The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

The Stargazer continued its voyage through the silence of the shattered starfield. Lina's warning about "multiple ancient gazes" pierced the brief calm like a cold needle. The atmosphere inside the ship suddenly tightened. Unknown pursuers, capable of silently traversing the dangerous undercurrents of the void, posed a threat far greater than any enemy before them.

Lowe immediately ordered the starship into a state of deep silence, shutting down all non-essential systems and reducing energy output to a minimum, maintaining only the most basic life support and concealment. He activated the Star Key at full power, his senses spreading outwards like a fine spiderweb, attempting to capture that faint "gaze." Instructor Verna also joined in; perhaps there were records of such beings in the fragments of her revived ancient memories.

Time passed in stifling anticipation. Hours went by, and apart from the background noise of the star system's inherent energy, nothing was found. The feeling of being watched flickered in and out, elusive and difficult to pinpoint its source.

"They're cautious...or...observing?" Lina whispered uncertainly, her intuition feeling powerless in the face of this level of concealment.

Just as everyone was filled with doubts, a change occurred in the distant depths of the starry sky outside the porthole.

At first, there were only a few faint lights, like scattered diamonds. But soon, the lights multiplied, converging into a dazzling river of light that stretched across the field of vision! The light was soft and vast, not as dazzling as stars, but carrying a powerful aura of life's rhythm.

"What is that...?" Annie asked, her eyes wide as she peered out the viewing window.

Without needing a star core scan, the star key in Luo Wei's palm resonated intensely and clearly! An ancient sentiment, a mixture of kindness, majesty, and a touch of sadness, surged into his mind along with the resonance. At the same time, Instructor Verna abruptly stood up, her eyes blazing with disbelief, and exclaimed:

"Stardust whales! It's them! Ancient astral wanderers!"

On the holographic projection, the star core magnified the distant scene. Those weren't specks of light, but enormous stardust whales! Hundreds, even thousands, of them, far larger than the one they'd encountered at the edge of the shattered starfield, their forms slightly different. Some had crystalline ridges like mountains growing from their backs, while others trailed streaks of starlight stretching tens of thousands of kilometers behind their tails. They swam in orderly fashion, as if undertaking a silent, grand migration across the cosmos. Wherever the whales passed, the shattered space was smoothed by an invisible force, and the raging energy currents became docile, as if paying homage to these cosmic behemoths.

"So...so beautiful..." Lilith murmured, overwhelmed by this magnificent, cosmic spectacle.

"It's also very dangerous." Barton gripped his weapon tightly, his eyes grave. The energy fluctuations emanating from any one of the Stardust Whales far surpassed those of the previous Sand Prison Lord.

Lina's expression became extremely complex. She pointed in the direction of the whale pod, her voice trembling, "'Gazing'... comes from them! But... there's no malice... it's very sad... very... anxious? What message are they... trying to convey?"

Luo Wei focused all his attention on sensing the information flow transmitted by the Star Key. Fragments of images and thoughts flooded in: an endless sea of ​​stars, a burning battlefield, a collapsing civilization... and a celestial body shrouded in an ominous shadow, exuding a strong sense of summons—the coordinates of the "Starry Sky Temple"! But at this moment, the image of the temple was entangled by a viscous, dark red polluting energy, as if groaning in pain.

"The temple...the temple is in trouble!" Lowe's eyes snapped open, his face grim. "The Stardust Whales are warning us! The temple has been contaminated! They're anxious, hoping...to stop us? Or...to seek help?"

The news struck like a thunderbolt, exploding in everyone's hearts. The place of ultimate hope they had searched so painstakingly for had been contaminated?

"Is it the abyss? Or... the 'Court of Stasis'?" Elder Anderson's voice was hoarse.

"Uncertain. But the nature of the contamination is strange; it's not entirely the corruption of the abyss, but carries a... cold sense of order..." Luo Wei tried to decipher the information from the Star Key.

Just then, the vanguard of the pod, an exceptionally large ancient stardust whale with a huge scar on its forehead, broke away from the group and slowly swam towards the "Stargazer." Its galaxy-like giant eyes pierced through the starship's concealment field and "looked" directly at Lowe, or rather, at the Star Key in his hand.

