Drops of condensed water from the mist fell on the mossy rocks, rusted alloy plates creaked, and in the shadows the sound of a rope grinding its teeth like a beast's teeth.

With a torch that "never goes out" in his hand, Qiu Ling cautiously walked through the cabin of the wreckage of the USS Twin missile cruisers, inspecting every nook and cranny and area to explore.

A full week had passed since he had stepped into the ruins under the guidance of his ancestors.

Over the course of a week, he searched for almost every broken wreck scattered throughout the forest, but still did not find the legendary "holy relic".

Let's be honest.

If it weren't for his devotion to the First Ancestor, he couldn't help but wonder if the so-called holy relic existed.

For as long as he could remember, he had heard from the elders of his clan that the palace that had fallen from the sky had existed since the beginning of the Age of Awakening.

At that time, the Forbidden Forest was not as dangerous as it is now, and the members of the clan would occasionally go to the "Heavenly Palace" to worship their ancestors, until the wild animals that were active in the surrounding area became more and more dangerous, and they moved the place of worship to the nearby mountains.

It stands to reason that if there was really a holy relic here, the ancestors of the Qiu Kingdom should have discovered it a long time ago, and they would not have waited until now.

"Here, there is no ...... either"

After inspecting the last cabin, Qiu Ling emerged from under the pitch-black alloy slabs, crawled out of the wreckage, and then placed the silver metal disc on his lap, reverently awaiting the instructions of the Ancestor.

However, this time, even the Ancestor, who had been guiding him all along, couldn't help but have a hint of frustration in his voice.

"Where the hell have you been......"

It stands to reason that it can't be.

All the wreckage is here, and there is no shortage of reactors.

Nope-

It's not out of the question.

According to the report submitted by Night Ten, after the Second Judgment Day recorded in the Temple of Doma City, the "Sinners" led by a part of the Twins crew returned to the Forbidden Forest Valley and banished the awakened psionic survivors to the forest outside the Forbidden Forest Valley.

Feeling the frustration on the other end of the communication channel, Qiu Ling hurriedly comforted him.

"Don't be discouraged, there is one last relic left...... Maybe the holy relic you're looking for is there! ”

He was actually very anxious, after all, his people had already fought with the "renegades" in the forest at this time.

Led by a leader named Tunnan, the renegades who had been scattered in the forest were united like never before.

They claim to have received the will of the Ancestors, not only to reclaim the relics for the Ancestors, but also to reclaim the Holy Land that was lost at the beginning of the Awakened Era!

The mighty troops had crossed the stream and formed around the Qiu Ridge where he had patrolled.

The clansmen and siblings of Qiu Ling were there, including reinforcements from other clans.

If it weren't for the search for that holy artifact, he would have taken the "Divine Bow" given to him by the ancestor and rode his wild lizard back to the front line to defend his homeland......

Looking at the young man with confidence written on his face, Jiang Xuezhou was speechless for a while.

Of course, she knew that there was one last "wreckage" left to be explored, but there could be no reactor there.

To ask why, because that is the bridge of the missile cruiser, the source of the signal of the black box......

That's probably the farthest point from the reactor.

She had planned to find a way to get the black box after finding the reactor and the remaining helium-3 stockpile, and solving the worries of going home for fuel.

After all, if you can't go back, even if you recycle the black box, there is no point.

"You're right, it's not time to give up yet." She took a deep breath and pulled herself back together, "The last ruin is for you...... You find a way to get into the ruins first, and in two days a helper will come to your aid. ”

Qiu Ling respectfully received the order and said.

"Yes."

……

The bridge of the missile cruiser Twins was stuck on the side of a mountain, and the entire semi-arc steel structure was completely turned over and leaned against the mountain.

Due to this strange position, the entrance to the entire ruins is completely suspended in mid-air, and it is almost impossible to climb into it without any climbing skills.

It's not easy to get into this ruin, let alone explore it.

The horizontal corridors had all turned into sloping wells.

Coupled with the fact that the Ancestor said that it was the most unlikely area for the existence of holy relics, Qiu Ling did not make this most remote wreck the first target for exploration.

But now it seems that this most unlikely place to gain has become their last hope.

Following the vines hanging from the steep alloy walls, Qiu Ling finally climbed to the entrance to the wreckage of the twin bridges after a thrilling climb.

A flock of meat-eating birds had built a nest in the dark hole, and when they saw an intruder crawling up, they quacked and pounced on it, and tore it with their claws and sharp beaks.

