Chapter 385: Peace Envoy

Zhu Li was not a player; she didn't immediately understand Olivia's proposed solution, but her instinct told her that Olivia's concept of a "perfect world" differed from her own.

She asked in confusion: "What does it mean to reduce people's excessive self-awareness and implant a predetermined collective consciousness?"

Olivia explained:

"All conflict between people—oppression, exploitation, discrimination, even struggle—stems from only one cause: the self."

"With self comes impurity: desire, selfishness, concern for individual gain and loss."

"So I will connect everyone through steam rules, bind them with these rules, and replace the concept of 'I' in their hearts with the concept of the collective."

Zhu Li frowned; she could not imagine the world Olivia described, so she spoke up:

"What will the world become then?"

Olivia smiled confidently and said:

"It's simple to understand: people will see the collective as themselves; working for the collective is working for oneself. Since everything is done for oneself, no one will feel pain or be exploited."

"Because the collective replaces the individual, people will no longer harm each other—just as you would not use your right hand to attack your left."

"Laws will no longer be needed; only a set of behavioral guidelines will tell people what benefits the collective, and they will obey them willingly."

"When the collective becomes the center, personal gain or loss becomes meaningless; everyone in the world will move toward the same goal, strengthening the collective they belong to."

The scene Olivia described was uplifting and harmonious, but Zhu Li felt deep unease after hearing it.

She sensed something was wrong, but could not pinpoint it; she turned her pleading gaze toward Wu Chang, hoping he would reveal the answer.

Wu Chang sighed helplessly and pointed out the dissonance in Olivia's vision.

"Your Majesty Olivia, if the world truly operated according to your vision, would the people still be human?"

Olivia's expression grew slightly unnatural as she replied:

"Why not?"

Wu Chang leaned on his cane and walked toward the Difference Engine, saying:

"By 'human,' I do not mean those who look human or belong to the human species—I mean the human beings we recognize."

"We are called human because we can perceive the self. You are right, Your Majesty: the self brings desire, the self breeds selfishness, and thus conflict arises."

"But virtue and vice, selflessness and selfishness—they are two sides of the same coin that defines humanity. Remove either side, and humanity becomes unreal."

Wu Chang turned to Zhu Li and said:

"Zhu Li, as a descendant of the Mystic Knights, you should know the path of the Mystic Knights is fraught with danger. To resist mystical corruption, the first step to becoming a Mystic Knight is to establish an anchor in the real world."

Zhu Li's face lit up with understanding; she nodded and said:

"Yes, when my father trained me to become a Mystic Knight, he made me experience many unforgettable pivotal moments—joy, sorrow, anger, fear..."

"Each event was meant to help me recognize my own existence and shape my perception of myself and the world."

"It was through these experiences establishing my real-world anchor that I came to understand what kind of world this is, and vowed to correct its flaws. They also enabled me to survive the Mystic Knight trials and remain myself during my five years at the Moonlight Sanatorium, untouched by environmental assimilation."

Wu Chang pointed to the massive exposed gears of the Difference Engine and said:

"Even a Mystic Knight without a real-world anchor will become lost in mystical corruption, lose the self, and become an empty shell."

"What Your Majesty Olivia seeks to do is equivalent to erasing the real-world anchors of ordinary people through steam rules."

"When people treat the collective as their self, their individual will becomes lost within the collective—they will lose their humanity and become flesh-and-blood mechanical parts. They will not cease to feel pain from reality; they will simply have their capacity to feel pain stripped away."

Olivia interrupted Wu Chang:

"That is not true. I will not completely erase people's self; I will leave them a portion, allowing them to continue their lives outside the collective."

Wu Chang shook his head and said:

"Your Majesty Olivia, this approach will likely cause them even greater suffering."

"Recall your youth: when your etiquette was restricted and you could not use your own name as Queen, you felt pain. If a person's entire life is constrained yet retains a sliver of self—forced to watch everything unfold, powerless to change it—surely you can imagine the torment."

Olivia's hanging hand clenched slightly; she insisted:

"This plan is the result of precise calculations by the Difference Engine—it must be flawless. Between self and collective, there must exist a perfect threshold."

Wu Chang tried to persuade her:

"The Difference Engine is not as omniscient as you believe. The world will it connects to resembles your envisioned collective will—they are neither omniscient nor sufficiently wise; they merely follow certain rules."

"Enough." Olivia cut off Wu Chang's next words.

She knew Wu Chang was right; she knew the risks of collective consciousness. But she had to take the gamble.

Because the Difference Engine told her: only this method could fulfill her promise to Zhu Li.

And now, collective consciousness was no longer just her promise to Zhu Li—it had drawn too many others into the plan, who had already paid too great a price.

