dmims 0062 The Significance of the Colosseum
0062 The Significance of the Colosseum
Zhou Yun activated the Bright Feather School's psionic technique "Subspace Speed," and his figure almost instantly became a blur.
"So fast." Kleist couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. He had heard about Zhou Yun's speed from Onomamus, but he never expected it to be so fast as to be unrealistic.
Of all those present, only Anglong managed to spot Zhou Yun.
Zhou Yun passed through the cave almost instantly and arrived at the entrance.
Two guardian androids with shells resembling liquid metal were standing guard at the entrance.
As Onomamus said, when Zhou Yun approached, these intelligent machines did not attack him immediately, but instead a low rumbling sound came from inside.
At the same time, Zhou Yun noticed that the veil between the subspace and reality had thinned slightly, the air was getting colder, the smell of ozone was emerging, and the energy of the subspace was surging within the android's body.
Zhou Yun immediately realized that this intelligent machine, like the nanomachines in those anesthetics, was powered by energy from subspace.
This method of power supply can be described as an abuse of subspace...
Zhou Yun placed his finger on the AI, and his innate spiritual abilities as an archaeologist were triggered, causing the AI's "memories" to flood into his mind.
The high-ranking riders of Nutheria referred to that era as the First Kingdom.
This term does not refer to any city-state or nation on Nutheria, but rather to the era before the distant Old Night, after the end of that golden age, when human kingdoms fell into a dark age of internal strife and technological turmoil.
In that era, humanity had no external enemies. The aliens signed a peace treaty with humanity out of awe. The ancient Eldar were immersed in past glory and present pleasures, and the future belonged solely to humanity.
But to which humans? Are they the ancient nations of Terra? The space agencies that ushered in the colonial era? Or the new humans who have gradually drifted away from their kin through bio-engineering?
Even, to which human being will the future belong?
Thus, the struggle first broke out in politics and economics, and then quickly developed into a real war.
Even the ancient Terra was burned to ashes in the raging fire, and the ocean that was once known as the Pacific Ocean was evaporated into only a few sparse fragments.
Mad engineers, scientists, technicians, and craftsmen began to unleash their talents without restraint, creating terrifying weapons.
Nuseria, a world with both mountains and seas, deserts and coastlines, is their testing ground and their playground.
They would capture their fellow human beings from other planets and dump them on Nuseria, where they would search for buried arsenals in the mountains, coastlines, and deserts, fighting and killing each other, all of which would be broadcast live to the celestial nobles of the galaxy.
The gladiatorial culture of Nutheria also originated here, and the entire Nutheria itself is a vast arena.
As time went on, the wars in the galaxy intensified. Those who tested weapons in Nutheria were eliminated among the stars. Their technology became outdated, their weapons could not be sold on the market, and the gladiatorial combats in Nutheria could no longer attract people's attention. People preferred the exciting short videos circulating in the Eldar Empire.
So they went bankrupt, and Nuseria was abandoned.
Then came the Iron Man Rebellion, the devastating warp storms, and the fall of the Old Night.
Those slaves who were once abandoned on this planet, along with those armories, have been forgotten.
until.....
Through the "memory" of the androids, Zhou Yun saw that one of the long-sealed armories had been opened.
A gaunt, ugly, and weak face appeared before the omnic. It was a boy wearing a collar. By chance or guided by some unspoken force, he had brought a long-forgotten armory back to light.
His name was Talka, a slave boy and the first high-ranking rider.
Later, the family named after him became known as the first family of Nuseria, and the city ruled by his descendants is the very city of Daisia where Zhou Yun is now located.
Later, more and more armories were unearthed, high-ranking riders began to emerge, city-states were established, and bloody battles took place in arenas time and time again...
Gladiator arena...
The electrically charged iron rod struck Zhou Yun in the abdomen, and the AI was activated.
Zhou Yun's body was slammed back into the cave, crashing to the ground. Electricity roared through Zhou Yun's abdomen, and his internal organs seemed to have ruptured.
"Old Zhou!" Kleist, Anglon, and Onomamus rushed over and helped Zhou Yun up from the ground.
But Zhou Yun didn't show any pain despite the pain; his spiritual energy was healing his body, and he even smiled.
So that's what happened.
Now, all the mysteries of Nutheria have been solved.
Zhou Yun recalled what Onomamus had just said.
All the cities of Nutheria are centered around the arena.
He hadn't even realized how strange this was.
However, Onomamus made one mistake.
"Onomamus," Zhou Yun said, looking at the old gladiator beside him, "you've got one thing wrong."
"What?" Onomamus was taken aback.
"The arena was not built to lull the poor into complacency, and it was never intended for that purpose."
"Those poor people, those spectators, are just like us; they are an integral part of this arena itself."
Zhou Yun now understood why the original Angron was so obsessed with destroying the arena and freeing the slaves within.
Why would the usually divided and selfish high-ranking riders unite into seven armies to besiege Angron?
Why are high-level riders so eager to participate in the war personally?
Even with the Butcher's Nail implanted, Angron's extraordinary mind still instinctively recognized that the arena was the foundation of the high-ranking riders' rule.
"Those weapons, those weapons left behind by the First Kingdom, all rely on the energy of the warp to operate."
"Without the carnage in the arena, without the bloodlust of the audience, without the sacrifices to the demons of the High Heavens, there would be no warp energy flowing into reality, all those weapons would cease to function, and there would be no high-ranking riders."
This is why, when Angron returned to Nutheria during the Great Rebellion, those extraordinary technological creations were no longer present on Nutheria.
With almost all the arenas destroyed by Angron, the high-ranking riders' weapons have lost power and most of them are no longer usable. The siege of Angron is their last stand.
After that, having lost their weapons, they were naturally powerless to oppress the free people, rebuild the gladiatorial arena, and carry out cruel sacrifices time and time again.
The few remaining weapons were quickly exhausted in their civil war.
The Gladiator King truly fulfilled Onomamus's expectations; he destroyed the very foundation of the High Riders, causing the Gladiators to vanish on Nutheria and liberating the Free People.
But no one knew this, not even Angron himself. Tormented by the Butcher's Nails, he had only made that arrangement instinctively.