The Record of Unusual Creatures

As Vivian said, it was difficult to reason with people who saw their faith as everything.

Gotarug was likely the oldest and most traditional man in this society of the remnants. He had a rich and unique experience, and the ancient knowledge, but also used to attribute phenomena that he could not explain to the Goddess. He told Hao Ren about the ancient history recorded in the manuscripts, but Hao Ren would have to deduce the truth of it.

According to Gotarug, the end date of the Sun Dynasty was in line with the time when a significant event happened in the Plane of Dreams. So after the fall of the Goddess, this planet and space around it was thrown out of the Plane of Dreams and stuck on the Wall of Reality.

The close of the heaven was an emergency measure of the First Born in response to the natural disaster caused by the disappearance of the sun.

While the First Born created the upper crust, the ecological environment on the original surface was undergoing devastating destruction. But some power—perhaps the power of the Goddess of Creation—had protected the humans there and provided them a safe place while the ecosystem stabilized.

After the First Born created Heaven’s Pillars and the canopy dome, the survivors began to build the city of Dorasil, and then abandoned without inhabiting it.

Gotarug said that the Goddess commanded the humans to abandon the city. But Hao Ren thought that the real reason was climate change.

These deductions added credibility to the history.

Age did affect one’s energy. After Gotarug took a few questions, Hao Ren decided to stop the conversation and so that the old man could rest. Gezer had arranged the best yurt for his ‘sacred guests.’ But the frank tribal warrior still felt it inadequate. He felt he was slighting his Goddess with the mortal dwelling. But, there was no way for his small nomadic tribe to build a temple according to the ancient specifications overnight. The presence of the Goddess among them had caught them by surprise. Right until now, more than half of the people were still feeling it surreal. They worshipped and believed in the existence of the Goddess, but the appearance of the Goddess came as a bolt from the blue. That did not bother Vivian though. She was happy with Gezer’s arrangement. She then came to the outside with Hao Ren to enjoy the unique ‘sunset’ of this world.

It was a sunset without the sun.

There was still the cycle of day and night in this underground world though without the sun. The clouds created the day-and-night cycle.

Now the light in the clouds was gradually dimming, from bright white to a calming dark yellow. The glowing microbes in the clouds followed a biological clock, and they could synchronize their actions among themselves. When it came to ‘dusk, the light in the clouds would dim sequentially. And, as the light went off, the solid black dome behind the clouds became even darker. It was so dark that it was impossible to perceive it from the ground with the naked eye.

“The microbes in the clouds must be the result of the careful design of the First Born,” Hao Ren said as he gazed at the dusk sky. He said to Vivian casually, “I thought at first the First Born on this planet had cleansed the entire ecosystem, but now it seems that it has received the same order as Zorm did to protect the Second Born. But then, a question arises: it is kind of difficult to explain the existence of the gnarled monsters on the surface crust.”

Vivian appeared a little absent-minded as if her mind was on something else. Finally, she opened her mouth. “The Goddess they are talking about must be the Goddess of Creation. Then why they mistook me as their Goddess? What do you know?”

Hao Ren was silent for a few seconds. When Gezer called Vivian the ‘Goddess’ earlier today, Hao Ren already knew that he would inevitably have to explain eventually. While on the way from Dorasil to the tribal settlement, he was not just observing the ecological environment of the world, but he had also thought about the mysterious connection between Vivian and the Goddess of Creation.

Vivian had noticed Hao Ren’s silence. She knew what silence meant. She let out a sigh and leaned against the rock behind her. “You know something. Okay, I’m ready. After all, I have lived for ten thousand years and seen enough.”

“Do you still remember the world you saw when you first woke up?” Hao Ren suddenly raised a seemingly irrelevant question.

Vivian’s brows knit together. “The first time I woke up? It was a long time ago, I can’t remember. But I guess it was probably at the end of the ice age… the little ice age. The manuscript that Pavel gave me so recorded. That should be my earliest memory.”

“In fact… Raven 12345 and I have found something,” Hao Ren said as he looked into Vivian’s eyes. “It’s about the connection between you and the Goddess of Creation.”

Just like the rocks emerging after the water subsides, so Hao Ren had no choice but to tell everything, including the vast volume of information on her, her inextricable connection with the Goddess of Creation, and her crossing of the Wall of Reality forty-eight hours before the fall of the Goddess of Creation. The revelations had Vivian’s eyes out on stalks. When Hao Ren finally finished, she was utterly rooted to the spot.

“I am related to the goddess?” Vivian’s voice was a little quivery. “I… I am just a Blood Clan. Am I not?”

“Besides being able to summon some tiny bats, do you think you are a Blood Clan?” Hao Ren glanced at her. “And even the ability to become a small bat can be mimicked with magic. I guess you assume you are and have some characteristics of a Blood Clan. That’s it. Of course, there is no evidence.”

Vivian was wide-mouthed as she looked down at her hands, which were pale and small as if they lacked vitality. It was a characteristic of a higher Blood Clan–cold and pale. But when she recalled it carefully, and she really couldn’t remember when her hands became like that.

“Then who am I?” Vivian frowned. She did not doubt what Hao Ren told her. “The reincarnation of the Goddess of Creation? Fragment? Avatar? Or some creation?”

“You are not the Goddess of Creation; I guarantee that,” Hao Ren said. “You have no deity in you, so you are not reincarnation or a fragment. You are only connected with the fallen Goddess somehow. Let’s not worry about it now. Just stop worrying.”

Vivian remained silent for a long moment. Her face pale and emotionless. Only her eyes were shimmering in the dark. After a long while, Hao Ren heard her asking softly, “So, who am I?”

“You are Vivian.” Hao Ren had expected this. He turned his head around and looked into her eyes. Then he gently flicked his finger on her forehead. “You are Vivian Ancestor, the oldest, poorest vampire in the world, who could cook the best dishes and whose presence is undoubted.”

Vivian was stunned. Then she suddenly bloomed in a bright smile that almost lighted up the grassland. “This is embarrassing, the oldest Blood Clan needing your consolation.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Hao Ren arched his eyebrows. “I speak on behalf of the true God. I am the King of Sun of Aerym, the guardian of Io, the new lord of Zorm, the governor of Tannagost. And, more importantly, I am still your landlord. My roles become so impressively many that it takes six lines to print on the business card. So it doesn’t take me much effort to comfort a bat.”

Vivian smiled, hugged her arms and looked at Hao Ren. “Keep bragging. Maybe you could still come out some more.”

Hao Ren put on a deadpan face. “Oh, that is pretty much all about it now,” he quipped.

Vivian smiled from her heart. Her worry seemed to have gone away. And, Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t you see how capable I am? How many situations have I handled successfully so far? So however big your trouble is, I would deal with it. For you.”

“I’m not worried anymore,” Vivian said as she leaned on the rock, smiling and shaking her head. “But I’m not as weak as to need to rely on others. I will try to find out the secrets of myself. But in case of trouble, you’ve got to help me.”