Chapter 66: The Legacy of the Dil Civilization (Extra Chapter)
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The hidden threads needed to surface, and the updates continued.
...
On the outskirts of the Celestial Dome System, the ships returning from their exploration of the Celestial Dome Star had rejoined the fleet.
Wei Wensu now stood face to face with the returning Major General Lu Hongfeng and a group of dejected scientists. Even Wei Wensu, usually calm and composed, wore an expression tinged with anger.
He was deeply disappointed by the actions of Lu Hongfeng and his team. Beside him stood Liu Xueyi and Richard.
Liu Xueyi observed the gathering in silence, while Richard was even more furious than Wei Wensu—his anger fueled by humiliation.
Yesterday, the three captains had already received word: the scientific team sent to explore the Celestial Dome Star had been captured, and the vanguard ships had been defeated.
“These savages from a low-level civilization dare to kidnap Earthlings!” Captain Richard shouted in rage.
“Even if those humans on the Celestial Dome Star truly are descendants of Earth, the culprits must pay!”
Originally, Richard intended for Wei Wensu to pass along an order to Lu Hongfeng—a show of force, to let those inferior locals witness the might of Earth, instilling fear and paving the way for Earth’s future settlement of the Celestial Dome Star.
Yet Wei Wensu rejected this somewhat radical proposal, insisting they await Lu Hongfeng’s next report.
What came instead was the news that more than half of the fifty combat mechs dispatched had been lost in battle, and the battered survivors had fled back to the fleet in disgrace.
Richard was both shocked and enraged: on a planet presumed to be technologically backward, there existed supernatural powers beyond comprehension.
Those on the Celestial Dome Star could fly through the air and command lightning.
Their bodies possessed immense strength and resilience, rendering the energy cannons of the mechs useless against them.
It all defied logic, utterly inconceivable.
Yet the battle footage made it irrefutably clear to the three captains: no matter how absurd, these facts were undeniable.
“What exactly happened after you landed on the Celestial Dome Star?” Wei Wensu asked, his expression grim, addressing Lu Hongfeng.
Lu Hongfeng replied in his raspy, weary voice, “After reaching orbit above the Celestial Dome Star, we followed the original plan and conducted reconnaissance at high altitude.”
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“We’ve already sent back the report from our reconnaissance.”
“The intelligent life forms there look astonishingly similar to us, and their signboards even use Earth’s written language.”
Wei Wensu nodded—he already knew these details.
His brow furrowed as he awaited Lu Hongfeng’s next words.
“After communicating with you, we dispatched an experimental vessel, led by Professor Yao Yuan, to conduct a detailed investigation of the Celestial Dome Star.”
“When Professor Yao and his team landed, they made contact with the locals, but found no answers regarding their appearance or language.”
“Their history books are enigmatic—the civilization of the Celestial Dome Star is said to stretch back over five thousand years. Even then, they had mastered their current language and script, and they worship the Celestial Dome Faith.”
“We were highly skeptical of the authenticity of these books, so Professor Yao decided to immerse himself deeper in their society to gather more intelligence.”
“The civilization on the Celestial Dome Star is only comparable to our own era before nuclear fusion. Professor Yao, despite his deeper investigations, still found no answers.”
“Because the history of the Celestial Dome Star is essentially the history of the Celestial Dome Faith.”
“Professor Yao believed the only way to find more answers was to investigate the faith itself more thoroughly.”
“After that, Professor Yao and his team lost contact—their last known location was the Central Temple of Celestial City.”
Lu Hongfeng’s expression turned bitter; he shook his head in frustration, his voice tinged with unwillingness.
“So I dispatched fifty armed mechs to attempt a rescue.”
“But I never expected such a crushing defeat.”
“As for the Six Divine Attendants, our conjecture is that they possess the ability to wield divine arts.”
At the mention of “divine arts,” Wei Wensu’s frown deepened. He pressed further:
“How much do you actually know about these so-called divine arts?”
“Our knowledge of divine arts is virtually zero.”
“All information we have is in these books.”
Lu Hongfeng drew several volumes from his coat and handed them to the three captains. The contents were largely similar, and the three quickly finished reading and exchanged the books among themselves.
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“Absurd! This is nothing but a novel! How could it possibly be real history?” Richard flung the book to the ground in fury, though he had not lost his composure—he was simply voicing what everyone was thinking.
“So, the ones responsible for our heavy losses were the six students of that high priest? The so-called Six Divine Attendants?” Captain Liu Xueyi, having finished the book, questioned Lu Hongfeng.
“Their ages match the records—three men and three women, all possess the power of divine arts, and they emerged from the Central Temple. It’s almost certain these are the six,” Lu Hongfeng replied.
The group fell silent in thought, until Richard spoke:
“So apart from these seven individuals, there’s nothing unusual about anyone else on the planet?”
“In that case, if we deploy greater military force and our most advanced weapons, it’s not impossible to defeat them!”
But none of the others voiced agreement.
“The legendary high priest has yet to act—we know nothing of his divine arts or how terrifying his power may be,” Wei Wensu recalled from the books, then continued, “According to these texts, the high priest once created a black hole and even destroyed a planet.”
After Wei Wensu finished, Liu Xueyi added, “Power of that magnitude is close to what the Dir civilization once wielded.”
Richard’s expression changed at her words. He quickly regained his composure and suggested, “Then it’s best we wait for the arrival of the main fleet. The energy left in the Dir civilization’s deep-space quantum communicator is running low—every message is precious.”
“When the main fleet arrives, we can revive ‘Titan.’ If the Celestial Dome Star problem can’t be solved, then…”
“You mean to say, destroy the Celestial Dome Star, Captain Richard?” Wei Wensu cut him off sternly.
“We can’t simply find another habitable planet at a moment’s notice.”
“The legacy of the Dir civilization has given us limited help. If we can’t quickly find a breakthrough in the hyperspace route, we’ll be trapped in this star system forever.”
“To continue our research into the Dir civilization’s legacy, we must proceed immediately on the Celestial Dome Star!”
“Every second we consume resources in the cosmos is a loss we can never recover. All resources near the solar system have already been depleted! Do you really want all this effort to go to waste?!”