Chapter 274: The Eighth Meeting
Bai Yan once again returned inside the Babel Tower.
The current appearance theme is a Crystal Palace. The night sky outside the palace isn't make-believe, it's real...
At this moment, Bai Yan could already sense it.
Inside the grand hall of the Babel Tower, each "themed appearance" is actually supposed to be a "part" of a certain world.
"This is really hard to imagine... Although it's hard to say, but thinking about it carefully, it's like the Babel Tower, and then it becomes imaginable... It's not surprising that this thing can do anything."
What is the Babel Tower, you may wonder?
Civilization-level Relic?
Bai Yan shook his head, thinking, "No way, it's not possible. How could there be such powerful civilization-level relics? Absolutely impossible."
"So... is it a relic from a lost civilization?"
This could be a possibility...
However, which Outer God's relic could it possibly correspond to?
Bai Yan fell into deep thought.
For most extraordinary beings, a Ruin-level relic is a completely mysterious and unknown existence they have never encountered before.
In Noah's world, only a few people knew about it.
In the first playthrough of the game "Babel Tower," Bai Yan, a young man, would encounter more than one Ruin-level relic every time he reached the later stages.
Even so, he didn't know much about Ruin-level relics. He was only aware of a few, around a dozen or so. It was probably just half of the twenty-seven Ruin-level relics in total.
Bai Yan vaguely remembered seeing a faceless shadowy figure when he was ascending to become a crown.
Who was that, after all?
Some kind of mysterious Outer God?
No, whether it's the documented twenty-four Outer Gods or the three special Outer Gods that Bai Yan knows about, none of them.
Their appearance wasn't like that at all.
"The information we currently have is still not enough. If I could ascend to the Apocalypse, in that moment of connecting with the essence of souls, 'Connection' should allow me to see more images."
He sat on the crystal throne, gently shaking his head.
Today is the fifteenth day of December, during the eighth meeting.
The meetings that happen every ten days have already taken place eight times.
Bai Yan, holding his mobile phone, didn't immediately decide to call for a new meeting.
Instead, he took a look at the situation of the "captives" inside the Babel Tower.
Three months have passed, and in various daily, weekly, and activity tasks, the number of people "arrested" by the black mist has been increasing.
Now, there are more than five hundred "Babel Tower support personnel" within each research institute.
And the most frightening part is, this number is still growing rapidly.
In the beginning of the mission, the number of people being captured was slowly increasing, little by little.
But during this time, the number of people being captured began to increase by dozens.
"Hmm, in the future, when it comes to those tasks that involve quite a lot of people, it should be possible to directly capture hundreds of people, I suppose."
Bai Yan even had a strong feeling that one day, inside the Babel Tower, a special large group or even a town would form.
But for him, all of this was insignificant and unimportant.
Even if an extra city appeared, so what?
In his own hands, he now had a city, Tatsumi City.
But as the game "Babel Tower" reached its later stages, normal human efforts and productivity became meaningless. In the face of overwhelming power and greatness, they were simply too insignificant.
Bai Yan glanced at the live streaming mode of the "Babel Tower" game and, after confirming the situation of the operators, initiated a new meeting.
Hmm.
Now he starts paying attention to the privacy of the operators.
It wouldn't be right to summon Core Operators while they are taking a bath...
He didn't use the "Summon Operator" option on his phone, instead, he directly used the new power of "Savior".
Summon.
In the next moment.
Bai Yan could feel as if there were invisible strings connecting his fingers, and on the other end of those strings were the Core Operators of Babel Tower.
The connection... was so vivid.
Bai Yan tried moving the threads in his hands, controlling the Core Operators.
Snap.
Pop.
Let them 'approach'.
A black mist rose inside the crystal palace, and all eight Core Operators appeared.
"Kill me, please."
Scarlet Moon appeared, walking up with a complex mix of emotions in her eyes. Her desire for death was undeniable and true.
The intent to kill emanating from her was very apparent!
And, this intent to kill was directed towards the Savior!
In the next moment, Mu Ling's hand held the sharp blade against her fair neck.
She spoke calmly, saying:
"Go back, if you keep going forward, things will become very bad and ugly."
The Scarlet Moon remained silent, neither moving forward nor retreating.
Challenging the Savior is a very unwise choice.
She remembered how she had felt back then, when all her strength had been completely taken away... She felt completely helpless, as if she could be controlled by anyone.
