The Wizard of Truth: Starting with Analyzing All Things

Passing through the slowly sliding metal gate, flowing with a sorrowful pale blue light, what rushed towards us was not a more sinister killing intent, but a solidified grief that defied precise language. The air was no longer merely filled with the acrid staleness of leaked energy, but also permeated with a heavy "psychic haze," as if formed by countless sighs settling over millennia. Pale blue guiding light bands, like veins flowing with cold blood, were embedded in the broken, twisted, battle-scarred metal walls, extending into the unfathomable darkness ahead. Where the light illuminated, the charred energy burn marks, the deep metal lacerations, and the long-solidified, yet still faintly resentful, dark purple fungal carpet or silvery-white corrosion remnants all spoke of the unimaginably brutal battles that had taken place here.

"Extremely high concentration of psionic memory residue detected... and low-intensity 'Crystal Devouring' inert contamination, and 'Order' rule fragment contamination. Environmental spiritual pressure index: Dangerous. Mental stability advice: Maintain a spiritual barrier and avoid deep immersion." Instructor Verna's voice rang out in the internal communication channel, carrying an unprecedented solemnity. On the scanner in front of her, the readings representing psionic activity and information density had remained at a chillingly high level ever since entering this corridor named "Emergency Passage Seven."

Lina's face was paler than before, but her eyes were unusually bright, even with an almost painful focus. She gripped the armrests of her chair tightly, her knuckles white from the force. "So many… 'voices'…" she murmured, her voice trembling slightly, "not alive, but… 'memories' and 'emotions' stuck in the walls, in the air, even in space itself… They're 'echoing'… desperate screams, angry roars, sorrowful cries, cold commands, and… the 'sounds' of metal being torn apart, energy annihilating, bodies shattering… So chaotic, so heavy…"

Ai Rui walked slightly ahead of the group. In the depths of her dark golden eyes, the silvery-white star swirling within slowed to an almost instantaneous speed, as if she were observing everything around her with the highest precision "lens." The intertwined runes between her brows emitted a soft halo, seemingly resonating and harmonizing subtly with the heavy, sorrowful spiritual energy of the environment. "I can 'see'... the shapes of those 'sounds'," she said softly, pointing to a huge, molten tear on the left wall. "Here... there was once a huge energy explosion, the 'sound' of the 'Cradle's' 'Guardian Barrier' being overloaded and detonated from within... It hurt, it was angry, but also... resolute." She then pointed to several irregularly distributed etching marks on the ceiling, shimmering with a dim silver light. "Those are 'scratches' left by the 'Silver Ice' (Order)... They are 'screaming' to 'purify' and 'order' everything, cold and empty." Finally, her gaze fell on a depression in the ground ahead, where a patch of dark purple fungal carpet, completely devoid of activity and resembling weathered rock, remained. "This... is 'Purple Rust' (Crystal Devourer)... It 'greedily' 'devoured' and 'greed,' very hungry and chaotic, but in the end... it 'starved' to death because there was nothing left to 'eat'."

Airi's description imbues this desolate ruin with a shocking and dynamic "memory of wounds." Every break is no longer a simple physical injury, but an "echo" of a tragic moment forcibly "branded" into this place.

Guided by the pale blue directional light, the team continued deeper into the corridor. The corridor wasn't straight, but rather winding and twisting, sometimes requiring them to step over broken metal beams, sometimes to squeeze past the massive wreckage of collapsed equipment. As they went deeper, the "solidified grief" in the air grew increasingly intense, even beginning to have a tangible effect. Verna and Lilith noticed that the readings of some sophisticated detection instruments began to drift irregularly and slightly, as if affected by invisible interference. Lina, in particular, had to constantly maintain her mental barrier to avoid being pulled into mental chaos by the ubiquitous, chaotic "echoes."

Just as they rounded a sharp bend and entered a relatively wide area that seemed to have once been a small transportation hub, something unexpected happened.

