I, the Final Boss of the Beta Server!

Chapter 138: Epic of Civilization · Battle of the Lost Coast

The aroma of food and the soft orange-red glow of the nightlight warmed this final night before departure.

Shiltina did not stay long in the student dormitory and took her leave shortly after the dinner she had personally prepared.

She knew that Rast was never one to cling sentimentally to goodbyes.

Rather than wasting words and emotions on farewells, it was better to save time and energy for the actions to come.

Just like back at Deep Blue Port, Rast had blown up the metal trestle without a trace of hesitation and faced the tide of Iron Cross head-on in the port district.

There was no need for tender partings—what they could do was simply wish each other well and send their blessings for a safe return.

…

The next day, at dawn.

While it was still barely light out, Rast boarded the military express train bound for the Tower of Arcana.

Compared to his previous experiences taking the train to the Tower of Arcana, the atmosphere this time was much more oppressive.

Even before reaching the Tower, military forces were already stationed on the outskirts. And once within the military restricted zone around the Tower, both inspections and identity checks had clearly increased.

Not only Rast, but even the crew members of this confidential train were subjected to repeated questioning.

“It must be the fallout from the major upheaval in the imperial capital.”

The Dean Silver curled up on Rast’s shoulder, yawning repeatedly…

The little snow ferret had always kept an upside-down schedule—sleeping when tired, waking to eat, and lazing on the sofa playing on its smart device until it dozed off again.

Now, having to wake up early along with Rast, it was practically killing the little guy.

“Although the royal faction currently holds the advantage, the noble alliance entangled with secret organizations clearly won’t just sit and wait to be crushed. It’s very likely they’ll launch one final counterattack.”

“The Tower of Arcana, as one of the Empire’s most vital secret institutions, houses vast quantities of confidential objects, including over half of the prototype blueprints in the Forbidden Catalog… these troops and checkpoints are probably set up to prevent the nobles’ last rebellion.”

“What Little Tina and the others are worrying about should also be among these matters.”

The Dean Silver’s fluffy white tail poked out and drew a dried fish from a dimensional rift.

Having learned from the lesson of going hungry three times in a single day last time, this time it had stockpiled a massive cache of junk food in a secondary dimension, all to feast during the upcoming livestream.

“Sigh, just one wave after another… who knows when this world will truly settle down.”

The Dean Silver stuffed the dried fish into its mouth, mumbling unclearly, “Only then can I finally lie flat in peace, without worrying about the safety of you bunch every single day.”

“Didn’t expect you to have such a grand dream as world peace, Dean.”

Rast chuckled and stroked the snow ferret’s furry head. “But if we really want the world to stabilize, I’m afraid we’ll have to completely clear out the remaining remnants of the Sixth Era and the final echoes of the apocalypse…”

“The things known as the Nightworld and the Twilight Calamity must vanish completely from this world.”

“Yeah, once the world is at peace… the filthy desires and impurities in people’s hearts will be much less. Even random passersby might have pure, radiant souls. The world would be full of high-quality meal tickets.”

“By then, maybe I’ll climb from Tier 3 to Tier 8 in three years, Tier 9 in ten, and soon after truly ascend the divine throne, becoming a True God.”

Chewing on dried fish, the Dean Silver fell into a daydream. “A True God would have virtually infinite lifespan, a massive number of followers and churches… then I could lie around every day watching dramas, and eat the endless grilled fish and cakes offered by worshipers as sacrifices.”

“As for my church, I’ll just keep the Academy’s name and call it the Church of ‘Magical Creature Conservation’.”

“Then, I’ll appoint you as the Holy Son of the Church, and Little Tina and Little Xia as the Holy Daughters… and your duty will be to take turns day and night, 24/7, grooming my fur.”

A crazed gleam reflected in the Dean Silver’s ruby-like beast eyes.

“Jie jie jie, just imagining that scene feels so good.”

“That would be the ideal land for a ferret… a golden kingdom…”

What sort of delusional ferret fantasy was this?

Listening to the evil laughter of the little snow ferret completely lost in its own fantasy, Rast couldn’t help falling into deep thought.

And then there was the Church of “Magical Creature Conservation”…

Are you sure this is truly a church of the righteous gods, and not some universally condemned cult?

Amid the bickering of man and ferret, the military train marked with the emblem of the black eagle sped across the plains.

Until that pitch-black tower came into distant view.

…

This wasn’t Rast’s first time entering the Tower of Arcana, so he was already familiar with the various verification procedures inside.

Military restricted zones, inspection checkpoints, soul rune circuits, iris authentication, Tower of Arcana, Hall of Epochs.

Soon, Rast arrived at the center of the Hall of Epochs—the gateway to the Epoch Remnant of the Sixth Era’s final Nightworld.

However, the senior student who once guided him to study information inside the Tower of Arcana had now taken a completely different path, separating herself from Starfall University and Rast’s own position.

“So… Senior Ingrid.”

“You chose to contact the Gravekeepers, to collude with those filthy nobles, even at the cost of breaking the law and betraying the ideals and justice you once upheld…”

“What, exactly, is the reason behind all this?”

Rast gazed at the vast, silent hall, softly murmuring to the ancient, time-worn stone monument before him.

But that murmur quickly faded with the wind—even the snow ferret on his shoulder hadn’t heard it.

Rast’s eyes returned to calm.

That was something to deal with later…

And if he couldn’t return successfully from the Epoch Remnant right now, everything else would be meaningless.

“Well then, time for one final check.”

Rast faced the dark stone monument before him and exhaled slowly.

“Item reserves confirmed.”

“Mental state acceptable.”

“Transmission crystal clone, mechanical constructs, ‘Key of Heaven’, holy grenades, ceremonial attire, preset archetype sequence of the Fool’s Library… all confirmed.”