Unable to survive, unable to die.
At least, the present version of herself still mostly possessed a sense of "self" most of the time.
Ganis furrowed his brow, as he saw this scene, completely unable to understand what was happening.
In these days, his gratitude for the Savior's blessings grew stronger and stronger, filling him with immense appreciation.
The Savior not only saved his sister, but also gifted him with incredible power. They would even provide him with regular combat training and chances to release stress.
Ganis couldn't help but wonder what qualities he possessed that made the Savior notice him.
Suddenly, someone calmly offered guidance to the Scarlet Moon.
"We all have been through similar training, similar dominance... I can understand how you feel right now, but... It's impossible for you to change the current situation just by wanting to."
It was Amy who spoke up.
She sat calmly in a wheelchair, with a little box-shaped robot perched on her shoulder.
Order, teamwork, and companionship were still very important to Amy.
Amy continued, saying:
"Let's temporarily make peace with Babel Tower... Perhaps, in the future, you will have a chance to negotiate with them... The situation of Nightsaber and Profligate is clearly better than yours."
"But are they really slaves? Sometimes, you can be too stubborn. You don't have to sell your soul to gain trust."
Everyone also noticed that Mr. Profligate was different.
He would often not join the meetings, but during the tasks, he actually took part.
Unlike the others, this man was absent in all sorts of reports.
Clearly, Mr. Profligate held a higher and more special position in Babel Tower compared to the other core members.
Can they get more freedom, just like him...?
However, this might mean bowing down to the "Savior".
Scarlet Moon furrowed her brow.
As the reigning queen, she had been knocked down many times over the years, but she had never truly surrendered.
Rather than choosing to submit, it would be better to let oneself perish... But now, at this point, she didn't even have the power to choose death.
But Amy was right, she didn't necessarily have to give up her soul. The Savior only wanted a little bit of loyalty.
She finally let out a long sigh.
"Babel Tower... Savior, I dislike what you're doing... I will never obey you, no matter what."
The unwavering determination in Scarlet Moon's eyes remained, as she calmly spoke:
"The Doomsday Crisis is approaching, and since that's the case, I must find a way to protect the Scarlet Blood Clan and ensure the survival of my people."
"Things have come to this point, and I would like to temporarily work together with you."
Bai Yan remained silent.
In reality, during the first playthrough, every time he played "Babel Tower," he managed to raise the loyalty of the Queen of the Scarlet Moon to 8.
She was indeed difficult to conquer, but she was not invincible like a rock.
As the "comedy" came to an end, Bai Yan finally spoke up.
[In the story of Doomsday Crisis, the enemies of Babel Tower are called Troublemakers.]
Troublemakers.
In Noah's world, Troublemakers are also a long-standing ancient group, and everyone present has heard something about them to a greater or lesser extent.
Alan thought for a moment. He realized that the knowledge about cult organizations was a subject that matched perfectly with the expertise of Night Watchers.
He quickly spoke up, "During this time, I happened to investigate a bit. In this place, there is a group called the Order of the Troublemakers, and their leader is known as the Head of Destruction. The Head of Destruction has been around for over three hundred years and is a very powerful person, even stronger than the lower-level forces of the Apocalypse."
Maryse paused for a moment, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. She spoke, "So, it's just the lower-level forces of the Apocalypse? Is that all?"
Her tone was starting to sound a bit arrogant.
But recently, the Babel Tower had just dealt with a "Demon of Justice", who, even with incomplete strength, still possessed at least the power of the lower-level forces of the Apocalypse.
At that time, some of the Core Operators who were present managed to successfully resolve the situation... Well, in reality, if the "Emperor" had not been there, they would have been completely defeated.
But it still made Maryse feel a bit light-headed.
She now felt that the lower-level forces of the Apocalypse weren't really as formidable as they seemed.
Completely forgetting the fact that she was simply idling at that time, lost in her thoughts.
Maryse smiled, patting her chest, and cheerfully said, "Well, it doesn't seem like the situation is too bad, but what does that 'Chosen for Eternity' that Ailsa mentioned mean?"
"He is very powerful, a truly mighty being."
In a carefree manner, Profligate, suddenly appeared out of nowhere, taking over Maryse's words without anyone noticing.
No one noticed how he had appeared.
