129: Door to the Realm
The keystone project was like adding ballast and a stronger keel to a giant ship tossing in a storm, allowing the "star language" Alliance to stabilize after trauma and even become more cohesive than before. But Lin Mo knew that if this ship was to sail into a more turbulent and unknown deep space, the existing power and navigation systems were far from enough.
He, Ling Shuang, Einstein, and Wu Yong formed a core decision-making circle and initiated a top-secret plan internally referred to as the "Tracing Origins Operation." The goal was to directly target the "boundaries" Lin Mo had mentioned—the deep-level permissions of the Genesis Blueprint, the source mysteries of Stellar Silver Psionic Energy, the forbidden chapters in the Void Whisperer's knowledge base, and... a redefinition of the relationship with the "Tide of Delusion."
This was a dangerous path, every step of which could touch upon the fundamental secrets of the universe's operation, and might even awaken slumbering behemoths.
The first stop was the Genesis Blueprint.
In the newly constructed "Rule Stasis Chamber" in the deepest part of the Watch Outpost, Lin Mo made his first attempt to actively and deeply "sink into" the core of the permission, rather than merely invoking its power. Previously, he used the Genesis Blueprint like a powerful tool, but now, he wanted to understand the "manufacturing principles" of the tool, and even try to communicate with the will behind the "user manual" left by the "manufacturer."
His consciousness sank into an ocean composed of pure rules and information. This was no longer a concrete stellar universe, but the mathematical skeleton behind the operation of all things, a weaving field of causality. He bypassed the familiar shallow protocols used for stabilization, repair, and creation, exploring towards more obscure and ancient deep-level code areas.
The resistance was immense. It was as if invisible barriers were preventing him from peering into deeper mysteries. These barriers were not malicious; they were more like a protective mechanism, preventing an unprepared consciousness from being overwhelmed by too vast a truth. Lin Mo could feel that beyond these barriers lay ultimate secrets concerning the universe's "initialization parameters," "free variable (Heart Fire) injection logic," and even "multiverse coupling interfaces."
He tried to impact it but felt his consciousness hit an iron wall, causing waves of dizziness. Forcibly breaking through could easily lead to a backlash of permission, or even his own existence being assimilated by the rules.
"Needs... a key..." AVague (vague) thought surfaced in the depths of his consciousness. Was it the Genesis Blueprint itself providing feedback to the explorer? "Or rather... needs 'proof'..."
Proof of what? Proof that he was qualified? Proof of his intentions? Lin Mo did not know. But he understood that brute force would not work. A deeper understanding of the Genesis Blueprint required an opportunity, and perhaps also for him to reach a certain "state."
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At the same time, Ling Shuang, accompanied by the Void Whisperer, began to trace the origin of her own Stellar Silver Psionic Energy.
Her journey was more internal, more intuitive. She did not dive into a sea of data, but rather followed theVeins (veins) of her psionic energy, flowing upstream, returning to the moment this power was first ignited—in the Seventh Shelter, when facing desperation with Lin Mo, that burst of protective will from the deepest part of life.
The Void Whisperer guided her to extend her perception to all life nodes in the "Star Language" Network that had resonated with her psionic energy, to feel the billions of tiny intentions of protection, care, and creation. They were like trickling streams, converging into the river of her psionic energy.
[Psionic energy... is not... isolated...]
[It connects... to the deepest... good will and... resilience... of the life network...]
[Its origin... perhaps... is not... a specific... point... but rather... the projection... of life's will... itself... at the rule level... Or rather... the manifestation... of 'Heart Fire'... in individuals...]
This realization shocked Ling Shuang. Her power was not an innate gift, but a focal point of the collective will of the entire life network? Was she one of the spokespersons for Heart Fire?
Following this line of thought, she began to try to actively merge more deeply with the vast ocean of life will at the bottom of the network, no longer a forced, high-load connection during wartime, but a peaceful, continuous resonance. During this process, her Stellar Silver Psionic Energy began to undergo subtle changes; its color became deeper and more introspective, and tiny specks of light, like stardust, seemed to begin to flicker within it, filled with an older rhythm and inclusiveness. She felt that she was touching upon a deeper application of psionic energy—not just connection and healing, but perhaps... also about bestowal and revelation.
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Dr. Einstein, on the other hand, plunged into the ancient archives marked "forbidden" or "unparsed" in the "Corridor of Knowledge."