Caught off guard, Qiu Ling almost fell from the hole. Luckily, the light cast by the silver metal disc startled the birds, causing him to roll into the hole, then pulled out his burning fuel rod and swung it away, driving the predators away.

Looking at the flock of birds that quacked and flew away, Qiu Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Those beasts will definitely come back.

He didn't dare to linger at the entrance, took out the rope that the Ancestor had given him and hung it in a sturdy place, then turned over and jumped into the sloped corridor, exploring the inside of the bridge.

The situation here is a mess.

There was so much wreckage blocking the entrance that he had to rope down while trying to clean up the garbage that was blocking the entrance.

However, while he was doing this work, he stumbled upon several suspicious details.

I saw a pile of black charcoal left at the end of the shaft.

Someone has made a fire here!

"There are traces of someone's life here......"

Qiu Ling stretched out his index finger and pinched a cluster of carbon slag, rubbed it with his thumb, and frowned slightly.

"It was left over from a long time ago."

As for how long ago it was, he couldn't tell.

At this moment, the silver metal disc hanging from his chest emitted a light blue beam, scanning the wreckage on the ground for a while, and then sweeping around.

After a moment of waiting, the voice of the Ancestor drifted into his ears.

"Left over from the early Age of Awakening. It should be in the Twin ...... Shortly after the palace crashed into the atmosphere. ”

Qiu Ling's face showed a surprised expression, he didn't expect the Ancestor to have such magical powers.

However, he was only surprised for a moment, and his attention was quickly attracted by the half-open alloy door on the side.

An upside-down wooden stick supports the door panel, creating a convenient opening and closing structure.

He pressed the stick down, then squeezed sideways through the crack in the door and into the room, holding the "never extinguished" torch and looking around, quickly shocked by the layout.

The upside-down room has been converted into a living area, with a table and chairs made of wood, as well as a bed...... It's the same shape as the one in their tribe!

And much more elaborate than they do!

Maybe they learned the objects in their tribe from here!

“…… This is the home of the first ancestors. Qiu Ling muttered to himself, moving the light source in his hand, and soon noticed the alloy wall crawling with withered vines beside him.

He saw rows of typography carved into the rusty alloy wall, but unfortunately he couldn't read what was written on it.

Don't say he can't read it.

Even on the synchronous track, Jiang Xuezhou, who was sitting in front of the terminal, couldn't understand it.

The baptism of time has blurred and distorted the words, and the only scribbles that remain are like ghost drawings...... Maybe it's not a human language at all, but some kind of abstract pattern or an essay that is already meaningless.

"What's written on this?"

Qiu Ling asked in a whisper, but the silver disc hanging on his chest did not answer.

It seems that the ancestors also had something they didn't know.

But at this moment, a soft voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I saw Him."

Startled by this sudden voice, Qiu Ling turned around sharply, only to see a girl about his age standing at the entrance he had passed through earlier.

"Who?"

"Dora."

"How did you get in—" Qiu Ling was just halfway through his words when he suddenly paused and stared at her with squinted eyes, "You're a renegade. ”

Dora stared at him intently, not speaking.

Just as the atmosphere between the two sides gradually stiffened, the silver metal disc hanging on Qiu Ling's chest suddenly floated out with a light cough.

"Don't get excited, I asked her to come."

The stiff atmosphere slackened a little.

Although he didn't completely let his guard down, Qiu Ling did let go of the dagger he had already held.

Dora looked away from him and looked at the wall behind him.

Following the rusty lines to the first line of the poem, she continued in a dreamy voice.

"I wandered through a labyrinth with no exit, unable to find where to go. Until I raised my head and looked up at the sky. ”

"A pair of invisible eyes hid behind the clouds and looked at me for a long time. I finally saw Him, as if staring at the changing clouds, and the clouds stared at me, like staring at a mural that came to life. ”

"We all had surprise on our faces."

Qiu Ling looked at her stunned, with a confused expression on his face.

"What are you talking about?"

Dora said in a quiet voice.

"It's a message from the Ancestor, and I can read the symbol he left behind."

"These characters should be a poem together...... The psalmist may want to say that He is the clouds in the sky and we are the frescoes on the walls. ”

Qiu Ling swallowed slowly, only to feel a faint numbness in his scalp.

He had heard from the elders of the clan that the renegades of the forest were followers of the "Tree of Insov". And with the help of that tree, they can do things like ghosts.

But that's all they can do.

No matter how rich the spiritual world is, it cannot make up for the shortcomings of these apostates in the material realm.

Even if these guys could talk to the tree, they wouldn't be able to stop Qiu Guo's flames and swords.

