Chapter 1009 – Earth’s Consciousness

Besides, no matter which timeline’s Earth it was, its world consciousness was equally gentle.

As early as when Mo Lan had unleashed Civilization Rot, forcibly cutting away the soil in which the Technology Ghosts survived, and used the card system to save most of Earth’s people, helping them embark on the path of Magic, and the strength of Earth’s boundary membrane began to recover — that was when Earth’s world consciousness had reached out to her.

“Thank you… thank you for saving my children… I remember you. You were once one of my children too, weren’t you?”

Mo Lan felt a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Yes, she had once been its child.

In that timeline that had already been destroyed, Earth’s world consciousness had exhausted every last shred of its power to give them a sliver of hope for survival, sending them away. It had even personally stripped the mark of Earth from their souls, all so that when their souls were reborn in other worlds, they would be accepted to the greatest extent possible, with minimal rejection.

From that point on, across all timelines of Earth, no trace remained of those Earth-born people who had been sent away.

But this timeline’s Earth world consciousness still remembered her!

Remembered that she had once been an ordinary one among its billions of children!

Her emotional fluctuation was too obvious, and Earth’s world consciousness perceived her thoughts:

“I remember you! But you were never ordinary! Your soul is the most resilient of all my children! In many lost timelines, you were the one who held on until the very end.

Earth took a wrong path. Many timelines’ Earths were heading toward destruction, but only you children with powerful souls had the chance to leave.

That’s why we sent you away one by one, only hoping that you would live well in other worlds.

I never expected you to actually come back!

Child, we are all so proud of you!

Take all of this — it’s yours!”

Immediately after, a powerful and pure surge of world source power was sent over without any reservation.

Mo Lan had seen so many worlds by now — one glance was all she needed to recognize that this was all the source power that Earth, having just barely pulled through its crisis, could muster.

If she took all of this, the barely recovering Earth might revert to the state it had been in before.

“I don’t want it!” Mo Lan refused without hesitation!

She had invested a great deal of Mana into Earth this time, but as Earth’s world level rose, that Mana would eventually be earned back. She would simply earn a little less than she would from saving other zero-level worlds.

Even though she was now a Sorceress of Valen, she still regarded Earth — the world that had shaped her soul — as one of her home worlds. Helping one’s home world was only right; she had never intended to collect payment for it.

What’s more, from what the world consciousness had said, the Earth world consciousnesses across all timelines were connected to one another — they could even be considered one and the same.

The Earth from that already-destroyed timeline had already given her more than enough!

“Child, your kindness is received.

The versions of me across the various timelines all influence one another. The inertia of destruction is far stronger than you imagine. Even though I’ve pulled through for now, sooner or later I’ll be affected by the versions of me in other timelines.

You truly don’t need to waste your efforts on us. Go and enjoy your new life!

As long as civilization endures, I too shall not perish. Stop looking back.”

Upon hearing this, Mo Lan not only didn’t retreat but asked with excitement: “Then what about the reverse? If most or even all timelines’ Earths were pulled back from the brink, wouldn’t the inertia of hope and rebirth also be able to bring those Earths that have already become dead worlds back to life?”

“The cost would be too great for you!”

Earth’s world consciousness sighed. “You don’t understand the current situation. Right now… nearly every version of ‘me’ across all timelines has already gone astray, targeted by the Technology Ghosts! The chances of success are… infinitesimally small. What you’d be facing isn’t one or two — it could be hundreds or thousands of us on the verge of destruction. Every intervention could demand a price no less enormous than what you’ve paid here!”

“How will I know it can’t be done if I don’t try?” Mo Lan didn’t waver in the slightest.

“It’s just picking up the pace a bit, making a few more stops!

The heavy upfront Mana investment isn’t a problem either. At worst, I’ll reforge this timeline’s Psychic Learning Space into the Holographic Game: Apocalypse Descends and bring it to other timelines. The reforging cost isn’t even that high.

Aside from that card, the Mana I invested in this timeline’s Earth has basically already been earned back.

The card system is actually my Sorceress Talent’s Manifested Gift — it’s part of my abilities. Beyond the initial investment, I haven’t made a losing deal!

Please, guide me to the Earths in other timelines! I promise, even if I don’t succeed, it will only cost me some time.”

The Earth beacon in her mental sea had stopped moving forward from the moment she arrived here, instead pointing back toward the return path to her original timeline.

“No… losses?” Earth’s world consciousness was incredulous. “Really? You invested so much… Those cards that created things from nothing, the learning space that accelerated time — how could you possibly not be at a loss?”

“Really! The biggest expenditure was the cost of creating the Psychic Learning Space, but that’s reusable. Taking it away will only slightly slow down the progress of magical civilization in this timeline.”

Mo Lan calculated everything carefully. “I’d be saving other zero-level worlds anyway, and I’d have to risk being cast aside the moment my usefulness ran out. So why not save other timelines’ Earths instead? In the long run, the returns are quite good!”

Earth’s consciousness fell completely silent, then hurriedly reached out to the versions of itself across other timelines.

“It’s Mo Lan! That most resilient and studious child — she really came back?”

“I knew it. With her soul’s strength and quality, given the right platform, she was bound to thrive. In the past, we were the ones holding her back!”

“Let her try! Success or failure, could it possibly be any worse than things already are? We won’t let her suffer for it, will we?”

“Exactly! Most of us are half-dead anyway, barely clinging on through slumber, just hoping our children can live a little longer… Rather than waiting to die like this, let her try! If it doesn’t work out, we’ll give her all of our remaining source power — at least that way, our lives will carry on through her!”

“Then it’s settled!”

“Let’s all work together to forge a new beacon!”

“Here it comes!”

…

In an instant, countless faint yet pure streams of energy, traveling along the connections between planetary sources and flowing across timelines, converged into the beacon within Mo Lan’s mental sea.

In that instant, Mo Lan heard many voices.

“Child, the new beacon will guide you first to the worlds in the most dire situations.”

“Just do your best — don’t push yourself too hard!”

“Go for it. We’ve got your back!”

“Don’t hold back. As long as even one more child survives, that’s a success!”

…(End of Chapter)