The sun is high

"Let's start with the purpose of your visit here... Temporary Visitor No. 001."

Xiuge stared at the huge "heart" in the distance that was related to the entire continuation base, and asked the will hidden in the deepest part of his spiritual world: "In those recorded images, I saw that you tried even What's going on with your mentor's image? Do you really have a hobby in this area?"

Facing Shuge's question, Theseus did not show any strangeness or dissatisfaction. He laughed happily and said softly: "For such an important matter, it is better to have the conversation in a more formal place, right? It’s still a little too casual now.”

As he spoke, Xiuge heard a clear snap of his fingers. The next moment, he felt that the dark abyss magic in his body was mobilized by a powerful invisible hand. The cold and gloomy feeling surged with the tide of the spiritual ocean. Come, his thoughts were submerged in an instant, and then the cold feeling turned into thick suffocation and darkness in just a few seconds.

This time, Xiuge did not feel sleepy or exhausted, nor did he go through any form of "falling asleep". The moment the frenzy of dark abyss magic swept through his body, the scene in front of him changed directly.

"..."

Feeling the familiar dim light in front of him, Xiuge frowned slightly. He lowered his head and looked at the faceless god lying half in front of him with his legs crossed: "So... I actually don't need to sleep at all. Entering the shelter, right?”

"Yes, and also wrong."

Theseus shook his body gently, and the computer chair also swayed from side to side: "In layman's terms, falling asleep is actually a simple ritual, or a 'switch'. Its purpose is to make Your spirit and thinking can be consistent with mine to a certain extent. Of course, I can also adjust it manually for you, but it will seem a bit rough."

With that said, Theseus pointed to the chair next to Xiuge: "Sit down and see what's different around you."

Xiuge stretched out his hand to pull the chair, and at the same time glanced around Yiyan, and then he discovered that this dream sanctuary built on the power of Theseus had become more dilapidated than before. Now, the black mist in the distant area has Almost disappearing, what is revealed is a mass of indescribable twisted shadows that look like weird sludge crawling on the ground.

Not only that, the surrounding walls, tables and chairs have also become dilapidated. Even the computer that Theseus always uses is now in a completely damaged state. Only the "resting area" at the other end remains normal. , Shuge could even see the shaking shadow of Mel there.

What was even more frightening was the floor-to-ceiling window behind Theseus.

Xiuge remembered that when the black sun reappeared over Van En, what appeared outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the shadow storm symbolizing the "Big Hunt". But now, those clear black lines have disappeared, replaced by It is a darkness that is extremely rich, and countless dark purple light spots dotted in this darkness.

Or rather, eyes?

Xiuge looked at those "eyes" for a few seconds, then forcibly withdrew his gaze. He stabilized his emotions and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing."

Theseus' expression remained calm: "This is the Dark Abyss after all. The closer I get to it, the harder it is to stay hidden... If you hadn't successfully found the base, we would have been welcoming 'guests' by now." "

As he spoke, Theseus waved his hand gently, and two cups appeared out of thin air on the table nearby: "Okay, let's continue the previous topic...about the reason and purpose of my visit there."

Seeing that Theseus had lowered his crossed legs, Xiuge knew that he was really going to talk about something seriously, so he adjusted the position of his chair and at the same time reached out to pick up the water glass that Theseus had summoned - that It turned out to be a very classic old-fashioned enamel cup. The cup contained the "Color of Life Drink" that he always drank before, but the pattern on the cup was as mottled and difficult to identify as the shelter.

Theseus took a sip of the drink in the cup, and then said: "Actually, the direction you guessed before is quite different. The time when I came here was indeed after she left."

"After she left completely, I followed my past agreement and stopped interfering in all internal affairs of Van En... Like her, I erased all the traces I left in Van En, from the sight of all those who knew about it. He faded out and became a complete bystander."

His voice paused, and then he added: "In other words, I became a shadow."

"Her shadow?"

"Well, of course...I can only be her shadow."

Theseus was very satisfied with Xiuge's description. He said: "My ideas and all my thoughts are the continuation of her wisdom and will from the very beginning. It can even be said that I am the continuation of her wisdom and will. The incomplete shadow in this 'mirror' is just that I may look a little darker than the ordinary shadow."

After hearing this, Xiuge couldn't help curling his lips. According to Theseus's previous statement, he was the "essence" of the most extreme emotions and soul residues within the Dark Abyss Palace, which was enough to be regarded by the Dark Abyss Palace itself. It is a polymer with unstable factors, and its existence cannot be described as "a little darker".

Theseus directly ignored Shuge's inner complaints, and continued: "But you know, this feeling is really boring...especially, I have long been used to activities in Van En, this It's a terrible feeling to just be a bystander, especially when I have to sit back and watch some of the foolishness proceed, watch on from decisions that are obviously fallacious, and not be able to stop it, let alone reverse it."

At this point, Theseus' tone became a little cold: "This feeling really makes me sick."

Shuge nodded slightly.

He had already expected the situation Theseus said. As Theseus explained, even though he himself had become the continuation of Mel's will, deep in his mind, it was still inevitable. There are many radical and extreme elements in the earth. These dark sides are inherent in Theseus and are the source of his power. Unless he himself is completely eliminated, it will never be eradicated.

