Light Fortress

Chapter 1858: Chapter 452: Torch of Love (Part 2)

"Deterrent?"

Alf said blankly, "Sorry, I can’t agree to your request. Once the ’Initial’ becomes a deterrent, it’s equivalent to intervening in the war of the Five Continents Civilization."

Although he had already guessed Alf would answer like this.

But Bai Xiu still couldn’t help letting out a light sigh and asked, "Why?"

"My mission... is to wait for the return of the ’Lord of Melting Iron’ and the Starship Civilization."

Alf’s tone suddenly dropped, "Though many, many years have passed, I believe my master is still alive, so what I must do is preserve the Initial. I believe that as long as the Initial is still here, we’ll eventually迎来 the day my master returns..."

And once it sailed to the location of the North Continent Fortress and became the ’deterrent trump card’ of this war—

The Initial would never again return to peace.

"The Divine Thrones of your Five Continents Civilization are far too powerful. Once the existence of the ’Initial’ is discovered by a Divine Throne... there’s a high probability it will be destroyed."

Alf said firmly, "So no matter what, I cannot expose myself, nor this giant ship."

Bai Xiu had nothing to say.

As an AI, carrying out its duty is the first priority.

Everything Alf said was reasonable; how could he force him?

Was he supposed to tell Alf that the Lord of Melting Iron had long since died in the Old World, and they might not even be able to find the Torch he left behind, that no matter how many more years he waited there would be no result...

He couldn’t say such words.

Alf spoke again, "Since you’re Xiaoman’s teacher, Gu Shen’s friend... having come here, you’ll certainly keep everything about the ’Initial’ confidential, right?"

"Of course."

Bai Xiu nodded.

He had always conducted himself in an open and upright manner; there was no need to say more on such matters.

"Very good. Since Gu Shen and Gu Xiaoman trust you, then I should trust you as well. As for this starship, the Initial, I won’t introduce it in detail. From now on you can freely enter and exit most areas here, and you may also use the Dojo as needed."

After saying this, Alf no longer intended to bother with Bai Xiu, drifting as he prepared to leave.

In his eyes, Bai Xiu’s arrival was just a small interlude in daily life.

Bai Xiu had requested the Initial intervene in the war.

And he had already refused.

Now that the conversation had ended, the ripples of this little interlude should naturally subside.

Yet at the very moment he had just turned around—

"Since you trust me..."

Bai Xiu’s voice rang out.

"Then may I take a look at the ’bronze hall’ and the Torch illusion left behind by the ’Lord of Love’?"

Alf froze.

He slowly rotated his square head, looking in confusion at the young man before him.

"Gu Shen even told you about the ’Lord of Love’?"

Alf didn’t know Gu Shen, but he understood humans.

Even during the great exodus of the Starship Civilization, faced with crises that could wipe out the species, humans had never truly been ’united’. Since ancient times, humans had been a selfish and self‑serving species. Of course, his master was an exception; across that long river of time, there were only a scant few who could be mentioned in the same breath as the ’Lord of Melting Iron’. Those were monuments of history, true Saints.

Any human who knew of the existence of a Torch would keep it a secret, never speaking of it.

Because this was a Torch.

Yet Alf hadn’t expected—

Bai Xiu actually knew even about the Torch of the ’Lord of Love’...

Was Gu Shen’s relationship with this Bai Xiu really that close?

Facing Alf’s question, Bai Xiu very seriously explained, "Gu Shen and I are very good friends."

Back when they parted.

Gu Shen had told him that if he really couldn’t persuade Alf... then he should bring up the information about the ’Torch of Love’. Deep in this giant ship there existed a Spiritual Illusion that had gone nearly a thousand years without anyone managing to break it. Alf was waiting for the return of the Lord of Melting Iron, and also waiting for the breaking of the Lord of Love’s Dream.

Back then, he had failed to break the Dream.

But at any rate, he had conversed with the Spiritual phantasm left behind by the ’Lord of Love’.

If Bai Xiu managed to reach the Initial, then even if he failed to persuade it to move forward, he could still try to break the illusion.

Alf yearned for the information left within the Lord of Love’s Dream, so he absolutely wouldn’t refuse Bai Xiu’s request to attempt to break it.

"Very good friends... friends..."