Like Ron—he firmly believed in the answers the Difference Engine provided, and even sacrificed his life for the perfect ordered world he envisioned.

If she abandoned the plan now because of Wu Chang's few words, wouldn't all their past sacrifices—including Ron's—become meaningless?

She raised her hand, adjusted the crown upon her head, and looked at Wu Chang:

"The Difference Engine's omniscience has been verified many times."

"The completion of the full Difference Engine and the convening of the World Industrial Exposition—all were calculated by it. This proves its effectiveness."

"Sir Sean, you need only answer me: what is your choice?"

"Will you help me build a perfect mechanical world—or become an enemy of Stilane?"

Wu Chang shrugged and said:

"You shouldn't ask me this. You should ask Zhu Li beside you."

He turned to Zhu Li and said:

"Zhu Li, I once asked you: have you found a solution to the current crisis? You were afraid of failure, worried you couldn't find a correct, perfect answer, so you dared not act."

"But there is no perfect answer, no perfect solution—because to gain something, you must give something up."

"Now, the choice is yours: will you choose people to lose their self and become numb shells—or will you abandon your quest for a perfect answer and seek a flawed but better-than-now solution, one that can keep improving?"

Zhu Li's expression wavered; she looked at Olivia, who stepped closer and said: "Zhu Li, what are you hesitating about? This is the era I created for you."

Zhu Li looked at Wu Chang, who remained calm and said:

"Your own path must be chosen by you; no one can decide for you."

Zhu Li turned around and gazed at the spectators, frozen mid-applause, surrounding the lecture stage.

When she turned back, the confusion in her eyes had vanished, replaced by resolve.

She said to Olivia:

"Olivia, I believe your method is wrong. Stop now. This time, let me join you in finding a path that is not perfect, but correct."

Olivia sighed, stepped back two paces, and said:

"Zhu Li, is this your answer? You've truly hurt me."

Hss~

A massive hiss erupted from the Difference Engine; its rumbling faded as a colossal lion-shaped mechanical beast, nearly fifteen meters long and forged by Supernatural Industry, stepped forth.

The Supernatural Steam Engine core previously absorbed by the Difference Engine is now embedded in various parts of the lion, granting it different abilities.

Steam rules gathered beneath Olivia's feet, lifting her from the ground and carrying her to the beast's head.

She drew the Sword of Royal Victory from her waist, gripped the hilt with both hands, reversed the blade, and plunged it downward into the depression on the lion's head.

As steam surged forth, the lion-shaped mechanical beast seemed to come alive, its movements becoming far more agile. "Zhu Li, I know you're merely confused and have chosen the wrong path."

"It doesn't matter. I'll prove to you that I'm right. If you try to stop me, I'll have no choice but to temporarily restrain you and let you watch quietly as an observer."

Wu Chang clicked his tongue, thinking: The boss of the Abyss Game is certainly not as simple as in comics—no amount of talk or love and justice can sway it; in the end, you still have to fight.

He walked to Zhu Li's side and asked: "Zhu Li, do you want to stop Your Majesty Olivia?"

Zhu Li hesitated: "The mist spewed by the Supernatural Steam Engine suppresses supernatural abilities. I can't use mine—I doubt I can stop her."

"Xiao En, do you have a way?"

Wu Chang said: "I don't. But someone does."

With a snap of his fingers, his True Self—the White Phantom—ran out from the mist.

Wu Chang's physical body introduced the White Phantom to Zhu Li:

"Peace came to Grimlan not only to help me, but also because he promised a great being to help you resolve the trouble you're facing."

Zhu Li studied Peace. They barely knew each other; she couldn't imagine he'd come to Grimlan just to help her.

"Help me? Why?"

Wu Chang's True Self replied: "Because the Revelation—the sect Grimlan calls the Holy Revelation Church—has branches everywhere. One of its high-ranking members found me, said you were in trouble and needed help. I owed that guy a favor, so I came."

He let Olivia build the Difference Engine, yet exposed the flaw in her plan without direct conflict—all to help Zhu Li make her choice and escape her confusion.

Though from the dungeon's difficulty, even without any items, the Abyss Game Administrator would've placed him in the Steam Dungeon anyway, his original reason for entering was to repay Kristin's favor and save the Revelation's Holy Son.

Before acting, Kristin mentioned that the greatest crisis facing the person he must save was confusion—unable to see the future.

His task, beyond saving them, was to offer revelation, to let them choose their own path.

As a joker, to keep the event interesting, Kristin gave him no details about who he was to save; he only learned the person was the Holy Son from Yu Na's lips.

In Grimlan, the Holy Revelation Church's actual controller is Zhu Li, but its official spiritual symbol is Queen Olivia.

Though Zhu Li often shows confusion, Olivia, as a sidelined queen, has barely reclaimed partial power by discovering the Supernatural Steam Engine—her situation is even harder than Zhu Li's.