The pale blue guiding light ahead suddenly began to flicker erratically, its frequency increasing until it finally went out completely! The entire area was plunged into darkness in an instant, with only the faint glow from the lights and weapons carried by the "Stargazer" crew members barely outlining the distorted contours of the surroundings.

"Guidance signal interrupted! Be careful!" Elder Anderson growled as he warned.

However, the anticipated attack did not occur. Instead, the surrounding space began to twist and change in a strange, ripple-like manner! The scorch marks, scratches, and fungal remnants on the walls, floor, and ceiling seemed to come alive, flowing and reforming, emitting a richer, more "vibrant," unstable psionic glow that was a mixture of pale gold, silver, and dark purple!

Immediately afterwards, countless blurry, semi-transparent "phantoms," seemingly composed directly of light, shadow, and emotions, "emerged" from all directions, from inside the walls, and even from the air without warning! These "phantoms" were not physical entities, but they emitted a clear and perceptible, intense fluctuation of intention.

They saw:

A group of illusory "scholars," dressed in "Cradle" style clothing with blurred faces but exuding an aura of wisdom and anxiety, are fiercely arguing and gesturing around a holographic star map. The star map is clearly marked with "Suspicious Activity Area of ​​the Silver Glow Faction" and "Report on Abnormal Digestion of Crystals." Their thoughts are filled with anxiety and anger, shouting "Warning!" "Betrayal!" and "We must act immediately!"

Several squads of fully armed, psionicly powerful "Cradle" warriors, relying on makeshift energy shelters, were unleashing their desperate firepower at the surging torrent of silver-white "Order" combat units and writhing, dark purple "Crystal Devouring" bacteria that was pouring in from the other end of the passage. The warriors' resolve was filled with the resolute and tragic cries of "Fight to the death!" "For our homeland!" "There are too many of them!"

—A smaller, more "refined" illusory scene: Several phantoms dressed as "Cradle" engineers are frantically operating a control panel emitting an ominous red light. The panel displays alarming messages such as "Core Energy Overload," "Structural Integrity Collapse," and "Self-Destruct Protocol Activated." The engineers' minds are filled with the anguish and desperation of "It's too late!" "We can't let them obtain the 'Origin Codex'!" and "Farewell, my compatriots!"

Finally, a larger, more fragmented phantom flashed by: what appeared to be an incomparably vast "control center" filled with intricate crystalline structures and energy circuits, where a humanoid, faceless "mastermind" phantom, radiating soft yet powerful psionic energy fluctuations, placed its hand on a massive "core" composed of pure "source seed" energy. Its thoughts were filled with endless sorrow, endless anger, and a final, almost liberating obsession to "record... everything... leave... a spark..."

These "phantoms" did not appear simultaneously, but rather flashed, alternated, and overlapped rapidly like a revolving lantern, accompanied by corresponding emotional impacts so intense they almost tore the soul apart—the scholar's anxious anger, the warrior's desperate roar, the engineer's sorrow and bitterness, and the controller's profound grief and wish—like an invisible tsunami, violently impacting the hearts of everyone present!

"It's 'Past Life Echoes'! 'Information-Emotion Ghosts' formed by the solidification of highly concentrated psychic memories and intense emotions under special conditions!" Verna's voice rang out in the communication channel, filled with suppressed pain and a forced sense of rationality. "Don't try to fight them! Guard your spiritual awareness, silently acknowledge your own existence, and don't be 'assimilated' by them! They are not aggressive, but immersing yourself in them will cause you to lose yourself, and you might even be overwhelmed by the intense emotions they carry!"

However, it's easier said than done. The emotions contained in these "echoes" were far too intense and too real. Barton groaned, his eyes bloodshot, as if he saw phantoms of his former comrades falling beside him, his fighting spirit uncontrollably dissipating slightly. Lilith and Annie were deathly pale, gripping the objects around them tightly, their bodies trembling slightly, clearly struggling against the overwhelming despair and sorrow. Lina let out a low cry of pain, covering her ears tightly with her hands, but those "sounds" acted directly on her senses, and physical barriers were useless.

