Wasteland Echoer

"'Echoer' is such a melancholy title. It comes from "The Ancient World of All Things", right?" Duck couldn't help but say.

"That's right. But having said that, young man, don't you want to know more about the sequence monster in your hand? The value of this gift must be far greater than your knowledge." "Echoer" said, pointing at Dark The "metal iron box" in hand.

"Of course, Mr. Echoer. However, as a Krusted, I must abide by the etiquette in our culture. That is, when receiving a noble gift, the giver does not open his mouth, and we cannot open the gift in person, or Ask about the specific content. This is a form of respect." Dak leaned forward and smiled.

"You and I respect a culture similar to each other. It seems that we will have a lot in common. So, this is also the reason why we can meet at the altar of the 'Gray Dream'. Having said that, this sequential monster was not originally It belongs to me, but was 'obtained' from an eastern businessman during that confused, manic, and angry wandering time. Later, a soldier who fled from the south to the north learned that the banned foundation had It’s serialized.”

"If I remember correctly, its code name is 'MB-1666', and it is called 'Old Radio'. Although this is an era when steam has declined and electricity has not yet emerged, as long as you tune the channel and listen 'carefully', it will It will bring enlightenment to your soul." "Echoer" said, with a strange smile on his face hidden under the cloak.

"Huh, such a sequential monster. Mr. Echo, this reminds me of the history of our Krusted, that legendary great era." Duck looked up at the dark sky and said melancholy.

"You want to talk about, Ivan XXII?" "Echoer" guessed first.

"That's right." Dak turned his realization back to the "Echoer" in front of him who gave him a terrifying feeling, nodded and said:

"At least in the 'Glory of the Double-Headed Eagle' era, our technology was far ahead of other countries on the mainland. If the deadly storm hadn't blocked our steel expedition ship from the Nankarlov Zone, given a little more time, we would have definitely Being able to discover new continents will definitely prove the theory of a round earth."

"It was truly an era of rapid technological development, economic prosperity, and happiness. Our tanks, machine guns, artillery, emerging concept rockets, and countless weird-shaped firearms constituted a torrent of steel that crushed half of the continent. During the decades of Ivan XXII's reign, even if you were a child from a village on the edge of the extreme cold zone, as long as you took the very fair 'Imperial University Admission Examination' and entered the capital of any province to study for four years, after graduation, you would be You can choose to serve in any government agency. Your status is even comparable to that of the nobility of the old days."

"A country will always experience creation, development, prosperity, decline and destruction. This is an eternal law. No matter how civilized and powerful Krusted is, or how wise the emperor of a certain period is, he cannot escape the shackles of the law. . The brilliance created by Ivan XXII is enough to make people sigh." "Echoer" sighed and commented:

"Laws are one of the 'reasons' set by the Creator to build 'order', just like 'gods are sacred and can drive away all evil spirits'. No, it should be stricter than it. I guess, even if He never Waking up from a dream will not change anything that can be called a 'law'."

"Yes, the law. Speaking of Mr. Echo, what is the 'law' in the wasteland? Is it darkness? Pain? Depression? Pain? Or endless torture?" Duck asked suddenly with emotion.

"Not at all." "Echoer" shook his head, "On the contrary, it is light and hope."

"Why?"

"Just because we humans are not extinct yet!" "Echoer" said firmly:

"Hundreds of years have passed, even if the Ptoya Empire collapsed, the Krusted Empire perished, the Flame Empire lost half of its territory, and the Central Empire was completely destroyed by 'unintentional people', there are still idealistic examples such as the Zine Empire. Thirty years ago, wasn't their crown prince Evante just a little bit close to reestablishing 'order' in that vast territory?"

"Human beings are far stronger than we think they are. Even in an age full of desire and killing, there will still be countless warriors who long for peace, break through the entanglements of interests, and are willing to sacrifice everything to achieve a bright future. If everyone is deceiving, They all act out of greed, killing and plundering, and their hatred will be repaid. Human civilization will never be able to flourish to this day. Alas..." "Echoer" said, sighed lightly, and smiled slightly:

"I said I won't talk about philosophical issues, and yet I've talked so much with you. I seem to have been asleep for a long time. I remember that the last time I walked into the dreamland and chatted with me was an old friend of mine, the boy 'Young Wolf'. What a pity. As an upper-level professional [sacrifice], he had to 'dedicate' his life force again and again, fight against the 'unintentional people', and rescue his companions. About ten years ago, he weakly came to me here to talk to me for a long time. It is said that the 'Lone Wolf Society' is planning to abandon him, and the Sune Empire is planning to sacrifice him to the 'Lord of the Night' in exchange for the successful development of the new 'Fire of Punishment'."

"He talked a lot that day. He said that he was willing to dedicate everything to the empire, even his life. This land once brought him a glimmer of light in this long night, and he was unwilling to betray it. Since then, even if I have repeatedly asked The Goddess of Light prayed and never saw him come here again. Maybe he was sacrificed, or maybe at the most desperate moment, the animal nature in his body suppressed his humanity and turned into a real wolf to escape from that miserable place. world."

"What a...sad story, Mr. Echoer, it seems you also have a gloomy past." Dak expressed regret.

"Maybe, but my memory is getting weaker and weaker under the constraints of ice, snow and chains. In the dark and lonely time, the fragments of my memory are constantly dissipating. 'Young Wolf' once told me that he was captured by John to do During the experiment, I relied on entering the 'Grey Dream' to escape pain. I originally thought this was a sign of cowardice, but now it seems that when faced with pain, escaping is an instinct." "The Echoer" smiled bitterly:

"So, I call you here through the medium of red magic source power, just in the hope that you can take me out of pain."

