World's Apocalypse Online Chapter 214

TN: All instances of "Protector of the Planet" has been changed to "Planet Guardian" in previous chapters and all chapters from now on. If anyone sees a chapter that I missed, please leave a comment, I'll fix it ASAP.

Gu Qing Shan put away the ‘handheld' warp device away, using his inner sight to scan the entire room.

All sorts of valuable and memorial items were here, being exhibited in sections.

The entire exhibition room was silent, giving off an air of solitude.

“Found it” Gu Qing Shan spoke in a low voice.

There was only one painting being hung in the room.

The painting was of Anna's 10th birthday.

The king was rubbing Anna's head with one hand, the other holding a tiara and was about to put it on her.

The little girl Anna was looking at the king with an expression of bliss.

Gu Qing Shan walked up and admired the painting carefully.

“A beauty in the making”

He commented, looked at it a few more times before taking it off the wall.

Taking the painting off the frame, he quickly felt something behind the canvas.

Checking it, Gu Qing Shan saw that it was a thin, long box.

The box wasn't booby trapped or locked, it opened quite easily.

Inside the box were two items, a blueprint, and an opaque crystal ball.

Gu Qing Shan rolled the blueprint out to look, seeing that is was a detailed description of ingredients and concoction ratios.

Yep, this is it.

Glancing over it, Gu Qing Shan tapped his Holo-Brain and put the blueprint away.

He was about to check the crystal ball as well, but it suddenly exploded with a ‘bang' and fell to pieces.

The crystal ball was no more.

Gu Qing Shan was stunned, released his inner sight to search around, but found nothing.

The Holy Empire's king would not put a useless item at such a well-hidden place.

But the crystal ball broke and disappeared as soon as he held it in hand.

There are simply too many items in this world that have the same capabilities, so he can't guess what it was from just that.

After Gu Qing Shan waited for a few more seconds, nothing happened at all.

Could it have lost its power after being hidden away for so long?

He didn't wait any longer and very carefully put the painting back into the frame, then replaced it back onto the wall as before.

Everything has been put back exactly the same, no one would ever suspect that anyone ever came here.

How unexpectedly easy.
I got the 99% purity God's Chosen Awakening Serum recipe!

This doesn't only mean he's one step closer to evolving “Smiting”.

As he gives the recipe to Impartial Goddess, she'll easily be able to work out how to create diluted versions of this serum.

Which means the System he's making will be able to include an option to class-change to God's Chosen.

After being able to pick God's Chosen and Martial Artist, the only one left to worry about is Elementalist awakening.

Which means the work for the class system is already 2/3rd of the way done!

Gu Qing Shan took out the ‘handheld' warp device again and was about to leave.

Liao Xing's voice came from the warp device.

[Coordinates locked, Impartial Goddess is prepared, you'll be warped away in 30 seconds]
[The Pope is still inside the Holy Sanctuary, everything else is also normal -------ah shit, Holy Apostle Ivan just left the party, he's patrolling] his voice suddenly raised.

“No worries, I'm about to leave anyway” Gu Qing Shan said.

[Ah, right] Liao Xing seems to also be surprised at his sudden burst of emotion and was embarrassed.

“Pay attention to the warp device data, work hard” saying so, Gu Qing Shan's mood was exceedingly fine.

After having a fulfilling dinner, he very easily took the Holy Empire's national Serum, Gu Qing Shan felt this evening was quite perfect.

While waiting to leave, he suddenly sensed something was off.

As he looked up, Gu Qing Shan saw a person standing in the air, silently watching him.

He was an old man, a thin, fatigued old man.

The old man's body was incorporeal, his eyes locked onto Gu Qing Shan.

“Who are you?” the old man asked.

Gu Qing Shan was stunned.

“Where's Anna? Where's my little Anna?” the old man muttered in disappointment.
“How unfortunate, after the soul vessel gets triggered, I can only exist for 10 minutes, yet I can't meet Anna”

He lowered his head, showing an expression of ultimate regret.

“Your Majesty!” Gu Qing Shan almost shouted.

Gu Qing Shan suddenly realized, this was the Holy Empire's king's soul!

“Why!? Why are you hiding here!?”
He couldn't help but ask: “Hiding in such a secluded spot, how would Anna find you?”

The old man was still thinking out loud, muttering: “She would definitely come, the God's Chosen Awakening Serum is the cornerstone of the empire, as long as she's alive, she would definitely come here”

Gu Qing Shan was still not convinced and used his inner sight to scan it.

-------this really is the king's soul!
But after death, it's impossible for a human soul to remain in the world for a long period of time.
Did he say that unassuming opaque crystal ball was a soul vessel?

It this isn't a dream, then that means the Holy Empire's king has already prepared for this since a long time ago, knowing that he might one day die at the hand of the Pope.

The king wanted to see Anna again for a final time.

Gu Qing Shan couldn't help but thought.

------in the past life, after the king died, did Anna ever get to meet the king's soul?

This painting was a gift from the king to Madame Punta.

After the king's death, Anna was immediately caught and used as the midget's source of nutrient, getting her power sucked out of her day by day.

During that time, she was imprisoned, so she didn't have the freedom or the mind to go and find this Serum's recipe.

When Anna was able to reclaim her country under the help of Fuxi Empire, the Holy Empire was already in ruin, Madame Punta also lost her life in the chaotic power struggle, and this painting was simply unfound.