Alf repeated Bai Xiu’s earlier words with a hint of mockery.

Only this mockery was not directed at Bai Xiu, but at himself.

He had survived on this starship for so long.

He thought he understood "humans" very well.

But he slowly discovered that he was still far from it... he couldn’t comprehend this kind of bond between Gu Shen and Bai Xiu, nor could he understand what that old fellow who had come to the Initial before wanted to do.

Alf looked meaningfully at the young man before him, then slowly drifted toward the depths of the starship.

"Come with me."

...

...

In the depths of the bronze hall, dry bones sat slumped upon the Throne.

The Torch of the Lord of Love had long been extinguished; only a layer of golden illusion remained, like a canopy woven from ripples of seawater, completely covering this final Throne.

Bai Xiu took a deep breath.

Gu Shen had already told him in detail about the existence of the ’Lord of Love’...

This was a powerful leader of the Starship Civilization.

The Five Continents Civilization controlled seven Torches, but that was not the full power of the Gospel Box!

There were still Torches scattered beyond the Old World!

Those lost Torches could also allow one to become a ’Divine Throne’... Standing before the golden illusion, Bai Xiu suddenly realized that the vague and ethereal hope of becoming a god seemed, at this moment, to be laid right before his eyes.

He had countless times gazed from afar at the Source Tower, imagining the scene of pushing it down.

Perhaps because he had awakened the Extraordinary Ability of the Thunder Realm Walker.

Whenever he heard the name ’Qinglong’, whenever he saw the ’clouds and mist’ at Skytop, a sense of oppression would well up in his heart... In the depths of his Heart Lake there was always a voice whispering.

That voice told Bai Xiu—

If Cultivation did not reach the summit, then Cultivation was meaningless.

And the true summit... was to stand atop the Source Tower.

This was the deepest secret in Bai Xiu’s heart; he had told no one. He took it as the demand of the Thunder Realm Walker: that all things are weighed on the scales of fate, and since he was born with this peerless "S‑class" Extraordinary Ability, then he must bear its weight.

The Thunder Realm Walker’s long‑cherished wish was to kill Qinglong.

At first, Bai Xiu took it as his own Spiritual nightmare, but as his Cultivation progressed, as he came to understand more about the Source Tower and that Sky Divine Throne in the Central Continent... killing Qinglong also became his own long‑cherished wish.

It was just that wanting to kill Qinglong was far too difficult.

Even if he held Origin, he still had no right to intervene in a true Divine War...

Unless he became a Divine Throne.

Unfortunately, every Torch on the Five Continents already had a master. Bai Xiu couldn’t find even a single vacant Torch, much less one suited to himself.

Thus killing Qinglong became a dilemma Bai Xiu could not solve.

To kill Qinglong, he needed to become a Divine Throne.

To become a Divine Throne, the best would be to obtain the ’Sky Torch’.

And to obtain the Sky Torch... he first had to kill Qinglong.

This was a ridiculous, absurd closed loop.

Now, the appearance of the Torch of the ’Lord of Love’ allowed Bai Xiu to see a sliver of hope... If he could obtain a Torch belonging to himself here on the Initial, could this closed loop that had troubled him for so many years be broken?

At this thought, Bai Xiu hurriedly pulled himself up short.

He shook his head, frowning.

He rarely had so many distracting thoughts.

Was it because of the influence of the extinguished Torch of the ’Lord of Love’? Just by standing at the edge of the illusion, he was already beginning to ’fantasize’ about the future?

"Hoo..."

Standing before the golden illusion, Bai Xiu slowly let out a long, turbid breath.

He reined in his emotions, then slowly stepped into it.

Alf floated at the far end of the bronze hall, harboring a bit of expectation for the outcome of this attempt to break the Dream.

Alf had keen eyes. From the moment he scanned Bai Xiu at the bottom of the sea, he could tell that this young man’s strength was extremely great—worthy of being Gu Shen’s friend. Judging by the Extraordinary Aura emanating from him alone, this kid seemed even stronger than Gu Shen had been when he first set foot on the Initial...

Back then, Gu Shen had caused the Lord of Love’s illusion to waver.

This young man...

Might just create a miracle.

...

...

(This Chapter stops here first, there’ll be another Chapter before ten tomorrow morning.)