Welcome to Rewind World Game

Chapter 1691 - 34: I Challenge You, Virdodo

Yuanyuan paused for a moment, then took a step forward.One step, two steps... She walked through the gently falling paper ash, bypassing the faint light patterns emerging on the ground, approaching the high seat shrouded in shadow.

The distance shortened, and the silhouette of the "cat ear" became gradually clearer in the dim light.

Occasionally, the firelight flickered by, casting a warm hue on the creature.

Five steps, four steps, three steps...

She gradually made out the outline of the high seat; the metal structure’s lines were cold and hard, heavily cloaked in shadow.

She stood before the high seat, just a step away.

From this angle, she could only see the "cat ear" protruding above the chair back. Deep within the seat remained a blend of impenetrable darkness, with no physical form, not even a hint of life’s presence.

An absurd speculation surfaced in her mind.

Yuanyuan stepped one step closer, almost touching the edge of the high seat. She hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and reached towards the shadow.

Her fingertips first touched the cold, hard metallic chair back. She moved along the backrest upward towards the location of the "cat ear."

She touched it.

—Nothing.

The chair was completely empty, no cloak, no trace of clothing, not a shadow of a person.

Only a crystal-clear artifact sat on the chair. About a foot high, its design was simple yet elegant, standing like a small lighthouse.

"No one?" Starfire expressed in surprise.

Only a crystal lighthouse was placed on the chair; the so-called "cat ear" was just a shadow.

From beginning to end, only this crystal lighthouse.

"Its" words, "Its" gaze, "Its" silence... perhaps were just preset response mechanisms, triggered by this crystal lighthouse.

Yuanyuan stared blankly at this lighthouse lying quietly on the throne, not knowing how to react for a moment.

She looked up, gazing at the invisible sky, as if seeing an ancient ship, slowly sailing through the endless universe, until the end of time.

...

...

Seat of Greece.

Luowasha, the supreme philosophical debate ground.

On the open-air amphitheater, the white marble steps rose layer by layer in a fan shape. This is the Holy Temple of the collision of wisdom in Luowasha Civilization, the debating ground left by the God of Inspiration Virdodo, where the most outstanding philosophers, mathematicians, and naturalists of all ages debated fiercely. For days and nights without stopping, debates even to the point of exhaustion often occurred.

At this moment, the circular steps were filled with figures. There were white-haired human elders; some were Wood Spirit Scholars with skin like tree bark; some were Star Realm Scholars with forms condensed by light and shadow; some were silent Giant Stone Sages... They were the pinnacle of thought in various eras and races of Luowasha, the core elders of the "Alliance of Truth."

Standing at the center of the debate ground, however, was a player.

Her long brown curls were neatly tied into a ponytail, exposing a broad and bright forehead. Her azure eyes were clear as a lake, she was a mature, intelligent, and graceful lady.

She had come alone, claiming to "question the reason of Luowasha with Otherworld’s wisdom." For many elders who had been studying behind closed doors for hundreds of years, this was nothing less than a challenge from an Otherworld visitor. Scholarly giants from ancient and modern times took turns engaging her in debate.

The debate had reached its conclusion by now.

"...Therefore, certain taboos still carry the inevitability that transcends civilizations. Good and evil are not divine ordinations; they are guidelines evolved from the practice of wise beings striving to survive in the universe..."

As an Otherworld visitor, having absorbed the knowledge and philosophy of ten whole civilizations, Isabella’s brain was like a library, debating the entire field by herself.

Whether in physics, biochemistry, computing, or philosophy, she was never at a disadvantage.

Her slender figure stood among all races, appearing resilient and stable, like a reef.

"Clang—"

As the bell rang, the eldest Sage stood up and walked to a laurel tree at the edge of the field.

—This was the symbol of the "Golden Laurel Crown," only those acknowledged for making milestone contributions to civilizational wisdom could be bestowed with it. Over the millennia, few had been crowned.

Isabella stopped the debate, exhaled deeply, her entire body trembling with exhaustion. Besides making a brief communication array in the middle, she had been wracking her brains debating here for dozens of hours, her whole being in a state of high stress. Thankfully, the debate was over.

Countless gazes fell upon her, filled with admiration, suspicion, awe, envy, and discontent... According to the rules, by debating the entire hall alone without losing ground, she had won.

The eldest Sage trembled as he broke off a segment of the fullest golden laurel branch and, with a deep bow, presented the laurel to the lady.

