At this moment, under York's gaze, the old man appeared entirely insubstantial.
But not quite insubstantial—he looked like a construct of holy light, lacking the feel of a tangible entity.
Indeed, in York's view, the old man was nothing but a mass of light, purely light, resembling the sunlight seen through human eyes, making him seem very ethereal.
"Old man, who are you really?" York asked with a wry smile.
"Can you tell me now?"
This guy could move freely in his computational space, indicating that the old man was at least as strong as York, or perhaps a being from a higher dimension, hence unaffected.
"Child, what do you think?" The old man maintained a gentle smile.
"You've progressed quickly! Much faster than I anticipated. I thought it would take a bit longer for you to reach this level."
"If you won't tell me, I'll just assume you're God," York said, rolling his eyes as he approached the old man.
"I'm curious, when I pray, can you hear me?"
Gregory just smiled and said nothing.
York was speechless. His expression made things pretty obvious, but it left York somewhat confused. He walked over to the old man and joined him in looking out the window.
Everything outside was frozen in time, as if the whole world had been paused by his hand.
The old man remained silent, and York, uncharacteristically, did the same, simply feeling the constant evolution of
his current state.
As his mental awareness ascended to another dimension, he was in a state of continuous transformation, as if everything he had integrated culminated in this scenario.
His understanding of his own system felt like it was something from a higher dimension—like someone drawing additional elements into his existence within the 'canvas.'
To illustrate, consider a black dot on a piece of paper. In its world, a zero-dimensional existence, it lacks size, space, or time. It's just a simple dot made by someone in three dimensions.
When the three-dimensional being draws numerous dots and connects them, it forms a two-dimensional world, akin to the way ants, seen as simple creatures, perceive their surroundings.
In an ant's perspective, only the flat plane exists—they can't perceive any sense of depth, just as beings in three dimensions cannot perceive the fourth dimension. They can't see it, can't describe it.
In essence, while ants are three-dimensional creatures because they have form and mass, they can only perceive and interact with their two-dimensional world. Thus, they're practically two-dimensional beings. When they gain the ability to perceive the third dimension, they transform into three-dimensional beings.
Humans, too, evolved from understanding points, to connecting them into lines, and then conceptualizing a 3D reality, like how 3D movies bring a flat image into a spatial experience.
Similarly, York had ascended from a three-dimensional being to something of a higher dimension.
"Old man, I think I get it, somewhat," York said, glancing at Gregory, who had raised him.
"Hmm?" Gregory's face was full of warmth, his gaze at York becoming even softer.
"In historical records, those saints or entities like Eileen were your avatars, right? Like a human drawing a dot on paper?"
Gregory's smile widened a bit. "Child, you're quite right."
"I thought so," York sighed. "For the first time, I feel so insignificant. I thought I was strong, but to think that a mere dot drawn by you could reshape the world."
York recalled the Songe Fjord region, and all his memories of the Norwegian Kingdom. He chuckled, a hint of self-mockery appearing on his face.
The world's longest and deepest fjord, stretching 204 kilometers, with its deepest point at 1308 meters and the highest mountain on its edge reaching 2405 meters, turned out to be just a black dot drawn by some higher power.
"Damn it." York couldn't help but curse under his breath.
It was incredibly humbling. He had ended up like a frog in a well, only able to see the world within his limited scope, believing it was all there was.
"Old man, for the first time, I truly feel my smallness," York said, looking out at the frozen world outside, unable to hold back his sigh.
"So, what am I exactly? Am I just a toy for you or your kind?"
Gregory shook his head. "No, you're unique. Fundamentally, you're more special than anything I've created, no..."
Gregory paused, then smiled sincerely. "Perhaps, you're similar to me."
York was taken aback, frowning at the old man, not quite understanding what he meant.
"As you said, in my eyes, this world and everything in it are like things drawn on a piece of paper."
York's frown gradually relaxed.
"But you're different. You emerged from nothing, uncaused, uncreated by anyone." Gregory stood up from his wheelchair. His appearance transformed into a much younger figure, devoid of any facial features, lacking any specific form, no physical body, turning into a being of pure light.
Just like something appearing out of nowhere, without any origin.
"So, when you were born, I noticed you immediately," his voice carried a gentle tone.
York pressed his lips together. "Like how a human would notice if a dot, a line, or a three-dimensional figure suddenly appeared on their drawing?"
"Child, you are very perceptive," the being of light reverted to Gregory's old form.
"In essence, yes, that's pretty close."
This made York's eyebrows twitch slightly.
"Old man, if you have this level of power, then what are these so-called world fractures about?"
"As you mentioned, those world fractures are also my creation," Gregory said with a smile.
"The worlds connected by these fractures, their pathways, are essentially my designs, with all the constraints therein set by me."
"Why?" York asked after a moment of silence.
"To hasten your progress and bring you closer to my world," Gregory replied, his voice still gentle as he looked at the frozen scene before them.
"Because I am very lonely."
These words carried an echo of endless emptiness, desolation, and coldness that York could feel.
"No wonder I get those so-called 0.5 attribute points every time I tell a story," York said with a bitter smile.
"It's because of this, isn't it? Old man, you might as well just boost my power directly."
However, Gregory responded seriously, "That would only lead to your death, your complete erasure. As you said, a being capable of controlling the first and second dimensions would be overwhelmed by the fourth dimension, unable to bear the pressure."
York's lips twitched. The old man's words were blunt.
"Alright, old man, so where am I now?" York asked, just as the old man began to smile, as if genuinely congratulating him.
"Congratulations, you've ascended to the fourth dimension, one step closer to me."
"Damn it..." York muttered, looking at the old man, who seemed to be genuinely congratulating him, not knowing where to vent his frustration.
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