“I wouldn't call it a conclusion, just an observation and conjecture based on the surface phenomena.”

Kerslod said, “When I received the assignment, the government of this planet described the phenomenon from the perspective of a low-level civilization's initial observations. You call it the ‘Player Phenomenon’. The introduction stated that these Players appeared abruptly without any warning and in increasing numbers, unable to explain their origins. They simply integrated into the planet's environment, exhibiting strange behavior, possessing unique connections among themselves, and being unable to die, while demonstrating extraordinary learning and growth abilities…”

He spoke at length, summarizing the Six Nations' view of the Players and his own observations during this period. Han Xiao wanted to know what species of higher civilization levels thought.

“The most recognizable trait is their inability to die, their ability to revive, and the unchanging nature of their personalities.” Kerslod finally adopted the air of an investigator, speaking eloquently. “There are many phenomena that can cause this effect. The simplest is a rare case of a group awakening of superpowers, but examples exist.

“A slightly more complex possibility is the technology of life projection, perhaps an experiment by a higher civilization. Or it could be a dimensional overlap creating a rift, and these Players are actually special creatures from another dimension who accidentally descended here. It could also be some unintentional high-dimensional projection, a jump migration by a distant civilization, a time-retrospective projection, or a new species inexplicably generated under certain rules, etc. I know of more than a dozen theories that could cause this phenomenon.

“The most intractable is a cosmic wonder, which I personally believe is the least likely.”

Kerslod explained, "The Players have another major characteristic—they appear abruptly and in ever-increasing numbers, which is more in line with the possibility of artificial involvement. We need to use special tools to trace the source and explore whether there are signs of other civilizations interfering. However, this requires applying to higher authorities for rare detection tools. If the civilization behind it is too advanced, even we Godoras won't be able to find out… But to be honest, I don't think there's anything on this planet that a high-level civilization using life projection technology would take a fancy to.”

“If we rule out artificial factors and switch to natural factors, the probability of dimensional overlap is not small. This planet's orbit may intersect with a super-large dimensional rift, which is why the Players appear suddenly and in a constant stream. Only when this planet leaves the rift will this phenomenon disappear. The rift channel is bidirectional. Has this planet experienced any sudden disappearances?”

Han Xiao was suddenly stunned. Didn't Hannes and the others suddenly disappear? Could there really be a rift?

No, the Players definitely don't have much to do with rifts, but the dimensional theory does have some possibility.

If the world where the Players exist is a dimension, and it intersects with this world in the form of a game, it's not impossible.

Han Xiao let his mind wander for a while, and then asked, “Are there any differences between dimensions? Does it lead to another universe?”

Kerslod laughed and said, “There are many kinds of dimensional theories that I know of. Let's talk about three basic ones. The first is the sub-dimension, which is common in highly developed magical civilizations. Powerful mages can summon creatures from other dimensions. Most of these dimensions are sub-dimensions, born from fantasy and mental power. A more reliable theory is that mages collapse the infinite possibilities of fantasy into definite entities, which is the materialization of imagination. Sub-dimensions are both objectively existent and materially non-existent. It seems contradictory, but it actually involves differences in perception. Senses limit the cognition of different creatures and Superhumans… Uh, I'm not a mage, and I don't know much about it."

“The second type is the dimensional plane, the microscopic plane, and other actually existing planes. This is more common and is also the most universally accepted scientific theory.”

“The last type of dimension is when two planets very far apart in the same universe establish some kind of connection and create a wormhole channel. Because the two sides had no intersection before, they think of each other as coming from a dimension in another universe, but it is actually a misunderstanding. You said something about leading to another universe, that's the multiverse theory, which believes that there are countless universes. However, we Godoras don't have much research in this area, and I don't understand it either.”

Han Xiao was thoughtful. Hearing their analysis of this world from the "NPC" perspective was a completely new perspective.

Kerslod continued, "As for high-dimensional projection, this involves the theory of space-time dimensions. For example, we three-dimensional beings look at a two-dimensional plane, like looking at a piece of paper. This paper depicts a complete environment, with a two-dimensional character and a mountain. The world in the eyes of a two-dimensional being is also three-dimensional. They have to climb over this mountain to reach their destination, but we can reach any position on the paper by stretching out our fingers, bypassing the two-dimensional ‘obstacles’. The projection of three dimensions in two dimensions is the little bit of area where the finger touches the paper. This is the image we leave in the eyes of the two-dimensional character.

"The contact surface can change, so the impression of the projection is not fixed. The senses of high and low dimensions are different. For example, temporarily setting aside the debate of whether time is an independent or dependent variable, assuming that time is the actually existing fourth dimension, then in the senses of a high-dimensional being, we may be creatures superimposed on countless points in time, similar to a very long worm, that's what I mean. The Players may be the contact surface between some high-dimensional existence and our dimension. For dimensional matters, you'd better seek help from more professional civilizations. We Godoras are relatively weak in this area.”

Han Xiao pursed his lips. The technology of the world where the Players are located is not as advanced as this universe, so it doesn't look like a high-dimensional projection.

“I won’t talk about the new species theory, I don’t understand it. The most intractable possibility is a cosmic wonder. The so-called cosmic wonder is a phenomenon that all civilizations cannot explain.”

“Which means unknown?” Han Xiao asked in surprise, “Even the three major universe-level civilizations can’t explain it?”

“Haha, even the universe has unexplored regions, so of course there are unknown things. Hmm… perhaps those advanced civilizations have explanations, but they’re keeping them secret. Let me tell you what I know about the worldview.”

Kerslod turned on his talkative attribute, full of enthusiasm.

“I’ve read Introduction to Cosmology. There are countless theories for studying the universe, stemming from the inherent desire for knowledge of intelligent species, born from ‘Who am I’, ‘Where do I come from’ and ‘Where am I going’, which is curiosity about the origin of life, the truth of the world, and the meaning of existence. Among them, curiosity about the world promotes intelligent species to explore the existence form, essence, origin, truth, development process, and end of this universe. Different civilization forms have different cosmic theories.

"Tracing back to the essence is the exploration of matter. The basis of matter is particles. There are endless theories for the study of particles. To sum up, different cosmic theories believe that particles have different shapes and functions. To the extreme, is a particle just a point? Or a sphere like a planet? Does it have many shapes? Or is the shape uncertain? The most common view is that as long as the correct essence of particles is obtained, all wrong theories will be overturned, leaving only the only correct system.

“Indeed, there are theories that successfully explain themselves and have obtained iron-clad experimental data. However, it’s not just one theory, but hundreds of cosmic theories that have all been proven! Among them, there are even many seemingly contradictory theories! Isn't that incredible?

“All civilizations still have a one-sided understanding of the world, separated from the truth by a very long wall. These theories are like small holes chiseled in the wall. Looking through this small hole, you can only see a part. We can't get past this wall. These research theories are our angles of looking at the world. Different angles determine the different results we see, and these results are just the tip of the iceberg of the truth.

“This is just like the sensory limitations on cognition I mentioned earlier. The specific image of the world in the eyes of a creature largely depends on the sensory abilities of that species. Countless mysteries are hidden in places where our senses cannot reach. Senses facilitate the initial understanding of the world by species, but also hinder them from completely understanding the world.

“Remember the high-dimensional projection I mentioned earlier? Perhaps our universe is the contact surface between high and low dimensions. This universe itself may be a projection.

“There is even a theory that the world is virtual, and natural laws are a physical engine created by a greater species for the experiment of cosmic evolution, following some extremely complex algorithm.”

Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat.