ATIGIBTC Chapter 113.1

In the brightly lit and quiet room, a boy and a girl with identical appearances were playing a game of chess. On the chessboard, the finely crafted pieces were being picked up one by one. In the finely raised fingers of the well-bred twins, those pieces looked unusually mature. Yet the twins, focused on the game, showed no signs of giving way to each other; their clashing chess styles collided fiercely.

Beside them, a man in a long robe stood watching the board, respectfully setting down a cup of tea.

In this silent match, the twins did not spare even the slightest thought for the fact that they were blood-related siblings. They showed no mercy in their moves. Both were completely serious, but then, a voice broke the atmosphere of focus.

There was a knock at the door.

The hands of the two who had been concentrating on their game froze for a moment. They lifted their heads and exchanged a glance, each seeing the same look of frustration in the other’s eyes. The man who had been watching the game frowned slightly and turned to open the door.

“They’re still playing,” the man in the long robe rebuked sharply. “Didn’t I say they mustn’t be disturbed?”

“I’m truly sorry, but there’s something important that must be handled by the two City Lords,” the person outside said, looking somewhat anxious. “It’s Hope City. The Hope City we’ve been trying to make contact with has reached out to us first!”

A trace of surprise flashed across the eyes of the man in the long robe. “Why would Hope City contact us?”

“I… I don’t know. But just now, a message came through from the locator…”

“Transmit the locator’s data directly here at once!” The boy and girl immediately abandoned the match, speaking urgently.

The man in the long robe swiftly disabled the signal shield covering the entire room and immediately received the locator’s transmission. When the huge screen appeared before their eyes, they heard a voice. It was a very young voice, sounding barely older than the twins themselves.

—Our Divine Lord will descend upon your city and bring miracles.

“Wait a moment!” All of a sudden, the boy spoke up, urgently stopping the other side. “Please wait a moment. I am one of the City Lords of the Library, Shi Canghai. Right now, the other City Lord of the Library, my younger sister Shi Sangtian, is here beside me as well. May I ask, are you the City Lord of Hope City?”

“Yes,” the other party replied. “I am He Fang, the City Lord of Hope City.”

“He Fang… What a beautiful and fine name.” Shi Canghai, sensing how easily the other person responded, felt a bit more at ease. Even from the sound of the voice, he could tell this person was not someone difficult to negotiate with.

“Ah?” The other side seemed not to understand his words.

“He Fang, He Fang—where to go, where lies the direction, all is in confusion, but why stubbornly cling to where to go? ‘He Fang’ is you; you are the direction. Your parents must have placed beautiful hopes upon you when they gave you this name.” Shi Sangtian, a graceful and delicate woman, spoke with a gentle charm in her clear voice, soft and refined, full of scholarly air.

Yet the other side fell silent for two seconds, seemingly at a loss for how to respond. In the end, they only managed to squeeze out a reply: “Thank you.”

Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian exchanged a smile, both hoping to leave a good impression on the other.

“Your names are very nice, too. Canghai and Sangtian,” He Fang said, seemingly struggling to come up with a polished reply. “They sound vast and boundless.”

Shi Sangtian couldn’t help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh. Shi Canghai asked, “May I ask, City Lord He Fang, why have you suddenly taken the initiative to contact us?”

“Because I thought you would very much want to contact me,” He Fang answered in an ordinary tone, sounding completely matter-of-fact.

Yet the twins were both surprised. Shi Canghai forced down the astonishment in his heart and said, “As expected of the City Lord of Mirage that is even more mysterious than the Nightmare Beast Seeds in this world. Truly, we cannot hope to match your sharpness and insight. Indeed, we have always wished to make contact with the legendary Mirage, but have long been at a loss for a way to do so.”

“Didn’t you want to make contact with Hope City?”

“Is there any difference between the Mirage and Hope City?” Shi Sangtian asked softly, trying to use this topic to learn at least a little about the Mirage.

“There isn’t, I suppose. They’re both my cities. If I have to say, there’s honestly no difference.”

