Chapter 744 - 466: Past History

Chapter 744: Chapter 466: Past History

He gripped the doorknob, turned it, and pushed the door open. A simple, unadorned office came into view.

Decorative paintings hung on the walls, and a few potted plants were placed in the corners. Bright sunlight streamed in from the window, faintly illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. The scene was as pleasant as a lazy afternoon.

A figure sat in the office chair, shrouded in the golden gauze of sunlight streaming through the window.

Zhou Chen couldn’t make out the figure’s features; he could only tell from the silhouette in the brilliant golden light that it was a man.

"Hello there, Zhou Chen." The President seemed to smile as he offered a calm greeting.

"Hello." Zhou Chen couldn’t help but feel a little formal. The man across from him was arguably the most powerful person in the world today, bar none.

He had imagined countless times what the most powerful person in the world would be like. Would he be high and mighty like an Emperor? Or approachable and pleasant, making people feel at ease? Or perhaps so stern it was suffocating? It seemed he was none of those things. The President just gave off an ordinary feeling—perfectly average, with none of the airs of a superior.

"I know you have many questions, so I will now answer some of them," the President said bluntly.

"Only some?"

"Only some," the President confirmed with a nod. "The history of the past has been sealed away by someone. Rock faces, stone tablets, paper, hard drives, even human minds... ancient and modern, all records of the end of the Old Epoch were sealed along with that history. I’m certain I personally experienced the final end, but I can’t remember a thing."

"It wasn’t until the Divine War Ruins in North Carolina emerged that a few others and I recovered some of our memories and recalled many important things."

Not long ago, the true nature of the Divine War Ruins had been determined—they were solidified history.

The history of the Old Epoch.

Someone sealed away the entire history of the world, including the Gods who were in the midst of battle. This brought an end to the Divine War that destroyed the Old Epoch. At the same time, it erased all records of that period. But as the Divine War Ruins continue to be unsealed, the related records will gradually reappear.

Before long, the truth of the Old Epoch’s destruction will be known to all.

But at the same time, the Gods who were sealed and frozen will also be freed from their shackles. They will inevitably unleash another massive war.

Zhou Chen pulled out the chair in front of the desk and sat down. After a long moment of contemplation, he asked his first question: "Did you always know I had the Wish Bottle?"

"Once you came to Zone One’s attention, you had no secrets to speak of. The scholars who studied you picked you clean long ago. They know you better than you know yourself," the President said.

"It’s such an important Authority. You never thought about taking it?" Zhou Chen asked.

"First, the Star Association isn’t lacking in such things. Even if an Authority is pricelessly rare, we would never Seize it. We only provide special training. The only exception would be if someone were truly a lost cause—completely hopeless no matter how much we helped. Only then would we propose a trade, offering wealth and status in exchange for the Authority. Of course, that’s never happened. Those chosen by an Authority are all children of destiny, the trendsetters of their era. Barring a few who died prematurely, every single one of them eventually became a great figure."

"Second, Zone One always believed the Authority you possessed was ’Wish Fulfillment,’ not ’Prayer’ and ’Miracle.’ They didn’t see much value in training you, so they let you develop on your own. It wasn’t until my memories returned that I remembered just how powerful that thing is."

"By that time, you were already Tier Three and about to enter Gaia, so I didn’t have them take action. I believed that as long as you could clear Gaia, you would be crowned a king in a short time without Zone One’s help."

"Of course, if you hadn’t succeeded, Zone One would have approached you to pave the way for you, helping you become a king and achieve Ascension to Divinity as quickly as possible."

"You yourself know how powerful the Wish Bottle’s Ability is. It can create High-level Ascenders in batches and even allow some who have been stuck at the Demigod level for years to achieve Ascension to Divinity."

The President said with a hint of regret, "If we had discovered this earlier, you might already be a God by now. Those guys stuck at the Demigod level could probably have achieved Ascension to Divinity as well. With ten or twenty True Gods on our side, what couldn’t we destroy? Sigh... You really should have just been upfront with the Star Association."

"But I can’t blame you for that."

Zhou Chen sensed the President’s gaze, hidden in the sunlight, turn playful.

Then he heard the President say in a meaningful tone:

"As a ’Transmigrator,’ it’s perfectly normal for you to have your reservations."

In that instant, Zhou Chen felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His Soul trembled, and he froze in utter shock. As his own secret was laid bare, his mind went completely blank.

And in the dead silence, the President sat up straight, his face emerging from the sunlight.

He was a middle-aged man from the Eastern Continent in his forties, with a few strands of white mixed in his black hair. His eyes held a teasing, half-smiling expression, full of playfulness. He had none of the aura of a superior, but rather a kind and approachable warmth.

"July 15th, 3023. A small town on the outskirts of Detroit, America. 11:42 in the morning. Inside the town’s only fast-food restaurant. That’s where we first met."

’July 15th, 3023...’ The sentence echoed in Zhou Chen’s blank mind like a bolt from the blue.

His memory only went up to the night of May 20th, 3023. He knew nothing of what happened after that; when he opened his eyes again, he was in the New Epoch. And yet, the President of the Star Association had met him in that era.

"It seems you haven’t recovered your memories."

The President cleared his throat, his smile vanishing as he spoke with solemnity, "In that case, let me reintroduce myself."

"—Zhang Tao, A-Level Investigator of the Star Association’s Eastern Continent branch."

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zhou Chen, C-Class Investigator from the Star Association’s Eastern Continent branch."

Hearing the President’s words, Zhou Chen’s mind went blank again. ’I joined the Star Association back in the Old Epoch? And it seems I even traveled all the way to America for a mission?’

Zhang Tao’s kind and approachable smile returned. He gazed at him with emotion and said, "To be honest, I was shocked when my memories returned. I had to double-check many times before I was sure it was you... However, I don’t know why you were reborn into the New Epoch, nor do I know what happened afterward. In my current memories, I only worked with you once, and even that memory is just a fragment."

After a long, shocked silence, Zhou Chen swallowed hard and told Zhang Tao his situation truthfully. At this point, there was no need to hide anything.

"Oh? Your memory stops on May 20th? And when you opened your eyes, you were in the New Epoch?"

Zhang Tao was surprised and looked thoughtful. "It’s highly likely your memories were sealed as well. Once more Divine War Ruins emerge, perhaps you’ll be able to recover them."

’That’s certainly a possibility...’ Zhou Chen’s heart stirred. He then asked, "President, what kind of incident were we handling back then?"

"A group of Cult fanatics were sacrificing living people in a ritual that involved Supernatural Power. The Star Association was short-staffed, so they dispatched us to America to handle the emergency," Zhang Tao said. "That’s all I remember."

"Do you remember what my Ability was?"

"It’s the same Extraordinary Ability you have now, Cyan Flame."

Zhang Tao paused for a moment before saying in a low voice, "However, I suspect you had already found the Wish Bottle back then."