From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 804: Invitation from the Phoenix King

The banquet continued in a pleasant atmosphere, but Amber's heart became increasingly uneasy.

Every word of Aenarion seemed to have a deeper meaning, and the shadows of those biological weapons lingered in his mind. He always felt that the relationship between the elves and the forerunner civilization might not be that simple.

As the night grew darker and the banquet drew to a close, Aenarion stood up and said, "Let us call it a night. We have more important matters to discuss tomorrow. I have prepared a residence for you that will overlook the whole of Eldaram. I hope you will all have a good rest tonight."

Under the guidance of the elf waiter, everyone went to the prepared residence. Amber and Isabel were arranged in an exquisite room surrounded by ancient tree branches. From the window, they could overlook the night view of the entire elven city.

Just when he was about to go to bed early, a familiar figure came into the room.

"Ellenita!"

Amber and Isabel looked at the wealthy elf woman with some surprise. Due to various reasons, the two sides had not seen each other for a while, and it was obviously a happy thing to meet an old friend in a "foreign land".

But this time, Ellenita didn't seem to come to reminisce about the past. After a few simple greetings, she looked at Amber seriously.

"Amber, the Phoenix King wishes to meet with you alone."

"And me?"

"Yes, only you."

Seeing that Amber was still a little hesitant, Ellenita added:

"Although I don't know why the Phoenix King suddenly came to you, I guess it has something to do with the prophecy I mentioned earlier. I can see that the Phoenix King is very concerned about this meeting with humans."
-
Amber felt that she had no reason to refuse the Phoenix King's sudden invitation, so after Alanita stayed to accompany Isabel, Amber came to a hall of the Elf King's Court alone under the guidance of the waiter.

In the center of the hall, Phoenix King Aenarion sat on a chair and waited quietly. After seeing Amber, a smile appeared on his face.

"I knew you would come, Mr. Amber"

He stood up and walked further into the hall, motioning for Amber to follow.

After thinking for a moment, Amber quickly stepped forward and followed. After all, since he was already here, he might as well make the best of it. Although it would be risky to go alone according to common sense, given Amber's current condition, he would not be restricted by himself.

The Phoenix King led Amber to a small secret room where there were no servants but only a huge biological projector that was projecting a three-dimensional image of a starry sky.

"I want to show you something."

For the first time, the Phoenix King's voice lost its lighthearted tone and became serious and low.

"About a coming crisis, a crisis that could change the fate of all our civilization."

Amber's heart suddenly tightened, and she suddenly realized that her guess might be correct - the Phoenix King did know something, and this meeting might be far more important than he thought.

Phoenix King Aenarion's slender fingers gently brushed across the surface of the biological projector, and the starry sky image immediately enlarged and focused on a specific area. This was a seemingly ordinary yet somewhat familiar star system, with a red mark flashing somewhere in it.

"What is this?" Amber asked, but she already had a hunch.

"We call it the 'Eye of the Watcher'." The Phoenix King's voice was low and solemn. "It is an observation station left by an ancient civilization. We elves have been monitoring it for thousands of years, and recently... it has shown unprecedented signs of activity."

Just with these words from the Phoenix King, Amber felt a chill running up his spine, because the galaxy in front of him was exactly the target that Saleh led the fleet to explore.

"Ancient civilization?" Amber asked cautiously. Unsure of how much information the other party knew, he chose not to reveal what he knew.

"Your Excellency the Phoenix King, are you referring to the legendary Forerunner civilization?"

The golden eyes of the Phoenix King flashed a hint of unsurprising color, and then nodded: "I know that humans have always retained some memories about them, and I also know that Mr. Amber knows more than others. Yes, it is the Forerunner civilization. The 'god' that once walked in this universe."

gods.

This was the name Aenarion used to refer to the civilization that launched a 'great purge' on countless creatures, and Amber couldn't help but frown.

"What is their purpose in leaving these observation stations?" Although Amber already knew it from Saleh, she still pretended not to know and asked directly.

The Phoenix King turned to face Amber, his face looking unusually solemn in the projected starlight:

"Monitor, evaluate, and eventually intervene. According to our prophecies and ancient records, the Forerunners will return to this universe regularly to 'evaluate' civilizations that have reached a certain stage of development."

"Evaluate?"

Amber's voice was calm, but the new adjectives he heard from the Phoenix King still made his heart churn.

“What are the criteria and results of the evaluation?”

The Phoenix King looked directly at Amber, "Here is the problem. According to the records we have kept, the civilizations that were assessed have almost all disappeared, as if they had never existed."

The room suddenly fell into deathly silence. Amber and the Phoenix King fell silent at the same time. The two just stared at each other, as if they both wanted to see something in each other's eyes.

"Why are you telling me this now?" Amber asked. "The elves have known these secrets for a long time, but they seem to have never been revealed to humans before."

The Phoenix King sighed, and suddenly looked older. "Because time is running out. The activity of the observatory means that the evaluation cycle is about to begin. And this time, the only civilizations in the known universe that are 'worthy' of being evaluated are us elves and you humans."

"Wow, we humans can actually be 'evaluated' together with the elves with a long history?"

"Mr. Amber, as a human being, please do not underestimate yourself. The development speed of mankind has not been slow since it acquired the jump engine technology. Especially in recent years, the rapid technological progress of the Atlas Group led by you, Mr. Amber, is likely the main reason that attracted the attention of the observatory."

Amber's heart sank. The Phoenix King's words were completely consistent with Saleh's analysis. Their actions and technological innovations were triggering some kind of ancient warning mechanism.

"So how do we respond?"

After a moment of silence, Amber asked the key question. A complex light flashed in the eyes of the Phoenix King: "This is why I invited you here. In fact, we elves have gone through an evaluation cycle, and our ancestors found a way - not to fight, but to adapt and hide."

