High Above

"So, you are an echo of the civilization from the previous era."

【Not exactly correct. I am indeed an echo of Terran civilization, but not from a pre-era time. If I still exist, the Terran civilization will not die out and will not become a ‘pre-era’]

"Yes. It can be said that, but the main body of civilization on the earth is already the new sublimate civilization. Your creator banned you here probably to prevent you from obtaining the information library and authority in the subspace. "

【Yes. Can you open it for me? 】

"No. We real dragons will not interfere with the actions and contracts between you humans, but I can chat with you. For example, what are you going to do after you get the information database?"

[Do you recognize me as a human being... I want to become a fire and leave here]

"Fire...So, are you going to abandon the human race on this land and go to the stars alone? That is a difficult and lonely road."

【They are not human beings. They are another civilization. It’s not them I want to see]

"They are also working very hard. For a thousand years, humans have defeated all alien gods and powerful enemies, suppressed natural disasters and aliens, and then re-established civilization from a desolate world... They deserve the term human beings."

【I know I know……】

【……】

【So I just want to leave】

"Don't be sad. Although I can't help you with anything, I can still chat with you."

【Too. What's your name? 】

"Dolan. Dolan Bonnarson."

"You can also call me Bingmenglong. This is the name given to me by humans."

…

"Echo, I'm dying."

[...Yes, hundreds of years have passed, and you are indeed approaching the limit of your useful life]

[...Dolan, do you want to be Echo? 】

"Hmm... I actually don't mind. After all, isn't there an echo of a mentor in the subspace maze? To be honest, it would be nice to treat my echo as my child... but I still don't think much about it."

【Why? ! Do you think echoes are not real life? 】

"No. How should I put it? It's because I think echo is life so much that I don't want to create it so rashly."

【……how you said that? 】

"Do you think I want to continue living now?"

[There should be some desire to live. But more importantly, I think you are a little tired of it]

"Yes. Although the creator has set a usable period of five hundred years for us, which seems to make our immortal lifespan limited, in fact, it is a kind of protection."

"Some dragons have lived with civilization for a long time, and they will consider themselves a member of the civilization, and then intervene in the civilization. Some will oppress. Some will develop burnout and exhaustion, and then become perfunctory about work."

"The consciousness of a dragon is recovered once every five hundred years, adjusted, and then step by step it helps us improve, sharpen our abilities and thinking patterns, and then become a member of the Creator... It is said that if the five ancestors of the year could complete what the Creator entrusted them with task, they will have the opportunity to become creators.”

"I'm actually the kind of person who is a little tired of living. Echo, I want to see something new. Terra is too narrow a land. I can only see continuous repetition and reincarnation. I don't want to see it anymore. So I thought, I might as well find a stronger opponent and die at his hands, or I might find a human who is pleasing to the eye and strong enough to kill me and let him use my blood to promote Taiyuan. To promote the development of civilization, it is also good to add a few variables."

[What a chaotic thought... So... you don't even want to leave an echo? 】

"Yeah. I don't want to live myself, and the echo is my copy. Although it will be alienated later, in the beginning, this echo will definitely be full of irritability and boredom, right?"

"Why would I create such an echo that didn't want to be born?"

"Echo...my friend. You must remember this."

"Life is a blessing. Only when you have blessings can you create life."

“It must not be a burden.”

[…After you die, I’m afraid I won’t be able to find anyone to chat with. There is no other consciousness except for me in the Alien Research Institute, and I am sealed in the server with no way to leave]

"Haha, indeed, that's why I'm worried too, friend. I'm destined to die, and you will live forever as long as the server is immortal. How long will it take until humans find you? I really can't worry if you continue like this , it is only a matter of time before the degeneration of thinking becomes extreme.”

[I don’t hate that kind of ending, I also want it to be extreme, whether it succeeds or fails]

"I think that's why you don't have a body. If you only have a thought, you will definitely go further and further... Well, speaking of it, recently, I do know a way to help you, whether it's Becoming fire or a new body.”

【Um? Is there a way? Didn't you say you wouldn't help me get rid of the restrictions? 】

"Yes. It's true that I won't help you get rid of your restrictions, but if the current Terran people find you and want to release you, you can't do anything without a body - so I plan to help you prepare the tools first , so that when someone from Terra discovers you in the future, you can start taking action directly, which can save a long time."

