Chapter 1143 — How to Break the Deadlock

"Likewise, I cannot determine how many gods took part... It may have been one; it may have been more. The vast surge of energy from the Deep Blue Well was enough to pierce through every realm of the world, and the interference it produced would have formed enormous black barriers even in the deep sea. What truly happened in that great explosion... even I do not know.

"But there is one thing I can answer — the year-long slumber of the Loren gods was not caused by the explosion of the Deep Blue Well."

"Not caused by the Deep Blue Well?" Gao Yang asked in astonishment. "Then by what?"

"The machinery of the churches stalled; diocesan structures collapsed; the regular cycle of religious activity came to an abrupt halt; and most important of all... the population plummeted," Enya said in a low voice. "Do not forget that what sustains faith is a sufficient population; the foundation of the gods is their believers. And that catastrophe seven hundred years ago... too many died. For the gods of Loren, who had not yet broken free of their 'chains' and still had to rely on currents of thought to sustain their operation, it was a devastating blow."

Gao Yang unconsciously held his breath, and only after a long while did he slowly let it out.

"But I have another question," he said at once. "After that 'magic tide' seven hundred years ago, though the various nations strove to shake off the disaster's effects, population recovery was hardly a matter of a single day. In the space of a mere year, none of the Four Great Kingdoms showed any marked increase in population — and because of food shortages and monster infestations, both Typhon and Ansu even saw slight declines. Under such circumstances the gods instead began to revive. How do you explain that?"

"It is precisely such a harsh situation that drives more people to seek something to believe in," Enya explained patiently. "You know well what conditions were like then. How many people became devout believers amid hardship? How many who had never believed, or believed only superficially, prayed through the night as cold and hunger closed in? Not everyone is a hero of iron will; most ordinary folk are fragile. Desperation transformed them from nominal believers into devout ones. So although your population did not increase, the number of devout believers did — and that accelerated the gods' return."

Enlightenment showed on Gao Yang's face, and then he grew thoughtful. "Under the circumstances of the time, the return of the gods' power to the world was a good thing — it answered many nations' urgent need. But in the long run... it also planted the seeds of the churches' later overreach, of ecclesiastic power's attempts to encroach upon royal power... and it has even affected our plan for the Theocratic Council today."

"Measured against the scale of history, the merits and faults of many things must be judged separately."

"You are right," Gao Yang said with a sigh, while in his mind he swiftly sorted through his thoughts, searching for anything he had left out. Soon he had another question. "Wait — one more thing. By your account, the magic tide affects the 'connection' between observers and the true universe, causing their cognition to skew. Then how does the dragon race manage to remain unaffected? What is Thalund's method for passing safely through the magic tides time and again?"

The voice within the golden egg fell silent. Several seconds later it spoke again, gently: "That already touches on specific technique, Gao Yang."

Like a cold wind blowing through a summer afternoon, Gao Yang was abruptly cooled from the excitement of having gained so much vital knowledge. He realized that his discussion with Enya had strayed into very dangerous territory, yet he could not resist one confirming question: "That part can't be spoken of? You have already told me so much that touches on fundamental concepts..."

"Knowledge and technique are not the same. Knowledge that is too far ahead of its time is also dangerous, and may even carry contamination — but at least it still requires a process of learning and transformation. You can absorb such knowledge gradually as you study it, understand it, verify it; even if it harms you, the harm can be minimized. But technique... technique that skips the research process will one day reveal its toxicity. The dragon race has already learned that lesson deeply enough in the Turmoil of the Counter-Tide."

Enya's words left Gao Yang with no rebuttal. Yet that sensation — "the answer is right before my eyes, blocked only by a thin barrier" — was still unbearable. Fortunately, the mild voice soon came again from within the golden egg. Enya continued: "Of course, it is only that I cannot tell you the technique directly. That does not mean I cannot point you in certain directions — especially after the immense price both you and the dragon race have paid. The mortals of this world deserve to advance another step on the road to survival.

"Though the magic tide is a terrifying natural phenomenon, and to unprotected observers the disaster it brings is one of extinction, its duration each time is in fact not long. Every magic tide usually ends within one orbital period of the planet; the longest record I know of does not exceed two. What you must do is survive within that one to two orbital periods.

"The key to survival lies in isolating observers from the tide's influence. So long as the observer's mind is unaffected, then no matter how violent the tide, to you it is in truth no more than a breeze.

"The key to Thalund's immunity during the magic tides lies in the shield system that once covered the entire continent. The ancient Great Shield of Thalund not only provided protection against the material world, but could also deflect the tide's effects upon the observers' minds. For over a million years past, whenever a tide came, the dragon race would return as one to the Great Shield, sheltering there from the world-wide 'banishment of the mind,' and would venture forth again only after the tide had passed... to count the relics left behind by vanished civilizations."

"So the key is the Great Shield of Thalund," Gao Yang said, his gaze fixed intently on Enya's eggshell. "The technical key to withstanding the magic tide lies in the ruins of the Great Shield. If we help the dragon race rebuild that shield, and in the process learn and master this key technique step by step, then we can..."

"Unfortunately, that is precisely where the trouble lies," Enya interrupted, sighing softly before he could finish. "First, the Great Shield is too ancient. It was built over a million years ago, in Thalund's golden age. Its core technology is vast and complex; not even a master mechanist like Bayang'er could fully grasp it. With the dragon race as they are now, there is simply no possibility of repairing the Great Shield. To say nothing of the fact that during the era when Omega was active, the Great Shield underwent dozens of self-upgrades and iterations. The shield generators that now lie scattered in the Thalund wastelands are no longer things a flesh-and-blood brain can comprehend... I fear that only Omega himself knows the complete blueprint of that system.

"Second, even if the shield generators themselves were repaired, the Great Shield would not have full protective function — because the 'core component' that protects observers is not any system within the shield."

Gao Yang's brows lifted unconsciously. "The core component that protects observers is not in the Great Shield's generators? Then where is it..."

"It is me," Enya said quietly. "The key to the dragon race's resistance to the magic tide was that they found a way to transform divine power into a shield — but the Age of Myth is over."

Gao Yang: "..."