easier than troubling my own people?
In response to the techniques I submitted, the Existence Institute sent specialists for on-site data collection, and the review departnt even organized a dedicated team and group. After a week of research, deduction, and observation, they finally gave a guarantee: "Use it with confidence, no major problems." They even casually compiled a thick beginner's handbook for , detailing all the points of attention for newbies and the phenona to be wary of, paving the way from kindergarten all the way to the end of compulsory education.
In short, this thing is a good item. They told , "You can keep it for yourself; there's no need to submit it to us or to restore it. If there is any problem, there's only one: it can't be copied."
All the skills of the Forgers require a forge as the foundation, just as all Sublimators must possess a soul. But now, looking through the entire realm, only two forges are left. One belongs to the Sun Caster, the other to . The Sun Caster's is unobtainable, and mine can't be dismantled. That makes it difficult.
Moreover, the Existence Institute reasoned there was no need to copy it. With their technology, a re imitation would suffice; they could even make the Eternal Frozen Heart. But what was the point? Purely in terms of cost-effectiveness and the difficulty of promotion, restoring the power of the Forgers isn't worthwhile. Scholars and Alchemists can achieve what the Forgers could do. If worse cos to worst, there are always the Sublimators. Most importantly, not everyone has a Soul Ability like the Hand of Confinent that synergizes with the Casting Furnace in a 1 1>2 manner, nor does everyone have the Alchemy Fire.
Therefore, apart from serving as an essential technical record for backup and so Domain references, there was no significant push for widespread adoption and replication. The Stone Pot Society, however, was very interested and bought two copies to study, finally giving a chance to make so profit. All the precious materials needed for this Mystic Ritual had been purchased with money from the Stone Pot Society, and the rest... had gone to a place where I could never find them again.
I didn't expect that heartless woman to act so quickly. The thought alone sent a pang of pain through my heart. The cunning is always one step ahead of the skillful... In any case, just like that, by scavenging the beginner's handbook from the Existence Institute, the materials and Mystic Ritual from the Stone Pot Society, and even the designs from the Great Grandmaster... scrounging around, I finally put together a complete set. The forging begins now.
The light of the furnace blazed up from the gaps in my right arm, spreading and proliferating. With it ca a rolling darkness that enveloped everything. For materials ford of pure negative Source Substance, the most suitable auxiliary tool was the miracle fused with my soul—the Buried Sacred Place.
Start the furnace. Source Infusion, and then ignite the Alchemy Fire! And then... dissociation begins!
My fingers slightly contracted, removing the Lock Chain that the Sun Caster had sealed onto it.
From that mont, a torrent of wild despair began its collapse from the substance's form, cracking inch by inch, expanding rapidly, creating an explosive wave that devoured everything! The attempts to confine it ended in wailing; even artificial depth couldn't restore such trendous despair to its original form. On the contrary, the pale flas from the Heavenly Kingdom served to exacerbate the ferocity of despair, causing that silent blackness to begin boiling. Once the chain reaction was induced, this uncontrollable power took to the predetermined track like a roller coaster, rushing toward the end point for a tamorphosis.
What I had to do was guide this despair, to complete its final transformation, so it wouldn't bring about total destruction at the mont of derailing. Just one last step—
Right then, within the Mystic Ritual, the Banner burning in my left hand reerged and plunged downward, swallowing all this despair into eternal darkness.
The mont of rebirth has arrived!
「 」
The cold light illuminated the steel colors.
In the massive, closed underground facility, there were only layers of heavy defenses, various blockades from the Border Relic, and twenty-four-hour uninterrupted surveillance and observation by Sublimators. Under the cover of countless matrices, in the center of the hall, there was only a vast crevice: a well. An enormous deep well, so large it resembled a lake.