Bai Yan calmly said, "We captured a priest of the troublemakers, and from his memories, we discovered information about Glofield, the Chosen for Eternity. Afterwards, there were descriptions of it in some religious texts."
"The descriptions in religious texts?"
Several people noticed this particular word.
This way of describing seemed very unique and stood out from the rest.
Bai Yan continued his explanation.
"In the current teachings and scriptures of the Troublemakers, Glofield is described as a 'person who is stared at', representing the god 'Pupil of Chaos' and the incarnation."
"In ancient legends, it was said that it was a very scary demon lord with incredibly terrible power. It could easily destroy organized armies and wipe out entire prosperous cities. Throughout countless years of world battles, it personally annihilated numerous kingdoms."
"It also led a powerful group called the 'Legion', which consisted of various strong individuals. They all faithfully followed it, engaging in battles, killings, and never-ending adventures."
"People had many names for this 'Chosen for Eternity', but the most frequent name was 'Tyrant'. Perhaps this was used to describe this powerful being full of desires for slaughter and plunder – the most fitting adjective."
Maryse stuck out her tongue. She didn't dare to be careless now.
Bai Yan remained silent for a moment, then continued, "All the descriptions mentioned above are from religious scriptures. They might be exaggerated, but they demonstrate the great strength of our opponent, which we should take seriously."
Maryse suddenly chimed in, "The situation of this guy... just by listening, I thought he was the Chosen of the Colorless City, filled with desires for conquest... but I remember that the nature of the Pupil of Chaos is more like a moth than a blade, you know."
Bai Yan smiled and nodded.
"This is what you said is absolutely correct, in the ancient writings, the 'Tyrant' Glofield was originally chosen by the Colorless City, but later it was influenced by the Pupil of Chaos and that's when it underwent a transformation."
Maryse was shocked to realize that her casual remark had actually come true.
"Oh! Can the chosen one change the god he believes in?"
This incident left her feeling a bit startled.
Bai Yan continued, "Yes, this is the power of the 'Enigmatic Gazer' and the 'Pupil of Chaos'... They can interfere with destiny and take away the things they desire."
"Besides the 'tyrant' himself, we should be most wary of the power coming from the 'Pupil of Chaos'... The terror of the Outer God is something we cannot fathom."
Everyone fell into deep thought.
Even the slime itself formed a "pondering" facial expression on its face.
They say it like this, but no one knows how things will actually be at that time, and it's unclear how to prepare for it.
"There isn't much information about the "Pupil of Chaos", maybe because of its powerful nature, many records and information are quietly erased. People just silently know about the existence of the "Pupil of Chaos" and have heard about its power to disrupt and change destinies.
Bai Yan sighed and said, "So, before the real crisis comes, we are unsure of how to prepare."
"I see," Alan nodded and said, "I have an idea, but I'm not sure if I should share it..."
...
The meeting took a little longer to finish.
Everyone started speaking freely and began discussing.
Except for the mighty "Savior" who remained silent, everyone, including the profligate, talked about many things.
The things that everyone usually talked about on the forum were not as plentiful as they are now. Gradually, several hours passed by.
In the Babel Tower, the people felt a sense of urgency during the Doomsday Crisis, and they took this opportunity to truly become familiar with each other.
The slime also wanted to take this opportunity to talk to everyone.
But the members of the Babel Tower all believed that it was someone's summoned creature or pet among the group.
No one realized that the slime was actually a key member of the Babel Tower.
So, it was ignored and had no choice but to roll around on the side, feeling unwilling and discontent.
Alan said with a sense of relief, "Up until now, we have finally become like a team. I hope this won't be our last battle."
The Scarlet Moon, who was standing on the edge, let out a dissatisfied grunt, seemingly expressing deliberate exclusion from the group.
Mu Ling quietly looked towards the direction of the Savior.
She whispered, "Don't worry, no matter what, we will definitely be able to save the Noah World."
"Because, He is helping us."
Maryse couldn't hold it back anymore and said, "Nightsaber... I've always felt that you're too 'obsessed' with the Savior... Is this what they call faith?"
Ganis slowly spoke up and said, "Having faith is actually a good thing... Even among the Persecuted, there are legends about the 'Savior'... We just thought that the Savior would only save the Persecuted, nothing more, but we never expected that He would actually save the entire world."
He no longer had any obvious hostility towards the members of the Babel Tower.
Even though Ganis had his biases, he could still see that this group of people were not bad.
