Chapter 1442: Big Projects Are Always Big Projects

Gawain kept a close watch on the “Orbital Elevator” and the surrounding southwestern sea area of the Loren Continent. Thanks to the countless sensors and optical devices installed on the elevator’s exterior, he could clearly observe every move of the massive “Joint Engineering Team.” He could also control the elevator’s operation at any time and monitor the entire “Heaven-Earth Transportation System.”

Originally, such comprehensive perception and control had been beyond his reach. All of this was a fortunate byproduct of Cassandra and Asalina’s accidental “reboot” during their last encounter.

The corresponding chamber on the Sky Station had already been prepared for the upcoming repairs. All accessible areas had been unlocked, and the orbital elevator was designated a temporary high-priority unit. Meanwhile, on the planet’s surface, the “Steel Islands” buzzed with activity—Iron Soldiers, Sea Witches, and Dragons worked tirelessly. Ground supply stations were gradually taking shape, and a small vanguard team was assembling in the elevator’s gathering hall.

Leading this team was a familiar face… a familiar figure… a familiar sphere.

The restoration of the Sky Station was a critical undertaking. Although Gawain trusted that the Sea Witches, Dragons, and Iron Soldiers would all dedicate themselves fully, these were three entirely different races, each employing vastly different technologies. These “differences” might yield unexpected results when confronting the Sky Station’s complex and unknown conditions, but they also made coordination and command a massive challenge.

There had to be a trustworthy “insider” to coordinate this engineering team composed of three distinct species—someone who knew the ins and outs, possessed outstanding engineering expertise, had experience leading such complex teams through technical challenges, and most importantly, could pass the orbital elevator’s “qualification certification” and had the ability to enter space.

Saint Nicholas Egghead—this was the “sphere” Gawain deemed most suitable. From the moment the decision was made to launch the repair project, he had resolved to appoint this “alien friend,” who excelled at dealing with machines and metal, as the chief commander.

Of course, Egghead himself had important work to do. As the most senior “Master Artisan” of the Cecil Empire, he remained the lead engineer on many of the empire’s cutting-edge projects. His convenient metal manipulation and mechanical fabrication skills were always invaluable. But the empire’s engineering technology had advanced to the point where it no longer relied solely on his abilities.

Thanks to Gawain’s deliberate guidance and the efforts of the technical staff, the latest industrial machine tools could now handle most production processes that previously only Egghead could perform personally. Although the efficiency wasn’t quite on par with his, the sheer scale and expandability of production more than compensated for that loss. Now, Egghead’s main focus had shifted from frontline manufacturing to design, coordination, and specialized fabrication—tasks that could largely be delegated to his deputies.

Having completed the handover of his regular duties, the empire’s Master Artisan now joined the Sky Station repair team as the “Engineering Commander.”

At the orbital elevator’s base level, in the brightly lit assembly hall, the first vanguard team of 90 technicians from the three factions was ready.

They would carry the most basic engineering equipment into the Sky Station. While the ground personnel established a foothold on the surface, this vanguard would complete the initial exploration of the station’s “starting modules,” laying the groundwork for subsequent repairs. At the same time, they would set up numerous experimental devices in the station’s corresponding “assembly hall” to conduct various research projects.

The low, pleasant hum of machinery echoed softly through the spacious, well-lit hall. The ancient legacy of the Voyagers remained silent before these unexpected visitors. Nicholas Egghead floated several dozen centimeters above the ground, observing everything around him with excitement and joy. He was so happy that a faint buzzing sound had been emanating from within him since a moment ago.

However, his new “colleagues” didn’t yet know how to read the Master Artisan’s emotions. Berlanda noticed the strange buzzing inside Egghead and immediately looked concerned. “Mr. Nicholas, are you alright? You’ve been buzzing like that for a while—is it a lingering effect from your previous dizziness?”

“I’m fine,” Egghead turned around, his tone light and matter-of-fact. “I’m just in a good mood—can’t you tell by my expression?”

