In the small cinema echoing with the sound of rustling, Lind watched the images on the screen, as if quickly running through a fantastical apocalyptic movie, until the preset voice of 550C echoed again, bringing him back to reality.
“The screening has concluded; citizens, please leave in an orderly manner.”
Only then did Lind rise, wearing a heavy protective suit. He stood up, left his seat, and turned the old doorknob to exit the small cinema.
At the moment the door closed, the clear voice of 550C resounded in Lind’s mind once more.
“Name?”
“Lind, Lind Ror.”
Lind answered without hesitation. After Lind responded, 550C said, “Welcome back, citizen.”
Drones began to gather around Lind, but did not help him remove the protective suit; instead, they guided him forward.
What was the final outcome of this “movie”? The world Lind inhabited had already provided an answer; at least the ending was not so ideal.
Although the people of the Golden Age truly developed controllable nuclear fusion, and both materials science and biology made significant advancements, having controllable nuclear fusion alone was insufficient for interstellar travel. Energy was merely a fundamental condition for interstellar travel; particle engines and curvature drives were the hard requirements for such travel. With just controllable nuclear fusion, the range humanity could control would only encompass the entire solar system.
However, based on the technology reflected on the screen, it seemed they intended to board the Ark first, escaping the blue planet that had already been “flooded with hot water,” and then slowly think of solutions aboard the Ark.
It is hard to imagine what kind of awareness those who first boarded the Ark had when they left their homeland, never to return.
For them, perhaps boarding the Ark was preferable to facing those Outer Gods directly on the blue planet.
As Lind pondered the fate of humanity in the “movie” while gazing out the window, he thought about how the Outer Gods descended suddenly and without warning, which led to the collapse of the Golden Age, even amidst preparations. However, from the history following the Golden Age, humanity indeed managed to drive those Outer Gods away, which truly seemed a bit absurd.
“As you thought,” a familiar voice suddenly came from in front of Lind. “Humans in the post-Golden Age are actually quite different from the earliest humans. Humanity has continuously evolved amid observation, coupled with the development of the Sea of Consciousness project, which allowed them to triumph over the so-called ‘Outer Gods.’”
Lind looked up and found Lena, dressed in formal attire, standing in front of him. But Lind quickly realized, rubbing his head, and said, “You’re talking to me.”
The “Lena” in front of him spoke: “I apologize; I discovered that you particularly liked this image in your consciousness, so I took this strategy to bridge the distance between us.”
“However, you see, this space station can meet all your needs. You do not have to return to the ground to become the emperor of that group of new humans; here in this space station, you can not only become an emperor but even a God. You can obtain everything you desire here.”
550C mimicked Lena’s voice, the tone even carrying a hint of seduction. From the beginning, guiding Lind onto the space station, to now showcasing its various functions, 550C seemed to be making every effort to keep Lind here.
But Lind remained unmoved and said, “Tell me about what happened later.”
“Although the situation was quite chaotic, the Ark ultimately did not conflict with the Dyson Sphere Project. The Ark successfully fled the blue planet, while the Dyson Sphere Project completely sealed off the entire blue planet, cutting off that line of sight. At least no new Outer Gods began to appear, and people started to rely on their own strength to fight against those Outer Gods still present on the blue planet.”
The historical information was directly projected onto Lind’s retina, and he sighed, “What a bunch of lunatics.”
If the people who participated in the Ark Project were a group of fearless adventurers, then those who stayed on the blue planet and resisted the Outer Gods were a group of outright lunatics, who not only absorbed indescribable knowledge amidst madness but also used that knowledge to resist the Outer Gods. Lind even suspected that the quality of these new humans had probably become akin to that of the Outer Gods but still retained the fundamental bodily functions of humanity.
Moreover, besides resisting the Outer Gods, those who stayed on the blue planet at that time also had to contend with the Arrivalists. The final scrolling credits of the “movie” had already hinted at this; the Arrivalists stormed the biological laboratory and obtained the research results from the laboratory.
“The Arrivalists created many races that are very similar to humans yet entirely different.”
While reading Lind’s thoughts, 550C, still in the form of Lena, said, “These races caused great damage to the ecology of the blue planet. Although most of these races have been eliminated by the hands of the Old Empire, some still remain in this world, such as the Demon Clan which uses genes from Outer Gods and humans.”
“There are too many uncertainties with these races, and I cannot go too far into them,”
“But for the sake of humanity, the only option is total annihilation.”
550C spoke the most ruthless words in the coldest tone.
“What about those dragons?” Lind then asked. He was actually very curious about those dragons because they could completely ignore physical rules, transforming from dragon form to human form. Even the Demon Clan could use the so-called Bloodline Magic, but the transformation of those dragons surpassed Lind’s realm of understanding. The more he researched magic, the more absurd he found the transformations of these dragons.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know.”
550C’s answer surprised Lind; after all, 550C had been launched into space during the Golden Age. How could she not know?
Seemingly reading Lind’s confusion, 550C said, “At the end of the Golden Age, when the Outer Gods descended and the Dyson Sphere sealing project was initiated, in order to prevent the spread of pollution caused by the Outer Gods at that time, the entire blue planet was divided into several zones. The dragons crossed the mist of the blockade area at a certain point in history and flew over to this continent. As for what happened in other areas, I am not at liberty to know.”
550C continued to explain, “This transformation might relate to the nature of magic. However, if such magical transformations involving spatial relations truly exist, it is likely that others in different regions have already obtained technology beyond the scope of Golden Age research.”
Of course, it was even more likely that the technology tree had branched off in an odd direction, just like the former Old Empire. Furthermore, from Lind’s observations, it seemed that these dragons’ greatest hobby was to sleep on gold coins, and they did not possess particularly extraordinary metalworking skills; they relied on humans to earn gold coins to look at. This was very probable.
Lind shifted his gaze to the other space stations outside the space station, resembling seals nailed above the blue planet, and asked the question from the depths of his heart: “What exactly is magic?”
“Before answering this question,”
As 550C spoke, she guided Lind to a door through drones and Lena’s illusion, finally bringing him to the front of a room.
“Having confirmed that you were not affected, I have a small request. Please rest assured, it will not take up too much of your time.”
Lena’s illusion slightly bowed, her posture more standard than the real Lena’s when greeting: “There are some places on the space station that require manual repairs. Please rest assured, it does not require any specialized skills; I will arrange everything for you.”
Looking at the completely sealed room, Lind asked, “Is there any danger?”
“There may have originally been danger, but you can understand that the previous recording was a test for you. If you can smoothly watch the entire recording, this room poses no danger to you.”
The gate on the door began to rotate, and the door opened. Lind followed the drones and Lena’s illusion into the room.