And besides, Ganis himself was not an ordinary person. He had a generous nature and a broad mind, not easily constrained by small prejudices towards the "townsfolk".
"I actually think... you all seem to believe in that too much..."
Just like Maryse, the Scarlet Moon was no longer afraid of her words being heard by the Savior.
She calmly said, "Can you really be certain that He is truly righteous?"
"No," Alan shook his head and said, "But among us, there are those who choose to believe, some who have no choice but to believe, and even those who cannot believe but must."
Clearly, the Scarlet Moon was the third type of person he was referring to.
The Scarlet Moon let out a sigh and said, "Don't worry, even if it's me, I won't hold back during the Doomsday Crisis... I would never betray my allies."
Everyone believed what she said.
The Queen of the Scarlet Moon was a powerful and principled ruler, who always kept her word and did exactly as she promised.
Since she made such a strong promise, even though she may feel unhappy and unwilling inside, for the next period of time, it would be impossible for her to become enemies with the Babel Tower.
In that moment, Amy turned her gaze towards Profligate Bai Yan and suddenly asked him a question.
"Mr. Profligate."
"Um...if all of us die, is there still a chance to save the world?"
Bai Yan remained silent for a moment, then revealed a harsh truth.
"It won't."
"Just as long as all of you die, then the connection between the Savior and this world will be broken... The possibility of the Noah world being saved will be gone forever, and you will truly face your end."
["Only victory, this is the path we can take."]
The voice of the Savior finally appeared.
Everyone listened quietly after hearing it.
Maryse shook her head vigorously, pleading, "Please, no! I don't want that kind of thing!"
Mu Ling took a deep breath and slowly pulled out her own knife, then knelt down on one knee.
Heading towards the Savior.
"You saved me," she said gratefully.
"Gave me everything I have now."
"I must repay you, fight for you, and follow your orders."
"You might be my destiny."
"But..."
In her eyes, there was a strong determination.
"I strongly believe that the connection between us is greater than what fate has given us."
--
After the meeting, Bai Yan didn't just sit around doing nothing.
He quickly went to search for the final two materials needed for the Crown Ceremony of the Slime Monarch.
The ten extraordinary materials needed for the Crown Ceremony "Gluttonous Beast" of Fusion Slime are extremely rare and precious, just as valuable as the treasures of the Essence of the Void.
Among them, eight of the materials have already been found, while the remaining two are called the "Shimmering Stone" and the "Raging Wave's Blood."
The Shimmering Stone couldn't be found for now, but Bai Yan still knew where it was.
But the Raging Wave's Blood... Bai Yan really didn't know where to find this thing, he hadn't even found any specific information or descriptions about its appearance.
"But since this Crown Ceremony is most suitable for Fusion Slime, finding the Raging Wave's Blood shouldn't be too difficult either," he thought.
"It surely exists in the world of Noah, but I just haven't found a crucial clue that would lead me to it," he thought, unable to locate it for now.
Bai Yan took a look at other Crown Ceremony rituals involving slimes and noticed that the difficulty level was increasing linearly.
"First, we need to get our hands on the shimmering stone."
The shimmering stone is a special object that doesn't exist in the world of Noah. Anyone who simply holds it tightly can gain the power of "teleportation".
Since the "shimmering stone" comes from another world, it is extremely rare, and even if it is as small as a fingernail, it has a very high value.
However, the durability of this thing is quite poor.
Even a shimmering stone the size of a fist can only support an adult to "teleport" a few dozen times at most.
Generally speaking, in comparison to its practical value, its artistic value is even higher.
"The shimmering stone" looks very beautiful. It is not only clear and transparent, but it also emits a soft, white light, constantly flickering like electric sparks.
Bai Yan knew where to find this thing.
The City of the Highest, the Time of Chord Sorcery Guild, the top floor of the Ring City... and inside the Temple of Dark Light in Annottales.
These places have artworks from all around the world, and even beyond the world.
And so, Bai Yan's parasitic incarnation once again passed through the Heart of Babel Tower and exited through the doorway of the "Fist of Duel".
He arrived in Annottales, returning to his own Tulip Manor.
As for this place, Bai Yan had already become somewhat familiar with it.
"Let's take a look at how that person is doing..."
Bai Yan squinted his eyes and started to sense the situation of Hidden Azure, Kaluoer.
