Chapter 1387: Chapter 1386: Foundation

In Aldernon, within a magic laboratory on the upper levels of the Obsidian Palace, Emperor Rosetta Augustus’s gaze was deeply captivated by the crystal emitting a mysteriously beautiful azure glow before him. After several seconds of staring, he gently exhaled and broke the silence in a low voice, "Such a beautifully crafted treasure like a piece of art... So, is this what the Gondor people referred to as the ’Extraterrestrial Object’ back then?"

"Strictly speaking, it is one of the Extraterrestrial Objects," Diana said calmly, "The Wepland Meteor Shower was of significant scale. Historical records indicate that at least double-digit fragments fell in the Wepland Area back then. Since the Gondor Empire’s control over remote areas was not as strong during that era as in the subsequent Meteoric Era, many fragments were lost to the commons after falling and were secretly preserved by some hidden sects and wizard groups. Gondor officials later intervened and established a series of research facilities centered on the Wepland Observatory to contain all remaining fragments before they could be lost further—the piece you see here is merely one of the Extraterrestrial Objects contained by the Gondor government."

"One of the Extraterrestrial Objects... News from the Cecil Clan suggests that all these Extraterrestrial Objects are related to the Voyager civilization, an ancient civilization that left numerous ’spatial facilities’ in orbit above our planet. What we call Extraterrestrial Objects are actually fragments detached from these facilities," Rosetta pondered aloud, a spark of curiosity flickering in his eyes. Over the past few years, he found that his curiosity seemed to revert to his youth. New and incredible things and domains emerged at an unprecedented speed, almost overwhelming, and somehow these phenomena always appeared to have more or less connections with that new empire in the northwest, "It’s truly astonishing how many secrets are hidden just above our heads..."

"His Majesty Gawain Cecil has a profound connection with the legacy of the Voyagers. Judging from historical records and currently available intelligence, he established a mysterious link with those ancient devices in space seven hundred years ago and gained some kind of... ’wisdom’ from the Voyager legacy," Diana quietly stated, "And I believe his connection with that ancient civilization may be deeper than any intelligence we’ve gathered so far suggests."

"That’s certain. If we could discern the depths of Gawain Cecil’s true nature solely through intelligence collection, he wouldn’t be the most powerful and most respected rival and friend Typhon Empire has ever known," Emperor Rosetta Augustus suddenly chuckled, shaking his head as he spoke, "The secrets between him and the Voyager legacy are certainly many, and those parts he wishes to keep hidden are surely beyond any intelligence method to uncover—but that is not important. What’s important is what lies before us."

His gaze fell on the beautifully crafted crystal on the table, his voice low.

"He has given you this item so generously—even though theoretically, this crystal truly is a ’legacy’ left to you personally by Sir Scott, we all know he has a hundred valid reasons to ignore it, yet he still allowed you to take it. This can only indicate two things: First, compared to the Voyager legacy he has already mastered, this crystal is insignificant, worth far less than a favor, and second, compared to his true objectives, possessing such an item holds insignificant meaning..."

Emperor Rosetta Augustus extended his hand, taking the softly glowing crystal and feeling its slight warmth. The Typhon ruler pondered with a thoughtful expression.

"Joint research, sharing knowledge, serving technology to the whole world, a great slogan, but more than that—not merely a slogan. To this day, many fools still consider the ’Community of Mortal Destiny’ proposed by Gawain Cecil at the 112th meeting as a grandiose concept to draw in forces, just like the legendary great swindler conjured a mountain of gold before the Fool King Clonosoro. But looking at the vast front lines in the wasteland today, even the most idiotic should realize that the ’Alliance’ is far from being an illusory golden mountain..."

Diana looked into Rosetta’s eyes: "Regarding the initiation of a joint research project, what’s your opinion..."

"I fully agree, moreover, I have long agreed," Rosetta seemed to have made up his mind, immediately responding, "It’s just right that the ’door’ project at Winterhold Castle is in its final stages, no longer requiring such a large maintenance team. We can negotiate with the Cecil Clan to directly begin joint research on the ’Extraterrestrial Objects’ at Winterhold Castle, which also saves the personnel transfer and repetitive construction costs. And we have to do more than just this."

