One could well imagine the strength it had, as the representative of more than 170,000 civilizations while also being in control of the Cradle system.

But that didn't mean Roland had no chance of winning.

Lan's unspoken request, Epsilon's doubts, the memories from the astrolabes, as well as G.o.d's reaction—all of the clues started to form a series of connections.

The so-called replacement of G.o.d was not in the true sense of the word.

"What did you say?" With its hand in midair halfway, the Custodian stopped suddenly.

"Aren't species capable of adapting to magic power and qualified candidates wis.h.i.+ng to explore the world beyond the door already in existence?" Roland slowly extended his finger out and pointed to the Custodian. "If we were to let everything start over, no one would have been able to tell you this."

"…" It was the first change in expression that 'Lan' revealed.

As though a crack had appeared on smooth gla.s.s.

"Do you know what you're saying? Once I leave, the Cradle will die and when the time comes, this universe will become a vestige of any form of life. Furthermore, the other side of the door possesses a completely different set of laws. Those transformed from magic power might be unable to return and failure means extinction—"

"That's not the point, because it will be the same regardless of what civilization it is. Even if they are willing to head beyond the rift, you will never know if they succeed. So compared to 'adapting,' the 'aspiration' is far more important. You should know that better than me." At this point, Roland slowed down his speech. "That's right, you know about this, that is why there's a species such as the Sky-sea Realm."

G.o.d's minimal actions made it seem as though it had quietened down.

The Sky-sea Realm's various abnormal activities indicated that it was not just a compet.i.tor. In fact, it was not difficult to comprehend. Magic naturally possessed the potential to exceed laws. Mutation couldn't be eliminated for species that matured in environments with extremely weak magic power, allowing them to obtain astonis.h.i.+ng progress in a short period of time. This progress might not make them adaptable to life outside the barrier, but would jeopardize the Cradle system.

But to interfere just for the "possibility" that existed became an inconsistency that went against the basic rules—since creatures capable of adapting to environments with magic power would eventually experience this phase. In order to control the risks and prevent the situation from deviating, a sub-first grade filtering method had to be applied. Thus, the Sky-sea Realm, a unique species, was placed into the Swirling Sea.

Even though all of this was merely speculation, Roland knew that his idea was not too far off from the actual truth based on G.o.d's reaction.

Since it was the Omniscient Custodian, the things it considered would definitely be more comprehensive.

Obviously, the hardest part of the plan, aside from the unpredictability of how a species would evolve, was 'aspiration'.

The more than 170,000 civilizations involved in Project Gateway might make the scale seem vast, but compared to vast number of civilizations within the universe, it was just but a small minority.

Besides, their common ground of understanding was to break the seal to allow the universe to continue inexhaustibly.

But not every civilization would be willing to head into the domain of the unknown.

In other words, if a species completely capable of adapting to magic power appeared, the Custodian would be caught in between a dilemma—if the Custodian was not willing to take any risks, the agreement would never be fulfilled. Or if G.o.d forcefully spurred the situation, no one could be sure that victory was a.s.sured for the Custodian.

"… You think that this is enough to sway me?" After a long silence, the other party spoke up. But despite saying so, its hands no longer continued to move.

"I'm not saying all of this to sway your judgment, but merely enunciating the simplest logic here. You already understand and know of the uncertainty in satisfying the criteria of being 'adaptable' and having the 'aspiration,' and you understand it without me continuing." Roland shrugged and feigned casualness. "Of course, it is natural that you can't be at ease leaving the Cradle. In that case, I can do a bit of a sacrifice. After you are gone, I can allow the Cradle to continue operating, and at the same time, nurture lifeforms with potential—just not through means such as the Battle of Divine Will. How's that?"

"Lan" never expected such words from him and was stunned for an extended period of time, be it his understanding of the rules or his suggestion from his all-out calculations. In the end, it shook its head. "A very interesting argument, for you to be able to reach this step shows that you truly stand out from the ma.s.ses. But an agreement is an agreement, I am the Custodian, be it a species or civilization, this is something set long before life began, and the cornerstone of my existence."

"Really?"

Roland focused all of his attention and unleashed yet another Battle of Souls!

Darkness enveloped the two, the platform and stairs disappeared without a trace, and time seemed to freeze.

"All of that rhetoric, just for this? A pity that a sneak attack is completely meaningless against me. As long as I transfer a bit of resources, I will be able to satisfy all calculatory requirements." Upon entering battle state, "Lan" spoke much more calmly, and all its prior doubts had disappeared without a trace. "But this is good too. Let this battle mark the end of the world—"

"No… I merely wanted you to see something, a past that maybe you've forgotten." The huge drain on his psyche made Roland struggle to even speak, but he knew that it was a crucial moment that did not allow for him to fall.

As his sentence came to an end, the scenery around them changed, and quickly receded at the speed of light!

It was time flowing backwards—

The world full of vitality within the Cradle degenerated into lava and earth, once again revealing the metallic cover. The red light blossoming out from the crack instantly receded and turned black. Following that were the fleets of the more than 170,000 civilizations, as well as the galaxy which had pulled over—these strings of events receded at an extremely fast speed, turning the entire s.p.a.ce around the two into a light that had no end.

All of which were memories obtained from the astrolabe, to which he had pieced them sequentially.

This continued until a gray figure appeared.

Time then returned back to normal.

"This is—" "Lan" revealed an expression of shock.

"How does it feel?" The gray figure walked to an incomparably large construct and raised his head. "This memory pod I built using materials from a galaxy is enough for you to use for tens of thousands of years. Of course, considering that the work involved would extend for a long period of time, you are free to increase the modules as you wish."

"Tests are completed, interaction is good." A pair of eyes appeared beneath the construct—one could tell that its form was made up of a translucent substance and could relay messages directly. "But while circulating my consciousness with the different components, I discovered a few unnecessary redundancies. They occupy a large amount of s.p.a.ce without being of much use. It is suggested to simplify or discard them."

"Keep them, they are part of the design."

"But I did not find similar constructs in other similar auxiliaries."

"Doesn't that mean you're unique?" The gray figure released a warm and gentle light.

"… what's the meaning behind being unique?" The eyes blinked. "According to logic, the possibility of malfunction with the redundant materials greatly surpa.s.s the norm. It might completely jeopardize the entire mission—"

"But these things might allow you to see a few things, domains that the other auxiliaries might not be able to see. Treat it as a stubborn request of mine."

The eyes fell silent. "I understand."

"Very good. Next up is to activate the energy core, and allow you to separate from the external supply, you will be able to live autonomously for a long time. In some sense, today is the day that you are born."

"Executing… order."

Following that, the symbols on the translucent sh.e.l.l, the eyes, and the light disappeared without a trace, leaving only the gray figure reflected on the glossy surface.

The gray figure took two steps and gently caressed the gigantic outer sh.e.l.l.

"The following years will be long, but I do not want to become a cold voice by the side harping on and on. And as for you… you shouldn't be just a machine."

CRACK.

The crack on the gla.s.s suddenly split open.