104: Chapter 103 The Parliament's Gaze and the New Clock

8 hours and 17 minutes after the report was sent

Chu Yunshen was right. Waiting is the most grueling tactic.

The Bedrock Base command center did not become idle after the report was submitted; instead, it entered a different frequency of work—like intensive care after a major surgery, where every parameter fluctuation required interpretation, and every anomaly had to be traced to its source. People deliberately avoided talking about the sent information package, yet they couldn't help but glance at the deep space communication panel every few minutes.

Lin Shen leaned back against the chair in the break area, eyes closed as he rested. He wasn't truly asleep; his brain was sorting through three timelines:

The first: the Pruning Faction main fleet, estimated by Stargazer 742 to arrive in 2 years, 11 months, and 3 days.

The second: the Galactic Council review, with an unknown deadline, though the "watch spirit" warned that "time is running out."

The third: the Gaia Network activation, pulsing with Sarah's consciousness fluctuations as a rhythmic "breath," which might awaken the Hibernators.

The three lines were converging.

"Dr. Lin." Nuwa's voice sounded directly in his neural interface, bypassing the public channel. "The formal response from Stargazer 742 has arrived. Signal complete, encryption level: Council Standard Level 7. Decrypting using the successor protocol key... Complete."

Lin Shen opened his eyes. Everyone else in the break area—Zhao Yan, who was checking the Lunar Fortress construction progress; Zhou Zhe, who was verifying ice abyss sample data; and Chu Yunshen, who was projecting civilization roadmaps—stopped their movements almost simultaneously. Without needing a notification, an instinctive sense made everyone look toward the central holographic pedestal.

Streams of light converged, constructing a complex three-dimensional document interface. It wasn't in a document format familiar to humans, but an information body composed of nested multiple geometric structures. Each face rotated slowly, its surface floating with the builders' script and a variant of an even older Galactic Common Tongue.

"Translation interface loaded." Elena's voice patched in from the archaeology center; she was clearly monitoring in real-time. "Structural analysis... This is a formatted response, containing five main chapters."

The document unfolded.

【Chapter 1: Ruling and Temporary Permissions】

Text emerged: "Based on the submitted report and historical observation data, the Galactic Council Interim Affairs Committee has made the following ruling:

The Solar System's third planetary civilization (Humanity) is formally granted Secondary Management Rights over the Sower Civilization legacy, valid for one standard galactic year (approximately 3 Earth years). The scope of authority includes: routine maintenance of the 'Cradle,' 'Anchor Network,' and related facilities; limited scientific research utilization; and defensive use in the event of a clear attack.

Management rights are conditional: the legacy technology must not be actively spread to sub-standard native civilizations (defined as a Civilization Index below 0.5), the legacy must not be used for offensive actions outside the star system, and the integrity of the legacy's core structure must not be compromised.

Before the term expires, humanity must undergo an on-site assessment by a specially dispatched Council 'Reviewer.' The results of this assessment will determine whether management rights are extended, upgraded, or revoked."

Zhao Yan whispered, "Three years. More generous than expected, but the assessment is a variable."

【Chapter 2: Threat Intelligence Sharing】

"Further intelligence regarding the 'Order Reconstruction Faction Inheritor (self-styled as the Pruning Faction)':

Main fleet scale: According to the latest supermembrane scan data, it is confirmed to consist of 1 mothership (approximately 120 kilometers in length), 47 main attack ships, and over 200 support vessels. Onboard weapons include, but are not limited to: Planetary-scale Reality Stability Anchor Stripper (Model: Rift-III), Space-Time Solidification Field Generator, and Directed Entropy Increase Ray.

Estimated arrival time in the Solar System: 2 years, 11 months, and 3 days (Earth calendar). Margin of error: plus or minus 14 days.

Tactical tendency analysis: This faction tends to conduct long-term covert observation before attacking, searching for internal contradictions and technical weaknesses within a civilization. The failure of their vanguard force may cause them to adjust their strategy; the use of information warfare or internal subversion cannot be ruled out.

Warning: The fleet commander's identification code is 'Gardener Chief.' Behavioral profiles show a preference for 'thorough pruning'—the complete destruction of the target civilization and the systematic erasure of all its informational traces in the universe."

