Chapter 6213 - 5223: Soul of the Machine Utopia (80)

"Nya planted a curse in their bodies." Reck sighed and said, "Because of the curse, they weakened and thought it was severe degeneration, so they sought a solution more eagerly and wanted to control me more urgently to help them build weapons to deal with the alien threats on Earth."

"Have you not tried to remove the curse?" Shiller asked.

"I tried, but by then, it was already too late." Reck paused and then said, "In fact, all life on Earth evolved from the seeds they planted. They released the first batch of primordial cells into Earth’s oceans, and these cells evolved into later marine life and then ventured onto land."

Shiller recalled for a moment and seemed to remember that in the original text, it indeed mentioned that it was the first batch of Ancient Ones who arrived on Earth, feeling a bit lonely, wanting to make this planet more prosperous, so they released a batch of cells into the seawater, and it was these cells that eventually evolved into many of Earth’s current life forms.

"This curse is contagious." Reck’s tone became somber, "It might initially spread only within the race, but whether it will spread to the creatures evolved from the cells they released, no one knows. I don’t want to kill them all, but I have no choice."

Shiller could also understand; anyone who knows Nya would never allow its power to spread wantonly somewhere, as it would eventually destroy everything. Although this power might not affect Shuggos, if the Ancient Ones and all life on Earth were controlled, they would definitely find a way to invade the Eternal White Hole, and Iron Man would be in greater danger then.

"That’s why I stopped you from exploring the mountains. If you were also infected with the curse, things would become more complicated." Reck said to Professor Dale, "I have to kill the remaining aliens; otherwise, the curse will eventually spread. Protect yourselves; I will leave now."

After saying this, he turned to leave, but Professor Dale hurriedly grabbed him.

"Wait a moment, leaving Nya aside, are you sure you can defeat the aliens?"

"Of course, I can." Reck said, "I was the one who exterminated them back then."

"But you have also lost to them." Professor Dale said. He had seen the history of the Ancient Ones in the murals; Shuggos was sealed by them once, during the first rebellion war, Shuggos didn’t actually win."

"I was young back then." Reck defended himself, "And at that time, I never intended to fight them, it doesn’t count; I can definitely win now."

But he quickly realized something: "How do you know I have lost before?"

Professor Dale didn’t answer him but thought for a moment and said, "This matter isn’t as simple as you think. Since that terrifying presence has already set its sights on the South Pole, it will try everything possible to send people over, even if it’s just to sacrifice, to uncover the secrets deep within the South Pole."

"If we just leave like this this time, he will send others here again, possibly even organizing an army. You can’t kill all these people; they will eventually enter the mountains. By then, what they will do is beyond your control."

"We must find a fundamental way to solve the problem, not choose to evade." Professor Dale said, "Since we are now the main community on Earth, all these issues are ones we have to face, and these decisions shouldn’t be made by you or those aliens, but by ourselves."

"But you don’t have the capability to be responsible for your own decisions." Reck said, "Humans are still too weak; against Nyarlathotep, you face certain death. The Ancient Ones chose wrongly, so they became extinct; aren’t you afraid of following in their footsteps?"

"You still don’t understand." Professor Dale seemed somewhat helpless, "When a civilization reaches the crossroads of destiny, making a wrong decision or one with unbearable consequences is far better than making no decision at all."

"The tragedy of the aliens was not because they made the wrong choice, but precisely because they did not choose. They neither resolutely rejected theology, insisting on a path of technological development, nor completely abandoned technology to embrace the gods, which is their primary reason for extinction. If they had become Nya’s angel envoys, couldn’t they have survived?"

Professor Dale’s words seemed to deeply shock Reck.

Then he heard him continue, "If there are so many gods in this world, and the cosmos is a playground for these powerful beings, then we cannot isolate ourselves; we must resort to the power of gods to survive, so why not?"

"Moreover, since gods seek something, they have weaknesses; if I were the leader of the aliens, I would find a way to negotiate with him, he provides strength, and we do the work, which isn’t an unacceptable result."

"Are you willing to work for an evil god?"

"Being an Evil God isn’t determined by whether his opponents are good-hearted, but by how he treats the human race." Professor Dale spoke frankly, "If the funding is ample and the treatment reasonable, then you do what you’re paid for—isn’t that a good boss?"

"But what if this is only a short-term benefit, harmful in the long run?"

"Yet if we can’t get past this immediate hurdle, our fate will be even more tragic than the aliens." Professor Dale said, "The human race really doesn’t have the means to consider long-term interests; you’re right, we’re still too weak."

