Xyrin Empire-Chapter 630: The End of the Literature Hall

The events of today, I will never forget for as long as I live.

Perhaps few people have ever experienced within twenty-four hours a full set of processes from the Hundred Clans’ counterattack to the Doomsday assault to exploring ancient mysteries to epic secrets to the shadow of espionage to bizarre reasoning. If I were to write it all out, I could pull five or six sequels out of thin air without repeating myself. What took place in a single day in this house was so full of ups and downs that it was almost comically frustrating. After being baptized by so many events, I like to think I’ve reached the state described by the common folk as "a dead pig not fearing scalding water", ready to face off against a smarter version of Silvia if needed—I say, bring on whatever other nonsensical things you have; I want to see what earth-shattering secrets are left to bombard my nerves.

That absolute villain Ocam has now claimed to be a loyal elderly retainer acting out of an obligation to resurrect the Empire, declaring himself with a sly grin. While the always-childlike Silvia, who used to depend on me, is now going to any lengths to try and destroy the documents in the Literature Hall. Even Sandora, the Queen, is confused, while Pandora at my side is contemplating! The world’s wonders truly all came alive today!

"Bellavilla, to tell the truth, when I learned you were still alive, I actually breathed a sigh of relief," Ocam said to the air, wearing a fake smile. But of course, we know that Silvia in the secondary control room, free from the Main Material Plane, can hear and see everything happening here.

"Is that so? To be so fondly remembered by the very person who once cast me into the Void Storm, I’m really trembling," replied a voice dripping with sarcasm. "But what you really need from me is just the ’key’ on my person, isn’t it? The ’key’ to activate the Literature Hall. Hah, to think that using it could summon you here so easily. You’re as arrogant and foolish as ever... And you’ve cracked the first control room’s blockade so quickly, true to your reputation as the Empire’s former Chief Scientist..."

Silvia... or perhaps Bellavilla, scornfully taunted Ocam in a tone that was haughty and dripping with hatred—like a venomous serpent bristling with cold anger. If this had been the Silvia we knew, she would never speak in such a tone. Bellavilla finally awakened. Could even Lin Xue’s prediction be off?

"Hmph, I admit I was deceived by you this time, Lady Bellavilla with your poisonous gift," Ocam continued, "Your trinket holds nothing but malice and hate. But that’s alright. Two wise monarchs are here; they know how to judge. I am working for the Recovery Empire, while you are trying to destroy all this! This is an undeniable fact! Can you explain your actions? You traitor who has betrayed the Empire twice!"

Bellavilla’s voice fell silent, for a full ten seconds, without an answer.

But... we were all waiting for that explanation that might never come. Even a vague one would be better than this silence which seemed like a tacit admission. Silvia, you fool, explain yourself!

Why remain silent when facing Ocam’s accusations after leaving clues that proved you’re still our friend? Do you really have no explanation for your actions? Do you truly believe we won’t trust your words?

It’s an almost wishful thought, but I prefer to trust Silvia—who although may have awakened as Bellavilla, still seemed to retain her original purpose—over taking Ocam’s word for it. This kind of faith might be naïve, even comical. Dubbed the "self-deluding ways of carbon-based life", I’m fine with that label. Frankly, I trust Silvia more than this man draped in black before me.

Ocam awaits our response nervously. From the snippets of conversation he and Silvia (or Bellavilla? that schizophrenia really is a headache...) had earlier, I’ve pieced together the situation. Although this man could very well be one of the founders of the Literature Hall, he doesn’t have absolute control over it, but Silvia does. Using her ’key’ as bait, and likely having laid other traps, she’s managed to have Ocam fall prey to this trap so carelessly. Her aim is undoubtedly revenge.

After the fall of the world of Azeroth, the Fallen Apostle team surely faced some major disagreement, even an irreconcilable internal conflict. I’ve never encountered a Void Storm before; but from its name alone, it’s not something you’d liken to a mere street tussle. And Ocam, after leaving the world of Azeroth, actually plotted to cast Bellavilla into the Void Storm?

And as a result, she lost her memory and ended up wandering Academy City as an intelligence level 9 air-headed girl...

Well, in many ways, Ocam, you did do one good thing. Too bad you didn’t complete it; Bellavilla came back to life, even stealing my air-headed girl.

Cough cough, I’ve gone off on a tangent. What I mean to say is, Ocam isn’t holding the upper hand right now. His only leverage is the trust we have in him. If any of the Imperial Leaders present nodded their heads, he would dare to launch the Holy Hall activation program of the first control room, and all of Silvia’s, or rather Bellavilla’s, efforts would be thwarted. The Literature Hall’s system is designed as such: regardless of which control room issues the command, the Empire’s resurrection order will always be a higher priority than the Literature Hall’s shutdown command. So, whom shall we believe now?

An enemy, whose words, however, are all true, or a friend, now controlled by another personality? I hate multiple-choice questions, this infuriating thing tormented me throughout my nine years of compulsory education and three years in high school. Yet, I still have to face it.

