Chapter 26: The Mystery of the Third Civilization

“Since you possess such a powerful civilization,” Li Ruoyi said, accepting the goblet and fresh fruit offered by a Valkyrie, “then why was control of the planet handed over to us, your slaves?”

“That is what I want to tell you—the mystery of the Third Civilization as I know it.”

Odin closed his single eye, and the surrounding images changed once again.

Li Ruoyi could see a magnificent golden city perched atop the clouds, its architecture showcasing a style he had never seen before.

“This is the kingdom of the Third Civilization in the Norse region—Asgard, the place where you mortals say the gods live.”

The walls surrounding Asgard were made of the same metal as the Great Hall of Valhalla, a mixture of white marble and the dim yellow of dusk.

The dim yellow surfaces surged with an incredibly powerful magic, making them both incomparably sturdy and magnificent.

A grand causeway known as the Bifrost Bridge spanned the entire city.

A vast plain lay at the center of Asgard, where the spire-shaped temple of the Aesir stood.

Lining the roads were marble reliefs crafted by human artisans for the Aika God-race.

“We, with our sparse population, discovered at a certain point that while we possessed the power to manipulate the planet, we needed a large workforce.”

“Therefore, by modifying a certain ancient species, we created you,” Odin said, raising his divine spear, Gungnir.

“Initially, every human brain was fitted with a device similar to a crest, through which we could directly control your thoughts.”

When the spear tip entered Li Ruoyi’s line of sight, it emitted a dim yellow light.

A message akin to a command invaded his brain, whispering incessantly in his ear.

When Li Ruoyi tried to resist it, he was met with a piercing pain that felt as if it were penetrating his brain.

Only when Odin withdrew the spear tip did the excruciating pain slowly cease.

“Just like that,” the voice sighed softly.

“Oh! My respected Odin, what was that?”

Li Ruoyi steadied himself; the resonance with the great god’s spear had given him a slight concussion.

“It is precisely because we possessed such power that the Aika God-race brought about its own demise.”

“Demise? How could you, who could forcibly control a lower civilization, face demise? Is it the Ragnarök I know of?”

Li Ruoyi felt a deep fear of the ability Odin had just demonstrated.

Even he, a Human King, found it difficult to resist, let alone magicians and ordinary people.

“But as time went on, we discovered the shining points of humanity—of you—as a civilization.”

Odin’s expression grew somewhat complex.

“Some factions among us began to intermarry with you. The crests in the minds of some of their descendants were nullified—or perhaps never existed in the first place.”

“And they were called Mixed-breeds. They displayed limitless potential—human emotion combined with the wisdom of the Aika God-race.”

“And the most prominent members of these factions were Zeus, the king of the Greeks, whom you are familiar with, and myself.”

“I can roughly guess. Due to the reproductive speed of humans as mammals, Mixed-breeds surpassed the Aika in both numbers and physiological advantages, right?”

“Haha, speaking with a clever human truly brings me joy.”

A look of gratification appeared on Odin’s face.

“However, you are not of the same category as those Mixed-breeds. Listen as I continue.”

“The Aika royalty quickly grew wary of the Mixed-breeds, fearing they would develop into a civilization that surpassed them.”

As Odin’s tone shifted, the surrounding images changed rapidly once more, depicting the Aika royalty, holding their artifacts, in conversation with beings taller than themselves.

“This involves the seven members of the Second Civilization.”

“The First God, the god of world order, Baelon-kirethus.”

“The Second God, the god of all creation, Norman-mont-rethus.”

“The Third God, the god who governs death, Aztec-rethus.”

“The Fourth God, the god who governs life, Alith-man-rethus.”

“The Fifth God, the god who controls time, Aislith-rethus.”

“The Sixth God, the god who controls space, Elector-rethus.”

“And the Seventh God, the mad destroyer, Surtr-rethus.”

“At the council of the seven gods, a dispute arose among the deities. The gods of space and creation sided with the Aika God-race, while the gods of death and life saw the shining points of humans and Mixed-breeds and recognized your value.”

“The god of time chose to remain neutral, for he had already seen the outcome through the veil of time and chose not to get involved in this mess.”

“The creator god’s view basically aligned with the destroyer god’s view, and the scales tipped in favor of the Aika royalty.”

“And Baelon-kirethus, for the sake of the peaceful development of world order, sided with humanity. The council ended in discord.”

“But the Aika royalty would never let it go, would they?”

Li Ruoyi gave his answer after a moment of thought.

“They couldn’t directly dispose of the Mixed-breeds and had to report to a higher civilization.”

“This means there were those among you who supported and protected the Mixed-breeds.”

“Very clever, young man! To be able to make such a calm judgment after hearing such an incredible history.”

For the second time since entering the great hall, Odin was moved by the young man’s astonishing mind.

Compared to Sigurd’s pure wisdom, Li Ruoyi’s more thorough thinking was better suited for communication.

“Many years later, at another gathering, the regents from all over the world were summoned to the southernmost tip of the planet.”

“The southernmost tip of the Earth? Antarctica?”

“Yes, and it was because of that gathering that the place became a forbidden land for life.”

Odin’s voice began to tremble slightly; the eternal old man turned his back, his silhouette heart-wrenching.

The surrounding projections showed an unprecedented gathering.

What came into view was not an endless glacier, but a field of flowers in full bloom.

The Aika God-race and the Mixed-breeds, along with the so-called higher civilization with their differing mindsets, were all gathered there.

“At this meeting, the Aika God-race and Norman-mont-rethus colluded to frame Baelon-kirethus, sealing him forever beneath the ground at the southernmost part of the planet.”

“To start a war, one must first break the balance of order?”

“As you have thought, when Baelon-kirethus fell, the powers of the other gods of the Second Civilization were no longer absolute,” Odin sighed deeply.

The eternal king added, “But this meant that the Mixed-breeds no longer enjoyed the right to refuse death. A war of slaughter covering the entire world began.”

“Although the technology of the Third Civilization, the Aika God-race, was more advanced, humans and Mixed-breeds were numerous. The leaders of the humans were those who were immune to the Aika technology of the Third Civilization. These individuals were the product of interbreeding between humans and us. They could use their immunity to get close to the leaders of the Aika God-race and kill them. For the Aika God-race, this was undoubtedly a betrayal of their ‘parents,’ so they were called ‘Assassins.’ The extremely slow reproduction rate of the Aika God-race led to their numbers constantly dwindling—while the human assassination missions, supported by intelligence from their own kind, were always successful.”

“Although it seemed to be a war between humans and the Aika God-race, it was secretly a struggle between the internal factions of the Aika God-race itself. Later, even ordinary humans were able to break free from mental control.”

“The war gradually reached a stalemate. Humans had the advantage in numbers, while the Aika God-race relied on their advanced technology and authority to fight back. In the end, the Second Civilization descended and joined the planetary war. The flames raised by the god of destruction, the army of the dead from the god of death, and the wrath of the god of space caused the planet’s space to shift, leading to the movement and collision of tectonic plates.”

“The creator god, Norman-mont-rethus, built temples all over the world, attempting to directly format the world to erase the records of humans and Mixed-breeds on this planet.”

“Wait! Then the one who caused the world’s destruction was…”

Like Watson catching a blind spot, Li Ruoyi’s eyes widened.

“It was him, the creator god Norman-mont-rethus. This struggle between civilizations has not ended even after tens of thousands of years.”

“The fierce battle with humans prevented both the Second Civilization and the Aika God-race from detecting this catastrophe originating from the planet itself. The catastrophe brought the war to an abrupt halt; both sides suffered heavy losses, and the Earth’s environment was destroyed.”

“After that catastrophe, the gods of the Second Civilization, with their heaven-defying powers, almost all vanished from this world in the same instant. A small portion of the Aika royalty realized the futility of war and their impending extinction. But it was clearly too late.”

“The Earth shook for days. Fires burned for weeks. When the dust and smoke settled, there were fewer than a hundred thousand of you left… and even fewer of us.”

“But we survived together…”

“The surface of the Earth became a scorching wasteland. Fewer than a hundred thousand humans and fewer than ten thousand Aika survived, and not a single member of the Aika royalty survived the catastrophe. To recover, all remaining members of our kind and yours ended the prolonged war and began to work together to restore the planet’s vitality.”

“This is the starting point of all the myths you have recorded. Because the total number was too small, the Third Civilization could not continue as an independent species. In contrast, humans, created by the Aika to ‘survive,’ eventually succeeded in rebuilding their society and prospered once more. As time passed, the reshaping of the Earth’s landforms and geography almost completely erased the material traces of the Aika God-race’s existence.”

“Only we are left!”

Odin struck the floor of the great hall heavily with his long spear, and the entire underground palace trembled under his enraged yet helpless power.

“I apologize, Successor. I lost my composure.”

Odin stroked his throbbing forehead, the light of the gilded patterns on his body flickering unstably.

“It seems my time is running out as well,” Odin said with a bitter smile.

“Let us continue, Successor.”

“I am the regent of the Norse region and the most trusted Aika by Aztec-rethus and Alith-man-rethus of the Second Civilization, which is why they entrusted the task of succession to me.”

“So, the blood of the gods of death and life of the Second Civilization flows in my veins?”

“Ye… Yes… Successor.”

Odin might not have even realized his voice was beginning to tremble, his speech becoming unclear.

But he shook his head, covered by his golden hair, to keep himself as clear-headed as possible.

He stumbled from his throne toward Li Ruoyi.

“Come closer, Successor.”

Hearing Odin’s call, Li Ruoyi also stood up and walked toward the throne.

A Human King and a God-King both walked slowly at this moment, especially Odin, the eternal old man.

This was the final pilgrimage of his divine life.

“We created rich and colorful myths in various places precisely because we are the kin of the gods of death and life!” Odin roared with all his might.

The feeling of his life coming to an end made the eternal king feel agitated.

“Successor! □□□□□□□, you must carry on the will of □□□, find the cause of that catastrophe, and stop □□□□□!”

Odin’s words had become a string of garbled code; Li Ruoyi could not hear a single word clearly.

“The secret to unlocking the Heart of the Human King is in this palace of knowledge! Valhalla was built for your arrival!”

The dim yellow light on Odin’s body flared, and he forced his body to function once more.

“This Gungnir has extended my lifespan to almost its limit.”

Odin coughed up a mouthful of bright red blood.

“It seems the god of death’s gift of refusing death must end here.”

“Successor!”

Odin gripped Li Ruoyi’s arms tightly.

He was a full twenty inches taller than Li Ruoyi, yet at this moment, he seemed so frail.

His nails even dug into Li Ruoyi’s skin.

Li Ruoyi could see that this eternal king was fighting against the death of his physical form with all his might.

“Promise me! Don’t let the efforts of the god of death and the goddess of life go to waste!”

The flowing light on Odin’s body was on the verge of extinguishing.

“We created you for ourselves, but those two great beings created you for the continuation of this planet!”

“I promise you, my respected Eternal King, Odin!”

“I have said… all that I know.”

Odin looked once more at the long spear he had held for an unknown number of years.

Li Ruoyi could even feel the simulated emotions in Odin’s eyes become real—it was a longing for life and all he possessed, originating from his very soul.

This king of gods finally released his grip on the long spear and handed Gungnir to Li Ruoyi.

In that instant, the light on his body went out, and a dazzling, dim yellow light burst from his seven orifices.

This God-King turned and ascended the steps to his throne.

The journey of only a dozen steps seemed incredibly long at this moment.

Li Ruoyi watched the departure of the God-King; he was witnessing the sinking of a history, the end of a myth.

The Eternal King finally sat on the throne he had occupied for many years.

His mind replayed the memories of his time as the master of Valhalla, celebrating each day with humans here.

The majestic old man smiled.

“Did you know… Successor, that sometimes, eternity is the greatest punishment for a being?”

Odin closed his eyes after speaking his last words.

This great God-King had finally completed the task he had carried on his shoulders alone for tens of thousands of years.

He could finally close his eyes and rest.