"Besides, I don’t think that group of aliens hasn’t tried negotiating with Nyarla." Professor Dale continued, "Since they’ve already made contact with that terrifying being, they must have expressed their demands and received replies—it’s just that they couldn’t reach an agreement."

"Or perhaps, this race has a natural arrogance, whether towards you or the gods, they don’t consider these beings superior to themselves, even merely using you as tools to achieve their goals. It’s their arrogance that killed them."

Reck was speechless, a reminiscing look on his face, and his expression turned somewhat gloomy. Evidently, his communication with the Ancient Ones wasn’t pleasant, with the counterpart showing no interest in communicating, even when he had demonstrated wisdom, the opposite side never regarded him as an equal.

Maybe it’s the same with Nyarlathotep; they might have only treated it as a wishing machine, naturally believing gods should help them, yet unwilling to accept the conditions posed by Nyarlathotep.

In other words, they didn’t choose either path of technology or magic. They created Shuggos but were unwilling to communicate with them; summoned the Outer Gods but refused to negotiate. Ultimately, choosing neither side led to their complete extinction. If they had steadfastly chosen one side, their end might not have been so tragic.

And Shiller thought even more deeply. The Ancient Ones’ attitude post-revival was quite friendly; whether towards the human race or cats, they displayed friendliness and respect, seeming to lack arrogance.

But don’t forget, this attitude came after they’d died once and their civilization was wiped out. It seems humble, but actually they’re out of options. After all, their bodies had degenerated, their race went extinct, and there was the fatal sharp blade of Shuggos hanging overhead, so how could their attitude not be good?

The Ancient Ones of the past weren’t like this; after arriving on Earth, they fought against every named and known being, essentially attacking whoever they encountered, with many battles leading to their extinction due to excessive militarism. This doesn’t seem like a humble race by any means.

So, essentially they looked down on Shuggos and found Nyarla too demanding; the result of not wanting either side was being attacked by both. Not even just those two sides—they offended every other powerful race like the great race Is, Flying Hydra, Mi-Go, Star’s Favored Clan. No race could withstand being surrounded and beaten by so many; saying arrogance destroyed them is hardly incorrect.

And the root of their arrogance was simply that they were too strong. Their homeland’s harsh environment trained them into experts like the Sword God of Shili Po, and upon discovering no worthy opponents outside, naturally they inflated, confronting everything with battle, dismissing anything lesser.

The human race, on the other hand, is different, far too weak, even aware of their own vulnerability, striving with full force in every conflict to survive. If the human race faced such circumstances, they wouldn’t choose selectively—they’d choose everything. "I want Shuggos, I want Nyarla, if I can reach Lalaiye, even the cephalopod can be the human race’s best friend."

It appears unlike the Marvel situation, but fundamentally the logic is the same. Marvel’s mages created the Earth Magic Defense Network not to reject Demon Gods, but to better trade with more Demon Gods.

Without the Magical Defense Network, Earth would definitely be conquered by some powerful Demon God, reducing them to being ruled by one entity. But if there is a Magical Defense Network, no one can conquer Earth, forcing everyone to conduct business with Earth—a testament to inclusivity and openness.

Shiller feels that the difference in mentality between the human race and the Ancient Ones stems from their different evolutionary paths. The human race’s greatest strength isn’t their physique but their capacity to use tools.

The path of human development is continually exploiting external resources to enhance themselves. In ancient times, it was crafting throwing spears to hunt prey; in contemporary times, it’s developing industry and various firearms to fight. Humans easily coexist peacefully with things beyond themselves, whether living or non-living.

So, when encountering anything new, humans will consider if it can be utilized and how to utilize it—this is engraved in their genes and instincts. Therefore, regardless of the nature of the entity, whether gods or peculiar monsters, if found useful, they’ll certainly attempt to utilize it.

But clearly, the Ancient Ones started with too high a foundation; fundamentally, they weren’t a race that rose by using tools. Put simply, as aliens without even a spaceship, arriving on Earth by flying in physically reveals their intrinsic nature.

Even by the era of those World War I veterans, they still lacked vehicles, and the armor draped over them along with those tentacles appeared primitive, the main ranged weapon—the Ancient Crystal—being employed in a manner akin to spraying someone with urine.

If the Ancient Ones had Iron Man’s abilities, what would it matter if their bodies degenerated? They could still fight adeptly in mechas, without suffering such disastrous defeats, ultimately becoming extinct. This just shows that the path of achieving sanctity through the flesh is unfeasible.