The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The atmosphere on the bridge of the "Stargazer" was anything but relaxed after the target region of Gamma-7 was decided. On the contrary, a heavy feeling, a mixture of trepidation about the unknown, vigilance against pursuers, and uncertainty about the road ahead, enveloped everyone. But this battle-hardened team had long since learned to operate at peak efficiency under pressure.

Led by mentor Verna and the few remaining engineering robots, along with Annie's assistance, they began the emergency reinforcement and modification of the starship. Energy reserves were precious, and they had to use every bit of energy and material wisely. The reinforcements, as planned, focused on improving the stability of the stealth system and the warp drive.

Regarding the concealment system, Verna, based on a simplified principle called "phase-shift coating" from the "Starfire Chamber" database, combined with rare mineral powders with energy absorption and scattering properties collected from nebulae, added a temporary, slowly self-repairing energy-absorbing film to the starship's hull. This film can distort conventional energy and optical detection to some extent. Simultaneously, she optimized the starship's original concealment force field generator algorithm, making its energy fluctuation frequency closer to the cosmic microwave background radiation, and added a random frequency conversion function to cope with possible regular scanning.

Strengthening the warp drive was even more challenging. Long-distance jumps, especially after the ship's energy reserves were not optimal and it had already withstood the close-range impact of the base's self-destruction, carried considerable risks. Verna meticulously inspected every energy conduit and rune circuit, replaced some aging components, and, utilizing some principles of spatial structural stability from the "Initial Explanation of Star Laws" that Lowe had partially deciphered, temporarily installed several "space anchoring buffers" around the engine to reduce damage to the ship's structure from spatial tearing during the warp. However, the strengthening work was extremely costly. By the time the initial modifications were completed, the starship's energy reserves had dropped from 42% to only 29%, and its stockpile of several key rare materials was also nearly depleted.

"This is the limit of what we can do." Verna's face was pale, and fine beads of sweat covered her forehead. The continuous high-intensity work and mental exhaustion made her look somewhat weak. "The theoretical success rate of jumping to the γ-7 star system is 91.7%, but if we encounter unforeseen spatial turbulence or strong interference along the way, the success rate will drop. After arriving, the starship will have very little energy left, and this temporary coating and buffer will need time to cool down and recharge. During this period, our stealth and maneuverability will be greatly reduced."

"That's enough. The rest is up to Xinghai and luck." Luo Wei had already left the medical pod. Although his face was still somewhat pale and his breathing hadn't fully recovered, his eyes had regained their usual sharpness and composure. He changed into a simple combat suit, wearing the Star Key close to his body, which resonated subtly with his spiritual sea. He patted Verna on the shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work, mentor. Now, leave it to me and everyone else."

Elder Anderson devised a detailed flight plan. To minimize the risk of tracking and interception, the jump route was not a straight line, but a slightly curved path that traversed several known small gravitational lensing regions. This would utilize the gravitational effects of natural celestial bodies to slightly "bend" the trajectory, increasing the difficulty of tracking. Simultaneously, he implemented strict energy rationing, minimizing lighting in non-core areas, manually controlling temperature in living quarters, and reducing the simulated gravity field to just the minimum needed to maintain basic physiological needs.

Lilith prepared a simple emergency kit for everyone, containing highly concentrated nutrients, basic therapeutic spray, and her latest improved "Mind-Cleansing Potion" that could temporarily boost mental resistance. Most of the equipment in her own laboratory was no longer portable, so she selected only a few of the most essential instruments and material samples. Her face showed undisguised regret, but her eyes were resolute.

After several days of meditation, Lina's tingling sensations had largely subsided, but the lingering impression of the higher-dimensional order's will still haunt her. Following Verna's guidance, she tried to direct her "interconnectedness" perception more towards the interior of the starship and the γ-7 star system she was about to reach, rather than spreading it outwards. She could vaguely sense that the energy background in the direction of the γ-7 star system seemed much more "active" and "complex" than that of the shattered star remnants, but the exact details were too far away to be clearly perceived.