---------no matter if the king's soul managed to stay sealed or was found, either way the clues regarding the Holy Empire's God's Chosen Awakening Serum was lost from then on.

Which means, in the past life, Anna definitely missed her chance to meet the king.

Gu Qing Shan helplessly sighed, then said: “Please wait for a bit, I'll get Anna to come here right away”

The old man lifted his head again, his eyes regained a bit of liveliness.

“Can you really?” he spoke, almost with a trembling voice.

“Of course”

Saying so, Gu Qing Shan changed a few settings on the simplified warp device.

[Hm? What happened? We lost the data connection from your side] Liao Xing's voice was heard.

“Is Anna there?”

[She is]

“Then send her over here”

[Ah? But the warp device can only be used a total of 3 times, and you've already used it once]

If Anna is warped here, after everything's done, only one person will be able to get away with the warp device.

The other person will have no choice but to leave with a different method.

Gu Qing Shan very seriously said: “Just send her over immediately, it's an emergency here!”

[Fine, fine, she said she's done preparing, warping in 30 seconds, wait a bit]

Liao Xing's voice disappeared.

30 seconds is quite short, but also quite long for those counting.

Since Anna isn't here yet, Gu Qing Shan asked first: “Your Majesty, you're clearly already dead, but your soul is still able to exist in the living world, how is this possible?”

The Holy Empire's king looked at him and answered: “I guess it's fine that I tell you, I broke the iron rules of life and death, contained myself inside a soul vessel with ample energy, enough to remain in this world”

“Then how did you break the iron rules of life and death? As far as I know, humans can't do that” Gu Qing Shan pursued further.

“Because the price I paid was high enough”

“Add what price would that be?”

“After this 10 minutes, my soul will dissipate completely”

Gu Qing Shan was stunned.

After a few seconds, he managed to pull himself together and said: “But that is too big of a price to pay, why would you do such a thing?”

“Because I wanted to meet Anna” the king answered.

Gu Qing Shan couldn't understand it: “But this way, you'll disappear permanently, you won't be able to exist in any world, unable to get any sort of reincarnation”

The king was sorrowful and spoke with a low voice: “If I forgot about Anna, then I'm already another person, no longer the real me”

Gu Qing Shan was stunned again.

The king sighed: “Anna, my child, after I dissipate, she'll be left alone with no one else on this cold world, this is my fault”

“No, father, this isn't your fault” Anna suddenly appeared in the exhibition room.

She bit her lip, tears flowing down her cheeks as her hands reached out to touch the king's face.

But the slender finger went through the ethereal soul, unable to touch anything at all.

“Father, what are you doing?” she cried loudly, “you should've passed on to the next world, that way I can at least live on in peace. But now, even your soul can't be saved anymore”

“No, you won't live on in peace. I know you very well. You will definitely place our clan's shackles of fate entirely on your shoulders”
“My daughter, you need not do such a thing”

The king looked at his daughter, seeming to want to carve her appearance into his very being.

“Anna, I've always been so strict with you, all of it for the sake of training you, making sure that one day you'll be able to inherit our Holy Empire”
“But now, I have to tell you, if I'm able to do it all again, I would rather that you didn't have to learn so many things. As long as you're alive, as long as you're not hurt, even if my soul is no more, I'll be able to be happy for you”

Gu Qing Shan's Holo-Brain suddenly lit up.

[Sir, it's an emergency, someone is moving upstairs] Impartial Goddess said.

“Who is it?”

[One of the Seven Holy Apostles, Ivan, leave now!] Liao Xing hurriedly said.

[Gu Qing Shan, there's no time, move quickly] Zhang Ying Hao's worried voice was also heard.

All of their expressions changed.

“You're not his opponent, forget it, leave quickly” the king said.

“Then what about you?”

“I've already met Anna, I'm satisfied, I'll naturally dissipate as time passed anyways”
“Both of you, leave, no need to throw your life away because of me, this isn't what I wanted” the king also urged him.

Anna couldn't control her tears flowing down her face, dripping to the ground.

She was already trying her best not to sob or break down crying.

She looked up, showing a deep sense of pain and unwillingness in her eyes.

“Leave, now!” the king urged them again.

“I------“ Anna tried her best to speak, but only managed to say one word before she was unable to go on.

She was already struggling to stand, couldn't help but hang on to Gu Qing Shan's shoulder to manage to prop herself up.

[Sir, Holy Apostle Ivan has already made it to the third floor, I'll start the warp device for you] Impartial Goddess said.

Gu Qing Shan closed his eyes, then opened them again and suddenly said: “No need”

[Sir?] Impartial Goddess was confused.

Gu Qing Shan smiled, then looked at Anna and said: “Anna, listen to me”
“There's only a few minutes left, I hope you'll be able to spend it with your father”
“If we leave now, you'll keep this pain with you for the rest of your life”
“Don't wait until the world permanently separates you and hold those regrets forever in your heart”

Saying so, Gu Qing Shan put the ‘handheld' warp device on the ground next to Anna.

“What are you doing?!” Anna couldn't help but ask.

“You don't have to pay attention to what I'm doing, because I would do the same even if it's not for you” Gu Qing Shan said.

He kept speaking while walking towards the door.

“No one gets to interfere with a father during his last moments of reunion with his daughter”
“Not even a Holy Apostle”

He walked out and closed the door behind him.

Chapter end