Bill and Brakk ascended to the surface.
"Is this the Galactic Federation's attitude towards the Flyer Civilization?"
"I thought our relationship could be more amicable."
Before Bill could speak, Brakk vented his frustration to his 'old friend.'
Bill didn't mind; he already knew what he had to do.
"This is amicable enough."
"Actually, I just realized the previous commanding officer's words were somewhat misguided."
"We have a common enemy; we should be allies. But our mutual suspicion has prevented any progress for tens of thousands of years."
"This lack of progress isn't just in our relationship, but also in technological stagnation."
"Compared to other civilizations, even those in other dimensions, we're falling behind."
"Brakk, I believe we still have a chance: inter-civilizational cooperation."
Hearing Bill's words, Brakk instantly realized that Bill now leaned towards the Federation. His old friend had become his opponent.
"Cooperation? Do you think cooperation is still possible?"
Brakk said coldly.
Bill nodded.
"Of course, it is!"
"If we talk about cooperation, it must be mutually beneficial."
"We can relinquish control of all surrounding sectors and give them to you."
"But what's your consideration?"
Brakk, initially elated by Bill's offer, fell into contemplation.
Reciprocal exchange.
He had considered this.
But he couldn't afford to gamble.
Seeing Brakk's hesitation, Bill softened his tone.
"My friend, don't overthink it."
"Because this isn't a decision we can make alone."
"Before, our ambitions were too great; we viewed this as a matter between us."
"Haven't you seen yet? This is a matter of our civilizations!"
Narrow perspectives led to stagnant inter-civilizational exchange.
Brakk had previously sought to leverage negotiations with Bill to advance his position.
Therefore, he held all the cards.
Bill was the same; his thinking was extremely conservative, focused solely on immediate gains and losses, failing to see the plight of the Federation and the Flyer Civilization from a broader perspective.
With this statement, Brakk understood.
Let go.
That was what he had to do.
But he wasn't willing to.
He hadn't yet achieved anything significant. More importantly, unlike previous Lords, he had explained the Federation's rules to the king: working for the Federation didn't consume lifespan, allowing him to live longer. If he lost his usefulness, he would die.
Seeing Brakk's hesitation, Bill continued, "Civilizations rise and fall. What does it matter if you become a first-rank lord, or even Monarch of your civilization?"
At this point, Bill understood that Brakk lacked foresight.
Ultimately, they were minor figures.
They only became "important figures" due to the core of inter-civilizational exchanges.
But this was merely a change in status; their knowledge remained unchanged.
Bill was here to persuade Brakk to relinquish control; only then would the Galactic Federation have a chance.
With the new commander, Luna, the Federation would soon make a major move.
Bill only had a hunch; he didn't know the specifics.
Brakk considered this.
As a mere fourth-rank lord, he couldn't decide such a major issue.
The situation was this: if he didn't inform the king, the civilization would retaliate. Not only would he be unable to obtain a higher title, but his current achievements would be erased, making him a criminal, destined for death.
He didn't care about ordinary citizens' opinions, but he had political enemies who, given the opportunity, would discard him like trash.
"I will inform the king, but how they judge this, I don't know."
With that, Brakk left.
Watching Brakk's back, Bill said nothing more. He understood Luna's intentions: to fully bring Brakk into the Federation's camp.
But he felt this wasn't the right time.
This needed further discussion.
...
Luna waited patiently.
She knew Brakk would act, even without Bill's persuasion.
As time passed, Brakk would realize what he truly wanted, and there were many things he couldn't obtain.
Whether he reached a stalemate, allowed the situation to worsen, or maintained the status quo, he couldn't achieve everything he desired.
Ten days wasn't long.
The information actually arrived on the eighth day, exceeding Luna's expectations. She had said ten days to observe Brakk's attitude and to pressure the Flyer Civilization, thereby discovering the location of their capital.
Luna initiated a conversation with Brakk. He didn't speak but acted as a relay, connecting Luna to another party.
Luna then saw an image.
In what appeared to be a cosmic expanse, countless white tubes descended from the sky, connecting to a gigantic creature with magnificent wings.
