Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 368 Experiment

Xuanyuan Muze looked at Agreed and asked doubtfully, "Then what will happen to the scholars who are still alive on this planet?"

Agreed shook his head and said, "I don't know. Judging from past experience, they will gradually take their own lives. Fortunately, they are all new children who are not only interested in technology, but also dedicated to studying all sorts of miscellaneous things. I will try my best to immerse them in art, culture, games and the like. But... the highest record now is 1,457 years old, which is the latest age of scholars to commit suicide."

However, their sacrifice was not meaningless; it was because of them that I abandoned the sublimation plan.

Xuanyuan Muze asked in confusion, "The Ascension Plan? What is that?"

Agreed then explained: "I once thought of evolving all the people of the Kingdom of All Races into Protoss beings, removing their sexual organs from their genes so that they could become perfect rational beings. The birth of newborns could be achieved through in vitro cultivation methods similar to gene cloning. Although advanced genetic structures require a long cultivation time and have a low success rate, which would lead to slow population growth, this is actually the best choice as a developmental cost."

But after the suicide at the Academy of Sciences, I realized a truth: everything in this world is subject to the principle of "too much of a good thing." I shouldn't pursue pure rationality. For those who have no room for advancement, the longer they live, the more bored they become. Immortality is the most vicious curse for the weak. I regret that I realized this truth too late.

Therefore, I abandoned this plan. Unless the common people of the Kingdom of Myriad Races cease to reproduce, I will not allow them to become Protoss and suffer this prolonged pain.

Xuanyuan Muze sighed, "To be honest, you've done very well. I was too harsh. Let's not talk about this anymore; it won't get any results. Can you answer another question? Why did you bring me to this world, and what kind of experiments are you doing with me?"

Agreed turned to look at him and continued to explain, "The name of this experiment is 'Challenge Time.' We are using you as a test subject to prove whether time is reversible, that is, to use you to prove whether time travel is feasible."

Xuanyuan Muze exclaimed in surprise, "Challenge time? Prove the feasibility of time travel?! But... why choose me? And how will you prove the feasibility of time travel through me?"

Agreed explained, “You may not realize it yet, but you and your homeland are not products of this era. In fact, you come from the distant future. In your time, the land of gods and all races no longer existed. I don’t know why we disappeared in the future, but you are a soul that I truly dragged from the future with my divine power.”

Even bringing a soul from the future to the present still places extremely high demands on the target's soul. Your soul strength is the strongest on your home planet, Earth, and you are also the strongest known soul in that newly formed universe, yet you've only barely reached the level to survive this journey. Therefore, we have no choice but to select you.

"So... my being here proves that time travel is possible?"

Agreed shook his head and continued, "No, my friend. The fact that you were able to come here was actually due to a trick. In terms of time, we are separated by a very long period of time. You are a being from at least nine universes after now, completely unrelated to us and not entangled in time. I also acted very carefully, only bringing your soul here, using divine power to isolate you from time and creating a physical body for you. Or you can understand it this way: you were smuggled here by me, rather than coming here openly through time travel."

Xuan Yuan Muze, unaware of the situation, asked, "Then how were you able to come to the future and take me away? How did you manage time travel?"

Agreed explained, “This isn’t time travel in the traditional sense. It’s just that time is no longer linear for beings like me. I’ve broken free from the control and erosion of time. Time has become a highway with no end or destination for me. I can freely decide where my soul goes within my capabilities and bring things back without affecting the stability of time.”

So don't worry, my friend, all those years you spent away from here were just a brief period of unconsciousness for a few seconds after you returned. In a sense, your arrival didn't change anything in terms of time.

"Won't this create a butterfly effect? ​​Won't my arrival cause some huge impact?"

"You don't need to be afraid. Bringing you here is like throwing a stone into a river. The ripples the stone creates may have some effect on the microorganisms, but it will never threaten the river itself, nor will it cause the river to react to it."

Xuanyuan Muze bit his lip awkwardly. Agreed's words seemed to definitively tell him that the butterfly effect he had caused by coming here posed no threat in the sense of time.

Xuanyuan Muze then asked, "Then how do you intend to prove that time can be traveled through and altered?"

Agreed explained, “I want to change the future through you so that time will notice my existence. The ideas, theories and conjectures you have been exposed to in this world will likely cause great changes and transformations when you take them to your homeland. As a result, the future of a race will be affected, and the future of the universe may also be changed.”

In fact, we've invited millions of participants before you. With such a massive number, this is no longer just about throwing pebbles; knowledge from the past will influence the future—this is a matter of great importance, enough to change the entire ocean of time. I want to use this to provoke time into attacking me, thus proving that time can be altered.

Xuanyuan Muze became increasingly confused as he listened, so he asked again, "So changing the future to incite hostility from time can prove time travel? I don't understand your thinking; these two things don't seem to have any connection."

Agreed explained, “You can think of time as a river. You are standing in the middle of the river and the surging water is constantly washing you downstream. The act of traveling back in time can be understood as going against the current and changing the course of the entire river. This is tantamount to fighting against the entire river. When the entire pressure of the river is applied to you, it means that you have begun to change its direction.”

Going against the current is extremely risky; a single misstep could lead to utter ruin. Therefore, we must verify the feasibility of altering the river's course. Going with the current is generally less risky than going against it, so we began attempting to influence the downstream course of the river from our current location to prove that the future can be changed.