Chapter 4: Deep Space Observation
The news of Joshua's awakening quickly spread, carried by the cheers of the students, to the academy mentors who had been observing them with magic from the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground Joint Research Center. The delighted mentors immediately disseminated the news throughout the entire research center—although Joshua himself was unaware of it, the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia was actually one of the research center's key investors. In a sense, he was the benefactor of all the researchers present, and was known for his generosity.
The Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground Joint Research Center was primarily established by three of the continent's current first-rate powers: the Northern Empire, the Sky-Piercing White Tower, and the Church of the Seven Gods. Other nations and independent forces had joined in succession. Currently, only the Commercial Alliance located in the Far South had yet to join the investigation of the ancient ruins, but they supplied nearly all the food provisions within the Sacrificial Ground, mainly because they lacked the corresponding technical expertise and could only contribute financially.
In short, the upper management of the research center could directly contact the leaders of the major powers. Therefore, within ten minutes of Joshua awakening and making contact with the Winterfell Academy students, Nostradamus, who had rushed over from the Void Observatory, had already arrived at the center of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.
At this moment, Joshua was not interfering with the Winterfell students' sightseeing—if they wanted to talk, there would be plenty of time to exchange words when they returned to Moldavia together after the tour. For now, he was strolling through the eastern building complex of the Sacrificial Ground with Ying and Lin, riding on Black. The warrior had stored away the body of the Nameless Technician, planning to awaken it when the time was right.
When the old mage arrived, the two, who were overly familiar with each other, immediately engaged in a brief and meaningless exchange of pleasantries. Unable to contain himself, the old mage was the first to pour out his grievances.
"Do you have any idea how much trouble your little trip has caused?!"
The legendary space-time mage, teacher of emperors, headmaster of Winterfell Academy, president of the Royal Mage Association, general director of the East Bannert Highland Industrial Base, chief engineer of the Pan-Northern Continent Academy Construction Project—perhaps the busiest man in the entire Mycroft World, second only to the old Pope—Nostradamus didn't even have much time to complain. After a brief grumble, he directly left Joshua with a thick stack of various reports, then teleported away with a flash. He still had to meet with envoys from the Dwarf Clan later to discuss technical cooperation on geothermal energy extraction and didn't have time for a long chat with the warrior.
"Master, that badge on the Grandmaster's chest was really big."
"Yeah, it was covered in densely packed tiny words."
"...His titles are almost as long as my epithet now."
The master and his two servants, plus a dragon, stared blankly at the spot where Nostradamus had disappeared. A faint trace of azure magical radiance lingered there, but it quickly faded away. At the same time, Joshua raised the reports in his hand.
[Research and Analysis on the Residual Active Flesh of the Insect Demon Lord — Fourth Experimental Report]
[A Brief Analysis of the Benefits and Impacts of an Omni-Vision Surveillance Network on the Lives of Nobles and Common Citizens]
[Important Speech by Ocean Sage Lady Faina at the Sea Dragon City: The Four Different Forms and Conversion Methods of Psionic Energy]
[Mass Awakening of Wild Sorcerers; Over Two Hundred Awakened Within the Empire, Suspected Collective Bloodline Atavism Phenomenon]
[Nature Mentor Galannod Returns to the Eternal Lake with a Giant Creature Suspected to be a Void Behemoth, Causing Panic Among the Elves]
Having just flipped through the first few pages, Joshua's initially relaxed expression turned serious. He realized that during the few months he had been away, the legendary experts of the Mycroft World had not been idle. Several more reports followed, including a reply from His Holiness Pope Eagle regarding his research on the soul, along with an invitation to meet; preparatory documents for the External Exploration Department's experimental expeditions; and a joint report by the three major powers on deep space observation of the void.
"Research on the Insect Demon Lord's flesh? Results so soon?"
Joshua remembered that when he had left for the Siberia World, Baniel and William hadn't yet analyzed the composition of that legendary demon's flesh. But after reading the entire report, the warrior understood that these two legendary mages indeed hadn't figured out how the Demon Lord could make its flesh rapidly transform into other living beings. However, based on the characteristics of its surface colloid, they had developed a special magical material.
