My Roommate is a Non-Human | Chapter 65 | The Tower of Babel | Novela.app

Ren Xing shone his arm lamp on him for a long while before swearing, "So this is what you look like!" My senior’s voice echoed in my mind: *“He is dead.”* I covered my face and shook my head. A wing of light lifted before me, and a small hand formed from an arc of light at its tip, patting my head. *“I am sorry. I foresaw this long ago. In fact, I was the first to see the annihilation of the Fifth Era’s cycle. I left Ren Xing in the human world hoping that if the worst happened, he could bring you to see me.”* “Then why didn’t you save him?!” *“I was never able to see the killer or the weapon clearly. You must understand, even for a god, there are things beyond reach.”* His voice was the same as ever—like a triad boss—but it was filled with exhaustion and sorrow, making him sound like a boss who had finally met his match and been hauled into the station. At this moment, however, that familiarity calmed me down. My mind was flooded with questions. Who was he? Why had my roommate imprisoned him? Why did he want to protect humanity? How did Ren Xing survive under such harsh conditions and even hold his own against Zhang Litian? Why could Zhang Litian use my heart’s blood to kill my roommate? And of course, the most important question—did he truly have a way to bring my roommate back to life? I figured Lu Daoshi could read minds, so as these chaotic questions surged, I immediately told him everything that had happened after he was cast into the Abyss. “The situation outside is terrible. He locked me in a mirror barrier, repeating a certain day from the past over and over... I didn’t know he was protecting me. He told me nothing. I was terrified. I sought out Jin Mu, hoping he could help me escape, but Jin Mu mentioned offhandedly that he had no emotions—he said my roommate gave all his emotions to me. At the same time, he tricked me out of my heart’s blood. The fluctuations of the mirror barrier brought Eldest and Third to protect me, but right after that, the barrier collapsed entirely. Jin Mu had already killed my roommate, saying he used his bone and blood... something about the Spear of Destiny, hacking him into pieces...” I covered my face and started crying again. “I just... I just don’t know why he wouldn’t tell me. If he had been honest, none of this would have happened.” *“Honesty.”* That small hand of light wiped away my tears. I heard my senior sigh above me. *“Ye Xiao, honesty is a very difficult thing. Honesty implies trust, reliance, and lowering one’s guard to love. Honesty implies that you understand him as well. That is too difficult. Between people, even when using the same language, it is always hard to truly understand one another. They speculate, they guess, they distort, they misunderstand; they are covered in scars, becoming more cowardly each time until they can no longer speak the truth to anyone. And all of this stems from the moment you were first separated—the erection of the Tower of Babel.”* “The what?” I asked. Lu: *“It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t want to tell you. He always preserved the truth; if you asked him, he had no choice but to speak. But you wouldn’t necessarily ask. You would speculate, you would doubt, you would waver. And even if he told you, you might not have been able to accept it.”* “Me?” Lu: *“Think about it. Every time he tried to tell you the truth, what happened?”* I froze. “I would... suddenly stop understanding him! Is that what it was?!” Lu: *“That is the Tower of Babel. The inability of all living things to understand his meaning—the original sin of God.”* “He could have found a way,” I argued. “For example, writing it down; or perhaps, through someone else’s mouth... Second!” A sudden moment of clarity hit me like a bolt of lightning. I used to find it hard to understand why, despite having wisdom and power, Liu Wukong wanted to duplicate his own memories! Was it because the Tower of Babel stood between us, and he wanted to use Second to tell me some truths? But Second hadn’t said a single word. He had even intentionally widened the rift between us... I felt a chill of terror. I even thought of him conspiring with Zhang Litian... No! It couldn’t be like that. I shook my head, driving that horrific thought from my mind, but I couldn't help but think of what Lu Daoshi used to joke about: *Slaying the father and marrying the mother.* Lu: *“As for Zhang Litian, since he could obtain your heart’s blood, he could condense the Spear of Destiny from it. After all, you were originally made from his rib and heart’s blood. Furthermore, your heart’s blood is the most heartless, coldest substance in the world.”* “Excuse me?” That giant eye looked at me with immense sympathy, saying conflictedly: *“He gave you all his useless emotions.”* “That’s a fact. He admitted it.” Lu: *“But you didn’t hear him finish. Once again.”* I was speechless. Lu: *“He... did not give you love.”* I dithered for a moment, stunned. My senior gazed at me with pity. We stared at each other for over a minute before I gradually understood the meaning behind his words. “You’re saying... he didn’t give me the emotion of love.” *“He did not say it explicitly to me; I am merely guessing. But it seems that is exactly the case, Ye Xiao. Initially, he did indeed want to discard the negative emotions within him. But love is good.”* Lu Daoshi floated up, pulling the iron chains taut. This was the first time he faced me directly; it felt as though I were standing trial. *“Love brings many things, Ye Xiao. Trust, hope, courage, sacrifice, procreation, life... the connection of hearts. Love is a particularly, particularly beautiful emotion.”* “He didn’t give it to me.” My voice felt airy. *“Later, he gave it to you. He might indeed lack the various vices familiar to humans, to the point of being an outsider, but he loves you,”* Lu Daoshi said gently. *“But you do not love him.”* “I...” *“You do not have that emotion,”* Lu Daoshi sighed with regret. *“You are always half-hearted, liking things in a superficial and flighty way. But that is not love. Do you remember the prophecy? Only when the sun and moon meet can the devouring of all things by Chaos be averted?”