The Undying Transmigrator

Chapter 54: Acknowledgment, Remembrance

One could see the emaciated prophet wandering across the land, his clothes in tatters, walking barefoot. His gem-like compound eyes had been gouged out by his own hands, now cradled in his claws.

He spoke blasphemous words, telling people the apocalypse was coming, that the evil beast beneath the earth was about to break free from its shell. His eyes that had witnessed everything were the evidence, yet aside from vulgar beauty, no one could see the truth the prophet had witnessed.

Someone killed this madman and took the gems, yet the corpse pushed open the grave soil, holding stones, continuing to tell his story.

Someone burned the living corpse and scattered his ashes into the ocean, yet the eyeless spirit continued to wander driven by obsession.

He asked Mo Wen by the roadside: "Do you see the truth?"

I see it.

Centuries later, the planet shattered, civilization perished, yet the prophet's final words were never taken to heart.

But Mo Wen answered: "I see it, and I've already spread your prophecy. Many believe your story, and we're trying to kill that beast."

"That's good, thank you."

The long-dissolved soul returned to the Warp, but something had changed.One could see the aged leader sitting in a wheelchair, completely naked, being pushed by his most trusted subordinate into the never-ending winter.

He had done everything he could. He transformed a survivor camp of dozens into a city of tens of thousands. He left the bewildered people with a will to survive, united chaotic factions into one, and pointed the way forward.

He was old, he was tired, he wasn't immortal, so he would use death to guide the way one last time.

In the howling blizzard, thousands bid farewell to the aged figure. He told his assistant to step back, pushing the wheelchair forward himself while shouting: "We will conquer the winter!"

Before crossing the boundary between life and death, he mustered his final strength and charged into the snowstorm.

The rejuvenated leader walked through the ice and snow, seeing Mo Wen who regarded the storm as nothing. He asked: "Did we conquer the winter?"

The leader died, the city split amid council disputes, and the snowstorm eventually swallowed the city, devouring civilization's last stronghold, declaring their extinction.

Mo Wen answered: "We won."

"We won... Thank you for bringing this good news." He stopped advancing, instead turning to look toward the city, saluted, and dissipated.

One could see the worried researcher repeatedly running calculations, trying to find that troubling error, yet every model was perfectly flawless.

The hyperspace engine was about to activate. Their civilization would reach a new stage, planting flags on every planet, no longer needing to restrict population due to overcrowding, no longer abandoning development due to resource shortages.

But he had a vague feeling this would ultimately create enormous problems.

"If psychic power doesn't dissipate and merge with nature, but instead eventually converges in some space, creating a super psychic energy-rich region besides the physical universe... Damn it, we've actually overlooked such an important issue all along."

"We absolutely cannot activate the hyperspace engine!" He slid desperately, dozens of tentacles propelling him almost into flight.

Then he saw Mo Wen in the corridor, looking at him with an expression reserved for idiots: "What's the rush? If it's important, you can send a communication first, then provide physical documents."

The researcher paused: "Oh, right, I was too rushed, completely forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me."

He never made it back. The moment he tried to rewrite the past, he vanished into nothingness.

This was the Warp, not the past. The past cannot be rewritten, nor should it be rewritten.

Rejecting the past equally meant rejecting the present. At least Mo Wen, claiming to be an observer, didn't support others doing this. As for himself? He definitely wanted to control time, to create everything according to his preferences... probably.

Mo Wen lost count of how many people this was, nor did he know how many more would come, but he repeatedly acknowledged the significance of these psychics.

Because this was also acknowledging himself.

He faced a desperate situation with no end in sight.

When could he surpass the Revival Point? Unknown. Was it truly possible to surpass the Revival Point without anyone stopping him? Unknown. Was this eternal torture specifically for him, a sadistic game? Unknown. Was he still trapped in eternal pain, with all this being his hallucination? Unknown. Could psychic power carry over to the next world, remaining this powerful? Unknown.

He knew nothing, couldn't see the path ahead, but simply by telling these people there was still a way forward, he seemed to harvest a fragment of hope.

There must be meaning. What drove his steps forward was meaning itself.

If this world held no meaning whatsoever, then every action turned to nothingness, and advancement became meaningless.

Even complete, utter failure must yield some value.

Therefore, he must acknowledge.

Acknowledge the struggle that exhausted all effort, acknowledge meaning, acknowledge... hope.

Hope was a luxury word, but only such luxury things could keep people alive.

Hope was a luxury word, but only such luxury things could keep people alive.

One after another, until numbers seemed to lose meaning, Mo Wen once again met Qi Shiming.

He smiled radiantly: "Long time no see. Looks like my ultimate move was quite effective."

"Ultimate move?" Mo Wen sneered, "Just an flood of information. I could withstand it easily."

Qi Shiming shook his head: "No, that kind of thing obviously couldn't kill you. For this move, I borrowed from my death experience..."

"In this world, some people refuse others' charity. No matter how much glory you give them, they firmly maintain their selfhood. But there are others who, if you ask them for an embrace, will definitely return it."

"Can you feel it? The countless pasts you've acknowledged, and the starry river you're about to illuminate."

"They only lack the final step."

Acknowledgment requires only a nod, but change requires power.

Escape the rainbow light, return to reality, seize the container, survive, then conquer every challenge the world presents, kill all who stand in the way. If mere survival was the goal, this would already be the best choice for Mo Wen.

But he wanted to acknowledge all meaning, including his own.

Mo Wen detected resistance from the world itself.

He had reached his limit. All his potential had been developed to the extreme. Even psychic power awakened only after traversing cosmic birth and destruction couldn't withstand the full counterattack of the true "world."

After countless years of futile effort, be driven away, or after raising hell, make your exit.

The answer was obvious.

The nonexistent clock of time reversed, just this once, for someone.

"Remember, I won this battle. Now, get lost."