Chapter 85: The Canaan Archives
The end of the era, the terminal Nightworld.
And, the final remnant.
Hearing Ingrid's words, Rast couldn't help but fall into contemplation.
Even just a historical fragment of an ordinary Nightworld could bring about disasters too heavy to bear.
Then, what if it was a catastrophe that once destroyed an entire civilization at the end of an era?
“If the terminal Nightworld can’t be conquered, what will happen?”
“Not sure...”
Ingrid shook her head. “It’s said that the final remnant of the First Era once failed to be conquered, leading to the descent of the terminal catastrophe into the real world… directly erasing over seventy percent of the continent’s population at the time.”
“However, that period is far too ancient, and back then technology was still underdeveloped. Many historical records and inheritances were lost in that terminal catastrophe. This is only a hypothesis made by later generations based on archaeological findings.”
“After that, every time the exploration of a Nightworld era reached its end, the strategy of the final remnant was almost always paid for with human lives.”
“If the coordinates of an ordinary Nightworld were relatively remote, there was still the possibility of evacuating local residents and strategically abandoning the conquest, allowing the dusk-level catastrophe to manifest in the real world, then using technology to suppress it.”
“But clearly, no one dares to let an extinction-level catastrophe manifest in reality. In those moments, even hostile nations across the continent would work together.”
“Besides, even the final remnant of the First Era... actually holds no reference value to our current situation.”
She pulled a crest from her bosom and placed it into the sensing groove at the entrance of the Arcane Tower.
In the next moment, an unremarkable door silently slid open.
“After all, the final remnant of the First Era was nothing more than the watershed between two eras.”
“But the finality of the Sixth Era is not just the end of an era.”
“It is also the end of all Old Day history and the entirety of the Nightworld.”
At this point, Ingrid’s tone involuntarily grew heavier.
The end of the entire Nightworld—
Also signified that all Night Travelers, including the thousand-year mission passed down by Starfall University, would come to an end.
This undoubtedly symbolized the release of the heavy shackles that bound every transcendent being’s heart.
Yet at the same time, no one truly looked forward to that moment.
Because everyone knew clearly… even the most ordinary remnant of catastrophe required a horrifying sacrifice, let alone the final one.
If the process of conquering the Nightworld was likened to a tower climbing game called “Be a Man, Reach the 100th Floor,” then the seventy-two ordinary Nightworlds were the elite mini-bosses on each floor, and the final remnants that appeared every twelve Nightworlds were the mid-bosses.
And at the end of the seventy-two Nightworlds, what awaited the Night Travelers was undoubtedly the demon king at the top of the tower.
A person’s life could only be lived once, and Night Travelers had no way to reload or redo.
“The Academy and the Empire’s military invested massive resources to jointly construct the Arcane Tower. The so-called storage of classified intelligence is just a side function… its main purpose is still to suppress the terminal Nightworld here.”
“Still, there's no need to be overly pessimistic.”
Ingrid smiled, and led Rast and Dean Silver into the Arcane Tower. “Based on the experiences of previous eras, before the remaining Nightworlds of the Sixth Era are fully explored and conquered, the final remnant will never go berserk.”
“In fact, quite the opposite. As the Nightworld that records the entire history of the Sixth Era…”
“Unlike those ordinary Nightworlds, which can only enter fragmented disaster nodes with heavy restrictions, the terminal Nightworld has an extremely high degree of freedom. It not only lacks any restriction on the rank of Night Travelers, but also holds compatibility with nearly all sequences.”
“In the terminal Nightworld, you may enter any time node of the entire Sixth Era, from the golden age at the dawn of civilization, down to the final moments near the end of the era… Moreover, even those extremely rare sequences in the real world, or those whose inheritance has already been lost—once you enter, the Nightworld will automatically match you to a copy suitable for your rank and abilities, based on your compatibility.”
“The only drawback of the terminal Nightworld is that you cannot enter as a team… But as long as you're not afraid of danger, then whether from the perspective of improving oneself or exploring historical secrets, the terminal Nightworld is the best choice.”
“Shiltina and the other elites of Starfall University, including myself, often go in. Once the Academy finishes applying for your clearance, Rast, you can try entering the terminal Nightworld too.”
She glanced at Rast’s empty shoulder. “What a pity that Dean Silver can’t enter the Nightworld. Otherwise, maybe in the terminal Nightworld, it could find a breakthrough method for that rare sequence too.”
Rast also looked at the hood behind him. Dean Silver remained silent and unmoving.
However, since even this chatterbox of a stoat hadn’t jumped out to refute, that meant most of what Ingrid said was indeed true.
…
After entering the Arcane Tower, the two humans and one beast passed through numerous checkpoints, some relying purely on technological means, like iris and fingerprint scans.
Others belonged to the transcendent side, filled with a magical flair—like a checkpoint that scanned their whole bodies with a sharp gaze and asked strange questions, making Rast suspect that if he answered wrong, the sphinx statues might jump down and bite him.
But under Ingrid’s lead, they didn’t encounter any real obstacles and ascended the tower step by step.
Until—
On a certain floor of the Arcane Tower, in front of a massive archive hall, there appeared a giant creature, nearly ten meters tall… a gorilla?
It looked at the two humans and one beast ascending the steps, its eyes shining with a human-like intelligence.
“Ingrid, Dean Silver… and Rast, correct?” A deep, resonant voice came from its mouth.
“Holy crap, an ape…”
Rast poked a certain snow-white stoat, the implication being: this giant ape really looks like your kin.
A magical creature, right? As the Dean of the Magical Creatures Research Institute, isn’t this your area of expertise?
Dean Silver rolled his eyes at him, an impatient voice sounding directly in Rast’s mind. “Magical creatures aren’t this cheap. This one’s a genuine human, of the ‘Forest’ sequence.”
“Forest?”
“Yeah. The fifth-rank ability of the Forest sequence’s long path is Druid, allowing temporary transformation of one’s body into various animal forms.”
“This unlucky guy Barbalossa used to be a professor in the Lionheart House. Later, during a Nightworld conquest, his soul was cursed and twisted. His soul and body no longer matched, and he permanently transformed into a Druid and couldn’t turn back. Not even the Nightworld’s Reversion could fix the soul.”
“In his current form, he can’t teach anymore, and is too embarrassed to show himself in public… so he just ran to the Arcane Tower and took up an idle retirement job guarding the place.”
“Or in other words, he’s a security guard now.” Dean Silver’s voice carried a bit of gloating.
On the other side, Ingrid had already bowed slightly toward the giant ape, her voice respectful.
“Professor Barbalossa.”
“According to our appointment, we’re here to retrieve the ninth-level classified archives on ‘Canaan.’”