154: Starship Relics and "Living" Databases

The wreckage of the ancient starship, like a silent giant beast of the starry sky, drifted quietly on an isolated island amidst the turbulent rules.

The faint glimmer that guided the ark here originated from a core deep within that had not yet fully extinguished, emitting pure and ancient energy of the same source as the Star Core Power.

The ark, like a young whale that had found its home port, greedily absorbed the gentle energy permeating the surrounding Void Realm.

At the core of the altar, the originally dim star core, like parched land finally receiving sweet rain, saw its light become moist and bright at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Although it was still far from a full recovery, it had at least escaped the crisis of immediate shutdown.

"Energy replenishment rate is stable, core stability has increased to forty percent! At this speed, it will take... about three days to recover to above the safety line."

Senior Brother Zhang pushed up his glasses, his tone carrying the relief of having survived a disaster, but his gaze was fixed intently on the massive wreckage outside, filled with the fervor of a researcher.

Zhao Iron Pillar scratched his head, looking at the metal skeleton stretching for who knows how many miles, and clicked his tongue, "Good heavens, this big guy, how majestic must it have been in its prime? To be beaten like this... how ruthless must its opponent have been?"

His words made everyone's hearts tighten.

Indeed, to be able to destroy such a magnificent starship into this state, how terrifying must the power of the so-called Reapers be?

Wen Youyi did not join the discussion; his mind was still immersed in the fragments of information he had deciphered from the broken walls and ruins.

"Seventh Fleet... encountered the 'Reapers'... Civilization's spark... Silence Protocol..."

Every word felt like a heavy boulder pressing down on his heart.

This was not an isolated piece of evidence, but a bloody indictment from another era, another civilization!

They had resisted, they had struggled, but in the end, they had turned into cold tombstones in the cracks of these rules.

"We are not the only prey..." Wen Youyi muttered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling into a bitter yet resolute arc. "It seems this 'Ranch' business is quite large, even operating as a cross-plane chain."

His metaphor, delivered with a modern snarky tone, made the nervous Wang Wu next to him pause, then chuckle, and the atmosphere lightened just a little.

"Boss, what do we do now? Just absorb energy here, and run away once we're full?" Zhao Iron Pillar asked.

He felt that although this place was safe, it always felt eerie and not quite right.

"We definitely have to run; those Scavengers behind us are probably still sniffing around for our scent."

Wen Youyi composed himself, his gaze scanning the starship wreckage sharply. "But since we're here, we can't return empty-handed. This Senior suffered a disaster at home, so they might have left some family assets behind. It wouldn't be too much for us to pick up some scraps, right?"

Everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

Right! This was the Legacy of an ancient star-sea civilization! Even if it was just scraps, for them, it could be an incredible treasure!

"Explore the wreckage!" Wen Youyi made the decision. "But we must be cautious! No one knows what residual defense mechanisms or... other things might be inside."

"The ark will stay here to continue replenishing energy. Senior Brother Zhang and one Purifier Fellow Daoist will remain behind to monitor. Ying, Iron Pillar, Senior Brother Wang, and I—we four will form the exploration team."

He paused and added, "Maintain the 'Mind Net' connection. If there are any discoveries or anomalies, report them immediately. Do not take reckless risks!"

The exploration team was quickly formed.

Wen Youyi left the Star Core, which had recovered some of its state, at the altar to continue guiding energy, while he took the smaller star core fragment for sensing and illumination.

The four of them put on simple protective talisman robes and stepped onto the wreckage of this ancient starship through a temporary light gate opened on the outer wall of the ark.

Their feet stepped onto the cold metal deck, covered in impact dents, producing a dull echo.

All around were twisted and broken structures, with huge pipes hanging down like dead giant pythons. The air was filled with the smell of cooled metal and... an indescribable scent of the dust of time.

The star core fragment emitted a soft, clear radiance, illuminating the path ahead.

With the help of its resonance, Wen Youyi could vaguely perceive the faint trend of energy flow.

[Follow me, the energy seems to be converging in that direction.] Wen Youyi guided the way through the "Mind Net".

The four of them carefully navigated through the maze-like wreckage.

It was terrifyingly silent here, with only their footsteps and breathing.

Occasionally, small metal debris would slide down due to vibrations, causing a moment of tension.

[There's a door here!] Zhao Iron Pillar pointed to a half-hidden metal door ahead to the side, covered in strange patterns.

The door hinge seemed to be jammed; he tried to push it hard, but it didn't budge at all.

