Chapter 1427: The Calling

Faced with the specific circumstances in Talrond and the realities of production cycles, High King Gawain devised a plan to downgrade and modify the Gorgon aerial platforms. To Rebecca, the downgraded “Gorgon Youth” version seemed a far cry from the original, but in Gawain’s eyes—even after such scaling back—the Gorgon platform was more than sufficient to serve as a communications node in Talrond. In fact, it was almost overkill.

After all, these platforms were only meant to be communication relays—yet they came equipped with anti-aircraft guns, alloy armor, and small landing pads for aircraft. That was already pretty absurd…

“Once these Gorgon platforms are in place, communication between Talrond and the continent of Loren will be fully restored,” Gawain said with a soft sigh, a hint of relief and pleasure in his expression as he spoke to Rebecca, who was still bent over her research notes. “Only then can we truly say our alliance has become ‘one.’ Besides, the orders from Talrond will bring us some profit, which will help offset the massive costs we incurred building the Dawn of the World and the standard Gorgon fortresses…”

He chuckled, a certain image flashing through his mind—that of a certain granddaughter who had lately been perpetually scowling with resentment. “And on top of that, Heddy will finally be able to sleep soundly.”

“Uh…” Rebecca hesitated, scratching her head nervously. “Actually, I was just about to tell you—after analyzing the test data from the Dawn of the World and the Gorgon platforms, the Arcane Technology Department has some new ideas. We’re planning to build a batch of ultra-high-altitude anti-gravity platforms, setting up several semi-permanent planetary and atmospheric monitoring stations at the top of the mana turbulence layer for research purposes…”

She looked a bit sheepish as she spoke, glancing at Gawain’s face before quickly adding, “You see, our research in this area is lacking. Although every nation has observatories and astrology societies studying planets and weather, we’ve never built research facilities for such ultra-high-altitude environments. If we had had these before, not only would it have boosted our research capabilities, but even those cultists roaming the wasteland wouldn’t have been able to slip past our watchful eyes from the start… um, and also…”

Rebecca wracked her brain for a more convincing reason to get the old ancestor’s approval for her “spending plan,” but before she could finish, Gawain’s voice came from across the room.

“That does sound intriguing—go back and draft a full proposal. I’ll review it with the experts from your department and see what we can do.”

“You agree?” Rebecca’s eyes lit up in surprise, then a grin she couldn’t contain spread across her face. “Yay!!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Gawain said, glancing at the already excited Rebecca. “I only said we could study it. Approval will come only after we confirm the value of these semi-permanent platforms.”

But Rebecca was clearly no longer listening. Based on her understanding of the old ancestor, she was already confident this was a done deal. Seeing this, Gawain sighed helplessly. That silly girl really was Heddy’s lifelong rival…

Just as he was thinking this, rhythmic footsteps echoed down the corridor, followed by a knock on the door. Heddy’s voice came through: “Ancestor, are you available now?”

Gawain glanced at Rebecca, who was still lost in her happy thoughts, seemingly oblivious to the noise around her. He looked up and called out, “Come in.”

The study door opened, and Heddy stepped inside, dressed in a deep purple new gown. Perhaps due to the recent Victory Day celebrations, her face wore a confident, cheerful smile, and her steps were lighter than usual. As she approached the desk, she noticed Rebecca standing in the room and looked somewhat surprised. “Rebecca? You’re here too… Why the silly grin? What good news?”

Only then did Rebecca notice her aunt’s arrival. She stiffened, her face visibly flushing with embarrassment. Gawain quickly waved a hand at Heddy. “You’ll find out soon enough. Rebecca has a new research project.”

Heddy raised an eyebrow in question.

Before she could respond, Rebecca had already turned and dashed toward the study door. Moments later, her voice faded down the corridor: “Ancestor, Auntie, I’m off to draft the proposal!”