For a long time, Wu Chang couldn't determine which of them was Kristin's Holy Son.

Until he saw Xavier and the Phantom's resentment, realizing Olivia's apparent weakness was all an act—she had long since finalized her plan and felt no confusion at all.

Eliminating Olivia, the Holy Son must be Zhu Li.

He accepted Kristin's commission to help Zhu Li; thus, both Kristin and Zhu Li are his clients.

Wu Chang upholds integrity in cooperation; having promised Kristin, he must fulfill it.

Compared to whether the Steam Phantom Dimension becomes a mechanical world, he cares more about helping Zhu Li escape her confusion, so he will respect whatever choice she makes.

Since Zhu Li chose for him to stop Olivia, as the contractor, he naturally must act.

Grimlan is now saturated with Steam Rules, directly emitted by the Difference Engine—a machine claiming to connect to the Dimension's Will. The effects of rules spewed by the Dimension's Will are obvious.

In Grimlan now, even Root Power, if incompatible with Steam Rules, cannot function properly.

To defeat Olivia, only two methods seem possible.

One is using items—but Wu Chang's Light of the Lake Sacred Sword's ability has already been used on Xavier. He has no way to refresh item cooldowns; even if he could, whether the Knight's Sword could be swung against the Queen he's sworn to protect remains uncertain.

The second is divinity.

To counter Rule Power, only Divinity—unaffected by Rule Power—stands a chance.

For instance, summoning Aileen.

But bound by dimensional rules, Aileen's divine realm is confined to the slums of the Grey Church.

Outside the slums, Olivia gains the full support of the dimension's Rule Power. If she realizes she cannot overpower Aileen, dragging the fight across the entire world into a prolonged war, Aileen—lacking divine energy replenishment—would find it hard to win quickly.

The best method is for Aileen to hide in the shadows and strike suddenly when Olivia flees in panic, landing a decisive blow.

But to make Olivia flee, you need the third method—the one ordinary people cannot achieve.

Defeat her within her own rules.

Steam Rules do not merely permit abilities activated by steam engines. Precisely, Steam Rules are, in essence, Technology Rules.

Just as when Steam Rules first enveloped Grimlan, the abilities of the Jack-of-All-Trades, the Gun God, and Booker still functioned, and Wu Chang's item, the White Phantom, operated normally against Xavier.

Speaking of Technology Rules, Olivia has just summoned the lion-shaped mechanical beast made from the Supernatural Steam Engine—there's no better moment for his hidden treasure in his personal space to appear.

Wu Chang's True Self waved his hand, and a six-meter-tall purple mecha appeared behind him.

Steam Rules swirled around the mecha but did not suppress it—just as he suspected, technology-based skills and items fall within the scope of Steam Rules.

Zhu Li, a native of the Steam Phantom Dimension, had never seen such a sight. She stared blankly at the giant mecha and asked in disbelief:

"Xiao En, what is this?"

Wu Chang's physical body said: "They say it's some kind of giant robot. I was terrified the first time I saw it."

His true self chimed in from beside him:

"Zhu Li, its name is 'Peacebringer'—a device that brings peace to wherever it goes."

As he spoke, Peacebringer extended its hand; the true self leapt onto its palm, and Peacebringer shifted its palm to carry him to the cockpit at the mecha's chest.

The true self entered the mecha, and with an almost seamless shift of perspective, his perception merged with Peacebringer.

This was his first time activating Peacebringer, yet he used it as skillfully as his own body.

He maneuvered the mecha to stand before Olivia.

The lion-shaped mechanical beast beneath Olivia was nearly fifteen meters in length, but its height was comparable to Peacebringer's; Wu Chang's current field of view, inherited from Peacebringer, placed him roughly at eye level with her.

In volume, the lion-shaped mechanical beast surpassed Peacebringer, but in craftsmanship, mechanical texture, and technological sophistication, the two were not even on the same level.

The lion-shaped mechanical beast's surface bore massive gun barrels; its joints were connected by Frankenstein-class supernatural machine tools—both elegant and unimpeding to movement. Through gaps in its body, one could see massive rotating gears, piston-rods serving as tendons, and the power core at its heart.

The lion-shaped mechanical beast radiated immense power in the Steam Phantom Realm, but beside Peacebringer, in design aesthetics, exterior coating, and functional capability, it appeared crude and primitive.

Accompanied by the continuous hissing of steam from the steam engine, the contrast between them resembled a dapper gentleman and a filthy, ancient, mangy dog panting on the ground.

Wu Chang's true self amplified his voice through Peacebringer and spoke to Olivia:

"Your Majesty, you speak of the Difference Engine's omniscient power—it foresees all. Did it foresee my arrival?"

(End of Chapter)