Chapter 353: Hello, Child of Destiny

"Failed? How did it fail?!"

This unexpected failure not only made Lin Liu feel uneasy and perplexed, but also made Zhao Si's heart rise with deep suspicion.

Because Lin Liu's overall plan was devised by him, and now the plan has failed, the one who is most perplexed is naturally him, this behind-the-scenes mastermind.

"No way, this plan had been verified before......"

Zhao Si began to ponder solemnly:

Saving the whole world, Lin Liu had done it before; in the side storyline of the previous simulation round, the system evaluation Lin Liu got for saving all beings was 【Useful】! This shows that beings were truly saved by him, and the reason for the failure is only that he himself couldn't pass, causing the Eternal Wasteland to lack an anchor point.

As for the anchor point issue, it indeed couldn't be resolved before, but now with the "Pangu's Endowment", the above problems have long been solved!

Although the main body still can't pass, as long as we rely on Pangu Divine Power, Lin Liu can completely "have one foot in each boat", thereby being in this realm while his heart is in another, achieving perfect completion……

So the theory is actually complete, the details have also been verified, and Lin Liu has indeed been to the Eternal Wasteland.

"You can get in, no matter how you think about it, you should be able to get in!"

Zhao Si rubbed his chin:

"Saving beings was successful, entering the dream wasteland was also successful…… but why does combining them not work?"

"Could it be that Pangu's Endowment has a quality problem?"

Zhao Si instinctively began to trace the source, and then the contradiction became clear: it could only be that this primordial-level gift, Pangu's Endowment, had a problem.

"System, can the gift also break? Or is it that Lin Liu's cultivation is too low to exert its power?"

【Pangu's Power is an indestructible, invulnerable supreme gift; it will not be damaged.】

【As for the gift's power issue, any gift bound to the player can naturally be unleashed to its full power by you and the simulated protagonist without hindrance; you don't need to worry about refinement and backlash problems, cultivation does not affect gift usage, this system is trustworthy.】

"Then what's going on?"

Zhao Si was a bit puzzled: "Since the gift has no quality problem, Lin Liu should succeed, right......"

Wait!

Zhao Si seemed to have discovered a blind spot, and said with a strange expression:

"You said the gift cannot backlash me and the protagonist?"

【Yes.】

"... if the gift's effect would endanger the protagonist's safety, would it also fail?"

【Yes, this system always prioritizes the player's life; if the gift's function conflicts with your and the protagonist's life safety, then naturally we prioritize your and the protagonist's life safety.】

In an instant, Zhao Si seemed to understand something, and couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth: now I get it……

Prioritizing the master's safety, this function is naturally good.

Because Golden Crow True Fire, Slay Immortal Sword, Stabilize Sea Pearl…… none of these are things mortals can touch; without this function, I would probably have been easily killed by these heaven-defying gifts.

Lin Liu is the same; Pangu's Endowment will completely obey him, so he can enter the dream wasteland with a mortal body.

But the problem is, Lin Liu is no longer a mortal now; he is a True God!

The greatest characteristic of a True God is shedding the mortal flesh and existing solely as a Dharma Aspect True Body; thus he is not limited by lifespan, can go anywhere, and remain eternally present.

And the Dharma Aspect True Body…… is non-material; its essence is a conglomeration of incense, entirely within the concept of 'Dharma'.

In other words, he now appears vastly stronger than when he was mortal, but in fact he has reduced himself to a dog, completely suppressed by Pangu Divine Power! Once the divine power manifests, Lin Liu will drop dead on the spot.

And precisely for this reason, Pangu Divine Power fails, causing Lin Liu's dream entry to fail……

""

Zhao Si stared: "So, in fact he shouldn't have cultivated into a god......"

"But…… but the dream world only has one path to longevity; aside from becoming a True God, Lin Liu has no way to achieve longevity!"

The problem suddenly became unsolvable:

If he does not become a True God, Lin Liu cannot permanently anchor the Eternal Wasteland.

But if he becomes a True God, Lin Liu can't use Pangu Divine Power, and thus cannot anchor it either! "What's the difference from that bug last time?! After all this fuss, Pangu's Endowment still hasn't solved the problem......"

Zhao Si racked his brains but still couldn't find a solution; this sudden blow directly confused him, and the perfect strategy he had designed was instantly shattered……

After thinking left and right, still no good idea, Zhao Si couldn't help but look at the screen information, wanting to speak but holding back: "This is another failure; Lin Liu's mindset is probably about to explode...... Could it be that he has to go through another life? But what use would another life be? Pangu's Endowment has already been sent over, all the off-board moves I can use have been exhausted; even if he goes through life after life in reincarnation, theoretically it would be useless......"

