"But now I’ve figured it out," Eve turned her head to look at Ron:
"Pain is also a kind of treasure. It makes me treasure everything I have now even more, including... meeting you."
Her words carried a cautious probing.
Ron sensed the deeper meaning in her words, but he just said gently:
"You will have a remarkable life of your own, Eve. Whether as a Wizard or as the Heir of the Crown Clan, you have endless possibilities."
A trace of nearly imperceptible disappointment flashed in Eve’s eyes but was soon replaced by determination.
She had grown accustomed to these subtle rejections and understood that in the current situation, expressing emotions too directly was unwise.
"Yes, I will create my own life."
She pulled herself together, her voice full of determined resolve: "No matter what the cost."
The last word uttered by the other made Ron take notice.
"Cost..." he repeated the word:
"Everyone pays a price for their goals, the key is to ensure whether these costs are worth it."
He looked towards the distant starry sky, where countless lights flickered, or perhaps countless civilizations were struggling to survive:
"Sometimes, we think we have gained freedom, but in reality, we have merely entered a larger cage."
......
The next morning, the runes in the Meditation Room slowly awakened in the dim light.
The projection of Uther’s Void Remains arrived as scheduled, but his figure was dimmer than usual, like a candle about to burn out.
The enormous consumption from hosting the historical summoning made this ancient professor’s existence fleeting, the silver glow flickered sporadically in the air.
"Ron, you have now reached Moon Level, it’s about time for you to undertake a true Historian’s advancement."
Uther’s voice carried a profound weariness:
"Before diving into official historical events, I need to let you experience the true baptism of the river of time.
This is a compulsory course for every Historian—understanding the roots of our civilization."
He raised his translucent hand, and complex time runes began to appear in the air.
They were entirely different from those used yesterday to summon historical projections.
They were older, deeper, as if bearing the weight of time itself.
"Are you ready? This time, you will not be a mere observer, for you will also be part of it."
Uther’s tone became solemn and grave:
"You will personally feel the primal impulses that drive civilization forward, understanding what has shaped our History."
With this concluding sentence, the flow of time in the Meditation Room thickened.
The air flowed slowly like honey, with light forming visible threads within it.
Slowly spinning, weaving a vast network connecting the past and present.
Ron felt his consciousness, light as a feather, detach from his body.
His awareness began to drift upstream along the reverse currents of time, traversing the heavy history of countless ages.
In a primeval forest.
He saw a hairy ape-man with strong limbs, crouched by a campfire.
The firelight danced on his rugged face.
Those eyes, which once only focused on food and danger, momentarily captivated by the dazzling starry sky above.
He slowly raised his head, gazing into the boundless night sky.
The whole sky full of stars shimmered like diamonds, the Milky Way spanned across the sky, and the moon hung high above the clouds.
In those primitive eyes, Ron saw a color unprecedented.
Not fear, not confusion, but a pure curiosity.
"What... is up there?"
This simple question emerged from the throat of the primitive intellect.
The sound was coarse and indistinct but carried the weight of a civilization’s awakening.
With the flickering firelight, the primitive intellect continued to gaze at the starry sky, his fingers trembled pointing towards those distant points of light.
In his primitive mind, there for the first time emerged thought beyond "what to eat today," or "what danger to avoid tomorrow."
This was the first time a sentient life realized the existence of the "unknown."
Not a specific threat or opportunity, but a pure curiosity beyond the instinct of survival.
This curiosity, like a seed, embedded deep in the genes, could never be eradicated.
This is the origin of civilization—the purest, most primitive ’wanting to know.’
......
The waves of time pushed forward, and Ron arrived at an ancient tribe.
Deep in a cave, an elderly Shaman was telling stories to the tribespeople gathered around.
Firelight cast flickering shadows on the cave walls, those shadows came alive in the gestures of the Shaman.
"Children, do you see those points of light in the sky?"
The Shaman pointed toward the night sky outside the cave, his voice ancient and mysterious:
"My master told me, those are not mere points of light, but places inhabited by entirely different beings."
Curiosity lit up in the eyes of the gathered tribespeople.
A few young men couldn’t help but stand up, looking out towards the starry sky.
Ron felt the enthusiasm spreading from individual consciousness to the collective.
The desire for the unknown, like a wildfire, spread among the intelligent species.
What started as one person’s whimsical thoughts gradually developed into a collective aspiration.
"Perhaps one day, our descendants will find a way to reach those places."
The Shaman continued, his voice carrying a certain enduring conviction.
A young tribesman approached the Shaman, eyes alight with the flame of yearning:
"Elder, can we really reach those places? How long would it take? What would it require?"