It was immense, as evidenced by a planet visible beside it.
Yes.
It was a planet.
A real planet.
And this creature was larger than the planet itself.
"I have information. The Flyer Civilization must be a civilization focused on exploring the microscopic world." Luna voiced her suspicion.
Without the enormous creature responding, Brakk answered her question.
"Smallness is for compression; to turn large things into small things."
"Once an object is compressed to its limit, further compression is unnecessary. Increasing its volume results in rapid enhancement."
"Our Monarch is like that; extremely small, yet extremely large."
"Small" refers to its extremely condensed constituent particles. A single particle could weigh hundreds of tons.
"Large" refers to its immense size, as Luna witnessed.
Such a terrifying creature requires a constant supply of energy to maintain stability; otherwise, its enormous weight would cause it to collapse.
Luna speculated that this creature could directly collapse into a white dwarf star.
Terrifying!
Even the Bwarm star nation's brain-worms would be mere insects before this creature.
Bimos is only 1 million meters in size, comparable to a sub-planet-class warship.
This creature, however, far surpasses planetary size, reaching gas giant proportions.
And its density is incredibly high.
"Flyer Civilization King, it is an honor to meet you!" Luna addressed the creature, using the Flyer Civilization's language.
Seven days later, a response arrived.
"I can perceive you. You possess the aura of a superior being, far beyond an ordinary individual."
"I sense you are my equal, the queen of the Galactic Federation."
"Perhaps I'm wrong, but it's not important. I know your request. Cooperation between our civilizations is indeed necessary. Tell me, what do you require?"
The creature responded in English.
For beings of their level, learning a new language was a trivial matter.
Luna's use of the Flyer Civilization's language was a sign of respect.
The other being was a true ruler of a civilization and deserved Luna's respect.
The creature's use of English, in turn, was a softening of its stance, indicating acceptance of Luna's claims.
Luna wasn't fazed by the creature discerning her identity.
Her identity was already known to the Connecter; revealing it further made little difference.
Frankly, even if her existence were revealed to all Federation citizens, it wouldn't matter much.
Federation citizens were too distant from her.
It's like if people in the 21st century knew Earth had a ruler. What then? There might be a brief uproar, but it would quickly become commonplace.
It wouldn't affect their daily lives. Any dissatisfaction wouldn't have much impact.
Luna looked at the gigantic Flyer Civilization Monarch and spoke, "My request is simple: complete openness."
"All areas of your Flyer Civilization will be open to the Federation, and reciprocally, all Federation territories will be open to your civilization."
"Only then can we truly gauge each other's sincerity."
"Whether it's resource exchange or technological exchange, everything must be completely open."
"This plan originated with me, so I'll pay a higher price. What about the cosmos? I'll open up all of space; we can develop it together."
This message took a long time to transmit.
The roundtrip took seven days.
Therefore, the one-way trip took approximately 3.5 days. Given the known maximum speed of Tachyon communication—2600 times the speed of light—the distance between them is approximately 24.9 light-years.
There's likely some error. The Monarch might not have answered immediately, so the distance is probably around 20 light-years, or even closer.
For now, Luna only needed a rough estimate of the location.
Time would reveal the precise details.
"That sounds like a reasonable proposal, but I don't sense your sincerity. It's only superficially reasonable."
"Galactic Federation queen, you know the Galactic Federation is far more advanced than our civilization. Once we integrate, the Galactic Federation will inevitably assimilate us."
"You've undoubtedly considered this; you want to consume us."
"I must decline your proposal. As two distinct civilizations, we should maintain appropriate independence."
"As for your proposal of joint sector development, I believe our civilizations and societies could gradually merge within those sectors."
"But you'd still gain more. Therefore, you should relinquish more, such as in those sectors. Even if we jointly develop them, all stars will belong to us. This is my bottom line. An intelligent being like you should understand that I'm not as greedy as you."
"After all, as you said, we share threats and a common enemy."
The Flyer Civilization Monarch had made significant concessions.
However, it certainly wasn't a balanced agreement.
