Chapter 330: Patterns

Xiao Yu continued deducing and arrived at a conclusion even he could scarcely believe.

First, the Trolor Civilization had been destroyed by the Sweepers, and the Sweepers themselves had never reached the heights of a Level 7 Civilization. Yet now, observation results indicated that the relics of the Trolor Civilization were moving at speeds exceeding two thousand six hundred times the speed of light, something only a Level 7 Civilization or higher could achieve. This was a contradiction with no explanation.

“I’m beginning to doubt the intentions of the Trolor Civilization,” another scientist said with a trace of bitterness. “We must remember, their relic was meant to be left for the Dwarf Race after it developed to a Level 4 Civilization. We are already a preliminary Level 5 Civilization, and I refuse to believe that something we can’t even find a clue about could ever be discovered by the Dwarves.”

“Indeed. All the characteristics this star has exhibited simply don’t make sense, don’t fit any logic, don’t conform to science, at least, not any theoretical framework we currently possess. Even if we accept that the object truly can move at over two thousand six hundred times the speed of light, don’t forget, what about the ten-second interval between its two appearances? Where did it go during those ten seconds?”

“These movements seem to have no pattern whatsoever. We can’t discern any connection between each change. And if we can’t find a pattern, it means we can’t generalize or make any predictions about what will happen next.”

“What exactly is this so-called New World? In what form does it exist within our universe? Why can’t we find a trace of it? Even if it were hidden by curvature flight, and invisible within observable space, our faster-than-light tachyon detection should still be able to pinpoint it. Where, where is it?”

The conference room was filled with heated discussion. The scientists shared their views, all varied in content, but identical in one respect, pessimism. None of them believed that, with their current technological capabilities, Xiao Yu’s civilization could unravel this mystery.

But Xiao Yu ignored their debate and fixed his gaze on the star. Indeed, at that moment, the star once again displayed axial tilt. The difference this time was that this tilt was unlike either of the previous two.

A thought was gradually taking shape in Xiao Yu’s mind.

“Perhaps… we’ve all been thinking about this the wrong way,” Xiao Yu said slowly. “You’re right, the relic was left by the Trolor Civilization specifically for the Dwarves, once they reached the level of a Level 4 Civilization. There’s no reason the Dwarves could find the answer, but we could not. Therefore, only one possibility remains, we’re all mistaken. From the very beginning, the path we’ve followed to search for explanations was wrong, and that’s why we’ve sunk deeper and deeper into this swamp of contradictions.”

“Now, I ask everyone to discard all the intelligence we’ve accumulated so far. Stop thinking about the two thousand six hundred times light speed. Stop thinking about why we can’t detect it. Clear your minds, return your thinking to the starting point, and reconsider everything.”

“Where exactly is the relic of the Trolor Civilization?”

The conference room fell silent again. Hundreds of the most brilliant scientists furrowed their brows, all thinking tensely.

“If we think from the perspective of a Level 4 Civilization, let’s say we really had a scientist from a Level 4 Civilization facing this problem, first of all, he would not be considering matters such as tachyon technology or antimatter technology. He wouldn’t have encountered any of that yet. He would only think about this problem using the scientific understanding available to him. Now, I ask everyone to temporarily forget everything we know as members of the Limitless Civilization. Learn to think about this question from the perspective of a Level 4 Civilization.”

Luka Three frowned and said, “If we adopt the mindset of a Level 4 Civilization, then the inability of tachyon detectors to locate the Trolor relic would not be an issue at all, because they simply wouldn’t possess any knowledge of tachyon detection.”

“Exactly.” Xiao Yu nodded. “Aside from tachyon detection, there are several other technologies that should likewise be excluded… So, all of these problems are to be disregarded.”

Low murmurs rose in the conference room as the scientists leaned together, quietly discussing their views.

Outside the ship, twenty billion kilometers away, that star was still rotating in its bizarre way. Even though there was clearly nothing exerting any influence on it, it continued to display peculiar characteristics, its rotational axis would periodically tilt, then return to normal, and every time the tilt appeared, it differed from the last, with seemingly no pattern at all, leaving everyone baffled.

“How frustrating. Never mind whether we’ll be able to obtain that weapon called Fractured Space after finding the relic, just the act of searching for the relic itself has already turned into such a massive headache. Is the technological strength of a Level 6 Civilization truly so formidable that even I, as a preliminary Level 5 Civilization, can’t make sense of anything?”

