The room fell quiet for a moment.
Inside the office, absolute silence reigned.
Xiao Qi looked at Chu Guang with concern, its eyes asking whether it should call Heya and bring along a few psychiatrists.
However, Chu Guang shook his head, signaling that there was no need to notify the Guards Corps—he could handle this on his own.
It was not entirely out of supreme confidence in his own strength, but primarily because he felt no tangible threat or obvious malicious intent from his unseen interlocutor.
While his intuition might not be infallible, it was at least worth considering.
After all, Perception was the manifestation of "psionics," and the link currently established between them was quite likely some form of resonance field.
Chu Guang had no idea how this had been achieved, and the other party seemed equally surprised by the connection newly forged between them, but regardless, opening a dialogue was a fine start.
He was far better suited to solving problems the Administrator's way than with brute force.
Besides, if this truly were trouble beyond his ability to resolve, bringing in any number of additional people would make no difference....
Roughly five minutes later, that ethereal voice drifted into his ears once more.
"The pen... er, I didn't take that thing, but I know how it disappeared, and where it went."
Chu Guang did not speak, waiting for it to continue.
The voice paused briefly, then went on just as expected.
"This concerns the nature of your world and its ultimate fate. Though still far too distant for you, that day will inevitably arrive.... The story may be a bit long. Do you care to hear it?"
Chu Guang readily obliged. "I am all ears."
"Then I shall start from the very beginning...."
The ethereal voice continued:
"Long, long ago, before the first universe was born, all things existed in a state of absolute stasis. There was no increase in entropy, nor any decrease... indeed, even the concept of time did not exist.
"Until a single instant, when a particle as tiny as a mote of dust trembled. That vibration triggered an avalanche of chain reactions, finally shattering the eternal silence. Light flared in the boundless chaos, sounds emerged, along with countless novel things that had never existed in a world beyond time.... We refer to this earliest born cosmos as the 'Primordial Universe.' That was where everything began."
Chu Guang's brows knitted slightly. He had no idea how this fellow had leapt from his fountain pen to the origins of the cosmos, but he played along. "Are you talking about... the Big Bang? I seem to have heard of it, though I don't understand it very well."
The ethereal voice neither confirmed nor denied it, merely continuing in an even tone.
"All things shifted from unvarying stasis to perpetual motion. From that instant forth, time had meaning, and the Primordial Universe continually expanded amid eternal entropy increase... much like a soap bubble being blown larger and larger."
Chu Guang asked blankly, "A... a soap bubble?"
The ethereal voice explained patiently, "Yes. That is the easiest way to conceptualize it. If I don't use concepts you can grasp as analogies, you wouldn't be able to imagine the state of the Primordial Universe... just as an ant will never comprehend what an ocean is, how an ocean differs from the little brook outside its home, or what a manned spaceship might be.
"In short, it was an immensely colossal bubble, its magnitude beyond measurement in light-years. If your Milky Way were likened to a single leaf, it would be the sum of every leaf in the entire galaxy... or larger still."
That... was genuinely astounding.
Chu Guang was staggered by the sheer vastness of existence, yet beyond that, he felt little else.
If this mysterious being was telling the truth, even the vast galaxy was merely a single leaf before such astronomical scale. In that case, bacteria dwelling on that leaf had little reason to fret over things so far beyond them.
Such an existence was simply too distant from human civilization.
It felt like a tale from another realm altogether.
Even if a wildfire broke out in the forest, the time before the flames reduced everything to ashes would be enough for generations of bacteria on the leaf to live and die.
If that was the case—
As mere bacteria, they were better off thoroughly devouring the leaf right before them first.
As if divining his thoughts, the ethereal voice continued with measured cadence.
"Your intuition is quite right. Maintaining the order of the forest is neither a snail's duty nor an ant's. However... what I intend to speak of is the origin of the Void. If I do not explain the beginning and end of the matter, you will not understand what the Void is, how it came to be, or where your pen went."
"I concede your point. Please continue," Chu Guang said, looking toward where the presence seemed to be.
The ethereal voice, having intended to do so anyway, proceeded at a measured pace.
"The 'Primordial Universe' endured for an exceedingly long time. Whether any civilization was born within it is something no reliable evidence remains to prove. Even I, who have existed for an equally vast span of time and explored countless universes, have never discovered any remnants left behind by a civilization of that original cosmos. Perhaps they never existed from the start, or perhaps they once existed and transformed into something else.
"Yet our exploration was not entirely in vain. Through traceable clues, we learned that while the Primordial Universe gave birth to matter, it also fostered three 'consciousness entities.' And these are the sovereigns of the Void—the Primordial Light, the Indescribable Mist, and the Chaos Darkness."
The entity's narrative was growing increasingly bizarre, describing concepts that far exceeded human civilization's comprehension of the physical world.
Chu Guang could not help asking, "What on earth are those?"
The ethereal voice did not play coy, readily answering his query.