All stars belonging to them meant the Flyer Civilization would control all energy sources within those galaxies.
Energy is the lifeblood.
Control of energy means control of power.
But even if they obtained this, whether or not Federation citizens could survive would be at their discretion.
By cutting off energy supplies, who could survive in this energy-dependent era?
Nonetheless, Luna agreed. "This is a good solution, better than mine."
"Then it's decided. I believe we will have more collaborations. I will draft a document; I require your signature."
Due to the distance, Luna wouldn't prolong the conversation.
This was only an initial contact; the primary objective had been achieved.
Further details would require extensive discussion.
With both civilizations committed to cooperation, endless possibilities emerged.
After ending the call, Luna told Brakk, "You've done well. Perhaps you could request a good position in the new sector."
This was a hint for Brakk.
Luna felt that Bill could secure Brakk's loyalty; letting him relax would lessen his animosity towards the Federation.
Brakk instantly understood Luna's meaning.
This was an opportunity for him to flourish in the new sector.
With the king's and the Federation's support, he could prosper in the new sector without worrying about lifespan.
Such a vast sector.
More than enough for a first-rank title holder.
In Federation terms, it was a brilliant, subtle yet effective strategy.
His choice had been correct.
However, he didn't feel gratitude towards Luna; instead, his dislike intensified.
This condescending, patronizing attitude was far from endearing.
If Brakk were to rank the beings he most despised, Luna would be at the very top.
Luna was unaware of Brakk's true feelings; even if she knew, she wouldn't feel honored.
To occupy a significant place in someone's heart, whether through love or hate, is difficult, especially the top spot.
She ended the communication with Brakk.
Next, she would draft the agreement.
She had agreed to cede the stars to the Flyer Civilization, so now she had another task.
"Deploy personnel to these star systems, destroy them, and establish Star Cities in their place."
With all the stars gone, these starless areas would be hers to control.
The sectors Luna offered were strategically important locations, capable of controlling many surrounding star systems.
A cunning fox.
This description perfectly suited Luna.
These locations would become the Federation's second gamble.
"Once the Flyer Civilization and the Federation enter a cooperative phase, the primary focus won't be on competing for resources."
"The Federation doesn't need those things now."
The Federation's current expansion was vast, exceeding a 7000 light-year radius; exploration continued far beyond that.
Therefore, Luna found the sectors surrounding the Flyer Civilization more appealing.
Her goal was still the Flyer Civilization itself and dimensional information.
"After cooperation, we need to start collaborative dimensional gateway exploration."
"Ayla hasn't made any new progress; we might be falling behind."
The era of smooth, stable development was over. The Federation needed to accelerate.
After drafting the cooperation proposal, Luna sent it directly to Brakk.
She hoped for a swift partnership.
Civilizations are complex entities; individual and collective thoughts change over time.
The Flyer Civilization might cooperate with Luna now due to specific circumstances.
But Luna couldn't guarantee continued cooperation once those circumstances changed.
The primary factor, in Luna's opinion, was the dimensional gateway.
The threat from the dimensional gateway has lessened.
Or perhaps the Flyer Civilization has thoroughly researched the dimensional gateway.
Either could lead to the collapse of the Federation-Flyer Civilization partnership.
The latter is less likely.
But the former is a subjective assessment.
It's possible the threat from the dimensional gateway isn't as significant as imagined, and the Federation's benefits in this agreement are too substantial; it simply needs cooperation.
This scenario is plausible.
After all, one person can't fully understand another's thoughts.
One civilization can't fully understand another's logic.
Although large populations can bring the thought processes of similar civilizations closer, this convergence is limited.
The Galactic Federation and the Flyer Civilization share similar directions in scientific and technological development, but this similarity is only about 50%, perhaps less.
The remaining differences would keep the two civilizations apart.
This is somewhat analogous to genetics.
Humans and bananas share over 40% genetic similarity, yet they are vastly different macroscopically; they have virtually no connection.
Fortunately,
The Flyer Civilization currently needs the Federation.
