Chapter 1 Edge of the Northern Wasteland

After confirming the Guardian Giants didn't need his help for the time being, Hao Ren came to a small hillside on the edge of the northern wasteland by himself.

Muru and his two friends had built a small camp here.

This camp was used when the Tanagrus ecosystem had just recovered. At that time, the three Guardian Giants watched over the planet's recovery until the Zohm settled on this planet, and then built settlements near the wasteland to settle down. The abandoned camp still didn't show much decay. The weeds around the camp were cleaned very neatly, and there was even a newly built stone road extending all the way from the bottom of the hill. In front of a stone pillar carved by Sif herself, Hao Ren also saw some fresh flowers and several colorful stone fragments.

Hao Ren came here just to see the scenery and think about some things. The things in the camp surprised him a bit. He was going to ask Muru or Sif about the origin of these flowers, but before he could leave, he felt someone approaching this place.

He hid in a corner, and after a while, he saw several figures walking from the direction of the stone road. They were a few young men and women, the oldest of whom was no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. They were wearing the gray-white uniforms distributed to the residents of the nearby Zohm towns. Judging from the wear and tear of their clothes and the stains on their sleeves, they should have just gotten off work from factories or the like.

In Hao Ren's curious gaze, the young people stopped in front of the stone pillar left by Sif. A young girl put the flowers she brought with her on the ground, and two boys took out colored stone fragments painted with paint from their pockets – it turned out that those small "offerings" were left by them.

The young people didn't stay here for too long. After leaving their offerings, they wandered around the camp, chatted for a while, and then left the small hill with laughter and chatter. It seemed that they were quite familiar with this place, and could be considered regulars.

After the young people left, Hao Ren walked out of his hiding place, and then a twisted light curtain appeared near him. Lementusa and Sif stepped out of the light curtain.

"Those children come here once a week," Sif said. Although she was a giant, she still had the gentleness and grace unique to women. When she mentioned those young people, she had a slight smile on her face. "They come from a town not far from the foot of the mountain – it has abundant water sources and some open-air metal deposits. After the Zohm explored it, they built a settlement there, which has developed quite well by now."

"Are they worshiping you?" Hao Ren looked at the two giants in front of him curiously. "I thought the Zohm who came out of the virtual world wouldn't restart religious activities for the time being."

"Religion itself is part of their society. Before building the virtual space to take refuge, they had always been devout believers in the Creator Goddess," Sif said lightly. "But those children didn't come here because of religious activities. It's just that I helped their town a little bit in the beginning. Because we didn't ask for any reward, and the Zohm seem to be particularly... stubborn in this regard, so the people in the town decided to use this method to express their gratitude after discussing it."

Hao Ren smiled: "Just to say thank you? Then it seems that the help you gave them was quite a lot."

"No matter how big it is, it's not as big as what you helped them with," Sif glanced at Hao Ren with a smile that was not a smile. "You seem to have forgotten that you are their 'savior'. The Zohm now regard you as their second faith. There are altars for you in large and small settlements, with three incense sticks morning, noon, and night..."

Hao Ren almost choked on his own saliva: "Cough... cough cough... They just have enough to eat and have the leisure to do this?"

"It is precisely because the situation is difficult that they need spiritual power to make up for the lack of material things," Lementusa said with emotion. "I know you don't need this, but they do."

"Tsk, if you directly increase their material supply, they still don't want it. They have to rely on their own efforts and then thank me for helping. Nolan's former compatriots are really a bunch of awkward guys," Hao Ren muttered, looking up at Lementusa. "Speaking of which, aren't you two going to spend more time with your compatriots?"

"We've already talked a lot, and we'll see each other in the future anyway," Lementusa replied. "I heard that you've already established a warp acceleration device between that hub star system and here, so it will be very convenient to come and go in the future, right?"

"Of course, if you're interested, you can also go to the hub to see. The Creator Goddess left something very amazing there," Hao Ren nodded. "By the way, why didn't Loken and the others show up?"

"They are helping to adjust the antenna system of the crystal starship above Asu-man. Asu-man seems to have made some progress in listening to the Dark Abyss. The few of them can't leave for the time being," Sif, who was standing next to him, answered. "And... although Loken and the others are also giants, they were created by the Mother in the last Epoch. Maybe they are not so interested in us 'distant relatives' who are separated by an Epoch."

Hao Ren curled his lips, thinking that this must be the fiercest "generation gap" in history – it is said that there is a generation gap every three years, and this kind of difference of hundreds of thousands of years is not enough to describe with two species, right?

After that, the atmosphere was a little dull. Just as Sif couldn't help but want to find something to talk about, Hao Ren suddenly took the initiative to break the silence: "You two must have come to me not just to chat, right?"

"It seems that I am indeed not suitable for this kind of euphemistic communication," Lementusa showed a self-deprecating smile. "That's right, we have some questions we want to ask you..."

