Chapter 328 The Rules Are Like This

The jawline of that half-face was almost level with Lu Yuan's line of sight, and the grayish-white, pupil-less eyeball was staring directly at him, very close. Close enough that Lu Yuan could see the fine lines on the surface of that eyeball, like the cracks weathered on an ancient stone.

The gray fog quietly retreated to both sides, as if making room for a meeting that had been arranged long ago.

Lu Yuan stood on the broken platform, facing a huge face that occupied half of his field of vision, with a gray-white eye without pupils staring at him.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yuan remembered.

Rex had said that in the memory images extracted from the brains of those third-tier members of the Gray Pact, there was a huge head suspended in the darkness, with believers kneeling below, receiving instructions.

This is it. Obviously, when Rick was reading that memory, he was hit by the trap, and he just barged in.

Grayish-white text jumped out at the edge of my field of vision.

[Detection Target: ■■ (Incomplete)]

[A defeated entity, yet thus escaped everything, lingering on until now.]

Lu Yuan stared at the gray text, his heartbeat quickening slightly.

Defeat? Escaped everything? Escaped what? Just barely surviving!

This is a losing proposition.

Lu Yuan's mindset underwent a subtle change at this moment, because if He were the defeated one, then he would not have to worry about his safety at all.

Thinking of this, Lu Yuan looked directly at the face in front of him. The huge face still occupied half of his field of vision, and the gray-white eyes were still staring at him.

He spoke.

"When the sea of ​​knowledge trembles, I already know you."

Multiple overlapping sounds pressed down heavily, and the broken platform trembled slightly in the sound waves.

Lu Yuan's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

The Sea of ​​Knowledge trembled as the first dredging was made inside the corpse that had sunk within it. The key rioted, seawater surged into the palace, and the five beings retreated.

He can actually see it??

"The power resides in you."

The two words made Lu Yuan's fingers tighten slightly.

authority.

The five beings used this word. That time in the palace, the one with the vertical pupil stared at the key behind its left eye and said "authority".

The fact that this being used the same word indicates that it knows what the key is and what its name is.

Lu Yuan remained silent, simply waiting for what would follow.

"However, there is something on you that I cannot reach. I wish to lead you into this place, but I cannot."

"There is another one."

Does this word refer to something other than a key?

But the person on the wall didn't say exactly what it was.

Lu Yuan quickly reviewed the abnormalities he had experienced.

Which of the following—the discarded parchment scroll, the worm of knowledge, or the strange aura it had acquired—was blocking Him?

He didn't say, so Lu Yuan couldn't guess.

But one thing is certain. This being cannot force itself upon itself; it said "unattainable," which means it tried.

Grayish-white text jumped out at the edge of my field of vision.

[Current Status of Bronze City: +3...29.2/50]

Lu Yuan suppressed these thoughts in his mind; now was not the time to analyze them, as the thing in front of him was still watching him.

He decided to speak up.

Are the Grey Clan your followers?

The grayish-white eyeball remained unchanged. The multi-layered consonant responded almost without pause:

"They express their wishes, and I respond to them."

Eight words. A simple statement of rules. Someone makes a wish, and He responds.

Lu Yuan pressed for an answer.

What are their wishes?

silence.

The gray mist remained motionless, its half-face maintaining the same angle, its grayish-white eyes staring at Lu Yuan, showing no sign of speaking.

He had no intention of answering; the content of others' petitions was irrelevant to the person before him. He chose not to answer questions outside the rules.

Lu Yuan changed direction.

What's behind that copper wall beneath the pipeline?

The gray fog remained motionless; the outline of half the face did not change, and the eyeballs did not move.

There has been no response yet.

Lu Yuan stared at the grayish-white eyeball, trying to catch any subtle reaction.

There was nothing there.

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth.

I tried three questions, and only the first one got a response, and the response was essentially meaningless. This thing only answers what it thinks should be answered, ignoring everything else.

Lu Yuan made a more direct attempt.

"You can't do anything to me."

The grayish-white eyeball finally moved, as if it were looking at him seriously for the first time.

"Yes."

In short, it's pure factual confirmation.

Lu Yuan felt genuine unease.

The attitude of this being is more unsettling than its power.

Every time Lu Yuan tried to test Him, it was like a pebble thrown into the ocean, leaving not even a ripple. He knew Him very well, yet remained unmoved at the moment.

Lu Yuan realized that testing was useless.

He asked directly.

"What kind of deal do you want to make with me?"

"The time is not yet ripe."

"Then why are you telling me all this?"

"Tell me."

Let me tell you.

Lu Yuan suddenly understood that everything this being had done today—letting Lei Ke go, keeping him, and engaging in dialogue—was simply to convey a message.

I know you, I'm waiting for you.

"Waiting for me for what?"

"You will come to find me. And you will agree."

Lu Yuan frowned.

