Chapter 400: Being Shattered Arrogance

"This shatters our understanding of the world."

At this moment, the scientists standing in the technology hall were experiencing an inexpressibly complex emotion. This was their first time exploring the outside world. Any unknown and incredible phenomenon appearing before them was worth studying, as it would deepen humanity's understanding of the world.

After the initial disbelief, the Ishdarians chose to accept it, for their civilization was highly advanced, and they clearly understood: what you deem impossible may not necessarily be non-existent! Unconditionally believing in science to the point of denying something and dismissing it as feudal superstition is, in itself, a form of superstition!

In fact, not only the Ishdarians but also Earthlings have always been in the process of understanding the world and pursuing science, yet they too have been limited by their era. For example, if you were born in the sixth century BC, your understanding of the world would be the "flat earth and round heaven" model, which modern people find quite amusing. If you were born in the sixteenth century, an era marked by the conflict between the heliocentric and geocentric models, you might have been a proponent of the geocentric view, even burning heliocentric "heretics" to uphold your own scientific convictions.

What is considered superstition is relative, limited by the era. In every era, people gain new insights into the world. It wasn't until humanity left Earth and saw a vast blue planet from space that they confirmed Earth was indeed spherical, and people didn't fall off due to gravity.

"A giant? A hook? What are those? Perhaps we Ishdarians are also limited by our era; we are only halfway through our civilization's journey, not at its culmination, where everything can be overlooked." Gazing at the simulated real-time images from the mechanical spaceship, Caroline suddenly felt a pang in her heart and couldn't help but close her eyes. "I once thought our advanced Ishdarian civilization gave us sufficient reason to be proud, believing there was nothing incomprehensible left in our technological world."

Yet, this image was profoundly impacting her. Vaguely, it felt as if something she had been proud of was shattering.

"Our world is like a vase; only by shattering its self-contained beauty can we see the outside world."

"Ancient God, is this why you brought us into the universe? To encounter a terrifying unknown entity the moment we arrived in this new world, crushing our ridiculous pride?" She suddenly laughed, a laugh that felt like crying, yet it was full of relief.

Before coming here, she had been very proud. She had even shown off, leading the Ancient God on continuous tours of their technological research and biological achievements. At the time, the Ancient God had seemed pleased, nodding constantly during the tour. But now, it seemed the deity had merely wished not to expose their inferior research or undermine their confidence. She clearly understood that she had long been blinded by her own narrow perspective. And the other party had merely smiled gently during her guided explanations, choosing not to reveal the truth.

"Over the years, we lost the path of truth-seekers. Our increasingly powerful super-intelligent civilization, with tens of millions of wise individuals, made us complacent and utterly proud, causing us to lose our initial resolve. We should be ambitious, but our Ishdarian pride, this ambition, must not become the cause of our civilization's destruction!" She suddenly opened her eyes wide. "What science cannot understand today merely means it cannot understand *yet*!"

"Milibena."

Milibena stepped forward, standing tall and saluting.

"Let's begin our research, as if we are studying our own brains again, returning to our original intention. We must not let down the Ancient God's profound efforts."

As Caroline finished speaking, the surrounding scientists collectively sobered their expressions and nodded, immensely solemn, like earnest students eager to learn, sitting attentively in a classroom. They began deductions and calculated data. There was a definite reason why their scientific civilization had reached its current state, boasting tens of millions of intellectuals.

Detailed data analyses quickly appeared before the scientists' eyes. The most crucial item they focused on was a scale, or rather, a pole. In their discussions, they leaned towards it being a fishing rod with a weighing function. It had a hook. It could catch things and simultaneously weigh them, possessing an incredibly vast power. Gradually, in the virtual reality simulation, a golden, ornate, scale-shaped fishing rod appeared in their view—this was the mysterious mythical tool that best fit the image in their minds.

"Perhaps it's some kind of divine artifact!"

"A world-spanning, world-class artifact! Some kind of fish hook or scale!"

They discussed heatedly and with immense enthusiasm, generating several hypotheses, which eventually coalesced into two prevailing theories about the universe.

Scientists adhering to the "World Lakes" theory proposed: "Individual worlds are like lakes, inhabited by many swimming fish, large and small, strong and weak. The rivers and streams within these lakes serve as passages between worlds. The Angler is the guardian of order between worlds, preventing unauthorized passage. He fishes in the rivers connecting the lakes, and any powerful 'fish' attempting to illicitly cross will be caught and, based on its weight, judged for its transgression! The Ancient God, at immense cost or through some prior agreement, passed through this checkpoint and redeemed us!"

Perhaps, without the Ancient God leading them and guiding their way, they would have been directly caught and killed.

However, scientists advocating the "Spatial-Temporal Employment" theory disagreed with this view. They stated: "He travels through the gaps between worlds, rescuing travelers lost in spacetime and demanding payment. Have you forgotten we were previously caught in a void current? We were tossed about, and we might have perished in that rare natural spatial storm. It was this colossal giant who saved us from the spatial storm. As for the slight jostle and balance weighing, it was to calculate the payment—the Ancient God paid the price!"

This theory posits an employment relationship, suggesting the giant is a businessman who rescues people for a fee. Both theories presented seemingly extremely reasonable arguments and evidence. As a result, scientists from both schools of thought argued heatedly.

Regardless, this world revealed its vastness. The incredibly colossal giant effortlessly lifted their mechanical spaceship with one hand and weighed it, making them feel profoundly helpless!

"The world is too vast, filled with unknown and unimaginable wonders and creations—gods, supernatural life, even rules." Half an hour later, Caroline strode out of the research hall and into the corridor. "In spacetime, there exists an unnamable, immense being, like a fisherman sitting on the shores of spacetime, angling for all things in the world. Such an existence, perhaps, could be called..."

She paused to think.

"...the Void Angler."