Patton appeared to be the most "normal" among them. He silently inspected every possible weak point in the ship's defenses, adjusting the few remaining autonomous turrets to a ready-to-activate state. However, his aura became more restrained. As his Stellar Battle Qi flowed within him, it carried a subtle, mountain-like solidity—a sign of the further fusion of the "Star Rock Body Forging Technique" with his own Battle Qi. The flame within him had not been extinguished by the destruction of the base; instead, it had been compressed and tempered, awaiting the next opportunity to erupt.

Six hours before the jump.

The "Stargazer" quietly departed the pulsar graveyard and entered a relatively empty transitional region. Far from the core of the pulsar debris, the background noise was low, making it suitable for initiating long-distance jumps.

"All systems have completed their final self-checks. Course locked, coordinates at the edge of the γ-7 star system. Energy core output power increased to the jump threshold. All personnel, move to your anti-shock positions." Verna's voice rang out over the ship's intercom, calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.

Luo Wei sat in the master chair, his hands resting lightly on the control spheres on the armrests. The Star Key hovered before him, emitting a steady glow. He slowly channeled his restored stellar energy into the Star Key, then connected it to the starship's guidance system. This time, he would not only be a passenger during the jump, but also attempt to use the Star Key as a medium to stabilize the jump portal. This was an important practical application of his newly acquired knowledge, and also an extra layer of protection in case of potential spatial disturbances.

"Three, two, one... Leap initiation!"

Om-! ! !

The familiar violent tremors and the feeling of spatial disintegration returned. But unlike before, this time the warp portal seemed exceptionally "viscous" and "unstable." The dazzling scenery outside the portholes was distorted even more violently, and tiny spatial cracks flickered like black lightning along the edges of the portal. The starship's reinforced hull groaned under the strain, and the newly installed space buffers glowed with a blinding red light, frantically counteracting the waves of spatial tremors.

"Abnormal spatial turbulence detected! Intensity exceeds expectations by 17%! Engine load increases!" The star core's alarm sounded.

Luo Wei grunted, feeling the star power being consumed by the Star Key increase rapidly. He gritted his teeth and persevered, quickly reviewing the theories about spatial stability in "An Introduction to Star Laws" in his mind, trying to adjust the frequency of the Star Key's energy output so that it would resonate with rather than oppose the inherent fluctuations of the jump channel. This was an extremely delicate and dangerous operation, requiring a profound perception and control over spatial energy.

"Love, hold on! The buffer is overloaded!" Verna's voice was filled with anxiety.

"I'm trying... to adjust the frequency..." Veins bulged on Luo Wei's forehead, his mental energy being depleted at an unprecedented rate. He could sense that this abnormal turbulence wasn't entirely naturally formed; it seemed... to carry a faint, familiar, chilling trace of order? "Is it the Silent Court? Have they deployed interference along the route? No... it's more like... the spatial structure of this star system itself has been long-term tainted by some kind of 'order' power, becoming... rigid and fragile?"

The thought sent a chill down his spine. If the γ-7 star system was also under the influence or surveillance of the Silent Court, wouldn't they be walking into a trap?

But there was no turning back now. He could only suppress his doubts and focus all his efforts on maintaining stability. With his efforts and Verna's control, the starship, like a petrel in a storm, struggled through the increasingly turbulent spatial currents. The violent shaking turned everyone pale, and they clung tightly to the anchors.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Luo Wei felt his star power and spiritual energy were about to be drained again, a stream of light suddenly flashed in front of him, and then—

Swish!

The violent shaking suddenly stopped, and the view outside the porthole froze instantly.

It was no longer a distorted stream of light, nor a shattered star, but a... relatively normal starry sky.

The sky is dotted with stars, and in the distance, a spiraling nebula slowly rotates. Further still, a star emitting a gentle, yellowish-white glow can be seen. The background radiation of space is stable and peaceful, bearing the active energy characteristics unique to carbon-based star systems.

"Jump complete. Arrived at the designated coordinates on the outer edge of the γ-7 star system. Starship energy reserves: 9%. Ship structural integrity: 87%, minor damage. Partial peeling of the camouflage system coating, overheating of the buffers, requiring at least 48 hours of cooling. Detected signal from a conventional civilization in this star system... weak strength, distant." The report from the star core brought a sigh of relief to everyone.

They succeeded! Although the cost was enormous, they finally escaped the shattered star's remains and arrived in this new star system.

