“Have you ever felt that this place seems to be more than just the lair of the ferocious wolf dragon?”
After clearing the lair and converting the excess resources into essence, the environmental protection expert Asho suddenly asked a strange question.
Sonia: “What do you mean?”
“I actually had doubts about the manufacturing machines in the resource points last night. Although the peculiar structures of these ancient artifacts can force any artisan into a corner, they couldn’t possibly have been created by knowledge-based creatures, right?”
Asho leaned against the front of the car, not afraid that the mechanism under his buttocks would spring out blades to kiss his feet: “Even the most sophisticated knowledge-based creatures have claws that are less sensitive than the little finger used by ogres to pick their noses.”
“It’s impossible that they can actually play musical instruments and write in calligraphy with their claws in private, but as soon as we appear, they hide their tools just to prevent us from discovering their civilization?”
Diya also began to expand her thoughts: “Speaking of which, what do the knowledge-based creatures do when we artisans are not around?”
“There are no entertainment facilities inside, and they don’t need to hunt, so the only thing they can do is… I understand, it’s hide and seek!”
Asho said, “It’s also possible that they are… “
“Hey!” Sonia reached out and chopped Asho’s shoulder, “The witch doesn’t have much experience interacting with others, so don’t casually make dirty jokes in front of her!”
“What’s a dirty joke?” Diya asked curiously.
Asho asked, “Don’t the White Queen and the Black Butler know?”
“No, we just have different personalities, but knowledge is shared. What I don’t know, they won’t know either.” The witch adjusted her glasses. “But the White Queen said she probably guessed what it is and will explain it to me when we return to reality.”
“I can give an example, like the Sword Girl—wait, there’s no need to waste time, Sorcery Spirit, your financial situation probably isn’t abundant enough for this, right?”
Sonia snorted and stopped activating “Sharpening the Sword for a Day,” saying, “Are you suggesting that the production machines in the resource points and the ruins of the wolf dragon’s lair are the works of another civilization?”
“That’s the only explanation.” Asho said, “Could it be that the artisans of the past once established a civilization on the continent of time? But judging from the abstract aesthetic of those production machines, perhaps the ogres are the pure-blooded orthodox of the artisan lineage, and we are all thieves of artificing.”
This speculation seemed to have some persuasiveness, but Sonia still shook her head. “But the time on the continent of time will migrate with the flow of the River of Gold. For example, this place will probably become a static realm of withered life in two hours, and only knowledge-based creatures can continue to survive. We artisans will all be frozen in time and become history. How could anyone have established a civilization here?”
“Is it possible for knowledge-based creatures to also become artisans?” Diya said, “I read in the fairy tale book ‘New World’ that a human, who was considered a lower being by the elven artisans, suddenly became an artisan, and the human artisans launched a counterattack, destroying the elven kingdom and establishing a new civilization. Perhaps in the past, knowledge-based creatures ruled the world, and other races of artisans rose up and destroyed the civilization of the knowledge-based creatures.”
“Can this kind of story really be included in a fairy tale book?” Sonia couldn’t help but say, “I think it’s possible that the artisans of the past invented a miracle that could survive in the static realm, so they established an empire of artisans on the continent of time.”
They looked at Asho. “What do you think, Observer?”
“Well, the witch’s guess is full of imagination, and the Sword Girl’s idea is very stable, both have their merits.” Asho said, holding his chin. “But I think you’re thinking too small. Since it’s all speculation, why not start speculating from the entire world?”
Asho looked up at the sky covered by the River of Gold, gazing at the distant giant hoof of the white bull. “Perhaps there were no celestial bulls in the past, and no River of Gold. The continent of time was just an ordinary inhabitable land, so there was once a flourishing civilization here.”
Sonia subconsciously wanted to refute, but Asho waved his hand. “I know what you want to say—perhaps a thousand years ago, two thousand years ago, the celestial bulls existed. But what about thirty thousand years ago, a hundred thousand years ago? In a long enough time, all great changes will become natural truths taken for granted.”
“Perhaps one day in the future, the celestial bulls will tire and stop moving, and the active area of the continent of time will forever solidify. The future artisans will not believe that the past artisans actually had to chase after the white bull.”
The red-haired Sword Girl had to admit that this was a possibility. “But what practical significance does our discussion of this unverifiable speculation have?”
“Just chat after work, and don’t you think it’s quite romantic? Together, we unravel the mysterious veil of the Virtual Realm, explore the history of the past, just like the protagonists in an adventure story.” Asho looked at Sonia. “And you have high-intensity training during the day, and at night, you explore the Virtual Realm with us. I’m afraid you can’t hold on, so I’m helping you relax in your spare time.”
“I’m not that fragile!”
“Who just activated the miracle of sharpening the sword and prepared to attack a companion?”
At this point, Asho noticed the pensive expression on the witch’s face and asked, “Do you have any clues?””No, I just remembered that in fairy tales, the basic setup for an adventure team is two men and one woman, with many types of love relationships among the three, but the ending is usually the second male sacrificing himself, and the first male and first female living happily ever after…” Diya said, “But we are two women and one man, it doesn’t quite match up, does it?”
The fairy tales you read are too diverse…
Asho continued, “Also, if there really was a civilization that existed before, then aside from resource points, there should be remnants of the old civilization left in the Time Continent, right?”
Remnants!
The eyes of Sword Girl and the witch lit up at the same time.
Whether in fairy tales or fantasy dramas, the classic plot of a lucky individual finding the legacy of a predecessor Artificer or the remnants of an ancient organization, thus embarking on the path of a Sorcerer and becoming a legendary figure, is an evergreen trope. After all, getting something for nothing and stumbling upon treasures are temptations no one can resist.
Although it is said that the civilization of Artificers is on a spiral rise, with new-era Artificers generally being stronger than those of the old era, the resources of Artificers are universally applicable across ages. Sorcery Spirits and gold and silver from ten thousand years ago are still usable today, and even ancient schools of thought may sprout new life and rise again. The only thing that truly becomes outdated is the mindset.
Moreover, since the Virtual Realm itself contains “Artificer legacies,” let alone the Time Continent, even if someone claimed there were Artificer remnants at the bottom of the Sea of Knowledge, probably few would be surprised.
Asho looked towards Sonia, who shook her head, “I haven’t found any related information. I can ask the professor tomorrow, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“Why? Have you finally incurred the professor’s jealousy because of your overbearing actions?”
Sonia glared at him, “You… guessed half right, but I haven’t been overbearing. It’s mainly because I have to hide the fact that I’ve set foot in the Time Continent, so I can only ask the professor under the guise of ‘pre-studying.’”
“Besides, I think that perhaps even the professor doesn’t know much about the secrets of the Time Continent.”