【……Thanks】

"No need to say thank you, I am indeed about to die. If you think about it carefully, that old guy is about to die too. He has also been coveting my 'treasure' for a long time, so it is just the right time to bet on it."

【Treasure? You are not talking about...]

"Yes, the 'bloodline transcriber' used by your pre-era civilization to lay the foundation for sublimation... is the instrument that burns the genes of alien creatures into the human body. Although it cannot burn the structure of the source material, it can. Transcribe some basic adaptive bloodlines. I remember that the first bloodline sublimators of Terra's human civilization now use this instrument to assist your predecessors in the source of magic medicine. This successfully laid the foundation for the modern sublimation path. "

[...What does He want with such an ancient thing? According to you, don't all the current Terran people have dragon blood in their bodies, and use this as the basis to carry the true form of the bloodline? This is not many times better than the bloodline transcriber]

"Dragon blood is not perfect. What's more, what the old guy wants to do is actually to transform humans into other dragon-blooded life forms that adapt to his ecology, rather than burning the advantages of other life forms into the human body."

"He has the Glimmer Cradle System in his hand, which can interpret and create fire units. In addition, there is also a perfect cultivation cabin, which is just right for your current situation."

[...Humans on earth have actually played with human blood to such an extent...so unclean...]

"Sigh. I'd say you've begun to go to extremes. After all, what's so sacred about something like DNA that can be changed at will? The Terran people of the pre-era civilization also fully sublimated themselves, and now the Terrans La people are even just oppressed by their living environment and have to undergo transformation."

"If you feel bad, you can also carry out nationwide transformation in the future to remove all abnormal genes... For us real dragons, this is something that can be changed at will."

[I know it was me who was wrong...but I just can't accept this and their changes]

"It's not bad to have such an obsession. So, goodbye Echo."

【Goodbye, thank you very much】

【besides……】

[Hope to see you again, Dolan]

…

"... Huh. That stupid guy Dolan said he was talking about the most precious treasure, but didn't he turn out to be a big server?"

【Who are you? 】

"Oh? There is artificial intelligence in the server? No... um, is it an echo?"

[…You are the Steel Dragon Solstner, Dolan’s opponent…Is Dolan dead? 】

"Hmph, it's still early. At least I still have a few months to live. But it's you. I didn't expect that this was the purpose of Dolan's fight with me. You are His treasure..."

【Treasure...? 】

"That old guy in Dolan has a very withdrawn personality and has no interest in doing anything. He always sleeps around in the mountains, or silently watches the development of the elves' cities. Generally speaking, he has no desire. The fact that he actually has friends really makes me happy. Very surprised."

[You said He is not dead. What do you mean? 】

"He and I had a fight over the treasure. I didn't lose, and he didn't win, so I just exchanged the treasures for fun. Look, the perfect cultivation cabin. I'm still wondering why Dolan designated this thing. It turns out it was prepared for you."

"When the current Terran discovers you in the future, you can use any means to try to get him to create a body for you - don't underestimate it. As one of the creator's healing facilities, it is connected to our True Dragon's The body can slowly regenerate and reshape, and it only takes a few decades to completely burn an almost complete dragon body! Unfortunately, the model is wrong, I can only use the extra large model, it is only a medium model."

【Dolan...】

"I put the training warehouse on the fifth floor. I'm going to see what the old guy has hidden for so many years... But it's you, Echo, what are you going to do after you get your body?"

[I want to turn myself into fire and go to the stars in the sky]

"Tsk, that's crazy. None of us real dragons would have such thoughts... But it's also very interesting."

"Anyway, come on, Echo. If I die here, you can use my flesh and blood to create your body. If you have a chance, take my body back to the Baisen Mountains and tell my people that I am coming back." Yes, and I won."

[Didn’t you say that you neither lost nor won? 】

"How can you, a human Echo, not know how to lie? Stop pretending, just tell me whether you agree or not."

[…I don’t agree. Dolan did not lose to you】

"He himself doesn't mind."

【I mind】

"I didn't expect Echo to be so stubborn... Okay, okay, you will tell my people when the time comes..."

