Author: 唇亡齿寒 / Lips Gone, Teeth Cold
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 150
Neo Athens.
On the Hill of Wisdom, in front of the “Republic” Library, Archon Nolin Titian sat on a floating mat, resting with his eyes closed. In the distant spaceport, countless ships were taking off one after another, like dandelion seeds carried by the wind, soaring into the sky.
The artificial intelligence David appeared slightly behind and to the side of Nolin Titian, bowing respectfully. “Archon, three energy supply points and 1,296 field generation nodes have been set up. We’re ready to activate the Galactic Field at your command.”
The Archon neither spoke nor opened his eyes—he merely nodded.
With that slight movement, a command that would determine the fate of the universe was issued. It was transmitted via the superluminal network to the three carriers of Neo Athens: the Socrates, the Plato, and the Aristotle. From there, the command was relayed to the remaining 1,296 ships.
“Order received. Activating the field generator.”
“Activating space-time monitoring equipment.”
“Connection established. The data network is functioning well.”
In less than a second, a gigantic field spanning the entire galaxy was formed, like a vast net. This field covered 98% of the Milky Way, creating a towering wall that sealed off this time and space.
“Report! Spatial warp point detected in target region YR9787!”
Nolin Titian chuckled softly. “Just in the nick of time.”
“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR3413!”
“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR2916!”
“Spatial warp point detected in target region YR1706!”
A continuous stream of reports flowed into Nolin Titian’s ears. “It’s approaching the center of the galaxy,” David analyzed. “Its speed is incredible. Even our most advanced shuttles can’t match a tenth of it.”
“No matter how fast it flies, it’s still a bird in a cage.” Nolin Titian suddenly opened his eyes, his silver irises blazing like the sun. “Track the target, shrink the Galactic Field, and restrict its movement range!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Is my ship ready?”
“The Prometheus is prepared for departure at any moment.”
The Archon jumped off the floating mat, landing gracefully with agility that belied his years as a scholar surrounded by books and computers. “I’ve waited a long time for this day!” He began walking down the Hill of Wisdom toward the spaceport. “Kester Salaregia, do you see? We’ve achieved something even greater than your accomplishments!”
In the third greenhouse of Neo Athens, former Archon Giorgione sat in his favorite chair, holding a cup of tea, while watching a holographic broadcast. The broadcast showed the Prometheus launching. This ship, since leaving the manufacturing plant, had never ventured beyond the atmosphere of Neo Athens. It was named after the hero from ancient Greek mythology who stole fire from the gods to aid humanity, only to be punished by the gods—a fitting name, as its fate would be the same: to save humanity, then sacrifice itself. The Prometheus was a singularity generator, capable of creating an artificial black hole leading to the end of time, space, the universe, and even concepts themselves. In that place, nothing existed—not even nothingness. It was the pinnacle of centuries of research by Neo Athens, the ultimate weapon of the Earth’s survivors to combat the killing machine the Yasha.
Now, it was embarking on its journey, watched by the entire planet.
Giorgione suddenly felt his eyes grow moist.
“Nolin is on that ship, isn’t he, Lina?” the old man asked the secretary standing behind him.
“Yes,” Lina replied.
His bony hand trembled slightly, almost spilling the tea. “Nolin is still so young… He shouldn’t have to bear such a responsibility. It should have been me on the Prometheus. We were the generation that created the Yasha. It’s our duty to destroy it. Young people shouldn’t have to do this for us.”
“Please don’t say that, sir,” Lina said. “Archon Titian once said, ‘Challenging the achievements of predecessors is the exclusive right of the next generation, not even Teacher Giorgione can take away my ambition.’”
“Nolin always wanted to challenge Kester.” The old man smiled bitterly. “He wanted to prove that Neo Athens wouldn’t lose to Old Earth. And he succeeded. The age of gods is over. Now is the age of humans.”
He leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the glass ceiling of the greenhouse. Beyond it, the holographic clock of Neo Athens Academy rotated solemnly.
“Kester, even your myth is about to be broken. The children have truly outdone themselves!”
……
Alveira sat in the Chancellor’s office, which was now her workplace. Former Chancellor Greenwald had submitted his resignation, relinquishing his duties as the king’s aide and retiring. The other ministers unanimously recommended that Alveira take over his duties. It was only fitting. This was more or less in line with Alveira’s original plan, even better in some respects. She had expected Greenwald to resist to the bitter end, requiring some bloodshed to change his mind.
The capital was in its rainy season once again. The windows were being pelted by heavy rain, as if the entire planet were submerged. The gloomy weather brought down everyone’s spirits. Sitting in the chair that had once belonged to the Chancellor, Alveira felt no joy. Instead, she was weighed down by a sense of impending disaster.
“Your Highness!” As if responding to her foreboding, the newly appointed secretary hurried to her side. “Archon Nolin Titian of Neo Athens has sent word that the Yasha has been released. They managed to activate the Galactic Field in time to contain the Yasha’s movement!”
This was both good news and bad news. The activation of the Galactic Field meant that the Yasha could only operate within this time and space, unable to wreak havoc on other universes. But it also meant that Alois and Joshua’s mission on Old Earth had failed—they hadn’t been able to stop the enemy from destroying the field generator, nor had they managed to let the backup of the artificial intelligence Leonard take control of the Yasha. What had happened to them? Were they alive or dead? Alveira didn’t want to dwell on the worst possibilities, choosing instead to believe that they had merely been delayed, that they had already escaped and were on their way back to the colonies.
“And there’s something else…” The secretary wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. “The Lady of the Night suddenly left the spaceport!”
“What!” This news shocked Alveira even more than the Yasha’s release. “I didn’t give such an order! What happened? What about the crew?”
“The crew disembarked. There’s no one on board. The ship took off under the AI’s control!”
Alveira slammed her hand on the desk. “Leonard… Has he gone mad? What does he think he’s doing? Contact him, order him to return immediately!”
“The spaceport tried, but they couldn’t reach him. The Lady of the Night has shut down all communication systems and activated counter-surveillance camouflage. No one can find it now except itself!”
Alveira collapsed back into her chair in despair. “Leo… He… He’s going after the Yasha…” The princess murmured to herself. “He wants to face it alone… to wrest the Yasha from the hands of the fifth artificial intelligence…”
She turned to look out the window, where the clouds above the spaceport were disturbed, their patterns disrupted by the ascent of a large spacecraft. Leo had taken the Lady of the Night and left. Perhaps he would save humanity, or perhaps he would be lost in the endless void. Since she couldn’t stop him, all Alveira could do was pray to the Lord for his success. There was nothing else she could do.
In the face of the ultimate killing machine and the most powerful artificial intelligence, there was nothing anyone could do.
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