"Light is the genesis of all things, Mist is capricious causality, and Darkness is the endpoint of cosmic reincarnation.... They are consciousnesses as well as fundamental laws, together constituting the bedrock of the Void.
"All clues indicate that the birth of these consciousness entities accelerated the collapse of the Primordial Universe. When that colossal soap bubble burst with a 'pop,' shattering into an endless multitude of smaller soap bubbles, there came into being the boundless 'newborn universes thereafter.'
"And your Milky Way, along with everything beyond it and all other galaxies within your observable horizon, constitutes but one among those infinite bubbles.
"As for the Void, it is the gap between bubble and bubble—what you came to understand through unearthing ancient relics as 'the Wall.'
"There dwell not only the three consciousness entities born of the Primordial Universe, but also the new consciousnesses they nurtured across the long eons, as well as the corpses of countless dead universes."
Chu Guang stared blankly, taking a long time to digest this massive influx of information.
Universes were endless bubbles...
And the Void was the corpse of dead universes... including the remnants of the Primordial Universe that had failed to birth new cosmoses?
Before such mind-boggling revelations, the matter of the fountain pen suddenly seemed utterly trivial.
Unable to hold back his burning curiosity, Chu Guang pressed eagerly, "This doesn't match what we learned from the Precursor civilization.... The cosmos they depicted had a nested structure."
Of course, he personally had never subscribed to that nested framework.
By comparison, he was far more inclined to accept the concept of parallel universes, where different cosmoses existed independently of one another, like two parallel lines.
The ethereal voice chuckled.
"That is only natural. The same apple inevitably meets different interpretations in different hands. The children you call 'Precursors' were merely describing the 'ocean' they themselves had glimpsed. Just as you use dimensional theory to explain the membrane of the universe—conceptualizing it as a vibrating plane in eleven dimensions—they used Creator theory to explain the relationship between the consciousness entities in the Void and this universe."
Pausing briefly, it continued.
"They were clever, yet not clever enough. They conflated dimensions with membranes, believing the universe to be a set of nested matryoshka dolls, where one existing consciousness must have been created and encompassed by another, earlier consciousness—and that the three great consciousnesses born of the Primordial Universe were the makers and omnipotent rulers of the universe they inhabited.... That is, in truth, inaccurate."
Chu Guang gazed toward the phantom eyes that were growing clearer by the second. Stunned by this startling reality, he abruptly seized upon another realization.
"Which means... the place the Precursor civilization went was not actually the Creator's universe?"
A touch of approval tinged the ethereal gaze.
"You are sharp and quick to understand, truly worthy of being that man's continuation... though one can scarcely see his shadow in you."
Chu Guang was caught off guard. "Whose shadow?"
"An old acquaintance I once knew. To you, that was likely very, very long ago.... Pay it no mind; it is of no importance to you."
The ethereal voice offered no direct answer, brushing the topic aside with airy ease before resuming where it left off.
"To answer your earlier question regarding whether those 'Precursors' truly departed for the Creator's universe, I believe there are two ways to interpret it. As I stated before, their understanding was merely imprecise, but that does not mean it was wholly wrong."
Chu Guang prompted, "...What do you mean?"
The ethereal voice continued, "It depends on your definition of a creator, or rather, your ultimate pursuit. The Creator in their eyes was the origin of all existence, whereas the Creator as you understand it... I imagine refers to an entity that forged specific physical things. If you reflect for a moment, you will realize these two types of Creators are fundamentally different beings."
Hearing this, Chu Guang finally experienced a flash of enlightenment.
From the perspective of the Precursor civilization, those spiritualists viewed the "Creator" as the wellspring of consciousness, which from the outset corresponded to the three great consciousness entities born of the Primordial Universe.
They had established contact with one or all of those three consciousness entities, concluded some bargain, perhaps even signed a covenant, and ultimately journeyed to the realm where those entities dwelled—
Which was none other than the Void outside the cosmic membrane!
Yet the Creator conceived by human civilization was not that at all.
Because humanity's developmental trajectory focused more heavily on exploring the physical realm, their concept of a Creator centered on "matter" rather than a subjective act of "creation."
And that "matter" happened not to have been forged by the so-called three consciousness entities; it had originated from the Primordial Universe itself, born of the endless possibilities generated by countless particles colliding and entangling!
No wonder...
The messages left by the Precursor civilization had repeatedly emphasized that those who walked different paths could not make plans together.
It was the literal truth: human civilization and the Precursors had never been running on the same track from their most fundamental premises!
Realizing this, Chu Guang was completely floored.
Good grief...
All this time, the Precursor civilization hadn't ascended to some higher universe; they had plunged headfirst into the Void!
And Dr. Qiu Shiye had likely gone there as well—into that rift between universes!
The Precursors had warned their successors to beware of the things on the Wall, yet those fools had clearly failed to realize that the place they had ventured into was the Wall itself—
Even the Creators they envisioned were themselves things upon the Wall!