Relying on the methods left by the ancestors, the national strength of the Qiu State is thriving!

Sooner or later, they will be able to return to the old era of infinite prosperity before the Age of the Savages!

And at that time, I'm afraid that these renegades are still alive in the trees!

But......

He'll have to admit that this guy has two hits.

Even if you know the "beast language", it is not easy to climb here.

Just as Qiu Ling was thinking this, Duo stretched out his index finger and groped for a while on the wall when he walked to the mural, and soon found the next chapter of the poem.

"We were all amazed that we wouldn't have met, but we met by accident."

"He smiled and told me that the exit was not far ahead, but it was in vain to cross it, for there was a new labyrinth ahead, stretching to the end of the world, and I had little time left."

"I asked Him how he could float in the sky like Him, and I begged Him to give me more time, but He laughed and left."

"This encounter has taken up the time of my life, and He and I both know that we will not see each other again."

Reading the poem to the end, Dora, who was standing in front of the mural, paused for a moment, her face showing a hint of bewilderment.

"Poet, Qiu Shi also ...... The fifth tribe? ”

"What do you mean?" Qiu Ling asked hurriedly.

Dora shook her head.

"I don't know...... Maybe the name of the first ancestor? ”

As she spoke, she looked at the silver disc in her hand.

However, the silver disc made no sound, as if shocked by the story she had translated.

Most of the ancestors were relatively sluggish, always talking and then losing their voices, but she had already learned about this, so she waited patiently.

But on the other hand, the teenager standing across from her couldn't wait.

It was only then that he noticed that she was carrying something similar to his own—the glowing treasure bestowed by the Ancestors.

But these are not the point, Qiu Ling is more concerned about the meaning of this information.

Especially when he heard the ancestor's last name, he couldn't ignore it.

"I mean the poem! What the hell is he trying to express, is the exit of the labyrinth at the end of the world? So we have to look out of the valley? ”

A look of sadness appeared between Dora's eyebrows.

"I don't know...... I think maybe the whole poem itself is what the ancestors wanted to say. He wanted to say that he was the man in the painting, that he was the clouds in the sky. He has an uncertain future, but he can't see the road ahead. He could see everything, but he could do nothing but float in the sky and watch. ”

After a pause, she added.

"You're too attached to the only outcome, and not everything has a single explanation."

Qiu Ling looked at her stunned, still with an incomprehensible expression on his face.

In his cognition, everything has an accurate set of laws, and there are also inscrutable rules for things that cannot be fathomed.

And as they delve into it, the "incomprehensible" part will become clearer sooner or later.

However, the guy told him that there was no single explanation.

Perhaps this is the reason why they cannot reconcile with the renegades, who disagree from the very root of their understanding of the world.

"Maybe, but I probably understand why we still can't understand each other after so many spring and autumn periods......"

Qiu Ling sighed softly, and the expression on his face suddenly brought a touch of relief.

Looking at the wall full of unintelligible murals, he was silent for a moment before speaking.

“…… But at least, we finally understand the revelation left by the first parents. ”

After a pause, he withdrew his gaze from the mural and looked at the girl named Dora.

"I will take my people to the ends of the world, to explore more distant worlds...... The Holy Land is no use to us, and I will give it back to you. ”

It was something that suddenly remembered him.

A long, long time ago, when the Forbidden Forest was not as dangerous as it is now, the various clans of the Qiu Kingdom would go to this ruin every year on the Second Judgment Day to worship their ancestors.

And the Senate was formed in the process of worshipping ancestors.

Since then, an unwritten rumor has been circulating in Qiu Guo.

Their ancestor, the ancestor surnamed Qiu, left a fable that belonged to them in the ruins.

Whoever can understand that parable will become the leader of the Qiu Kingdom! Become the "king" of the hundred tribes!

Now he is here under the guidance of his ancestors, and the Senate has witnessed the miracles of the silver metal disc in his hand.

When he goes out from here with the message on the mural, he will be the undisputed king of the Qiu Kingdom!

"But where is the end of the world?"

Dora looked at Qiu Ling, with a hint of unbearability in her crescent-like eyebrows.

"Since the first ancestors came from heaven, even if you measure the earth with your feet, there is a world beyond the earth...... It was a place that could not be reached by feet alone. ”

Spending her life doing something meaningless seemed pitiful to her.

In fact, they still have a choice, which is to accept each other and become a family again.

However, this was just her idea.

What seemed meaningless to her might not have been to others.

And he also recognized the reality.

They are destined to be different.