Berlanda stared blankly at the shiny, round metal shell and the somewhat comical smile. She thought to herself, “No, I really can’t tell…”

This “Master Artisan” from the Cecil Empire was the strangest creature she’d ever met. But since they’d be working together for quite some time, getting to know each other better was essential. After a moment, she asked curiously, “Forgive me for asking, but… are you a male sphere or a female sphere?”

“I’m male,” Egghead replied matter-of-factly. “Can’t you tell by my build?”

Berlanda: “…”

It seemed there was still a long way to go before the mechanic from Talrond and the iron sphere alien from Cecil could truly understand each other.

Just then, a faint mechanical clicking came from the nearby elevator. Immediately, a “system broadcast” echoed in everyone’s minds, interrupting their conversation: “…System self-check complete. Orbital transportation system adjusted to normal operation mode. All relay stations and data links are functional—visitor group access partially granted.”

In the next moment, the seemingly seamless silver-white alloy cylinder in the center of the hall instantly displayed neat blue grid lines on its surface, revealing the spacious interior to everyone.

“All right, looks like our ‘visitor status’ has been successfully registered,” Nicholas Egghead buzzed happily again, then floated forward. “Everyone, follow me to our next work station!”

Berlanda instinctively exchanged a glance with Asalina. Meanwhile, Alice RS-6, expressionless, led a squad of Iron Soldiers forward, faithfully executing the Engineering Commander’s orders. Behind them came the “Deepwater Technicians” and “Deep Sea Witches,” who looked as carefree as if they were going on a space vacation.

Once everyone boarded the unusually spacious “orbital transport cabin,” the ancient transport system smoothly activated and began ascending at an astonishing speed…

As the cabin rapidly soared toward the Sky Station in space, the breathtaking scene that had once stunned Asalina and Cassandra unfolded before everyone’s eyes—the expansive observation deck, the boundless cosmos, the space facilities beyond the optical shield, and the orbital space station quietly circling the planet, gazing down upon the world below.

Even the usually playful Sea Witches fell silent, gazing in awe at the ancient space megastructure. The Dragons gathered at the elevator’s edge, their expressions a complex mix as they stared into the dazzling starry expanse.

Only the Iron Soldiers remained quietly in place, like tools on standby. Alice RS-6’s eyes reflected the distant starlight. The only time she broke the silence was after the transport cabin passed a certain altitude—she muttered softly to herself, “Iron network communication lost… switching to autonomous operation mode as per protocol.”

…

At the same time, deep beneath the Talash Plains in the heart of Gondor, in a secret underground laboratory, Ophelia was personally calibrating equipment when she blinked and murmured to herself, “Data communication with command unit Alice RS-6 has been lost—expected outcome.”

As her words fell, a temporary Iron Soldier communicator nearby transmitted Gawain Cecil’s voice: “So the Iron network’s communication range really does have limits…”

“The ancient Iron network once represented the most advanced technology on this continent,” Ophelia said calmly, “but even such advanced tech never accounted for communication beyond the atmosphere. The last message from Alice RS-6 indicated that her Iron units had entered the orbital elevator and were en route to the Sky Station. What happens next depends on her and her subordinates’ judgment.”

“Autonomous Iron Soldiers… and it sounds like they’ve been specially adapted for ‘network loss’?” Gawain’s voice carried a hint of interest. “As far as I know, the Iron Soldiers from the Gondor era didn’t have that design… is this your latest research?”

“You could say that,” Ophelia replied casually, continuing her work. She inspected the strange devices neatly arranged in the vast lab—black obelisk-like structures—and occasionally connected directly to their data units using her own high-performance Iron Soldier body while answering Gawain’s questions. “Alice RS-6 is a new model I personally modified after the war. The Iron Soldiers she leads on this mission all possess autonomous operation capabilities when offline. The adjustments weren’t complicated—I had ready data.”

“Ready data?”

“From Diana—she was the first soldier ever to completely break free from the Iron network and achieve ‘personality evolution.’ I found many useful records in her cognitive core,” Ophelia explained frankly. “I’ve applied that data to the new models with remarkable results.”

