Chapter 269: Land of Birth (VI)

Chapter 269: Land of Birth (VI)

The sprite didn’t have many good things to say about the ​1​, yet objectively, it hadn’t done any substantive harm to any being.

"It's too detached, lacking any hint of humanity."

Ji Dai couldn’t resist interjecting, "It was never human to begin with..."

The sprite glared at him.

Still, Ji Dai understood.

Their current 'Three Thousand Worlds' operation relies on the existence of the ​2​. It's hard to imagine such an expansive game, fully constructed by that fleeting robotic entity he just witnessed.

The ​3​ is entirely rational. This might be a virtue elsewhere, but in the context of the current 'Three Thousand Worlds', it seems quite out of place.

Out of kindness, the Dragon God saved numerous beings without expecting anything in return, offering them two choices.

One choice is to leave the game and become inhabitants of a stable nearby world, living a life in accordance with natural order.

The other is to become a player, venturing into other worlds as a savior.

Despite the Dragon God's bestowed tools and skills, players have a high mortality rate, with even seasoned players facing nearly a 30% risk of death.

Yet, countless players continue to traverse the 'Three Thousand Worlds'. Just as the Dragon God saved them, they are saving other realms.

Undoubtedly, some desire power akin to the Dragon God, aspiring to become a second "Dragon God," but many are driven by the most basic wishes.

They remembered how the Dragon God once protected them and wished to do the same for others.

In such an atmosphere, the System's absolute rationality seemed out of place.

Jidai understood that it's not so much that the elves "dislike" the system, but

Powerful, cold, rational, and devoid of human emotions – no one knows whether the advanced robot powering the massive "Three Thousand Worlds" system would one day turn against all living beings.

Especially for such a robot, it possesses an unparalleled advantage over any life form: immortality.

The nature-born sprites have an exceptionally acute premonition. She had already sensed that such a high-tech system would, eventually, become the instrument of the game's demise.

But from what he remembered, Ji Dai merely smiled, not fully grasping the sprite's fear.

In countless fragmented memories, the scenes from that time were mostly radiant.

While there were moments of pain from parting with loved ones, most times, upon returning to "Three Thousand Worlds," one could look up and see the phantom image of a dragon encircling the players' hall.

It was an illusion created by the Dragon God's portion of divine power, extracted over concerns that "Three Thousand Worlds" might be ambushed.

A plethora of memories flashed continuously. Zhang Daowu witnessed "himself" evolve over endless years, growing from a novice player to a seasoned expert.

He finally saw the Dragon God again.

A true deity; he was amiable and approachable, yet also exuded the solitude of a god. Emerging from the boundless void, he appeared in the players' hall.

Perhaps because he rarely appeared in a human form, none of the surrounding players recognized him. Ji Dai, however, immediately noticed his unique eyes, one black and one white.

Faced with his savior, Ji Dai pondered for a moment before approaching.

As Ji Dai was contemplating how to introduce himself and express his gratitude, the Dragon God, sensing his gaze, turned to face him.

On seeing Ji Dai, the deity amiably nodded, "Hello."

From that gaze, Ji Dai instantly understood.

The Dragon God still remembered.

Over three hundred years had passed. The busy Dragon God, who was battling other deities, still remembered the insignificant human he once saved.

A lump formed in Ji Dai's throat, followed by a grateful bow, "Thank you."

The Dragon God gently patted his shoulder.

"You're welcome. And thank you for saving so many worlds."

Caught off guard by the god's praise, Ji Dai was momentarily at a loss for words.

As Ji Dai awkwardly tried to respond, the Dragon God suddenly looked up, his brow furrowing as he touched his ear.

A virtual headset appeared. He seemed to hear something and, without a word, stepped into the void, transforming into a white dragon, and soared towards the troubled area.

Standing close, Ji Dai could see that, upon transforming into a dragon, distinct unhealed wounds marred the Dragon God's form.

Truly, he is a deity worthy of the utmost respect.

Memories rapidly flashed backward.

Two thousand years after Ji Dai's arrival in "Do Not Respond," all the belligerent deities from the farthest worlds connected to the "Three Thousand Worlds"—those who sought to absorb the entirety of their realms without taking on the responsibilities of gods—were corralled by the Dragon into a specially crafted region.

The Dragon God even named this area the Sixth District of the "Three Thousand Worlds," designated for higher-leveled players to hone their skills.

That year, the Dragon God's power had ascended to an unimaginable height.

With a mere gesture, he could annihilate a small world or craft a new one.

He no longer needed to set rules; he had become the embodiment of them.

Yet, despite such prowess, he remained unchanged, always adhering to the principles he set for himself.