He Fang’s answer made the twins exchange a glance, each seeing the same thought in the other’s eyes. Although this City Lord He Fang sounded easygoing and without much scheming, he would not casually reveal any information to others.

“We heard a lot from the mercenaries about Hope City and the Mirage. According to the rumors, you intend to bring back the peaceful old world, to let everyone have the right to learn knowledge and choose how they live. And your battle with Ao City also proved that you have unmatched strength. Are these things true?” Shi Canghai asked.

“They’re true,” He Fang replied.

Shi Sangtian spoke up, too: “So the one you mentioned, the Divine Lord, is real, too, correct?”

“That’s why I wanted you to see, isn’t it? Once you see the Divine Lord, you’ll be sure that I really am from Hope City.”

Shi Sangtian felt a moment of tension inside. She quietly clenched her fingers, her breathing a bit hurried. “A god, the almighty god of legend. Are you a servant of the god, or someone who can command the god?”

But the other side fell silent. Shi Sangtian felt her heartbeat gradually speeding up. In this long age where it had been confirmed that gods did not exist, how could one believe in a god now? Could it be that Hope City had found some way to deify themselves? Were those mercenaries who kept spreading news about Hope City actually sent by Hope City themselves?

The existence of Hope City was far too strange. If they were truly this powerful, then why had they remained hidden for so long? They possessed the unparalleled ability to create “energy blocks”. They had analyzed those energy blocks before. There was no way the technology of their present apocalypse-ridden world could reach such a level.

Such a miraculous Mirage emerging out of nowhere. Perhaps it could even be the salvation of this apocalypse. They were doing their best to determine the Mirage’s true nature, to see whether the Mirage could become the support that their Library could rely on.

“Your way of speaking is a bit complicated. I find it hard to make sense of it all. Could you just say directly what you want? You want to confirm whether… the Divine Lord is real, right?” The young City Lord’s voice came from the other side.

Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian both caught He Fang’s slight stutter at that moment. They immediately realized that this so-called god probably held secrets unknown to them.

“Could we open a video call?” Suddenly, City Lord He Fang made a request. “Let me see your faces.”

Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian exchanged a glance, and in each other’s eyes they saw agreement. “We can, but may I ask how you’ll connect to our video? If you have a way to link to the locator—”

But just as Shi Canghai’s words fell, the screen in front of them, which had been showing the locator room, instantly changed to another scene. It was a pitch-black background, but they could see two people, two young people.

“Alright, I can see you now. Are you… twins?” City Lord He Fang leaned a little closer, as if trying to get a better look at them.

In that instant, Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian felt shock fill their hearts. What was this technology? It was so overwhelming, leaving them no chance to react at all. Yet it had already taken control of their city.

Was this an instant takeover, or had they prepared this long ago and were now deliberately showing it to make them wary?

The twins’ minds raced wildly. Yet suddenly, they locked eyes with the man standing behind City Lord He Fang.

The man’s appearance was exceptional, a flawless face that could no longer be found in this world after the apocalypse. Compared to them, this man seemed to carry an even stronger scholarly air, yet his eyes were fathomless, like the boundless expanse of the universe—vast and immeasurable. No human thoughts could escape from those deep eyes. Their thoughts and their worries were all laid bare before that man’s gaze.

In that instant, the twins both regretted agreeing to open the video feed. The moment that man laid eyes on them, he had already seized control of all their thoughts.

“I can request the Divine Lord to descend upon your city. Wouldn’t that be proof enough of a god?” Suddenly, the clear voice of the young City Lord pulled the twins back from that terrifying gaze. The twins didn’t dare look again. Despite the distance, they still felt a chill run through them.

“We don’t quite understand what you mean by ‘descend’, but if possible, may we make a request ourselves? That way, we can confirm the existence of a god. Would that be alright?” Shi Canghai asked.

“A request? What request?” City Lord He Fang was taken aback for a moment. Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian might have been fearful of the man standing behind He Fang, but from He Fang’s reaction, they could glean a lot of information.

For instance…

This City Lord He Fang truly could control this “god”. Otherwise, He Fang’s response wouldn’t have been “What request?” but something more like “A god would never act according to human wishes”.

