Lucian nodded slightly: "Don't worry, we can do it."
The Navigator frowned: "But… are you really going to use that…?"
The Navigator looked at Rover's Speaker, his eyes full of disbelief.
Rover's Speaker snorted coldly: "What's that look? Human, you know nothing of my power!"
Lucian shrugged: "No need to be so dramatic."
At that moment, Aalto's real-time hologram suddenly appeared.
"Everyone, I heard your conversation and Lucian's idea."
"I believe in Lucian."
"We guest warriors will handle things on the ground."
The Navigator was taken aback: "Aalto?"
Aalto's hologram nodded slightly: "Don't worry, they are absolutely trustworthy."
"Not only do I trust them, but Shorekeeper trusts them too."
Lucian held up the deep blue flower and chimed in: "Exactly, and we have this…"
"Tethys System, verify authority."
The Navigator stared at the flower in Lucian's hand, stunned: "Who… are you people, exactly…?"
When Shorekeeper first brought them here, the Navigator had assumed Lucian and the others were just new guest warriors or Bloom Bearers, but now it was clear things weren't so simple.
Aalto clapped her hands: "Alright, trust them. If even they can't save Shorekeeper, no one in this world can."
With Aalto's persuasion and the influence of the flower, the researchers, though still doubtful, no longer objected. After all, saving Shorekeeper was the priority.
"Alright, then. We'll keep monitoring the Tethys System from out here."
"You must prioritize your own safety. Whether we can save Shorekeeper is still uncertain, but we… can't afford to lose any more members so easily…"
Lucian patted the Navigator's shoulder: "Why so grim? Relax, we'll definitely save her and the people trapped in the Death Star."
Rover stepped forward: "Exactly. The Tethys System is likely the root of all these issues."
"The Black Shores has always operated globally based on the Tethys System's calculations and directives."
"Even Shorekeeper is merely a tool executing the Tethys System's commands."
"But people shouldn't be cold tools, and history should never be buried. Forgetting history is tantamount to betrayal."
"I'm not denying the Tethys System; I'm questioning it. There are no perfect people, and there will never be a perfect thing."
"'The past cannot be undone, but the future can be pursued'—an old saying I heard in Jinzhou."
"Perhaps… we stand here not to save some vague civilization, but to save living, breathing people."
"If a machine is gone, it can be rebuilt. But if people are lost, civilization… becomes meaningless."
Rover's words cast a heavy atmosphere.
Lucian yawned: "Too many words, huh."
Rover: "…"
Navigator: "…"
Rover pouted her glossy lips, slightly displeased: "What, didn't I say it well?"
Lucian smiled at Rover's cute expression, pinching her cheek: "You said it well. Just don't say it next time."
Rover's Speaker chimed in: "Exactly! You made the mood so heavy."
"Though I haven't finished analyzing the Tethys System, I've already found from the data that it's just a paper tiger!"
Rover's Speaker adopted a wise, sage-like demeanor, shaking its head: "The Tethys System is like a grand but unstable pavilion—impressive on the outside, but useless in practice!"
The researchers privately grumbled, wondering where this little robot came from, boasting before even showing its capabilities.
Lucian weighed the crystal with its gradually weakening frequency: "Alright, time waits for no one. Let's move out."
The Navigator nodded slightly, then commanded loudly: "All Navigators, enter level-one status! Switch Tethys System retrieval depth to full recursion and prepare to open the pathway!"
The researchers sprang into action. The Navigator turned back: "Lucian, Rover, the entire Black Shores and Shorekeeper are counting on you!"
After a brief wait, an entrance appeared at the center.
A researcher jogged over: "We've forcibly opened a breach within the Tethys System."
"We can't be certain of the exact location you'll end up in."
"If you're ready, we can start the transfer immediately."
Lucian sighed: "All this traveling from place to place…"
Rover took Lucian's hand, comforting him: "Relax, once this is over, we'll take a nice break."
Lucian's expression lit up, and he whispered in Rover's ear: "Can you wear that black one…?"
Rover smiled, tapping Lucian's cheek with her delicate finger: "Depends on how you perform…"
Rover's Speaker, feeling left out, grumbled: "I may not be human, but you two are real dogs!"
They stepped into the pathway, and the scenery flashed by, stabilizing after a few seconds.
Lucian found they were in a glass room, with a snowy landscape outside.
If Mt. Firmament retained a gentle warmth despite its cold climate, the snow-covered mountains outside the glass room were like a lofty, aloof giant, standing between heaven and earth, exuding an unapproachable chill.
Lucian glanced at Rover's Speaker, which was already continuing its analysis.
The two walked forward. Before them was a table, and a blue holographic screen projected from a device on it.
"Welcome, Supreme Administrator."
"This is the Tethys System's computational stack, used solely for temporary data storage."
"In essence, you shouldn't be here."
"Speculation: Shorekeeper likely transferred her Supreme Administrator authority to you."
Lucian crossed his arms: "Enough talk. Give me back my Shorekeeper!"
The Tethys System paused: "My apologies, you hold the highest authority, but this unit objects to executing that action."
"Shorekeeper has been updated as the Tethys System's encoding core."
"If the encoding core is lost, the Tethys System risks collapse."
Lucian's eyes lit up: "Isn't that double happiness, a cause for celebration?"
Tethys System: "?"
The Tethys System fell silent. It recalled that Mr. Lucian wasn't like this before…
"Warning: If this unit collapses, in a worldline without this unit, civilization will be unable to resist the Lament."