This material, named 'Memory-Type High-Molecular Polymer,' possessed high strength, high elasticity, high deformability, shape memory, and resistance to corrosion and friction. It even had a considerable degree of magic resistance. This material could be widely used in various fields. Armor linings made from it had astonishing flexibility. Baniel believed it could be used for otherworld exploration, solving the long-standing problem of the Northern Empire Research Institute's exploration suits. Clothes made from this material could even self-heal damaged areas due to its memory properties.
"If only we had more legendary creatures to dissect," William had lamented at the time. "Material science would advance by leaps and bounds!"
"I could even use this stuff to build an ultimate construct that can freely deform and self-heal! It's a bit afraid of fire, but I'll just add a fire resistance rune," Baniel had exclaimed. "Let's call it T-001. Come to think of it, my custom puppet types have already reached the T-series number."
—They should be interested in the soul puppet technology from the Siberia World.
Joshua nodded slightly and looked at the next report. This one detailed how Israel's surveillance of the entire empire affected the lives of commoners and nobles. The report was very thorough. The vast majority of commoners stated they felt no difference except that their daily burdens had lightened considerably. Many nobles had also become much more honest. Only a few former rural bullies and corrupt nobles, acting out of habit or wishful thinking, committed crimes, were caught by the Emperor, and were subsequently sentenced or directly executed.
"Still within normal range... To be restless during such a sensitive period just shows a lack of brains."
Joshua's expression was somewhat complex. Fatlervi's absolute dictatorship in the Siberia World had been so extreme that it always made the warrior feel uneasy. However, Joshua also knew that, first of all, Israel's rule was not absolute dictatorship. Not to mention himself and Nostradamus, both legendary experts, Israel's ministers and advisors could offer him opinions, and he always sent avatars to the Morlai Palace for court meetings. In a sense, Israel only ensured the 'absolute impartiality of the law.' No criminal act could escape his eyes, and no one could evade judgment.
He was fundamentally different from Fatlervi, so there was no need for excessive worry. Nevertheless, Joshua decided to write a letter later, or meet with Israel in person, to tell him about the actions of another absolute dictator, making him clearly understand the immense responsibility of his position and the dire consequences if he lost control.
Next, the wild sorcerers—the so-called superhumans, the awakenees of the Steel Authority—were too few in number to cause any social upheaval for now and could be ignored temporarily.
As for the actions of the Ocean Sage and the Elf Mentor... they were still within normal bounds. Faina had recently traveled to the Starry World in soul form; she must have experienced the psionic energy of the Midgardians, which was quite different from that of the Western Mountain psychics.
However, that creature suspected to be a Void Behemoth looked familiar to Joshua. Wasn't it one of the invaders from the last legendary void battle? Come to think of it, Nature Mentor didn't seem to have fought back then. Could there really be friendly super lifeforms from other worlds?
These were minor details. What Joshua was most concerned about now were the remaining two reports.
"His Holiness the Pope wants to see me? That was the day I just left the Mycroft World. It's been so long; the matter must have been delayed. I wonder if there are any consequences."
Joshua felt somewhat helpless about this. It was an unexpected event. How was he supposed to know that someone would need him the moment he stepped out? On the other hand, it was the Pope who had brought him back to the Mycroft World from the void using the Holy Mountain Warship. He really should thank him for that. Joshua planned to visit him on the Holy Mountain Warship sometime.
The final report was the one that intrigued Joshua the most.
"Deep space observation?"
The warrior handed the other reports to Ying and Lin, who began reading them with great interest, while Joshua himself browsed the report with keen curiosity.
According to the report, it started with the research teams from the Sky-Piercing White Tower and the Church of the Seven Gods planning a joint detailed observation of the void in the adjacent space-time domain. After the Northern Empire joined, the plan changed. The three major powers joined forces to peer into the depths of the multiverse.
"Although, thanks to the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground's database, we have reconstructed a partial model of the multiverse from a thousand years ago, that is, after all, something from over a millennium ago. The invasion of the Evil Gods, the destruction of many worlds, the push of the Great Magic Tide, and the fact that we once sank towards the Abyss have all drastically changed the situation. To confirm our current accurate position in the surrounding void, observing the deep space of the multiverse is absolutely necessary."
