Saving the World in an Apocalypse-Style Text Game-Chapter 888 - 418: The True and Fake Messengers, The Latter Half of the Prophecy_2

Chapter 888: Chapter 418: The True and Fake Messengers, The Latter Half of the Prophecy_2

["It pleaded anxiously, ’Great Sage, please stop! This person truly is a messenger from the ’Almighty True Knowledge’ faction!"]

[’The Direct View Great Sage’ said coldly, ’Master, using the meticulously crafted Light Wall Magic Array and the corresponding ’Light Wall Protective Device’ on this evil heretic, is already a blasphemy against the True God."]

["I implore the Master to calm down, don’t continue to be deluded and unwittingly beguiled by this evil heretic."]

[’Coleman’ retorted, ’Great Sage, treating the ’True God’s Messenger’ in this way is the real blasphemy against our Lord. The Great Prophet once prophesied...]

[Before he could finish, the ’Direct View Great Sage’ interrupted, ’Master keeps insisting this person is the ’True God’s Messenger’, may I ask if the Master still remembers the description of the ’True God’s Messenger’ from the prophecy?"]

[’Coleman’ nodded without hesitation, "Of course, I remember. The Great Prophet once prophesied that the ’True God’s Messenger’ is not tied to any form; they could be a swordsman, a scholar, or even an obscure farmer in the countryside..."]

["One cannot simply judge from appearances who the ’True God’s Messenger’ is, but the ’True God’s Messenger’ has two unmistakable characteristics that no one else can imitate.]

[First, the appearance of the ’True God’s Messenger’ is often followed by the coming of the ’Beast of Chaos Knowledge’."]

[Second, the ’True God’s Messenger’ possesses a unique temperament that cannot be described with words, as if the messenger is not born of this world but comes from beyond the heavens."]

[Despite the absence of the ’Beast of Chaos Knowledge’ when this person appeared in the workshop, his out-of-place words and actions allowed him to instantly recognize this person as the ’True God’s Messenger’ from the prophecy!"]

[But upon hearing this, the ’Direct View Great Sage’ shook his head and said, "Merely based on this person’s mad behavior, the Master concludes that he is the ’True God’s Messenger’? Would that not mean one could find a whole bunch of ’True God’s Messengers’ in an asylum?"]

[A group of scholars also chimed in, advising, "Master, you have too little interaction with the outside world. Such mad and chaotic individuals are virtually non-existent in the Second Capital or the Imperial City, but they are quite common in rural villages."]

["If such a person can be considered a ’True God’s Messenger’, we could bring you a cartload of ’True God’s Messengers’ tomorrow."]

[’Coleman’, not adept at speaking, found himself at a loss for words with everyone blocking his attempts to explain and retort.]

[’The Direct View Great Sage’ suddenly spoke up, "Does the Master know why I am so certain this person is not the ’True God’s Messenger’?"]

[’Coleman’, of course, knew the Great Sage was about to cite some ’Heresy of the Stars’ as false charges; he was so furious that he pointed at the Great Sage trembling, unable to speak.]

[Yet, the Great Sage stepped forward, leaned in, and whispered just one sentence, dramatically changing ’Coleman’s’ expression.]

[’Coleman’ asked in shock, "Is the Great Sage truly not deceiving me?"]

[The Great Sage nodded with a smile.]

[’Coleman’ instantly flushed with shame, apologizing to the many scholars, admitting he was momentarily blind and mistook an evil heretic for the ’True God’s Messenger’, and indeed, he had failed the True God.]

[The scholars quickly waved their hands, not daring to accept ’Master Coleman’s’ apology...]

[...]

[The ’Direct View Great Sage’ approached you, opened the ’book of recorded illusions’, and pronounced judgment upon you, ’Evil heretic, repent well in the ’Time Prison’!]

[With that, a wave of his magic wand and a surge of light immediately engulfed you...]

[A mysterious drowsiness slowly climbed your brain. You tried hard to open your eyes, but you could only be dragged into an unknowable slumber...]

[You have entered the ’Remnant Knowledge Illusion—Time Prison’!]

[...]

[You opened your eyes to find nothing but endless darkness surrounding you...]

[There is no light, no sound, no smell; all your senses seem to lose their function here, and all you feel is void and chilling silence.]

[Most people would even struggle to move significantly in the ’Time Prison’; the brain sends commands to the limbs, yet the limbs can only respond at a speed invisible to the naked eye.]