Xiao Yu felt deeply discouraged. He had once believed his own power was already strong enough, but in front of a Level 6 Civilization, he was once again tasting that feeling of helplessness.

“The barrier between tiers is indeed unyielding. If even an ordinary Level 6 Civilization is this strong, then what about the Sweepers Civilization, the absolute overlords of the Milky Way? How terrifying must they be?”

Xiao Yu had not forgotten that this civilization which had created phenomena resembling divine miracles was just a stray dog fleeing from the pursuit of the Sweepers Civilization.

“…Hah…” Xiao Yu let out a quiet sigh.

Until he fully understood the situation, Xiao Yu would never act rashly. It wasn’t that he refused to take risks, he simply refused to take meaningless risks. If it was proven that he truly lacked the ability to obtain this heritage, Xiao Yu would absolutely turn away without hesitation, leaving it behind without a second thought.

Fractured Space, such a weapon was indeed powerful, indeed precious. But how could it ever be more important than Xiao Yu’s own life?

Countless interstellar probes were still drifting through this empty star system. They were employing every detection instrument they carried, tirelessly gathering information. Around the star itself, the greatest number of probes had gathered. By now, their count had reached thirty thousand. Thirty thousand probes, buzzing like flies, orbiting around that star as if it were a piece of fruit.

“Perhaps…this is exactly the Trolor Civilization’s intention. This is their final layer of defense to ensure their relic would be recovered by the Dwarves. A relic that a Level 5 Civilization can’t find any clue to, but a Level 4 Civilization can?”

Xiao Yu contemplated silently.

“There is no phenomenon in the universe whose principles can be understood by a Level 4 Civilization but not by a Level 5 Civilization, because every Level 5 Civilization develops out of a Level 4 Civilization. That means the clue left behind by the Trolor Civilization could only be something conceptual, something to do with a way of thinking, and not something bound to specific technological knowledge. The advancement of civilization expands one’s field of vision…could it be that the expansion of that vision, in turn, limits the way of thinking?”

“The technological strength of a Level 6 Civilization…truly is overwhelming.” Xiao Yu let out a faint sigh.

By this point, a month had passed since Xiao Yu arrived in this star system. Over that month, the number of probes had steadily increased, and the amount of information collected had grown richer and richer, yet Xiao Yu could not extract even a single useful clue from any of it.

“Hm? What’s this…” Just when Xiao Yu was feeling completely at a loss, he received another transmission from a probe. The data it reported seemed perfectly ordinary, exactly the same as all the previous reports, but Xiao Yu’s keen perception instantly recognized something unique about it.

In this entire month, no piece of data Xiao Yu had received had ever been the same. In other words, every report about the star’s axial tilt was different. Different tilt readings meant that the invisible body affecting the star varied in mass and distance each time. That was why Xiao Yu had said the star’s motion was completely without pattern.

But now…the same data had appeared again.

This repetition meant that Xiao Yu might finally have a chance to identify a pattern in these motions.

His spirits lifted at once, and he immediately increased the computational resources allocated to this analysis.

“When we first observed this axial tilt, it lasted about three seconds. Then the axis returned to normal for ten seconds, after which it tilted again and maintained that state for eight seconds. The precise data for those two tilts is as follows…Good. Another tilt has appeared, exactly the same as the first cycle!”

Xiao Yu’s excitement grew even stronger. As long as he found the pattern of its motion, it would only be a matter of time before he understood the underlying principle. It was just like a simple chemical reaction: hydrogen burns in oxygen, and every time, water is produced. That’s the pattern. With that pattern, it’s easy to deduce the principle, hydrogen molecules and oxygen molecules combine to form water molecules.

He immediately shared this result with all the scientists. Everyone shifted their focus onto this matter.

Another full month of observation followed. In that month, Xiao Yu found that the star’s motion was exactly the same as during the previous month.

“I believe…I have found its pattern,” Xiao Yu murmured to himself. “Even though we still can’t find any trace of it, can’t obtain any direct information about it…we know that it’s here. It’s nearby, and it’s engaging in some kind of cyclical activity around this star, with a period of exactly one month, though we still don’t understand what it is.”