158: Ruins No. 7

"Is this Relic No. 7..."

Zhang Huaiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the spectacle before him through the panoramic window of the "star dome".

It was a waterfall standing in the universe, with infinite nebulae cascading from above, accumulating into a boundless, colorful "ocean" that looked dreamlike and illusory.

Of course... through True Sight, Zhang Huaiyuan could clearly see that these colorful nebulae contained thousands of hazardous substances, most of which far exceeded the level of this world.

He could conclude that even a Class 3S Expert would not last more than five minutes if they entered without protection.

"Brother Zhang, those things look like clouds, but you must never touch them."

Emperor Luo had walked over at some point and reminded him with a smile.

"I understand."

Zhang Huaiyuan nodded.

He watched as an extraordinary luster lit up on every alloy piece constituting the "star dome", rapidly connecting and spreading across the entire body, as a golden halo expanded to isolate the colorful nebulae outside.

"It seems this ship, which cost such a great price, is not just for displaying majesty; it might also be specially made for exploring relics."

Zhang Huaiyuan thought thoughtfully.

As far as he knew, the higher the relic's ranking in the sequence, the higher its danger level.

Relic No. 7 should be the highest-level relic developed by the powers of this world.

As for Relic No. 3, where Emperor Luo's ancestors were, one could only enter by relying on the shade of their bloodline, which did not count as fully developed.

"There isn't much danger now."

As the "star dome" advanced, Emperor Luo pointed outside the window and said with some emotion:

"When this place was first discovered, there were many powerful monsters in the nebulae. They were different from Galaxy Beasts, but even more troublesome. They could even manipulate time to a certain extent."

"At that time, the empire dispatched a total of 17 large legions, and less than a thousand people survived in the end. This was only because those monsters ran out of energy and disappeared while fighting."

"It might be a byproduct of time turbulence. After the original owner of this relic left, the time fluctuations gradually subsided, and those monsters could not get energy replenishment."

Zhang Huaiyuan looked at the matter in the nebulae and speculated.

"Brother, you are truly a top-tier Scholar; you guessed the general idea at a glance."

Emperor Luo's eyes showed some appreciation; this conclusion had been speculated by hundreds of top Researchers after repeated studies only after the relic was captured.

"Old Brother Luo, you flatter me..."

During their chat, the "star dome" reached the source where the nebulae cascaded, forcefully pushing aside the flowing light and diving straight in.

After traversing a transmission track that was different from a wormhole, a vast scene came into view.

It seemed that a fierce war had taken place here, with broken walls and ruins everywhere.

Only one spire remained intact, standing high in the southeast corner of the relic.

A well-equipped fleet surrounded the area, patrolling cautiously.

Three Research Stations were built at its feet, and one could vaguely see many Scholars holding special instruments, measuring something.

Zhang Huaiyuan's eyes flashed, and a stream of data was immediately fed back into his mind.

【Time Spire Experimental Version 3 (Damaged and Decaying)】

Can manipulate the flow of time in a local area, currently up to 98.12 times, with the next decay expected in 399 days.

Knowledge Rule Level: 3.

Analyzing: Current progress 0.1%... 0.2%...

"It really is a time instrument... Experimental Version 3... It seems Old Brother Luo was right before; this world indeed seems to have fallen into the hands of many people."

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

It seemed they had been notified in advance; after getting off the "star dome", a group of people was already waiting on the side.

"No need for formalities. Master Morr, how is the condition of the spire?"

Emperor Luo nodded slightly and asked the gray-haired old man who was leading them.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, it is still the same as before; the energy of the entire tower is slowly dropping. Your subordinate is incompetent and has tried all methods, but cannot stop it."

"Get up, I do not blame you."

Emperor Luo shook his head. Although he did not understand this, he knew that it contained technology far exceeding what they currently possessed.

"What is the maximum time flow rate that can be maintained now?"

"This... according to preliminary estimates, it should be less than 99 times... as for the specific data..."

"To be precise, it should be 98.12 times, and I estimate that in about 400 days, it will drop again."

Zhang Huaiyuan suddenly interjected.

"Eh... Brother, you also have research on this?"

Emperor Luo looked over with some surprise.

"Who is this?"

Meanwhile, Morr and some Researchers behind him couldn't help but frown, their expressions looking somewhat unpleasant.

Science is rigorous, and they hated people who spouted nonsense the most.

"I forgot to introduce him."

Emperor Luo smiled and said: "Master Morr, this is the new leader of the Free Star Alliance, and also the developer of the weapon codenamed 'Wujian', Zhang Huaiyuan."

"Brother, this is Morr, the Chief Researcher of the Imperial Research Institute, and also the chief designer of the 'star dome'."

"The developer of 'Wujian'? Is it that mass-produced technological weapon that can rival the Ultimate... ahem...?"

"Good heavens, its developer is actually so young; I can't even understand its introductory basic analysis..."

"No wonder he could see the spire's decay time at a glance; I calculated for so long and only barely managed to determine that the next decay would be between 360 and 420 days..."

The group of Researchers couldn't help but whisper a few words, and the look in their eyes changed from skepticism to respect.

For the pure academic world,

"Mr. Zhang Huaiyuan, I have long admired your name."

Morr, who was at the lead, also had a slight change in expression and said solemnly.

"Master Morr is too polite; I was just a bit lucky. The linkage system of the 3666 excitation modules on the 'star dome' you designed is simply a genius idea!"

Zhang Huaiyuan also praised him generously.

"Not at all... it's just a simple topological application, far inferior to your research; that is truly a weapon that transcends the era."

Morr was beaming with joy.

This was indeed one of his proudest achievements, and he felt the other party's words were exceptionally pleasant to hear.

"Ahem... alright."

Watching the two of them engaging in mutual flattery, Emperor Luo gave a slight cough to interrupt:

"Master Morr, I intend to give the last opportunity to use the spire to Brother Zhang, what do you think?"

"If it were anyone else, this old man would risk punishment from Your Majesty to persuade you to the death, to avoid letting some fame-seeking opportunist tarnish this scientific monument."

Morr said with a solemn expression: "However, since it is Master Zhang who developed a cross-era weapon, it is indeed most appropriate."

"Very good."

A trace of satisfaction appeared in the depths of Emperor Luo's eyes.

Although he could forcefully suppress everyone, it would naturally be best if they could actively cooperate like this.

"Since that's the case, Master Morr, go and prepare the last energy crystal."

"Brother Zhang, here are all the empire's confidential materials and relic items."

Emperor Luo handed over a high-level spatial storage device and said in a deep voice: "Everything is entrusted to you."

"I will do my best."

Zhang Huaiyuan took the storage device and nodded heavily.

As if he had received the hope of the entire world.