A small mechanical landing craft was released from the Winter. It crossed the calm, mirror-like surface of the sea and docked steadily at the foot of the "giant tower" that seemed to penetrate the planet's atmosphere. Kassandra, who had been exploring the steel island for half a day, came to meet them. After fixing the landing craft, Byron and Asalena led a loyal group of Marines to the ancient ruins that had stood on this planet for 1.8 million years.
The gentle and weak sea breeze blew from afar, bringing fresh air. The giant sun had deviated from the highest point in the sky, and the slanted sunlight was no longer as hot and deadly as it was at noon. The brilliant golden red light shone on the giant tower in front of them, casting a spectacular shadow on the distant sea. At the edge of the steel island, Byron saw mineral deposits, algae deposits, and many other traces of life that belonged to the sea.
He looked up and tried his best to look at the top of the tower. Of course, as he had observed from all angles before, he could not see where the top of the tower was. He could only see a magnificent silver-gray column rising into the sky under the setting sun. It gradually turned into a slender black line at the end of his vision, and its end was hidden at the end of the sky, like a bridge hanging down from heaven.
"How did this thing come to be here?" A Marine could not help but mutter. His voice sounded a little muffled under the helmet. "Will it really not fall down?"
"Who knows? Something left behind by the Voyager … "Another soldier muttered." They can even build a spaceship to patrol between the divine kingdoms. It is said that the spaceship is several times bigger than the Dawn of the Earthly Dawn … "
Byron heard the astonished conversation of the soldiers behind him, but he did not care. Instead, he let Kassandra lead the way. Soon, they passed through the safety zone and came to the open square at the bottom of the tower.
"I suspect that this is the entrance to the tower. I found a gate structure nearby, and it looks like a place for vehicles and people to gather. But we haven't had time to explore further." Due to the weak sunlight, the water vapor around Kassandra was a little thinner than before, which made her look like she had escaped the danger of becoming a dried salted fish. "While waiting for you to come, my sisters and I also found more 'traces of latecomers' around the square. They should have been left behind by the original elves who fled here. The traces left by the elves are not as immortal as the voyagers' creations. Many of them have been mottled and weathered. "
Byron nodded solemnly. His eyes fell on the metal plate engraved with ancient elven characters at the edge of the square. Although he couldn't understand a single word, he still maintained his glorious image of 'the general is knowledgeable, the general has a card up his sleeve, and the general is very steady' in front of the marines. "Leaving the message near the entrance to warn latecomers … is a very reasonable idea."
Asalena, of course, knew that this guy, who knew nothing about the ancient elvish language, was just putting up a front. But she was not interested in undermining him. Instead, she carefully read the text on the metal plate again. This time, after a close examination, she found a detail that she had not seen before on the remote image.
"The material of this metal plate … is different from the things around it, but it is not the copper-based mithril alloy commonly used by the elves in this era …"
"Perhaps the elves brought this from their homeland," Byron said, scratching his chin. "The primitive elves had mastered much more advanced technology than the Silver Empire today. The Stellar Temple was their 'ancestral property' that they brought to the Lolun Continent. This alloy must have a similar origin. After the division and degeneration, they lost a lot of technology and suffered a serious mass memory wipe. I think there is no way to smelt this advanced material from their homeland."
Hao Ren pondered for a moment and observed the metal plate erected in the square like a monument. "Can this thing be cut off?"
"Yes," Kassandra immediately nodded and said. "The material of this' island 'is frighteningly hard, but this metal plate is not difficult to deal with. It is cast in a groove on the ground. The engineering cutter used by your magician should be able to dig it out of the base … Are you going to take it off?"
As soon as her voice trailed off, Asalena looked at Byron in surprise. "What do you want to do with this thing?"
"Dig. Later, ask the Winter to send a group of engineers down." Byron nodded and gestured at the bottom of the 'monument'. "Along the root, try to dig it neatly. I'm thinking that this thing can be sent to the Silver Empire in a beautiful box or something. In His Majesty's words, this thing can at least gain a reputation of + 100 …"
"Calm down! What the hell are you talking about? You want to dig out the monument erected by the ancestors and put it in a box for the victim to gain reputation? "Asalena was shocked. She stared at Byron and shouted," The moment you step into the Silver Empire with this thing, you will be caught red-handed. Do you know that? "
No one in the imperial fleet dared to yell at the Admiral, except for a female dragon who had been slashing people, drinking, and bragging with the Admiral in the south for decades. Ashalena's loud voice made Byron's head buzz, and he finally realized that what he did was a little inappropriate. Not all "lost things" were suitable to be dug up and returned to the owner. This "monument" in front of him was not only a relic of the original elves, but it also had a greater significance to a civilization as an "evidence and memorial of their existence." Perhaps in the near future, when the world was safe, the Silver Elves would come here like the Cold Winter today. By then, this monument would be a vital "coordinate point" in their history and culture …
This principle was actually very simple. It was like there was a mountain peak in the world, and no one had successfully climbed to the top. But one day, a fierce man accomplished this feat and hung his family emblem on it, even if the process was just an accident. Then, he took off this historic symbol and sent it to his descendants. "Excuse me, I picked this thing up on the road. Did your family lose it?"
Byron put himself in the person's shoes and thought that he might give that person a jump strike, the kind that would break his armor.
"Forget it. I'll tell His Majesty about this and see how he plans to negotiate with the Silver Empire." Byron scratched his messy hair and turned to look at the towering curved metal wall not far away (it was actually just a small piece of the outer wall at the bottom of the tower). "Next, let's go in and see what's going on."