“Preparation complete.”

With those final words, Rast gently placed his hand on the Epoch monument.

With a chill like thin silk, the night’s darkness softly shrouded him.

His vision and consciousness were veiled by the curtain of eternal night, sinking into it without knowing the way back.

…

On the Epoch monument, the brilliance of night flashed briefly and vanished.

When the light faded, Rast was no longer within the Tower of Arcana.

“Though only a few hours or days may pass in the real world, for him, this trip into the Epoch Remnant will feel like several months at least.”

Professor Barbalossa’s deep voice echoed in the Tower of Arcana.

Shrunken to human size, he stepped into the hall from the entrance, adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, and looked at the place where Rast had disappeared, voicing his heavy thoughts.

“He’s just a sophomore at Starfall University, probably only eighteen or nineteen years old.”

“At such a young age, he’ll have to survive in an unfamiliar world for months. I wonder if he’ll get homesick in there.”

As he mused aloud, Professor Barbalossa noticed the snow ferret beside him had no intention of responding.

The Dean Silver said nothing and merely kept unloading.

It landed lightly from the air and began swinging its paws and tail, continuously pulling items out from the spatial rift of its personal sub-dimension and piling them up in the Hall of Epochs.

First came a large, tidy picnic mat, big enough for seven or eight people to camp on.

Next were seven or eight large bottles of fizzy drinks.

Then came an endless stream of snacks… dried fish, grilled fish cakes, chips, fried chicken—completely covering the entire picnic mat.

Even a giant tub of popcorn.

“Dean Silver… what are you doing?”

Professor Barbalossa was stunned.

As the guardian and administrator of the Tower of Arcana, he had seen many people come and go.

But most came with clear purpose, only to consult documents, never lingering long.

To bring an entire picnic setup to the Tower, Dean Silver was the first… the first ferret.

The snow ferret even set up a barbecue grill and was clumsily assembling the stainless steel rods with its tiny paws.

“You don’t get it—this is called being prepared for battle.”

“What, you want me to starve through another livestream like last time… relying on Ophelia’s mood just to get a bite?”

“As for that guy Rast’s mental health—don’t worry. His ability to manage stress and loneliness far surpasses you, old ape. We don’t need to worry about him.”

The Dean Silver casually flicked its ears, still focused on setting up the grill and steel rods.

“Hey ape, give me a hand. Worst case, I’ll give you a few skewers when it’s done.”

“By the way, the company that made this grill has no conscience at all. They only considered human usage but never optimized it for magical animals… not even a little bit of ferret-friendly design.”

Professor Barbalossa’s jaw dropped slightly in shock.

He had never seen a ferret with such shameless audacity.

But in the end, Professor Barbalossa had no choice but to step up and help piece together the rods.

Though also a magical creature in appearance, his current gorilla-like form was more humanoid than the tiny snow ferret, and much better suited for assembling grills.

He figured if he didn’t help, this ferret might actually tinker for three days and nights straight inside the Tower.

…

“Whew, finally done. Good job, me.”

A moment later, gazing at the completed grill, the Dean Silver let out a long breath and wiped nonexistent sweat from its forehead.

After finishing, it pulled a crystal from its chest and placed it near the picnic mat and grill.

The next moment, the crystal emitted a brilliant light.

Amid the interlacing beams, a pure white projection screen gradually emerged.

“Speaking of which, old ape, why are you sticking around?”

“Here to watch the livestream too?”

The Dean Silver tested the smokeless coal temperature beneath the grill with its fluffy tail, then recoiled quickly and nodded with satisfaction.

Then, it pulled out several pre-marinated raw fish from the sub-dimensional storage and placed them on the grill.

The aroma of roasting fish and the sizzling of dripping oil made Barbalossa speechless.

Still, he shook his head. “I’m curious about Rast’s experience in the Epoch Remnant too, but I still have to watch over the Tower. I can’t leave for too long.”

As he spoke, Professor Barbalossa pulled out a piece of pitch-black metal and placed it beside the Dean Silver.

Though solid, the moment it touched the ground, the black metal quietly melted into flowing liquid mercury.

The silvery liquid quickly converged… slowly forming into a petite humanoid shape.

“Her Highness Ophelia sent me.”

“She’s currently on guard in the capital against the nobles’ counterattack and couldn’t come herself, so she asked me to deliver a mercury avatar to record Rast’s projection crystal footage in real time.”

“Her reason… apparently, since she’s the prototype developer of the Zenith Sword, she wants to observe its first live combat performance.”

Hearing Professor Barbalossa’s explanation and seeing the familiar petite girl form shaped from flowing mercury…

The Dean Silver’s tail, which was skewering fish on the grill, trembled slightly.

…

Elsewhere.

Having already entered the Nightworld, Rast naturally had no idea what was happening back in the Tower.

In the deepening dusk, lines of azure text flickered rapidly across his vision.

【Detected traveler bound to a locked historical node, continuing previous Nightworld timeline】

【Nightworld Mission: “Epic of Civilization · Battle of the Shattered Coast” has begun】

【Era Background: The Shattered Coast and the coastal routes that follow its line are the lifelines connecting humanity’s settlements after the Great Cataclysm—humanity’s last pulse of civilization.

An organization called the Shorewardens has held the Shattered Coastline for a hundred years, guarding the final maritime route of mankind for a century.

But now, forbidden creatures from the ocean depths are stirring, and ancient legends from prior civilizations step forth from the river of history—seeking to break this final coastal defense at the end of the world.

A grand era’s curtain has risen.

This is a chapter of epic, a song of heroes, and perhaps the fateful battle that will mark a turning point in human history, deciding the course of Sixth Era civilization.】