Bai Zhongqi approached the grand and towering Sky-Piercing Pyramid, whose first level base alone was over a thousand kilometers high; it was also the only level that did not bear any symbols left by the Elder Race.
In the mid-air, numerous drones and survey ships were scanning and studying those timeless symbols. Bai Zhongqi understood that researching these things was not going to yield results in a short amount of time.
At first, he did not understand why a simple symbol could contain so much information, even a type of technology. Later, Bai Zhongqi heard from Linyin that the Iridium Star's decoded symbols were actually all one category.
To the naked eye, they appeared unrelated to the ordinary symbols engraved on the ruins, but under microscopic analysis, it was discovered that the microscopic particles forming the symbols were moving in a highly regular pattern.
This study of dynamic regularity might be at the atomic level, possibly molecular, or even at the quark level. Once a relevant field was hypothesized, extremely significant results could be obtained.
But this was also the only category of timeless symbols that the people of Iridium Star had figured out. They hadn't even found a method to interpret the other types of symbols.
"It looks just like an ordinary stone, yet it has existed for ten billion years," Bai Zhongqi said as he observed the Sky-Piercing Pyramid up close, clicking his tongue in wonder.
The tower appeared to be made of stone, unlike the smooth, mirror-like exterior constructions of advanced universe civilizations. Instead, the tower had an ancient look that perfectly fit the character of ruins, although it did not show any signs of weathering over the ages, which was somewhat incongruent with the image of an interstellar civilization.
Bai Zhongqi turned his head towards Nan Ma and asked, "Can you sense anything different?"
Nan Ma shook his bald head vigorously, saying, "Nothing at all."
Bai Zhongqi had not expected Nan Ma to be of any use; him being here was more about wanting to observe up close. Since the exploration team hadn't found a way to enter, he did not think he would have any better luck.
Bai Zhongqi subconsciously reached out his hand to touch the pyramid's outer wall. It felt no different from touching a regular stone.
However, the next instant, as if bricks had piled up upon one another, the outer layers of the pyramid began to unfold from where Bai Zhongqi's warm palm had touched it. With his hand as the center, the stones continued to open outward until a deep portal thunderously revealed itself!
"This..." Bai Zhongqi was startled.
Previous expedition members had done the same, not to mention all the different kinds of ray instruments that had been tried on the Sky-Piercing Pyramid, but it had not responded at all.
Instead, with just a touch from him, the pyramid opened a small door just wide enough for one person to pass through. Both Sacred Falcon and Nan Ma, standing behind Bai Zhongqi, were shocked, unable to understand why this had happened.
Bai Zhongqi hesitated briefly, but then made a quick decision. He took a step forward and entered the door.
The moment he entered, the bricks that had dispersed closed back tightly, sealing the pathway that had just appeared.
Nan Ma's eyes flashed with determination, and with a thrust of his fist, a wave-like impact of force smashed hard against the pyramid. Such a punch might have pierced through alloy steel, but the pyramid remained undamaged despite the thunderous noise.
Sacred Falcon also drew her weapon, preparing to strike, to try and open a portal, but she soon received a communication from Bai Zhongqi.
"Don't attack," Bai Zhongqi said.
The bricks once again spread out, and the portal reappeared. Bai Zhongqi stepped back out from within.
He looked thoughtfully at the Sky-Piercing Pyramid and then said to the two, "It seems that I am the only one who can enter this ruin."
Nan Ma was extremely surprised and said, "Your Majesty, is it really okay for you to go into the ruin alone?"
Bai Zhongqi smiled and replied, "There doesn't seem to be any other way now, is there? Since it has allowed me to enter, it likely means no harm. I have Commander Xu's shield for protection and will bring some detection equipment with me. If there's any problem, I will immediately retreat."
Nan Ma spread his hands and said, "You're the Chancellor, so your wish is naturally paramount."
When the news reached Xu Lanzhou on the warship, this knight was equally positive. She said, "Your Majesty, perhaps this is an indication of the Elder Race's recognition of your supreme status. Only someone as noble as you could enter this ruin."
Bai Zhongqi felt a tinge of embarrassment; Xu Lanzhou was a typical blindly loyal fan. Although having such a "fangirl" was quite interesting, it was also rather awkward when the adulation went too far.
Equipped with sensors, cameras, and other portable devices, and wearing his Chancellor's personal Individual Armor, Bai Zhongqi confidently reopened the door of the Sky-Piercing Pyramid and stepped inside once again.
This time, upon entering, Bai Zhongqi finally saw everything inside. The place where he stood was not a normal passage, nor was it a physically open space. He could feel the space around him as if it were twisted, with various magical energies diffusing throughout.