She had brought so much knowledge from the Otherworld, leaving them astounded. When the debate ended, everyone knew who the final winner was.

"In the name of the Seat of Greece and the philosophers of past generations," the old man’s voice was ancient yet clear, "traveler from the Otherworld, Isabella. Your wisdom pierces through the curtain of ignorance like starlight. This ’Golden Laurel Crown’ belongs to you. The hall of wisdom in Luowasha will remember this day."

However, not everyone was convinced, several conservative Sages looked displeased, whispering among themselves:

"Debates that have had no resolution for hundreds of years, she relies on Otherworld sayings to take advantage, how can that be considered a win?"

"A downgrade dimension attack! If we too could travel across all worlds, absorbing countless knowledge, we might not necessarily be inferior to her!"

"Though that is said... what she said about the limitations of cognition is indeed a path we have not deeply considered. Perhaps, precisely because our civilization has been isolated for too long, indulging in internal debates, we need external impact..."

"Hmph, can true wisdom be determined by clever debate skills? Those sages of her homeland she mentions, borrowing others’ wisdom, where’s the glory in that?"

"No. To integrate and comprehend, to directly address the core issues, to use others’ strengths as one’s own, that is true great wisdom."

The debate continued among the elders, but most Sages in the field now looked upon Isabella with respect. The Golden Laurel Crown glowed softly in her hands, like a signal for a new era of intellectual enlightenment.

Through philosophy and wisdom, she earned their respect.

"What will she do next?" the Sages discussed:

"I heard great events are happening afar, with the Demon Mother Goddess about to break free from her seal."

"This has nothing to do with us. But she is a traveler from the Otherworld, could she be intending to assume the position of Divine Envoy and venture forth?"

"Yes... She has claimed the Golden Laurel Crown, giving her the qualification to become the Divine Envoy of the God of Inspiration. She can seek an audience with Lord Virdodo at the top of the Supreme Tower and receive His grace and blessing."

"Truly enviable, for that is the position of Divine Envoy, she will possess endless lifespan and wisdom..."

"Perhaps soon we will be calling her Lady Isabella Divine Envoy."

On the white debating ground, the lady with long brown hair accepted the Golden Laurel Crown, placing it before her, but did not put it on.

The elderly Sage who granted the crown showed a puzzled expression.

Then, she turned around.

Amidst the unsubsided exclamations and indiscernible whispers,

Under the gaze of all the Sages,

She slowly turned, facing the supreme entity at the center of the debating ground.

—What stood there was the statue of the God of Inspiration, Virdodo.

It presented the form of the perfect Sage, the statue’s head slightly bowed, the left hand holding a book without words, the right index finger gently resting on the temple, expressing serenity, as if immersed in endless deduction of truth.

For millennia, it was the sacred emblem in the hearts of all seekers of knowledge in Luowasha, the symbol of the source of wisdom, the remote yet ultimate goal. In its presence, every Sage felt small as a toddler learning to walk, all debates were deemed as the childish play of children at the feet of a giant.

Then, the woman’s clear voice pierced the stillness of the square, clear as an ice crystal falling to the ground:

"—Virdodo, I acknowledge your crown, acknowledge the solemnity of this hall, acknowledge the weight of millennia of inquiry by these Sages."

"But if the true meaning of inquiry lies in perpetual questioning and transcendence, in bravely confronting all established sources and authorities... then, merely being content to dance within the framework you set, to reign in the shadow you cast, even if crowned with a ’laurel crown,’ is nothing more than self-consolation."

"Wow—!"

The whole place was instantly ignited! It brought forth boiling fear and shock!

The sages abruptly stood up, and the young scholars widened their eyes, as if witnessing the collapse of the universe.

"What... what did she say?"

"Challenge... Lord Virdodo?!"

"Madness! To have won the laurel crown is the highest glory, yet she dares to..."

Isabella was deaf to the clamor around her. She lifted her head, and there was no fanaticism, no fear, only the desire for challenge that belongs to a researcher.

Then, she uttered a phrase that brought complete stillness to the Seat of Greece:

"Virdodo—I am Isabella of the Zhai Star Civilization, a human."

"I cannot represent the entire wisdom of Zhai Star Humans, nor am I the wisest among them. I am merely a person with both gaming and research abilities. Graced by the spring breeze of the era, I stand here."

"If you are truly the source of wisdom—Virdodo."

"I shall gaze directly at your wisdom, in the name of ’Zhai Star Humans’, to challenge the infinite with the finite!"