Luna's leveraging of the dimensional gateway threat proved effective.
The Flyer Civilization's monarch approved Luna's draft proposal.
However, the monarch subtly pointed out the proposal's pro-Federation bias but didn't make any changes.
This was a positive sign.
Luna was confident, based on the information she possessed.
The Flyer Civilization hadn't expanded outwards in recent years, indicating contact only with the Galactic Federation.
In essence, the Federation was the Flyer Civilization's sole information conduit, their only option at this stage.
This was the Flyer Civilization's lifeline.
And Luna, controlling the surrounding sectors, held onto that lifeline.
"This is the beginning of information exchange on dimensional exploration."
Luna planned to directly dispatch a group of scholars to the Flyer Civilization's dimensional gateway research facility.
She sent this request promptly.
The request also stated that the Federation would share its dimensional exploration findings.
The dimensional gateway itself was the core of this collaboration.
She knew the other side also sought their knowledge.
Therefore, both sides were on the same page.
Twelve days later, Luna received confirmation of the Flyer Civilization monarch's approval.
"Bill, select a group of scholars."
Luna delegated this task to Bill, not out of laziness or because Bill was better informed; rather, most scholars researching dimensional space were confined to the Solar System by the Federation.
There were simply no suitable candidates locally.
Therefore, the only requirement was a serious attitude.
And Bill was the most appropriate person for this task.
After receiving the message, Bill quickly made arrangements. Having worked there for many years, he knew the personalities of each scholar.
Previously, he was separated from his main team.
But with the easing of tensions and the opening of space exploration, more scholars relocated to this area.
However, due to the region's size and limited resources, these scholars, despite their ages, experienced only incremental, not exponential, growth in their knowledge.
They were like elementary school teachers, effortlessly answering elementary-level questions, even instantly.
But when faced with middle or high school problems, they could still answer, but with difficulty.
When asked about advanced university-level subjects, they struggled immensely.
Within days,
Bill presented five selected scholars to Luna.
Luna noticed the heavy expressions on their faces.
Their lifespans had stagnated, yet they seemed like aging, weary individuals.
"Are these our Federation scholars?" Luna asked.
Bill hung his head in shame.
As the former commander, he should have managed these scholars better. Even if they weren't progressing, he should have adjusted their mental states.
But he had failed.
Scholars possess an almost insatiable thirst for new knowledge.
In the Flyer Civilization, they lacked this; they were like caged canaries, beautiful but useless.
This prolonged state altered their moods.
They yearned for a relaxed life.
But their responsibilities and positions bound them, forcing them to remain cautious.
This double bind caused them immense suffering.
"Fine, them."
"You understand what you're about to do, right?" Luna asked.
The scholars exchanged glances; Bill hadn't told them the specifics, only that they were meeting the new commander.
"The Federation has reached a preliminary agreement with the Flyer Civilization; the core of the agreement is dimensional gateway exploration."
"You're all physicists, so you understand the implications."
"We'll be exchanging information at the Flyer Civilization's research facility, primarily acquiring their dimensional gateway research data."
As Luna spoke, the scholars' eyes lit up.
Their yearning for work, for new knowledge, had reached a fever pitch.
How had they survived these tens of thousands of years?
The only thing preventing suicide was the Federation's expectations and their pride as humans.
They couldn't commit suicide on Flyer Civilization territory and become a laughingstock.
This was their sustaining belief.
Otherwise, this endless wait, like a saw repeatedly cutting through their bodies, would have driven them to seek release long ago.
"But judging by your appearance, completing the mission will be difficult."
"So, I'll accompany you."
Luna shook her head, observing their demeanor.
These individuals likely haven't encountered new physics concepts in a long time; even with collaboration, they might struggle to grasp the information.
While not a physics expert herself, Luna possessed knowledge of the dimensional gateway, having dedicated time to researching and discussing it.
She knew a great deal.
Luna instructed Bill: "I'm putting you back in charge here. This trip might take some time."
"I'll depart on a warship equipped with Tachyon communication equipment; you can report to me anytime via Wang Tongjin."
Luna was busy.
