Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 262 | The Shores of Gaia | Novela.app

"Gaia"—a name both familiar and strange. The person who coined it surely never imagined that one day, the name would be bestowed upon such an existence: a fabricated planet set within a void of stars. Years ago, when he had personally delved into its history, Evenheiler had learned the origin of the name... but he obviously never expected that he would one day arrive at its true birthplace. This was... more than a little overwhelming. Evenheiler wanted to ask what year it was, but he realized a second later: in this era, the first year of the Common Era probably hadn't even arrived yet. What would he even ask? "So," he changed his question, "what... no, *who* are you?" Was she a superpowered entity? The nature seemed similar... But for some reason, Evenheiler felt there was a fundamental difference hidden between the two. To this, "The Deceased" smiled as gently as an ordinary person, making no effort to hide her nature. "I am an outsider." "An outsider..." Evenheiler chewed on the word, somewhat confused. Strictly speaking, even he and Lei Ting were "outsiders" to this planet. Because the Orionids were essentially different from the Primordials; they truly did not grow up on Earth. But Evenheiler did not intend to press further. If the other party didn't want to explain clearly, he had no reason to force it. "You said you aren't the 'Lover of All,' but I feel a power similar to His within you." He spoke, prepared to receive no answer even before he posed his next question. "May I ask if this is—" "The Deceased" did not answer. She simply extended the stalk of wheat and pointed behind Evenheiler. The latter turned his head and saw that Lei Ting had already opened his eyes and was staring at him, his gaze calm and gentle. When he turned back, "The Deceased" had already dissipated. "...How dramatic," he muttered, returning to Lei Ting's side to support him. "How long have you been awake? How does your body feel? Do you need to rest more?" Lei Ting sat up with his help. He clasped his hands and sat cross-legged on the dark brown soil, his hunched posture appearing somewhat weary. "Not long. I'm fine. No need," he said in a low voice. "I smell the sea... Where are we?" "Uh..." Evenheiler's mind went blank for a moment. For a split second, he regretted not learning more about revivalism, history, and ancient geography. "Alright." Lei Ting stood up and scanned the surroundings. "A habitable planet... Hm?" He squinted at the surrounding flora. They were plants both familiar and strange—familiar in their species, strange in their forms. "Fennel, sorrel..." he murmured as he approached the plants, his armored hand brushing over the emerald leaves. "...This is Earth." His words carried a sense of certainty. "Our teleportation has been moving toward the tip of the Orion Arm..." "Will we leave the galaxy?" Evenheiler asked. "I don't know," Lei Ting replied. "We'll have to wait for the next jump to find the answer to that. Also... who was that just now?" "An unknown target calling herself 'The Deceased.' Suspected superpowered entity, possesses intelligence, personality, and self-awareness, and interacts with the local natives." Evenheiler's phrasing was now completely different from his previous demeanor. If he had seemed like an indiscreet, curious child moments ago, he was now the most rigorous of chemists. Lei Ting listened to his words, then stood and walked toward the coastal town on the edge of the forest. "Her motive?" he asked. "Undetermined for now," Evenheiler replied. "She showed goodwill through her actions, but there are too many mysteries. She said she's an 'outsider,' but I don't know how the boundaries of that 'outside' are defined in her words." "Understood." Lei Ting nodded. He looked at the armor on his body—the power from "Lover" had bestowed them both with flesh-and-blood bodies within the cracks of space-time, along with a set of clothes for Evenheiler and a suit of armor for Lei Ting. "Let's go see what people wear these days..." he murmured, then suddenly added without context, "Don't feel guilty. It wasn't your fault." Evenheiler naturally knew what Lei Ting was talking about. His nostrils flared slightly, and his elegant, handsome face briefly became extremely aggressive. "Guilty my ass!" he sneered under his breath. "Punish myself for an enemy's mistake? Wallow in self-pity over what's already happened? I'm not a little brat like you! I'm going to kill that thing sooner or later... One day! It must die by my hand!" Lei Ting had never heard such abundant hatred and fury in Evenheiler's voice. It reminded him of himself—interestingly, this man currently filled with rage also possessed "Immovable," thanks to the psionic fragments Lei Ting had used to patch him up, as well as the man's own powerful super-ability. Now, that iron-like role had been transferred. The more broken role, meanwhile, had been swapped. However, the current situation was different from before, and he wasn't truly like the Evenheiler of that time—at least, the words "chaotic," "fragile," and "easily influenced" still couldn't be associated with him. Facing this manic hatred and anger suppressed beneath "Immovable," Lei Ting had something else to say compared to the Evenheiler of back then. "...Fine," he sighed, a spark like a dying star burning deep in his eyes. "Then when the moment comes to execute it, I'll reluctantly let you take the credit, 'Starstream'." Evenheiler froze slightly. His eyes flickered for a moment; he opened his mouth and said softly, "...Actually, I saw it, Lei Ting." "Saw what?" Lei Ting asked. "I saw the marker of your mental form... that