She took a step forward, just a short step, as if shattering a psychological barrier that had remained unsurpassed for billions of years.

"Boom—!!!"

"I challenge you—God of Inspiration Virdodo!"

The deity, an eternal statue bowed for millennia, slowly raised its head.

The stone eyelids gradually opened.

...

Interstellar Gallery, Insect Race’s main nest.

"Swoosh!"

A tap of the cane, and the Blue Rose bloomed splendidly.

The figure of the young man transformed into a ghost in the moonlight, quickly moving around the motionless Empress, like a dance, with an elegant posture.

In the next moment, he snapped his fingers.

"Clatter—"

Countless Blue Roses bloomed, instantly seizing all life from the Empress.

The Empress’s enormous body was covered with the blooming Blue Roses, like being draped in a strange yet magnificent icy floral blanket. She could no longer stand, collapsing dejectedly on the sticky nest, the radiance of life swiftly leaving her compound eyes.

At the moment consciousness was about to sink into darkness, Empress Licanola’s gaze laboriously turned downward, using her limbs to desperately protect a small area.

There was a camellia flower.

In the barren and bloody Interstellar Gallery, deep within the Insect Race’s nest, a flower should not be able to grow, yet there was a flourishing bloom here, tender and dazzling.

The Empress’s remaining spiritual power whispered a final dream-like murmur:

"Oli... Vis..."

"I... miss you..."

"The flower... I prepared for you..."

"You said... Star Blue... is like my eyes..."

The voice grew fainter, and the light in her compound eyes completely extinguished, as the Empress Licanola, who once ruled the vast insect swarm, fell with a crash.

Noel quietly watched the Empress maintain her protective stance up until death.

He walked to the Empress’s body, made a cut on her abdomen with his cane, and extracted an egg sac. This was the Insect Queen’s "Core Egg," containing the queen’s infinite reproductive potential.

He took it.

After accomplishing this, he turned his gaze back to the camellia, looked at the vast corpse of the Empress, and said faintly:

"Though I’m unclear about your affairs, nor interested, that magpie doesn’t even like flowers."

"From what I know of him, if he mentioned flowers to you, it was probably to divert your attention to take your insect egg, to trade with some existence in the Abyss."

"Love..."

Noel shook his head, pondered, and still dusted off the camellia before turning away.

He killed the Insect Queen merely to acquire this egg sac and didn’t expect her to split her attention to protect a camellia, making it easy for him to seize it.

Oh, love... this affection that he cherished, yet found to be easily deadly, seems both pale and colorful.

He stepped out of the main nest, with not a speck of dust on him. Behind him, the massive Insect Race’s main nest began a chain collapse, as the insect swarm, lacking the unifying will of their queen, plunged into internal conflict.

Interstellar warriors, fighting bloodily throughout the corridor, erupted into thunderous cheers! They saw the collapse of the nest, saw the golden-haired youth stepping out from it.

"Hero!"

"Savior!"

"Thank you! For ending this nightmare!"

Numerous battle-scarred warriors shouted excitedly towards Noel, their tears mingling with the grime of blood slipping down. Some officers even stepped forward to offer their highest military salute and gratitude.

Noel paused, glanced sideways at the enthusiastic crowd, his azure eyes still devoid of ripple.

Then he said:

"Don’t thank an enemy."

Enemy? What enemy? Wasn’t Empress Licanola their greatest foe? The hero defeated the Empress; wasn’t he their greatest benefactor?

The people looked at each other in confusion, unable to comprehend.

...

Source Point.

[Color’s Question · Second Question]

[Question: What must Alger do to resurrect his sister?]

[A·White Gate: Seek help from Atlanda, to find a way to summon back the soul using the power of an Awakener.]

[B·Stone Gate: Break through to High Dimensions, using the power of Authority to resurrect a relative.]

[C·Gray Gate: Explain everything about his sister, for Su Ming’an to locate the sister’s soul through Soul Ferry and Genesis positioning.]

[D·Mirror Gate: There is no way to resurrect Gedoria; it was a fantasy from the start.]

[Please head towards the door representing your answer.]

...

The second question followed.

Alger’s gaze flickered, not expecting this question to pertain to him.

Color’s Question... answering incorrectly could plunge one into a life-or-death hurdle, where a wrong answer could mean death. Amid the vast crowd, some were already ready to move.

"...Would you wish for me to answer this question?" Alger finally stopped avoiding and looked towards Su Ming’an, scarlet eyes reflecting the young man.