Or perhaps she simply wasn't relaxed.
Like others, she suffered from the disease of immortality.
Once she was free, she'd likely become like these scholars, an empty husk striving for a purpose but unable to die.
Having completed her assignments, she immediately arranged for a warship.
Departure!
Luna set out swiftly, summoning the five scholars approximately four years later.
The four-year wait corresponded to the warship's travel time. Luna used this time to thoroughly groom the scholars.
She possessed a vast amount of knowledge.
She shared some of her new insights with them, encouraging their own research.
This was something Bill couldn't have done. His influence didn't reach the scholarly community.
The Federation had three main groups: officials, scholars, and explorers.
These three groups represented the Federation's overall stability, its cutting-edge scientific research, and its interstellar exploration, respectively. They were the pillars of the Federation's strength.
The new knowledge ignited a renaissance in the scholars. They entered a state of frenzied research, working 24/7, constantly calculating and discussing in a conference room.
To outsiders, their state might appear worse than before.
But Luna, a scholar herself, understood.
It was fervor, excitement, an intense emotional surge that defied description.
This was utterly astounding to Bill.
Luna's stature rose even higher in his estimation.
This was true leadership. She was strong and decisive outwardly, yet inspiring inwardly.
How could someone be so perfect?
This was Bill's question. Even during his time in the Federation, he'd never witnessed such perfect leadership.
Everyone has weaknesses, but Luna seemed to have none.
Compared to her, he felt like a newcomer, while she was a seasoned commander who had lived for tens of thousands of years.
But he didn't feel defeated.
On the contrary.
He saw a goal.
He aspired to become a leader like Luna, and thus found his purpose.
...
Four years later.
Luna boarded the warship, setting coordinates for Brakk.
The coordinates were 287 light-years away.
Even though the Flyer Civilization was relatively small, their sector wasn't as insignificant as imagined.
287 light-years, at the warship's speed, would take 1023 years.
Too slow!
This warship was an antique; newer warships couldn't travel faster than 5000 light-years; that would take even longer.
Fortunately, Luna had brought a laboratory aboard.
She set up a laboratory on the warship and began to study herself.
The Metacellular technology's first practical application was on her, so she needed to check her physical state.
Her body was remarkable; it was extremely difficult to kill her. As long as a single cell survived, she could regenerate, and it would still be her.
This was because her cells were linked to her consciousness.
Each cell contained a fragment of her consciousness, not limited to her brain.
Furthermore, the Metacellular in her body was constantly dividing. At this rate, she could theoretically increase her physical size every second. With sufficient energy, she could quickly become a universe unto herself.
Of course, before that, she would likely collapse into a black hole.
To suppress this growth, even more terrifying than cancer, an inhibitory gene was added to her Metacellular.
This gene causes rapid Metacellular death.
Essentially, tens of quadrillions of cells were created and destroyed every second in her body.
This created a balance.
However, this balance wasn't absolute; it wasn't a perfect 1:1 ratio.
Sometimes, 100 cells would be created, but only 99 would die.
Sometimes, 99 would be created, and 100 would die.
To maintain this equilibrium, quark robots were also involved. If too many cells appeared, the quark robots would eliminate the excess.
If the cell count was too low, they would stimulate faster Metacellular division.
At this point, Luna could no longer be considered a traditional organism.
She was something else.
Luna discovered that she could actually create additional clones from her current form.
Simply removing the quark robot inhibition and controlling Metacellular growth in a culture tube could produce another her.
This clone would be identical, not only physically but also consciously.
If she wished, she could create 10,000, even 100 million, copies of herself.
This was the true terror of Metacellular.
This was forbidden knowledge.
If Metacellular technology were integrated into gene pools, it might become the ultimate gene pool.
Luna continued her research, discovering interesting aspects of Metacellular technology. For instance, she could use it to alter her size, expanding or contracting her entire body or specific parts.
Due to its properties, Metacellular seemed capable of storing and utilizing more energy, allowing her to store electrical energy and utilize electric powers without psionic or external assistance.
Of course, even the body has limits.
