Chapter 492

Chapter 492: Familiar Yet Unfamiliar Stars

The Underworld.

Mira supported herself against the stone wall beside her, small clusters of white flames flickering in her hand, illuminating the surroundings. It was eerily silent, so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat.

There was a large, broken opening in the metal wall ahead, revealing torn black steel and an impenetrable darkness beyond.

As time passed, Lolan Hill had not emerged from inside, causing Mira to grow increasingly worried. Her thoughts began to wander uncontrollably.

Her feet moved back and forth, pausing and resuming, as she occasionally glanced at the entrance leading further inside. She considered whether she should go in to check.

With no sunlight or clock underground, time seemed to lose its boundaries. Mira felt hungry, then not hungry anymore, repeating this cycle three times before her patience was nearly exhausted. Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the underground.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

Mira turned around to see Lolan Hill descending slowly from the air, landing gracefully on her feet.

Compared to when she entered, Lolan now appeared very tired. When Mira asked her questions, she responded slowly, as if lost in thought about something else.

After a few attempts, Mira stopped bothering the wise lady deep in thought and followed quietly behind her as they returned to the surface.

The knight captain guarding the area let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the silver-haired girl emerge from underground.

Lolan looked up at the sky, which had completely darkened by now. At the mine exit stood twenty or so fully armed knights, all around Sequence 3, the elite of the army.

In the dark, lonely wilderness, these knights stood in the firelight, their shadows straight and rigid except for slight movements caused by the wind passing through the flames.

“You can return now; you’ve done well. We’ve dealt with the subterranean demonic worm,” Lolan said.

“Yes, Wise Lady,” the lead officer saluted and then organized his men to leave.

Watching the knights depart, Lolan turned back to Mira.

“Let’s head back too, Mira.”

“Alright.”

The vast, pitch-black land was covered in a forest that undulated along the hillside.

As the airship slowly ascended, a night breeze blew past, lifting the young lady’s long hair and carrying it away into the night sky.

Lolan looked down at the earth below, her mind still echoing the scenes she had witnessed within the storage device.

This was the latter half of the Twilight Era, the land bathed in the last light of the sunset.

The dense clouds that once obscured the sky had dispersed, revealing a beautiful twilight sky. Large aerial warships flew across the heavens.

They resembled giant whales of the deep sea, with countless smaller flying vehicles darting in and out.

These vehicles had hollow metal wings, similar in shape to early propeller planes. However, the hollow wings seemed to contain some kind of array, allowing them to fly and hover with minimal energy consumption.

Below the belly of each ship were particle cannons, firing high-energy particles compressed in a specific circuit, melting metal and severing iron like molten streams.

Those piloting these vessels were not complete humans but sealed brains with various protective measures.

Members of the Mechanical Parliament had abandoned their weak and cumbersome limbs and bodies, opting instead to control and perceive everything through their single brain and extraordinary core. Their bodies were like accessories, easily replaceable.

A perfected network allowed their consciousness and thoughts to communicate freely, leading to efficient cooperation and information sharing, greatly enhancing the overall efficiency of their species.

No longer did they need individual mating to reproduce; everything was managed by the central parliament using gene production chambers to cultivate the new generation, followed by education.

At birth, one would be designated either a pilot or agricultural worker, learning the necessary knowledge and taking on their roles accordingly.

Upon completing their tasks, the brain would secrete substances inducing pleasure under the stimulation of control devices.

Entertainment was no longer needed; the meaning of life lay in work, which brought joy and excitement. They received medals for their achievements and advanced in rank within the collective.

All rewards and promotions were calculated by a super AI, transparent and open, making the world absolutely fair in another way.

Pilots and agricultural workers received the same rewards and worked the same hours (about 16 hours a day).

Under such unity, efficiency, order, and fearless collective efforts, the power of the Mechanical Parliament surged exponentially. Technological advancements, the number of Extraordinary Beings, and battle clusters rapidly increased.

They defeated numerous factions, including the ‘Tree of Life Sect,’ ‘Angry Dragon,’ ‘Deep Sea Alliance,’ ‘Primordial Heart,’ and ‘Traceback Cloud.’

Finally, before the arrival of the fourth millennium, the Mechanical Parliament unified the entire Earth, beginning their journey toward the boundless stars.

—

“Wise Lady.”

“Wise Lady?”

“Lady Lolan Hill.”

The young lady awakened from her memories and looked around. Had they arrived already?

Seeing her awake, Mira stopped waving her hands and continued speaking.

“We’re at our lodging now. Let me prepare some water for you to bathe.”

Though the girl wasn’t dirty, having traveled underground for two days and spending roughly a day getting out, she definitely needed a good wash. Mira thought.

“Alright,” Lolan nodded, stepping off the airship and onto the courtyard.

She didn’t enter the house directly but instead looked up at the starry sky above.

It was May, and the air in the mountains was still clean. The night sky was exceptionally clear, revealing a tilted and faint Milky Way with stars densely scattered across it.

Sitting on a wooden chair, the grassy field around her was filled with cheerful insect sounds, while occasionally a distant bird call echoed through the dark.

A gentle breeze brushed her skin, causing her white dress to flutter slightly.

The stars overhead were different from those recorded on Earth,

Lolan slowly closed her eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed this wasn’t Earth? Because the constellations didn’t match those on Earth.

Yet, upon closer inspection, she found subtle traces remaining, though their positions had shifted, several bright stars remained.

This was still the Milky Way, but the planet was no longer part of the Solar System.

What had happened in the distant past? After unifying Earth, the Mechanical Parliament ventured into space. What had they encountered that forced them to move Earth from the Solar System to this remote star system?

This star system, named Ivar, located at the end of the galactic arm.

And where had they gone themselves?

— End of Chapter