All the clues snapped together, and Chu Guang gradually understood everything.
After all that, the perforator wasn't stealing light through a wall from some Creator Universe; it was chiseling directly into the foundation of the Void!
And that death monitor lizard had naturally been an entity from the Void....
"...It seems you are beginning to grasp the nature of the 'perforator.' Now, what I must tell you about is the membrane of the universe—the very thing you actually pierced."
The ethereal voice carried a hint of amusement, continuing in a mild tone.
"Remember the analogy I used earlier? Comparing the universe to a soap bubble."
"I remember," Chu Guang said cautiously. "So you mean... the membrane of the universe is its protective shell?"
The ethereal voice replied, "You could view it that way. In a conceptual sense, this membrane is indeed critical to cosmic stability. But a more precise explanation is... the membrane of the universe is the universe itself. And the three-dimensional world you perceive is merely the projection of an eleven-dimensional 'membrane' cast onto a three-dimensional 'interface.'
"Once you grasp the concept of projection, you will understand why this cosmos is teeming with vast numbers of things you can neither see nor touch. An eleven-dimensional membrane can project onto a 3D interface, and naturally it can also project onto 0D, 1D, 2D, or 4D and 5D interfaces....
"Based on this principle, you can consider the universe to be composed of countless projections across different dimensions, or you can consider the membrane at the apex of dimensions to be the universe's true form.
"As for entities within the Void... that is, the things outside the bubbles, under normal circumstances they cannot directly touch a bubble, let alone enter inside it.
"However, they have their own methods. For instance, employing psychic ability—what you call a resonance field—to establish contact with 'consciousness entities' living inside the bubble, beguiling them or striking deals with them, and using their power to project themselves onto a certain interface within the bubble... precisely like what you did before."
Chu Guang swallowed hard, asking cautiously, "Which means... our actions actually shook the foundations of the universe?"
A hearty laugh echoed from the unseen presence, followed by soft, gentle words.
"Don't think too highly of yourselves. At most, you carefully scooped up a single grain of sand from a desert; you're nowhere near capable of altering the desert's entire ecology. As for the projections infiltrating your world, as you have witnessed, they can indeed be destroyed. In fact, some clever natives deliberately lure Void entities to descend just to hunt them down, thereby obtaining a certain power you do not yet understand."
Chu Guang immediately asked, "What power is that?"
"Haven't you noticed changes in your own body? No matter, you will soon enough. There is no need for me to explain this; you have your own medical examiner."
The ethereal voice chuckled and went on.
"In short, the bubble encasing your world is vastly sturdier than you imagine, or you wouldn't exist in this universe to begin with. Closer to home, countless civilizations have wreaked havoc upon this very Milky Way under your feet, yet until each of those civilizations marched to their respective ends, it remained entirely intact.
"Never mind a hole invisible to the naked eye; even a rift the size of a galaxy would mend itself over the passage of time.... And your fountain pen was very likely whisked away to patch that very hole.
"Therefore, I sincerely advise you to take it easy in your own backyard. Relocating your research to a slightly more distant, massive celestial body would be a fine alternative. Gravity is a marvelous thing; no projection in any dimension can escape its pull.
"Of course, if you breach a stellar-scale tear, the trouble released will be no laughing matter. It might very well sweep a few planets away along the gravitational curvature."
At this point, the laughter suddenly took on a tinge of melancholy, as if laced with regret.
"Then again, even if the membrane of the universe is firmer than you imagine, I must concede that the birth of civilization accelerates cosmic heat death. Just as the birth of the three consciousness entities hastened the decline of the Primordial Universe, your emergence will likewise accelerate the heat death of this cosmos beneath your feet... even if the change is virtually imperceptible within your brief lifespans.
"Ultimately, every newborn universe will share the fate of the Primordial Universe. Through successive explosions, they will fragment into finer, smaller bubbles, or reach the end of their lives amid eternal entropy increase, eventually dissolving into the Void."
This grim fate seemed remarkably reminiscent of the rise and fall of the Human Alliance.
Chu Guang listened, somewhat mesmerized.
Yet far more than the destiny of the universe, what intrigued him was who on earth this speaker was.
Why did it know so much?!
And—
It seemed to know the first-generation manager of Shelter 404!
It was truly incredible: an elevated being whose perspective looked down across the entire forest would actually take note of the fate of a solitary bacterium on a single leaf....
Thanks to it, he had learned countless things he might never have discovered in a lifetime.
Yet the confusion in his heart had not diminished; on the contrary, it had only multiplied.
After a moment of contemplation, Chu Guang voiced the question he had wanted to ask from the very beginning.
"Who exactly are you?"
As if anticipating this inquiry, the ethereal voice answered gently:
"I, too, am naturally an entity of the Void... and I have existed by your side for a very, very long time.
"You may call me the Observer."
Chapter 1041