Luna spent much of this journey in extended periods of cryosleep.
When she awoke, they had reached their destination:
A star system.
It contained only one planet, situated within the habitable zone.
This was ideal for carbon-based life, but didn't guarantee the presence of life.
The conditions for life's emergence are easily stated but not easily met. A slight imbalance could lead to catastrophe.
The planet had vast oceans, ideal habitats for organisms.
Unfortunately, these oceans contained a high concentration of acidic substances, unsuitable for carbon-based life.
There were also minerals.
But these had solidified into enormous crystals on the planet's surface.
Each crystal was sharply defined, some small like blades of grass, others immense like towering mountains.
These translucent, greyish-black crystalline pillars refracted and reflected light, scattering it evenly across the planet's surface, creating a dazzling, mirror-like effect that covered the oceans to a depth of only a few meters.
"A beautiful planet."
In a way, it was even more beautiful than Earth.
Unfortunately, it lacked life, and Luna lacked the sentimental attachment she felt for Earth.
Luna merely glanced at it. The planet's atmosphere wasn't particularly dense; the temperature hovered around 3-7 degrees, preventing both freezing and excessive evaporation.
The planet itself was relatively small, allowing stellar winds to easily strip away its upper atmosphere—the reason for its thin atmosphere.
Its oceans would likely last only a few million years before disappearing.
The warship bypassed the planet.
Their destination wasn't here.
Within the star system, near their current position, lay a metallic cube over 100 kilometers in size—the Flyer Civilization's dimensional research facility.
It was a massive cubic structure.
Luna initially assumed it was similar to a Federation research facility, but upon reaching its surface, she realized it was different.
This structure wasn't a building; it was a gigantic piece of equipment.
Luna left the warship and was pulled to the equipment's surface via a gravitational tether.
Gravitational tethers were a common technology—enhancing the gravitational field in a specific area to capture a moving object.
Upon reaching the surface, Luna felt her body shrinking, eventually becoming minuscule.
The gravitational tether continued to pull her into the equipment's interior, where a hemisphere was located.
The hemisphere's cross-section was a continent.
Luna and five other scholars were guided to this continent.
The hemisphere was only a few meters in diameter, yet it appeared enormous to them. They were situated within the hemisphere's grooves, like circuits on a microchip.
Only here, instead of electricity, it was biological energy.
The scene was a densely populated, thriving city.
"The Flyer Civilization's micro-exploration technology is truly impressive."
Luna felt her body; its physical properties hadn't changed; everything functioned normally.
Especially the quark robots.
As fundamental particle-level robots, they were difficult to miniaturize further, yet they had shrunk considerably here.
Although not as drastically as Luna's body, the quark robots had also shrunk.
This demonstrated that the Flyer Civilization's micro-exploration technology surpassed the Federation's by several levels.
They had explored a much smaller world, not represented in two dimensions but three.
The ability to shrink without altering physical properties was incredibly impressive.
Luna didn't know how they achieved this; the technology was invaluable.
"We need to get our hands on Flyer Civilization's technology."
As Luna was planning, a Flyer Civilization being flew towards them.
They called themselves Kirara, a description of their beautiful, silk-like wings.
The Kirara approached.
"Welcome, guests from the Federation. Please follow me!"
It spoke in Kirara.
Fortunately, all six of Luna's group understood it.
Kirara language was unusual for humans because it used frequency as language.
For example, 100 Hz represented one word, 101 Hz another.
The lower limit was 46 Hz; the upper limit, 193,800 Hz.
Producing such sounds was impossible for Federation lifeforms; it required mechanical assistance.
The six followed the Kirara to a location near the outer edge of the circular plane, not the center.
This area was similar to its surroundings, with only two-story buildings.
Based on the scale, each story was approximately 200 meters tall.
Because the Kirara themselves were quite large, even miniaturized, the six humans appeared tiny. They had no Warbeasts with them.
The area resembled a canyon with dwellings carved into its walls.
However, upon entering these structures, they saw intricate machinery in operation; it was mechanical, not electronic.
