Chapter 53
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Chapter 53: Seeds of Awakening
Prophecy?
After hearing Alan’s statement, Bai Yan was momentarily stunned.
The massive white stone before him was a miraculous Relic capable of predicting the future… However, it was too large to steal.
“You mentioned everyone can ask a question to the prophecy book, so why don’t the superiors use it to help find those heinous criminals?” Bai Yan asked, confused.
Why would they allow the grassroots members to have complete freedom? Something doesn’t seem quite right.
Alan explained calmly, “Our questions can only relate to our own fate, so the Demon Hunt Agency cannot utilize it… If you want to inquire about the leader of the Black Star or the mastermind behind Babel Tower, it will require additional payment.”
“Or if you were hurt by someone from the Black Star, asking about their location also requires an additional cost… Prophecies are quite stingy.”
“I see,” Bai Yan understood the judgment rules of the Prophecy to some extent, but there was still one thing that wasn’t quite clear.
Using a Relic comes with a cost; such is the rule. Then… what price did their questioning require?
“I know what you’re thinking. The rule is that there must be a cost to using a Relic, and our cost… has already been paid by others.”
Alan’s expression grew serious as he said these words. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Don’t repeat what I’m about to tell you to anyone else.”
Bai Yan nodded, “Mhmm, I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”
Alan said slowly, “The price of frequent use of the Prophecy is paid by the residents… In return, Prophecy will help us predict most of the extraordinary criminal events. As for the matter of our own fate, it requires additional cost.”
“We can use the Prophecy for 100 years, but the cost is that every citizen and their descendants will have their lifespan reduced by 100 days.”
Bai Yan was slightly startled and immediately grasped the gravity of this matter.
Once this information is exposed, citizens will definitely be stirred up, knowing that the precious lifespan of themselves and their descendants was silently taken away without them ever having the right to know.
Indeed, there will definitely be some who don’t understand.
Bai Yan was unsure what to say about what the Demon Hunt Agency had done for the sake of order.
He knew that this city had endured many disasters and difficulties, and the Prophecy must have offered substantial help. If it wasn’t used, order in the city would have broken down long ago.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but as far as I know, the Prophecy has prevented more than half of the special crimes and has provided valuable information leading to the capture of all sorts of criminals and cultists.”
“It even warned of a second catastrophic event that could potentially lead to the city’s destruction.”
Alan looked serious, and it was clear that he completely approved of the methods used by the Demon Hunt Agency.
Bai Yan nodded, noncommittal.
A similar decision was made in the plot of the corruption of the Demon Hunt Agency in the Babel Tower.
Only a few of the high-ranking officials were bewitched by the Outer God, which eventually caused serious consequences.
Alan clapped his hands together and said, “We’re getting too far off topic. Let’s return to our original reason for coming here. Every Night Watchman has the opportunity to ask a question about their own destiny. Bai Yan, what do you want to ask?”
Bai Yan immediately replied, “Wait. Tell me, what was your question?”
Alan’s expression turned rather grim. “My question was very boring, and I deeply regret it. It’s completely meaningless.”
He paused for a moment and said, “My question was what kind of person I would become.”
“Don’t ask. The answer was that I would become a savior of the world.”
Alan smiled and feigned confidence. However, there was a hint of confusion lurking in his eyes.
‘Save the world? Maybe you’re the real savior of my game?’ Bai Yan thought sarcastically, then immediately joked, “It seems the Prophecy has lost its accuracy. Rather than saving the world, I’d sooner believe you’re still a virgin.”
“Heh heh.” Alan narrowed his eyes and was too lazy to argue.
After teasing, Bai Yan began to seriously consider what questions he wanted to ask.
First, he couldn’t divulge anything related to the Babel Tower in front of Alan.
Second, the question he asked should be meaningful… Knowing what kind of person he would become was a rather uninteresting matter.
Where the leader of the Black Star Faction was, or how to become the strongest Superoperator, obviously couldn’t be asked.
Alan silently watched him, very curious in his heart. “Made a decision?”
“Yes.”
Bai Yan nodded gently and took slow steps forward, standing before the towering white stone.
The huge and pure white square stone contained a concept that was even larger than its physical size, giving Bai Yan the illusion that he had to look up at it with great admiration.
