It took them a whole day to make a copy of the text in the sanctuary.
The technical experts sent by Typhon and Cecil were extremely cautious when dealing with the extremely important research data. They not only recorded the text symbols carved on the floor, but also the patterns on the central platform, the cracks on the floating debris nearby, and the details on the clothes of the two ancient scholars. After a whole day of work, these top scholars in their respective fields almost copied everything in the sanctuary from the "information" level. If they wanted to recreate the sanctuary one day, they could even make the replica as good as the original.
It might be a little exaggerated to go to this extent, but it was necessary because no one could predict how the information recorded in the sanctuary would play a role in the future. Sir Scott's legacy to the world may only be a deciphering of the alien language, but the incredible sanctuary itself was also a shocking "legacy."
Before the scholars finished their work, everyone followed Gwen's orders and did not touch any devices in the space, especially the "crystal cube" on the central platform.
The crystal cube was the key to maintaining the space. Touching it rashly was likely to lead to the premature closure of the space. Of course, they could not touch it before all the data was recorded. But after the recording work was done, Gwen and the others still had to take it away.
Although there was also the option of "keeping the crystal untouched and building a research facility on the spot for fixed research", no one knew the operating principle of the sanctuary, and no one knew how long this alien space that was opened by external forces could last. It was obviously not safe to put the research work in such a completely uncontrollable space-time fissure, and considering that the research process was very likely to "stimulate" the crystal, which could also lead to the closure of the sanctuary, it was better to just take it away from this place and put it in a safe place to slowly analyze it.
As for whether the process of taking the crystal cube was risky, Gwen was not too worried about it. After all, in the message left by Sir Scott, he had specifically mentioned that he would give the "extraterrestrial object" that maintained the sanctuary to Diana. He also mentioned that he and Alphonse had no use for it. The implication was that Diana could take it away. At least in the short time after taking it away, the space would not collapse directly. At least there would be time for people to evacuate.
Of course, for safety reasons, it was best to let Diana do the process of taking the crystal cube alone, in case Sir Scott had set up any identification "anti-theft mechanism" around the crystal cube. After all, this was the dangerous wasteland. Sir Scott and Alphonse, who hid here, must have set up a lot of security measures to prevent the wandering monsters in the wasteland from breaking into the sanctuary and destroying their research results.
On the evening of the second day after the gate of the observatory opened, all the recording work was completed. All the research materials and experts were then evacuated. Philip personally led the elite soldiers to escort them to Cecil Frontline Base, which was currently a safe zone.
Now, there were only three figures left on the observatory: Gwen, Amber, and Diana, who had the "right to inherit" this place.
They returned to the round platform in the center of the observatory and looked at the sunken "mirror" that reflected the starry sky for the last time. The "crystal lattice" that presented the state of a stack of crystals quietly stayed in the center of the mirror, emitting a faint blue light. It was surrounded by the stars on the mirror, shining brightly.
The area around the round platform was empty. The bodies and ashes of Sir Scott, Grand Scholar Alphonse, and the others had been moved away and were now being escorted to the frontline base. Even the six chairs that seemed to be carved out of stone around the round platform had been taken away.
"It's time to evacuate," Gwen reminded Diana, who seemed to be in a daze. "Madam Diana, please retrieve the crystal."
At this time, Diana finally blinked and woke up from the seemingly frozen silence. She nodded gently. Gwen and Amber took two steps back. They stood two steps away and watched Diana steadily but firmly reach for the crystal that emitted a faint blue light. She held it and slowly picked it up.
A faint spark burst out from the contact point between the crystal and the round platform. Thin electric arcs jumped and flowed between them. It looked like they were maintaining some kind of energy transmission. But as Diana picked up the whole crystal, the energy transmission was finally cut off quickly. A faint buzzing sound came from the depths of the round platform. The next second, the white light flowing on the ground of the observatory began to extinguish one by one. The "building debris" floating around the platform also fell into the endless void in the distance. In the louder roar, the crack directly above the space began to slowly close, and the entire observatory began to shake.
"The sanctuary is about to close," Gwen nodded and walked towards the door with Amber. "Madam Diana, let's go."
Diana did not hesitate. She quickly put the dimmed crystal into her arms and turned to follow Gwen and Amber. A moment later, the three of them almost ran out of the observatory. They passed through the door that had been transformed into a dimensional passage and looked back at the chaotic darkness on the other side of the door. The layer of dark fog was in a state of distortion as if it was being stirred up by a crazy vortex. Large patches of shadows were looming in the depths of the chaotic vortex.
Then, the destructive force spread out from God's Sanctuary to the outside world. Even the Vipranton Observatory in the real world began to shake violently.
"Retreat!" Gwen made a prompt decision. He did not miss this place at all. He put Amber under his armpit and rushed towards the stairs leading to the outside. Accompanied by the screams and protests of the Shadowy Assault Goose, the three figures rushed out of the collapsing Vipranton Observatory at an astonishing speed and stopped outside the cordon around the observatory.
The crumbling force clearly did not reach this far. Gawain and the rest stopped, turning back to look at the gigantic structure that was shaking and crumbling in the afterglow of the setting sun. They looked at the astonishing cracks that were quickly covering its surface. The blood-red rays of the setting sun shone through those cracks, like the ruptured blood vessels of a dying giant. With a final thunderous boom, the ancient Vipranton Observatory finally turned into a pile of ruins.
Not long after, Gwen and the rest, along with the last group of soldiers who had evacuated from the cordon, returned to Cecil Base at the frontline. They met General Philip, who had arranged the technical staff, data, and samples.
In the command center of the frontline base, Diana took out the light blue crystal and placed it in front of Gwen.
