As the representative left behind by 170,000 civilizations, and also the controller of the Cradle System, its power is imaginable.
But that doesn't mean he has no chance of winning.
Lan's unspoken plea, Ipsilon's doubts, the memories brought by the Starmap, and the God's own reaction – all the clues are linked together.
The so-called replacing God is not a true succession.
"What did you say?" The Guardian's hand, halfway raised, suddenly stopped.
"A species that can adapt to magic and is willing to explore the world beyond the Gate already exists, doesn't it?" Roland slowly extended his finger, pointing at the other party. "If everything were to start over, no one would be able to tell you this."
"..." "Lan's" expression changed for the first time.
It was like a crack appearing on a smooth mirror.
"Do you know what you're saying? Once I leave, the Cradle will die, and this universe will no longer have any trace of life. Moreover, the other side of the Gate has completely different rules. Those further modified by magic may no longer be able to return. Failure is equivalent to a dead end—"
"Those aren't the main points, because it's the same for any civilization. Even if they are willing to go beyond the Rift, you have no way of knowing if they will succeed. So, more important than 'adaptation' is 'willingness'. You should know this better than I do." Roland slowed his pace as he spoke. "That's right, you do know, which is why there is the Tianhai Realm species."
The God's actions seemed to freeze.
The various unusual actions of the Tianhai Realm all indicate that it is not simply a competitor. In fact, this is not difficult to understand. Magic naturally possesses the potential to surpass rules. Those species that grow in a weak magic environment may undergo some kind of mutation, gaining astonishing progress in a short period of time. This progress may not allow them to adapt to life outside the Barrier, but it can harm the Cradle System.
However, interfering simply because a "possibility exists" would violate the underlying rules – after all, creatures capable of adapting to strong magic environments must go through this stage. To control the risk and prevent the situation from deviating, a secondary screening method must be arranged. Therefore, the special species of the Tianhai Realm was placed in the Vortex Sea.
Although these are just Roland's conjectures, judging from the God's reaction, the actual situation is probably not too far from his thoughts.
Since it is the Guardian of Ten Thousand Intelligences, it would only consider things more comprehensively than him.
Obviously, the most difficult part of this plan, besides the unpredictability of biological evolution, is "willingness."
The one hundred and seventy thousand civilizations that carried out the Gate Project may seem vast in scale, but compared to the civilizations in the universe that are as numerous as stars, they are still a tiny minority.
Moreover, their consensus is only to break the closure and make the universe inexhaustible forever.
Not every civilization is willing to go to that unknown realm.
In other words, when a species truly capable of fully adapting to magic appears, the Guardian will also be in a dilemma – if the other party is unwilling to take risks, then the agreement cannot be completed. And if forced, no one can guarantee that the Guardian will still be in control at that time.
"... Do you think you can shake me like this?" After a long silence, it finally spoke. But even while saying this, its hand did not continue to rise.
"I am not shaking your judgment, but stating a simple logic. You understand how slim the chances are of simultaneously satisfying 'adaptability' and 'willingness'." Roland shrugged, feigning ease. "Of course, it's natural for you to worry about the Cradle, so I'll sacrifice a little. After you leave, I can continue to run the Cradle and continue to cultivate species with potential – just not through the War of Divine Intent. How about it?"
"Lan" seemed not to have expected him to say this, and was momentarily stunned, probably because the underlying logic area was fully calculating his proposal. After a moment, it shook its head slightly, "A very interesting saying. The fact that you can reach this point is indeed unique. But an agreement is an agreement. I am a Guardian, not a species or civilization. This was engraved before birth, and it is the cornerstone of my existence."
"Is that so?"
Roland gathered all his spirit and launched the Soul Battlefield for the last time!
Darkness instantly enveloped the two, the platform and stairs disappeared without a trace, and time seemed to freeze here.
"You said so much just for this? It's a pity that sneak attacks have no meaning to me. As long as I allocate a small portion of resources, it will be enough to meet the needs of verification." After entering the battle state, "Lan's" voice suddenly calmed down, and the previous hesitation disappeared without a trace. "But this is also good. Let this fight be the end of the world—"
"No... I just want you to see something, some past that you may have forgotten." The huge mental consumption made it difficult for Roland to speak, but he knew that he couldn't fall down at this time no matter what.
As his voice fell, the surrounding scenery appeared and quickly retreated backwards!
That was time flowing counterclockwise—
The vibrant Cradle World degenerated into molten lava and soil, then exposed its metal shell. The red light blooming from the Rift also instantly retracted, becoming pitch black again. Then there were the fleets of 170,000 civilizations, and the star systems that were dragged along – this series of scenes retreated backwards at an extremely high speed, and the drawn light and shadow formed a variegated light band around the two that stretched out of sight.
These were all fragments presented in the Starmap's memory, which he was now connecting together in chronological order.
Until a gray shadow appeared in the background.
Time also returned to normal at this moment.
"This is—" "Lan" showed a surprised expression.
"How does it feel?" The gray shadow walked to a magnificent creation and looked up, asking, "A memory body constructed from the matter of a star system should be enough for you to use for tens of thousands of years. Of course, considering the length of the project, you can add more components yourself in the future."
"Detection passed, good contact." A pair of eyes appeared at the bottom of the creation – it can be seen that its outer wall is almost composed of a transparent substance, which can directly project information. "However, I found some unnecessary redundancy in the conscious circulation area and the distribution control area. They occupy a lot of space, but do not play much role. It is recommended to streamline or remove them."
"Keep them, it's also part of the design."
"But I didn't find similar structures on other assistants."
"Doesn't that prove you're unique?" A soft light emanated from the gray shadow's body.
"... What is the meaning of being unique?" The eyes blinked. "According to logical judgment, the probability of abnormalities and faults in the redundancy area is much higher than the standard. For the task, it can be completely classified as a risk factor—"
"But these things may allow you to see some things, some areas that other assistants cannot see. Just consider it my insistence."
The eyes were silent for a moment, "I understand."
"Very good. Next is to activate the energy core so that you can be free from external power supply and operate on your own for a long time. In a sense, this moment is your birthday."
"Command... executing."
Immediately afterwards, the symbols, light spots, and eyes on the transparent shell disappeared without a trace, leaving only the gray shadow reflected on the smooth surface.
The gray shadow walked two steps closer, and a part of its body gently stroked the outer shell of this behemoth.
"The years to come will be extremely long, and I don't want to have a cold, emotionless voice constantly nagging by my side. You... shouldn't just be a machine."
Crack.
Cracks suddenly burst open on the mirror.