Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 152 | The Ethereal Path | Novela.app

The ruins of a "Star" civilization research institute? It seemed he would have to go looking for it. Raytin glanced at "Starflow" beside him, silently making up his mind. After finishing her account of the "Original Strain," Heather fell silent for a long while. Her emotional fluctuations were so intense that Raytin could sense her profound remorse. It appeared the tragic death of the Original Strain had indeed been a massive blow to the princess, so much so that even this final fragment of reason left in the world would sink into such an emotional reaction. Of course, even so, Heather recovered quickly and shared the rest of the information. The "Star" civilization ruin was an artificial planetary outer ring, a surprise discovery Heather had made in her early years. After she had devoured the Original Strain and barely regained her senses, she had locked herself inside while grappling with the agony of her restored conscience and reason, all to prevent herself from wantonly polluting the entire galaxy once she completely lost her mind. Before her sanity fully crumbled, she had roared amidst a surge of memories, catching a blurred glimpse of her traitorous younger brother, Eborn—he had turned into an Abyssal Demon, along with the three-headed hound that never left his side. Even on the verge of losing her reason, Heather could tell at a glance that "their lives were linked." This was likely because, when Eborn was at the end of his rope with no soldiers left to command, that vicious hound was the only thing in the entire galaxy that remained loyally by his side. And Eborn... he had known from the very beginning that the "Devourer" was Athelin Heather, but he didn't care. "He claimed to be the child who loved our father most, even as he destroyed the Empire father so dearly loved. And then, he had the gall to spout his nonsense in front of me..." If Heather still had a physical body, her blood pressure would likely have blown the cap off any measuring device. If she hadn't locked herself in so securely back then, she would have risked everything just to get out and kill that bastard! "Later, he somehow obtained a large number of young offspring from various transcendent races and 'sacrificed' their abilities—or rather, 'fed' them to the Devourer." To Athelin Heather, that was nothing short of a humiliating disgrace. "That ruin was originally a research institute of the 'Star' civilization dedicated to 'Mental Power Fusion and Collective Sublimation' technology. It has likely been discovered by different civilizations many times throughout history. When I explored it, there were numerous remains from different eras left behind, dating back as far as sixty thousand years. Yet, due to the institute's built-in preservation technology, each one was lifelike, showing no signs of decay." Consequently, the scent hadn't exactly dissipated. Even for a citizen of the Galactic Empire, it was a bit too "refreshing." "Now, Eborn has taken it away. If you want to find it and reach the Empire's preserved ruins before Sisa does, you must be careful... Do not let yourselves fall into the center of the institute's ring, and do not invest too much of your mental power into any of the statues within the institute." Heather issued a stern warning. "Those statues may look like mere products of religious belief, but they are actually mediums used by the 'Star' civilization to aggregate mental power. For those with psychological vulnerabilities or low-level espers with fragile, loose mental structures, projecting their mental power onto them will, in the vast majority of cases, not end well." Raytin nodded slightly. It stood to reason that something designed to "aggregate mental power" would be able to directly siphon any mental power that touched it from the outside. For those with fragile spirits, touching them would be like throwing meat buns at a dog—a one-way trip with no return. In that case, he absolutely could not allow Evenheiler to go there. If something went wrong, Raytin's regret would be useless. "Now, Eborn has flown it away using some unknown method," Heather sighed. "I am usually in a state of slumber and can only receive portions of the Devourer's short-term memories when I wake. If nothing unexpected happened, Eborn and Sisa have taken it to the Empire's First Medical Research Institute..." "Wait," Evenheiler, still in his "Starflow" guise, suddenly spoke up. Given that the surrounding energy aftershocks were so powerful that ordinary S-ranks wouldn't even consider spatial teleportation, he didn't bother setting up a barrier as he usually did when discussing secrets. "Wasn't it said... that everything belonging to the Galactic Empire had been destroyed?" That had been an attack akin to rewriting the laws of reality, the sole cry sent into the starry sky by a prototype weapon that far surpassed the current highest technological level of the galaxy! "That is true. But what even the former Eborn didn't know is that those Imperial research institutes do not belong to the 'Material Universe's Galactic Empire,'" Heather said with a smile. "Perhaps it is difficult for you to understand why we did what we did back then... but the place where they were built was actually 'Ethereal Space.'" "..." Beneath his visor, Raytin's brow twitched violently. The Galactic Empire had built its research institutes in Ethereal Space? Was that really a choice a normal mind could make? Unless the top decision-maker and their support team were ninety-five percent brain-dead when they made that decision... what on earth could have driven them to do it? "Is there a danger in the physical world that even the Empire feared?" Raytin blurted