Heddy watched her leave with an expressionless face. After a moment, she silently summoned a shaping hand to close the study door behind her, then let out a long, resigned sigh. “Sigh…”

Gawain chuckled and teased, “I saw you summon that shaping hand and thought you were going to drag her back here for a beating.”

“She’s no longer a child to be treated like one—though she really hasn’t improved much in many ways,” Heddy said, shaking her head tiredly. “Well, we’ll see what she’s planning. Hopefully it’s not another one of those wild ideas like ‘summoning a hundred fire elementals and placing a profanity broadcast device among them to create a massive infernal bomb’ or ‘using a supercritical accelerator to launch another supercritical accelerator to see if it works’… But since you don’t object, I guess this time her idea won’t be too crazy.”

Gawain was surprised to learn that Rebecca had proposed such bizarre projects before. He hadn’t realized that Heddy was not only the empire’s chief steward but also its brake pedal—responsible for forcing the empire’s runaway steel ball of a mind back into the bounds of normal human perspective. Amused, he stroked his chin and muttered, “Now you mention it, I am curious what would happen if you used a supercritical accelerator to launch another supercritical accelerator… if the orbit and mechanical structure could even hold up…”

Before he could finish his thought, Heddy suddenly screamed, “Ancestor!!”

“Alright, alright, I was just joking,” Gawain laughed, glancing at his granddaughter’s pale face. “Don’t worry, this time Rebecca just wants to launch a few ultra-high-altitude detection platforms for surface and atmospheric research. That’s a genuinely beneficial project for the country and its people. But enough about that—what did you come to see me about?”

Heddy cleared her throat and grew serious. “Yes, this is a document just received from the Ancestor’s Peak listening station in Ogure.” She placed a folder on Gawain’s desk and pulled out a page. “I believe its contents require your personal review.”

“Ancestor’s Peak listening station?” Gawain’s brow furrowed slightly as he immediately recognized the source. “The ‘Stellar Signal’—have they intercepted new content again?”

Since the initial discovery of signals between the stars, Gawain had personally pushed to establish numerous listening stations at home and abroad to capture these occasional “star-sea communications.” The Ancestor’s Peak station, located within the Ogure tribal lands, had yielded the most “results” so far, puzzling scholars for some time. Recent intelligence suggested that Ancestor’s Peak might be a very special “location” on this planet, possibly harboring a deep mana source similar to the Deep Blue Well. This source’s influence warped the space-time structure of the entire peak, making it uniquely receptive to “messages from afar.” Now, after nearly a year, the region had once again intercepted the interstellar calling.

And this time, the “calling” was markedly different from before.

Gawain’s eyes scanned the document’s opening summary, which included the listening station’s operational status during the capture and the raw signal patterns. Heddy’s voice continued beside him:

“…After the interference that plagued the Ancestor’s Peak region subsided, the local listening station resumed operations. The local fairies were the first to notice anomalies in the antenna—these signals appear to have switched to a new transmission method, with higher efficiency and more complex content than before. We cannot yet determine if this is a targeted adjustment or simply a technological upgrade by the sender…

“About two days ago, after adapting to the new signal pattern, the fairy technicians of the Ogure tribe successfully recorded a clearer, more complete communication. Using the ‘dictionary’ General Philip brought back from the Viplandon Observatory, scholars attempted a preliminary translation. We identified some… definite phrases, the content of which is somewhat alarming.”

Gawain’s gaze slowly moved over the document, the bolded translated text standing out sharply:

“…Calling unknown civilization Alpha… This message will be sent in a continuous loop. If you do indeed exist and have the capability to respond, please reply… The cycle is approaching. The information left by the voyagers… Evidence suggests the stars will soon flicker… We need each other… Calling unknown civilization Alpha, if you truly exist at the target location, please respond, calling… please respond…”

Gawain fell into a long silence, as if deep in thought, before quietly breaking it minutes later. “There are many parts here we still can’t decipher.”

