March 14th. The foreign affairs departnt of Beixing Country finally responded to the protests from Andai State, stating they would conduct a thorough investigation into the matter concerning Shadow.
If it is confird that Shadow possesses Beixing Country nationality and conclusive evidence of cross-border killings is obtained, responsibility will be pursued according to relevant laws.
After the news spread, it not only sparked discussions within both Beixing Country and Andai State but also caused a huge uproar worldwide.
Because this matter involved the special Ascendant known as Shadow, many powerful nations that retained a certain level of strength were paying close attention.
Previously, Lucifer being wanted by the Suroma Empire and fleeing to other countries to kill had already made the topic of "whether powerful Ascendants are still bound by national constraints" a hot issue.
Even in so small countries—such as a country nad "Mogoke" ntioned in a post on the Ascendant Ho website—there had been a case of a civilian Ascendant group overthrowing the president and taking power.
This incident didn't gain much traction among the general populace of various countries because "Mogoke" had little international presence.
However, the official bodies of various countries viewed this matter with extre seriousness, universally acknowledging it as a very bad signal!
If a small country could see Ascendants seizing power by force today, could similar situations happen within powerful nations and major countries tomorrow?
Currently, perhaps civilian Ascendants might still be insignificant compared to the ard forces of powerful nations.
But one must not forget that only nine rules have passed so far. What if another nine, ten, or twenty rules pass... To what extent will the individual strength of Ascendants rise by then? No one can predict.
Anyone with clear sight can see that the increase in Ascendant strength isn't a linear, level-by-level progression like in a ga, but rather a massive, leapfrogging advancent.
Given this, it's impossible for official bodies of various countries not to feel a sense of crisis. Because official institutions are composed of people, and people have selfish motives; they worry about the wealth or power they possess being taken by others.
Therefore, now that Shadow's incident has erupted, official bodies of various countries are intensely focused, and the stance of most countries is consistent: severe condemnation.
Most countries have issued statents, believing that Shadow's act of infiltrating another country's capital and engaging in large-scale killing is a blatant trampling of that country's sovereignty and should be listed as an international fugitive.
Putting themselves in others' shoes, the reason these countries are so severe on this matter is their fear of similar incidents occurring within their own borders.
However, a very small number of countries did not speak out, even voicing contrary opinions.
For example, the Suroma Empire issued a statent imdiately after the Beixing Country official announcent. The spokesperson stated that Shadow eliminated a group of bandit forces and should not face such harsh condemnation. They publicly invited Shadow to co live in the Suroma Empire, promising to provide the most favorable treatnt.
These statents elevated the discussion frenzy to a new height. Social platforms in various countries were abuzz with debates on the matter, with differing viewpoints.
"So many countries jointly condemning him... seems they're really scared by Shadow. Well, if more Ascendants start doing this, official personnel in every country won't be able to sleep."
"Suroma really takes its barbaric style to the extre. When other countries condemn, it goes against the grain and publicly recruits. Really acting like it doesn't give a damn about other countries just because it has lots of warships!"
"That goes without saying. Even before the Doomsday Rules, Suroma bombed other countries every now and then, treating their sovereignty as nothing. What Shadow did now probably seems mild in the eyes of the Suroma king."
"If I had Shadow's strength, would I fear being wanted? With enough strength, where in this vast world couldn't I go?"
"Regardless, killing is wrong. Especially now, human life is much more precious than before."
"I think there will only be more 'Shadows' in the future; controlling them is impossible. Humanity will eventually enter a new social structure."
"I feel the sa. I predict that when the personal might of Ascendants breaks through and surpasses that critical point where national ard forces beco irrelevant, human social structures will definitely undergo a massive change."
"Speaking of which, have you all forgotten? The purpose of the Doomsday Rules released by the Fire Thief, which we've been discussing, is precisely to screen out a small portion of humanity, isn't it?"
The scale of this discussion storm was massive, but like a typhoon, the core eye of the storm was windless, exceptionally calm.
As the core figure who triggered all this, Guan Tong sat very calmly before his computer at this mont, with Coal Ball lying on his lap, snoring asleep.
He saw the joint condemnation from multiple countries against him, as well as the statents from the Beixing Country officials and the Suroma Empire. There weren't many ripples in his heart.
The deed was already done; looking back to consider whether it was reasonable or not held little aning. Moreover, he believed he hadn't done anything wrong. Letting people like Basong live would have been the mistake.
However, his mind was currently more occupied with the content regarding fragnts No. 2 and No. 4 sent by the "Primordial One."
To call it content is, more accurately, a personal understanding and summarized "story."
Just like a saying from the world Guan Tong transmigrated from: There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes.
Hamlet is still okay; at least it's textual content.
But for a mural without words, only paintings, each person's interpretation can also differ, and there might even be completely opposite interpretations.
What Guan Tong saw wasn't the original mural, but the mural content as interpreted by the "Primordial One" himself. As for whether it was true or false, whether private biases were intentionally inserted or content omitted, he couldn't judge.
All he could do was analyze whether the content seed reasonable by combining it with the two fragnts he possessed.
The interpretation content sent by the "Primordial One" was roughly as follows:
Kimos Star Chronicle · Fragnt 2: Various kinds of exotic beasts lived in different settlents, so forming alliances, others fighting each other. Among them, a few special groups of exotic beasts seed to have developed higher intelligence, manifested by prolonged stargazing, establishing large-scale tribal groups, and inventing stone carvings for communication, etc.
