Chapter 1448 — Urgency
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 5
Gao Yang's own mind was likewise churning. He would swear that in the several years since he had clawed his way out of his coffin, there had rarely been a moment when his thoughts surged so violently—yet hearing Amber's words, he could not help but feel a flicker of relief. Even in a situation like this, the creature hadn't forgotten the "running away" option. That stubbornness loosened the atmosphere, if only a little.
But this time he had little energy to spare for their usual comic double act. He merely shot a glare at the half-elf, who was visibly rattled, his voice low and grave: "This is no time to be thinking about running."
Amber's eyes went wide on the spot: "Then what do we do? Even the Noi's god is finished!"
"What caused the Observer Project to fail was a malfunction during the vessel's final deceleration phase, not the Demon Tide—there is no evidence whatsoever that the Demon Tide can destroy a deity. On the contrary, plenty of historical records show that deities can exert a certain 'protective' effect on mortal minds when the Demon Tide descends," Gao Yang said, shaking his head. "We need to first understand what other intelligence the Noi possess. Bei Yila, how are things on your end?"
Bei Yila's voice came at once from the Magic Web terminal nearby: "Tension hangs in the air. Everyone has been thrown into unease by this sudden news, but you needn't worry about things here—anyone involved in the Star Sea Project is a rational soul of firm resolve, and the Star Interpreters have already begun preparing the text for the next exchange."
Gao Yang gave a slight nod. The explosive news from the Noi had not shaken his reason or composure. Keeping his mind racing, he waited patiently for the printing device connected to the Magic Web terminal to spit out the new transcript of the conversation. After a stretch of agonizing waiting, he finally heard the cheerful creak and rattle from within the little machine.
A document emerged from the printer's slot, its still-warm paper bearing crisp characters—
Star Interpreter: "This news has caused considerable shock. Our leader is following this exchange closely—we wish to know more details about the failure of the Observer Project, and about your deity... We hope this is not an offense, but we wish to know: was your deity 'struck' by the Demon Tide? What is His current condition?"
The Noi response came with a slight delay: "It happened shortly after our first exchange concluded. Our scholars have now confirmed the cause of the vessel's disintegration—it was unrelated to the Demon Tide. It was simply... a systems failure. Our deity has now lost contact with the homeworld. We do not know His condition; the vast distance has severed our connection. We know only that before the vessel disintegrated, He was flying in your direction... We apologize—we can provide no further intelligence on this matter."
Star Interpreter: "Thank you very much for your answer. Then regarding the Demon Tide—will it reach your planet in one year? How far is it from our planet?"
Noi: "Yes, the Demon Tide will reach our planet in one year, and within half a year after that, it will sweep through the planetary system you inhabit—this is the conclusion drawn from a comprehensive calculation based on the relative positions of the two planets in the cosmos, the direction of the Demon Tide's spread, and its propagation speed. There may be some margin of error, but the deviation will not exceed five percent."