Chapter 53: Seeds of Awakening
Prophecy?
After listening to Alan's statement, Bai Yan was slightly stunned.
The massive white stone before him is a miraculous Relic that can predict the future... However, it's too large to steal.
"You said everyone can ask a question to the prophecy book, so why don't the superiors ask it to help find those heinous criminals?" Bai Yan asked with confusion.
Why did they allow the grassroot members to have complete freedom? It 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 perhaps you were hurt by someone from the Black Star, asking where he’s located also requires an additional cost... Prophecies are quite stingy."
"So that's how it is," Bai Yan understood the judgment rules of the Prophecy to some extent, but there was still one thing that was not 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 Relic, and our cost... has already been paid by others."
Alan's expression gradually became 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 issue 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 to reduce their lifespan by 100 days."
Bai Yan was slightly startled and immediately realized the gravity of this matter.
Once this kind of thing 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.
Um, there will definitely be some people who don't understand.
Bai Yan didn't know what to say about what the Demon Hunt Agency had done for the sake of order.
He knew that this city had suffered many disasters and difficulties, and the Prophecy must have offered a lot of help. If it was not used, order in the city would have broken down a long time 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 destruction of the city."
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, and eventually caused serious consequences.
Alan clapped his hands together and said, "Too far off topic. So back 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. Help me out, what's your question?"
Alan's expression turned rather grim. "My question was very boring, and I deeply regret. It's completely meaningless."
He paused for a moment and said, "My question is what kind of person I will become."
"Don’t ask. The answer was that I will become a savior of the world."
Alan smiled and pretended to be confident. 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 to himself sarcastically, then immediately joked, "It seems like the Prophecy has lost its accuracy. Instead of saving the world, I'd rather believe that 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.
Firstly, he cannot divulge anything related to the Babel Tower in front of Alan.
Secondly, the question he asked should be meaningful... Knowing what kind of person he will become is a rather uninteresting matter.
Where the leader of the Black Star Faction is, or how to become the strongest Superoperator, obviously cannot 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 fluctuated 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 in mind.
The answer is not entirely useless. In that case, perhaps he may have the opportunity to actively plan his own death. And this is 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."
“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 may 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 towards becoming an official Superoperator.
The subtle contrast left Bai Yan momentarily stunned, and Alan Aaron thought he was too stunned and excited, so it was not surprising.
Bai Yan asked calmly, "How do I use this? Since you have 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 in front of him disintegrated and ceased to exist. He soon saw a dark, dense, bottomless blackness.
This is 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 never happened.
Alan stood before him and said, "What you see 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 a 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 may 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.