halo. It's shattering," Evenheiler said. He took two quick steps to block Lei Ting's path. "What are you in such a hurry for?" "What?" Lei Ting asked again. "Don't play dumb, Lei Ting. We are time travelers. Instead of going into town, we should be flying into space... because if anything goes wrong with our jump, just like before—" Evenheiler said, "—it would be a total catastrophe for the people on this half of the coastline." Lei Ting's pace faltered. He let out a long sigh. "Why are you so sharp, Even?" "Because I just am, just like you are just so..." Evenheiler tried to organize his words, then gave up. "...I think you know better than anyone." Fine, it was nothing more than the same flaws Evenheiler had just finished scolding him for. Lei Ting was well aware. Though for most ordinary people, recognizing and accepting oneself was a difficulty on par with losing one's life. But Lei Ting was neither "most" nor "ordinary." This was a man who, since his youth, could force himself to cut off almost all entertainment. How could he not see his own character defects clearly? He agreed with most of what Evenheiler said to scold him. A small portion—like the part about him being a saint—he felt the other man might be looking at him through too thick a lens... But... "I just want to confirm one thing," Lei Ting said. "What thing?" Evenheiler asked. Well, things had come to this; there was nothing left that couldn't be said. "I knew long ago that I would travel through time," Lei Ting's voice was deep. "But I didn't know you would be here too... and the sequence of our travels seems to have skipped a critical point in time." "What point in time?" Evenheiler frowned and pondered for a moment, then gasped. "You mean... the New Solar System era, when humanity's first Stargate was activated?!" "Exactly," Lei Ting said grimly. "Would the space-time fluctuations it caused be any less than those of a battle?" "Something went wrong..." Evenheiler murmured. He quickly ran through the timeline correspondences in his mind—"The opening of the first Stargate." Before this point, their jumps had been normal. But because of the external factor that was the "Commander," the steps of their jumps had suddenly lengthened. From the third millennium of the Common Era to a time before the Common Era had even begun, they had leaped across almost the entire history of human civilization on Earth in a single step. It was all too coincidental, as if destined, or as if... some power simply didn't want them to set foot in that period of time. "...'The past cannot be changed, not even a second ago,'" Evenheiler murmured. "That is the first law recognized by chronologists..." But at this moment, a thought inexplicably popped into his mind: Was the "past" truly unchangeable? Or was it that a past that *could* be changed was no longer considered the "past"? Like... how one slot can't hold two cards? When he shared this guess with Lei Ting, Lei Ting paused. "Actually, there are integrated slot components, it's just that this kind of authentication method has been almost entirely phased out, so..." Evenheiler: "..." Evenheiler: "." Evenheiler remained expressionless, his azure eyes silently staring at Lei Ting. "...Ahem." Lei Ting coughed hard. "Sorry." His gaze was clear, tinged with a hint of bashfulness and awkwardness, which made that already handsome and mature young face even more striking. Evenheiler looked away as if struck by an electric shock. He took two deep breaths, repeatedly warning himself in his mind: *This guy is just having a technical-mindset moment, this guy is just having a technical-mindset moment, this guy is just having a technical-mindset moment. You can't get distracted at a time like this, it'll make you look just as out of place as he is...* During this time, they climbed a hill and looked out into the distance. They saw the clear sky as blue as if it had been washed. Below it, the dense forest gradually thinned, and the distant town looked like glowing, grey-white blocks of ice. The sea breeze pushed forward, and the white line of the waves was faintly visible. "Like a glass of iced fruit juice," Evenheiler said, his eyes fixed on the transparent blue waves of the sea. "Or a bowl." "A bowl." Lei Ting nodded, confirming the accuracy of the metaphor, then returned to the topic. "To figure out my confusion, we either wait for the next jump, or... find some people." "What people? Don't tell me you're so well-connected that you know people from this era..." "No." Lei Ting spoke as he raised his hand. Within the golden light in his palm, a red gel the size of a mung bean appeared. "Perhaps... they are unfamiliar old acquaintances," he said. Evenheiler stared intently at that tiny red bean of gel... no, little red bean. His expression was grave. He could see a faint super-powered flame burning atop the thing, wisps of flowing fire pointing toward that town—or rather, the direction in which that town lay. *** | Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 盖亚 | Gaia | Ancient Greek name for Earth; also the name of a fake planet in the future setting. | | 死者 | The Deceased | A mysterious entity appearing as a goddess; claims to be an "outsider." | | 爱世人 | Lover of All | An entity or power mentioned previously; Evenheiler notes a similarity in power. | | 猎户旋臂 | Orion Arm | The spiral arm of the Milky Way where Earth is located. | | 星门 | Stargate | A technological gateway for interstellar travel. | | 星流 | Starstream | Evenheiler's title/codename. | | 不动 | Immovable | A specific super-ability or mental state characterized by absolute stability. | | 指挥官 | Commander | An antagonist or external factor influencing the protagonists' time travel. |