Roland's heart couldn't help but sink.
This opening style was quite similar to the last words of a runaway from the Association—mortals cannot defeat devils. Through the handwritten words, he could even faintly feel the writer's pessimism and despair.
"The world is so distorted, yet we are completely unaware."
"Knowing that the power of nature comes from the erosion of loopholes, most of our kind still regard it as a gift from the gods, simply because it can bring the extraordinary."
"The extraordinary makes us rejoice in being a part of it, but also blinds us."
"It's time to wake up."
"Although I don't know if it's still possible."
Roland's eyelids twitched as he read this short opening. As the creator of the Dream World, he always felt that these words were meaningful. Could it be that someone has discovered that the world is just an illusory dream, hoping that everyone will wake up quickly? The problem is that he can return to reality after waking up, but where can these people go?
As for the description related to the power of nature, he felt the same way.
The kuàigan brought by becoming extraordinary was even stronger than holding power. It was difficult for ordinary people to associate the power they possessed with disaster. Even if they were clear about the facts, they would resist thinking about it because they were reluctant to give it up.
In the following dozens of pages, the conclusion of the opening was not explained, but instead changed direction—why only humans can use the power of nature.
The content of the photos and abstracts was basically some modern scientific experiments and archaeological discoveries, and the writing returned to the main topic.
"Too much evidence shows that intelligence is not the key to awakening. Throughout history, there have been demented Fallen Ones, as well as natural Martial Artists. And aside from our proud intelligence, we are not essentially different from other animals. Our genes are highly similar, and our origins are the same. We should be indistinguishable from cold-blooded reptiles basking in the sun in the face of erosion. Whether it is frogs, snakes, or lizards, the warm sunshine will treat them equally, but why is the power of nature not like this?"
Because humans are the lucky ones on the evolutionary path? As soon as Roland had this thought, he found that the writer seemed to have guessed his idea, "Most people will use the lucky ones as an excuse, like the geocentric theory in the past—but in fact, the Earth is not the heart of the universe, and humans are not the only species that can use the power of nature."
"Looking at history, we can find that the records of civilization always show a fragmented development, such as the myths that have been passed down to this day. The descriptions of extraordinary abilities are mostly concentrated in the two thousand years before this time—far later than the time when humans learned to record. It seems that we suddenly became enlightened and possessed incredible power from then on. The descriptions of enemies have also increased accordingly, demons, ancient beasts, monsters, Aliens, they all have different shapes and forms, but they have one thing in common: mortals are defeated in front of them, and only awakened heroes can fight against them."
"Although there is a lack of direct evidence, I have always believed that those aliens were not conceived out of thin air by the ancients, but were a real species that existed. Their abilities are no different from ours, so the myths of that period are so lifelike."
"At this point, some people may think that even mosquitoes of the Paleozoic Era can preserve their corpses in amber, but they don't. Isn't this association too far-fetched? There are so many incredible relics in the world, and many buildings are completely contrary to human living habits. Some of the projects are not even possible for people of that era to do. We stubbornly divide them into which civilization branch they belong to by region and attribute all the credit to the local natives. This is really overestimating ourselves."
"In order to find the answer, I visited those relics one by one. On this journey, I made some amazing discoveries—although those aliens did not leave behind bones or hair, the marks carved on the stones will not disappear. In a secret room of a volcano relic, through the carvings on the walls, I saw the past of a civilization."
Turning to this page, Roland was convinced that this was indeed a book created by the Dream World—he had never seen the ancient buildings in the black and white photos, and what was even more concerning was that some of the volcano relics mentioned by the Martial Artist at the end were quite similar in style to the Devil's Black Stone Tower!
"It was no coincidence that they gained the power of nature and then became enemies with humans. It was like a meeting arranged by the gods, and they regarded defeating their opponents as a reward for the power bestowed by the gods."
"I know it's difficult to describe the specific content of the carvings with words alone, but I can feel it—if humans can learn their language, then I think the most appropriate word would probably be War of Divine Will."
What Lan refers to… is from here?
Roland licked his slightly dry lips and continued to read.
"But what I want to say is not this—if the purpose of gaining power is just for a war, then it has already ended. No matter what the gods are, they have nothing to do with humans. However, some things are worse than we imagined. According to the records of the carvings… they have not done this for the first time."
The handwriting on the page gradually became less neat, and there were more ink dots and emotional words, as if the writer was hesitating whether to continue writing.
"These Aliens were definitely not living on the same planet as us at the beginning. It can be seen that the outbreak of war caused great changes to their environment, but they were prepared for it. This is not as simple as the degeneration from forest to desert, nor is it as gradual as the transformation of nomads to agricultural civilization. Damn, I don't know how to express this part of the content. To use a perhaps inappropriate example, this kind of change is like atomic transition. Before gaining energy, it is at one level, and after gaining energy, it will transition to a higher level. There is no process in between, nor is there an intermediate level. It is like teleporting in the blink of an eye."
"To be honest, I don't want to care how many upheavals they have experienced, but the problem is, now that they no longer exist, why does erosion and awakening still continue? Or… is it that the War of Divine Will has never ended?"
"The more I think about this question, the more terrified I feel. What kind of world are we living in? Are the Fallen Ones really just Martial Artists lured by power? I feel like I'm caught in a vortex."
"If the answer is no, then what are we facing?"
"The so-called bestowal and reward are all lies."
"The only difference is that they have replaced—"
The words stopped abruptly here, leaving only a long series of scratches, as if the writer suddenly lost all strength and let the pen in his hand fall down.
—Does anyone know who wrote this?
—Why would I write it if I knew it was ominous? I heard that the person died before finishing writing, and the Association couldn't find any records about him.
Recalling the previous conversation, Roland couldn't help but feel a chill rise from the soles of his feet.
Putting aside everything else, too many places are filled with a strange atmosphere—it is clearly talking about the Dream World, but there is always a feeling of déjà vu.
He couldn't wait to take out his phone and call Garcia.
In any case, there were too many doubts in his mind that needed the other party to answer.
At this moment, his moving elbow accidentally knocked over the book on the table, and a red piece of paper slipped out of it.
Roland was stunned for a moment, then bent down to pick it up.
Only to see two lines of small characters written on the surface.
"The day the War of Divine Will appears, the time of the meeting is agreed upon."
"Rose Cafe, Room 302."