Chapter 1436: “Noy”
They called themselves the “Noy.”
Apparently, that was the name of the planet beneath their feet, as well as the name they used for their own people. In fact, the Star Decoders weren’t even sure if they were pronouncing the word correctly; for now, they simply treated this unique term as a codename for an “alien civilization.”
According to the Noy, they had been sending signals into deep space for a full fourteen hundred years—an effort spanning two dynasties and many generations of their people. This long-standing practice had become almost a “regulated order,” deeply ingrained in their society’s operations.
This mysterious alien civilization was far more candid and open to communication than anyone had expected—though it was also possible, as they claimed, that time was running out and they had no other choice.
In Cecil City, Gawain sat behind his desk, closely monitoring the entire process. A holographic projection before him displayed the real-time scene at the Solin Command Center, while the Star Decoders behind the scenes continuously translated the interstellar communications spanning light-years, sending the results directly to him. The most nerve-wracking and unpredictable phase—the initial conversation—seemed to have passed safely. Now, the experts were transmitting carefully prepared self-introductions and communication content into the distant starry expanse. Meanwhile, information about this enigmatic alien civilization kept flowing back.
“They seem to have known about the ‘Demonic Tide’ for a very long time, even vaguely understanding the true nature of this cosmic-scale disaster,” Amber said, watching the printer spit out sheets of paper. She looked up at Gawain. “They mentioned a ‘Pioneer Race’—this group left them prophecies and a wealth of technical data about the disaster. But this Pioneer Race wasn’t the ‘Voyagers’… the Voyagers have a different term in their language.”
“That’s likely the remnant seed of a civilization that came before them,” Gawain speculated. “We don’t have much data yet, but we can guess that their planet once hosted a civilization that nearly overcame the Demonic Tide. That civilization seems to have gone extinct, but they left many things behind for the Noy… which explains why the Noy’s understanding of the world in some areas surpasses ours.”
“…And this hasn’t caused any issues with the gods?” Amber asked in disbelief.
Gawain frowned and shook his head gently. “We don’t know yet. We should ask about that later.”
Just as he finished speaking, another document printed out with the familiar whirring of the rollers. The warm sheet landed on the desk, and both Gawain and Amber’s eyes immediately fell on it. It was the latest exchange record between the Noy and the Star Decoders:
Noy: “The Pioneer Race left a profound impact on our civilization. But by the time we gained intelligence in (untranslatable), the Pioneer Race had already come to an end. Only a few confused descendants, who had completely lost their intelligence, wandered the land. We inherited knowledge from (untranslatable), understanding the nature of the world and how to think. This inheritance has been gradually unlocked alongside our development, until we were qualified to receive the ‘Star Tower’…”
Star Decoders: “‘Star Tower’? That’s not in our standard lexicon.”
Noy: “The ‘Star Tower’ is the ancient device we use to communicate with you. It’s a relic left by the Voyagers above our planet. The Pioneer Race successfully activated the Star Tower but failed to change their fate. In their final moments, they left the Star Tower as a gift to us.”
Star Decoders: “Understood. So you haven’t truly mastered faster-than-light communication technology yourselves, and rely on this ‘legacy’ to establish contact?”
Noy: “Exactly. We must rely on it to make our voice heard among the stars. Using the Star Tower holds special and honorable meaning in our society. Only a few qualified individuals can (untranslatable) and achieve resonance.”
Due to the complexity of the process and the limited speed of translation, the conversation’s efficiency was far from high. When Gawain finished reading the latest data, the Star Decoders at Solin Command Center were still working on the next phase of interpretation. This gave Gawain and Amber time to ponder the clues revealed in the dialogue.
“Just as we suspected,” Gawain exhaled softly, setting the page aside. “They’re using the Voyagers’ legacy to send signals… Their technological level isn’t as advanced as we imagined. That should ease some worries.”
“Not just the tech level… their frankness surprised me even more,” Amber frowned. “They answered many questions and even volunteered a lot of information. Keep in mind, from their perspective, we’re also an unknown ‘alien civilization,’ but the Noy don’t seem to be very… wary.”
“In fact, we might be just as ‘frank’ in their eyes,” Gawain smiled wryly. “We prepared plenty of materials introducing ourselves and sent them over. But all of it was rigorously reviewed to ensure nothing harmful was included—I’m sure they did the same. Two alien civilizations meeting for the first time can only see what the other openly shows, not the secrets hidden from the start. The information is so tightly sealed that even asking questions is limited. Under these conditions, the very act of talking is an act of honesty.”
Amber listened thoughtfully. Just then, the printer began spitting out new content again—
Star Decoders: “Regarding the ‘disaster’ you mentioned, we have some understanding. On our planet, it’s called the ‘Demonic Tide.’ Our scholars believe it causes cognitive distortions in intelligent beings, leading to uncontrolled observer effects on a macro scale, ultimately resulting in civilization extinction. Does this align with your understanding?”
Noy (long pause): “Yes, that’s exactly what we want to warn you about! It’s good news that you already know something.”
Star Decoders: “So can we understand that you know how to deal with the Demonic Tide but cannot do it alone, and thus need to cooperate with us?”
