Chapter 663: Secret of Humanity
Chapter 663: Secret of Humanity
After seeing the content left on the note by the Aquarius Director, the more than eighty Deputy Directors present fell into a collective silence.
Although the content on the note was extremely brief, the information it conveyed was not meager. The ink-soaked, forceful handwriting clearly revealed the writer's state of mind, which had broken through a major defense.
However, what was puzzling was that the Aquarius Director had already achieved his wish and successfully replaced Sir Taurus to ascend the Watchtower Palace. Why would he still write a note to insult someone after succeeding?
"In short, the situation is as you see."
After carefully putting away the note filled with the Aquarius Director's anger, the Archer Director on the square frowned and said:
"Aquarius seems to have no intention of keeping his promise and continuing to warn us of potential crises. Therefore, we must be mentally prepared. Before the next Palace Ascender appears, we might lose some of the Watchtower Palace's protection."
Indeed...
After hearing the Archer Director's words, the expressions of the Deputy Directors instantly turned serious.
Besides preventing True Deities from descending at will, the Watchtower Palace's most important function was to issue early warnings of major crises. If the Ascended Aquarius refused to cooperate, this crucial function would be rendered useless.
The Cleanup Bureau's "scope" is quite extensive. Previously, it was able to safely navigate through crises thanks to the Watchtower Palace's early warnings. With the Slaughter King Sect currently eyeing us from the sidelines, if we lose this early warning system, our "work" will undoubtedly become much more difficult.
"The implications of this situation don't need to be spelled out; you should all understand."
Raising his head and looking around at the expressions of the Deputy Directors, the Archer Director sighed and said:
"So, to prepare for the possible situations ahead, I discussed with the Bull Director, and we believe we must prepare for the worst-case scenario. It would be best to forcibly bring back the Commissioner from the Ancient Land... What do you think?"
...
The Commissioner in the Ancient Land... the Commissioner of the Cleanup Bureau?
Upon hearing this, Lyon, who had been brought to listen by the Red-Haired Commissioner, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity. However, before he could ask, a warm hand gripped his.
'The Commissioner is in the Ancient Land, searching for something we humans lost when we fled from there. This task is so important that it's almost on par with the Watchtower Palace.'
Through the hand, a soul fluctuation conveyed the explanation about the Chief Commissioner's situation. The Red-Haired Commissioner frowned slightly and continued:
'While it's understandable for the Archer Director, if even Sir Taurus believes that the task should be interrupted to bring the Commissioner back, then the situation within the Bureau must be dire.'
'Commissioner...'
Piqued by the Red-Haired Commissioner's words, Lyon reached out and held her hand, asking curiously:
'What exactly is the Chief Commissioner looking for in the Ancient Land? Could it be more important than the safety of the Cleanup Bureau?'
'It's not quite as important as the Cleanup Bureau, but it's not far off.'
After a brief hesitation, the Red-Haired Commissioner leaned back slightly and then, with a serious expression, instructed:
'The information about the Chief Commissioner's situation is classified as Level Five. Only the Zodiac Directors are allowed to know. You can listen, but you must not tell anyone, not even Emma or your sister.'
Wow, is this information that critical?
With a somewhat surprised expression, Lyon listened as the Red-Haired Commissioner explained through a soul fluctuation:
'This story goes back a long time. When our ancestors fled from the shattered Ancient Land, they were almost stripped of everything by the Supreme Four Pillar Deities. Although we later managed to kill the Four Pillar Deities, we never recovered what was taken from us.
And the Chief Director suspected that those items, left behind in the Ancient Land by the Four Pillar Gods, were taken away by them. So, he brought along the Ram, Virgo, and Scorpio Directors to the Ancient Land during a stable time-space gap, intending to retrieve the items stolen from our ancestors.
'What exactly were those stolen items? Are they anomalies more powerful than the Watchtower Palace?'
'Perhaps even more significant than the Watchtower Palace. If we can truly recover those items, our human race will undoubtedly advance towards a brighter future.'
At this point, the Red-Haired Commissioner pursed his lips, his expression filled with longing.
'According to what I heard from Sir Taurus, the Supreme Four Pillar Gods took four things from our ancestors: Lifespan, Heritage, Creation, and most importantly, Connection.'
"..."
Lifespan? Heritage? Creation? Connection?
'To put it simply, our ancestors' physical bodies had a maximum lifespan similar to the limit of our human souls, around 500 years. But after Lifespan was plundered by the Old King, our human bodies, no matter how healthy, struggle to survive beyond 150 years.'
?!?!
As Lyon's expression turned to one of utter shock, the Red-Haired Commissioner continued, "The Heritage is the continuation of memory and knowledge. Before it was plundered by the Scarlet Overlord, our ancestors could pass on some of their knowledge directly through bloodlines, mastering it as they aged.
As for Creation and Connection, taken by the Universal Cicada and Asul's Sleep, they refer to an inexhaustible fountain of inspiration, always bursting forth, and the ability to communicate perfectly through mental connections, expressing one's thoughts and understanding others' minds with precision."
"..."
A 500-year lifespan limit, bloodlines that pass on knowledge, an endless well of inspiration, and efficient mental communication... Are these still humans?
'Hard to believe, right?'
Glancing back at the stunned Lyon, the Red-Haired Commissioner winked.
'When I first heard it from Sir Taurus, I was also taken aback. But these are ancient times, and our human ancestors are long gone. Only a few words and phrases remain in the archives of the Central Bureau.
Since the third generation of Commissioners, during time-space turbulences, some elders from the Cleanup Bureau have returned to the Ancient Land, attempting to find what was taken from our ancestors. But so far, their efforts have been meager.'
'Does meager mean... those elders found nothing?'
'Let's say they had some minor successes!'
In response to Lyon's question, the Red-Haired Commissioner nodded slightly.
'In the beginning, when we first settled in this world, our human lifespan rarely exceeded 70 years. It was thanks to the efforts of the elders who retrieved some of the Lifespan that our limit was raised to around 150 years. As for Connection, we now communicate through souls, which is a part of it.
Regarding Creation and Heritage, the former has been retrieved in very small amounts; only a few individuals can awaken this inspiration. The latter has been almost entirely fruitless, seemingly lost along with the Scarlet Overlord.'
(End of Chapter)
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