Chapter 1574 - In the Deep (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The ship silently flew through the terrifying and mysterious cloud.

It was just as Asurmen had said. The “visitors”‘ arrival had stirred the ancient Denizens of the Stars from their thousand years of slumber. Even when the main consciousness showed no signs of awakening, localized materialization was happening. From the monitors and sensors outside, the glowing clouds continued to visibly roil and turn while incredible things would appear amid the mist from time to time. Sometimes, it was a domed buttress, sometimes a crystal point, but most of the time, what appeared were nondescript crystalline sections.

These crystalline sectors were not the real form of any part of the starship. They were a special sort of projection. The localized awakening resulted in the appearance of these “silhouettes” that should not have existed, creating a very bizarre scene.

“We should head to the heart of the clouds.” Asurmen’s crystal floated next to Hao Ren as he said in an unhurried pace, “Key structures should appear there, and there may be a chance to awaken this ancient warrior from his sleep.”

Vivian took a glance at the crystal. “You don’t sound all that assured.”

“Forgive me, but that is indeed the case,” Asurmen responded in a frank manner. “I have never encountered a Denizen starship of this structure. It must have been created after I entered Collow. This ship is using a frame that has never been used since ancient times… but based on my experience, the heart of the cloud will usually host the cognition crystal, so going in that direction should be the right way.”

“Hope you’re right.” Hao Ren nodded as he ordered Nolan to increase speed toward the center of the clouds.

The crystalline structures appearing from the light and clouds were now behind Nolan. After confirming that they are all weak “fakes” and crashing into them would not affect the ship, the shipgirl was now a lot bolder. She did not bother dodging anything that appeared before her and sped in a straight line toward her destination.

The Petrachelys was only about a hundred meters long; while the entire light cloud was thousands of kilometers long, the former was like a little bug traveling through the latter. Hao Ren even imagined that the Denizen starship had corridors and cabins spanning hundreds of meters wide. Although his inspector frigate was basically flying through these great corridors, the corridors and cabins were all hidden by the mist right then.

While it was hard to discern left from right in the mist, or any direction for that matter, based on the sensors’ data, the Petrachelys was already closing in on the heart of the energy structure.

The objects appearing in the mist had also changed, meaning that they were already close to a very special place.

The broken crystals and crystalline sections were no more as more complete and clearer crystalline structures started to appear. Sometimes, crystal hallways spanning hundreds of meters long with large domes appeared. Despite their edges being broken in places, the appearance and size of the structures were clearly way beyond those broken fragments around the belt.

“A much more complete reflection… It seems like the core contains more important and stable information.” Asurmen’s emotionless voice rang again. “But I have yet to detect this kin’s main consciousness or life at all. This is very strange.”

“So, he probably died in his sl….” Hao Ren was half-way through before Vivian gave him a biting pinch, and he immediately shut his big mouth. “Ahem, I meant to say, is this starship still ‘alive’?”

“He is definitely still alive. The localized awakening we saw on our way here is proof enough,” Asurmen answered. “But… I do not know why most of this starship’s energy has disappeared, and even part of the energy used to maintain his core is gone too, as though it was drawn away into some bottomless pit.”

“Energy loss?” Vivian’s expression became grim. “This is not a good sign… If these starships are guardians left behind by the goddess, their loss of energy is definitely bad news.”

“At the very least, the divine lockdown is still in effect in Star Cluster X, which means the entire defense system did not fully go offline. No matter what’s being kept or protected here, it’s probably still safe,” Hao Ren consoled Vivian.

As they spoke, the Petrachelys slowed down and more crystalline structures appeared in the mist outside. These solid “fakes” looked like the real deal, and the encompassing mist had also mostly faded away.

Nolan stopped before a massive crystalline wall. “Boss, can’t go any farther now. Should I blow a hole in it?”

As she spoke, the two sub-cannons at the front of the Petrachelys were deployed and aimed at the incredibly thick crystal barrier.

“You’ll punch through the entire place.” Hao Ren immediately stopped her before he turned to Vivian. “Seems like we need to head down.”

“I will come along.” Asurmen’s crystal floated up. “I am much more familiar with the operations of the Denizen’s starship than all of you.”

The ring around Asurmen’s crystal was meant to help with his mobility, so Hao Ren nodded in ascent. He then waved to the table beside him, and Lil Pea, who was playing with Lego immediately threw her toys aside and leaped into her father’s arm.

Two people, a fish, and a ringed crystal prism… This oddball team then left the Petrachelys and entered the bright bizarre space.