"Then go to the end of my life, where I can." Qiu Ling smiled faintly and continued without thinking, "As for the world beyond the earth, my children and grandchildren will see it for me. ”

That was his fate.

It is also the fate of all "Qiu people".

They were born to go further afield, to find the end of the world!

Just like their ancestors.

The world he didn't have a chance to see, he and his descendants would see for him!

Dora looked at the young man in front of her in a daze, and finally didn't say anything more.

As she herself said, there is no single understanding of everything.

Everything has its own rules, but whether it has "meaning" or not is determined by people.

What he comprehends is his "meaning", and that is the "self" that "Qiu Ren" has been unable to find.

Suddenly, she couldn't see his future.

I don't know when the bond between them has quietly disappeared.

Qiu Ling looked solemnly at the girl in front of him and bowed slightly.

It was the highest ritual in the forests and valleys except for prostration.

"Thank you for telling me the names of my ancestors, and the words on the tombstones...... We won't see you again. ”

With that, he took off the silver metal disc that hung around his neck and gently placed it on the table beside him.

He had fulfilled his promise and had found the last ruin in the forest.

If not, it only means that the holy relic was not here in the first place.

For now, he must save his people and take them out of this valley!

Dora watched his back until he disappeared behind the half-hidden door.

Her instincts told her that maybe things weren't so absolute, and that their children and grandchildren would meet again.

However, that will be thousands of years from now......

……

Synchronous orbit, the bridge of the Orion missile cruiser, Jiang Xuezhou, who was sitting in front of the terminal, took a deep breath and was speechless for a long time.

"The Fifth Tribe......"

What is the fifth tribe......

That's clearly talking about the "five parts"!

As for that Qiu Shiye, it is estimated that he is the same as Wu Xinghuan of the Orion, and he is a physicist of the Fifth Division.

It's just that the former's action is obviously much stronger, not only did he burn the first "holy tree" with a group of primitives who did not awaken the spiritual ability, but also almost killed the spiritual awakeners who supported the other group of crew.

This guy is an absolute lunatic!

The Twins were smashed down by him, in order to destroy the "sacred tree"!

Of course, he may not have really thought of killing those psionic awakened people, after all, there are still many "renegades" who have escaped into the forest and developed into the forest tribe today.

If he really rushes to kill them all, he doesn't need to give special orders, just open one eye and close one eye is enough.

With the cruelty and barbarism of primitive people, it is impossible to leave any living mouth.

Even in the early days of slavery, slaves were not used as laborers, but as human animals and living sacrifices.

As for the so-called "Second Judgment Day" of the locals, "You are from heaven...... A series of fables from the Tree of Insof are probably "spoilers" for him to those who can hear his whispers.

Of course, due to the limitations of vision, this is the only thing that primitive people can understand.

Jiang Xuezhou still remembered that it was mentioned in the report of Night Ten that the crew of the Twin had clearly explained him with dimensional theory.

However, because those primitive people could not understand the concept of dimension, they actively abandoned those overly advanced theories, and instead used primitive worship and more abstract "higher beings" to understand the tree of Insof.

This can already be used as a typical case of failed enlightenment.

"The clouds in the sky, the paintings on the walls...... It's too abstract, is he trying to express that he is a high-dimensional being? Or is it just to show that he is an outsider......"

Thinking of an old man huddled in the ruins, holding a green crystal and writing poems on the steel plate, Jiang Xuezhou suddenly felt a little sympathetic to that guy.

He probably went crazy at the last moment of his life, and even forgot his identity as a physicist.

Of course, it is possible that this information was not intended for the "earthlings", but for the locals who visited the ruins later - and even the descendants of the psychic awakeners who had been driven into the forest by him.

The fact that this poem is not written in the language of people at all is the most direct evidence.

Maybe it's out of repentance after waking up, maybe it's out of helplessness and compromise with reality, in short, there is nothing wrong with his choice, after all, from his point of view, the situation on the other side of the earth may not be more optimistic than Gaia's.

Jiang Xuezhou tried to deduce from his point of view.

The 17 crew members who left the Twins were clearly opposed to the "Endgame" plan.

From their point of view, the "End War" plan has probably succeeded, and the crew of the Twins who "predicted the Orion prediction in advance" have uploaded the virus to the Orion's shipboard server, reshuffling the Earth's ecosystem.

No one could have imagined that an unknown power engineer would pull down the power switch at the last minute, leaving the "Endgame" project on hold for 215 years.

If this is the case, from the standpoint of Dr. Qiu Shiye, the little green people on the planet Gaia are the only bloodline left by human beings in this universe.