"Ocam," I interjected, "you just mentioned that gifts from me are always full of malice and hate," then, right then, Bellavilla’s chilling voice rose again, "but there’s one thing that’s an exception."

The middle-aged man standing before us already had a look of urgency on his face; the final energy countdown was less than three minutes away, but he still patiently sparred with Silvia, "Oh, Lady Bellavilla, known for her malicious gifts, would she actually send something benevolent?"

"Of course," that cold voice slowly began, though the latter part of the statement was somewhat baffling, "just some handmade cards."

Ocam was momentarily stunned, while I, on the other hand, slightly crooked the corners of my mouth upwards.

"Your Majesties, this foolish woman is trying to stall for time! Please make a decision quickly! Right now, all you need to do is nod, this woman can’t possibly explain her motives, I am loyal to the Empire!" Ocam saw several obelisks in the Crystal Hall beginning to slowly sink into the ground and finally couldn’t control his impatience, urging us on even at the risk of arousing our suspicions, but his words were cut short halfway through.

A black-patterned arm pierced through his chest, and starting from there, his entire body gradually turned into scattering black fragments.

It had been a long time since I had done this, such a direct but truly satisfying method of attack.

"You... how could you..."

His body was pierced through, and even the concept of his existence was continuously dissolving under the devouring of Void Energy, but Ocam did not die immediately; his eyes widened as he clearly did not understand why, just ten seconds earlier, he had been gaining the upper hand, almost shaking the judgment of the person before him, only to now receive such a fatal attack.

"Let me tell you two things: First, I am the Emperor, so it’s not your place to point fingers and give orders." Throwing the now disorientedly conscious Ocam to the ground, I felt waves of guilt for my own suspicions of Silvia up until that moment, so the unfortunate Fallen Apostle uncle just had to die a little slower.

"Second, the Empire will once again shine under the leadership of Sandora and me, and will only shine under our leadership!"

The other’s body was gradually disappearing, now only a blurry shadow remained.

"Lastly, let me send you off with a cheesy line: ’I am the Empire, what’s that to you!’"

Yes, these cheesy words were all for setting the tone; I certainly couldn’t allow future history books to write: ’The Emperor put down the rebellion with a gesture; the enemy struggled for breaths before expiring; the Emperor speechless, stood still for two minutes.’

At this historic moment, I had to say something, right?

And just like that, he was dead.

Just like that?

I felt a bit unreal; this guy who had driven the entire Imperial Army into peril, even just now almost caused Sandora and me to be confused, just died so simply?

"Although cunning, he was only a Scientist," Sandora said with some regret, "He may have been a bit sly by nature, but to have been a Chief Scientist of an administrative region, he was once a respectable great figure, but he died like a clown."

I knew what Sandora meant; in her view now, Ocam’s series of statements just now were doubtlessly an attempt to use sweet words to beg for a lifeline. According to the Xyrin Apostle’s perceptions of honor and dishonor, this manner of begging for life was even more despicable than surrendering on the battlefield because he didn’t even have the courage to face hostility head-on. To die like a clown, this was the most contemptible way to die according to the cultural notions of the Xyrin Empire.

As if to respond to the plot, the final broadcast in the Literature Hall began to sound, "Attention, the core area energy has gone entirely offline, backup energy destroyed, databases all offline and unable to reconnect, Holy Hall system has stopped responding, please leave the Literature Hall as soon as possible, this location will self-dismantle and enter the Void in thirty minutes..."

"Silvia! Get out here quick! This place is going down!"

I had no idea where that silver-haired girl was, but if she dared to go down with this damned place, I definitely wouldn’t forgive her!

The reply that came back to us was a sentence light and somewhat taunting, "I’ve been outside for a while now, when exactly are you lot coming out?"

Bella, truly not adorable.

Exiting was much easier than entering. Now, all the passages here had been unlocked, and we, along with hundreds of Leader Bees waiting outside the control room, rushed out of this ancient database that was on the verge of collapse, taking only a dozen minutes to reach the outside.

"Silvia’s" figure was not far ahead, but she radiated an aura of "keep your distance." I exchanged a glance with Sandora and then we both pushed Qianqian, "Girl, go strike up a conversation with her!"

The latter uttered an "Oh" and trotted over, cheerful and delighted.

It’s great to be so carefree, never affected by the atmosphere.

"Sandora," looking at the giant database in front of us, which was starting to fill with red cracks but hadn’t completely fallen apart yet, I fell silent for a few seconds, "You know, I just destroyed the entire Empire."

"It was us," Sandora grabbed my hand, "I didn’t stop you, and I will always support you, but at least you have to tell me how you figured out that Ocam was lying? I was almost convinced by him, that Literature Hall really was something meant for the Resurrection of the Empire."

"I was convinced by him too, until ’Lady Bellavilla’ secretly revealed her identity," I started laughing, "Hand-drawn cards, you don’t usually go to Candy House so you might not know, but those are quite famous things among the kids in Shadow City. Buying specialty sweets at Little Xi Dessert Shop would get you a heartfelt little gift—Silvia’s doodles. Go and check the pockets of those mass-produced mainframes when we get back; they always collect those things. Even I don’t know when they developed personal hobbies."

