Lind was not aware of what the people discussing the last hope of humanity deep within the Sea of Consciousness were talking about. He only knew that given the current situation, if the pollution problem in the depths of the Sea of Consciousness was not resolved, not only An Zhu and Cape but the entire continent and even the world would be affected.
After the War God’s projection was dragged into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, its corrosive influence on this world did not end. In fact, a strange disease had erupted in some areas, where infected individuals initially showed mental weakness, anxiety, and hallucinations. Subsequently, reason gradually disappeared, and they could no longer distinguish reality from illusion, their skin turned pale, their pupils dilated, and ultimately they became mentally unstable, turning into fervent worshippers of certain evil gods or even the War God directly.
More bizarrely, this type of disease seemed to be contagious; the language, behaviors, and even certain patterns of infected individuals could induce mental breakdown in healthy individuals. Investigations showed that the fear, panic, and helplessness of the infected were key triggers. Overall, this disease, named the Mental Plague, was rapidly spreading in underdeveloped regions and had a significant trend of impacting major cities.
Not only in Cape, but even among the elves there were infected individuals.
Thus, Lind came to resolve the issue of corrosion.
Whether one could survive the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, Lind had specifically consulted 550C.
In fact, including those within the Tower, all individuals entering the depths of the Sea of Consciousness were trespassing. Since Lind was the only one with legitimate qualification, he naturally had to step forward.
After all, one couldn’t expect his younger sister to come in and save the world. Besides, Lind had other plans for her.
“How did you get in here?!”
Alberto, infuriated, directly grabbed Lind by the collar and yelled, “Do you realize that once you enter here, you can’t get out?”
To be honest, Alberto was almost crying upon seeing Lind. According to Cassius, An Zhu had managed to stabilize the Northern Border Governor’s situation; if this Northern Border Governor also entered the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, what would happen to the real world?
The only thing that could destabilize Alberto was the matter regarding An Zhu.
“You’re so worked up over such a trivial matter.”
Lind straightforwardly pulled down Alberto’s hand gripping his arm, casually saying, “I will find a way to get out, so you don’t need to worry.”
Not only Alberto, but even Anastasia beside them was taken aback, and a flicker of surprise appeared in Alberto’s eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Northern Border Governor of Cape. I am Anastasia, the temporary manager of the Tower.”
With the etiquette left from the post-Golden Age, Anastasia gave Lind a salute. Lind instinctively wanted to raise his hand in return but simply nodded in the end; however, this small gesture was noted by Anastasia.
Anastasia no longer spoke, as she seemed to understand why Lind said he would find a way out.
“How do you plan to get out?”
Alberto, not caring much anymore, asked Lind directly.
Lind did not respond directly but stated, “Unfortunately, the method you are using to intervene in the Sea of Consciousness is purely a one-way ticket; there is no way to return without any protective measures in place.”
Lind raised his gaze, looking at Cassius and An Zhu’s soldiers: “Regardless of whether your consciousness can return, how many of you among the living have not disappeared due to side effects? Only your body was preserved by that bard, right? Not to mention that you, Alberto, should be more aware than I am of whether you can return.”
Alberto looked at Cassius, who silently nodded. It seemed that wanting an individual to survive in a state of consciousness separated from their body might be possible for one person, but most of the soldiers here had likely already perished, not to mention that even if their bodies were intact, connecting with An Zhu’s ancestors effectively meant that Alberto was already in a state of death.
Hearing this response, the surprise in Alberto’s eyes turned to disappointment, yet he quickly adjusted his emotions. After all, as Lind mentioned, Alberto had already become part of An Zhu’s ancestors, having completely integrated into this consciousness, making it impossible for him to return.
Originally, Alberto had prepared himself to die here, and they had already done all they could to help stabilize An Zhu’s situation. Even if he couldn’t return to the real world, there was nothing more to be said.
Just as everyone was planning to exchange information, the black sludge below suddenly began surging violently, as An Zhu’s soldiers were continuously swallowed by the black sludge, and not far away, a massive black sludge was slowly moving towards them.
“It’s the corrupted deity of contracts!”
Anastasia shouted, “I didn’t expect it to have already been fully controlled; we must think of something!”
Lind snapped his fingers and said, “That’s exactly why I’m here.”
…..
Meanwhile, in the real world, Lilith was looking at the elder brother lying quietly in the middle of the biological pool that had been set up.
As mentioned before, this biological pool, modeled after the Tower, allowed entry into the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, but without any prior experiments, safety could not be guaranteed.
Even though this was built and approved under the guidance of 550C, Lilith still felt unease because if the elder brother collapsed, according to what he had said, she would have to step up.
Moreover, the entire continent had become a mess due to the previous War God projection. For safety reasons, the elder brother even actively retracted his powers for defense.
If Lilith were to step up, the burden would be too heavy; she herself would definitely not be able to handle it.
Having helped the Augustine family before, Lilith really did not want to face that scenario again. So she kept praying—though she didn’t know to whom she was praying—hoping that the elder brother would come through safely.
Beside the biological pool stood a group of veteran soldiers.
Since the War God projection appeared, the newspapers in Cape had been continuously reporting, so everyone in Cape probably knew what was happening. After all, the War God projection was moving towards An Zhu, and at first, no one took it seriously until Lind began summoning those who had retired.
Now, this was not compulsory; Lind made it very clear during the summons that what everyone would face next was a deity or something on par with a deity—the projection of the War God.
After all, Cape had also reported on An Zhu’s dire situation. Even though the War God projection had been resolved in the real world, it still caused immeasurable effects, and afterward, the emergence of the mental plague had even spread to ordinary people.
If not dealt with, Cape would eventually fall into madness just like those outside.
This was a battle for all humanity.
However, those who responded to the summons had to have the resolve to die, as Lind had made it clear that this was likely a war with no return.
The summons issued by Lind was quite lengthy, but many veterans did not understand the descriptions of the current situation or the crisis facing the world. They only saw the last line of the summons: The Lord Governor needs you.
Many injured and disabled veterans, upon seeing this line, immediately took the train to the Royal Capital, and the number of summoned soldiers far exceeded Lind’s expectations, with even some ordinary people inquiring about their eligibility to come to the Royal Capital.
At this moment, standing beside the biological pool, Lucanus said, “The Lord Governor has already sent the signal; you may enter the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.”
On the vast biological pool, besides these veterans, there were also many active soldiers. After hearing a “Attention!” call, regardless of whether they were active soldiers or veterans, they all stood straight as if responding to muscle memory.
“All of you, enter the pool, lie still, and do not speak!”
Watching a veteran take the initiative to command, these soldiers, each with a sense of determination to die, stepped into the liquid that connected to the depths of the Sea of Consciousness.
Deborah, beside them, bowed toward the soldiers entering the depths of the Sea of Consciousness along with the researchers from the Tower: “Humanity will remember your contributions.”
In the depths of the Sea of Consciousness, with a snap of his fingers, more and more doors appeared beside Lind.
Groups of soldiers marched in orderly steps to Lind’s side.
The active soldiers were brimming with heroic spirit, and all scars on the veterans had disappeared; even the disabled parts had been restored. Compared to the active soldiers, the veterans exuded a more intense aura of killing intent.
These soldiers manifested various weapons out of thin air, all classic weaponry that had been served in Lind’s army.
“Come on.”
Lind stood in front of the soldiers stepping out of the doors of light, opened his arms, and said, “Let us end this once and for all.”
