Chapter 652 19. If you can only choose one between love and the future.
It has been a long time since Mason got the Black Apple, but he has never used this device that can theoretically answer all difficult questions.
Mason was useless when the plane fusion was in trouble, and he was useless when Mephisto's tricks almost caused all the operations to fail. Even when the decisive battle was about to come, he still had no intention of using this thing.
But what the master just said reminded him.
When he first witnessed the impact of the world in the world of pirates and Gotham, Mason gained insight into his destiny when he woke up in this dark age. He has marched forward bravely until now, and has given himself an almost perfect answer to the problem of impact. Now, as long as he kills Mephisto and the Society of Stars, he can complete the "main mission" of his journey.
In a stand-alone game, this is already the final stage of the plot. It would be a pity to have such an important prop but not use it.
After all, he is not a hardcore person who pursues all-trophy achievements, right?
Of course, there is a very practical reason why Mason has not used the black apple. Not only does the information label on this thing indicate that using it is risky, but Hei Qi’s “field teaching” tells him that using the black apple to obtain answers is indeed a dangerous thing. Risky thing.
Heiqi asked a question related to the future, but was so overwhelmed by the forbidden knowledge that he almost couldn't maintain the ring and let all the ancient gods be released.
With Mason's little strength back then, he would probably have to give up most of his life in the face of such a backlash.
But it's different now.
He has achieved fruitful and vigorous growth in all aspects. After uniting with his "Mason Family" to defeat the Void Mason, he received the gift of power, which improved his ability control to a considerable level.
He thought he should give it a try.
Of course, to be on the safe side, Mason would not directly ask for an ending to everything like Black Strange did, that would be crazy and meaningless.
The captain is convinced that he can win.
The fact that Madeleine's Phoenix Judgment failed to erase his future already shows that he will win, but to what extent he will win is not a question that Mason has to consider.
"So, let's be realistic."
Mason blew out a smoke ring and reached out to touch the black apple in front of him, but before he could touch it, the door of the small conference room was suddenly pushed open.
Mason, the alchemist wearing a wizard hat, peeked inside. He was holding an antique medicine box in his arms, obviously here to deliver something.
Then he saw Mason holding the penguin umbrella and preparing to touch the black apple.
"Hey! Do you want your life?"
The alchemist exclaimed and stepped forward to push Mason's hand away. He said:
"Is this something you can use casually? And you don't have the answer you desperately want, right?"
“I feel like it’s a little disrespectful to leave this obvious ‘passthrough prop’ until the end”
Mason pouted and said:
"So it doesn't hurt to give it a try. Why not increase your chances of winning?"
"It should be used for important things, right?"
The alchemist thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with this statement. He then took out his pipe, held it in his mouth, and said to Mason:
"I mean, ask something interesting or exciting, like asking it who sent us here?"
"You are expecting me to die, right?"
The captain complained:
"As long as I dare to ask questions like this that concern the outside world, not to mention whether Black Apple can give an answer, I am afraid that I will die on the spot.
I plan to ask it how to destroy the old devil's damn 'Mephisto Network'. He told me before that the minds of Mephisto in countless planes are connected together, which represents this 'transcendence' The operation was not really prepared for one Mephisto alone.
It was a plan shared by all of them.
Even if we kill the old devil who dominates the Association of Stars, sooner or later other devils will take over the banner. Isn't this equivalent to doing it in vain? ”
"You ask me this question, why do you ask it?"
The alchemist complained to:
"Isn't the easiest way to wait until the old devil's transcendence is completed?
Mephisto's time and space heterotopias in all the worlds are integrated into one, and when they form a complete existence, they are eliminated, so that all Mephistos are dead. ”
"You are talking nonsense!"
The subject snorted and said:
"I can't think of raising a big daddy while I still have the advantage. I understand the concept of transcendence. Although Hei Qiqi has not taken that step, he is already qualified. He is just hurt by love and is unwilling to take that step. One step.
He is so powerful. If I really wait for Mephisto to transcend, the price I will pay to kill him will definitely be calculated ten times. ”
"Well, that makes sense."
The alchemist nodded, blew out another smoke ring, blinked and said to Mason:
"But I suggest you change the question, do you know what I mean? Change it to a question that is more valuable and important to you, such as Ciri's perfect resurrection
We don't actually need to kill all the Mephistos, that's just an option.
