404: Chapter 404 Arrival at the New Location

The Ark finally arrived at that galaxy 10 light-years away.

When the starry sky outside the window changed from deep black to pale blue, Qin Lin was talking to Ling on the Bridge.

Ling stood beside him, wearing a white dress with her long hair draped down, her gaze fixed on the expanse of star-sea ahead that she had never seen before.

The corners of her mouth curled up: "We have arrived."

Qin Lin looked out the window; that starry sky was completely different from the Tianxuan Galaxy.

There was no erosion from rift energy, no gray-black sky, only pure, clear starlight that looked as if it had been washed by water.

The distant star emitted a Warmth of orange-red light, with several planets orbiting it; one of them was pale green, like a carefully carved emerald.

The System notification sound echoed on the Bridge.

[Arrived at target galaxy.]

[Current galaxy status: Stable.]

[Spiritual Qi concentration: High.]

[Signs of intelligent life: None (preliminary scan).]

[Habitable planets: 1.]

[Suggestion: Land and investigate.]

Qin Lin turned off the notifications and turned his head to look at Ling: "What can you sense?"

Ling closed her eyes and was silent for a moment: "The Spiritual Qi here is much purer than in the Tianxuan Galaxy, and the rift energy has not eroded this place."

She opened her eyes: "Moreover, I sense something special here, deep underground."

Qin Lin looked at her: "What is it?"

Ling thought for a moment: "A kind of energy crystal, very pure and very ancient. If I absorb it, my Recovery speed will increase significantly."

She paused and looked at Qin Lin: "That is a source crystal, the energy core condensed deep within the core of a life-bearing planet. With it, I can completely stabilize."

Qin Lin nodded: "Then we will go down and find it."

Ling looked at him: "Are you willing to help me?"

Qin Lin smiled: "You have helped The Ark so much; of course, I will help you."

The corners of Ling's mouth curled up: "Thank you."

The Ark began to descend, passing through the atmosphere.

The scenery outside the window changed from the starry sky to clouds, and from clouds to land.

The pale green planet drew closer in their view—mountains, rivers, and forests, a scene full of vitality.

No apocalypse, no disaster, no rifts.

The Ark landed on an open meadow; the grass was green, and there were flowers, trees, and birds.

Qin Lin opened the hatch and was the first to step off The Ark.

His feet stepped onto the grass, which was soft, feeling very much like Peach Blossom Spring.

He took a deep breath, and the air smelled of flowers and grass: "This place... is just as good as Peach Blossom Spring."

Su Yuran walked down carrying Qin An. Qin An was already five years old. Seeing the meadow, he broke free from his mother's embrace and ran around on the grass: "Mom! This place is so big!"

Su Yuran watched his back, the corners of her mouth curling up, and she did not chase after him.

The other women also walked off The Ark one after another: Li Ying, Han Qing, Han Yurou, Liu Ruyan, Su Han, Murong Wan, Murong Xue, Zhao Shuang, Lin Qing, Zhou Wan, Shen Yue, Bai Lu, Jiang Xue... one hundred women and one hundred children scattered across the meadow.

Han Yurou ran two laps on the grass and stopped: "This place is even bigger than Peach Blossom Spring!"

Li Ying lay on the grass, looking at the sky: "The sky here is truly blue."

Su Han sat on the grass, not touching the grass on the ground, but the corners of her mouth curled slightly.

Murong Wan stood by a cluster of flowers, reached out and gently touched a purple flower, then turned to look at Qin Lin: "This place is wonderful."

Qin Lin stood on the grass, watching the women and children all over the field, feeling that this place was like a second Peach Blossom Spring.

He turned to look at Ling, who was standing on the grass, her skirt fluttering in the wind and her long hair shimmering with golden light in the sunlight.

She had her eyes closed, the corners of her mouth curled up, as if she were sensing something.

Qin Lin walked over and stood beside her: "What are you sensing?"

Ling opened her eyes: "I am sensing the location of the source crystal. It is right under this meadow, about three thousand meters deep, near the planet's core."

Qin Lin looked at her: "Can it be extracted?"

