Everyone's eyes were focused on the strange patterns that appeared later. It was only until they occupied an entire row, until a series of evenly distributed dots appeared behind the symbols, until white noises of nothingness came from the monitoring channel, and a notification indicating 'signal lost' sounded from a nearby magical network terminal that many people finally remembered how to breathe and took a deep breath.
"The signal is lost …" A monitoring officer stood up from his chair with a blank look on his face. He then repeated, "The signal is lost …"
The holographic projection in the center of the room was still active, and a clear image appeared in the air. Gwen's eyes were fixed on the "symbols" that appeared at the end. They seemed to be composed of arcs and straight lines, four to six symbols in a group, separated by dots or short lines in the middle, which made people think of something.
"Your Majesty, do you think these things …" Bard could not help but break the silence. "They look like …"
"Words," Gwen said in a low voice. "They look like some kind of words."
"We have never seen such words before," a gray-haired magician whispered not far away. "I bet no one here knows this thing … It looks so weird."
Bersetia remained silent beside Gwen. She was still not sure what had happened, but based on Gwen's explanation and what she had just seen, she had a vague guess in her mind. At this moment, her eyes swept across the faces of everyone present. She saw nervousness, excitement, doubt, speculation, and everyone's thoughts. She finally looked at Gwen, only to see that his eyes were as calm as water, but something seemed to be brewing in the depths.
After a few seconds, Gwen finally spoke again. His voice was calmer than Bersetia had imagined. "Copy these symbols, gather language and writing experts, as well as cryptographers, and do your best to crack it …"
Halfway through, he suddenly stopped, as if he was seriously weighing something. After some serious thought, he continued, "In addition, after some of the symbols have been messed up, release them to the public. Collect clues from all over the country. Anyone who has seen something similar through any means can report it. Even if they saw something similar on the graffiti of their children or in the wheat fields of their farms."
Bertilla, who was standing aside, immediately nodded. "Understood. I have already informed General Marguarita."
"Distribute all the operating parameters of the antenna group to all monitoring stations in the country," Gwen said again. "Also, when the signal appeared, where was the main antenna pointing?"
Bard reminded him. "Your Majesty, now the main antenna has been replaced with a crystal lattice array, and the array crystal has no directivity …"
"But the mechanical structure of its base does. The mechanical structure of the array determines that even if the crystal lattice is omnidirectional, the receiving efficiency in a specific direction will be higher than in other directions." Gwen looked at Bard. Obviously, although he was no longer personally involved in this field of technology, he was not ignorant of some basic knowledge. "At that time, where was the mechanical disk of the main antenna pointing?"
A young female magician immediately ran to her desk. She found the direction data of the main antenna and quickly made a comparison in her mind. Then she looked up and said, "Your Majesty, at that time, the main antenna should have been pointing near the Frost Sky Constellation …"
"From today onwards, the antenna group of the Sorin monitoring station will be responsible for tracking signals from the Frost Sky Constellation." Gwen looked at Bertilla. "The stations in other areas will continue to maintain their omnidirectional monitoring."
Bertilla had already realized Gwen's idea. She reminded him. "The Palamel Observatory and the Sorin monitoring station are at the same latitude, and there is a higher level of 'window' there. I think it's best to synchronize the other side with the monitoring station."
Gwen thought for a moment and immediately nodded. "You're right. Let the Palamel Observatory adjust the antenna to the Frost Sky Constellation and turn on the 24-hour receiving mode. I'll send a team of technicians there later. There may not be enough manpower there. "
After a series of arrangements and a short discussion, Gwen left the monitoring facility at the bottom of the tree canopy. They did not return to Bertilla's' resting place 'but directly took the elevator inside the trunk back to the top of the tree canopy. At this time, it was almost evening. The brilliant summer sun gradually turned into a golden-red afterglow. The brilliant skylight shone from afar, passing through the thin clouds and splashing on the vast wooden platform and layers of leaves at the top of the giant tree.
At this time of the year, the sunset was as condensed as water.
The main antenna stood at the top of the platform. Hundreds of hexagonal crystal plates were supported by a complicated and delicate mechanical framework. Runes flashed between the crystal plates and the magic conductive metal, echoing with the sunlight. The wind in the high altitude blew through the antenna array, bringing a humming sound between the crystal and the metal, as if this industrial product that condensed the wisdom of scholars from all over the Imperium was whispering something in a low voice.
Gwen stood under the antenna and withdrew his gaze from the crystal array. He looked at the delicate mechanical base of the antenna. In order to get the best resonance effect in the magic field and reduce interference, the mechanical plate automatically tracked the 'high-clarity window' in the atmosphere and adjusted itself. Perhaps it was because of this small variable that brought about an unexpected effect today.
But the variable could also come from the material of the main antenna. As far as he knew, the crystals here had just been updated not long ago. Because the old monitoring device malfunctioned after a strong wind, the mechanics and magic-conducting technicians redesigned the entire system and replaced the old broken crystals with new high-quality crystals. These crystals were cast by the Pompeii Crystal Foundry, and the raw material was high-purity protocrystal dust from Ancestor Ogoray's Peak. There was a significant difference in performance between the old and new crystals. Could this be the reason?
Perhaps the next time another monitoring station captured the signal, everyone would get the answer.
"It seems that the mechanics have to work overtime recently." Bertilla's voice came from the side, interrupting Gwen's thoughts. The 'giant tree incarnation' stood beside the base of the antenna and looked up at the crystals. There was a smile on her wooden face. "To maintain the resonance strength and interference resistance of the antenna under the premise of the crystal array locking on to a specific direction, this may require the entire mechanical plate to be redone. But fortunately, this is not an unsolvable technical problem. The original modification plan seems to have a corresponding design idea, but … the cost is probably a little higher."