Our purpose has always been clear, which is to overthrow the Council of Stars, and now that the attack has reached the fifth round, other Mephistos are already powerless even if they want to inherit the legacy of the old devil.
That's the trouble of the next era. Mason, didn't you say that you are only responsible for reversing the Dark Ages, and you are too lazy to participate in the affairs of the next era?
Believe in the wisdom of future generations, saving your little lover's life is the most important thing now. ”
"You are asking me to choose between the future and love. Alas, it is an eternal problem."
Mason shook his head and sighed:
"But I only have one chance to ask, and I have to give up the other one, which is really difficult."
It sounded difficult, but in fact Mason put his hand on the smooth surface of the black apple without much hesitation.
The moment his fingers touched this thing, a coldness from the bottom of his heart followed the touch of his fingertips and rushed into Mason's heart, making his body tremble as if he had drank a drink with ice in one gulp in the cold winter.
That is cold that cannot be exempted.
Even the soul is being frozen, and the power is strengthening as the time of contact extends, as if it is forcing Mason to ask the questions in his heart.
If he hesitates any longer, the captain will have no doubt that his soul will be frozen.
No wonder Black Strange's performance when using Black Apple was so uncomfortable. Mason believes that this power derived from the mysterious wall of origin cannot be exempted from resistance simply by relying on strength.
It is directly effective on the existential level.
"Ask! Come on, your waters are unstable, they're crystallizing, damn it."
The alchemist who set up a small camera next to him to record this important moment as valuable research data for the cosmic artifact urged:
"It's hurting you, forcing you to ask questions, not to fight the force, to make your choices."
"唰"
A black light lit up and intertwined with Mason's five fingers spread out on the surface of the black apple. The five fingers had been completely frozen from the molecular level into a crystal clear posture, and they were still emitting a dense cold air, like some kind of Brutal ice sculpture.
However, the light coming on seemed to mean that Mason had completed the standard use process of this cosmic artifact and entered the final stage of obtaining answers.
The ice on his fingers was melting, which made the alchemist quite curious. He guessed that this should be the power recovery of this unique cosmic artifact after completing its "mission".
It's like the tool that was created is finally being used to make it "happy" and get the "satisfaction" it deserves.
After a few seconds, the black light wrapped around Mason's fingers dimmed, allowing Black Apple to return to its state of calm. When the captain opened his eyes, the answer seemed to remain in his pupils. Those complex words and graphics danced before his eyes, giving him a standard answer.
"This thing is really a scam!"
Mason let go and gave his own evaluation.
While he took out his notebook to write and draw, he said to the alchemist who was eagerly waiting for the answer without raising his head:
"I've probably figured out how it works. Did you see how I was frozen just now? The counterattack force when accepting forbidden knowledge is constantly released according to the complexity and obscurity of the questions you want to ask. Yes, the more complex the question you ask and the more it involves the truth of the universe, the greater the backlash you will have to endure
For example, Hei Qiqi asked about the real future before, which directly caused him to almost suffer the backlash damage from the upper limit of his life. If I followed your suggestion and asked who sent us here, my existence would be erased on the spot. .
It’s not that it’s trying to hurt me.
But I simply can’t bear that level of real answers, symbolic! This thing is also based on symbolic effect, but this actually answers your question from the side.
The guys who sent us here are quite powerful, at least they are at the level of cosmic gods. But don't worry, this thing won't give you an answer immediately when a question floats in your mind. There is a confirmation process.
It's pretty smart from this point of view.
After all, it is something that a person can only use once in his life, so it is good to have a sense of ritual. ”
"Who asked you this?"
The alchemist scratched his head and complained:
"What I want to hear is which one you chose between the future and love, you bastard! What I want to hear is gossip, okay? Who the hell cares about the working principle and user manual of Black Apple!
Is that something that ordinary people can use? Hurry, hurry! Say, do you choose to be a cold-blooded bastard who abandons love in the name of the future, or a brainless person who is willing to abandon the future for love? ”
"Trust me, you will use this knowledge."