"So, Silvia was revealing her true self to us in this way?" Sandora tilted her head, "Why didn’t she just come out and say it? As long as she could prove her personality was still that of Silvia, we would choose to trust her. Why did she still have to pretend to be Lady Bellavilla and deal with Ocam for so long?"

"Because the second control room only allowed Lady Bellavilla to enter," a voice suddenly sounded behind us. I turned around and saw the silver-haired girl looking at herself with a calm expression, while Qianqian, the magical girl who could blend in with anyone under any circumstances, was pulling on the girl’s arm and beaming with joy, "There is a dual recognition system for soul and personality there. It can judge the operator’s identity and even the operator’s thought process. This is to prevent the operator with absolute control from making an incorrect decision due to potential psychological issues caused by prolonged years, so in there, I absolutely couldn’t reveal any hint of Silvia’s personality. Even every sentence I said had to strip away any shadow of Silvia. It was quite a brainstorming challenge to make you realize my actions were determined by Silvia as the dominant personality."

"Is your dominant personality now Silvia or Lady Bellavilla?" Sandora gazed into the eyes of the silver-haired girl, asking seriously.

I poked her arm, "Don’t ask, it’s definitely Lady Bellavilla."

"How did you guess?" Lady Bellavilla’s eyebrows rose, "Or perhaps it’s Silvia with the memories of Lady Bellavilla talking to you."

"Cut the crap, that idiot would never speak so sharply."

Lady Bellavilla: "..."

"Alright, while you’re still speaking clearly and seemingly without hostility, let’s get down to business," I urged Sandora to be patient and asked seriously, "Why did you destroy the Literature Hall? Despite our trust in Sylvia, we chose to believe you, but without a proper reason, even if Sylvia protects you, I have ways to extract your soul!"

"Then you tell me first, why did you choose to trust Sylvia, even in the face of such a decision just now?" Lady Bellavilla retorted, "On one side was the hope for the Empire’s recovery, and on the other was nothing more than a familiar girl’s capricious act, and you simply sided with the latter. Without a proper reason—hmph, I would never acknowledge a guy who revolves only around women as an Imperial Leader!"

Repeatedly, the sharp and mean Lady Bellavilla was really too unlovable. That dim-witted Sylvia, when will you switch back... However, I had long been ready to answer her question.

"Because we have a Prophet."

"That little human girl?" Lady Bellavilla was suddenly surprised.

"Exactly her. Although her prediction this time was slightly off, the overall direction was correct. Before you... Sylvia and Lady Shining started mixing together, Lin Xue had already warned me that Sylvia would play a crucial role in the near future, and that she would also perform actions completely beyond anyone’s predictions. What she meant must have been the scene just now."

"It’s indeed... an incomprehensible ability. Before passing through the Big Nebula, I was still in a chaotic state, not even knowing that I would awaken in the next second, but that little girl saw everything one or two months ago."

"Then, Lin Xue also reminded me: To absolutely trust any action taken by Sylvia would be the most correct decision in your life."

Lady Bellavilla gave me a look: "So after confirming that my actions were decided by Sylvia, you immediately killed Ocam. At that point, you couldn’t judge whether that Con Artist was lying or not, you just followed the Prediction!"

I raised my hands in admission; Lin Xue, when you become hauntingly persistent, there’s really no dealing with you.

"Alright, I understand. You indeed made a wise decision. Now, do you want to know why I had to destroy the Literature Hall?" freewёbnoνel-com

Without saying a word to Sandora and the others, I looked eagerly at Lady Bellavilla.

"Alright, alright, you bunch who have lost the dignity of the Empire... The stuff in the Literature Hall was contaminated since the day it was built. There, satisfied? What Ocam was trying to revive was an Empire that had been thoroughly Abyssalized!"

Sandora and I were both shocked this time: "Already contaminated? How is that possible!?"

Over thirty Emperors sacrificed their lives, and all surviving Xyrin Apostles together built the Literature Hall, which carried the last hope of the Empire’s recovery. It was contaminated from the very beginning? How could such a tragic thing happen to the Xyrin Empire?

"Whether you believe it or not doesn’t change anything," Lady Bellavilla sighed, "but the fact remains. I was the last Commander on the day the Literature Hall was completed, and Ocam was my Chief Researcher. Of course, back then he was just a stiff and rigorous old Scientist. We witnessed the core database of the Literature Hall refresh with a multitude of fatal defects... There was no time for anyone to thoroughly check each data source entering the Literature Hall, some of which might have been information from Empire clans wholly infected by the Abyss. Ha, that’s the whole story. As time went by, everything developed into what it is today."

"Okay, it seems you have a long story, about the secret of the Empire’s end times, and why you’re now changing sides—we can take our time discussing it. But Sylvia will be alright, won’t she?"

Lady Bellavilla glanced at me askance: "Sure enough, a guy who’s only interested in girls. Don’t worry, she was just tired and is now asleep, handing over full control of her body to me. But where to begin... Let’s start with the Doomsday..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to vote for it on qidian.com with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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