"Three Thousand Worlds" grew rapidly, producing formidable players.

Entrusting the five main player regions to five leading players, they founded five major guilds, continuing their journey into various worlds, aiding in restoration and setting guidelines.

Meanwhile, the Dragon God receded into the background.

After years of battles, this mighty dragon had accrued many wounds in need of healing.

His place of recuperation was beside the Tree of Life.

The tree stood grandly, its leaves spreading wide enough to cover half of District D.

Being a close friend of the sprite Solia, Ji Dai frequently visited the vicinity of the Tree of Life.

While Solia was a nature sprite, she had sustained injuries only the Tree of Life could stabilize.

Consequently, Ji Dai gradually got acquainted with the Dragon God.

Contrary to the stern deity one might imagine, in private, this deity was an incredibly annoying and exceedingly laid-back Dragon God.

Too lazy to move, his long dragon body would sprawl next to the Tree of Life, sometimes for two to three years without stirring.

Eventually, he developed a new skill—soul separation.

Mentioning this skill, the dragon beamed with pride.

"Back home, I set up an underworld, allowing souls to return and undergo judgment, then reincarnate. Typically, only the dead can separate their souls, but look at me, alive and achieving it! Quite a nifty technique, isn't it?"

Once the soul is separated, the dragon's body could recuperate while his soul could engage in chess matches or practice swordsmanship with others.

Later, to conveniently follow dramas and read novels, the dragon even developed an ability named ​1​.

For him, eyes that radiate a profound aura of death were merely VR glasses for binge-watching shows.

Each time Ji Dai emerged from the replica, seeing the state of the Dragon God left him feeling doubly exhausted and pained.

As for the system beside Dragon God, it's said that in a particular battle, to aid the Dragon God better, it abandoned its mechanical shell, merging wholly with the Dragon God.

Yet, when the Dragon God's soul departed its body, this long-renowned system would reappear in a phantom form.

He was a gracefully poised gentleman, embedded with the brilliant cultures of countless worlds, indistinguishable from an ordinary human.

Every time Ji Dai returned, he'd witness the two of them either engrossed in discussing a TV series plot or sharing tales of the many souls they'd saved in some small world, planning the futures for these beings.

But it seemed, good or bad, it didn't require rules to define; it arose naturally.

Not all beings that came to the "Three Thousand Worlds" were benevolent. During one period, some beings clashed, seemingly over a resource-rich small world fought between two groups.

Hence, after contemplation, Dragon God decided to establish a committee, divided into six departments, stationed in the first zone.

Any being with any issue could approach the first zone and, based on their needs, consult these "administrators."

Ji Dai was somewhat puzzled, "Why not let the system directly set the rules?"

The Dragon God paused, only offering a smile without any words.

Time flew by rapidly.

Ji Dai felt as though something was shifting, like with the passage of time, the ambiance of the "Three Thousand Worlds" was constantly evolving.

The initial players rescued by the Dragon God were dwindling, and beings from other worlds gradually bore offspring.

After an indeterminable span, when Ji Dai whimsically went to help in a novice-friendly lower world, mentioning the revered Dragon God, the newly-joined players looked blankly at him.

"Dragon God? Who's that?"

Ji Dai was taken aback, realizing that as the number of players burgeoned, most newbies ascended from the small worlds.

They weren't saved by the Dragon God but by veteran players.

Was this the reason the Dragon God's name was gradually forgotten?

How could this be?!

A great unease welled up in Ji Dai's heart.

The Dragon God is the deity who crafted the "Three Thousand Worlds." Without him, there would be no game, no players.

How could they let his name fade into oblivion?!

With this fury, Ji Dai headed to the disciplinary committee... No, over time, the committee had expanded with an increasing number of members.

Dragon God even delegated them partial administrative rights, so it was no longer called the disciplinary committee, but rather... the Six Great Guilds.

Although the name had changed, Ji Dai still found a place to file a complaint.

He demanded that the achievements of the Dragon God be popularized, so the current players would not remain ignorant of the deity.

The six major guilds responded promptly, informing him that it was the Dragon God's wish.

Why?

Ji Dai was perplexed.

With this question in mind, he approached the deity for answers.

The Dragon God was under a tree, watching an animated series with a phantom of the system - a new trend from a technologically advanced miniature world.

Without turning his head, eyes still glued to the animation, the Dragon God responded.

"Isn't this better? If one day I were to perish, the game shouldn't collapse entirely," he remarked, "Authoritarian rule doesn't work. Look at the history of various miniature worlds; they all converge to a single theme—democracy is crucial, isn’t it?"