[This is the terrifying effect of time flow slowed down by hundreds of times, where the trapped can only endure the torment of dark, deathly silence...]

Lin Xun never expected that one day the interrogation artifact would be used on himself.

He thought the ’Beast of Chaos Knowledge’ that was supposed to appear had stood him up for the second time.

"What is the ’Servant of God of Knowledge’ playing at? I don’t need a watchdog to come when I don’t need it, and when I do, no amount of calling can summon it."

[You try to lift your hand and are surprised to find that you can move freely in the ’Time Prison’.]

[Aside from moving freely, your surroundings are still an infinite expanse of darkness without sound or light. You’re trapped, unable to escape, and at most can only engage in self-entertaining activities.]

[The whisper that the Great Sage had leaned in to tell Koelman changed his attitude in an instant, leaving you utterly bewildered.]

[Having nothing else to do, you tried to recall the faint whisper.]

[Your physical senses were incredibly strong, and despite the Great Sage using magic power to conceal it, you still caught snippets of the conversation.]

[You vaguely remembered the Great Sage mentioning something about ’fake merchandise... the true messenger... candidate already identified...’]

Lin Xun narrowed his eyes.

He had already guessed the gist of it in his heart.

"Heh, I am the genuine True God’s Apostle. Does this Great Sage genuinely not know, or is he pretending to be ignorant?"

"If it’s the latter, then this so-called identified candidate must be part of a huge conspiracy."

Although he didn’t know why his Shell could move freely now, being able to control the Shell meant Lin Xun could use suicide as a method to escape the ’Time Prison’.

The essence of the Knowledge Illusion is a mere phantom replica; as soon as the Shell dies, he would be able to leave the replica and regain consciousness.

Those trapped in the ’Time Prison’ suffered because their perception of time was slowed down by hundreds or thousands of times.

An action as simple as lifting a hand to one’s neck, which should only take two or three seconds to complete, would feel like it took two or three days under the slowed perception of time.

That’s why those who were trapped felt as though they couldn’t move in the ’Time Prison’.

Thinking up to this point, Lin Xun’s eyes suddenly brightened.

Could his freedom of movement in the Time Prison imply that he wasn’t affected by the slowed-down perception?

"Based on previous experience, the flow of time in the game roughly matches that of reality..."

Lin Xun slapped his thigh, feeling that it was very likely the reason.

If the speed of time in the real world is roughly the same as that in the ongoing game, it means the game cannot simulate the text for slowed perception.

If an Apostle truly experienced years in a day inside the ’Time Prison,’ the game’s flow of time would become completely unstuck from real-world time.

An hour spent in reality for the Apostle would inevitably equal an hour in the game, regardless of whether he was in the ’Time Prison’ or not.

The ’Time Prison’ obviously couldn’t defy the rules of the game, which is why Lin Xun could continue to experience a one-to-one flow of time without his senses being slowed down; translated to his Shell, it meant he could move freely.

"I see, if that’s the case, then there’s no need for me to rush into killing myself to return to the city."

Lin Xun stroked his chin, pondering.

[...]

[After an indeterminable period of time, suddenly, the dark illusions around you began to shake, and the surrounding vision gradually faded...]

[You were being rejected by this world, breaking away from ’the lingering Knowledge Illusion — Time Prison’!]

[In a daze, the scenery before you changed, and once free from the illusion, you found yourself inside a carriage with an opulent interior.]

[Together with the carriage coming to a slow stop, the ’Direct View Great Sage’ beside you also lifted his head.]

[You’d already prepared yourself, pretending to be in a dazed and foolish state, even letting saliva slide down from the corner of your mouth as if you were broken by the ’Time Prison’.]

[The ’Direct View Great Sage’ looked at you without surprise; after all, the journey from ’Koelman Workshop’ to the ’Direct View School Branch Association’ took more than half an hour.]

[This meant that you had—at the very least—spent five to six years in the ’Time Prison’s’ void and darkness!]

[Aside from the gods, no one could withstand such a terrifying ordeal.]

[It looked at you, foolish and naive, let out a long sigh, and muttered to itself; of course, it knew you were the true ’True God’s Apostle’ and was aware of the Great Prophet’s prophecy.]

[But the Great Prophet only told Master Koelman the majority of the prophecy and did not reveal the last line...]

[The prophecy was that the arrival of the ’True God’s Apostle’ was also the best opportunity for this world.]

[It was the greatest opportunity to destroy the world and awaken the ’Almighty True Knowledge’!]