"What should I do?" Duck asked the key to the problem, subconsciously putting the "old radio" into his yellow coat pocket.

"Look north and go as far north as possible. Another soul in my body, 'Red-faced Hain', told me that with his memory, he could tell that I was bound under a layer of ice near a large river. Here It seemed to be an ancient ruins. I saw vague statues of ancient warriors, the mysterious 'Karlov's Gate', and a giant red dragon frozen in ice."

"There are no trees here, no grassland, only dark plants twisted under the endless cold. 'Red-faced Hain' told me that he borrowed my magic power to see a dilapidated castle occupied by cruel 'unintentional people', and There are abhorrent, terrifying, and indescribable giant tentacled creatures. About ten kilometers away from where I was bound, and about ten kilometers away from the castle, there is a city where humans still exist." "The Echoer" answered in as much detail as possible road.

"It is enough to make a positioning based on this information. North of Binglin City is the extremely cold field. The large river in the ice field you mentioned is only one in the federal territory, which is the North Mamous River. It was called the Northern Mamous River during the empire. As the Volga River, it irrigated hundreds of square kilometers of surrounding land during the Steam Age, and even during the decline of Ivan XXV, it was still the number one agricultural exporter."

"And the city you mentioned can only point to Magic City, the only northernmost city that the Federation can manage in the entire arctic zone. It is an industrial city with a huge amount of oil and gas within hundreds of kilometers around it. Natural gas, copper ore, iron ore and rare metal ores, etc., including the terrifying 'Urem' ore. Although it is impossible for the empire to give up on it, in order to get over it, in addition to a long journey of nearly three months, it also has to deal with the wandering The 'Heartless' battle against the Lost in a frozen wasteland, enduring hardship caused by food and fuel shortages."

"Besides, it is very difficult to find a point in the wilderness that is dozens of kilometers around and cannot tell the direction. The Federation is no longer an empire, and those great technologies have long become legendary products. However, if we can imitate the technology of the empire, High-precision radar, coupled with the resonance of the magic source power, maybe it can."

After listening to Dak's serious analysis, "Echoer" did not immediately express his position. He saw Dak's dilemma.

His mood was completely occupied by two emotions: excitement and disappointment. His fists were clenched at first, and then lowered helplessly.

Then, he took a half step forward, stepped on the six-pointed star, and said in a deep voice:

"In the bound area, I felt the strong 'Plamini'. I could feel that the breath of the god in charge of the flame, 'The Lord of Eternal Red', was floating nearby. You and I have a common goal. , is to find Him and contact Him. Isn’t this enough to attract you?”

"'Lord of Eternal Red'?" When Dak heard this, he suddenly raised his head and asked in disbelief:

"Who are you? Do you think you are...a god?"

"Of course not." "Echoer" leaned against Dak's ear and whispered:

"I have obtained the seven supreme demon source sequence cores and passed countless difficult tests before I can enter the sequence of gods. I am still far away. But I have the power that the gods once controlled. I am a person recognized by the 'Order'. I His profession is the upper level [Order]."

"You don't just want to understand the 'laws of the wasteland'. I listened to your heart. In fact, you want to explore the reasons behind the 'laws'. To be precise, it is the 'reason for the birth of the wasteland world'. Only Only in this way can we start from the root cause and end this dark and painful era. What I said is right, Dak."

"You... know my name... know my heart." Dak said in panic:

"Are you...behind the mask a god or a devil?"

"I said, you can call me 'Echoer.'" "Echoer" suddenly raised his tone and distanced himself from Dakla, "You and I will eventually meet, even if you don't want to come and release my shackles. However, you must bear in mind that once my time runs out and the pain destroys my body, I will become a monster that is difficult for anyone to understand. At that time, the endless 'suffering' will destroy everything, including 'Plamy' Ni', including the 'Lord of Eternal Red'."

"Also, Dak. I don't smell the professional atmosphere in you. Although your magic power is very strong, when you leave here, you will forget most of the conversation with me. What remains in your mind will inevitably All that is left is the obsession to go to the ice field to find and rescue me.”

"When the power is not strong enough, you are not qualified to choose your destiny. I am going to send you out. After you escape from the dream, remember to turn on the 'old radio'. The music inside will neutralize the 'sorrow' in your body, for You bring cleansing of the soul.”

As soon as "Echoer" finished speaking, before Dark could refute, he saw countless bright red light spots spurting out from the black cloak like sparks.

They spread and "bloomed" like fireworks, instantly penetrating Dark's body and briefly taking away all his perceptions.

…

After sleeping for a long time, Dark was awakened by a violent falling feeling.

Rubbing his dry eyes, Duck saw a faint light coming from the small window connected to the vent.

This was the light of the morning sun, which happened to shine on his hands.

Looking down, he saw that the sequential monster, the "Old Radio", was being held tightly by him.

With the messy, vague, and dreamlike memories emerging in his mind, Dak put down the monster, looked up at the strong light, shook his chaotic head, and murmured in a low voice:

"Do I have the right to choose my destiny?"

"Perhaps the elixir of 'forgetting' is really the solace in this cruel universe."

I recommend a book from a friend that is about to become a masterpiece. It is very relaxing and interesting.

"Love must be read after reading"

"Want to switch with me?"

I exchanged the can for the dead rat in her hand.

We had a great time chatting.

I even gave her a name.

It seems like she likes me.

But I didn't know it at the time, but it wasn't human.