An irresistible, gentle yet undeniable will enveloped Lovi: "The holder of the key... senses... the same bloodline (Velna)... time is running out... the temple's 'heart' is being eroded by the 'Devouring Light'... stop it... otherwise... the balance will be completely overturned... bringing... the end..."

The thought was interrupted, and the ancient stardust whale gave Luo Wei a deep "look," its eyes filled with endless vicissitudes, heavy responsibility, and a hint of...entrustment. Then, it turned and merged back into the pod. The massive pod did not linger, continuing its patrol, slowly disappearing into the depths of the star field, as if it had never existed.

The feeling of being watched disappeared as well.

A deathly silence fell over the ship. The amount of information was overwhelming, the impact too strong.

"The Light of Destruction... the chilling order..." Instructor Verna chewed on the words repeatedly, her face deathly pale. A long-buried fragment of memory suddenly surfaced. "I remember now! One of the ultimate enforcement methods of the 'Court of Stasis'... is the 'Light of Destruction'! A forbidden power that 'resets' all existence to zero, forcibly restoring 'balance'! They... they actually attacked the Starry Sky Temple?! Could it be that the existence of the temple, too, has been deemed a variable that needs 'pruning'?"

The truth is suffocating. Not only do they face the threat of the abyss, but now even their final refuge may be destroyed by that terrifying maintainer of the "balance"!

"Star Core, reassess the course! Calculate the latest estimated time to reach the temple coordinates and scan the energy readings in the direction of the temple!" Lowe forced himself to calm down.

[Recalculating...Warning! An abnormal surge in energy readings has been detected in the temple coordinates area! High-intensity, high-entropy energy burst characteristics are present! 65% match with the 'rule-level annihilation' phenomenon recorded in the database! The estimated arrival time remains unchanged, but the risk level has been upgraded to 'extremely high'!] The star core's feedback confirmed the Stardust Whale's warning.

The road ahead is no longer a place of hope, but a trap that may lead to destruction.

"Should we... still go?" Annie's voice was filled with fear.

Everyone looked at Luo Wei.

Lowe closed his eyes. The Star Key vibrated slightly in his palm, conveying the still-powerful call of the temple coordinates, but also tinged with painful fluctuations. The Stardust Whale's warning, Verna's memories, the shadow of the Silent Court... all pointed to a hopeless future.

But he suddenly opened his eyes, a defiant flame burning within them: "Go! I must go!"

He surveyed the crowd, his voice firm: "The Stardust Whale didn't attack us, but rather issued a warning. This means the temple's situation may not be beyond repair, or perhaps there's still something worth saving inside! The 'Devouring Light' is eroding us, proving the temple itself is resisting! This further underscores the temple's importance! If even our last refuge is destroyed, we'll truly have nowhere to escape! And..."

He held up the Star Key: "This is the last relic of the Stargazer civilization! The Stardust Whale has recognized it, and it has also recognized Mentor Verna! This means we may be the only ones with the ability and the responsibility to stop all of this! This is not a choice, it is a mission!"

Mentor Verna walked to Luo Wei's side, her aged eyes flashing with the same resolute determination: "He's right. To run away is to watch the last hope be extinguished. The Star Temple is not only a refuge, but also a treasure trove of knowledge, the key to revealing all the truths. We must find out what happened, even if there's only a sliver of hope."

Barton grinned, slamming his greatsword to the ground: "To hell with the light, let's cut it down first!"

Lilith took a deep breath and gripped the potion bottle tightly in her hand: "My potion should be able to suppress that 'annihilation' energy to some extent."

Lina and Annie nodded vigorously, their eyes still showing fear, but even more so, determination.

"Adjust course, target unchanged! Maximum speed, silent sailing! All personnel, prepare to deal with the highest intensity energy impact and unknown enemies! This will be our last stand!" Luo Wei issued the final order.

The Stargazer accelerated once more, like a moth drawn to a flame, resolutely heading towards the starfield shrouded in ominous light. The warning from the Stardust Whales sounded like a heavy alarm bell, heralding the prelude to the final battle. The shadow of the temple flickered ahead; hope and destruction were separated by only a fine line.