Chapter 1386: A Call Among the Stars

The work of rubbing and archiving the inscriptions inside the sanctuary lasted an entire day.

Faced with these extremely important research materials—once lost, nearly impossible to recover—both the technicians sent by Typhon and those from Cecil treated the task with utmost seriousness and caution. They didn’t just record the characters etched into the floor; they meticulously documented every detail—the patterns on the central circular platform, the cracks on the nearby floating debris, even the fine details on the ancient scholars’ clothing. Throughout the day, these top experts in their respective fields essentially recreated the entire sanctuary space down to the smallest detail, purely from an informational standpoint. If someday they wished to reconstruct this sanctuary, these comprehensive records could allow them to produce a replica indistinguishable from the original.

Such thoroughness might seem excessive, but it was absolutely necessary—no one could predict when or how the information preserved here might prove crucial in the future. Sir Scott’s legacy to the world might be just a translation of alien script, but this incredible sanctuary space itself was also a remarkable “inheritance.”

Until the scholars finished their work, everyone followed Gawain’s orders not to touch any devices within the space, especially the “crystalline cube” on the central platform.

The crystal block was clearly the key to maintaining this space. Recklessly touching it could prematurely shut down the sanctuary. Of course, they couldn’t risk that before recording everything. But once the documentation was complete, Gawain and the others intended to take the crystal with them.

There was an alternative: leave the crystal in place and build a research facility around it for ongoing study. But no one understood the sanctuary’s operating principles, nor how long this alien space—held open by external forces—could last. Conducting research in such an uncontrollable temporal-spatial rift was obviously unsafe. Moreover, the research itself might “stimulate” the crystal, potentially triggering the sanctuary’s closure. It was safer to remove the crystal and analyze it slowly in a secure location.

As for whether removing the crystal itself posed risks… Gawain wasn’t too worried. After all, Sir Scott’s message explicitly instructed that the “extraterrestrial artifact” sustaining the sanctuary be given to Diana, noting that he and Alphonse no longer needed it. The implication was clear: they could take it away. At least for a short time after removal, the space wouldn’t collapse immediately—there would be time to evacuate.

For safety, it was best for Diana herself to retrieve the crystal, in case Sir Scott had set up any anti-theft mechanisms around it. After all, this was a perilous wasteland. To prevent wandering monsters from breaking into the sanctuary and destroying their research, Sir Scott and Alphonse had surely installed numerous security measures.

On the evening of the day after the observatory’s gate opened, all recording was complete. The research materials and experts were evacuated, personally escorted by Philip and his elite soldiers to the Cecil frontline base, now within the safe zone.

Only three figures remained on the observatory platform: Gawain, Amber, and Diana—the rightful heir to this place.

They returned to the central circular platform, gazing one last time at the concave “mirror” reflecting the starry sky. At its center rested the crystalline lattice, stacked like a cluster of crystals, quietly emitting a faint blue glow. The stars reflected on the mirror seemed to surround it like a celestial crown, sparkling brilliantly.

The platform around them was empty. The remains and ashes of Sir Scott and Alphonse had been moved and were en route to the frontline base. Even the six stone-like chairs surrounding the platform had been dismantled and taken away.

“It’s time to leave,” Gawain reminded the seemingly dazed Diana. “Ms. Diana, retrieve the crystal.”

Only then did Diana blink, awakening from her almost statue-like stillness. She nodded gently. Gawain and Amber stepped back a few paces, watching as Diana reached out steadily and resolutely toward the softly glowing crystal. She grasped it and slowly lifted it up.

A faint spark flickered where the crystal touched the platform, thin arcs of electricity dancing between them, as if tenuously maintaining some energy flow. But as Diana fully lifted the crystal, the energy link snapped abruptly. A low hum echoed from deep within the platform. In the next moment, the white streams of light flowing across the observatory floor began to fade one by one. The floating “fragments” of the structure around the platform rumbled and collapsed into the endless void beyond. Above, the starry rift slowly began to close, and the entire observatory trembled.

“The sanctuary space is shutting down,” Gawain nodded, taking Amber’s hand as they headed toward the gate. “Ms. Diana, let’s go.”

Without hesitation, Diana tucked the now-dim crystal into her arms and followed Gawain and Amber. Moments later, the three dashed through the gate—an alien spatial portal—and glanced back at the chaotic darkness beyond. The black mist churned wildly like a furious vortex, shadows flickering deep within the swirling chaos.

The collapsing force soon spread outward—the Viplanton Observatory in the real world began to shake violently.

“Retreat!” Gawain ordered decisively. He had no attachment to the place. Snatching Amber under his arm, he sprinted toward the exit stairs. Amidst the startled protests of the shadow assault geese, the three burst out of the crumbling observatory at incredible speed, only stopping once they crossed the perimeter line.

The destructive force hadn’t reached this far. Turning back, they watched the massive building sway and fracture under the setting sun. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface like ruptured blood vessels in a dying giant. The crimson light streamed through the fissures, and with a final thunderous roar, the ancient Viplanton Observatory collapsed into ruins.

Shortly after, Gawain and his group returned to the frontline Cecil base with the last soldiers evacuating the perimeter. There, they met General Philip, who had already secured the technicians, materials, and samples.

In the command center, Diana took out the pale blue crystal and placed it before Gawain.

“Before departure, Her Majesty Rosetta granted me full authority over everything discovered at Viplanton Observatory,” the ancient android maintained her usual calm, expressionless demeanor. “Her only order was to bring back ‘good news.’ This ‘crystal’ is entrusted to your care. I believe that with Cecil’s technological support, research on this artifact will soon commence.”

