The Voyage of the "Qiming"
The establishment of the Void Sea Exploration Division caused far greater ripples within the "Meta" Realm than the Sky-Patrolling Pavilion ever had. The limited truth revealed was like dropping a boulder into a calm lake. Terms such as "Observer," "World Branch Pruning," "Void Sea," and "Other Civilizations" shattered the cognitive limits of every "Meta" citizen.
Panic was inevitable, but it was overshadowed by a kindled, spirited resolve mixed with a sense of crisis. The home they had built with their own hands was actually sailing in such a vast and dangerous sea of the unknown! An unprecedented sense of community rapidly took shape, fueled by the pressure of survival.
Resources were frantically channeled into the Void Sea Exploration Division. Material laboratories and energy institutes joined forces, using "Ink Steel" and "Primeval Soil" as the framework, embedding optimized stellar fluid energy circuits and stability runes derived from the "Order" Threads to begin constructing the first true "Void Vessel" — the "Qiming" (meaning "Dawn").
The "Qiming" was shaped like an elongated water droplet, its entire body dark, with only a faint glow flowing across its surface, identical to that of the "Meta" Realm's sky. It had no windows; its perception of the outside world relied entirely on the dense detection runes covering its hull — runes of the same origin as the "Order" Threads in Lin Mo's hands.
Lin Mo personally participated in forging the core of the "Qiming" — the Void Beacon, which integrated exploration runes. This beacon was not just a navigator, but also an anchor for the "Meta" Realm's rules to extend into the Void Sea, and the lifeline connecting the "Qiming" to its home.
On this day, the "Qiming" hovered quietly at the edge of the "Meta" Realm. Beyond the gray purification field, lay the absolute void that devoured everything.
Glarak, the first director of the Void Sea Exploration Division, personally led an elite team composed of former Lava Trolls, Gargoyles, Liches, and other races aboard the "Qiming." Mo Shi remained at the Sky-Patrolling Pavilion, remotely monitoring the mission through the Void Beacon.
There was no grand send-off ceremony — only the solemn, hopeful gazes of all "Meta" citizens, projected via the Magic Network.
Lin Mo's figure appeared at the edge of the "Meta" Realm, facing the "Qiming" from a distance. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a wisp of gray light infused the Void Beacon at the core of the "Qiming."
"Depart," he commanded.
The faint glow on the "Qiming" suddenly intensified. The Void Beacon at the bow lit up, emitting a dim gray beam — one that seemed capable of piercing the void. It forcefully carved a temporary, twisted path through the darkness ahead.
The "Qiming" trembled slightly, gliding silently into the path before being instantly swallowed by darkness.
Inside the "Meta" Realm, the light spot representing the "Qiming" on the Magic Network grew extremely faint after entering the void — like a candle flame in the wind — but it did not extinguish.
The exploration had begun.
Inside the "Qiming," Glarak and his team felt the subtle yet omnipresent pressure of rule compression as the vessel passed through the void. Outside was absolute darkness, with no reference points — only the gray path projected by the Void Beacon, and cold data from the detection runes regarding the density of the surrounding "void" and the chaotic flows of rules.
Time lost its meaning here. After an indeterminate period of travel, the detection runes suddenly picked up an extremely faint, regular energy fluctuation.
"Thirty degrees to the port side! Abnormal signal source detected! Energy signature... unknown — not chaotic, not from the 'Meta' Realm, nor matching the Observer's style!" The Lich in charge of monitoring spoke with a mix of tension and excitement.
"Adjust course. Approach with caution," Glarak ordered.
The "Qiming" slowly turned, heading toward the signal source. As it drew closer, the images transmitted by the detection runes gradually sharpened.
It was not a world, as expected, but a... wreckage.
A colossal wreckage of a structure, made from a material that was neither metal nor stone, glinting with a cold metallic sheen. It floated silently in the void, its form twisted and broken, its surface covered in massive gashes and scorch marks from energy blasts. Its style was marked by extreme functionality and coldness — a stark contrast to the vitality of the "Meta" Realm and the chaotic ferocity of the Demon Realm.
"Is this... some kind of starship? Or a fortress?" murmured a Gargoyle team member.
The detection runes scanned deeper.
"No life signs detected inside the wreckage. Energy response is nearly nonexistent. Structural damage exceeds 92%... Based on the decay model of residual energy, the time of destruction is... extremely ancient — far before the 'Pruning' event."
It was not an active Observer unit. It was the ancient remains of an unknown civilization.
"Attempt to collect samples. Proceed with caution," Glarak said, suppressing his excitement. This proved that they and the Observers were not the only ones in the Void Sea!
Just as the small collection drone was about to approach the wreckage, disaster struck.
From the depths of the wreckage — in an area not fully scanned — a scarlet light suddenly flickered to life! A violent, chaotic consciousness filled with destructive urges, like a waking beast, locked onto the "Qiming" in an instant.
"Warning! High-activity Aberration detected! Energy level... extremely high! It is awakening rapidly!"
Almost as soon as the warning sounded, the scarlet light surged. A thick beam of pure destructive energy tore through the wreckage's hull and shot straight at the "Qiming!"
"Evade! Activate maximum power shield!" Glarak roared.
The "Qiming" narrowly tilted its hull. The gray shield flared to its brightest. The destructive beam grazed the edge of the shield; the shockwave from the scattered energy shook the vessel violently, and the shield's energy plummeted to rock bottom in an instant!
From the wreckage, the source of the attack slowly emerged. It was an amorphous monster composed of the wreckage's metal, twisted energy, and a sticky black substance. Its only distinct feature was a single rotating scarlet eye at its center. The aura it exuded was filled with hatred for all ordered existence.
"It's a Chaos Aberration! It was either drawn to this wreckage... or born inside it!" the Lich said, his voice tight.
The monster let out a silent roar — a震荡 at the rule level — and began to gather destructive energy once more.
"We can't fight it! Retreat!" Glarak made a decisive call. The "Qiming's" rear thrusters erupted in a blinding light, ready to return along the path it had come.
However, the monster's scarlet eye turned, seemingly seeing through the "Qiming's" intention. Instead of chasing, it suddenly fired its destructive beam at... the gray path the "Qiming" had left behind!
Hiss —!
Like a red-hot iron searing ice, the path maintained by the Void Beacon twisted violently under the impact of the destructive energy, then... shattered and dissipated, inch by inch!
"The path is destroyed!" the pilot cried in panic.
The "Qiming" lost its clearest coordinate link to the "Meta" Realm, becoming completely lost in the endless Void Sea! And the terrifying Aberration, radiating destruction, slowly closed in!
Inside the Sky-Patrolling Pavilion in the "Meta" Realm.
The light spot representing the "Qiming" dimmed sharply the moment the path was destroyed. It flickered erratically, its signal intermittent!
"Signal lost! Path broken! The 'Qiming' is out of contact!" the monitor's voice was filled with despair.
Mo Shi stood up abruptly, his face ashen. Their first exploration mission had encountered such a catastrophe!
At the top floor of the Administrative Center, Lin Mo's closed eyes snapped open.
He had felt the sudden violent tremor and breakage from the Void Beacon, and the desperate situation Glarak and his team were facing.
His gaze pierced through the "Meta" Realm's barrier, looking out into the endless darkness.
Their first contact had been so direct — and so brutal.
He stood up slowly.
There was no more time to wait.