The story ends abruptly.
The blurry figure of the emperor in the projection slowly raised his hand, as if wanting to touch something, but ultimately let it fall limply.
The projection released by the core has ended.
Linde stood rooted to the spot, his mind reeling! The story of the emperor was not a fairy tale, but a stark metaphor!
Combining everything he had seen before, Linde instantly pieced together all the clues, reconstructing the full picture of that ancient tragedy:
The Zedu civilization's all-out "Watcher Project" has indeed succeeded.
Using their ultimate control over the magic network, they created/awakened the being that represents the fundamental will of magic—the God of Magic.
Then, as the supreme leader of the plan, the Emperor of Zedo, after witnessing the extraordinary power and "perfection" displayed by the birth of the God of Magic, which transcended mortal understanding, developed an uncontrollable obsession and love.
He regarded this newly born god as his ultimate "creation" and the "lover" he longed to possess.
The emperor's desires were no longer satisfied with merely "possessing" a deity as the guardian or weapon of civilization. He craved contact, possession, and the ability to bring this supreme being down from its pedestal and make it his personal property!
To achieve this blasphemous goal, he launched Project Steel Sky.
This fortress is not a simple refuge or weapons platform, but a giant cage and contact device!
The God of Magic, as the embodiment of the laws of the world, exists purely and transcendentally, even though He is a deity born from human hands.
Emperor Zedu's act of "objectifying" the gods and attempting to imprison and possess them was a complete blasphemy, touching the bottom line of the gods (or rather, the self-protective mechanism of the world's laws).
Therefore, the god of magic unleashed a devastating curse—the Metal Plague. This curse not only annihilated the Zedo civilization but also completely distorted the mission of the Steel Sky, turning it into a steel tomb floating on the edge of spacetime, bearing despair and taboo.
The emperor's "love," which crossed the chasm to touch the goddess, ultimately brought divine punishment, leading to the complete demise of his civilization.
Linde gasped, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.
He finally understood what the Watchers meant by "shackles" and "destruction".
Knowing this secret is tantamount to bearing the curse of the Zedo civilization and confronting the taboo of the god of magic!
This is not merely the story of a lost civilization, but a timeless warning about mortals overstepping the boundaries of the divine realm and bringing about their own destruction.
He looked once more at the deep blue crystal core, his gaze filled with complex emotions.
"The choice... is yours..." The mech soldier's cold voice rang out again, like a final urging.
Linde hesitated for a moment.
Is it risking being corrupted by a curse and angering the gods to access the core and obtain the power and knowledge it may contain that could shake the world?
Or... should we heed the warnings of reason and destroy it completely now, burying this dangerous secret and this desperate fortress forever in the cracks of time and space?
Lind began to ponder the thoughts of the God of Magic.
He led me here not to completely destroy the remnants of this civilization, but for some other purpose.
Linde's gaze swept across the huge, dimly lit windows around the hall, imagining the magnificent view the Zeduans once had of the ocean and the sky.
His gaze returned to the deep blue core. A mad idea, like a spark in the darkness, suddenly ignited!
"He led me here not for destruction, but to... take over!"
The last trace of hesitation in Linde's eyes was replaced by a resolute flame.
He is no longer a pawn passively awaiting divine pronouncements; he is to become the player!
He took a deep breath, as if trying to infuse the cold aura of this steel sky into his lungs, and then took a firm step toward the crystal throne.
"I choose... to take over!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable power, echoing through the deathly silent hall.
As he finished speaking, the mech's single eye suddenly shone with an unprecedented light! A blue beam, several times stronger than before, shot out again, striking the crystal core with pinpoint accuracy!
Buzz—!!!
The entire steel sky seemed to awaken from an ancient slumber!
The deep blue crystal core instantly erupted with a blinding light like the sun! The galaxy inside spun wildly, and countless runes surged forth like a boiling ocean! The massive energy flow, like a giant dragon awakening, roared and surged along the thick pipes!
Linde felt an immense torrent of information surge into his consciousness, not through sight or hearing, but directly and forcefully! It was cold, precise, and so complex that it was suffocating!
The structural diagram of the steel dome unfolded instantly in his mind! The stress data of every supporting beam, the flow parameters of every energy pipe, the start-up sequence of every engine array, the detailed report of every damaged area... billions of pieces of information bombarded his mind like an explosion of stars!
"Access confirmed... Highest priority... Watcher command... Transfer..."
A cold, synthesized electronic voice, more expansive and ancient than that of the mechs, carrying an absolute sense of order, resounded directly in the depths of Lind's consciousness!
“New Commander… Lind… Binding…”
A severe headache, as if pierced by steel needles, made Lin De groan, and he knelt on one knee, his temples throbbing.
He gritted his teeth and mobilized all his mental energy, as if trying to stabilize a small boat in a raging information storm.
The deconstruction of the halo was working frantically, helping him to sort out, understand, and absorb this massive amount of data.
He "saw" the entirety of the steel sky:
A massive metal island atop the raging inky sea, a dome-shaped structure that blots out the sky, pipes and energy transmission belts crisscrossing like mountains... and the scars covering the ship's hull are also visible:
The energy core suffered multiple meltdowns and overloads, the external armor suffered extensive rust and peeling, over 70% of the engine array was offline or severely malfunctioning, the life support system was completely ineffective, and the weapon system... was almost completely destroyed.
This ancient behemoth was already riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse.
But its core is still beating!
"Start-up... Self-check... Complete..." the cold electronic voice reported. "Energy core... Output power... Maintain minimum... Life support system... Offline... Weapon system... Offline... Engine array... Main engines 1-3... Severely damaged... 4-6... Offline... 7-9... Low power standby... Attitude engines... Partially available..."
"Activate attitude engines! Activate main engines 7-9! Maximum safe power output! Detach from the sea surface base!"
Linde suppressed the storm raging in his mind and issued his first command through his thoughts! He wanted to make this sleeping behemoth soar through the skies once more!
"Command confirmed...Attitude engine activated...Main engines 7-9 activated...Output power increased to the upper limit of the safety threshold..."
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!
The entire steel sky trembled violently! It was no longer the spatial tearing sensation of the previous teleportation, but a deep, muffled roar originating from the ship itself, like the roar of an ancient behemoth!
Dust fell steadily from the dome of the hall.
The passageway connecting the platform below to the main body of the fortress emitted a sickening metallic, twisting sound.
A strong tremor ran through Linde's feet, as if the entire fortress was breaking free from some kind of constraint!
Outside the fortress, on the raging, dark blue ocean.
Magic surged like a tide from the edge of the massive, island-like metal base of the Steel Sky!
An invisible force began to take effect, creating a huge crater on the sea surface. The surrounding giant waves were pushed away by the terrifying energy, forming a ring-shaped tsunami that was hundreds of meters high!
Immediately afterwards, at several key nodes in the area connecting the main body of the fortress to its base, the massive metal structure broke apart with a deafening crash! The rusted giant anchor chain snapped inch by inch and sank into the abyss!
Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—
This steel island, which had been silent for countless millennia, began to groan deafeningly as it slowly and irresistibly rose from its deep-seated seabed base!
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