“Yes, this is the current limit of what our ‘Star Decoders’ can achieve,” Heddy nodded. “Although the ‘dictionary’ General Philip brought back theoretically allows us to interpret alien script, in practice we’ve found that the language and writing used in these star-sea communications have… evolved somewhat. Just as our own language changes with society, theirs has clearly shifted over the past centuries. But that’s a secondary issue. The bigger challenge is that their linguistic logic differs fundamentally from ours, so full comprehension will take time.”

The “Star Decoders”—a poetic name drawn from ancient elven legends. The elven ancestors used poetry to chronicle their trials and tribulations, calling the oldest seers and sages of the forest “Star Decoders.”

They were the earliest meteorologists and astronomers. In many Ogure poems, these first sky-watchers were described as able to predict weather and fortune by observing star paths and listening to the sky’s hidden echoes. Over the ages, what once seemed miraculous became the foundation of modern meteorology and astronomy. Yet the name “Star Decoders” endured in poetry and was given new meaning today.

After Philip discovered the ruins of the Viplandon Observatory in the Gondor Wasteland and retrieved the “Alien Dictionary” left by Sir Scott from the ancient observatory, Gawain ordered the formation of a dedicated scholarly team to study this legacy and begin translating the “alien signals.” The work was tedious and difficult—learning an alien language from scratch is never easy, especially when the alien civilization’s linguistic logic is so different from that of the planet’s intelligent beings. The scholars had only an outdated dictionary centuries old and the occasional brief “messages” composed entirely of mathematical language and abstract symbols captured by listening stations.

Yet despite the challenges, the call from the stars had come again. And this time, it was more urgent than ever.

Victoria, the Duchess of the Northern Realm, was well-versed in the ancient legends of various nations. When this team of scholars was first assembled, she proposed the name “Star Decoders.” Today, the term “Star Decoders” not only refers specifically to the scholarly group established by the Cecil Empire but has also come to encompass the “translation teams” formed by the Typhon and Silver Empires, as well as the researchers dedicated to deciphering alien signals in multinational projects.

Though the war had just ended, the work had begun the moment Philip found that “dictionary.” It had now been ongoing for half a year. Even during the fiercest battles and the most critical moments, the three great empires never once halted their efforts.

“From the portions we’ve translated so far, we can roughly grasp the meaning of these messages,” Gawain exhaled slowly, steadying his unsettled emotions. “The intention of ‘active communication’ is very clear—something we’ve never seen before.”

“Yes,” Hetty nodded gently, her expression grave. “The Star Decoders have translated all the signals received over the years by our various listening stations. Although much remains undeciphered, it’s clear from what we have that the signals sent previously were nothing more than pure ‘data’—basic mathematical symbols, simple coordinates, fundamental character lists. It was as if they were merely announcing their existence, or rather…”

Hetty frowned, struggling to find the right words to express her thoughts. Gawain, however, understood immediately and spoke up.

“It’s like standing alone on a dark stage, repeatedly introducing yourself to an empty, silent auditorium. But now—”

He tapped lightly on the document lying on the table.

“They seem to have realized… that there are ‘spectators’ beneath the stage.”

“That’s exactly what makes this so nerve-wracking,” Hetty said in a low voice. “The fairy scholars in charge of the Ancestral Peak listening station have already engaged in heated debates over this. Our scholars here are much the same. It seems this civilization sending the signals has only just become aware that there might be ‘observers’ within their broadcast range. No one knows if that’s good or bad, and…”

“And we can’t even be sure if the ‘Unknown Civilization Alpha’ mentioned here actually refers to us,” Gawain met Hetty’s gaze steadily. “After all, all signs indicate that their signals are a kind of non-directional, wide-area broadcast. The cosmos is vast, filled with countless stars. There could be other intelligent beings within their broadcast range besides us.”

“Ancestral Lord, what do you think—”

“This isn’t just about us,” Gawain said gravely. “We need to convene a high-level meeting—and send an urgent dispatch to Typhon and Silver.”

(End of chapter)