Chapter 402: A Closed Space Is Subspace (Confirmed)

It cannot be denied——

The better the living conditions, the more advanced the era one lives in……

The stranger people's ideas become, and their thought circuits seem to grow ever more peculiar……

Having ultimately traversed multiple different parallel worlds, and witnessed all manner of "if" timeline possibilities, even the Old Man of the Jewels could not help but give rise to many sentiments in his heart, gradually coming to understand this principle.

Even in that period which had just entered the twenty-first century, with computer and network technology advancing rapidly and leading people into the Information Age, people inevitably developed all sorts of abstract cultures.

They would emerge like bamboo shoots after rain, swiftly becoming important cultural symbols of the era.

Therefore, for the current world——

The human species has stepped into the starry sea; through etherization and long-distance interstellar travel, their footprints span who knows how many light-years, touching various star clusters and domains……

One can imagine that in this era, people's thoughts and behavioral patterns must have already undergone earth-shaking changes.

They no longer need to worry about material abundance and enjoyment; rather, they focus more on spiritual fulfillment and pursuit.

Their lifestyles, values, and cognition of the world also definitely differ vastly from those of traditional humans of the old era.

The Old Man of the Jewels truly finds it hard to say, and difficult to describe concretely in words.

He likewise does not expect that this outdated old thing of himself could truly understand the abstract thinking and modes of expression of the people of this era.

Even the other party, compared to the "human" in his cognition……

Can actually be said to no longer be the same species……

This is not some exaggerated description, but a clear distinction that can be made from the field of biology.

One can only say that after experiencing ancient natural evolution, they once again successfully defined the next evolutionary stage themselves with wisdom and technology.

In a certain sense, they can probably also be regarded as aliens.

If not for the fact that, in essence, they remain the inheritance and extension of the concept of the "human species".

Then…… even an existence like the Old Man of the Jewels would find it difficult to interact and communicate with them so smoothly.

Under such circumstances.

Precisely because he understands this principle deeply, even though this Second Magic User feels these two fellows are overly casual, unreliable, and full of abstraction.

In the end, he still pinched his nose and reluctantly accepted this reality.

After all, under the current situation, he temporarily cannot find any other better options.

………………

………………

"Very well……"

"The data has been uploaded, Mr. Zelretch, your personal portrait will also be arranged as soon as possible……"

Having completed the registration, the smile on the young man's face grew even richer, his voice carrying a trace of hard-to-detect excitement.

"Not needed, thank you……"

The Mage let out a long sigh.

"You really don't stand on ceremony, just like I said before, this is a team benefit!" The other party shook his head, explaining enthusiastically, his words revealing a firmness that brooked no refusal, just short of slapping his chest in guarantee.

"I really thank you, and I really don't need it……"

The Old Man of the Jewels truly did not want to entangle on this aspect, forcibly dragging the topic back stiffly——

"Speak of what you said before; how long until we can reach the next star sector?"

Although it was a change of topic, his tone also revealed a desperate longing, clearly full of anticipation for this new journey about to unfold.

Lingering in this desolate, ruined former Solar System is not a good choice. The environment here is harsh, resources scarce, and obviously no useful clues can be found anymore.

Only by leaving this dead silent land as soon as possible, then entering the true jurisdictional star sector belonging to the intelligent civilization, embracing the grand stage of this Canghui Xing Xi's great era, is the wise move.

So the old mage is quite concerned about this, and does not disguise his desperation.

Anyway, his current persona is an "Ascender" from another world; isn't that only natural?

"Oh, that……"

The young man sat before the chair, glancing at the holographic projection that had already switched to star map mode.

"The closest to us is the Nan Men Er star system, 4.2 light-years away……"

"Nan Men Er? That place is the next star sector?" The Old Man of the Jewels' heart trembled slightly; this name was not unfamiliar to him.

——A distance of 4.2 light-years……

——Should be that Proxima Centauri b, which is said to be relatively suitable for human colonization……

Looking at it this way, the star map layout itself doesn't seem to have changed much?