Barbarossa, the leader of the Sky-Piercing White Tower, wrote in the report: "To ensure the survival and development of our civilization during the Great Magic Tide, we must understand exactly where our space-time domain is located in the multiverse, and what the surrounding and distant environments are generally like. This is absolutely necessary."
"Absolutely correct."
Joshua nodded in agreement. The facts were indeed so.
A single world is vast and boundless, containing one or even several ecological cycles within it. The largest worlds can even rival universes. But this doesn't mean the environment outside the world is unimportant. Just like the Siberia World at the center of the Void Great Maelstrom, its unique location created its tumultuous fate, and its civilization was greatly affected.
This was to lay the groundwork for development plans over the next ten or even decades.
Moreover, such large-scale observation could identify habitable worlds and lifeless worlds. If the worlds surrounding the Mycroft World could be roughly identified, colonization and exploration would be much more convenient... Joshua looked at the very end of the report and couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly.
Because the observation start time written on it was today!
At the same time, at the boundary of the Mycroft space-time domain.
Countless indescribable space-time currents meandered through the void, forming a distorted horizon like boiling water. The energy waves of the Great Magic Tide's white serpent surged in such an environment, with countless twinkling points of world-light flickering in the distance.
And in this environment, a mountain-like giant void warship remained steadily in place. It was resplendent and magnificent, radiating a gentle holy light. Beside this giant ship was a massive steel fortress, shaped like a highly regular icosahedron, with the most advanced observation arrays capable of piercing time and space engraved on each of its faces.
These were the 'Holy Mountain Warship' belonging to the Church of the Seven Gods and the 'Void Observatory' belonging to the Empire.
The deep space observation operation, jointly conducted by the three organizations—the Church, the Empire, and the White Tower—mobilized almost all available means. The 'Sentinel Array,' an observation wonder belonging to the Sky-Piercing White Tower, was rooted in the outer membrane of the world and couldn't travel to the depths of the void, so it was left behind as the observation base point for the Mycroft World. The Eye of the Saint, merged with the Holy Mountain Fortress, would combine its information with the Observatory to release an unprecedented large-scale observation spell into the surrounding void.
The energy consumption of this observation spell alone exceeded that of any large-scale full-scale war. To use a physical analogy, it was like directly draining a full high-grade magic crystal vein. The resonance aftershocks could even propagate to other space-time domains, causing countless civilizations that had never stepped into the void to panic.
"Begin calibrating observation points."
"Information coordinating... Perfect resonance."
"Begin converting to deep space search mode."
"Deploy auxiliary balance wings. Deploy wide-area observation array."
It could be seen that a lightning-like chain of magical power appeared between the Void Observatory and the Holy Mountain Fortress. In front of the two fortresses, a golden point suddenly appeared in the center of the void. Then, a super-giant array, ten or even a hundred times larger than the Holy Mountain Fortress, rapidly expanded like ripples!
In an instant, the array expanded to its limit. It was three-dimensional, its overall structure incredibly complex, like a super-giant observation lens. In the center of the array, circles of energy waves, as if materialized, were accumulating.
"Begin deep space observation."
With the commander's order, countless golden energy waves in the center of the array surged forth mightily, sweeping across the endless void!
Immediately, a golden storm appeared in the surrounding void. Within the storm, countless golden points flashed and disappeared. Vaguely, a model of the surrounding void region could be seen taking shape in the center of the array. With each flash of a golden point, a floating 'glass bead' appeared in the model, and these glass beads represented the countless worlds in the void!
In both the Holy Mountain Fortress and the Void Observatory, all relevant researchers held their breath, watching the formation of the void model. In the central command room of the Holy Mountain Fortress, Pope Eagle also stared intently at the void model synchronously projected on the light screen before him.
More golden points flickered under the detection of the energy storm, like fireflies. With each flash of golden light, a world model with rough data was left in the void model. Soon, as the energy waves expanded rapidly, large patches of golden points, like snowflakes, completely spread across the vast void, forming structures like star rivers!
"Too... too big..."