"There's nothing we can do."

Zhao Si thought seriously for a while, decided to give Lin Liu the maximum possible support:

"Give him an order!"

"Tell him the reason why Pangu Divine Power failed, and…… comfort him, so that no matter what he doesn't give up, as long as he can stay alive, there is still hope!"

"The game won't truly be unsolvable; a solution definitely exists in this world......"

Having said all that, Zhao Si couldn't come up with more support; the rest can only rely on Lin Liu himself……

【Ding! Your order has been delivered as is, remaining active command count: (one)!】……

【The information support from "another self" slowly surfaced in your mind, making your gloomy mindset involuntarily gain a bit of hope, but after you see these messages clearly, the hope that just rose slowly fades away......】

【"So that's why……"】

【You laughed silently, but your laughter held only sorrow.】

【Knowing that, what then? Still can't solve it?】

【If you want longevity, you can only become a god; this basic fact cannot be changed by your subjective consciousness.】

【As for his advice to you……】

【"Thank you."】

【Standing in a world of dead silence, you smile and express thanks to him, but your smile remains not quite normal, half-smile half-cry…… extremely eerie, extremely creepy……】

【However, you ultimately didn't lie to him: not wanting to die is truly not wanting to die!】

【What's the point of dying? Doing it again? What meaning does it have?】

【Compared to meaningless reincarnation, you'd rather keep living, because as long as you're still alive in this world, the Eternal Wasteland isn't considered destroyed, those who were saved aren't considered dead; they've just gone to a world you can't reach!】

And if you merely seek death, then whether you die and are reborn in the next life, or die cleanly like Jiao Ming, it will cause those who have already died to die completely, leaving no possibility of rescue from now on.

So you cannot die, whether for yourself or for others—you must not die……

In your twisted mindset, you are instead calmer and sharper than usual; various pros and cons swirl in your mind, being weighed carefully, and you finally conclude: 'Living is better than dying!'

Then, go on living……

……

From this day onward, there was one more 'Grave Keeper' in the world.

This young Grave Keeper lived alone in the coastal fishing village, day after day, year after year……

The grave he guards is not that of a single person, but the grave of everyone in the world; or rather, this lifeless world itself is a huge tomb, burying the once-living beings, burying all past events, and even burying a living person named Lin Liu.

One burial for all beings.

Two burials for past events.

Three burials for oneself.

Thus the Grave Keeper self-mockingly calls himself 'Three Burials'……

And if one counts his three lives as three things buried, he can also be called 'Six Burials'……

Fast forward to the Paper Wedding Dress……

You simply lived in your hometown, where the dream began, guarding the dream that had ended…… no, the dream had not ended.

As long as you, the sole protagonist upon whom all things depend, are not dead, then the dream is not considered ended but merely paused…… it is a dream whose pause length is unknown.

Spring goes, autumn comes; winter comes, summer goes.

You continued the fisherman's life taught by your parents: catching fish, netting crabs, hauling shrimp…… rowing, casting nets, drawing nets…… boiling soup, drying, making sauce……

These fisherman skills you had inherited from your seniors and long relied on for a livelihood were picked up again by you, because you wanted to try being a mortal, being a fisherman.

Since the dream you pursued has been broken, of course you must return from dream to reality, continuing to be your ordinary fisherman, continuing the work of your generations……

This is what you should be doing.

Gradually, you began to forget your past, to forget all the wind and clouds you experienced across your three lives…… great authority of the world, wars of weapons, governmental affairs, the pursuit of immortality and divinity, ascending to the heavenly realm……

Those past things gradually yellowed in memory and faded with time, as if you had never experienced them.

At first, those vast and tumultuous things would occasionally echo in your dreams, but as time passed, they finally ceased to be recalled by you.

From that day on, you were no longer 'General Lin', nor 'Banner Master Lin', nor 'Sir Lin'…… you were merely an ordinary fisherman surnamed Lin, whose life had never involved anything beyond fishing and net-drying, generation after generation, without exception.

You would don a raincoat, wear a conical hat, row upon the vast sea, and feel joy or sorrow over today's catch……

Year after year passed like this, until you no longer remembered how many years had gone by—perhaps a few hundred, perhaps a few thousand, or even longer.

Then one day, as you were boating on the sea, a black shadow at the horizon where sky and sea meet slowly came into view……

In an instant, your gaze froze.

You seemed to have traversed time in silence, returning to the moment when you first saw it in your first life……

It was a raft, with a point of golden light on it shining toward the sun.

After a long while, you, who seemed to have understood something, showed a smile that was like a reunion after a long separation, yet also like a welcoming first encounter.

"Hello, Child of Heaven."

……

(End of Chapter)