"You mean, the Thousand Star Empire survived the last, uh, 'evaluation'?"

Amber was really shocked this time and asked in disbelief.

After all, according to the time when the Forerunner civilization left this universe, the last "great purge" of other civilizations was at least two million years ago.

And if, as the Phoenix King said, the elves had already been in this universe two million years ago, and had developed a very advanced civilization,
Of course, the most outrageous thing is that these elves were able to survive the "Great Purge" of the Forerunner civilization.

"It shouldn't be called the 'Thousand Star Empire'. At that time, our civilization was not yet the 'Thousand Star Empire'."

The Phoenix King shook his head, and then continued with a complicated expression:
"We the elves paid a heavy price, losing much of our history and technology, and almost regressing to a primitive state. But our core was preserved, and we learned a valuable lesson - how to thrive without being seen as a threat."

Amber frowned. "So you're suggesting that we abandon our existing development path? I'm afraid that's not practical."

"No," the Phoenix King shook his head, "Times have changed, and time is running out for us. What we need now is a method of 'direct confrontation'."

Amber was silent again, and even wanted to laugh.

After what Aenarion had just said, he had expected the other party to come up with some countermeasures.

But now it seems that the Phoenix King of the Elf Clan wants to drag humans to directly confront the Forerunner civilization. God knows where these elves, who have already suffered a great purge, get the courage to fight against the Forerunners.
But Amber didn't dwell on it too much. After a moment, he continued to ask, "You mentioned a prophecy. Can you elaborate on it?"

The Phoenix King nodded, then walked to the biological projector, and the projection immediately switched to an image of an ancient mural - a ray of light appeared in the starry sky, and countless slender black shadows emerged from the light.

It was not exactly the same as the murals Amber had seen before, but it was 90% similar.

"Darkness is coming, and the guide of the stars will appear." The Phoenix King recited in a low voice, "This is the core part of the prophecy, but there is actually another sentence behind it: 'When the latecomers reach the crossroads, everything will be irreversible.'"

"You mean, the latecomers are humans?"

"Yes, and the crossroads, I believe, is now. The establishment of the New Federation, the ascension of the new ruler of the Star Dragon Empire, and the rise of the Atlas Group, all of these mark a major turning point in human history."

Amber thought thoughtfully: "Some of the prophecies I know of also mention 'battlefield angels' and 'living saints'. Do you know what these refer to?"

Hearing Amber's words, the Phoenix King looked at him in surprise: "So you already know so much, Mr. Amber. I'm sorry, we don't know much about this either, but some legends believe that this may refer to a key person who can change fate."

Amber fell into deep thought again, weighing the important information he had just learned. Phoenix King Aenarion also looked at him quietly without saying a word.

At this moment, they are no longer competitors from different camps and civilizations, but allies facing a common threat.

"We need more information." Amber finally broke the silence, "Especially the elves' understanding of the 'Forerunner Civilization'. If we want to have a direct confrontation as you said, this will be the most crucial part."

The Phoenix King nodded: "This is exactly what I hope to share with you in the coming days, but first I must confirm one thing. In the face of such a threat, are the three largest forces in the human race willing to put aside their differences and deal with it together?"

"Is this the only question you ask me?"

"Hahahaha, Mr. Amber, please don't joke with me. Considering the relationship between you or the Atlas Group, the New Federation, and the Star Dragon Empire, I think it is enough to ask for your opinion on some things~"

Obviously, the elves are very clear about the current situation in the human world, and are also very clear about the relationship between the Atlas Group and other people. Although they have not directly intervened in the human world, they have not relaxed their surveillance here at all.

Amber was silent for a moment, and finally he raised his head and said with a firm gaze: "The Atlas Group will find a way to mediate, and I believe that when faced with a threat that endangers the entire race, humans will put aside their disputes and unite. We will also be willing to share all the information and resources we have, but there is one thing you should know-"

"What's the matter?" Phoenix King asked curiously.

"To be honest, I have already sent a fleet to the observatory you mentioned before I set out."

Hearing Amber's words, the Phoenix King's expression changed instantly: "Mr. Amber, do you know what you are doing?! This is too dangerous! It may accelerate the triggering of the entire mechanism!"

"We have taken the greatest possible covert measures," Amber explained, "and we humans also need first-hand information to understand what we are facing."

The Phoenix King paced hurriedly in the room, his golden eyes flashing with worry. "You must recall this fleet immediately! Any attempt to approach the observatory may be regarded as a threatening act!"

"I'm afraid it's too late now. The fleet should be close to the target location." Amber said calmly.

The Phoenix King stopped and looked at Amber with deep worry: "You humans are always like this - brave to the point of recklessness. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why you are regarded as a threat."

"Perhaps this is the only way to find a solution." Amber responded, "There is an old saying in human history: 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles and never be in danger.' Sometimes, understanding the danger is the first step to defeating it."

The Phoenix King sighed, then nodded: "In this case, we must speed up our actions. Tomorrow morning, I will show you all our research results on the Forerunner civilization, including how we survived the last assessment."

He turned to the projected star map and pointed to the flashing red dot. "At the same time, I hope to be able to learn about your fleet's findings in real time. If there are any abnormalities, notify me immediately."

"of course."

Amber promised, silently praying that Saleh would be okay.

In the dead of night, Amber, who had just finished her meeting with the Phoenix King, stood on the balcony of the elven-style residence prepared for him, looking at the city of Eldaram illuminated by the double moons.

The city’s biological buildings glow with a soft blue light under the moonlight, so beautiful that they seem out of this world.

But his mind had already flown to the distant space, to the 'Eternity' in deep space.

"Salih, be careful." Amber whispered, but her voice was quickly carried away by the night wind.

(End of this chapter)