Chapter 1582: Double Shadows
“Two shadows?!” Inside the Cecil Palace, the moment Gawain heard Myrmina’s reply, he jumped up from his chair in shock. Staring dumbfounded at the communication screen before him, it took him several seconds to gather his thoughts before speaking urgently, “You mean you’ve detected two separate fluctuations of the magic tide approaching us?”
“I’m not certain yet,” Myrmina responded from the other end, already busy organizing the data and uploading it to the analysis department in Cecil City. “The sensor array didn’t return a clear image, but rather a series of extremely complex mathematical descriptions. And based on the analysis of the excitation focal point, there are two sets of observation parameters with significant deviations overlapping in the same location…”
On the communication screen, Myrmina’s brow furrowed deeply as she rapidly reviewed all the data recorded at the excitation focal point. After a brief hesitation, she continued, “But this doesn’t make sense… How could it be possible? Even if there were two magic tides, how could they overlap at the exact same time and place? This contradicts everything we know about the magic tide… More importantly, there can’t be two magic tides! As the primordial oscillation of this universe, it should be unique!”
Gawain planted both hands firmly on the desk but quickly forced himself to regain composure. This unexpected anomaly in the first observation was indeed startling, but it wasn’t enough to shake his fundamental rationality. After a moment of rapid mental calculation, he broke the silence in a low voice: “Perhaps it’s just a hardware malfunction. After all, this is such a massive system, hastily assembled, and initial startups often come with glitches. Run a full system check, then reset the excitation focal point. We’ll scan deep space again and see if the second set of data shows any changes.”
“Understood. I’ve already begun the self-diagnostic on the entire observation device,” Myrmina nodded promptly. “Let’s cut the communication for now. I want to eliminate all possible interference factors this time.”
Gawain nodded in return. The communication screen dimmed and went dark. He then looked up to see Hetty and Rebecca standing before him, both visibly tense.
Today was the trial run of the magic tide observation device. Like Gawain, they were closely following the progress—especially Rebecca, who had been involved in decoding the first batch of Noy blueprints. In a way, she had a hand in bringing the colossal “Eye of the Stars” to life. Neither she nor Hetty had anticipated such an unexpected complication.
“The Noy data never mentioned the possibility of this kind of anomaly,” Rebecca broke the silence first, nervously fiddling with the buttons near the hem of her clothes. “They listed hundreds of potential faults and corresponding solutions, but never what to do if two magic tides were observed…”
“Theoretically, there can’t be two magic tides in this universe,” Gawain said, taking a deep breath as his mind raced. “According to the theoretical model, the magic tide, as the universe’s initial oscillation, is unique. Even if it forms wave-like structures during propagation, or spreads out like ripples covering the entire starry sky, each ‘ripple’ is part of the same whole. Moreover, the waveforms of these ripples are influenced by nearby massive celestial bodies, so it’s impossible for two distinct magic tide waveforms to appear simultaneously in the same location, especially with differing parameters…”
“So it really must be a hardware fault?” Rebecca asked quickly. “Some sensor nodes didn’t properly excite? But that shouldn’t happen… Not that those nodes can’t fail, but the sensor array has self-correcting and redundancy functions. Even if some nodes malfunction, it would at worst cause fuzzy or weak signals that are hard to interpret. How could it produce two completely separate parameter sets? And the system self-check didn’t report any errors…”
Listening to Rebecca’s muttered analysis, Gawain’s mind churned with countless possibilities. The two sets of parameters Myrmina observed were like ghostly phantoms, casting a shadow over the newly completed observation device. But how did this “double image” appear? Was it merely mechanical failure? A miscalculation in the analysis center? Some unknown interference? Or…
Some sinister natural phenomenon unknown even to the Noy, unpredicted by their precursor civilizations?
“Ancestor, there’s another question,” Hetty’s voice suddenly interrupted Gawain’s wandering thoughts. The “Cecil Steward” frowned slightly. “We’ve already compared project progress with the Noy and agreed to an extra communication today. They must still be waiting for our update… Should we postpone the contact for a few days until we figure out the device’s problem?”