Luo Wei also felt a sharp pain in his soul. His mind was filled with uncontrollable flashes of the wails of the survivors of the "Core of Sorrow," the flashes of destruction from the "Gray Rock," and countless tragedies he had witnessed along the way. His resilient soul, a mid-stage Second Ring Star Speaker who had already reached the threshold of the late stage, was now like a lone boat in a storm, violently rocking. He gripped the Star Key tightly, attempting to stabilize his mind and fight against the all-pervasive torrent of sorrow through the pure resonance of its "Source Seed."

Just as everyone was about to be completely overwhelmed by the surging "echoes", Ai Rui, who had been standing quietly and simply "watching" those phantoms, suddenly moved.

Unlike the others, she didn't close her eyes or forcefully resist. Instead, she stepped forward and stood at the very front of the group, facing the flickering, weeping, and roaring phantoms. The merging rune between her brows suddenly became bright and stable, no longer the soft light it had been, but a strange, neutral light that encompassed all things, understood everything, and bore everything.

Her dark golden eyes "saw" the scholars' anxiety, the soldiers' despair, the engineers' pain, and the controller's sorrowful wish. She neither tried to dispel them nor was she consumed by them. Her gaze seemed to carry a deep compassion stemming from shared blood, a resonant understanding born from having personally experienced similar trauma, and a deeper "acceptance" and "remembrance" that transcended mere sadness and anger.

Then, she spoke slowly, her voice not loud, yet exceptionally clear, piercing through the chaotic echoes and resonating in everyone's hearts, as if echoing within those frozen "phantoms":

"We...heard it."

"Your warnings...we've heard them."

"I saw your battle."

"I feel your pain."

"Your sacrifices...we will remember them."

"We... are latecomers. We carry scars, we carry the 'key,' and we also carry... the same 'pain' and 'hatred' for 'Silver Glow.'"

"We cannot change the past. But we can... witness, remember, and then... carry on with your last 'memorials'."

"So...rest in peace. Or...if there are still unfinished thoughts, tell us. But please...don't stay here any longer. The pain here...is too heavy, it's time to...let some of it go."

Ai Rui's words were not powerful spells or incantations, yet they seemed to carry a strange power. It was neither "purification" nor "dispelling," but a deep "communication" and "comfort," an "understanding" and "confession" of the deceased's obsession from the same wounded perspective.

As she spoke, the flickering "phantoms" radiating intense negative emotions seemed to "hear" and "see" her. Their flickering frequency gradually slowed, and the emotional impact they emitted began to weaken. The scholar phantoms ceased their heated debate, the warriors froze in their final charge, the engineers' hands slowly slid from the control panel, and the controller's sorrowful gaze seemed to transcend time and space, lingering for a fleeting moment on Irene and the Star Key in Rowe's hand, and then…

All the phantoms, along with the flowing, unstable psychic glow around them, began to slowly dissipate and fade, like sand paintings scattered by the wind. The suffocating, solidified sense of grief also lessened considerably. The pale blue guiding light rekindled and stabilized not far ahead.

Silence returned to the passageway. But this silence was no longer filled with "malice" and "oppression," but rather with a heavy calm that felt like... the dust had settled and the past was over.

Everyone looked as if they had just been pulled from the water, their bodies drenched in cold sweat, panting heavily, still shaken. Their gazes towards Airi were filled with shock and gratitude.

"How...how did you do that?" Lilith leaned against the wall, her voice still trembling.

Ai Rui slowly turned around, her expression still calm, but something unspeakable seemed to have settled in her dark golden eyes. "I just... told them that they were 'seen' and 'remembered'," she said softly. "Their pain is real, but being trapped in pain will only make it worse. Our arrival, and the Star Key... made them feel that what they were protecting might not... have completely disappeared. So, they are willing... to 'rest' a little."

