Chapter 33: The Fire-Keeper, Futurology, and the New Game

Seeing that familiar name, Su Wen now understood that "Azure" was a homophone for "Future."

He smiled gently. Then, alongside the beautiful girl beside him, he opened the newly released film.

The movie began, set in a desolate, mountainous village. Dust and sand were whipped up by the wind time and again. The villagers here wore expressions as numb and weathered as the yellow earth itself. If life held no hope, perhaps the process from birth to death was not even worth remembering.

Then one day, someone discovered this mountain village. He arrived at the foot of the mountain with a knapsack and spent over half a year building a dilapidated classroom. The children of the village finally had a school where they could learn.

Over the next ten years, beyond teaching them knowledge, this young teacher personally led his students in planting saplings of wind-resistant trees he had purchased from the big city. Day after day, year after year, he never stopped.

Ten years passed. Beneath the shroud of yellow sand, those small saplings began to grow, sprouting new branches.

Twenty years later, the children had come and gone in batches, but the circle of tree-planters had gradually expanded to include teachers and students alike.

Thirty years passed. The once-young teacher’s hair had gradually turned white, and during the holidays, he frequently received letters and gifts from his former students. They were doing well; they had ventured out and seen a wider world.

Fifty years later, that man who had once been young was buried beneath the very first tree he had planted with his own hands. And the once-barren mountain, looking back at this moment, was lush and covered in greenery.

The screen faded. Only the final words remained against the black backdrop:

[To the Torchbearers:
After you departed, the stars replaced the night, illuminating the path forward for civilization.]

The film ended. Compared to "The Lonely Journey of Civilization’s Salvation" and "Lighthouse No. 43," this film lacked grand twists or climaxes. It told the story of an ordinary person in a gentle tone. Yet, across the long span of time, no matter how trivial a deed, it ultimately became a greatness worth remembering due to the accumulation of civilization’s progress and layered human emotion.

"A story worth remembering," Su Wen asked, turning to the side. "Jiang Menghan, what do you think?"

"We are both well aware that this world is restless and real; the focus on meritocracy has turned education into a means of categorization. Regardless, this model is the optimal choice for the current evolution of society. Civilization needs teachers; as the firewood is consumed, the flame is passed on, endless and eternal. Only then is the future real and tangible."

The iceberg-like girl gave her answer, calm and rational.

Su Wen and she leaned against the edge of the rooftop. He leisurely opened a can of soda. "Menghan, as a researcher, your judgment is indeed rigorous and realistic."

After a moment, the young man gazed at the campus scenery in the distance and continued:

"But John Adams once said: 'I must study politics and war, that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture. Their children to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain.'

In that movie, I saw how the yellow sand transformed into lush mountains. The possibilities of civilization, the possibilities of human nature—they can perhaps only be obscured, never eradicated. Our current efforts are likewise intended for our successors to see a more vast galaxy."

Just as in the "Deep Dream" memories, he had seen Wu Shuang, even through the repeated "electric torture," stubbornly rely on her impressions to draw her hometown—a place she could never forget. Even if a bird breaks its wings, it likely still gazes toward the sky.

The girl replied, "Very romantic, and very much in your style, Mr. Su."

Su Wen smiled softly. He didn't tell any lame jokes; he simply said to the girl beside him, "There is a place I want to take you to see."

"Where?"

"Why don't you take a guess?"

Jiang Menghan ultimately agreed. She wrapped her arms around Su Wen’s waist and sat on the back seat of that broken bicycle. In this late summer, the two embarked on a second spontaneous journey. In the late summer breeze, the girl's hair brushed past. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful.

Half an hour later, he found the place he wanted to go. It was the spot where Wu Shuang had once stood on the mountaintop, sketching the panoramic view of her hometown.

At this moment, the mountain flowers were in full bloom. The wind had ceased, and the rain had stopped.

"A beautiful view," Jiang Menghan said.

"Indeed," he replied calmly.

***

Three days later, inside the Mental Review Bureau, Zhu Yu personally stamped a document with the official seal.

[Mental Review Bureau Tracking Analysis Report]
[Transcendent: Su Wen, behavioral logic shows no abnormalities, no anti-social tendencies.]
[Mental Stability: Clear.]
[Danger Level: E.]
[No further follow-up investigation required.]
[Transcendent Archived.]

Due to the establishment of the Westminster "Equality Act," the Mental Review Bureau’s assessments of Transcendent danger and mental stability were now conducted in the shadows. Staying at home was the lowest indicator of danger. Therefore, no one could have imagined just how much he had actually done.

Of course, Su Wen likely didn't care. After all, the bad things were all done by "Schlott Heavy Industries," the "Slumber Sect," and "Zero-Sum Game." It had nothing to do with him.

At the same time, seven days after the end of the last "Deep Dream" incident, a new game arrived.

[15 natural days remaining until the 'Player's' scheduled death.]
[Countdown begins.]
[Do you choose to start the game?]

Su Wen watched the countdown. Although he had necessary concerns about whether his life was in danger, he also felt a spark of anticipation for what the new game might entail.

[Bartender No. 1]
[Game Type: Role-playing]
[Real-time Span: Five days]
[Game Difficulty: Low]
[Game Background:
Time: Early Origin Era
Location: Detroit, the largest city in Michigan
Due to the economy and the arrival of the Origin Era, security in the districts east of Detroit’s 1st Avenue has gradually deteriorated. Drugs and gangs run rampant. Someone might ask, aren't there police stations here? The answer is: the police here are also worried about their own safety at all times.

In the midst of this, the Freezing Point Bar is an obscure little pub within the chaotic zone. Only very few know that the taciturn, gray-haired owner is the former top supervisor of the Lyceum Security Company—'White Hound' Fern Onions—who defected from Lyceum.

Before long, a squad targeting the White Hound has already begun secret operations.
(Note: Fern Onions hides the secrets of the Detroit ruins. If he dies, it will cause the timelines of the future 'Origin of Self-Awareness,' 'Purification Protocol,' and 'City of Sin' to shift.)]

[Game Objective:]
[One Star: Gain the trust of 'White Hound' Fern Onions and become the best bartender at Freezing Point Bar.]