[Move aside, let me.] Wen Youyi stepped forward, placed his palm on the patterns on the door, and tried to inject a trace of Star Core Power.

Hum...

The patterns on the door, like activated circuits, instantly flowed with a glimmer of light.

Immediately after, accompanied by a dull creaking sound, the metal door, which had been sealed for who knows how long, actually slid open inwards slowly!

Behind the door was a relatively intact cabin that had not suffered severe damage.

In the center of the cabin stood a diamond-shaped crystal pillar about the height of a person with a strange design. Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, and inside, it seemed as if countless starlight was flowing.

And the source of that pure energy seemed to be this very crystal pillar!

"What... is this thing?" Wang Wu approached curiously.

Just then, the surface of the diamond-shaped crystal pillar flashed with light, and a soft beam projected out, condensing into a blurry humanoid phantom in front of everyone, wearing something similar to a spacesuit but in an extremely ancient style.

The phantom's face was not clear, but one could feel a sense of fatigue and sorrow.

[Detected... Star Core resonance... Non-standard identification code... Permission assessment... Elementary visitor permission granted...] A stuttering, noisy mental thought was transmitted directly into the minds of the four.

The phantom "looked" at the star core fragment in Wen Youyi's hand: [Carrying... Elementary ship-borne core... Identity confirmed as... Reserve crew member? Or... Successor?]

Wen Youyi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately responded through his thoughts: [We are latecomers, having discovered this place by accident. We are also fighting against the 'Reapers'!]

[Fighting... the Reapers...] The phantom's fluctuations seemed to become more intense, and a trace of imperceptible excitement was added to the sorrow: [Record... Final record of the Seventh Fleet... 'Silence' protocol has been activated... Core database... partially saved... Waiting... for restart...]

As soon as the voice fell, the diamond-shaped crystal pillar shone brightly, and a massive torrent composed of countless glowing symbols and strange patterns poured into Wen Youyi's mind like a dam breaking!

"Ugh!" Wen Youyi groaned, feeling as if his head was about to explode!

This information stream was countless times larger and more complete than what he had received in the Black Swamp ruins before!

[Basic star map (broken)... Navigation points for the cracks in the rules... Basic starship maintenance knowledge (general section)... Preliminary application of energy matrices... 'spirit net' (they call it 'spiritual absorption field') basic structure analysis (old version)... 'Reapers' basic unit identification (possibly outdated)...]

Countless knowledge fragments flooded in, crudely stuffed into his memory banks.

Most of this knowledge was incomplete, and many terms were difficult to understand, but the value contained within was immeasurable!

This diamond-shaped crystal pillar was actually a part of this starship's core database!

Although most of its functions had failed with the destruction of the starship, this remaining part still retained the precious knowledge of that lost civilization!

The information infusion lasted for nearly the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before slowly stopping.

Wen Youyi's face was pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and he was almost collapsing when Zhao Iron Pillar grabbed him.

[Knowledge... Legacy... Hope...] The phantom became even dimmer, as if it had completed its final mission: [Be careful... of the 'Reapers'... They are... everywhere... Civilization... the spark... must not be extinguished...]

Finally, the phantom dissipated like a candle in the wind.

The light of the diamond-shaped crystal pillar also completely dimmed, turning into an ordinary transparent crystal filled with cracks inside.

The cabin returned to silence.

Wen Youyi panted, leaning on Zhao Iron Pillar, digesting the vast and chaotic Treasure Trove of knowledge in his mind.

Although his head was splitting with pain, his eyes became brighter and brighter!

"We're rich... Boss, we've really hit the jackpot this time!"

Although Zhao Iron Pillar didn't understand that knowledge, seeing Wen Youyi's reaction, he knew it was a tremendous benefit.

Wang Wu and Ying also showed joy on their faces.

Wen Youyi managed to stand up straight, looked at the lifeless crystal pillar, and solemnly bowed.

"Rest assured, Senior, we will inherit your spark. This 'Ranch', we are determined to smash it!"

He carefully removed the cracked crystal pillar from the base and put it into his storage Magical Artifact.

Although this thing seemed scrapped, perhaps something could be extracted from it in the future.

[Exploration continues, but time is limited. We must return before the energy replenishment is complete.] Wen Youyi suppressed his excitement and gave the order through the "Mind Net".

With this harvest, they were even more looking forward to the subsequent exploration.

The relics of this ancient starship might become their most important bargaining chip in fighting against the "Creation Heavenly Court"!

However, they did not know that just as they were immersed in the joy of discovery, far away on the other end of the wreckage, a faint red light quietly lit up in the darkness, like... an eye slowly opening.