He can only use more understandable pictograms, before his life is about to come to an end, and leave the information that he has exhausted his life to future archaeologists.

After reviewing this buried history, Jiang Xuezhou's mood was also complicated.

She succeeded in recovering Dr. Qiu's research results, but the most critical reactor was gone.

“…… Did you move that thing away, that's weird. ”

Staring at the picture on the holographic screen, Jiang Xuezhou muttered softly.

The young man named Qiu Ling had already left, and she didn't say anything to stay.

Because there's no longer any need for that.

Since he was determined to leave with his people, this prehistoric war of primitives would surely end soon.

The foresters will return to their sacred land to declare victory, the valley people will embark on their migration with the fables of the ancestors, and the future is bright for the vast planet.

Next, Tunnan will probably personally make amends to Yashi, and then rummage through the forest to find the lost reactor and the helium-three reserves on the reactor for them.

If they don't find it until the end, they can only plan to spend the rest of their lives on this strange planet.

Primitive people cannot be expected to refine helium-3 for them.

"Honorable Ancestor...... What do we do now? Standing in front of the silver metal disc, Dora's face was full of confusion and hesitation.

She was vaguely aware that she seemed to have succeeded in helping her tribe avoid a bloody end, and even took back their holy land without bloodshed.

However, there are still too many things she doesn't understand.

Including that poem.

Including the frescoes and clouds described in that poem.

Jiang Xuezhou, who was sitting in front of the terminal, took a sip of the coffee cup, but didn't say anything to her.

Sometimes being too smart isn't a good thing.

Like the young man named Qiu Ling is very good, he is just right, and what he understands from the mural is just right.

That's for the best.

"Don't think too much, primitive people do their part. If I have to give you a word of advice, you'd better spend some time studying the stars, figuring out the calendar, and then figuring out your own language and words. ”

"Even if you make up your mind to get rid of words and languages in the future, I think it's better to invent them first. Otherwise, before you find a way to steadily awaken your spiritual energy, you will have to be eliminated by competitors on the same planet. ”

Isn't it too much to say?

This was supposed to be something that they themselves summed up from the twists and turns of history.

But it doesn't seem to make much sense to talk about it now.

Jiang Xuezhou coughed lightly, interrupting Dora's thoughts.

“…… Don't talk about those things, but give me a word for your leaders. He said that the arrow of judgment had been put on the bowstring, and if he did not want to see the sacred tree of the city of Dom reduced to ashes in the flames, he would stand still for seven days and let the 'sinners' go...... This was the punishment for his megalomania, which imprisoned the Ancestor. ”

There's no way she's really unleashing a neutron torpedo on a group of innocent civilians, but there's nothing wrong with strategic intimidation.

The people in the valley are going to withdraw anyway, and there is no need to take risks by weighing the pros and cons of Tunnan.

Dora took note of the advice and hurriedly continued.

"Yes...... Take me to heaven? ”

She knew it was a presumptuous request, but she couldn't resist it.

The future king of the Qiu people realized the mission belonging to the Qiu people from that poem, and she also realized her own things.

They want to go to the end of the world, they want to conquer the labyrinth under their feet, they want to find the exit of the labyrinth.

And the children of the Tree of Insov will go to the heavens and become the clouds that float above the labyrinth.

Hearing the pleading voice, Jiang Xuezhou yawned.

She could guess what Dora was thinking.

This little girl probably made a metaphysical mistake and mistook the ancestor from heaven for the clouds in the poem.

Actually, not at all.

They were also people in the labyrinth, but they had traveled so far that it seemed to her, as a primitive person, that it was like standing on a cloud.

There is no "Tree of Insof" on the earth, and it is not clear whether there will be one in the future, but at least in the foreseeable future that Jiang Xuezhou can foresee, the wastelanders who have inherited the Human Federation will most likely pour more energy into the labyrinth of matter.

However, if she had that will, it might be a good choice to bring her back to Earth.

At the very least, it will help a reborn human civilization to understand other dimensions beyond itself, as well as new laws that were previously unknown.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xuezhou's heart moved slightly, and a wicked smile appeared on his face.

Anyway, it's a good thing to decide, so it's better to take this opportunity to test someone.

"Ahem, it's not that easy to go to heaven...... But for your sake's sake, I will show you the way with great mercy. ”

"The Ancestor who was imprisoned by your chief is actually a terrible figure, and he can decide who to take out of the mortal world."

"If you really want to go to heaven, go and ask him!"

(End of chapter)