Lucian rubbed his eyes. The darkness had dissipated, and a bright light filled his vision.
In his hand appeared a deep blue flower and a shattered crystal. Unlike before, this crystal was no longer cold and lifeless; it now emitted a faint glow and carried a hint of warmth.
Lucian looked at the crystal in confusion, sensing its frequency resonating with him somehow…
Before he could think further, he noticed Rover's hands roaming over his body: "Lucian, are you okay?"
Rover's Speaker scanned Lucian's body: "Scanning target: Lucian."
"Scan complete: Lucian's physiological and psychological states are in good condition, with no signs of corruption."
Lucian ruffled Rover's head and looked around, realizing they were now in the Modulation Hall. Rover must have brought him here.
Nearby, several researchers were peering through transparent floor-to-ceiling windows at the "Geo-Star River."
The Tethys System's code was distributed across an boundless underground world, resembling ever-flowing celestial bodies.
These code-constructed celestial bodies were what they called the "Star Chart."
As was widely known, the Black Shores' islands were made of massive Tacetite, and the energy stored within these Tacetite sustained the "Geo-Star River," allowing the Tethys System to continuously perform its energy-intensive calculations.
Lucian spread his arms and laughed heartily: "Black Shores, your king has returned!"
However, aside from Rover and Rover's Speaker, few researchers paid him any attention.
Rover remarked: "Looks like your title as king of the Black Shores isn't widely recognized, huh?"
Before Lucian could respond, the researchers peering at the "Geo-Star River" shouted excitedly:
"The infection has been contained! The event horizon of the Death Star is stabilizing! The data hub is returning to normal!"
"It worked! The Tethys System is rebooting!"
Lucian and Rover walked over, also looking out the window. The "Geo-Star River," previously tainted red by corruption, was now emitting its normal blue light.
Rover's Speaker explained: "In simpler terms, the event horizon is the 'boundary' of a black hole, like a one-way door."
"Light and matter can enter, but once they cross it, they can never escape."
"No information from within can come out, so the outside world can never know what happens inside."
"In short, it's a 'point of no return,' one of the universe's most mysterious boundaries."
Rover asked, puzzled: "But how can we save her then?"
Lucian mused thoughtfully: "In theory, when Shorekeeper approaches the event horizon, we'd only see her movements slow down, as if 'frozen' at the edge of the horizon. We'd never see her actually cross it."
Lucian contemplated, rubbing the crystal in his hand, which seemed to be transmitting some kind of information through its frequency.
"Remember what Hoda said? Gravity is the truth of the old era…" Rover also said thoughtfully.
Rover's Speaker suggested: "Proposal: Split into two groups. You try to rescue the humans in the Death Star, while I attempt to fully replace the Tethys System."
"Reason: If I forcibly replace the Tethys System alone, it may introduce unknown variables or lead to irreversible consequences."
"With my current capabilities, I can help you locate Shorekeeper and the others, but it requires going deeper into the Tethys System."
"Please hurry. Due to the redshift effect, Shorekeeper's frequency will gradually weaken, making her impossible to observe or locate."
Lucian frowned slightly, noticing that the frequency of the crystal in his hand was indeed weakening, as Rover's Speaker had said. Though the change was subtle, Lucian could easily sense it.
Rover looked at Lucian and nodded slightly: "In that case, let's do it."
The researchers, coming down from their excitement, turned to them: "Thanks to you all!"
But the Star Chart Navigator suddenly froze: "Uh… where's Shorekeeper? Wasn't she with you?"
Lucian shook his head slightly: "She fell into the black hole."
The Star Chart Navigator was stunned, then exclaimed in shock: "What!?"
"She holds the highest authority in the Tethys System! If she's gone into the Tethys System and disappeared…"
"No, it absolutely shouldn't be like this!"
Lucian cleared his throat: "No need to panic. We've already thought of a plan."
He then explained their idea to the researchers.
The Star Chart Navigator frowned thoughtfully: "I seem to recall seeing this kind of old-era theory in past records…"
"With the Tethys System's capabilities, we might actually be able to see her on the surface of the black hole…"
Lucian shook his head: "We can use this."
He held up Rover's Speaker's tiny form for everyone to see.
The Star Chart Navigator looked baffled: "What… is that?"
"Is it a new model of robot made by the Black Shores?"
Rover's Speaker responded with a hint of disdain: "Don't compare me to those low-end robots."
Lucian didn't share the idea of using Rover's Speaker to replace the Tethys System, knowing the researchers were fanatically devoted to the Tethys System as a "supercomputer."
If he suggested replacing it with this small device, they'd either disagree or think he was delusional.
But the deep blue flower in Lucian's hand represented the highest authority. If they saw it, they likely wouldn't object.
The Navigator mused: "The Death Star has always been the unshakable foundation of the Tethys System."
"To pull Shorekeeper and the others out of the Death Star, we'd need to fundamentally change its design, using the laws of our current world to alter it…"