Above The Sky
Chapter 1134: 162: The Pioneer of Terra People, Tombs and Echoes (7200, Major Chapter)_4

Chapter 1134: Chapter 162: The Pioneer of Terra People, Tombs and Echoes (7200, Major Chapter)_4

“Poisoning and extinction, walking towards the end by oneself and being obliterated by the Sparks of other civilizations, becoming the nourishment of other civilizations… I would rather the Terra People bury themselves.”

Even at this moment, the old man’s ecosystem remains confident and arrogant. When he speaks of the Sparks of other civilizations, it is with a condescending attitude. He believes the civilization he belongs to is superior to others, and that his race is far stronger than those extraterrestrial Aliens. He regards all Sparks as nourishment and tools for his civilization, everything being kindling for the flame of Terra civilization to burn fiercely.

Such arrogance, such pride, such dazzling brilliance, like the Pioneer, holding high the torch, guiding all the lost forward, walking in a dark wilderness where there is absolutely no path ahead.

It is not because it is in his nature, but because only something as radiant as the sun, unparalleled in the Firmament, can capture everyone’s attention and become the ‘Pioneer’ that everyone yearns for.

At least, the Pioneer of the Terra People.

But in the next instant, the old man clutched his head, murmuring like a schizophrenic: “But I can’t die… I can die, but my Wisdom… the gift of the Star God… the gifts from the Sons of the Sun, those inspirations, those keys, those subtle insights that can’t be recorded in words or texts, those plans so mad I dare not leave them in writing, the possibilities following the Path of Sublimation…”

“They cannot be dragged down by my insignificant life; they must be passed on… our civilization must take over all my Legacy and that of The Alliance… but…”

He painfully used his head to hit the lab bench, but what cracked was not the old man’s skull, but the indestructible steel lab bench: “But they can’t do it—damn it! Why! Why can’t they learn!”

The old man’s voice is full of fear and dread; he is not only afraid of his own death but a kind of inner terror.

Like never being able to taste a kind of lost gourmet food again.

Like never being able to see a scenery about to be destroyed.

Like never being able to meet a dearest friend or lover again.

Like a Prophet, who knows the destined end yet hopelessly realizes that this fate can never be changed.

Such fear, such despair.

But for the old man, what he fears most, is not these.

What he fears most, is only one thing.

—The knowledge he holds, no one can learn.

This is the greatest sorrow of a Scholar.

If it were the complete Terra civilization, surely it could inherit what the old man thinks and desires. One genius is not enough; there are ten geniuses. A hundred geniuses are not enough; the whole world can cultivate ten thousand talents.

A genius who surpasses an era can lead an entire project, or even an entire civilization’s leap, but only with the support of millions, tens of millions of practitioners and related technicians of a civilization, can a genius who surpasses an era perfectly realize his talent.

And he can also believe that everything he develops will be perfectly inherited and become the ‘creations of civilization’ commonly seen in everyone’s hands in the future era.

Even under the transformation of other super geniuses, talents, and practitioners, his original ideas will burst forth with vitality far beyond his imagination.

Those once complex and expensive computers were like this, those heavy and massive communication terminals were too—they all became more exquisitely small and more powerful and efficient under the passage of time and the perfection of countless people.

The old man absolutely believes that the civilization of the past had the ability to achieve it.

However…

Heavenfall descended.

Heavenfall destroyed the most important assets and foundation of the previous era civilization—that over ten billion well-educated population, the technical equipment and industrial production chains spread globally. That incredible Aether shock even penetrated the Domain of Void and reality, completely destroying all storage devices below the sixth Sky Ladder.

Impossible now. Only a few survivors remain in the entire institute; the rest are intelligent mechanical servants, and among them, few can understand his ideas. They cannot be left here but will be sent through Aether armor to other shelters with large populations, passing on the latest knowledge of the Path of Sublimation.

Humans need the minds of these advanced researchers to ignite the light in the darkness. In this Post-Apocalyptic Era of civilization being destroyed, they cannot continue to explore the road further afield but can only dock beside villages, lighting torches and preserving some past Sparks in the darkness of ignorance.

However…

“I can’t even do this…”

The old man buried his head in his arms, he despairingly murmured, large teardrops fell from his eyes onto his clothes and beard: “I’m going to die… How can I die… Humans need me, and I haven’t even found a way to transfer the Rites of the Star Gods!”

“This most precious wealth can’t be left behind, clearly the Key the Star God left for all Terra People to ascend ultimately, the foundation of civilization’s Ascension… How can I take it to die?!”

“What on earth should I do?”

Ian stood silently behind the old man; through Retrospective Vision, he empathized with the old man’s fear, despair, and confusion.

Especially that deep loneliness.

As the researcher of the Highest Level in the previous era civilization, as a genius surpassing both time and civilization, recognized by a super civilization that can be called divine, and received their gifts—as such a divinely favored wise man, separated from other people as if by a world, the Pioneer is certainly lonely.

His disciples, students, and promising heirs all died in the Calamity of Heavenly Fall, and his devoted civilization and race also near destruction, the Pioneer himself will soon face death.

His cries and tears are not solely for himself… but for the ‘Terra civilization’ he represents.

He deeply knows that after his death, Terra civilization will become the ‘Terra previous era civilization.’ To future Terra civilization, previous era civilization was indeed advanced and created brilliant civilization, but they ultimately did not withstand the disaster of the Heavenly Kingdom. Those bones are their ancestors, but they are not them.

Merely… a group wandering between ruins and relics, echoes resonating in emptiness and history.

“Echoes!”

And at this moment, the old man suddenly lifted his head, tears flowing in his wrinkles, yet he no longer mourns.

A kind of fire ignited in the old man’s eyes, in those eyes turned metallic iron-gray, burned a flame like the sun: “Yes—there’s still Echoes!”

“Even if I will eventually pass away, and Terra civilization is destined to be buried in tombs, but at the very end…”

“At least we can leave behind Echoes!”

—Even if we cannot have eternal life, even if we cannot leave behind our souls, even if we cannot replicate everything of ourselves in text and data… but at least I can leave Echoes, leave those similar but ultimately different imitations!

—Although false, although different, although flawed… but it’s better than forgetting, better than loss, better than being buried in a tomb!

And at this moment, Ian also slightly widened his eyes.

He looked shocked at the illusion in ancient history before him, repeating the other party’s spoken term.

“Echoes?!”