Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 893 - 892: Double Shackles

Break the cycle.

This is an answer that Gawain had never anticipated, yet at the moment he heard it, countless associations flashed through his mind. It was as if numerous scattered clues and evidence suddenly connected within the same web, finally allowing him to vaguely grasp the outline of something.

”Cycle... what kind of cycle?” Gawain fixed his gaze on the eyes of Amoen, the Giant Stag, which were like forged from light, and asked curiously, ”What kind of cycle would trap even the gods?”

”We are born, we grow strong, we watch the world, we fall into madness... then everything returns to silence, waiting for the next cycle, endlessly, without meaning...” Amoen’s slow voice came like a whisper, ”So, intriguing ’human being,’ to what extent do you understand the gods?”

Gawain’s heart surged with tempestuous waves; it was the first time he heard matters that previously existed only in his speculation from the mouth of a god. And the truth was more straightforward and irresistible than he imagined. Confronted with Amoen’s counter-question, he couldn’t help hesitating for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice: ”The gods are slowly descending into madness, and our research suggests that this madness is related to the changes in human thought...”

”...You have ventured further than I imagined,” Amoen seemed to sigh, ”You’re already at a somewhat dangerous depth.”

”What lies one step further?” Gawain couldn’t help but ask.

”It’s the truth; it might be very dangerous, or it might solve all problems. In the history I know, no civilization has successfully walked out in this direction, but this doesn’t mean the path is impassable...”

Gawain frowned as he realized this God of Nature was always answering in a convoluted manner, revealing information metaphorically and indirectly in many crucial places. Initially, he thought this was a speaking habit of the ”gods,” but now a sudden hypothesis emerged: perhaps Amoen, the Giant Stag, was consciously avoiding saying something directly... maybe the moment some things were spoken from his mouth, unpredictable changes would occur in the future.

This wasn’t wild speculation; it was prompted by what Amoen had just told him: concerning matters involving the gods, the more one engages, the more one deviates from humanity; the more one understands, the closer one becomes to the gods...

The answers to some questions are not merely answers; the answers themselves are tests and impacts.

This sentence can also be interpreted from another angle: if the answer to a question is told to a mortal by the gods, that mortal loses the ability to solve the problem as a mortal the moment he learns the answer—because he has been permanently changed by ”knowledge,” becoming part of the divine.

To Gawain, who first arrived in this world, this would be an unimaginable, illogical, and irrational matter. However, now he knows—this is the logic of this world.

Gawain calmed his heart. He knew he had some ”specialness,” which might allow him to avoid the influence of certain divine knowledge, but clearly, Amoen was more cautious than him. The evasive attitude of this God of Nature might be a protection—of course, it could also be due to a lack of honesty or ulterior motives. But even if so, Gawain had no choice. He didn’t know how to pry open a god’s mouth, so he had to let the conversation continue this way.

”I want to know one thing,” he looked at Amoen, ”Is the God of Nature born from mortals’ worship and awe of nature?”

”Yes... and no.” Amoen slowly said, with more noticeable amusement in his tone than before.

This answer made Gawain’s eye twitch; this classic and maddening answer was the kind he least wanted to hear. Yet faced with a god from whom it was hard to extract anything, he could only make himself calm: ”Specifically?”

” ’I’ was indeed born from mortals’ worship and awe of nature. However, the deep-sea that contains nature’s awe existed long before mortals were born...” Amoen said calmly, ”All tendencies in this world, including light and dark, life and death, matter and void, all surge in that deep-sea, mixed and indistinguishable. It reflects upwards, forming reality, and mortals are born from reality. Their thoughts reflect downward, and part of the elements in the deep-sea becomes specific gods...

”So, more accurately, the answer is: Nature’s awe has always existed, but only when a group of mortals living on this planet began to revere the nature around them, their unique God of Nature truly came into being.”

Gawain widened his eyes; at that moment, he found his thinking and knowledge somewhat unable to keep up with what was being told to him. As a result, a chaotic jumble of thoughts surged in his mind for a long time until he broke the silence to himself: ”Belonging to the mortals of this planet... a unique God of Nature?”

Amoen chuckled softly and casually asked in return: ”If there is life on other planets, do you think the gods shaped by the cultural traditions of that planet’s life would be like me?”

Of course not!

Like a flash of lightning across his mind, Gawain felt a long-shrouded mist suddenly disperse. He recalled he once faintly questioned this aspect, but only now did he realize where the sharpest, most fundamental point of this question lies—

This universe is vast; it has other galaxies, other planets, and on those distant planets, vastly different from Loren Continent, life may also arise.

Loren Continent faces the threat of the chaotic wave, the predicament of the gods. Gawain had always focused on these things, but if he expanded his thinking if the gods and chaotic wave are products of natural evolution under the basic rules of this universe, if... the rules of this universe are ’uniform’ and ’common,’ then... would other planets also have chaotic waves and gods?

Of course, another more shocking conjecture might break this possibility: The planet where Loren Continent resides might be within a vast artificial environment. It has an environment and natural laws vastly different from other parts of this universe, making the chaotic wave and gods unique to here. Considering the ancient installations floating in the sky above this planet, this possibility is not absent...

Thoughts ebbed and flowed in Gawain’s mind, yet Amoen seemed to see through his turmoil; a transcendent and holy voice directly entered Gawain’s mind, interrupting his further contemplation—

”The rules of the universe are uniform and consistent.”