This seemed relatively primitive.
But considering the Flyer Civilization's micro-technology—their ability to miniaturize extremely small objects into machinery—the precision of this equipment was terrifying.
"This is a spatial observation facility; its primary function is to detect spatial fluctuations in the dimensional gateway."
Another Kirara arrived.
It appeared older, its wings more vibrant.
"Greetings. You can call me Haru."
Haru was quite friendly.
It lacked the air of a politician, something Luna appreciated.
But she suspected Haru wouldn't like her, as she was very much a politician.
"I'm Luna."
"It's beautiful and exquisitely detailed."
"But I have a question. This seems rather far from the dimensional gateway."
Haru chuckled.
"I appreciate that you're discussing technology instead of politics."
"Please follow me."
It led them through a downward passage to the lower level.
Kirara possessed the ability to fly; they didn't have stairs.
Luna and her group could also fly using anti-gravity technology, encountering no obstacles.
This floor was about 40 meters thick, although it was actually quite thin, only a few micrometers.
The lower level was significantly larger than the upper level. It resembled a gear-filled world.
The upper and lower levels were connected by a long gear shaft.
"As you can see, this uses traditional mechanical structures. It connects tens of thousands of closed strings in the core."
"The vibrations of these closed strings are amplified through mechanical force transmission, causing the entire device to operate. Through macroscopic observations, we obtain more information."
Electrons are far less sensitive to gravitational forces than strings.
Electronic devices cannot detect minute gravitational waves.
That's why this mechanism exists.
"Now, I'll answer your question."
"Why is it located here, and not next to the dimensional gateway?"
"The dimensional gateway is a black hole; everyone knows that. Therefore, at close proximity, highly sensitive equipment becomes unusable."
"It's like using a telescope to observe a ten-meter-tall mountain from a close distance; you can't see the whole picture."
"Here, the distance is sufficient, and the star's gravity effectively shields weaker gravitational waves, allowing us to accurately detect gravitational waves emanating from the dimensional gateway."
An ingenious method.
The Federation had never considered this approach.
They hadn't detected such subtle gravitational waves, or perhaps they couldn't extract useful information from the various gravitational waves and cosmic background radiation.
Electronic devices, especially sophisticated ones, are easily affected by cosmic background radiation, leading to inaccuracies.
This equipment must have other components.
How strings influence the machinery is a significant challenge; the Flyer Civilization must have an excellent solution, but it's classified information that they wouldn't reveal.
Haru led Luna and her group into a deeper chamber, already filled with Kirara.
They were waiting for Luna's arrival.
This marked the first technological exchange between the Flyer Civilization and the Galactic Federation!
Luna sat down calmly.
The five behind her were tense, surrounded by an unfamiliar environment.
Luna's composure stemmed from experience. During her time at Titled Station, she could face a Star City alone.
"Alright, our guests have arrived. Let's begin the 29,834th dimensional discussion."
Haru held a higher position than Luna had anticipated; it seemed to be in charge here.
The other Kirara shifted their attention from Luna's group to Haru.
"The information we've observed this year shows only minor changes from previous years."
"The changes align with our previous predictions: the gravitational pull within the dimensional gateway has entered a cyclical fluctuation phase, but this period isn't fixed."
The discussion here resembled Federation scientific discussions.
Everyone spoke freely.
The first to speak was a Flyer Civilization scholar to Luna's left. Much of the information presented was already known, so it wasn't repeated.
Luna's group heard many unfamiliar things.
A second Kirara then said: "Indeed. We observed cyclical changes ranging from five years to 1228 years; a considerable difference."
"But they exhibit similar characteristics. I suspect an influencing factor."
"Regarding this factor, I have another hypothesis."
"I'll give you a number."
It projected a number, but Luna's group, not connected to the Flyer Civilization's network, couldn't see it.
Haru kindly gave each of Luna's group a small ring-like device.
With this, they could access the limited content.
It contained a research report.
Much of the content used professional Flyer Civilization notation.
For example, while humans might use "Alpha" to represent something, the Flyer Civilization used similar symbols.