He placed the crystal back on the table, leaned into his chair with a profound gaze, "From now on, summon the Empire’s best theoretical scholars and research-direction mages, especially talents in the energy, mechanical, and astro fields, to form a special team for research and analysis of the Voyager legacy, funded directly by the royal family. Once Master Windsor Maple finishes the ’door’ project, she will personally lead this new team."

"Is this team for joint research on the ’crystal’ with the Cecil Clan?" Diana glanced at the crystal on the table but also keenly sensed that Rosetta’s intention was more significant than that.

"It is to research something larger," Emperor Rosetta Augustus grinned, "Gawain Cecil’s willingness for you to take this crystal indicates that the ’gifts’ he prepared for the world go far beyond this crystal. I think the world is about to undergo some transformation not unlike the ’Magic Revolution,’ and perhaps... he is already set to turn his sights to the stars, so we must be prepared a step ahead."

...

In the capital of the Cecil Empire, deep within the underground secret meeting room of the Magic Technology Research Institute, the bright Magic crystal lamps illuminated the vast room. Gawain, Aunt Heidi, Amber, and others were seated around the large round table at the center, with several other seats occupied by floating clear holographic projections depicting Kamel and others who could not attend in person but appeared in this special room via remote connection.

In the center of the large round table sat a sizable Magic Web Terminal, the space above it showing numerous orderly and dense characters—the information recorded in the sanctuary of the Wepland Observatory.

The sound of pushing the door open and footsteps came from the entrance direction, and Gawain looked towards the sound, seeing Veronica entering the room with a platinum scepter in hand. The "Saint Princess" glanced over the figures and holographic projections surrounding the round table, displaying a slightly apologetic expression, "Apologies, I’m late—I was just handling matters of the Holy Light Church."

"You’re only a few minutes late, not a problem," Gawain nodded, gesturing for her to take a seat, "Grand Shepherd Lait has gone on a crusade to the wasteland, and most of the church’s work is on the shoulders of the bishop group and you, so it’s normal to be a bit busy lately."

Veronica gently nodded, the faint brilliance around her exuding a sense of ease and slight excitement to those present at the meeting. Meanwhile, she also glanced at the holographic projections floating at the center of the conference table, her gaze sweeping over the ancient Gondor script and extraterrestrial text, before looking at Gawain, "I’ve already heard about the general situation from Miss Amber. It’s said you’ve found important research materials and ancient relics at the Wepland Observatory, but I’m yet to understand the details."

"I was about to address this matter," Gawain cleared his throat twice, then raised his head to look around the entire venue. Everyone seated here was among the most core and trusted members of the Empire (he privately referred to them as "Inner Circle Members"). Therefore, without much formality or hesitation, he directly recounted the experiences he and Amber had at the Wepland Observatory. "We discovered information related to these ’Extraterrestrial Signals’ at the Wepland Observatory, left by the observatory director seven hundred years ago, Sir Scott Prandin..."

For the next half-hour, only Gawain’s detailed narration filled the room. He explained their experiences in as concise a language as possible, including all the details. The participants listened intently throughout. The precious data left at the Wepland Observatory and the admirable perseverance of Sir Scott and Grand Scholar Alphonse was enough to move everyone, even the usually carefree Amber and the whimsical Rebecca (attending remotely) wore solemn expressions throughout.

After Gawain finally concluded his narration, he glanced over everyone present before slowly standing up: "Before we move into the formal speech and discussion, I hope we can all express our respect to the scholars who held their ground at the Wepland Observatory. They left behind a legacy capable of forging the future, and their achievements and honors deserve acknowledgment and should be remembered forever."

As Gawain’s words faded, everyone around the round table stood up, silently bowing their heads in respect to those great individuals who had passed.

After a brief tribute, the figures around the round table sat back down, and Gawain’s gaze settled on Veronica. He looked at this former royal member of the Gondor Empire (though she now occupied a body with Moen bloodline): "About the Wepland Observatory, we don’t know much. Do you have any understanding of the research conducted by Sir Scott and others?"