"Just like that, after watching the boring farce in Van En for a while, I decided to find something to do for myself...so I focused on my hometown."

When mentioning the word "hometown", Theseus emphasized his tone. He knew very well what subtle meaning these two words had for Xiuge now.

"A fitting target indeed."

Xiuge ignored the teasing and probing included in the other party's words, nodded and said: "You are familiar enough with the Dark Abyss, and your actions here will not cause direct interference or impact on Fan En himself..."

"You are right, but these are actually secondary."

Theseus said unhurriedly: "The most important thing is actually the Dark Abyss itself."

As if he had sensed an important goal talking about himself, when Theseus said these words, the purple light spots dotted in the darkness outside the floor-to-ceiling windows flashed twice violently, and several of them It even got a lot brighter, and it looked like the beast hiding in the darkness wanted to get closer to the window to observe.

Regarding this change, Theseus chose to ignore it. He continued: "I forgot the day I figured it out... Maybe I was really disgusted by the farce in Van En? In short, I suddenly realized that I actually didn’t know anything about the Dark Abyss or my own hometown. I was clearly born from within it, but I was extremely unfamiliar with it.”

"Even after fighting and confronting it for so long, I still couldn't figure out the origin of the Dark Abyss... So I decided to explore and explore its source."

"Then you found the continuation base?"

"I didn't find it immediately... In order to locate this wasteland, I spent a long, long time. During that time, Van En developed little by little into what it is today."

Theseus leaned on the back of the chair holding the enamel cup and said slowly: "Before I found the goal, I was actually ready to give up. After all, staying in the dark abyss for a long time is not advisable. I have the same origin as it, If I stay for too long, I might be assimilated again, so I have to use every method to give myself hints to ensure that my will and goals are firm."

Obviously, this is the answer to Xiuge's previous question.

For Theseus, following Mel's footsteps or even imitating Mel is an external manifestation of his firmness in his goals. Or perhaps, he is not only imitating Mel's appearance, but also trying to imitate Mel. Possibly to simulate the strong mind that Mel possesses.

He raised his head, and his misty face trembled slightly: "I was a little careless at the time. I never thought that there would be a place inside the Dark Abyss that was not assimilated and integrated by it, let alone that in the Dark Abyss, Before the Abyss was born, there was a civilization that had the ability to fight against it... If I had known about it in advance, I would not have easily touched the entrance to that place."

Xiuge looked at the other party in confusion: "But the access control of the gate still allowed you to pass, didn't it?"

"This is an accident, or a coincidence."

Theseus replied: "In the test list used by the continuation base, I was undoubtedly classified into the category that should be erased and destroyed. After all, fundamentally speaking, I have nothing to do with the Dark Abyss Palace. There is no difference between the waiters... It's a bit hard to imagine, isn't it? I was almost 'patched' by a set of leftover procedures as a loophole."

Theseus' words and tone seemed a bit relaxed, but Shuge could also feel the danger in it. As the most important shelter, the "technology" hidden inside the continuation base is really amazing, at least it is indeed Really achieved a confrontation with the power of the dark abyss for such a long time.

"Just when I thought I was about to die, the program let me go."

Theseus said: "It told me that there was a 'key' hidden in my body. Although this key was incomplete, it met the minimum requirements for passing the list test, so I became the so-called 'key'." Temporary visitor number 001'."

The moment Theseus finished saying these words, Xiuge felt his head buzzing, and a strangely colored aura flashed through his mind, and what followed was a flash of light from the skin. Numbness emanating from the lower part of the body.

"Wait, wait!"

Shuge could hardly control his tone. He raised his hand to interrupt Theseus' statement. His eyes became hollow due to rapid thinking. His eyes were scattered among the psychedelic colors in the cup, making him extremely erratic.

After realizing that the Dark Abyss was his unforgettable hometown, Xiuge once again felt a strong sense of trembling. Although his thoughts were a little confused, his tenacity still ensured his most basic logic and thinking abilities. , so, the many messages obtained by those cultivators after entering the continuation base naturally began to be spliced ​​and combined.

"Theseus, Mel's shadow, key... continuation beacon... sending fragments and messages of civilization to unknown coordinates... chaos and reorganization may occur... Vann..."

When these concepts and nouns were arranged in Xiuge's mind in a certain order, he finally couldn't help but raise his head and looked at the faceless god next to him who was still extremely calm. At this moment, the other party slowly He nodded.

"What you guessed is actually correct."

Theseus said slowly: "The planet that gave birth to you has indeed turned into a black sun. However, the efforts made by that civilization at the last moment were not in vain. The beacons in the base are effective. The slimmest and most fanciful plans were finally realized, and the results were almost perfect.”

"Perhaps due to precise calculations, or perhaps due to pure coincidence, the 'cannon' finally hit its target."

"Although during the long journey, the many fragments carried by the rich magic became disordered and chaotic, they finally succeeded in functioning in a new world. Although the 'keys' hidden in it were too long due to the long journey, They have become chaotic and incomplete due to the trek, but they are still passed on as distinctive features.”

Theseus turned slightly sideways and looked at Shuge seriously: "In a certain sense, Van En is a continuation of your civilization. All living beings who are active or have been active in it can be regarded as Part of the outcome of that 'continuation plan'."

"Of course, it also includes my mentor, me as her shadow, and you, who was chosen by me."