Gawain did not respond. He only stared at the direction the antenna array was pointing at. There was only a golden-red glow and a cloud that was slowly moving towards the north. There was not a single star in the sky, but he knew that the stars were still twinkling during the day. The Frost Sky Constellation was in that direction, and the huge monitoring device in front of him was slowly tracking that ancient constellation at a speed that was difficult to detect with the naked eye.
"The tracking accuracy is not enough now, is it?" he suddenly whispered.
"Of course not. This mechanical structure is not used to track celestial bodies. I am now using a servo brain to take over the control of the antenna's mechanical plate. The servo brain's calculation accuracy is enough, but the mechanical plate's mechanical precision is a shortcoming," Bertilla said. "This problem should be solved after the mechanical plate is rebuilt. But we still need some astrology experts here. I am not considering astrology masters at the level of the Palamel Observatory. A few graduates from the Imperial College will do. At least they know how to construct the tracking trajectory of the antenna according to the movement of the celestial sphere."
"I will arrange the best astrologer for you, as well as sufficient funding." Gwen glanced at Bertilla. "Where did you learn this pitiful way of talking?"
Bertilla's expression did not change, and she did not respond.
Then the entire platform fell silent. Gwen, Bertilla, and Bertilla were silent under the antenna. This tacit silence lasted for a full minute before they suddenly said in unison, "Does it really come from the stars?"
As their voices trailed off, the three looked at each other. After a short silence, they laughed in unison. Bertilla's tense nerves suddenly relaxed as she took a deep breath. "But I still can't believe it … Although this idea did come to me, is it really possible? This mysterious signal you are talking about, it … "
"This is not a whimsical idea, although many people have not thought in this direction," Gwen interrupted Bertilla. His expression became serious. "When this signal first appeared, I guessed it, but I never told anyone because this idea is too advanced and not in line with many people's thinking habits. You should know that I … have a different view of the stars from you."
Bertilla and Bertilla simultaneously thought of Gwen's identity as an 'extraterrestrial wanderer'. They looked at each other and nodded slightly, but did not say anything.
"In the past two years, we have done a lot of research on this signal," Gwen continued. "Bertilla should be very clear about this. We have set up listening stations all over the country, and even set up an overseas station in the Augre tribal country. We have tried various methods to lock the source of the signal, but nothing was found on the ground. Of course, we have also tried to point the antenna to the sky, but maybe it was bad luck, or maybe the old crystal was not sensitive enough, the antenna pointing to the sky did not receive any useful information … except this time.
"Of course, we can't rule out that the signal comes from other places, such as the Umbra Realm that overlaps with the real world, or some elemental world, or even … the divine realm. But we don't have the ability to establish large-scale strongholds in these places, so this guess can only be a guess. So far, the only clue that may be reliable … is this. "
Bertilla did not say a word. She just looked up at the sky, and when the light dimmed and a touch of twilight spread from the distance, her keen eyes caught a few stars. In the past ten centuries, she did not seem to notice that these stars were so attractive to her.
In her trance, she heard Gwen's voice coming from the side. "In fact, we should have known that we are not the only intelligent beings in this universe. In this world, 'outsiders' are not rare."
"Yes, I know that there is a kingdom of sirens in the distant eastern sea. They claim to have come to this planet on a giant ship that can fly between the stars. Some of their siren allies are even active in the empire." Bertilla nodded gently. "I have read about these sirens in the newspaper and on the radio."
"But this is the first time we have heard a sound from outside the planet with our own 'ears.' Although it is just a possibility," Bertilla looked away from the sky and at Bertilla and Gwen. "A distant and unknown world has sent us a mysterious and unknown voice. This is different from listening to a story. I never thought I would experience such a thing. "
"I didn't think about it either." Gawain smiled with mixed emotions. "This … even makes me feel a little helpless."
"You don't look so happy." Bertilla was keenly aware of Gwen's mood. "I thought you would be happier about this. This is an exciting discovery, and it is related to the 'starry sky.'"
"But this may not necessarily be a good thing." Gawain was indeed very excited, but now his excitement was gradually fading. More thoughts were spreading from the bottom of his heart. "Don't forget that in our world, 'taking a step forward' is always accompanied by great risks."
Bertilla calmed down instantly when she heard this. She suddenly thought of the documents from the Theocratic Council and the words from the Dragons. A solemn look appeared in her eyes. "You mean … the gods will lose control because of our behavior of looking up at the starry sky."
"It is not that bad." Gwen shook his head. "According to reliable information, just looking up at the starry sky is not enough to cause the gods to lose control. Only the act of stepping into the starry sky will drive them crazy. So at least at this stage, this discovery will not cause the risk of triggering a divine catastrophe."
"Reliable information?" Bertilla could not help but frown. "Is this information reliable?"
"Yes." Gwen nodded. "The Dragon God told me before he went crazy."
Bersetia Bertilla: "… Then this is indeed credible."
"But the risk does not only come from looking up at the starry sky." Gwen shook his head and could not help but look at the sky again. "The source of the signal itself … may also be dangerous."
The Silver Queen suddenly showed a thoughtful look. At the same time, the stars that gradually began to flicker in the distance seemed to have a different meaning in her eyes.
Perhaps … there really was a group of hypothetical "messengers" among the stars. Perhaps the signal that Sorin's monitoring station heard today really came from that distant direction. If all of this was true, then "they" should be there now, far away from the human and the elves, looking at the other side of the starry sky.
This distance was far beyond the current barrier between the mortal kingdoms and the Gondor wasteland.
A magnificent wall had already made the mortals outside the wall and the cultists inside the wall into two completely different "races." So, the "messengers" on the other side of the starry sky … Were they friendly?
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