Gazing down from the high Watchtower, one could glimpse the incredible size of that well and also all that lay subrged within its waters. In the silent waters of the well, the contours and reflections of a fragnted city erged. It was as if everything had been drowned beneath the surface, frozen in that subrsion, along with the horrors within, welcoming a peaceful Deep Sleep until the day of awakening arrived. The well water would evaporate completely, and the past sins and deaths would rise from the darkness, enveloping everything in destruction.
"The old campus," Luo Su sighed softly, "no matter how many tis I look at it, I feel Sorrow... The cradle we once took pride in, the cornerstone laid by the idealists, has now fallen into such a state."
"After the fall of the Heavenly Kingdom, it is already quite an achievent that the foundation, the Ivory Tower, still barely exists. Don't talk about coveting more," a delicate and hazy silhouette erged by his side, speaking in a gentle tone. "You're not regretting anything. You just want to go back to the past."
"That's how it is when one gets old," Luo Su said, scratching his head. "I'm nostalgic for everything in my youth, nostalgic for the back then... Don't you feel the sa?"
The answer to his question was a aningful glance. "One should not ask about a lady's age; it's very impolite, Luo Su, don't you think?"
"Ahaha, just curious, rely curious." Luo Su laughed off the terrifying experience he had just narrowly escaped. "Sorry, it's beco a habit to take advantage of my age; I always forget who I am dealing with."
"Given your condition, you could live another three hundred years at least, Luo Su. For a Fifth Stager, you're still in your pri."
"But for ordinary people, it's already the age for retirent," Luo Su leaned on his cane, sighing. "I've been having a dream lately. I dream that I shake off all burdens, run on the beach with young girls, and play with water guns—how joyful! When I wake up and think about it, I can't help but shed tears, feeling as if I've wasted my years."
"Did you get married?"
"Hmm?" Luo Su, not expecting this question, paused for a long mont before shaking his head. "No, couldn't find the right one."
"Do you have any illegitimate children?"
"Ah, I don't think so either."
"Do you have soone you love?"
"Perhaps I once did..." Luo Su thought for a mont, took off his top hat, scratched his pale long hair, and sighed again. "But they're all dead already. Whether those I loved or those who loved , they have all beco the past, or they've sunk into Hell."
"So that's why hatred exists, Luo Su," she said, her voice turning sympathetic. "Toward the Heavenly Kingdom, and also toward yourself."
Luo Su remained silent.
"You don't love youth," the silhouette continued. "What you want isn't to carefreely run on the beach with girls. And what you seek isn't a successor to shoulder your burdens." Those cold eyes scrutinized the man, telling him the answer, "You just want to take all this back."
Luo Su turned to look at those eyes. After a long while, he smiled softly. He said nothing more.
There was only the gradually spreading sound beneath his feet as the well water boiled, sothing rapidly rising. Below the surface, the silent city shook, bursting forth with roars from a nightmare. Pair after pair of eyes opened, then slowly closed again.
In the end, a haggard figure struggled to climb out from within, clutching at the already broken life-support chains, stepping forward one step at a ti. In his embrace, a copper bottle inscribed with the totems of various demons vibrated violently, the thing sealed within struggling fiercely. Despite the Relic's blockade, the restrained force inside collided furiously, wanting to break through the shackles but helpless to do so—this was the carefully prepared prison for it.
In the well, the boiling water gradually cald, and all fell silent. Only at that mont did all those present finally breathe a sigh of relief, rushing forward to comnce urgent rescue efforts.
From atop the platform, Luo Su withdrew his gaze.
"Thanks to your help, madam," the old man said to the phantom by his side. "Supre Terminal, retrieval complete. With the axis of the once 'Utopia Host,' the final problem of the Heavenly Prison Fortress has also been resolved."
"It's just a map and a few keys, no big deal." The figure waved nonchalantly, turning to leave.
Luo Su was taken aback. "Leaving just like that?"
"What else? You can handle the rest on your own, right?" The figure turned back, stating seriously, "What cos next is crucial family ti."
"Hmm?"
"Today is my Fool's first ti performing a casting, just like a school's parent-teacher eting—an important event I can't possibly be late for!"
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