Ling thought for a moment: "Not this time. We need to go down. The Ark's Gravity Tractor can break through the ground, but someone needs to go down to confirm the location."

Qin Lin nodded: "I will go down."

Ling looked at him: "It is very deep down there."

Qin Lin smiled: "My Physique has been upgraded; I am not afraid."

He turned and walked toward The Ark.

Su Yuran walked over: "You are going down?"

Qin Lin nodded: "Ling said there is a source crystal here that can help her with her Recovery, so I am going down to retrieve it."

Su Yuran was silent for a moment: "I will go with you."

Qin Lin looked at her: "Yuran, it is very dangerous down there."

Su Yuran looked at him: "I know, but I don't want you to go alone. If something happens to you, what will happen to the people on The Ark?"

Qin Lin looked at her; there was a light in her eyes, not of impulse, but of determination: "Okay."

Shen Qingyi and Zhao Shuang also walked over: "We will go too."

Qin Lin looked at them: "You are going too?"

Zhao Shuang nodded: "If there is something underground, an extra person means extra help."

Shen Qingyi did not speak, but her sword was already in her hand.

Qin Lin looked at them and nodded: "Okay, four people is enough."

When the Gravity Tractor broke through the ground, it emitted a low roar.

The meadow was cut open with a neat slit, revealing the black rock underneath.

Qin Lin stood at the edge of the opening and looked down; the hole was very deep, and the bottom could not be seen.

Ling said from the side: "I will lock onto the location from above, and you follow the energy guidance."

Qin Lin nodded: "We are going down."

He was the first to enter the opening, with Su Yuran following behind, Shen Qingyi third, and Zhao Shuang fourth.

The four of them walked down along the passage cleared by the Gravity Tractor.

The passage was very steep but not narrow; it could accommodate two people walking side by side.

After walking for about ten minutes, the passage widened, and a huge underground space appeared.

The walls were made of black rock, but faint blue light patterns flowed through the rock.

Zhao Shuang reached out and touched the wall: "What are these light patterns?"

Qin Lin looked up at the wall: "They should be energy from the source crystal seeping out."

He opened the System scan, and a line of data popped up on the panel: Energy concentration is extremely high; the source crystal is located about 200 meters ahead.

The four of them continued to walk forward.

The underground space became wider and wider, like a huge underground palace.

The rocks overhead sparkled like a starry sky under the reflection of the blue light patterns.

Su Yuran walked beside Qin Lin, holding her short sword without drawing it: "It is very quiet here."

Qin Lin nodded: "Too quiet."

Shen Qingyi said from behind: "No living things, no movement. It is like a place that has been sleeping for many years."

Zhao Shuang said: "Whatever, it doesn't matter how many years it has slept; we will find the source crystal and leave."

The four walked for about another ten minutes, and a wall appeared ahead.

The wall was silver-white, with a surface smooth as a mirror, reflecting the figures of the four.

Qin Lin walked over and reached out to touch the wall; it was ice cold: "It is not stone; it is metal."

Zhao Shuang leaned over to look: "A metal wall? Who built a metal wall here?"

Qin Lin also frowned; he was not sure either.

He opened the System scan, and a new line of data popped up on the panel: Extremely high energy reaction detected behind the metal wall; suspected source crystal core. Suggestion: Break through the wall and enter.

Qin Lin took a step back: "Back away."

The three of them retreated to a safe distance, and Qin Lin pulled out a high-strength dagger bought from the System Store from his waist and stabbed it hard into the wall.

The dagger pierced into the metal wall, emitting a crisp sound, and cracks spread from the point of entry in all directions, spreading like a spider web.

Qin Lin pulled out the dagger and stabbed it again; the cracks became larger.

He stabbed it more than a dozen times in a row until the wall cracked open into a hole large enough for one person to pass through.

Qin Lin put away the dagger and walked into the hole.

The space inside was larger than the outside, like a huge spherical space.

The walls were silver-white, and the dome was very high, embedded with countless glowing crystals, like a huge starry sky lamp.

In the center of the space, a fist-sized blue crystal was floating.

The crystal emitted a soft light, and the light flowed in the space as if it were alive.

The System notification sound rang behind Qin Lin: source crystal core detected.