“No, contact them as scheduled,” Gawain said without hesitation. He understood the urgency—overconfidence and blind tinkering now would only waste precious time for both civilizations. “We’ll tell them exactly what happened with the observation device. Since it was designed by the Noy, they should be better equipped to identify the issue.”
“Understood,” Hetty nodded immediately. “I’ll arrange the communication lines right away.”
Thanks to Hetty’s coordination, the connection with the Solin Command Center and the faster-than-light communication system with the Noy quickly came online. Gawain sat behind his large desk, having already organized his thoughts. His eyes fixed on the printer that recorded communication data—this was perhaps the most agonizing wait since establishing contact with the Noy. Every minute felt like a year.
After several minutes of calling and waiting, the familiar clicking of the printer finally sounded.
The crisp, rhythmic clatter of gears and levers echoed like a heartbeat. A strip of pure white paper slowly emerged from the printer, bearing a message from the “Witch” Nova, sent from afar: “Glad to hear your voice. Has the magic tide observation device been completed?”
“Yes. The device is fully assembled and has undergone its first baseline test, but we’ve encountered a problem,” Gawain replied immediately, revealing the trouble Loren was facing without concealment. “During the initial scan of the starry sky, we recorded two overlapping digital models, appearing as if two magic tide wavefronts were superimposed. Is this normal? Or is there a fault somewhere?”
After sending the message, the Noy’s response took an unusually long time to arrive. When it did, the printer produced clear text: “Two overlapping wavefronts?! That’s definitely abnormal—under any circumstances, the observation device should only detect a single magic tide waveform. At worst, weak signals or sensor faults might cause erroneous readings.”
The printer paused briefly. Just as Gawain prepared to ask more, the paper continued: “We require a more detailed parameter report for fault analysis, including the operational logs of every sensor node and the raw files from the excitation focal point during the entire scan. The most likely cause is hardware failure. The magic tide observation device is complex and massive; significant sensor array faults are possible.”
Gawain glanced at Rebecca, nodded, and replied to the Noy: “We’ve compiled the original logs and are beginning transmission. Also…”
Before he could finish, the arcane network terminal beside him buzzed suddenly. A communication signal from the Ogure Tribal Nation came through, and Myrmina’s figure appeared in a holographic projection.
“Gawain, the second baseline scan has completed.”
Leaning forward slightly, Gawain asked, “What were the results?”
“There are still two readings,” Myrmina said gravely. “One reading looks like a distorted shadow of the other, overlapping in the same scan interval. We can’t analyze the cause of this distortion. Additionally, I’ve completed a preliminary self-check of the device and instructed the engineers on the plains to physically inspect every node’s operational status. We can confirm all sensors are functioning normally. I personally supervised the excitation focal point and can confirm no hardware damage or faults.”
“…But we still can’t determine if the problem lies inside or outside the system.” Gawain’s voice was low. He quickly relayed the second test results to the Noy. After a brief wait, their reply arrived.
“We have received the second test results, which have surprised our scholars greatly,” the printer clicked as the paper slowly fed out. “The system log file transfer will take some time, but based on the parameters received so far, the device appears to be operating correctly. At least, no structural faults severe enough to cause such errors have been detected…”
Gawain fell into deep thought upon reading the Noy’s response. Beside him, Rebecca had already begun examining the files transmitted from the “Observer’s Chamber” via the arcane network terminal. After a quick review, she looked up at Gawain.
“Ancestor, analyzing all this will take quite a while. I suggest we don’t wait for the full analysis. Instead, let’s conduct a synchronized observation with the Noy planet and see if we can use their scanning parameters to reverse-engineer where our data is going wrong…”
Gawain considered briefly, then relayed Rebecca’s suggestion to the Noy. Moments later, he received their affirmative reply: “We agree this plan is feasible. The synchronized observation window between our two planets is about one hour away (Loren standard time). Our observation device will enter pre-startup mode now. We await Loren’s timing command.”