"Are you sure you want to go in?" Asalena frowned slightly and glanced at the gate in the distance that looked like an entrance. "I have always felt that this thing is so creepy."
"I'm here to go in and have a look." Byron had apparently made up his mind. "We have been lost for so long, and it was sheer luck that we found this tower. The legacy of the voyager is of great significance to the Empire, and His Majesty is also very concerned about this matter. We should at least bring some valuable information back. This is at least an explanation to the Empire. Of course, we won't stay here for too long. The Naga navigators and the sirens on the Winter are recalibrating the route. When they find the direction of the mainland, we will rush back. And we should be cautious before entering the 'tower', so … "
He looked up at Lady Kassandra, who was carefully braiding her tail into a bow. "Lady Kassandra, please go through the gate first."
Kassandra immediately put down her tail and smiled confidently. "Of course, no problem. We are waiting for this. Sisters, let's go!"
The three sirens soon left the team. Byron and others watched as they passed through the open square and the wide ramp leading to the end of the square. The alloy gate, which looked like it could allow seven or eight heavy tanks to pass through side by side, was standing at the end of the ramp. The middle was slightly open, and the three of them disappeared into the gap of the gate.
After passing through the ridiculously wide door and a passageway that was equally wide but not too long, the interior of the tower was finally presented before the eyes of the three siren explorers.
The lights were bright, and the place was spotless. Some kind of ancient purification device or barrier seemed to have blocked all the dust from the outside world. What appeared in front of Kassandra was a neat and bright circular hall that had been around for 1.8 million years.
Unlike the hall on the first floor of Tarlonde's tower, there were not many operating equipment here, nor was there a busy central pipe. The huge hall was almost completely empty. There was only a silver-white metal pipe in the center that ran through the floor and the roof. Its diameter looked almost as big as the tower of the castle. In the air around the metal pipe, there were several groups of holograms floating in the air. There was only noise on them.
There was no danger, no ancient equipment was activated, and no wall suddenly glowed.
Kassandra took her two sisters around the hall and finally determined that the place was quite safe. Just like the 'monument' in the square mentioned, the first floor of the hall was free of danger.
After confirming that it was safe, Byron and others, who were waiting outside, finally walked into the ancient place.
"No matter how many times I look at it, the things left by the voyagers are still so amazing." Byron could not help but sigh as he looked around the place that was still clean and bright after millions of years. "Did the primitive elves gather in this place and die?"
"We didn't find any access to the upper floor — no stairs or gates," Kassandra said. "Everything has been checked, except for the metal pipe in the middle of the hall … or metal column. That thing is obviously still running. I didn't dare to touch it, but my sisters and I walked around it twice and didn't set off any alarms. "
"It's good to be cautious," Byron said, nodding and taking a few steps toward the silver-white metal pipe in the middle of the hall. "It's okay to just get close to it, right?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a "beep" that sent shivers down everyone's spine suddenly came from all directions. Accompanied by this short beep that was obviously a warning, a robotic voice directly sounded in the hearts of everyone in the hall. The voice sounded as though it was directly injecting information into everyone's mind. "Warning, you do not meet the conditions to cross the boundary. Visitor, please step back."
Byron froze for a moment and broke out in a cold sweat. The next second, he quickly stepped back.
The alarm did not continue to sound, and the synthetic voice in his mind did not continue to come.
"Did you hear the alarm just now? Or am I the only one who heard it? "Byron looked at Kassandra in amazement." Didn't you say that it's okay to get close? "
"We heard it, but it's okay when we got close!" Kassandra's eyes widened in surprise. Then, as if to verify, she immediately wagged her tail and wriggled a few steps toward the center of the hall. After confirming that the system here did not respond, she stepped back. "Look, it's okay."
Azalena frowned at the scene in front of her and suddenly said, "I'll try it too."
Without waiting for Byron to speak, she stepped toward the place where he stood just now. Under the watchful eyes of many people around her, nothing happened.
The warning did not sound.
"… Am I being targeted?" Byron frowned and looked back at the marines he brought with him. "Others, come and try it. But don't go too far. Retreat immediately after being warned. Don't stand in front for too long without a warning."
"… We shouldn't be courting death like the Ancient Elves, right?" Kassandra asked Azalena, a little worried.
"I don't think so," Azalena whispered as she watched a marine walk forward. "Judging from the message on the monument, the Ancient Elves arrogantly tried to crack the system here after being warned and forced their way into the upper forbidden area. We just have to be careful not to go against this warning —"
"Warning, you do not meet the conditions for crossing the border. Visitor, please step back."
The voice in everyone's mind interrupted the conversation between Kassandra and Azalena. The marine who had the courage to step forward quickly stepped back.
The hall was quiet. Everyone looked at each other. After a brief moment, a siren brought by Kassandra finally broke the silence. "What's going on?"
"… It seems that this is the 'authentication mechanism' mentioned in the message." Byron frowned. Although he was usually a careless person, his judgment was still online. "The Ancient Elves seemed to have been blocked by this authentication mechanism. Most of us can't pass the 'screening conditions' of this thing, but the strange thing is …"
His gaze fell on Kassandra, Azalena, and the others.
"Why didn't you trigger the warning?"
The three sea monsters and the giant dragon looked at each other in bewilderment.
Byron frowned and thought for a moment. Then he suddenly turned to look at the marines he brought with him.
"Everyone, come forward and take the test!"
The test did not take long. It took less than ten minutes for dozens of marines to complete the test. During these ten minutes, the warning "You do not meet the conditions for crossing the border" was almost continuous.
Except for Azalena and the three sirens, everyone here was warned by the Navigator system when they tried to approach the metal column in the center of the hall.
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