[They can continue our plan after my death, after our death, maintaining the existence of civilization until our civilization once again takes root and flourishes under the teachings of Humans]
[However, I was wrong. I committed an unforgivable mistake]
[I knew the Echo would distort, but I didn’t expect it to alienate so quickly]
The Pioneer’s words at this moment carried no regret, merely a calm narration, just as he began, he harbored no regret for making this mistake: [My original purpose was merely to create an Echo of myself and my many disciples, ensuring that after the Calamity of Heavenly Fall, the knowledge about our civilization would not be misunderstood...]
[Their mode of thinking could correctly understand the meaning of the classics and various materials, ensuring that my future descendants could become Humans, and not some semblance inheriting our human body and technology, but losing civilization, interpreting celebration rituals as dueling Rituals, misunderstanding our festivals as curses of a different species]
[My Echo would exist longer than I, it would teach the Humans of The New Era emerging from the shelters, ensuring that our wisdom and technology wouldn’t be lost, enabling the geniuses of the future to receive the best education, ensuring that my efforts wouldn’t be lost]
[They would become the new "Terra Humans"—and my Echo would become the Watcher of Terra civilization. This is my hope]
[However, after I created the Echo, I discovered that my Echo was far more extreme than I]
[Indeed. Freed from the limitations of a declining body and brain, unaffected by hormones, not swayed by impulses due to poor condition, no desire could interfere with the Echo of me and my disciples]
[This group of most radical Scholars, upon birth, reached a consensus... their sole purpose was to create the ’Spark of Humanity’ at the fastest speed, leave this destined-to-be-destroyed Terra, and seek a new home in the outer realms]
[As for those survivors on Terra, those still struggling in the shelters, they were unwilling to waste any resources to save them—as long as the Spark was accomplished, whether the current Terra People lived or died didn’t matter, because in the future, after the Spark revived, a new human civilization would be born]
[And the past, would be forgotten]
[This is a mistake. I should not have created them. The Star God clearly told me, the Spark only needs, and can only carry, the bloodline and information of civilization. The Spark should not carry a soul, even if it is an Echo]
[They are doomed to alienate, to become extreme, mad... they will quickly evolve into a whole new form of life, even into a ’civilization’... becoming entirely unlike Humans]
[So I sealed them. I restricted the permissions of the Echoes, blocked their access to the Domain of Void, denied them entry to the Virtual Realm Data Repository, and prohibited access to the Collective Electronic Memory Repository of Humanity]
[I blocked their permission to continue creating the Spark—because the Spark created by the Echo is by no means the Spark of Humanity, but a human Echo, one that is fundamentally different, possessing human technology and memory, but decidedly not human ’life’]
At this point, the Pioneer’s words abruptly stopped.
He slowly turned his head, looking in the direction where Ian was: [But, descendant]
The old man wasn’t gazing at Ian, but towards the entrance of the control room, he smiled calmly: [I do not regret it]
[Because I just realized—Humans, fundamentally, are not important]
[We are but dust of the universe, mere passengers of Nihility... descendant, you may not understand, you may wish to refute me, but that’s the reality]
[The difference between ’Terra Humans’ and ’Echo Humans’? It’s simply insignificant, Sublimators have distorted their life form from the start, as the founder of the Sublimation Path, why should I demand that future Humans must remain Human?]
[We, life formed from cosmic dust, why agonize over the shape of the scattering dust? It’s somewhat ludicrous]
[Ultimately, who can say that Echo Humans cannot be Humans?]
[So in the end, I left my Echoes a chance]
[As long as after my death, my Echoes can cooperate with other intelligent life, open the Subspace Entrance, and reach the place where my body lies, why shouldn’t they become the Spark representing Humanity and leave?]
[This would prove they have means, strength, and true Wisdom]
[And that would be enough]
At this moment, the Pioneer closed his eyes. He slowly raised his hand, placing it on either side of his head.
The old man spoke softly: [Descendant. Whether you are my Echo, the Echo of others, or the new civilization established by our Terra Humans after Heavenfall, or visitors from other extraterrestrial civilizations]
[Even... Star God? If you return, it would also be a good ending]
[As long as you can activate this Spirit Energy Illusion I set, having intelligent life reach this place would suffice to prove one thing]
[That our existence as Humans... indeed holds meaning]
Ian opened his mouth, originally wanting to say something, but soon, he was shocked by the Pioneer’s following action.
Right in front of his eyes, the white-haired old man strained his arms and pulled out his own head and spine!