"The studies on astromancy and extraterrestrial impacts conducted in the Wepland area were not part of the defied Plan—at that time, we did not know about the connection between ’celestial bodies’ and ’divine catastrophes,’" Veronica began softly. "Thus, I’m not very clear on what happened at the Wepland Observatory, though I had heard about the report concerning the unidentified signals from beyond the Earth, which was handled by the Empire’s High Astrologers Association. Theoretically, such a discovery should have attracted attention from the academic world, a call from among the stars... Even during the Gondor era, this would have been an event causing massive upheaval in academic circles."

Gawain, hearing this, furrowed his brow slightly: "You used ’theoretically’... So, this matter didn’t actually cause much of a stir at the time?"

"Do you remember the details Sir Scott mentioned in his message?" Veronica slightly lowered her eyelids, "Investment in astronomy was tightening in the imperial capital. A large number of talents were diverted to other fields, causing personnel shortages at the Wepland Observatory..."

"I do remember," Gawain nodded and linked this to the defied Plan in the late Gondor Empire and the "Minor Chaotic Wave" that erupted soon after. Some conjectures were forming in his mind. "That should have been around the time of the late Gondor Empire, so the reasons for tightening investment and diverting talent must have been because..."

"The defied Plan was at a critical stage, and significant progress was made in the Godspawn Project," Veronica slowly nodded, confirming Gawain’s conjectures. "Honestly, cutting investment in the field of astronomy was not a wise decision. As a researcher, I understand the significance of looking towards the stars, but we made this decision then because we had to prioritize survival in the face of divine catastrophes and chaotic waves over stargazing, which had no immediate tangible results. However..."

Saying this, Veronica sighed gently, shaking her head with a slightly self-deprecating tone: "Only now does it seem that our efforts didn’t help most people survive. We were clueless in our approach to fighting the divine catastrophes, and our understanding of the chaotic waves was utterly mistaken. Both the Godspawn Project and the defied Plan failed to save the Empire. In contrast, Sir Scott and his team achieved their final results amidst the wasteland."

"That’s not how I would see it," Gawain shook his head, "No one possesses the ability to foresee the future. In my view, the greatest significance of the old defied Plan is not the actual results it achieved, but the fact that you raised a flag, and from a long-term perspective, the residual impacts of the defied Plan did indeed loosen the bonds between mortals and the divine... Though not in the way you originally anticipated."

"Now the question is, the information left by Sir Scott..." Aunt Heidi’s voice came from Gawain’s left side, "This foundational ’dictionary’ will help us understand the messages from distant stars. Master Kamel and I both believe we should start immediately on the research and learning of these writings, deciphering the information received over the past two years while beginning to tackle the technology of sending and receiving messages to prepare for interstellar communication. However, on the other hand, the battles we are engaged in within the wasteland are growing more intense, and at this current time, a joint ’crystal block research’ with the Typhon Empire is already destined to occupy a large amount of resources and manpower, not to mention an interstellar communication project with an unknown timeline..."

She spread her hands, shaking her head somewhat helplessly: "After all, we can now only receive these signals. Even if we fully decipher them, talking about establishing communication with an extraterrestrial civilization is not feasible—the corresponding sending technology is something no one knows how long it will take to research, not to mention the risks that must be carefully managed."

Despite the fact that the calls from beyond the stars greatly intrigued Gawain, he had to admit that Aunt Heidi’s considerations were quite reasonable. Establishing communication with an extraterrestrial civilization is not as simple as just "shouting into the void," as it involves extensive technical support, societal preparation, and unforeseeable risks. Even when not considering risk, the most awkward problem stands before the alliance:

How can we send this signal? Without being able to send a signal, how can we even talk about establishing interstellar communication?

Today, no race in Loren has interstellar communication capability... The Talronde from back then did have some technological advancements in this area, but the Talronde’s technology is done for, and the sea demon’s ships do have antennas for interstellar communication, but who knows when those things will be repaired...

"Let’s start with the most basic work," Gawain nodded, "First translate the ancient Gondor language in the materials into the modern human common language and elf common language (the two official languages of the alliance), then compile a usable complete dictionary. Using this as a foundation, let’s translate all the signals we have received so far—even though they might still just be basic alphabets, there could well be useful information included in there..."

(Book recommendation, troublesome new book "After Awakening," science fiction category, the ever-popular Steam & Cthulhu elements, the author’s previous book is "The Romance of the Decayed Chess," writing quality is guaranteed. Although this book is still quite young, it’s worth looking forward to.)

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