Kimos Star Chronicle · Fragnt 4: Various types of exotic beasts collectively exhibited a great migration phenonon, and the planet's environnt underwent earth-shattering changes. Disasters of all kinds appeared—fire, floods, lightning, solid ice, earthquakes, etc.—causing the deaths of a vast number of exotic beasts. After the great migration ended, only a small number of exotic beasts survived, and at the very end, a wisp of mist drifted and dispersed.
After reading the interpretation of these two fragnts' content, Guan Tong largely agreed.
He believed the "Primordial One" hadn't tried to cheat or cut corners, because this corresponded with the content of his own two fragnts.
"The story connected by the four fragnts is probably this: a planet nad Kimos Star gave rise to nurous exotic beast lifeforms. They multiplied and evolved naturally. After an unknown span of ti, intelligence gradually erged, forming groups like tribes."
"An unknown number of years later, so exotic beasts evolved higher intelligence, gaining the concept of 'stone-carved writing'... If they continued evolving, perhaps they could eventually, like humans, enter a technological era."
"But this process seems to have been interrupted. The planet's environnt mutated suddenly. Disasters like floods, raging fires, extre cold, earthquakes, etc., descended, forcing all exotic beasts into a collective great migration for survival, trying to find a safe new environnt... And after the great migration was completed, the appearance of a wisp of eerie mist marked the end of Fragnt 4's content..."
Guan Tong thought to himself, "That wisp of eerie mist should be the 'fog' that appeared in the Ninth Rule, capable of corrosion and transforming organisms into Nightmare Beasts. The exotic beast civilization of Kimos Star was perhaps destroyed by this fog..."
Although it was unknown to what level the exotic beast civilization had developed, judging from the mural interpretation provided by the "Primordial One," if corresponding to human developnt history, they were likely still in a primitive society period, not even having entered the agricultural revolution era.
Imagine if humanity were in a primitive society now, without modern buildings with strong airtightness. Faced with the invasion of the fog, perhaps destruction would be the only outco?
"In that era, perhaps only the very few humans hiding deep within caverns, where the fog couldn't penetrate, could survive..."
As Guan Tong pondered this, he saw the "Primordial One" send a new private ssage.
Primordial One: "I've finished reading the stories of Fragnts 1 and 3. Shadow summarized it very well! The narrative thread of Kimos Star's story is already quite clear. Ah, I can hardly wait to see the conclusion in Fragnt 5!"
Guan Tong felt exactly the sa.
Although both of them speculated that Fragnt 5's mural content should be about the destruction of Kimos Star's exotic beast civilization, until they saw it with their own eyes, they couldn't be certain.
Especially since, among the first four fragnts, although many disasters appeared, there seed to be no trace of the "Fire Thief's" existence.
Perhaps evidence of its existence could be found in Fragnt 5's mural?
This was undoubtedly a key issue of mutual concern for both of them. Because if it was confird that Kimos Star's exotic beast civilization was destroyed by the Fire Thief, then would Tianshui Star's human civilization... suffer the sa fate?
Primordial One: "Administrator, Shadow should have the sa thought as
right now, both wanting to know Fragnt 5's content as soon as possible."
Administrator: "Yes."
Primordial One: "Then how about this: after the Tenth Rule ends, Shadow and I travel to Sakura Prayer Country together to find that holder, what do you think?"
Administrator: "Shadow thinks we'll discuss that later."
Primordial One: "Alright. But compared to Fragnt 5's content, I'd really like to communicate with the survivors of that Kimos Star civilization. They must possess intelligence, right?"
Survivors of the civilization?
Guan Tong frowned. Did this civilization have survivors? Where did this information co from? He typed to inquire.
Administrator: "You've seen survivors from this planet?"
Primordial One: "Haha, didn't Shadow tell you? The ones guarding the fog gates aren't Nightmare Beasts."
Seeing this ssage, Guan Tong was stunned.
The ones guarding the fog gates aren't Nightmare Beasts?
Wait...
Guan Tong suddenly realized a problem. During the process of obtaining his two fragnts, he hadn't co into contact with the "gatekeepers."
For the first fragnt, official ard forces held off the gatekeeper; he never fought it from start to finish.
For the second fragnt, he obtained it from Basong, who got it from several other people, so he similarly had no contact with the gatekeeper.
So, according to the "Primordial One's" statent, if the ones guarding the fog gates aren't Nightmare Beasts but are exotic beasts from Kimos Star, then...
Guan Tong's heart jolted. He typed quickly.
Administrator: "Are you saying the Fire Thief brought the surviving exotic beasts from Kimos Star to Tianshui Star to serve as the fog gate guardians for these rules?"
Primordial One: "That is indeed one of my speculations, because I saw the eyes of the exotic beasts. Only intelligent lifeforms would have that kind of look in their eyes, right? However, before knowing Fragnt 5's content, we can't be completely certain."
Primordial One: "And I have another speculation—what if those few guardian exotic beasts are the victors screened through the Doomsday Rules... wouldn't that be horrifying?"
Primordial One: "Could it be that after the forty-nine Doomsday Rules, a few of us humans will also be screened out to beco the 'gatekeepers' for our civilization's chronicle?"
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