Gawain was jolted out of his thoughts; he asked urgently: ”So, other planets would also have chaotic waves, and as long as civilization exists, corresponding gods would be born in any part of this universe—whenever thoughts exist, gods would eternally exist like natural phenomena...”

Amoen responded with silence, as if affirming.

”But you destroyed your divine seat,” Gawain continued immediately, ”You just said no new God of Nature has been born...”

”It’s just temporary, I hope this ’temporary’ can be extended as long as possible. However, in the face of the eternal scale, all ’temporary’ of mortals are fleeting—even if lasting three thousand years,” Amon said in a solemn tone. ”Perhaps one day, mortals will again fear this world, face the unknown environment with piety and fear, and blind reverence will replace reason and knowledge, blinding their eyes. Then... they will welcome another God of Nature. Of course, by then, this god might not be called by this name... and it will have nothing to do with me.”

Gawain fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. After several minutes, his mind’s swirling thoughts gradually calmed, and he lifted his head again. ”You mentioned a ’deep sea’ earlier and said that all ’tendencies’ and ’elements’ in this world ebb and flow within this deep sea, and mortals’ thoughts mirrored in the deep sea birthed corresponding gods... I want to know, what is this ’deep sea’? Is it a concrete entity or merely a concept you proposed for convenience?”

”It certainly exists, it is everywhere... Everything in this world, including you and us... is submerged in this rising and falling ocean,” Amon explained like a patient teacher unraveling a profound concept. ”Planets operate within its ripples, humans think within its tides, yet despite this, you cannot see or touch it; it is formless and intangible. Only through reflections... various complex reflections reveal parts of its existence...”

Gawain instinctively uttered, ”Cosmic background radiation?”

”Hmm?” For the first time, Amon’s tone was puzzled, ”An interesting term... How did you come up with it?”

”No... I just thought it up based on your description, then awkwardly combined it,” Gawain quickly shook his head. ”Consider it my imagination of the starry sky beyond this planet, no need to dwell on it.”

Amon seemed to chuckle slightly, ”...Interesting, I actually care, but I respect your privacy.”

Gawain didn’t dwell on this topic, smoothly transitioning to the next. ”Let’s return to the beginning. You want to break the cycle, so in your view... has the cycle been broken?”

”At least for me, at least ’for the moment’, the cycle belonging to the God of Nature has been broken,” Amon stated. ”Yet more cycles continue, showing no sign of breaking free.”

”Are other gods also attempting to break the cycle? Or do they wish to break the cycle?” Gawain voiced the question he’d been pondering, ”Why only you took action?”

”Gods... Mortals created a noble term to describe us, yet gods are not alike,” Amon appeared regretful, ”Divinity, humanity, authority, rules... Too many things bind us. Our every word and deed must often follow a specific logic, and in some respects, we gods may be less free than you mortals.”

”There must be gods like me who wish to break the cycle, but I don’t know who they are, I don’t know their thoughts, nor what they will do. Likewise, there are gods who do not want to break the cycle, who attempt to maintain it, and I am equally unaware of them.”

”Are there no connections between you gods?” Gawain looked at Amon with some confusion, ”I thought you would be close... um, I mean at least have some communication...”

”How to communicate? Like two mortals living next door, knocking on a neighbor’s door, going in for a chat?” Amon actually joked, ”Impossible; in fact, quite the opposite, gods... find it very difficult to communicate with each other. Although we know of each other’s existence, even knowing the location of each other’s kingdoms, we are inherently separated, and communication is either fraught with difficulties, or invites disaster.”

This was another important piece of information about gods!

Gawain immediately noted the key clues Amon mentioned in his heart, showing a thoughtful expression, then heard Amon’s voice echoing in his mind, ”I guess... you are considering your ’defied Plan’.”

Gawain was taken aback; nothing was more startling than hearing a god suddenly expose the defied Plan face to face. He instinctively uttered, ”Could it be you possess the power to read minds?”

”Not at all; besides, I doubt you truly possess a ’human’ heart. I merely guessed your thoughts,” Amon murmured. ”I know what this facility is researching, know what mortals want to do, can guess what you are doing... Upon suddenly learning many gods are also trying to break free from their plight, you wavered about your defied Plan, maybe just a little. You... a mortal, or at least claim to be a mortal, felt a touch of... sympathy for the once supreme gods.”

Gawain frowned, not denying Amon’s words, because that moment of reflection and hesitation indeed existed. However, he quickly firmed his resolve again, finding rational reasons to continue the defied Plan—

He couldn’t base the life and death of hundreds of thousands on trust in gods and luck for the future—especially when those gods themselves are continually descending into madness.

As long as one god remains in divinity with uncertain attitude, mortals’ defied Plan absolutely cannot stop.

He is willing to communicate with friendly and rational gods—on the condition of holding a sword.

And this has always been his conduct principle.

”Judging by your expression, I don’t need to worry too much,” Amon said softly, ”This era’s humanity has a leader who is tough and rational enough, which is a good thing.”

”I’ll take that as a compliment,” Gawain smiled, nodded slightly at Amon, ”Then, I have one last question.”

Amon promptly replied, ”Our conversation has been pleasant, so I don’t mind saying more.”

Gawain raised his head, gazed into Amon’s eyes.

Those eyes are filled with radiance, warmth, brightness, reason, and calm.

Even though He claims ”the God of Nature is dead,” these eyes still embody everything former nature believers imagined gods to be—because these eyes were created to respond to those imaginations.

”What will you do in the future?” Gawain asked solemnly, ”Continue sleeping here?”