However, with the accompanying text, everyone could understand.
"This report shows the gravitational wave fluctuations observed during a dimensional gateway incursion."
"The fluctuation patterns match those of the current and previous fluctuations."
The degree of congruence was calculated.
They were initially different.
It's like the sounds of a horse and a cow. Ordinary people hear a difference, but professionals analyze the frequencies. If the frequencies are consistently similar, they're essentially the same.
That's a simple example.
Similarly, the waveforms of the two spatial fluctuations were vastly different in the diagrams, but the scholar redrew them, and after multiple comparisons, discovered many overlapping components.
Recognizing the formula, Luna realized it was a Taylor expansion, specifically for dimensional calculations.
By calculating higher-order information, they determined the path of the gravitational waves.
This is an unconventional approach in gravitational field research because gravity itself reveals a great deal of information; Taylor expansion isn't necessary to represent a function.
But this was clearly a flawed line of thinking.
This scholar broke free from this flawed thinking and experimented themselves.
Using an infinite series, they continuously calculated approximate values and then compared them to obtain the desired results.
However, the Taylor expansion calculations introduced the concept of parallel universes.
This prompted Luna to consider a possibility.
Could the Taylor expansion, applied to other parallel worlds—higher-dimensional universes—actually project more lower-dimensional universes?
This was a rather speculative thought.
Only someone like Luna, a "semi-outsider," could conceive of such a possibility.
But it could explain certain things.
Luna was pondering this when the Flyer Civilization scholar unexpectedly articulated it.
"Based on my judgment, the significant fluctuations in the dimensional gateway are clearly caused by lifeforms from other dimensions entering our dimension."
"However, we've only experienced two attacks from other dimensional civilizations. This is strange, isn't it?"
"What if we introduce the concept of parallel universes?"
"When civilizations from higher dimensions enter the dimensional gateway, they have a chance of entering other parallel universes. That's why we've only experienced two attacks over such a long time!"
A bold hypothesis.
But parallel universes destroy the singularity of the universe.
If the universe isn't unique and parallel universes exist, spacetime would be chaotic.
Since no such spacetime chaos has been observed, parallel universes are unlikely to exist.
As a powerful civilization,
a top scholar from the Flyer Civilization should know this; it's not complex, understood even at Type 1 civilization levels.
Therefore, another Flyer Civilization scholar echoed Luna's doubt: "According to this, a higher-dimensional civilization would face attacks from countless lower-dimensional civilizations."
"That's unrealistic. Higher dimensions can project multiple lower dimensions; that's only a theoretical possibility."
The scholar who presented this conclusion was clearly well-prepared.
"What if these projected dimensions aren't real dimensions but pseudo-dimensions?"
"They don't exist inherently but can still cause events to occur."
Hearing this, the other scholars fell into deep thought.
Luna and the five other human scholars also began to consider this.
This wasn't a joke.
Pseudo-dimensions are non-existent dimensions. What does that mean here?
It implies that while pseudo-dimensions don't exist, they can be created when a higher dimension reduces into lower dimensions. The "existence" of the pseudo-dimension causes higher-dimensional beings to enter it.
How can one enter a non-existent pseudo-dimension?
One can't directly enter it; they must leave the dimensional gateway and enter another passage.
That's a black hole passage.
Therefore, his theory is that higher-dimensional civilizations rarely visit lower dimensions due to the characteristics of dimensions and space itself.
This is a promising theoretical direction.
But it's only a theory.
Its existence cannot be proven.
Nor can its non-existence be proven.
"If pseudo-dimensional space exists similarly to time and space, this would indeed happen."
"Furthermore, calculations show a similar gravitational wave pattern."
"Do you have any other hypotheses?"
Haru looked at the other scholars.
Each exchange wasn't for a definitive answer but for a logically consistent theory.
There are countless theories; by continuously proving or disproving them, one approaches the truth.
This is one scientific exploration method.
However, none of the Kirara spoke. Such speculation is difficult; it's not something one stumbles upon easily.
At this moment, Luna stood up.
"I have another hypothesis!"