And a golden light, glowing faintly in the sea of stars, flew from the place where you died…
That was your final blessing for White Star.
The blessing drifted across the sea of stars, back toward Azure Star, but its owner could never return.
Trees may grow a thousand feet tall, yet fallen leaves return to their roots; you, however, died in a foreign land, to sleep eternally on that sparsely populated frontier star.
And in your home…
White Star was still sleeping.
Her encephalitis was under control, the most dangerous lesions had not reappeared, and her condition was temporarily stable.
However, due to the severe damage to her brain cells, she still needed some time to recover.
Perhaps a week, perhaps two.
But if luck was on her side, she might wake up today.
Her complexion had taken on a healthy rosy hue since you left.
A golden light flew in, passed through the window, and went straight into the head of the girl lying on the bed.
Your blessing had arrived…
May you have luck… sister…
May you have luck… Herta…
As the golden light merged, profound fortune enveloped the girl.
Without sound or warning, her physique seemed to strengthen in an instant, and her brain injuries began to recover at an accelerated rate…
In less than half a day, the girl finally woke up.
The morning sun had just risen outside the window, its rays shining on the girl's face; her long eyelashes trembled slightly…
Her evenly thick eyelids slowly opened, revealing a pair of beautiful eyes.
Confusion…
Sadness…
It seemed she had not yet escaped the fragility of feeling as though she were about to leave the world.
"Am I… am I… dead?"
She murmured to herself, raising her hand to block the sunlight, and then she saw the ring on her finger…
She stared at it for a while.
The girl, newly awakened from a long sleep, was as beautiful as a painting…
"I'm not dead… This is my home, and this is the ring my brother personally put on me…"
"Brother!"
The girl called softly.
But there was no response…
"Brother, are you there?"
She continued calling, but there was still no reply.
And there was destined to be no reply…
"Brother…"
A sudden premonition of dread filled the girl's heart. She immediately got out of bed without even putting on her shoes.
She walked to the door of her room and gently knocked.
"Brother…"
Then she knocked again.
"Brother, I'm awake…"
But what awaited her was deathly silence.
She pushed the door open and looked at the empty room, which seemed to have been unoccupied for several days.
"My backpack isn't here either. Did my brother go out?"
She murmured to herself, then turned around and returned to her room.
Then she paused and noticed the letter on the table.
It was the letter you wrote to her.
---
[White Star:
When you read this letter, your brother will have already departed for a very distant place.
And he probably will not return for some time.
Don't be sad, don't miss him, and there is no need to wait…
The life of White Star should not be as fleeting as that of a mayfly, but should rush toward the sea of stars; after all, my sister, you were originally the brightest star among them, and nothing can dim your radiance.
Your brother is gone, and you promised me that even in a world without your brother, you would live happily and joyfully…
The promise of a genius is worth more than a thousand gold coins. You promised me.
Don't worry: Your loving brother]
---
"Left?"
"Left??"
Where did he go? Why didn't he come back?
Why…
Did my brother abandon me?
White Star was panicked. She staggered out of the house, not knowing where to look for you.
She wandered aimlessly, murmuring "brother" under her breath…
Stupid brother…
She even forgot to put on her shoes.
The contents of the letter had already shown her the terrible and unacceptable truth…
But she refused to believe it, because she held only one conviction in her heart.
Keep looking… her brother might appear before her eyes.
The letter was just a cruel joke. Brother… he just went out…
Just went out, that's all…
Maybe, around the next corner, she would see her brother smiling before her.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The people of the Interstellar Peace Corporation were busy.
Near a massive Star Destroyer, a child with a pacifier stood motionless, staring into the depths of the sea of stars.
Opal…
"White Star…"
Opal spoke softly.
"That is a planet covered in precious metals. Its density far exceeds that of ordinary planets, and it also possesses some of that person's higher-dimensional attributes…"
"It is a strategic resource that the Amber Lord can make use of…"
"Set the landing point on Azure Star. There is a girl there who is still waiting for this star."
Opal's voice was childish, yet carried a weathered composure.
"As you command…"
The personnel waiting nearby responded in unison.
"I shall perceive…"
"I shall govern…"
"I shall judge…"
"I weave the warp and weft of fate, devising strategies within my command tent…"
"Smiling as the sea of stars roars…"
"All… dedicated to… the Amber Lord!"
A fervent glow burst from Opal's eyes, and as his words fell, beams of light fiercely struck White Star.
The Corporation intended to pull it out of its predetermined orbit and bring it to Azure Star, turning that "White Star," far heavier than an ordinary planet, into the cornerstone of the wall of [Preservation]. It would undoubtedly be a very secure wall, for anyone who tried to cross it would be cursed.
…
Azure Star…
Where White Star was located…
The girl, who had not stopped for an entire day, had reached her physical limit.
Yet even so, she did not dare to stop.
To stop…
Would make her think of the letter her brother left her.
Would force her to face that terrible truth.
"I will definitely find my brother…"
"Today is our eighteenth birthday…"
"He just went out to buy a cake."
She murmured to herself, consoling herself, trying with all her strength to hold back the tears welling in her eyes.
"Especially at times like this, you need to stay calm, Herta…"
Don't cry, Herta…
The girl took several deep breaths and continued walking. Perhaps at the bakery on the next street, she would see her brother's figure.
With the continuous movement, her metabolism began to accelerate…
Her brain injuries, thanks to her strengthened recovery ability, had healed by seventy to eighty percent.
Her thoughts gradually sharpened.
Questions that once lingered deep in her mind suddenly found inspiration.
She did not even need to think actively.
Mathematical models that had once been unsolvable now surged wildly through her mind.
The universe contains a constant K; when the observed value is less than K, all things are finite and the universe has limits…
That is, destiny is predetermined…
And when the observed value…
Ideas flowed endlessly. In an instant, she solved the solitary wave algorithm problem.
This answer firmly placed her beyond the boundary. She instantly crossed a vast distance on the path of Erudition.
Night gradually fell. Everything was silent, and at the end of the starry sky, a gigantic mechanical head suddenly appeared…
Nous of Erudition…
This was White Star's first audience with a Star God.
Bathed in the light of Erudition, she vaguely received a vision of the Star God.
With her physical condition restored under the light, she looked at the head that, at first glance, seemed to have been torn off a robot.
The other party seemed to know everything…
That was the feeling White Star had…
Then she spoke, beginning her first question-and-answer session with Nous…
"Machine Head… where is my brother?"