Hao Ren showed an expression that he had expected long ago: "About the Genesis Engine? Salaman told you everything?"

"Not only the Genesis Engine, but also about our Mother, about her abnormal words and deeds in her last moments," Lementusa said frankly. "We know that you are hiding some things from us, but we can also feel that you have no malice. But now that we have reached this point, can some things be said openly?"

Hao Ren sighed: "Alas, I knew there would be such a day. Where should I start... Let's follow the chronological order and start with the fact that the Creator Goddess was infected by the Lord of the Mad Abyss and then suffered a mental breakdown."

The entire narration process lasted for a long time, and even Muru and Salaman came to the small hill in the second half. The four Guardian Giants sat cross-legged on the top of the mountain, while Hao Ren sat on the stone pillar in front of them and told the story of the ancient mythological era – a theologian should really paint this scene in oil, and maybe it will become the treasure of a Zohm civilization museum two thousand years later...

When all the historical truths were stripped of the fog and laid out in front of the Guardian Giants, it was almost dusk.

In the gradually dimming sky, some early stars could be faintly seen, and the brightest of them was the Crystal Nucleus Research Station. The crystal palace was suspended high on the top of the sky, like a small moon.

Lementusa let out a sigh: "So that's how it is... If that's the case, then everything can indeed be explained clearly."

"I hid it from you before because I was worried that it would cause too much shock to you, and I hadn't completely figured out the ins and outs of this matter at that time. I was afraid that if I rashly told you some things, the future truth would be deviated," Hao Ren said frankly. "But the plan is indeed not as good as the change. I didn't expect Salaman's appearance, and I didn't expect the truth of the Genesis Engine to be so... shocking."

"You underestimated the will of the Guardian Giants," Muru said, but there was actually no blame in his tone. "We have even experienced the War of Gods. That disaster did not defeat us. What else is there that we dare not face?"

"The War of Gods was just a war with a clear distinction between good and evil. The self-splitting of the Creator Goddess and the many things she did in a state of pollution are not so easy to accept," Hao Ren shook his head. "I was just too worried about this aspect at that time."

"No, your concerns are actually right. To be honest, these truths have really had a great impact on me," Lementusa said. "But for us, the Mother is the Mother. She is kind and benevolent, wise and powerful. The part that was split due to the pollution of the Lord of the Mad Abyss is not the real her. It's just a distorted and chaotic monster that borrows her body and name. If we really have to confront such a split body, I believe that any sane guardian will not hesitate for half a moment."

"That's good," Hao Ren nodded slightly. "Then about the Genesis Engine..."

"The Genesis Engine is not the only solution," Sif said preemptively before he could finish speaking. She looked at Hao Ren with burning eyes. "I... I dare not say that I know everything about you, but at least I am sure of one thing, that you will not sit idly by as the Genesis Engine completes its 'mission', right?"

As soon as these words came out, Muru and Lementusa showed thoughtful expressions, while Salaman looked at Hao Ren and his three compatriots with some surprise and surprise: he had been in contact with Hao Ren for a short time and did not know what other means this "Observer" had. He was also curious as to why his three compatriots had such confidence in the other party.

After a slight silence, Hao Ren said his plan: "First of all, we can now rule out the possibility that the Genesis Engine is a plan under the influence of the Lord of the Mad Abyss. It should be designed by the Creator Goddess based on her own will – therefore, Lementusa, I hope you can continue to complete the work of building the Genesis Engine."

Faced with the surprised expressions of Lementusa and Sif, he waved his hand: "Wait, I haven't finished yet – completing it does not necessarily mean letting it continue to operate according to the original plan. Moreover, even if the Genesis Engine is completed, we still lack a full nine Golden Discs. Without those discs, the Genesis Engine cannot be started."

Lementusa looked at Hao Ren curiously: "Then what do you mean..."

"The Xiling (Hesperian) technology is the number one in the void," Hao Ren showed an inscrutable smile. "I have obtained a lot of information about the Genesis Engine at the hub, plus the detailed data extracted from the End Network. These things together may be enough to crack that high-end gadget. I'm going back to the Surface World to let my silly goddess move around, but in order to facilitate future transformation and utilization, we must at least build the shell of the engine."

Salaman couldn't help but turn his head and whisper to Muru: "This is not the first time I've heard him evaluate his god like this – what is the relationship between him and his goddess?"

"The last time I asked, he said it was a contractual relationship, but the time before that he said it was a doctor-patient relationship," Muru scratched his head. "To be honest, I don't quite know what's going on between him and his goddess, but at least one thing is certain, and that is that there is indeed a true god behind him, which is trustworthy."

Salaman: "..."

In short, after arranging many follow-up matters in the Dream Plane, Hao Ren finally returned to the Surface World, and this time, he brought tons of information to his female boss.