The outline of the Canghui Xing Xi gradually becomes clear in the Old Man of the Jewels' heart, as if that familiar yet strange Milky Way has been redrawn, or perhaps the two were originally fused.

But let's set this aside for now; the most important thing at the moment is still Proxima Centauri b.

The distant 4.2 light-years, though inspiring awe, is for a tiny life individual, fundamentally not any distance at all on the cosmic scale.

From this point of view, the Nan Men Er stellar system, like the Solar System, being called relatively close "neighbors" is completely justified.

As close-at-hand neighbors……

Then they should more or less know what happened to the Solar System, right?

At least there, the hope of finding clues is undoubtedly much greater than blind exploration.

And there is another question worth pondering: if the star on the Solar System side has already entered the red giant stage, then what situation is the star on the Nan Men Er side in?

This is undoubtedly an excellent control group; by comparing both sides' conditions, more precious information can be obtained.

The Old Man of the Jewels' thoughts flashed like lightning; in an instant countless thoughts flashed through, and he became even more certain that the next destination is a very good choice, satisfying multiple needs at once.

However——

"No, although it used to be a very prosperous star sector, that was also a very long time ago; now its development potential has long been exhausted, the planets there have been abandoned one by one by the Interstellar United Government……"

The young man answered honestly, directly pulling the mage's attention back to the cold reality.

"……"

"……"

Indeed, it's not that simple.

The Mage took a deep breath, feeling all the more that his task was arduous and far-reaching: "Then what are we going there for?"

The young man answered without hesitation: "Because there's a Stargate still operating there; we can leave from there. Otherwise, we can't just slowly fly over, right……"

Even this genuine spaceship, under normal conditions, can engage in long-distance interstellar travel via sublight propulsion.

However, even such speed appears so tiny and powerless before the vast, boundless Xing Xi.

For long-distance interstellar travel, it is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

Therefore, hyperspace jump technology emerged as the times required.

It allows a ship to traverse hundreds or thousands of light-years in an instant; one could say the popularization and application of this technology is the key to civilization's expansion into the Xing Xi.

"Wait, you guys…… don't you have that Jump Engine on your ship?"

The Mage recalled; it seemed this fellow had boasted about it when recruiting him, as if he'd mentioned such a thing.

Supposedly it was a pioneering technological Miracle.

It can shatter local spacetime continuity and reassemble at the quantum level into a state completely identical to the target location, letting a warship complete an interstellar "jump" in an instant.

And their Starship is precisely a masterpiece equipped with this high-end engine; theoretically it can also achieve this incredible "jump".

——Could it be false advertising?

The old man speculated inwardly. He'd only just joined this team; could he already be facing the awkward situation of team benefits being cut?

"There is one, but this place is too remote……"

The young man seemed to see the old man's doubts and explained with a slightly unnatural expression.

"Unless it's the highest-grade Jump Engine, it fundamentally cannot leave here in a single hyperspace jump……"

"And for most ships, hyperspace jumps cannot be performed continuously; the engine needs to charge……"

He continued explaining, his voice growing increasingly awkward, "And we just happened to have jumped once before, so right now we're in the charging cooldown phase……"

"……"

"……"

Hao Le……

Jewel Elder waved his hand: "Then that's the only way; we can only go through that whatever Stargate?"

——Stargate.

——Is a kind of engineering Miracle on the scale of interstellar megastructures.

They do not exist independently, but are widely scattered throughout the Xing Xi as massive constructs, a network formed by mutually connected "gates".

Because they can manufacture Channels that traverse Closed Space, they can in an instant teleport a ship from one Stargate to another thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years away.

"In other words, this is actually the main mode of travel in the Xing Xi, an existence like an interstellar highway?"

Hearing the explanation, the Second Magic User felt she roughly understood, and summarized thoughtfully——

"And the ship's own jump technology, while equally astonishing, is more suited for movement within a specific small range, displaying a more flexible mode of application?"