These materials came partly from the Void Whisperer's sharing, partly from limited data exchange with the Tide of Delusion, and more were incomprehensible rule fragments captured during various crises.
His work was tedious and dangerous, like disarming conceptual bombs one by one. He tried to reverse-engineer the deeper operating logic of the universe from the "Evolution Faction" data left by Liranta, the silent fluctuations of The Averter, and even the attack patterns of the scavenger.
He had a bold conjecture: since the Genesis Blueprint represents "set order" and Stellar Silver Psionic Energy represents Heart Fire (free variables), then is there a third force, a "harmonizing force" or "observing force" that is between the two or transcends them? This force might be the key to safely accessing deeper secrets.
His research had no breakthrough progress yet, but it accumulated countless valuable basic data and understanding of anomalous rule phenomena for the Alliance. He knew that scientific breakthroughs often required a flash of inspiration, and that flash required sufficient fuel accumulation.
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The most difficult and crucial breakthrough was in the relationship with the Tide of Delusion.
After his recovery, Lin Mo repeatedly tried to communicate with the Tide of Delusion beyond conventional reports, proposing the concept of establishing an "Information Sharing Alliance" or "Joint Research Project," but the responses he received were always programmatic: [Observation ongoing] or [Insufficient permission].
A turning point occurred during a patrol mission of a "rule embrittlement" area, for which Wu Yong was responsible. His fleet discovered an extremely hidden "rule abscess" that was slowly expanding—not "embrittlement," but a malignant mutation of rules occurring under The Averter's impact, beginning to spontaneously devour the surrounding spatio-temporal structure, like a "cancer" of the universe.
Conventional methods could not contain it. Just as Wu Yong was preparing to risk a rule incision, the power of the Tide of Delusion intervened without warning.
No communication, no warning. A silver-gray, absolutely rational rule force field covered the "abscess," precisely "excising" the mutated part with its incomprehensible high-dimensional operation, like a surgical procedure, and then "suturing" and stabilizing the rule structure at the wound.
After completion, the silver-gray force field quietly receded, leaving only a data packet pointing to the analysis of the "abscess"'s cause and subsequent monitoring key points.
This time, Lin Mo did not send thanks, but sent a question:
[Why intervene? This event did not reach the conventional threshold for threatening 'system stability.']
This time, the Tide of Delusion did not immediately refuse to answer. After a moment of silence, a piece of information arrived:
[Definition update: 'System stability' extension expanded. The survival and health status of 'Cooperative Observer' and its associated network ('star language') are included as weighted factors in system stability assessment. Weight: Medium.]
[Supplement: Based on long-term observation, this network is judged to have positive significance for the long-term evolutionary diversity and risk resistance of the system (universe). Maintaining its existence aligns with higher-level observation missions.]
Lin Mo's heart trembled. This meant that the Tide of Delusion no longer merely viewed them as observation subjects, but to some extent, considered them valuable components of the system, and even began to undertake a part of the "protection" responsibility! This was a qualitative change in the relationship!
He immediately seized the opportunity and put forward a further request:
[To further enhance the stability and value of this 'weighted factor,' we request sharing some non-core peripheral information about the 'Initial Design Layer,' as well as methodologies for safely approaching its boundaries. Goal: Assess potential threats (Liranta), non-invasive detection.]
Another long period of silence. Just as Lin Mo thought he would receive another "Insufficient permission" reply, a highly encrypted information packet, accompanied by countless warning labels, was transmitted.
[Warning: This information involves the foundations of the system (universe). Leakage risk: Extremely high. Usage restriction: For analysis by 'Cooperative Observer' Lin Mo himself only. Any form of reproduction or dissemination is prohibited.]
[Content: 'Initial Design Layer' peripheral topological structure diagram (simplified version), predicted weak points of the rule repulsion field (timeliness uncertain), and... a theoretically feasible 'temporary observation aperture' construction protocol based on the Genesis Blueprint and high-dimensional psionic energy resonance.]
It gave it! Although it was only peripheral information and theoretical protocols, this was undoubtedly the first and most crucial admission ticket to the path of ultimate secrets!
Lin Mo clenched his fists tightly. He looked at Ling Shuang beside him, his eyes shining with unprecedented light.
"Get ready," his voice was hoarse with excitement, "We might... soon know what's behind the 'door.'"
The first phase of the "Tracing Origins Operation," after numerous difficulties, finally pried open a tiny crack. And beyond that crack lay infinite possibilities, as well as endless dangers.