He let Hidden Azure go, without restricting the freedom of the girl.
But it didn't mean he completely stopped caring about her.
Long before Hidden Azure noticed, Bai Yan had already used a special technique called "slime transformation" to place a fragment of himself inside her body.
Hidden Azure's body is not exactly the same as a normal person. Some parts of her abdomen and limbs are actually "puppets" that can hold things inside.
Sometimes, she would also take advantage of opportunities to secretly stash away some poison and small tools.
After Bai Yan releases his Power Possession from the "slime," these fragments will turn into hair... These things belong to Bai Yan's body and he can sense them through a "connection."
The power of connection...
Bai Yan closed his eyes, and soon he could see the exact pictures he desired.
In a clear picture, Hidden Azure calmly cooked a meal.
It was clear to see that she was working in the kitchen, covering her beautiful face with a towel to avoid any trouble.
Bai Yan could feel that this place was still located in Annottales.
It should be in the Ninth District, a somewhat remote and backward place. Naturally, the public security here is not very good.
"Um, let's not worry about her for now... but we need to have another conversation with her older sister."
Bai Yan was currently pursuing something, a special stone called the "Shimmering Stone," which was said to be found in the Temple of Dark Light. And it was in that very temple where the Innocent Singer, Evie, resided.
"Last time, I asked her to help me bring the 'key' out. I wonder how it's going."
Bai Yan stood in the bedroom, slowly revealing a smile.
--
The next morning.
He once again arrived at the garden in the first city district.
Remote, quiet, without a soul in sight.
Many flowery walls formed small mazes. It was early morning, and no one would linger here.
Bai Yan quietly sat on the bench, waiting for the arrival of that person.
After a while, Evie indeed arrived, still dressed in a black veil from head to toe, afraid of being recognized by others.
And this time, she came alone because of the power of "mind control."
"Huh?"
As Evie caught sight of the middle-aged man, she suddenly paused for a moment, feeling a bit surprised.
"Who are you?"
Edmond (Bai Yan), with a mature and steady smile, gently nodded and slowly said, "Evie, did you get the thing I asked you to fetch a while ago?"
"What are you talking about? I don't know you, it's strange, why did I come here?"
Evie's expression became confused.
Bai Yan slowly stood up from the wooden chair and calmly walked over, surrounded by the chirping of early birds.
"You will soon be able to remember everything."
Evie, he placed his hand on her head once again.
"What are you doing? You jerk! Take your hands off, or I'll have someone chop it off!"
Evie was scolding angrily, but suddenly her gaze became confused.
"Oh, oh, ohhhhhh!"
Her body started shaking again, making those funny sounds once more.
"So, answer my question."
"Um."
Evie, with a confused look in her eyes, nodded gently and said, "I couldn't get it. I am still searching for its existence... I'm not sure if such a thing truly exists in the temple..."
In the current state, Evie spoke the truth, and Bai Yan believed her.
"Oh, I see. What a pity."
Bai Yan sighed and suddenly felt that he was more and more like a villain.
The key to the ruins where the Ultimate Ritual is located is actually a ring.
That was from one of the "Rainbows," a ring left behind by Fate's Strings Master, and it appeared in the Temple of Dark Light for unknown reasons.
If someone has the power level of the Demon of Justice and obtains this ring, they can go to the hidden ruins beneath Annottales and unleash the Ultimate Ritual to become a legendary god.
Of course, during the first playthrough, Bai Yan rarely managed to obtain it directly inside the Temple of Dark Light.
In the first playthrough of the "Babel Tower," he usually obtained this thing by snatching it from a big boss.
Bai Yan still remembers that the name of this special event was "The Battle for Ascension."
However, at this stage, that big boss should still be pretending to be harmless, biding its time in a state of patience.
They could try to interrupt him before his story officially started.
"So, help me find something new, it shouldn't be too difficult to find."
Bai Yan calmly gave his command.
"The Shimmering Stone, which should be the size of your fist. Bring it here in two days."
"Hmm."
Evie nodded gently, her eyes still filled with confusion.
"Very good."
Bai Yan smiled and turned away, disappearing around a corner.
He snapped his fingers.
"Snap."
Evie suddenly woke up, looking around with a puzzled expression.
"It's so cold, why am I here? Hmm, I should go back and have breakfast."
Although Evie felt that something was not right, she still shook her head and went back, crossing her arms.
