Sean can probably guess why this Jack-level mission with good rewards has been put on hold for so long. It is most likely also affected by the power of forgetting - even if people see this mission, they will easily forget it.
This also explains why even the association staff have forgotten the existence of this task.
Only with a strong sense of purpose can it be possible to resist this forgetfulness.
Ivan turned to Gary Turan: "Your Excellency Curator, I want to go to the black grassland you mentioned to find the remains of my father and the others... What should I do?"
As an ordinary person who witnessed the fragments of an old master, Turan could not stop trembling: "I have seen the opening of that passage with my own eyes, so the method of opening the passage is imprinted in my mind like a curse. , constantly tempting me to open...
"Although I can open the passage for you to search in, I must warn you - if you cannot come out in time, you will also be lost in that secret realm."
The clown hermit lowered his head, his mask sinking into the shadows.
After a moment, he raised his head and said: "At the last moment, my father anticipated that I would come here, so he left a hunting mark that only I could understand.
"In his own way, he avoided forgetting
“To fight forgetfulness, we must remember.
"In order to be able to commemorate, I must find him back..."
The planetarium fell into a solemn atmosphere.
Gary Turan nodded heavily: "Okay. We can't stop a gentleman who has made up his mind. What's more, he has a noble purpose."
The curator walked to the black meteorite and placed his hands on the meteorite: "If the fragments are still there, it is extremely dangerous to open this passage - that way it can directly pass through the obstacle and come here.
"Now... this is just the passage to that dangerous area."
Turan leaned down, closed his eyes, and began to recite something silently.
After a while, Turan fell to the ground, unconscious, as if due to excessive consumption of mental energy.
Opposite the black meteorite, a gap opened in the air. The black crack gradually expanded along the gap, and the black light shone on everyone's faces.
The gate leading to the divine kingdom of Naia and the Forgotten Wasteland was opened.
Everyone can see a black and white world through the alien door that looks like a crack in space.
The invisible black grassland extends to the chaotic horizon.
Before stepping into the door to another world, the clown hermit looked back at Sean and others: "If I fail to come back, please remember me."
After saying that, he walked directly into the door, and his figure was quickly enveloped in mist.
…
black and white.
Everything in this world is black and white.
It's like walking into the world of black and white television.
As soon as he stepped into the alien gate, Ivan felt the horror of this world.
He could feel his memory slowly slipping away.
Black grass spreads all the way to the chaotic sky.
Beyond the sky, a figure like a strange tower stood.
The nameless, faceless, formless god - Naia.
Forgotten by time in this world, he has been trying to return to the world to regain and demonstrate his divine power.
Ivan's eyes were cold as he looked at the seemingly invisible giant figure: At least this time, you failed.
As Ivan walked forward, he could see many things written with various words scattered in the black grass around him.
There are open books, diaries flipped by the wind, and stone slabs carved with knowledge.
The gray wind blew across the grassland, and the words gradually faded away.
The books became blank, the words in the diary disappeared line by line, and the slate that recorded the words weathered into ordinary stones...
"The power of forgetfulness..." Ivan sighed in his heart, "It's really powerful.
“It erases the evidence of our existence in this world.
"If the other ancient gods are cruel..." The clown hermit looked down at his footsteps on the black grass, "then the gods with this kind of power are even more ruthless than cruel...
"Dad, where are you?"
Ivan's thoughts gradually became confused. It was like I had just experienced a deep sleep and when I woke up, I forgot where I was.
He felt a little lost again and again, and tried hard to concentrate so as not to forget the purpose and significance of this moment.
"where are you?"
The trek became increasingly difficult. The surrounding books are all blank.
"Where am I?" The clown hermit's eyes were stained with a little gray, and his face became a little confused, "What am I doing?"
As he walked hard, he kicked something.
He looked down and saw a body wearing old clothes.
The skin became shriveled and blue, the eye sockets and cheeks were sunken, and the black beard was mixed with a lot of gray.
The old hunter's favorite shotgun was still clutched tightly in his hand.
"Dad." Ivan vaguely remembered his mission.
He bent down and began to drag the heavy old hunter's body: "Let's go home."
…
About ten minutes passed. Sean glanced at Doug and Yueguang next to him: "Something's wrong, it's been too long."
Just when a little anxiety appeared in the hearts of the teammates, they saw the figure of the clown hermit from the alien door.
He dragged a body back to the material world.
The body seemed to be left in the ice field, but it had become shriveled, without any signs of decay. If you look at him suddenly, you will think that the other person has just fallen into a deep sleep.
Sean and the three people gathered around excitedly: "Is there any danger inside?"
Ivan shook his head: "It will make people gradually forget and get lost. Other than that, there is no other danger."
After placing the body of Gustav Burns, Ivan turned around and walked towards the otherworld door again: "There are three more people..."
Moonlight was a little worried that Ivan would get lost, so she stood up and tried to dissuade him.
"Don't worry, the memory will gradually recover on the way back." The clown hermit said without looking back, "After experiencing it once, I have become somewhat immune.
"Their bodies are all in one place and it won't be difficult to move them all back."
After moving all the bodies of the four missing members back to the material world, the clown hermit summoned up some of his newly recovered spiritual power and closed the door to another world that was kept open by the black meteorite: "I hope no one will get lost in it again..."
Sean looked at the four bodies lying peacefully on the ground and sighed in his heart: "If it weren't for Evan's persistence, their loss would have been gradually forgotten."
Ivan straightened up and said softly: "I just realized something..."
"What?"
The clown hermit looked at Sean: "Recording and inheritance from generation to generation are to fight against forgetfulness.
“Recording and passing on keep us from forgetting where we came from, and therefore we won’t get lost in where we are going.”
“Forgetfulness is chasing us, and one of the meanings of our lives is to escape its pursuit.
Recalling the initiation poem that Pompeo recited to himself deep in the old book cemetery, Sean's eyes shone brightly, and he also had some realization: "It's like making and passing on fire. Memory, spirit, civilization and emotion should be allowed to continue. Go down."
Sean and Ivan looked at each other, and they both read realization and understanding in each other's eyes.
Sean has a deeper understanding of the meaning of the "Candlelight Reading Club" and the meaning of his own life: "Will you pass on the fire...?"
After waking up from his thoughts, Sean found that the curator Turan was still lying on the ground: "I have one more thing to ask Ivan for help. Before that, let's make arrangements for the curator."