“Received. Confirming timing command will be sent in one hour.”
After sending this message, Gawain exhaled softly and turned his gaze to Myrmina, still waiting on the communication screen. “Prepare for synchronized observation with the Noy.”
“I’m heading back to the lab,” Rebecca said promptly. “Their system can connect directly to the magic tide observation device. I’ll take the tech team to analyze parameters in real time. Maybe we can pinpoint the problem.”
“Good. It’s in your hands.” Gawain nodded. Rebecca dashed out swiftly—the Arcane Technology Department wasn’t far from the central administrative district, so she reached her lab in under an hour. Before arriving, she had already messaged the tech team. When she burst into the lab, it was a hive of activity.
The large room was brightly lit, with neatly arranged arcane network terminals and analysis stations forming a ring around the “Central Pillar,” which connected directly to the capital’s computing center. Massive data from the Ogure Tribal Nation was already streaming into the computing center. Inside the lab, technical experts who had directly participated in decoding the magic tide observation device’s blueprints were frowning over the dizzying parameters and charts.
“Jenny!” Rebecca called out first, spotting her best friend and most trusted assistant standing by the Central Pillar. Jenny was the empire’s most knowledgeable technician on the observation device after Rebecca herself. “What’s the situation?”
Jenny was staring up at the holographic projection hovering beside the central pillar, her expression distant, almost dazed. It wasn’t until Rebecca called her name a second time that she snapped back to reality. “Ah… sorry, I didn’t hear you.”
“Jenny, are you okay?” Rebecca asked, concern flickering in her eyes. “Didn’t get enough rest?”
“No, it’s not that…” Jenny opened her mouth to explain but then turned back, her gaze fixed once more on the projections. “Something’s wrong. The observation equipment is functioning normally, but the data… it’s showing errors we can’t explain.”
“Could it really be the ‘second magical tide’?” a technician nearby muttered anxiously. “Maybe it’s a shadow of the first tide—something our previous theories never accounted for…”
“That’s impossible!” another technician shot back immediately. “The unified wave fluctuation model doesn’t allow for a second magical tide, and the records left by the Noyan pioneers confirm that!”
“Stop arguing,” Jenny cut them off sharply. “Only the final data matters. Theories are just theories for now. Whether or not there’s a second magical tide isn’t something we can decide by bickering here. Until we figure out what’s wrong with the observation equipment, don’t waste time on this.”
The two technicians fell silent, exchanging a glance before bowing their heads to Jenny. “Understood, Master Jenny.”
Rebecca’s eyes drifted toward the mechanical clock hanging on the wall not far away.
The two planets were about to align with the “observation window.” The synchronized observation with the Noyans was about to begin.
“Back to your stations,” she ordered firmly, taking a deep breath and waving her hand decisively. “The observation window is opening. We’re about to activate the sensor arrays simultaneously with the Noyans!”
In a study lined with blue velvet carpet, Gawain sat calmly at his desk, his expression unreadable.
The observation window had arrived. The magical tide observation devices on both Noyan and Loren had been activated a minute ago, scanning the vast, star-studded sky.
From this room, he couldn’t see the grand spectacle of the sensor arrays roaring to life, sweeping across the stars. Nor could he witness the countless technicians on both planets, gathered tensely around their consoles, eyes fixed on the streams of data.
All he could do was sit quietly and wait for the results.
And finally, the results appeared before him.
In the holographic projection, Milmina’s voice sounded a little weary: “Synchronized observation complete. The ‘second shadow’ in the data remains unexplained.”
Outside the wide floor-to-ceiling window, the majestic giant sun was climbing toward its zenith. In these days approaching summer, its light was brighter than in winter, yet the radiant sunshine brought no warmth at all.
(By the way, a friendly recommendation: The Starbright Empire. It’s a Xiling fanfic written by a longtime reader who’s persisted through over two million words despite modest popularity. It’s nearing completion now, so if you’re interested, please consider giving it some support.)
(End of chapter)