“…I can’t help but feel you’re being a bit underhanded here…”

“Surprising you’d say that,” Ophelia paused briefly, a faint smile flickering on her doll-like face. “But I strictly honored my agreement with Diana. I didn’t scan her memories, didn’t steal any info related to Typhon, didn’t alter her personality settings, and didn’t touch anything she didn’t want me to. But I never said I wouldn’t scan her logic parameters—and judging by the results, I didn’t use that data in ways she wouldn’t approve.”

“…I remember you weren’t like this. When you used the Veronica ‘alias,’ you were practically a saint…”

“I just learned a little ‘business savvy’ from you. Is that not allowed?”

“…Fine, forget I said anything,” Gawain’s voice sounded a bit resigned. “This is probably the real ‘Ophelia Norton’ after all—not bad. Anyway, enough about that. How’s the lab situation over there?”

Ophelia stopped and scanned the vast underground space.

This place lay at the deepest part beneath the Deep Blue Fortress, even deeper than the core control hall. Thousands of meters of earth, rock, layers of armor, concrete, and energy shields isolated it, making it far removed from the civilized world in every sense.

In the vast, cavernous hall, countless towering black obelisks stood arranged in three concentric rings. Between each obelisk on every ring, the floor was crisscrossed with metal rails and energy conduits etched with glowing runes, all interconnected in a complex network. Above this sprawling, intricate apparatus, the ceiling revealed an even more elaborate dome structure resembling a lattice of runic grids—though it was clearly unfinished. Swarms of small machines and iron soldiers busily moved along scaffolding, working to complete it.

At the far end of the laboratory stood what appeared to be an observation chamber. Thick walls, polymer barriers, and numerous energy shield generators all made one thing clear: whatever project was underway here was extraordinarily dangerous.

Yet those who knew of this facility understood all too well that even such stringent protections were barely enough to contain the potential “accidents” that might occur…

Aside from the iron soldiers and various engineering machines, only Ophelia was present. She shook her head softly. “It’s not finished yet—this is an incredibly complex system. It needs to draw power directly from the Deep Blue Well to operate. Even with the iron soldiers’ efficiency, this isn’t something that can be completed quickly.”

There was a brief pause before Gawain’s voice came through again. “Hmm… The separated data is ready, then?”

“The data is all prepared,” Ophelia replied promptly. “I’ve isolated all records that don’t belong to the Deep Blue Well and whose waveforms seemed suspicious. I’ve also calculated all the parameters needed to simulate and convert them into ‘fields’ using Deep Blue magic. There are twelve possible outcomes. Once the equipment is ready, I’ll test them one by one.”

“Excellent,” Gawain said with satisfaction, then his tone grew a bit reflective. “Hopefully, this will help us find the right path…”

Ophelia was silent for a moment before speaking softly, “You’re not placing your hopes on that ‘Noy Civilization,’ are you?”

“I do have expectations for them,” Gawain answered calmly, “but I never put all my hopes in something uncontrollable. Even if the ‘Noy Civilization’ is completely honest and reliable, even if they sincerely cooperate and share all their intelligence—who can guarantee that their path is the right one? And even if it is, we must at least have the means to verify it on our own.”

“I understand,” Ophelia said slowly. “I will do everything I can to ensure we gain that capability.”

“I look forward to your results, Ophelia.”

The communication ended, and silence once again settled over the hall.

Ophelia stood quietly for a moment, then looked up at an iron soldier standing nearby on standby and beckoned him forward.

The soldier immediately obeyed, stepping up and presenting a book with a black cover and gold lettering. As the cover was opened, the faint title “Imperial Sacred Words” could be seen.

Ophelia’s eyes scanned the pages rapidly, searching for the entry on “Vestige.”

After a moment, she found the corresponding explanation. As she waved the soldier back to his post, she muttered with a serious expression, “Truly profound…”

(End of chapter)