However, before everyone could fully recover from the dizziness and tension of the jump, Lina suddenly exclaimed, her finger trembling as she pointed at the main screen: "What...what is that?!"

In the void hundreds of thousands of kilometers to the side of the starship, a huge, indescribable man-made structure was quietly suspended!

It was neither a planet nor a conventional space station. It was composed of countless enormous, geometrically regular silver metal plates pieced together and assembled in a seemingly random yet profoundly orderly manner, forming an irregular, flat, polyhedral structure comparable in size to a small planet! The surface of the structure was as smooth as a mirror, without any visible portholes, thrusters, or weapon platforms, only some constantly flickering, pale blue energy patterns, pulsating slowly like breathing. It hovered there silently, incongruous with the surrounding starry sky, exuding a cold, inanimate, yet exquisitely ordered and precise beauty.

What's most chilling is that the energy fluctuations emanating from this colossal structure bear a striking resemblance to the chilling aura of order they encountered on the Static Court warship amidst the shattered planet's remains! Only it's more expansive, more restrained, and more... eternal.

"Is it... an outpost of the Court of Stasis? Or... some kind of large facility of theirs?" Lilith's voice trembled.

"Something's not right..." Instructor Verna stared intently at the screen, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. She quickly accessed the detailed annotations for star system markings in the "Starfire Chamber" database. "The annotation for the γ-7 star system is... 'Low-level development, presence of sparse carbon-based civilizations, stable energy environment, far from major shipping lanes'... But there's another line of folded, higher-level annotations below..."

She took a deep breath and read out each word carefully: "WARNING: A 'Silent Archiver'—a secondary observation/sealing facility under the 'Court of Order'—exists at the edge of this star system. The facility is in a low-power dormant monitoring state and will not be activated unless there are high-priority targets or large-scale rule disturbances. It is recommended to avoid it with caution and not to make contact with it proactively."

Silent Archiver! A subordinate facility of the Court of Order (Silent Court)! Or a secondary observation/sealing facility!

Everyone felt a chill run from their feet to the top of their heads. They had carefully chosen what they thought was a relatively safe haven, only to find themselves stumbling upon the enemy's lair... the doorway to the "archives"?!

"We...we've come to the wrong place, haven't we?" Annie's face turned pale.

"No, the coordinates are correct." Elder Anderson's voice was dry. "Is there a gap in the intelligence, or... was the establishment of the 'Silent Archives' after that star map data record? Or... is this just a standard method used by the Silent Court to monitor 'underdeveloped areas'?"

Lowe's heart sank to the bottom. The Star Key's resonance hadn't elicited any special reaction from this massive structure, indicating that it might not be directly targeting the "Key," but its very existence was the greatest threat. A quiescent court facility in a "dormant monitoring" state meant it might not attack proactively, but any abnormal activity that didn't conform to "order" could potentially "activate" it.

Their starship, which had just survived a horrific escape, was depleted of energy, riddled with damage, and was being pursued by the Stasis Court, was undoubtedly the biggest "anomaly"!

"Immediately silence the entire ship! Shut down all non-essential energy outputs, including external scanning! Activate minimum power stealth mode! Lina, suppress your senses at all costs, do not probe that structure!" Lowe almost roared as he gave the order, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.

The indicator lights that had just illuminated on the "Stargazer" quickly went out, the engines stopped, and it seemed to die instantly, only gliding slowly along its original course due to inertia, trying to blend into the background starry sky. The ship was plunged into darkness, with only the emergency lights emitting an eerie green glow. Everyone held their breath, their heartbeats seemed to stop, their eyes fixed on the silver behemoth on the screen that was getting closer and larger.

It was so enormous that even from hundreds of thousands of kilometers away, it still occupied a considerable portion of the screen's field of view. The flowing, pale blue energy patterns flickered regularly, like the breathing of a slumbering behemoth. No detection beams swept in, no warning signals came, only a suffocating, chilling silence.

The starship was like a speck of dust drifting towards the jaws of a behemoth, silent and still, yet carrying the last hope and fear of everyone.

Will it be ignored by this "Silent Archiver" and passed by like dust? Or will it trigger some unknown monitoring mechanism, bringing about annihilation?

The answer will be slowly revealed in this breathtaking silence.