"Why should I?" He stared at the grayish-white eyeball. "You can't force me. You admitted it yourself. You don't know if I'll agree, you don't even know if I'll ever set foot in this place again. Why are you so sure I'll 'come on my own'?"

A long silence followed in the gray fog.

The enormous half-face hovered in front of Lu Yuan, its gray-white eyes staring at him like an ancient stone looking at a raindrop.

Then He spoke. This time His voice was even lower, the multiple overlapping sounds almost merging into one.

"That's the rule."

Four words.

It simply stated a rule that He saw, like telling you that the sun will rise tomorrow.

The conversation ends here.

The half-face began to slowly recede, the gray mist closing in from both sides, gradually obscuring the curve of the jawline. The grayish-white eyes glanced at Lu Yuan one last time through the gray mist before disappearing into the gray depths.

Lu Yuan stood on the shattered platform, watching as the gray mist filled his vision again.

He didn't say anything more.

Because he realized that language was an ineffective weapon in the face of this being. No matter what was said, He only responded to what was within the bounds of His rules, ignoring everything else. This was a difference in dimensions.

But Lu Yuan remembered three things.

First, He said, "There are things beyond my reach." There are things He cannot do.

Second, He acknowledged the truth. He could not force himself to do so.

Third, He said, "That's the rule." He was bound by the rule.

That's fine then. Lu Yuan didn't intend to stay here any longer, as the head disappeared.

A faint pull came from the symbiotic connection, clearly the worm of knowledge had noticed the anomaly here, and the key deep in its left eye was slightly warm, as if responding to its intention.

There is still a way out.

He took a step toward the bridge.

The gray mist behind them did not surge, and that presence did not obstruct them.

Consciousness began to be drawn back. Gray fog, broken platforms, and void shattered and dissipated in the field of vision, like a mirror cracking in the middle, with light pouring in through the cracks.

Lu Yuan's consciousness returned to his body.

His fingers were still pressed against Rick's forehead, the icy air from the pipe network filling his nostrils. The light from the marching lights flickered on the copper walls.

He suddenly opened his eyes and met Rick's gaze.

Rick squatted opposite him, his face grim, holding a communication crystal in his hands.

Grayish-white text jumped out at the edge of my field of vision.

[Sanity: -5...88/140]

The Insect of Knowledge slowly flew back to Lu Yuan's left eye from above the point of contact between the two. A colorful glow swirled around the surface of the insect's body before it quieted down and curled up in the deepest part of his left eye.

Looking at the somewhat guilty look on the Knowledge Worm's face, Lu Yuan pursed his lips helplessly.

Rex spoke first.

What did you see inside?

Lu Yuan thought for a moment and then answered.

"A gigantic face, grayish-white eyeballs, just like the memories you extracted from the third-tier brain. And those third-tier members of the Gray Pact Society must have made a deal with Him."

"I suspect they acted on their own. How interesting."

Rex hesitated for a moment.

"He seemed interested in something about me."

Lu Yuan briefly recounted the conversation that took place in the gray fog.

"Then he mentioned..."

The second half of Lu Yuan's sentence disappeared.

Lu Yuan's mouth was moving, his vocal cords were vibrating, and he could feel the air flowing out of his throat, but no sound came out.

The contents of the transaction, the prophecy of "You will come," were stripped away from the lips, as if wiped directly from the air by something.

Lu Yuan stopped, clearly already knowing what this was.

This is the power of rules; something is erasing its own existence, or rather, erasing the existence related to desire.

He tried again. "He said I would..."

It was also erased. The sound stopped at the word "will," but the lip movements continued, though nothing could be heard.

Rick looked at him.

"You too?" Lu Yuan asked.

Rick gave it a try.

"The man on the wall said about me..."

The sound disappears at the "de" sound.

"He gave it to..."

It's gone.

Rick could say the words "the man on the wall," describe the space, and say he was ejected. But anything involving details of his wish would disappear as soon as the sound reached that location.

"It must be the rules; we might be in trouble." Lu Yuan's expression darkened slightly.

Rick nodded.

The two remained silent for a few seconds. The rules governing that existence extended beyond the physical space.

Lu Yuan rubbed his temples. His head felt a little heavy, and his left eye felt slightly hot.

"The one on the wall." Lu Yuan repeated the title in a low voice, "Did this name come from the Gray Pact Society?"

"That's what it's called in the memories of the third tier," Rick said. "It's named after the stone wall, and the spirits of all believers are drawn into it."

Rick didn't continue immediately.

"When I was ejected, I fell downwards and saw the entire stone wall."

Lu Yuan looked at him.

"There are quite a few people on the stone wall and steps," Rick said in a low voice. "If that's true, then perhaps many people in Bronze City have already been implicated."

Lu Yuan's brows slowly furrowed.

Footsteps could be heard coming from a distance along the pipeline.

They moved quickly, and then the light from the marching lights jumped over from around the corner, casting elongated shadows on the bronze wall.

Klaus's voice came from around the corner.

"Rek!"