Chapter 519 - 364: Eternal Fierce Sun (Part 2)

It was an instinctual fear born from the disparity in their Life Tiers.

"Se... Senior."

Lumina stopped a hundred meters before Ian, bowing in mid-air. Her voice was dry and hoarse from extreme nervousness.

"I am Lumina, the current Guardian of Deep Rock City. I was unaware of your arrival, Senior. Do you have any... instructions?"

She cautiously observed Ian.

He lacked the corrupting aura of this world, nor did he possess the maddening Chaos of those powerful Mutant Beasts. Instead, he had an out-of-place sense of "purity."

Ian sized up the middle-aged woman before him. She wore a well-worn Star Patterned Robe, and her resolute expression couldn’t conceal her exhaustion.

Deep within her eyes lay the vigilance and world-weariness left by long years of struggling to survive.

"My name is Ian. I come from outside this world," Ian said, getting straight to the point. His voice was calm and rippleless.

"I was passing through and perceived a human settlement below, so I came to have a look. I need to understand the cause of this world’s cataclysm, and I require certain knowledge—specifically, records related to the ’Floating City,’ the ’Star Shining Empire,’ as well as High Tier Runes and the Energy Core."

’An Otherworlder?!’ Lumina’s pupils constricted, the shock in her heart even greater than before.

But his frank attitude, combined with his unfathomable power, made her understand that any concealment or resistance was pointless.

Any rash action would only invite utter annihilation.

Her thoughts raced. She made a decision in an instant, taking a deep breath and striving to keep her voice steady.

"So it is Senior Ian. Deep Rock City does indeed preserve some ancient texts and fragments of knowledge from before the great cataclysm. But after so many disasters, not even one-tenth remains, and most of it is incomplete."

"The knowledge Your Excellency seeks... might be more completely preserved in the depths of the former imperial capital, the ’Eternal Star Dome.’"

"The Eternal Star Dome?" Ian’s eyes flickered. The old chieftain had mentioned this place before as well.

"Yes."

Lumina nodded, a flash of pain and longing in her eyes, and slowly began to explain.

The Eternal Star Dome was the heart of the old Empire. Legend says it holds the most complete repository of knowledge and the most precious legacies.

Including vast quantities of ’Star Essence Gold’ used to build the cities in the sky.

However, at the very beginning of the cataclysm, the Eternal Star Dome was occupied by several hopelessly powerful Mutant Beasts.

According to descriptions from the survivors who escaped, their leader has likely surpassed the Empire’s strongest expert and possesses full sentience.

Deep Rock City alone, or even all the known underground survivor strongholds combined, lack the power to reclaim our homeland.

She paused, looking up at Ian, her expression becoming extremely complex.

It held pleading, longing... and the resolve of an all-or-nothing gamble.

"Senior, your power is heaven-piercing. If you are interested in that knowledge and those resources... Lumina would not dare ask Your Excellency to face such danger for our sake."

"But, as a show of good faith, Your Excellency may review and copy all of Deep Rock City’s existing knowledge at any time."

With that, she unhesitatingly took out a Metal Token and offered it with both hands.

"This is the highest-level access Token for Deep Rock City’s Secret Vault. All collected books, research notes, and ancient fragmented scrolls are open to Your Excellency."

This action caused the expressions of the few elders watching from below to change drastically, yet none dared to voice their opposition.

They knew full well that their leader was fighting for a slim chance of survival and a rare opportunity for Deep Rock City.

Ian accepted the Token, glancing at Lumina with some surprise.

Such decisiveness and courage were especially rare in such a desperate situation.

He nodded. "Fine."

For the next several days, Ian remained in Deep Rock City, his Spiritual Power sweeping over every Scroll and Stone Slab in the Secret Vault.

A vast amount of knowledge flooded his mind, including a fair bit about ancient stars, Compound Rune Arrays, and partial structures of the Floating City.

For instance, there were general descriptions of the Anti-gravity Rune Set and the Energy Conduction Network.

This knowledge was like pieces of a puzzle, corroborating what he had already learned.

The theoretical model of a complete Floating City in his mind advanced another step, many of its vague areas becoming clear.

However, the two most critical components were not recorded: the Energy Core Construction Map and the High Tier Manipulation Intelligent Array.

To support a city’s long-term levitation and allow for planar travel, a super-massive Energy Core called the "Heart of the Star Dome" was required.

It also needed a matching High Tier Soul to bind with the Manipulation Array, forming a complete intelligent center.

The records in the Secret Vault either stopped abruptly at the crucial points or had been defaced and destroyed.

The theoretical deductions in his mind stalled once more.

’As I thought, the key still lies in the ’Eternal Star Dome’.’

Ian put down the last fragmented energy circuit diagram and sighed to himself.

During this time, he wasn’t idle. Lumina had cautiously made a request.

She hoped Ian could take action and help clear the ancient, long-collapsed tunnel networks beneath the ground.

These were the lifelines frantically excavated during the initial Abyss invasion by the remnants of the Star Shining Empire to support one another and evacuate their people.

A thousand years later, they had become tombs that buried both hope and connection.

"I can do that," Ian agreed. It was a trivial matter for him.

He didn’t need to leave Deep Rock City. He simply sat atop the castle, his Spiritual Power deeply merging with the Gravity Rule and spreading out in all directions.

His Perception, like an intangible Earth Vein, instantly covered the vast underground region for tens of thousands of kilometers in every direction, with Deep Rock City at its center.

The entire intricate network of tunnels, whether intact or collapsed, appeared clearly in his mind’s "eye."

’First, clear them. Then, connect them.’

With a single thought, the Gravity Rule began to operate with fine precision.

Boulders weighing tens of thousands of tons that blocked the tunnels were pulverized by an invisible power, compressed into the walls, and the polluted water that had seeped into the ground was instantly vaporized.