He said calmly, “I want to know… How will I die?”
Alan was surprised by this question. In fact, he had also considered inquiring about the same matter.
The stone began to fluctuate slightly, and a line of black characters slowly appeared on the side facing Bai Yan.
“You will die amidst the throng of people.”
Bai Yan was stunned for a moment, then asked, “This is it? That’s not very helpful.”
Alan shrugged and said, “Prophecies are often like this, filled with… mystery.”
Bai Yan shook his head, but he had already memorized the answer.
The answer wasn’t entirely useless. Perhaps he might have the opportunity to actively plan his own death. And this was the purpose of Bai Yan’s question.
Controlling death is equivalent to being able to plan resurrection.
Alan suddenly turned serious and said, “I will fulfill my promise, Bai Yan.”
He held out a hand. “There are many ways for ordinary people to become Superoperators. Statistically, there are 17 known safe ways in Noah.”
“The seed of enlightenment is currently the easiest path I can find for you.”
Alan’s expression was filled with sincerity and gravity. Becoming a Superoperator might not be a good thing, but he always believed that this path was suitable for Bai Yan.
Bai Yan instinctively looked at Alan’s palm, where there was a deep brown seed resembling a bodhi seed, about the size of a quail egg.
Bai Yan felt a subtle and strange feeling in his heart. As the Savior of Babel Tower, he was able to command the powerful “Nightsaber” and “Psychic Dancer,” yet he was actually an ordinary person.
Now, he was about to take the first step toward becoming an official Superoperator.
The subtle contrast left Bai Yan momentarily stunned, and Alan thought he was too stunned and excited, so it was not surprising.
Bai Yan asked calmly, “How do I use this? Since you’ve already gone this far, I won’t refuse. I’d like to buy you a beer sometime.”
“Okay… It’s meaningless for Superoperators, but ordinary people will get a preliminary understanding of their essence the second they touch it, catch!”
Alan suddenly threw the Seed of Awakening, while Bai Yan instinctively reached out to catch it.
When he touched the seed, everything changed.
Everything before him disintegrated and ceased to exist. He soon saw a dark, dense, bottomless blackness.
This was a familiar fog that Bai Yan had seen time and time again in videos.
‘Is this my essence?’
In this black mist, he felt a strong sadness from the past. In a trance, a faint tear ran down his cheek without reason.
Suddenly, one after another oddly familiar figures flashed past Bai Yan from the black mist.
‘Who are they?’ Barely before he could discern the source of his sadness or recognize those figures clearly, everything disintegrated and vanished once again.
Bai Yan found that there was already a vast white land under his feet, and there were ten golden suns shining in the sky.
He felt a sense of ruthlessness and indifference, as if he was no longer himself. He subconsciously realized that this was the Babel Tower.
In the end, Bai Yan returned to the original world with Alan and the white room, as well as the giant stone named the Prophecy. All things remained unchanged in their rightful place.
Everything just now was like an illusion, as if it had never happened.
Alan stood before him and said, “What you saw is your essence. It may be extremely bizarre and unimaginable, but you have to start from here.”
“When this seed blooms, you will become a true Superoperator. All you need to do is to enter it in your dreams again and again, peek at yourself in the Seed of Awakening, and make it the foundation of the extraordinary that is already a part of you.”
Bai Yan nodded gently, without speaking, the wondrous sensation from earlier still lingering within.
“I understand.”
Late at night, Bai Yan finally left the Demon Hunt Agency and returned to his cramped home.
Many things happened today, giving him an illusion that a long time had passed.
He sat calmly on the bed, slightly furrowing his brows as he recalled the “hallucination” he had seen.
“My essence… what are the black mist and Babel Tower?”
Bai Yan began to think, what if he lost the mobile phone with the “Babel Tower” game installed. Would he play it on other phones?
Mobile games might be just a manifestation of the real world.
He suddenly felt a very strange and novel sensation, different from touch, taste, smell, sight or hearing. It was a completely new feeling, extending beyond intuition and transcending it.
Bai Yan knew that this was the INT stat.
When he opened his hands again, the seed had gradually melted, and from the translucent liquid, a small white flower slowly blossomed.