"Before I left, His Majesty Rosetta gave me full authority to deal with everything found in the Vipranton Observatory. The only order he gave me was to bring back 'good news,'" the ancient machine-woman maintained her usual calm demeanor and said with a straight face. "This' crystal 'is in your care. I believe that with the technical support of Cecil, the research on this object will soon begin."
Gwen took the crystal that Diana handed over. The palm-sized crystal exuded gentle heat in his hand, and a sense of connection that only he could feel was established at this moment. He slowly rotated the shiny little device and was silent for a few seconds as if he was seriously thinking about something. Then he suddenly laughed and returned the crystal to Diana.
"This is the relic that Sir Scott left for you, Ms. Diana. You can take it. As I said before, the most important thing is the 'knowledge' behind this relic. Sir Scott's most precious legacy to the world is the knowledge that can benefit mortals." Looking at the slightly surprised Diana, Gwen said with a smile, "Please tell His Majesty Rosetta Augustus that I hope to start the joint research on this' crystal 'as soon as possible, as well as the response to the' alien signal. 'Please reply to these as soon as possible."
The war with the wasteland was still going on, and the world was still far from safe. But even if the war continued, the pace of development should not stop.
The surprise on Diana's face gradually faded. She did not make any hypocritical excuses but accepted the 'crystal' calmly. Then she solemnly bowed to Gwen, "Your fairness and generosity are touching. I will convey your wishes to His Majesty, and from a personal point of view, I will also do my best to facilitate our next technical cooperation."
From the tone of the ancient machine woman, Gwen heard a different seriousness from before.
Diana left with the Typhon experts she brought with her, the remains of Sir Scott and others, and the "legacy" that Sir Scott left for her, and the research materials that were copied and copied, and left with the Typhon experts she brought with her.
When there was no one else around, Amber could not help but come to Gwen. "You really took the 'crystal' away with her? Although you said that 'the ownership of the crystal is negotiable, only the knowledge must be shared', I didn't expect you to be so generous … I don't remember you being such a generous person. "
The girl's nagging made Gwen's expression a little strange. "… What kind of image do I have in your mind?"
"Scheming, cunning, treacherous, maximizing benefits at all times. There are nine traps in one sentence, and one is a bottomless pit. Half of those who work with you have sold themselves, and the other half are still counting the money for you when they sell themselves." Hu Po counted with his fingers. "Let me put it this way. If you put away the sword in your hand, I can talk for an entire afternoon without repeating myself … But since you put your hand on the sword hilt, I don't dare to say anything now."
"… I don't know if you know your place or just don't learn your lesson." Gawain pursed his lips and helplessly took his hand off the hilt of his sword. "After all this time, this is the only impression you have of me?"
"I also want to find a better word, but I'm not good at it." Amber spread out her hands. "And to be honest, what I said is true. You've admitted it in front of me …"
"… Indeed, I've schemed against a lot of people, and I've schemed against a lot of people to death. But there's a premise — they're all enemies." Gwen put away the smile on his face and looked at Amber seriously. "And now Typhon … Well, I still need to treat them carefully, but they're no longer our enemies … At least before the new order I've created collapses, Typhon is no longer our enemy."
Amber looked at Gwen suspiciously and pursed her lips. "That's not a hundred percent true, is it?"
Gwen felt a little helpless. At this moment, he felt that it was not a good thing for the shadowy assault goose to be overly sensitive. He could not just tell this guy that he had already finished examining the crystal when he touched it and read all the data that could be read. Now that the crystal was useless to him, right?
He felt that if he said that, it would have a huge impact on his glorious image. Although, Gwen also doubted how much of his glorious image he could retain in the shadowy assault goose's heart …
At the end of the day, the crystal was just an energy device that had fallen from the Firmament Station, and it was a damaged fragment. It did have research value, but its greater value was to make it public so that the Union could use it as an "interface" for the members of the Union to understand and study the Voyager's legacy. Compared to the small crystal itself, Gawain was more concerned about when he could build the Firmament Station …
Amber looked at Gwen's expression and did not know what she understood. But suddenly, she seemed to have lost interest in her question. She waved her hand indifferently. "Forget it, it's just a bunch of big reasons. I won't understand even if you explain it. I'm leaving. I've been following you around outside for the whole day. I need to find a place to rest. I still have to hurry back to the Imperial Capital tomorrow …"
After saying those words, her figure began to fade rapidly in the air. By the time she finished her last word, she had completely disappeared from Gawain's sight.
Looking at the spot where Amber disappeared, and sensing that she had indeed left, Gwen was speechless for a few seconds. Then, he could not help but smile and shake his head.
Then, he looked up at the sky above the frontline base.
They were deep in the wasteland. Even though the purification equipment nearby had begun to operate, and the thick, dirty clouds in the sky that had not dispersed for hundreds of years had begun to gradually disperse, the residual pollution in the wasteland was still affecting the environment near the forward base. The sky was still covered by a thin layer of clouds with an abnormal color. Under the cover of the clouds, the stars in the sky were hidden. Only the brightest stars struggled to penetrate the veil, and the faint and pale light reflected in Gwen's vision.
He remembered the 'greetings' that had crossed the vast sea of stars to reach this planet. He remembered the deep space calls that Enya had mentioned, which were constantly rippling like waves in this cluster of stars, symbolizing the lights of civilization.
Among these deep space calls, there was a signal that had been going on for at least seven hundred years, starting from the Gondor era. Until today, it was still being transmitted tirelessly in the sea of stars.
Was this signal transmitted at the speed of light? Did the civilization behind this signal still exist? None of this was known.
But there was at least one thing that Gawain was well aware of. No matter how harsh the environment of this universe was, no matter how malicious the fate of all life was, in the same sea of stars, there would always be one civilization after another that would constantly raise their heads and look up at the boundless starry sky. They would shout and wait for a response.
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