* I nodded, weeping. *“That didn’t mean he wanted to merge with you and make you disappear. It meant procreation. The procreation of gods does not require the flesh. If your hearts were connected, even for an instant, then the next generation’s Main God would be born. He would defeat Chaos once again and allow the Sixth Era to begin. But you couldn’t do it, Ye Xiao. You don’t have the emotion of love. You can never achieve a connection of hearts with him. You fear a violent death, you have too many desires, you are always speculating. But he is very simple. Love is a very simple thing.”* So, there would be an eternal Tower of Babel between us. So, his four descendants were all clones of himself. Not because he wanted it that way, but because I had no heart. And what terrified me even more was that he had known all along. Liu Wukong had known from beginning to end. He knew I lacked the capacity for love. He knew... “How could I let him die like this?” I gritted my teeth. “Why am I so terrible?” Lu Daoshi spoke with appreciation: *“Now you’re starting to look the part. Listen, this is hard for you, but it isn’t something that cannot be learned. You represent universal human nature; look at the people of this world, and you will know what a great miracle you can create.”* “But he isn’t even here anymore!” I couldn’t stop myself from screaming. “Liu Wukong is dead! He knew until the moment he died that I...” How sad he must have been. How much despair must have been behind every one of his smiles. I hadn't even said a single romantic word to him. Seeing me break down, the others came forward to help me sit. I broke free and rushed in front of Lu Daoshi. “You must have a way. Ren Xing said you have a way.” *“The secrets regarding death are all recorded in a very ancient and pious kingdom. Unchanged since time immemorial.”* Eldest interjected, “Egypt.” Clearly, Lu Daoshi had transmitted these words to everyone’s ears. *“The Egyptians believe the Main God was once dismembered and discarded, and then his consort found those pieces, sewed them together, wrapped them as a mummy, and finally resurrected him—actually, that was also my prophecy, distorted through oral tradition. In truth, the Main God was dismembered and buried to awaken the sleeping World-Encircling Serpent. To resurrect him, it seems a bit of ancient magic is required. Those ancient arts are also passed down in the Old Kingdom. You are their goddess, you are the Mother of Humanity; you can awaken any dead soul to serve you. However, resurrection requires knowing the Main God’s True Name. For us of the divine race, a True Name is the source of power. Legend says you also know the Main God’s True Name...”* Lu Daoshi suddenly looked at me. *“...Do you know it?”* My heart ached. To this day, I still didn't know what my roommate’s name actually was. But... Second knew! Lu Daoshi indicated that he could no longer go on with us; he was currently very weak. *“Actually, before the incident, I met with the Main God privately a few times to warn him that the situation had become extremely critical. The Abyss had been breached, and many of the divine race wanted to kill him and return to Chaos. I offered him some suggestions, but he adopted none of them due to his contempt for humanity. I then intended to create a demigod on my own. I succeeded, but my time was too short; I only managed to create one. Although a demigod lacks divinity, he possesses great power comparable to a god. He can help you in the journey ahead.”* As he spoke, the giant Void Eye looked toward Ren Xing. The way his eyeball rotated was more like an animal’s, like a lizard’s. Ren Xing felt a bit uneasy being suddenly stared at by the five of us. Lu: *“I have told you everything I can. It is up to you now, Ye Xiao.”* I asked, “Wait, who exactly are you?” *“I am Forethought.”* After saying this, the Void Eye slowly closed. Forethought—in Ancient Greek, Prometheus. When we were about to leave, Ren Xing refused to go. “You have to come with us.” He knelt on the ground and tugged at one of the massive wings of light. “Student Lu, we haven't been apart from start to finish. It won't work without you nagging all day.” Lu Daoshi said, *“Something is coming to peck at me soon. You must leave quickly. These chains cannot be opened; nothing in this world can leave a mark on them.”* Ren Xing raised the Spear of Destiny and struck a notch into one of them. “Who says they can’t be opened?” Third took the Spear of Destiny and released him within ten minutes. Ren Xing tugged at his light wings again. “Can you turn into a human? If you can’t walk, I’ll carry you out.” Lu Daoshi floated up with difficulty, moving with his six wings. It was quite revolting, as his wings weren't actually used for flying but for crawling against the ground. The specific image was a giant eye with six tentacles twisting and moving across the snow—an unbearable sight. He quickly made his way down the mountain. *“I’m spent. Going to the human world is very taxing for my spirit. I will recover here. You will end up coming back anyway. Below the mountain is the fortress suppressing the Abyss—his city, your hometown. This is the final sealing point of the Great Serpent of Chaos. Now, a piece of the corpse should be bleeding on the altar, flowing toward the endless Abyss. Go and find the other seven pieces.”* Ren Xing watched him glide into a patch of mist on the cold wind and asked me, “Where to now?” Eldest: “I’m going to find Second.” Ren Xing: “Where is he?” I gave a bitter smile. “I know.” I knew where he would be waiting for me. Because his heart carried too much of the past belonging to me and Liu Wukong. *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 巴别塔 | Tower of Babel | Biblical reference to the origin of different languages and the breakdown of communication. 先觉之明 | Forethought | The literal meaning of the name Prometheus in Greek. 普罗米修斯 | Prometheus | The Titan from Greek mythology who gave fire to humanity. 真名 | True Name | A concept where knowing a being's actual name grants power over them. 环绕世界之蛇 | World-Encircling Serpent | Likely a reference to Jörmungandr or similar mythological serpents (Ouroboros). 第六个纪元 | Sixth Era | The next cycle of existence in the story's cosmology. 心头血 | Heart's blood | Also translated as lifeblood; a vital essence in cultivation/fantasy tropes. 灵台清明 | Moment of clarity | Literally "clear spirit terrace," a state of sudden enlightenment or understanding.