Mason glanced at the alchemist meaningfully, then coughed twice and said:
"Of course I made my choice. I asked it how to destroy the Mephisto Network, and this asshole gave me a 'standard answer', do you know what I mean?
The standard answer does not mean it is the correct answer or the most efficient answer.
It told me that all Mephisto are hell creatures. When they became hell lords and possessed the divinity of hell, their existence was already bound to the hell of their respective planes.
The best thing is that the principle of the "comprehensive concept" of hell is quite complex. To put it simply, its concept is effective in all planes where hell legends exist, so it can be regarded as a universe between each hell dimension. There is a connection.
Black Apple suggested that I completely destroy the hell dimension where Mephisto is located. The moment the symbolism it carries is shattered, Mephisto's life that will never die based on the eternal existence of hell will come to its final end.
The fragmentation of Lord Destiny's dimension will directly affect other planes where Mephisto is located.
Such a mental and existential shock of power would not kill them, but it would completely collapse the Mephisto network they shared.
In this way, Lord Destiny's efforts for transcendence can no longer be inherited by other old devils, and they will be transformed from a whole into independent individuals. ”
"That's it?"
The alchemist widened his eyes and said:
"Didn't we agree to find a plan to kill them? This only gives us a plan to weaken them."
"No, no, no, the essence of the standard answer is here."
Mason shook his head and explained:
"Don't forget the general environment we live in. When the integration process of the New Utopia Plan is pushed to the end, all parallel planes will merge into a complete universe!
In this independent and complete universe, the concepts of hell in each plane will be merged together to form a 'only hell'.
Since there is only one hell, then there must and can only be one individual left among the remaining Mephistos who dominates the hell dimension where they are located.
This is not based on their will but based on the laws of the universe. Whether they want it or not, they must kill each other until the last Mephisto is left.
Although the result is the same, it is a completely opposite concept to the 'detachment' of the unity of all bodies.
The plan given by Black Apple is that we kill the strongest Lord Destiny, and then hand everything over to the real and cruel fate. Those bastards will all die!
And they will die at the hands of others.
Gee, I have to say that this plan is quite interesting as a 'punishment'. It seems that the black apple has read my dislike for the old devil, so it gave me the most vicious one of all possible solutions.
It sounds difficult to blow up Mephisto's hell dimension, but with the help of Galactus, this condition is not difficult to achieve. It just needs to be replenished after the battle.
How hard can this be? ”
"Hmm, so you finally chose the future between love and the future?"
The alchemist looked at Mason with satisfaction and contempt, and he complained:
"I thought you were a pure lover, but I didn't expect you were also a profit creature. Bah, Mason, you really let me down."
"Don't be disappointed yet."
The captain shook his head, stroking the black apple in his hand that no longer responded to him. His "limit" had been used up, and this cosmic artifact would no longer be open to him.
Mason said to the alchemist:
"The reason why I chose the future rather than my poor love so simply is not because I don't care about Shirley's life or death, but I choose to believe in the wisdom and means of my family members.
I believe that even without Black Apple, you can finally give me a perfect solution and use your wisdom to help me, a poor man, solve my problem.
This is the plan I chose for Ciri. It does not rely on external things, but relies on the unity and potential of the entire Mason family. ”
Having said this, Mason put his hand on the beautiful medicine box that the alchemist brought this time. He patted the thing, winked at the alchemist, and said:
"Look, you didn't disappoint me either, did you?"
"Okay, okay, I admit that what you said makes sense and it touches me a lot, but the fact is don't be too busy being happy first."
The alchemist snorted rather arrogantly, then sighed and said:
"I did come up with the resurrection potion you hoped to get, but to be honest, I don't know how effective it will be. After all, the situation of Ciri and the other two mentors is very complicated
Mephisto's power erosion alone is a problem that is difficult to solve perfectly, and our time is a little short. I can only do my best in the limited time.
It may disappoint you, but I have”
"So I say I will trust your wisdom without reservation!"
Mason interrupted the alchemist's "disclaimer". Under the stunned gaze of the alchemist, Mason put the penguin umbrella into his hand, then grabbed his left hand and placed it on the black apple.
He winked at the alchemist and said:
"Let's get started, what are you waiting for? My love will be saved by your wisdom. Come on, ask it your questions, Mason McJack Cooper." (End of Chapter)