Gawain accepted the palm-sized, intricately formed crystal. It radiated a gentle warmth in his hand, and a subtle sense of connection—one only he could feel—was established. He slowly rotated the shining device, silent for several seconds as if deep in thought. Then he suddenly smiled and handed the crystal back to Diana.

“This is Sir Scott’s legacy to you, Ms. Diana. You should take it with you. As I said before, the truly important thing is the ‘knowledge’ behind this artifact. Sir Scott’s greatest gift to the world is knowledge that can benefit all humanity,” Gawain said with a smile, noting Diana’s slight surprise. “Please convey to Her Majesty Rosetta Augustus that I hope we can begin joint research on this ‘crystal’ as soon as possible, along with a response plan for that ‘alien signal’… I look forward to a prompt reply.”

The war against the wasteland raged on; the world was far from safe. But even amid conflict, progress must not halt.

The surprise on Diana’s face gradually faded. She made no insincere excuses, instead accepting the crystal with quiet resolve. Then, bowing respectfully, she said, “Your fairness and magnanimity are truly moving. I will convey your wishes to Her Majesty, and from a personal standpoint, I will do my utmost to facilitate our upcoming technical cooperation.”

Gawain detected a new solemnity in the ancient android’s tone.

Diana left, accompanied by the Typhon technicians she brought, carrying the remains of Sir Scott and others, the “legacy” entrusted to her, and the copied research materials.

Once everyone else was gone, Amber couldn’t help but approach Gawain. “You really let her take the ‘crystal,’ huh? I know you said the crystal’s ownership was negotiable, but the knowledge must be shared. Still, I didn’t expect you to be that generous… I thought you weren’t the type to give things away so easily.”

Amber’s teasing made Gawain’s expression twitch awkwardly. “…What kind of image do you have of me, exactly?”

“Calculating, cunning, devious, always maximizing your own benefit. Every sentence you say has nine traps, and one of them’s a bottomless pit. Half the people who work with you end up selling themselves out, and the other half are counting your money while they do it,” Amber counted off on her fingers. “Honestly, if you ever put that sword away, I could spend an entire afternoon coming up with fresh insults… but since your hand’s always on the hilt, I’m too scared to say anything now.”

“…I don’t know if that’s self-awareness or just not learning your lesson,” Gawain muttered, reluctantly removing his hand from the sword. “So that’s the impression I leave with you?”

“I’d like to say something nice, but I’m not good at that,” Amber shrugged. “And honestly, aren’t all those things true? You’ve admitted as much to me yourself…”

“…True, I’ve schemed against many, and some to their deaths. But there’s one condition—they were all enemies,” Gawain’s smile faded, his gaze serious as he looked at Amber. “As for Typhon now… well, I still need to handle them carefully, but they’re no longer our enemies. At least until the new order I’m building suffers a fatal collapse, Typhon is no longer our enemy.”

Amber eyed him skeptically, pursing her lips. “That’s not 100% true, is it?”

Gawain felt a bit helpless all of a sudden. Only now did he realize that having this Shadow Assault Goose be so perceptive might not be such a good thing. He couldn’t very well just tell it outright that the moment he touched that crystal shard, he’d already finished scanning it—extracted all the readable data—and that thing was basically useless to him now.

He had a nagging feeling that saying so would seriously damage his shining image—though, honestly, Gawain wasn’t even sure how much of that image remained in the Shadow Assault Goose’s mind to begin with.

After all, that crystal fragment was just a piece of a power device that had fallen from the Skyhold Station, and a broken fragment at that. Sure, it had research value, but its greater worth lay in being made public—serving as a kind of “interface” for the Alliance member states to study and understand the legacy of the Forerunners. Compared to that tiny shard itself, what Gawain cared about more was when he could finally get the Skyhold Station back up and running.

Amber watched Gawain’s expression shift, though she couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking. Then, suddenly, she seemed to lose interest in her earlier question. With a casual wave, she said, “Forget it, forget it. It’s probably just a bunch of high-minded talk anyway, and I wouldn’t understand it even if you explained. I’m out of here. After a whole day of running around with you, I need to find a place to rest. I’ve got to get back to the capital as soon as possible tomorrow, right?”

With those few words, her figure began to fade rapidly into the air. By the time she finished speaking, she had completely vanished from Gawain’s sight.

Staring at the spot where Amber had disappeared, feeling the absence of her presence, Gawain was silent for a few seconds before shaking his head with a wry smile.

Then he tilted his head back and looked up at the sky above the forward base.

They were deep in the wasteland. Even though the nearby purification devices had started running, the thick, polluted clouds that had hung for centuries were only beginning to thin. The lingering contamination still affected the environment around the forward base. A thin, oddly colored layer of clouds still covered the sky, blocking out the stars. Only a few of the brightest points of starlight struggled to pierce through the veil, their faint, pale glow casting a dim light across Gawain’s vision.

He thought of the “greetings” that had crossed the vast star seas to reach this planet. He remembered Enya’s words about the deep-space calls—ripples across the star clusters that symbolized the lights of civilization.

Among those deep-space signals, one had been transmitting for at least seven hundred years, from the days of Gondor until now, tirelessly sending its message across the starry ocean.

Was that signal traveling faster than light? Did the civilization behind it still exist? No one knew.

But one thing Gawain knew for certain: no matter how harsh the universe, no matter how deep the malice that fate might hold for all living things, beneath this same starry sea, one civilization after another would always rise up, look to the endless vastness above, call out—and wait for a response.

(The End of This Chapter)