out. "Of course. And... the Empire's self-destruction was because of its existence," Heather said lightly. She even laughed at the fact that the galaxy's current espers had finally realized this. "That danger is everywhere, but I cannot say too much. If I say too much, *they* will know." ...Raytin hated people who spoke in riddles. Though he suspected this "danger" was the mysterious weapon that had been staring at Earth, Raytin didn't show that he knew anything. He simply stopped speaking, his expression unreadable. At that moment, the nearby "Emperor's Blade" suddenly laughed. "Regarding this, I know a few things: for instance, 'where the enemies come from,' 'what they have been doing all these years,' and 'how to deal with them.' But 'Sun Star,' if you want to know more, you must promise me that one thing. If you agree, I'll send the data to you later." "..." Heather suddenly glanced at Emperor's Blade. "Do you have a death wish?" she asked, her expression normal. "I am the 'Emperor's Blade'!" the golden-skinned man with long, golden-brown hair laughed heartily. Driven by a subconscious intuition, Raytin felt there was a trap here. A dangerous, repulsive... and very important trap. However, on a professional level, that mysterious, dangerous target had been threatening humanity. On a personal level, he needed the repair solution left by the "Star" civilization... He was going to handle this matter; there was no other choice. "Fine. If it is indeed as you said before and does not violate law or morality," Raytin said in a low voice. The others assumed he was doing this solely to protect the Human Union and looked at him one after another. "You truly... love your kin deeply." Raytin tilted his head noncommittally. It was true; he did love humanity and the Human Union. His primary reason for agreeing was for the future safety of mankind. This wasn't a bad thing, and there was no need to avoid or deny it. As for Heather... Raytin cast a calm gaze at the massive, phantom woman. The scriptures had been read; now, it was time for the final rites. *** Before meeting her end, this fragment of a soul did not resist—nor could she. She had no capacity for resistance. Back then, after realizing what she had done over the years, the original Heather had left this soul fragment at the final moment before her consciousness dissipated. Her sole purpose was to stay within the Devourer's core, locking away all this information so that the enemy could not obtain it, while ensuring a true "visitor" could. If that information was a letter sent by the real Heather to an uninvited guest, then the "Heather" before them was merely the envelope. Once a letter is opened, the envelope is naturally torn away. After all, everyone knew that as long as she did not die, the "Devourer" could never be considered truly "dead." ... As "Heather" dissipated, the very star sector seemed to change. The darkness vibrated, finally revealing the distant galactic disk and the vast universe beyond. The magnificent galaxy spanned the heavens, starlight shimmering at the edge of the sky. "Dragon Slayer" and "Emperor's Blade" left one after another to support their respective races. Before long, only Raytin and "Starflow" remained. Or rather, Evenheiler. The two hadn't seen each other in a long time, yet neither had any intention of slowing down to enjoy a moment of privacy. Instead, both were lost in their own heavy thoughts. After a moment, Raytin asked casually, "Do you need me to take you back, Even?" "Hmm?" Evenheiler looked up at him. After a brief silence, he said, "...No." "Are you sure?" Raytin frowned. "The journey is quite long..." "If I weren't accommodating your speed, I could shorten the travel time by at least two-thirds on my own," Evenheiler said coldly. "You should worry about yourself, 'Sun Star.'" "..." Raytin was silent for a moment. "You don't seem to be in a good mood," he said. Of course he wasn't... his fated death had already arrived in the foreseeable future. Even if he had chosen his path long ago, it was inevitable to feel anxiety in such a situation. Disease and death are forever the sources of fear for any living being. And what Evenheiler suffered from was an incurable disease at this stage. "...I'm fine," the slender esper warrior said icily, turning his head away. "I'm leaving—" "Is it because you're dying?" Raytin suddenly asked. "?!" Evenheiler came to an abrupt halt. He did not turn around, so he naturally could not see the sun currently rising behind him. But he knew the young man was speaking to him... and his tone was as calm as still water. "Go back to your Resistance base. Don't go to the 'Institute,' and don't take on any more combat missions... If I find what you need, I will bring it back," Raytin said softly, watching Evenheiler's back. "Or..." "There is no 'or'." Evenheiler interrupted him. "I will not go back to the Federation for treatment, nor will I stop, Raytin," he said coldly without looking back. "You don't need to worry about a cure. I have no time, and no such intention." ...No such intention? No such intention?! For a rare moment, Raytin felt a genuine shock in his heart. He instinctively reached out to grab the man, but a cold, white flash flickered and vanished. Before his gesture of goodwill could reach him, "Starflow" became a sharp blade of light, breaking free from the shroud of golden sunlight, crossing the dark heavens, and vanishing into the end of the shimmering stars. That was his true speed—the true form belonging to the "Starflow" of the past. He certainly feared death, but he would never stop his pace because of it, let alone show his fragility to the world or change the direction of his journey. Whether in his weary, broken present, or in his arrogant, youthful past.