"Your 'eyes' and 'resonance' can not only 'see' the structure, but also... directly communicate with this 'residual emotional information'?" Verna pondered. "Is it because of the 'Cradle' bloodline within you, or because of that 'order suppression' mark, that allows you to simultaneously understand the 'pain' of both sides?"

"I think so." Airi touched the fading light of the rune between her brows. "I can 'feel' that the 'echo' contains the sorrow and anger of the 'Cradle,' the cold madness of the 'Silver Glow,' and the chaotic greed of the 'Crystal Devourer'... They're like different 'colors,' mixed together, forming this dark 'scar.' I'm just... trying to 'separate' them and see, and then tell the 'color' that belongs to the 'Cradle'... We've come."

Lowe gave Airi a deep look, his opinion of her rising once again. Airi's abilities after awakening were not just about assistance and detection, but also possessed immeasurable "strategic" value in specific environments (especially those involving the "Cradle" legacy and psionic information).

"Let's keep going." Suppressing his inner turmoil, Lowe led the way towards the newly illuminated guiding light. "The threat of 'Echoes' is temporarily gone, but it's still dangerous here. Irene, you stay in the middle and be aware of any changes in the environment. Lina, how's your recovery?"

"Much better... the 'sound' is much quieter now." Lina's voice was still weak, but she could barely manage to speak. "The 'rhythm' at the beginning... is still messy, but at least it doesn't have that... feeling of about to 'explode' anymore."

The team set off again, traversing the area that had just experienced the "Echo" eruption. Along the way, they witnessed even more horrifying sights: energy centers completely melted through, their intricate internal crystalline structures reduced to glassy vacuoles; stacked, lifeless remains of "Cradle" warriors, pierced by dark purple mycelium (completely crystallized); and the remains of some strangely shaped "Cradle" psionic constructs, impaled by silver-white energy chains and nailed to the walls, seemingly dead in captivity.

Every scene silently tells of the brutality and cruelty of that final battle. The ruthless efficiency of the Stasis Court (Silver Glow), the greedy destruction of the Crystal-Eating Bacteria, and the desperate resistance of the "Cradle" civilization have left an eternal and suffocating mark here.

Finally, at the end of the pale blue guiding light, they arrived before an unprecedented, enormous circular gate forged from a dark golden alloy that shimmered with the luster of liquid energy. The gate's surface was covered with intricately complex, slowly flowing psionic runes, and at its center was a recessed, slowly rotating pale golden "keyhole" perfectly aligned with the shape of the Star Key. The gate was tightly closed, but from the cracks, a more refined and immense psionic energy fluctuation, imbued with a deep weariness and sorrow, faintly emanated.

"A top-level 'Cradle' core psionic authentication node has been detected." Verna's voice carried a hint of excitement and awe. "Behind this door... should be the true core control area of ​​'Deep Star City,' or at least one of its most important core areas! The authentication system on the door... requires the resonance of a 'Source Seed' with the highest authority!"

Rowe walked to the door, looking at the keyhole that perfectly matched the Star Key, and feeling the vast and sorrowful psionic energy emanating from behind it. He knew that by crossing this door, they would truly step into the "heart" of this ark of civilization, confront its deepest wounds, and perhaps... come into contact with its last remaining, authentic "consciousness" or "legacy."

"Ready?" He turned around and looked at his companions behind him.

Everyone's face showed weariness and heaviness, but also an unwavering determination to have overcome all obstacles to get here.

Luo Wei took a deep breath and slowly raised the warm, smooth Star Key in his hand, whose internal "source seed" power had been mostly restored and whose cracks had been firmly "locked," aiming it at the slowly rotating pale golden keyhole.

"Then, let's go in..."

"Go and see the last... 'heart' of this ark."