Noy (another pause): “At this stage, we lack complete technology to resist the Demonic Tide, but we have some theories that might protect the minds of intelligent beings during its arrival. However, we cannot accomplish this independently.”
Star Decoders: “We need a clearer explanation to judge whether such cooperation is feasible. What is your theory? Why can’t you do it alone, but working with us offers hope? How did you determine that a completely unknown alien civilization like us could help?”
Noy: “Because we must calculate certain parameters of the Demonic Tide on an astronomical scale to ensure the protection technology works. To gather the original data, we need to establish at least two observation points.
“These two points must be at least four light-years apart—that’s the basic scale of a full Demonic Tide oscillation.
“Within this range, you are the only civilization to respond.”
The conversation on the page ended there, with a small footnote from the technicians: the “light-year” units have been converted.
Gawain looked up and exchanged a glance with Amber. Almost simultaneously, the voice of Beltira came from the magic network terminal beside the desk: “Do you think what ‘they’ say is credible?”
Gawain glanced at Beltira, then back down at the transcript, his brow furrowing slowly. “There’s too little information… Our research on the Demonic Tide is still quite shallow. We only recently approved the first ‘simulation lab’ plan. With such limited understanding, we can’t be sure if these ‘aliens’ are lying…”
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his mind racing as he continued, “According to them, resisting the Demonic Tide requires large-scale ‘observation’ first—setting observation points four light-years apart to confirm the Demonic Tide’s real-time state. So their theoretical ‘protection’ must be adjustable, maybe something that ‘cancels out’ the Demonic Tide?
“It sounds like the Pioneer Race left them a lot of knowledge but also many ‘gaps.’ This gives the Noy a deeper understanding of the world in some areas but no corresponding solutions… or the solutions are beyond their current capabilities.”
Beltira was silent for two seconds before speaking slowly, “I wonder if they’re willing to share their ‘protection technology’ with us first—or at least their ideas on the matter. That would help us assess credibility.”
“Have the Star Decoders prepare questions on that,” Gawain nodded. Then he thought for a moment. “Also ask how they plan to ‘cooperate’ with us. From what we’ve learned, their planet is at least four light-years away, and the only link between us is this unreliable faster-than-light communication. If they’ve considered these realities, they should have a feasible plan.”
“Yes, the Star Decoder team has begun drafting the text.”
What followed was a painfully slow wait. The study was so quiet that only breathing could be heard. Gawain and Amber stared at the magic network terminal and the connected printer, their fingers tapping the armrests subconsciously—until, minutes later, a click came from the printer, and a fresh sheet slid out.
Their eyes immediately locked onto the page—
Star Decoders: “We are indeed interested in cooperation; it is vital for both our survival. But we must first understand your ‘protection theory’ to evaluate feasibility. Please understand our caution—we are also researching the Demonic Tide and have limited resources.”
Noy (long pause): “…We understand and are willing to share our ideas in advance.
“The Demonic Tide’s destructive mechanism stems from its ‘cognitive interference’ with intelligent beings. Our protection theory is based on this. We believe that if we can fix the cognition of intelligent beings in a state immune to interference, or place their minds within a ‘force field’ capable of resisting the Demonic Tide, they can be spared.
“The Pioneer Race’s knowledge mentions a ‘Unified Mind Field’ device covering the entire planet. For the past fourteen hundred years, we have placed all our people under its protection. Now, the only missing piece is the Demonic Tide’s observation parameters.
“Therefore, we need your help.”
Star Decoders: “…We understand but cannot respond immediately. Our leaders need to carefully evaluate. Rest assured, we will reply soon.
“Before that, we want to know—if cooperation is established, how would it proceed? The distance between our planets is vast, and we only have an unstable faster-than-light communication link.”
Noy: “We will send you technical data, including how to build observation devices for the Demonic Tide and the complete blueprint for the ‘Unified Mind Field’ device. Although the latter may not suit your people, it should still be valuable.”
Gawain fell silent, staring at the words on the page, his expression grave.
A “Unified Mental Field Device”—a technology that might just withstand the magical storms.
Did he want it? Of course he did!
The Noyans needed the Alliance’s help. They had spent fourteen centuries building a grand project capable of sheltering their entire civilization. Now, with almost everything ready, they were stuck at the most critical step. All they needed was an observation point located four light-years away to activate the protective device—and then their civilization could be saved.
But they weren’t exactly the ones begging for help. At least, not entirely. Compared to them, the Alliance’s future was far more uncertain. That “Unified Mental Field” the Noyans mentioned… it was exerting a deadly allure on Gawain at this very moment.
Questions like “Does the Alliance even have the capability to build such a device?” or “How long would it take to make one?” were matters for later.
No matter how tempted he was, Gawain couldn’t give a clear answer right now.
After all, all the information he had about this mysterious Noyan civilization came from just a few pages of conversation records. Many of the technical details mentioned still needed to be thoroughly discussed and verified by real experts. He also wanted to hear the opinions of Typhon and the Silver Empire—after all, as the de facto leader of the Alliance, he couldn’t just make this decision without consulting his allies.
As he weighed everything in his mind, Gawain suddenly heard Belsethia’s voice break the silence: “Can we ask—if we refuse to cooperate, what do they plan to do? Does this Noyan civilization… have any backup plans?”
(End of chapter)