Seeing this, everyone fell silent. A mage from the Void Observatory couldn't help but shiver. He looked in awe at the gradually expanding void model. The real void model shattered his original worldview.
"And so empty..."
Most Mycroft people, including spellcasters, believed that the void between worlds was not vast, but narrow and short. Countless worlds were like layers of arranged glass beads, separated by a not-too-distant void, slowly moving in their respective positions.
But the real multiverse was different.
The vastness of the void far surpassed that of worlds. If a world was a thumb-sized glass bead, then the space-time domain centered on it would be as large as a villa with a backyard. The scattered worlds were like dots, sparsely spread across this immensely vast region, rotating alone.
First, the space-time domain where the Mycroft World was located could be seen. This was a vast area containing twenty-seven worlds, but most were dead, abandoned worlds, and very small, with basically no development value. From a distance, these twenty-seven worlds formed a three-dimensional shape like a dumpling, with the Mycroft World at its center.
Next was the void on a larger scale. At this point, the Mycroft space-time domain was merely part of a larger world structure. Countless glowing 'dumplings' formed a long ribbon of light, like the spiral arm of a galaxy.
The model expanded again. The full shape of the star river could be seen. Sure enough, it was an enormous gyroscopic star river. The Mycroft World was located at the tail end of this World Star River. Behind the tail end were countless chaotic, irregularly diffusing, cotton-like structures of dim, dead worlds—that is, the Abyss. The Abyss was like a pile of cotton trash. The most recently destroyed worlds were at the sharpest top, while the long-dead worlds were crushed at the very bottom of the Abyss, unknown to anyone.
But the most shocking thing was not that.
It was a strange white darkness.
It sounded hard to understand—how could darkness be white? But considering the void and the Great Magic Tide, it became clear.
If the void was a black membrane, the Great Magic Tide was the white energy mist swirling on the membrane, worlds were golden points floating in the mist, and the Abyss was a cotton-like structure of dark red points—then, if a region of the void had no worlds and no Abyss, wouldn't it be a white darkness with a black background?
The immense World Star River, so vast it made one hold their breath, was split in two by a gigantic, empty scar containing no worlds. At the very center of this scar was a spectacular vortex-like energy structure. This energy structure could devour millions of worlds, instantly erase most things within the multiverse. Almost any matter that penetrated deep into this vortex would be ground into the most basic steel mist.
"Not here!"
In the main control room of the Holy Mountain Fortress, the old Pope showed a thoughtful expression when he saw the giant world scar. But soon, he frowned. "The stars have gone out, the world is dark—that's recent. And this scar belt was at least from the last era, produced during the Evil Gods' procession! The timing is wrong!"
But it must be nearby. Eagle knew that what he was looking for—those things and those people—should be not far from the vortex energy structure of this great scar. This was precisely why he had initiated this deep space observation.
Just then, a familiar aura appeared in the teleportation room at the bottom of the Holy Mountain Fortress. With the old Pope's perception, he noticed it almost instantly. Then, Eagle immediately sensed that the familiar aura, after a brief pause, was rapidly approaching this location. All the guards and formations along the way let it pass without any hindrance.
Eagle knew that those who had the authority to move freely within the Holy Mountain Fortress, ignoring all divine spell formations, were either by his side now or still on the Far Sea's Eta Gray Island. The only one who wasn't in either of these categories was just one person.
The door to the main control room swung open. An aura, even when suppressed to the extreme, made one's hair stand on end. Almost everyone in the main control room instinctively turned their heads to look at the doorway, and Eagle was no exception.
"I was supposed to go to the Void Observatory... but I thought I might as well thank you on the way, so I came here."
Joshua Van Radcliffe walked naturally into the most confidential main control room of the Holy Mountain Fortress, but no one was surprised. He looked at the old Pope, met the smiling old man's gaze, nodded, and then turned together to look at the void world model on the light screen.
The warrior immediately raised an eyebrow. "Void Great Maelstrom?" he said softly. "So you've discovered this too."
"You know about this place?"
Pope Eagle showed a shocked expression. "You've been there?"
"Just got back." Joshua nodded. He stroked his chin, recalling his previous experiences, and replied modestly, "I'm... relatively familiar with it."