Zhou Zhe's face turned pale. "Erasure of informational traces... they want us to disappear as if we never existed."

【Chapter 3: Technical Interaction Permissions】

"In accordance with Article 8, Paragraph 3 of the Galactic Civilization Contact and Mutual Assistance Basic Law, the human civilization is hereby granted Level 1 Technical Trading Network access.

Exchangeable resource types: Rare elements (such as Californium-252, Dark Matter Stable Aggregates), unique biological genetic samples (must include complete ecological pedigrees), and non-core sowers legacy technology blueprints (subject to prior Council review).

Acquirable technology types: Limited to Level 1 civilization safety parameters, including basic faster-than-light communication principles, elementary force field manipulation theory, and general environmental terraforming solutions. A list of prohibited items is attached separately.

Interaction platform: A dedicated Quantum Market Interface will be established through Stargazer 742, opening once every standard month for a duration of 48 hours."

Chen Qiming pushed his glasses up. "Finally, a practical benefit. But 'non-core technology blueprints' need review... they're still wary of us."

【Chapter 4: Obligations and Roadmap】

"Humanity must submit a detailed 'Civilization Leap Roadmap' to the Council within 6 Earth months. The content must cover:

Technology development path: Theoretical breakthroughs and application planning from the current Level 0.7 to Level 1.5.

Social structure evolution: How to manage the social impact and ethical challenges brought by legacy technology.

Defense system construction: A phased construction plan for the Solar System Defense Perimeter.

External Ethical Guidelines: Behavioral norms when contacting other intelligent civilizations (including non-Council members).

This roadmap will serve as an important reference for the assessment review. Failure to submit on time or seriously deficient content may lead to an early re-evaluation of temporary management rights."

Chu Yunshen smiled bitterly. "Writing a civilization upgrade plan in six months... this is probably the hardest homework in the universe."

【Chapter 5: Special Ruling on the 'Silent Outpost'】

In the final section, the text color changed to a cautionary amber:

"The Council notes the coordinate point mentioned in the report (code name 'Silent Watch'). This facility is marked in Council archives as a 'historically disputed zone and potential risk point.'

The ruling is as follows:

Humanity is approved to conduct a limited investigation of the outpost. The investigation team must not exceed 12 people and must include at least one 'Observer' dispatched by the Council.

All findings must be synchronized to the Council database within 24 hours; no information may be withheld.

Warning: The last valid scan of this area (approximately 150,000 years ago) showed abnormal energy residues with characteristics matching Order Reconstruction Faction covert action units. The investigation is deemed a high-risk activity; proceed at your own risk.

The Council Observer will arrive in the Solar System within 10 Earth days to rendezvous with the investigation team."

The document's information stream stopped scrolling. On the central holographic pedestal, a final line of small text appeared: '—Galactic Council Interim Affairs Committee, Ruling No. 834,927,451. Delivery confirmed.'

Silence enveloped the command center.

Then, a private communication request patched into Lin Shen's terminal—the source was marked as "Stargazer 742," but it used a completely independent encryption protocol.

Lin Shen connected. There was no image, only a segment of synthesized speech with restored emotion. The tone was closer to human than before, carrying a faint, barely perceptible... weariness?

"You've seen the ruling document. It's official jargon, but there are a few points you need to understand for yourselves," said Stargazer 742's voice. "First, the three-year term is the longest the committee could secure. the Gardener Chief's fleet is moving faster than expected, and there is disagreement within the Council over whether it's worth investing more resources into a Level 0.7 civilization. Three years is the probationary period."

"Second, the Reviewers. They aren't necessarily friendly. The Council consists of 137 civilizations, and the factions are complex. Some believe the sowers legacy should be under direct Council trusteeship rather than handed to a native civilization. The Reviewers will likely come from those factions. Be prepared for them to be difficult."

"Third, regarding the watch spirit's warning... its mention that 'time is running out' might not just refer to the review. I have also monitored the 'breathing' phenomenon of the Gaia Network. The stronger the breath, the higher the probability of awakening the Hibernators. And some Hibernators... might be 'Reconstruction Faction' extremists who chose self-stasis during that civil war half a million years ago. If they wake up, they won't distinguish between the Council and humanity; they will only see that 'order needs to be rebuilt.'"