"Linyin, can you locate me precisely?" Bai Zhongqi asked.
"Your Majesty, once you entered these ruins, we lost all coordinate information about you. However, it is strange that quantum communication signals can still be transmitted normally."
Bai Zhongqi nodded slightly, deciding not to ponder why this was so, and continued forward—if one could consider there to be a forward, back, left, or right in this space.
The first layer of the Sky-Piercing Pyramid already covered an area of six hundred thousand square kilometers. Yes, the area of just the first level of the pyramid was even larger than many countries on Earth. Bai Zhongqi couldn't imagine how long it would take to walk from one end to the other.
Things turned out to be smoother than he had imagined. Perhaps because the space was warped, or perhaps because time had also lost its effect, after only a few steps, Bai Zhongqi arrived at a cave-like place within the space.
It was a strange experience—despite the lack of directionality in space, there was a cave hall that felt like a regular three-dimensional space. Huge rocks chaotically surrounded the chamber, and above was a skylight-like hole from which a faint light shone down.
Upon entering the chamber, Bai Zhongqi could no longer feel the flowing glimmers and the sensation of distortion from the space outside.
In the spacious chamber, right beneath the central skylight, stood a pillar or table about half a person tall and a foot square. Approaching it, Bai Zhongqi discovered three indents on the pillar, into which three identical, exquisitely jeweled-like crimson gemstones were embedded.
Dazzled by the brilliant light, Bai Zhongqi instinctively grasped one of the gemstones. At the moment he touched it, a flood of information surged into his body.
If Bai Zhongqi were an ordinary person, his brain would have exploded from the overload of information by now. However, Bai Zhongqi actually had two brains—one was the biological brain of his human body, and the other was a bone brain loaded with game saves. The information came fast and furious, but the bone brain was still able to process and download the vast amount of data.
Bai Zhongqi momentarily felt dazed, but quickly realized what this was.
The Elder Race from the Remote Ancient Universe had created a magnificent and magical civilization, their means of expressing civilization were also quite different from today's Galactic Civilization. These three gemstones were a representation of the Elder Race's civilization, known as the [Crimson Gemstone].
The Crimson Gemstone contained powerful technologies created by the Elder Race, and the material itself was a kind of man-made crystal, unfamiliar to the Iridium Star people. Bai Zhongqi could not comprehend how the Elder Race managed to encapsulate such divine and bright achievements of civilization in these tiny gemstones.
The Sky-Piercing Pyramid existed to preserve the three Crimson Gemstones. And the artificial ecological sphere outside was meant to preserve the Sky-Piercing Pyramid...
Bai Zhongqi originally thought that the endeavors of the Iridium Star people were grand enough, but he hadn't realized that the Elder Race, a hundred billion years earlier, were the true masters of flair. These three gemstones were essentially discarded by them in some corner of the universe, hoping that someday someone would discover them.
This concept was familiar to Bai Zhongqi, much like the famous heroes in martial arts novels who left secret martial arts manuals inside some cave or monkey's stomach for no reason at all.
The first Crimson Gemstone, named the [Soul Stone], endowed soulless objects with a soul, just as the name suggested.
The civilization of the Iridium Star was based on materialism. There was some verification of the doctrine of the soul, but it was not conclusively proven. The Iridium Star people only knew that there was a very clear difference between bionic humans, artificially created beings, and those humans who were naturally born and grown from their parents.
They didn't know why this difference existed, and some attributed it to the soul.
The second Crimson Gemstone was named the [Homeland Stone]. Even more incredible, it utilized the Elder Race's space folding technology to encase a whole tract of land inside the gemstone. Bai Zhongqi could not imagine how a small gemstone could contain a piece of land that could sustain life.
The third Crimson Gemstone had no name; it was actually the main control system of the Sky-Piercing Pyramid.
When Bai Zhongqi touched the last of the Crimson Gemstones, intense red light burst forth, enveloping the entire space. As the red light swelled to a peak, it converged into a single beam and shot into Bai Zhongqi's neck.
"Damn it! Where's the pyramid?" Nan Ma shouted from outside. Amidst everyone's exclamations, the entire pyramid had completely vanished from the Underground World.
Nan Ma saw Bai Zhongqi, dressed in Chancellor's armor, standing there blankly, holding two gemstones, his face filled with bewilderment.
He and the Sacred Falcon hurried over and asked, "Are you unharmed, Chancellor?"
Bai Zhongqi came to his senses, his face full of doubt, "I suppose..."
He looked down at the Soul Stone and Homeland Stone in his hands, then opened his armor, exposing his neck. The key-shaped pendant there seemed no different from usual.
"Where did the third Crimson Gemstone go?" Bai Zhongqi wondered, puzzled.