Allies? Sharing the wisdom of the stars? Dominating the storm?
The conditions proposed by Crystal Linde were like a giant anchor thrown into the deep sea, instantly stirring up a tidal wave in the hearts of the elders.
The conservative elders' eyes were filled with suspicion and enormous risk considerations—intervening in such a terrifying energy flow could, with the slightest carelessness, tear the guide themselves apart! Moreover, cooperating with this being of unknown origin and with bizarre power was tantamount to seeking help from a tiger!
But a group of elders, led by the Third Elder Serena, shone with an unprecedented fervor in their eyes! The knowledge of the lost stars! The power to control the storms! This was simply an opportunity to prove the ancient songs and to usher in a new era for the Siren race!
Elder Orodan was caught in an unprecedented struggle. His aged gaze swept back and forth between the cold, inhuman body of Crystal Lind, the disc that exuded an otherworldly aura, and the eternally rotating, violent vortex outside the dome of the hall.
On one hand, there is the enormous risk that the power of the Holy Land might backfire on their people, and on the other hand, there is an unfathomable being from another world.
On the other hand, there is the opportunity to save a "fallen star" (whose value is beyond question) and obtain unimaginable rewards. At the same time, it seems to be the only way to quell the anomaly in the holy land and avoid a greater unknown disaster.
Time seemed to stand still.
Crystal Linde hovered silently, like the most patient hunter, awaiting the final decision of the Siren race. The azure disc rotated slowly in front of him, the projected energy model diagram still operating silently.
The fate of the Eye of the Storm and the rebirth of the Iron Sky now rest on the decision of the Siren Elders.
The oppressive silence inside the Elders' Hall was broken.
The seven elders exchanged glances, and without a word, their eyes conveyed a thousand unspoken messages.
The apocalyptic images, the colossal scale and crisis of the steel stars, and the cold reality and allure woven into Lind's words ultimately overwhelmed the pure fear and rejection.
Elder Orodan slowly lowered the staff he had been holding, the light at the tip of the heavy coral staff receding, as if it had also been relieved of a tremendous burden.
His aged and dignified face was lined with deeper wrinkles, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp, like a lighthouse piercing through a storm.
“Lind Truk,” Orodan’s voice was deep and clear, carrying the decisiveness of an ancient racial leader, “your ‘Star’ is in danger, and it may be related to the energy anomalies in my Eye of the Storm. My race cannot remain uninvolved in this matter. Searching for those fragments is not an unbearable burden for us.”
He paused deliberately, his gaze piercing the inhuman purple light spot of Crystal Lind as if it were a tangible object.
"However, your very existence, the power and manner you display, are unknown to our people."
The apprehension stems from the unknown. We agree to search for the fragments for you, but only with a guarantee, a bridge of communication, and...
This is a window that allows us to understand your intentions a little.
Orodan's words represented the consensus of all the elders.
They couldn't refuse this seemingly "simple" deal that could bring huge potential benefits (and avoid greater disaster), but Linde's unpredictability kept them up at night.
The Third Elder, Serena, interjected at the opportune moment, her voice carrying a hint of inquiry and caution:
"Therefore, we have a request. Let Sirona, and a guard composed of the elite warriors of our race, go to the 'Iron Star' you speak of, at your behest."
Her gaze swept over the image of the giant ship struggling in the storm projected by the dark blue disc.
"Sirenna was the first to come into contact with you, and the only member of my race to have personally entered the interior of that 'star'."
Having her stationed permanently, supplemented by a guard, would facilitate real-time communication between the two sides, allowing for the exchange of fragment information, and enabling us to gain a more genuine understanding through her...
You and your world.
This demonstrates our sincerity in cooperating, and it is also our necessary "eyes."
This request was reasonable, and even exactly what Lind wanted.
He needed the siren's communication channels, as well as a "hostage" or "liaison officer" to maintain this fragile cooperation.
Sirona was undoubtedly the best choice—she was familiar with the environment of Steel Sky (albeit under duress), and her fear itself was a constraint.
Without hesitation, Crystal Lind's cold, resonant crystal echoed throughout the hall:
"A very reasonable request. I grant it. There is ample space above the Steel Sky to accommodate your envoys."
The 'domestic water recycling and filtration chamber' where Sirena once resided has a reasonably good environment; with slight modifications, it could become a suitable area for the siren to roam.
With a wave of his crystalline arm, the light of the azure disc shifted once more, projecting a diagram of the internal structure of Zone G-7 and quickly outlining several proposed modifications—primarily expanding the pool, enhancing water circulation, and adding rune arrays guided by natural magic to make it closer to the comfortable environment of the siren.
"The location has been recorded on the disc. The search for the fragments is of utmost urgency."
Linde emphasized one last point: the body made of crystal skeletons began to emit a faint glow, and energy particles began to dissipate like stardust.
"I look forward to your achievements, and... the arrival of your messengers."
As soon as the words fell, the magical crystals that made up the crystalline body disintegrated and vaporized rapidly from the edges, like sand sculptures scattered by an invisible wind, turning into countless tiny specks of light, like a reverse meteor shower, silently merging into the magical energy flowing within the hall.
In the blink of an eye, the cold, orderly body that exuded a terrifying sense of oppression vanished completely, leaving only the quietly floating, dark blue disc and the still clearly marked coordinates of the fragments on the disc.
Only when the last crystal fragment merged into the rhythm of the magic network and completely disappeared did the suffocating, icy pressure within the hall slowly dissipate like the receding tide.
"call……"
"The storm is above..."
"That feeling... is finally gone..."
The elders' tense bodies instantly relaxed, as if they had been relieved of an invisible, immense burden.
Deep exhalations echoed one after another, and many elders even subconsciously wiped away non-existent cold sweat from their foreheads.
They looked at each other, their eyes still filled with lingering shock.
"What exactly is that?"
An elder's voice was hoarse, "His spirit and will were as cold as the chilling current at the bottom of the deepest abyss trench, carrying a kind of... indifference that seemed capable of crushing stars at will!"
“It’s not just about the spirit,” the Fourth Elder, the massive elder with the dark blue fish tail, said in a deep voice, stretching his huge fish tail, which had become slightly stiff from the tension.
"The moment his projection descended, I felt the surrounding magic network freeze! As if it were frozen by an invisible layer of ice! Even the rhythm of the Heart of the Storm was forcibly suppressed for a moment! This is no ordinary spell!"
The Third Elder, Serena, stared at the dark blue disc, her eyes flashing with a complex light—a mixture of lingering fear and an irrepressible fervor for research.
"That crystalline shell... is so perfect it seems otherworldly! The energy conduction efficiency, the structural stability... and the way it merged into the magic network when it left... this is definitely not any magic system we know of!"
The 'Lord of the Stars' in ancient ballads... is probably not just a myth.
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