"But then again——"

"What exactly is that whatever 'Closed Space'?"

"……"

"……"

"I don't know——"

The two on the Opposite Side glanced at each other, then spread their hands and gave a quality answer.

"Probably a gap in the Dimensional Rift Storm or something, but to this day there's only academic speculation, because there's no means of physical entry……"

"So it's like an untouchable fog; it can neither be observed nor yield any exact data or stable parameters."

One of them spoke slowly, adding: "Naturally, there's also no way to conclude what it actually is."

"……"

"……"

The entire space fell into a stretch of silence.

Only the stars outside the window flashed, as if narrating the Universe's mysteries and Unknown.

Although he already felt he'd heard quite a few shocking things, at this moment Jewel Elder was once again stunned.

This widely knowledgeable old man who could face a collapsing mountain with Face Unchanged couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Wait, then how were your Stargates made? They couldn't possibly be not made by you guys, right?"

"They weren't to begin with; we all know that……"

The young man coughed lightly.

"The Stargate network spread throughout the Canghui Xing Xi was jointly manufactured by the Information Integration Thought Entity in the SOS Cluster, and the Wide-Band Universe Existence of the Tian Gai Domain……"

"We don't know why either, but supposedly long, long ago the two indeed briefly cooperated, only to enter a state of mutual opposition once again……"

The companion beside him also chimed in: "It's also because of this that some speculate these two might themselves be existences from Closed Space."

"Whether it's the Information Integration Thought Entity or the Wide-Band Universe Existence, both are manifestations of the contradictions in an unknown Goddess's Inner Heart……"

"It is the manifestation of that Goddess's destructive desire, creating a situation where the two constantly struggle against each other. Only this way can emotions be vented, so this World won't be truly destroyed……"

"……"

"……"

Jewel Elder listened with rapt attention and subconsciously asked: "Why do you say that?"

"Because although Closed Space has no means of physical entry, people can occasionally touch its edges on the spiritual level……"

The young man explained with great interest, as if he'd specially researched this, speaking with conviction.

"As time passed, some scholars boldly speculated that this Closed Space might be a dimension running parallel to the Material World, constructed from pure spiritual energy……"

"But what kind of existence's emotions and thoughts could gather such vast energy, and thereby shape a parallel realm comparable to the Material World……"

"The answer is obvious——"

Toward the end, the young man suddenly raised his voice: "Isn't that right!"

"Ignore him, whenever he talks about a topic he gets excited about, he occasionally has an episode……"

The companion beside him coughed lightly, giving a summary: "But generally speaking, that's how it is."

"Through dreams, divination, or other unknown pathways, we occasionally capture a glimpse of that fleeting realm……"

"The Closed Space is always depicted as dark and bizarre, with chaotic existences seemingly rampaging and destroying the Material World's reflection within, like a nightmare in a mirror image."

"All of this is indeed very likely a subspace formed by the externalization of a Divine Spirit's mental pressure."

"……"

"……"

The Gemstone Elder fell silent.

Although the other party spoke comparatively cautiously, and most of the wording used words like "possible" to qualify it, it wasn't that certain.

But considering this is the "common sense" of the people of this era, it inevitably reveals some shocking things from within.

——Good.

——At least now I know what kind of terrifying concept Divine Rank power is in this Canghui Xing Xi.

The Mage decided to first discard all those embarrassing impressions of Divine Spirits formed in his mind from before.

He slightly sorted through the Intelligence he had newly obtained.

Divine Spirit……

Information Integration Thought Entity……

Wide-Band Universe Existence……

The Stargate network paths left by the Unknown Pioneer Race in the Xing Xi……

The subspace called Closed Space, depicted as dark and bizarre, filled with chaotic existences……

——emmmmm, don't know if it's an illusion, but the Mage always feels this art style is a bit weirdly strange.

………………

(Stayed up too late, fell asleep……orz)

(Chapter End)