They were testing him, but because of the man behind He Fang, their probing became all the more cautious. Even so, it seemed that man had noticed every bit of their probing, yet he said nothing, as if silently allowing it.

The twins could both feel the tension in each other’s hearts. But since probing was permitted, they shouldn’t hold back.

Shi Sangtian drew a small knife from her waist and, very casually, sliced a cut into her arm. The man in long robes beside her tried to stop her, but it was too late; he could only watch as the rather deep gash instantly welled up with fresh blood.

The twins had obtained something—a terminal.

And it was the highest grade of terminal, which could be acquired from cities connected to Ao City. Anyone could buy it. Through it, they had also acquired energy blocks. Within the terminal, they had purchased every video currently available for sale. They had, in fact, already studied Hope City’s present situation very seriously.

Among these videos, there was something mixed in: a promotional video for the Mirage.

In it, the City Lord used the power of the Divine Lord to successfully pull a dying man back from the brink of death. Wounds that were utterly impossible to heal completely were, unbelievably, restored without a trace. If it was real, then what a terrifying thing that would be.

If the video was real, then they could not deny the existence of a god.

A god descending upon the apocalypse… There would be no way to refute that this marked the birth of a new world.

Shi Canghai felt a pang of heartache for his sister’s arm. He stepped forward to support her a little, watching the blood continue to drip down. He understood what his sister meant by this, so he didn’t stop her.

Shi Sangtian lifted her head. The young girl’s delicate, graceful face showed not a trace of pain. “May I ask… could you have the god heal my wound?”

“…Alright.” Unexpectedly, they received the City Lord He Fang’s agreement.

Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian stared at City Lord He Fang, eyes full of shock. He had agreed so easily?

They saw a small pendant in He Fang’s hand. It was clear. They recognized that pendant; many people had it. At the very least, every mercenary who had ever had contact with Hope City carried a few of them. They themselves had bought some, too. It was exactly the same as what they now saw in He Fang’s hand.

At that moment, they watched as He Fang held the pendant in both hands, cupped it in his palms, and pressed his fingers to his forehead, as if praying.

In that instant, everyone present felt their hearts pounding wildly.

Suddenly, several people saw something appear before them, right before their eyes.

It was a statue. The statue of the Divine Lord. From a vague transparency, it slowly became solid, this godly image seeming to gather the purest, most beautiful light in the world as it effortlessly materialized before their sight. The breathtaking beauty of this divine face was so dazzling that it nearly made them forget to breathe.

Is… is it a projection? The twins were frantically analyzing it in their minds. If it was a projection, then it could be done using the equipment in their room. But if it could heal…

At that moment, they saw the statue move. The enormous statue was so sacred that it made them feel an uncontrollable urge to prostrate themselves. By the time they realized it, they were already kneeling before the statue of the Divine Lord.

And then the twins suddenly noticed that the blood from the wound had stopped flowing. No more fresh blood came out. That perfect, holy statue stretched out its hand. There were no fingernails, no skin pores, none of the details a human body should have. It was as if it were truly carved from stone.

Yet beneath that hand, Shi Sangtian felt the pain disappear from her wound.

The few people present watched, wide-eyed, as that deep gash gradually closed up bit by bit until it was perfectly healed. Not a trace of a scar remained, no bloodstain either. Even the blood that had dripped onto the carpet, the blood that had flowed onto Shi Canghai’s hand, all vanished without a trace. It wasn’t just healing. It was terrifying, like time itself had been reversed.

The twins’ minds felt as if they had rusted. They couldn’t think at all. This… this was real.

The pain in the flesh, the raw, unmistakable pain, even if it were an illusion, could never be so vivid. Besides, they couldn’t possibly be under the control of a hallucination. They had never come into contact with anyone.

The twins lifted their eyes and found the same shock and certainty in each other’s gaze.

“City Lord of Hope City!” The twins, as if afraid that He Fang might disconnect the call, spoke urgently, “The Library requests to join the Hope City Alliance!”