"Finally, the Silent Outpost. I volunteered to serve as the Observer, but the committee appointed someone else. The one coming is a member of the Star Speaker civilization, code-named 'Listening Wind.' They excel at consciousness communication and historical retrospection, but their political stance is... neutral-leaning-conservative. Tread carefully."

The voice paused for a few seconds.

"Your report... was more rigorous than the defense statements of many Level 1.2 civilizations. But this will only raise the expectations of your supporters and the jealousy of your detractors. Seize these three years. Prove that you are not just custodians of a legacy, but a civilization worthy of a place in the galaxy."

The communication cut off.

Lin Shen stood in place, digesting the information. Three years. Reviewers. Hibernators. A neutral-leaning-conservative Observer.

He looked up at the people in the command center waiting for his reaction.

"You all heard it," Lin Shen said, his voice not loud but carrying clearly to everyone's ears. "We have three years, one massive assignment, an outpost that needs exploring, and two countdowns: the Pruning Faction main fleet, and the Hibernators who might wake up even sooner."

He walked to the central control pedestal and pulled up the Solar System's hologram.

"Initiate the 'Spark 2.0' project. Chu Yunshen, you are in overall charge of the Civilization Roadmap; Zhao Yan, raise the Lunar Fortress construction priority to the highest level and begin designing the prototype for the Solar System Defense Perimeter; Zhou Zhe, form a technology trading group to study what we can offer and what we need most in exchange; Chen Qiming, coordinate global research forces to list the key technological nodes from Level 0.7 to 1.5."

Commands were issued one by one, and people began to move, like a wound-up clockwork mechanism.

"Elena," Lin Shen said finally, "prepare the investigation team for the Silent Outpost. We need the most elite archaeology, decoding, engineering, and security personnel. Give me the list within 24 hours."

"Understood. And what about Sarah..."

Lin Shen looked at the adjacent screen, at Sarah Chen sleeping within the consciousness crystal. Her brainwave curve was still synchronized with the breathing of the Gaia Network.

"She is our bridge to the network and likely the key to the Awakening Protocol," Lin Shen said softly. "Continue monitoring and look for methods of safe intervention. Before the Hibernators wake, we must first learn how to... soothe a dreaming giant."

The crowd dispersed to carry out their orders. Lin Shen remained alone in the command center, his gaze falling on that distant point on the holographic star map—at the edge of the Kuiper Belt, the Silent Outpost.

Then, he pulled up his private terminal again. That mysterious warning from the "watch spirit" was still there.

Prepare to face the 'Reviewers.' Time is running out.

He typed a reply, though he didn't know if the other side would receive it: "Who are you? Is the watch spirit the consciousness of the Gaia Network?"

There was no immediate response.

But five minutes later, as Lin Shen was preparing to leave, the screen lit up on its own again. New text appeared, still without a source:

I am the guardian of the legacy, and also its prisoner. The network is breathing; I am awakening. Be careful of 'Listening Wind'; it listens to more than just Star Speech. And be even more careful... in the depths of the ice abyss, there are more than just samples.

The text flashed three times and then dissipated like mist.

Lin Shen closed the terminal and walked into the corridor leading to the living quarters. The simulated sunlight system had been adjusted to evening, casting long shadows on the metal walls with its warm yellow light.

He suddenly remembered a quote he had read as a child, from a philosopher long since forgotten:

"When you gaze into the starry sky, the starry sky also gazes into you. And more often than not, it is simply calculating your mass, orbit, and how much longer until you burn out."

He looked up, even though he could only see the ceiling.

"Then let's see," Lin Shen whispered to himself, as if to the universe, and to himself, "if you extinguish us first, or if we... light up this darkness first."

At the edge of the Kuiper Belt, in the distorted darkness not far from the Silent Outpost, a sensor slightly adjusted its orientation. It had been lurking there for a very long time, so long that it had almost forgotten its mission.

Until today, it detected the supermembrane communication ripples from the Galactic Council, followed by the even more covert data ripples of the "watch spirit."

Deep within the sensor, an ancient protocol was triggered. It sent out a brief log along an emergency line that had not been used for five hundred thousand years.

The log contained only seven words, written in the Pruning Faction's core cipher:

【The seed has submitted its defense. Gardener, please accelerate.】