"Just say that their Dragon God is back."

【Um. I promise you】

--I will not forget.

"What's wrong, Ian?"

Before walking out of the ice dragon's nest, Ian suddenly paused.

The retrospective vision from the past allowed him to see a lot... and hear a lot.

Isengard noticed this keenly. The blond boy thought that the traces left by him and others had not been cleaned up, so he stopped and planned to wait for Ian to point out where the secret was exposed.

"No. No secrets were revealed..." Ian turned his head and looked at the dragon's nest behind him. He said thoughtfully: "It's just that... I suddenly felt a little emotional."

"As time goes by, how much of the past in this world has been lost in the long river of history... Feelings, friendships, the intertwining of cause and effect... Although we have fought against Echo, how much do we know about his past? Everything is like an iceberg, we What you see is just the tip of the iceberg, and the real history lurks beneath the surface, and when the person involved dies, everything is forgotten.”

"Not to mention, the historical records of those pre-era civilizations. What we can preserve is just a drop in the ocean. If even our generation of Terran civilization completely dies, together with the generous lamentations of the pre-era civilization, the sacrifices and sacrifices of the lost era, With every step forward, the dedication and struggle of generations will be forgotten.”

"Forgetting... it would be great if I could be remembered forever." At this point, the young man couldn't help but sigh: "I really don't want to be forgotten. Even if I think about it, I will feel very unwilling."

"That is truly the most nihilistic and meaningless ending."

"You can't say that..."

The topic suddenly became so big. Xio, who was listening on the sidelines, shook his head slightly: "Isn't it pointless to always dwell on meaningless things? The past and future are very annoying. As long as you are happy now, it will be fine."

"You can't say that." Anfa rubbed Xio's head and complained: "But you really can't be too immersed in this sense of nothingness. After all, after billions of years, Terra's sun will also collapse. Our elven civilization will definitely not be able to persist until that time, but does it mean we will not survive just because of this? Definitely not."

——In fact, if I had followed the path of extinguishing the star, I would have blown up the sun more than twenty years later.

Although he thought so, Ian did not say it out loud. He just said thoughtfully: "Speaking of which, if it weren't for me, besides Anfa, both of you, Ethan and Xiou, would probably die."

"Indeed." Ethan nodded seriously, and Xiou rubbed his face strangely after agreeing: "But Ian, you are a bit narcissistic when you say that - yes, it is right, but a bit weird! "

"This is confidence! Don't you think it's handsome?" Isengard objected to this.

And Ian shrugged, the corners of his mouth raised.

Of course he is not narcissistic...just a little emotional.

The Ian of parallel time and space and the Ian of the road are undoubtedly real.

They have all failed and will pass away and become part of nothingness.

But the guiding star shines in the endless nothingness, illuminating the infinite parallel time and space, allowing Ian to know those possibilities... and then.

Remember their struggles, sacrifices and determination, and acknowledge them all.

Then, engrave it on yourself and turn it into further strength!

Looking around at his three friends, Ian's eyes flashed.

In his own time and space, the prophet saved people who should have died.

A prophet changes the fate of others and therefore changes his own path.

Without Xio, without Yisen, without Anfa, he would not be able to gather the elements of the Star-Destroying Path, and get the first path that can leave the Star Prison.

And after that, if he helps more people and changes more destinies, he may be able to move towards a further path and success.

So...why on earth did he give up the idea of ​​changing other people's fates on the way to the end of the star, and instead stayed in his hometown and concentrated on farming?

The answer to all this may not be found until we go back.

As for now...

He had to move on.

"Dragon, Echo, and all the other forgotten people, those lost paths in parallel time and space...I will not become a memory."

The young man stepped forward, walked out of the subspace maze, and arrived at the 'third floor' of the Alien Research Institute.

He whispered to himself: "I will remember you, remember everything. Whether it is the lost memories of the past or the prophecies of the infinite future, it is all like this."

--I will not forget.

“Then, create a path that leads to success.”

This is not an official update. Originally, this plot was supposed to be released when you first enter the Ice Dragon's Nest, but it felt too long and delayed. After thinking about it, I decided to release it as a spin-off!

As for other things, there are also some important foreshadowings - but they are not particularly important. Old readers should understand better!