He Fang’s eyes widened. “Huh?”

As if worried He Fang hadn’t heard clearly, the other repeated immediately, “From the rumors, we heard that Angel City has already joined the Hope City Alliance, and that Hope City has fully accepted Arrival City as well. The Library also wishes to become an allied city of Hope City or, like Pangu City and Gaia City, to receive Hope City’s protection!”

He Fang was stunned. Wow, his Hope City had finally made it big!

All along, He Fang had only ever plundered or picked up the leftovers. This was the first time in history that someone had proactively asked to join Hope City.

Having never really worked a proper job before, He Fang suddenly felt like he had just started a company and was now successfully sitting in the HR chair. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. Finally, there would come a day when others would ask for Hope City’s protection!

But He Fang was still a bit nervous, worried that this might turn into another complicated mission like with Arrival City. He knew very well that an orange-level mission definitely wouldn’t be any simpler than a purple one.

Cautiously, he asked, “Um… could you maybe introduce yourselves? What city are you from, exactly?”

But the twins froze for a moment. “You… you didn’t know who we were, and you just connected the call directly?”

He Fang scratched his head a bit awkwardly. How would he know? He’d only done it because there was an orange mission here.

The twins exchanged a slightly strange look but quickly found an explanation for themselves: “Then… it must have been the guidance of the Divine Lord?”

He Fang choked up, then nodded. From a certain perspective, the system really was the NPC’s god, after all.

“We are the Library. The city that records the world’s knowledge,” Shi Canghai said to him. “Within the Library are preserved all the historical texts, documents, and information that exist in the post-apocalyptic world. We are the chroniclers of the entire historical civilization; the keepers who, even in the apocalypse, have never abandoned the past.”

After listening carefully, He Fang understood what this Library really was.

The Library was a kind of title. The Library itself was a city. It didn’t name itself something-something City; they didn’t see themselves as just a city, but rather as a group of record keepers.

And the scale of the Library was already on par with a massive mobile city. They possessed the records of the past, the archives of culture, the chronicles of history. They preserved the great works of famous figures from before, valuable paintings worth collecting. Anything worth recording was kept safe, even things like old newspapers. It was a vast, immensely valuable city.

He Fang was dumbfounded when he heard this.

There was actually this kind of city in the world?

He Fang asked several questions about some obscure branches of culture, and the other side said they had them all preserved. He Fang’s mind was spinning. This meant that with the Library, he could directly use its contents as the main city’s teaching material. From now on, he wouldn’t have to painstakingly search the internet for all sorts of information to write into “Ruins Without Restart”. It was all already here!

They even had recipes!

And supposedly, they even had the complete Manchu-Han Imperial Feast?!

In an instant, He Fang felt like the Library was a massive bug in “Ruins Without Restart”; a cheat device!

He Fang immediately understood why this was classified as an orange-level mission. His heart started pounding. If he missed out on this orange mission, how long would it take for him to get his hands on the Library?

With the Library, the teaching standards of the main city would shoot up by more than just one level. After all, what you could find on the internet was so limited. It couldn’t possibly compare to real books. He Fang felt that the fact that he’d managed to gather enough internet knowledge to write into “Ruins Without Restart” and still produce a terrifying researcher like Zhu Yan was already a bug. He hadn’t expected there to be an even bigger bug!

“You… why do you want to come to Hope City on your own initiative?” He Fang’s voice trembled as he spoke. What an enormous pie falling from the sky! Only an idiot wouldn’t take a bite.

“No matter how hard we work to preserve it all, there are still difficulties. Even now, many historical documents continue to vanish due to decay,” Shi Sangtian said. “But the Mirage has unique technology. It should have better ways to preserve these things.”

Shi Canghai also nodded. “And I’ve heard that in Hope City, everyone is allowed to study. That’s completely impossible in the general environment of the apocalypse. We are the guardians of knowledge, but we are also its inheritors and disseminators. Knowledge rests in our hands, but we have no way to carry it forward. All along, we’ve hoped the world would return to peace, and knowledge could be spread once more. That’s why we work so hard to preserve it.”

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