It's easier said than done.
The grand blueprint had been drawn up, and the support of the gods had been secured, but when the clamor subsided and Linde found himself alone in the deepest laboratory of the Starfire Base, an unprecedented, almost stagnant sense of heaviness quietly enveloped him.
"Myriad Star Hub"... With light veins as its bones and shadow abyss as its soul, it forges the will of the planet and the beliefs of all living beings to construct a dynamic super system covering the world.
This idea stemmed from his experiences on his journey to the stars and the inspiration from the Iris civilization, surpassing the limits of imagination for mortals and even gods of this era. It was theoretically feasible, like deriving a perfect mathematical formula on paper.
However, there is a chasm between theory and practice that he cannot yet see clearly.
He tried to get started.
As his consciousness sank into his body, the vast, star-like primordial light and the profound, eternal night-like power of the Shadow Abyss, under his exquisite control, flowed out like two docile giant pythons, intertwining and probing in the void before him.
Initially, things went smoothly. Thanks to his absolute control over the two primordial forces and the guidance of "dynamic balance" in Iris's core, light and darkness did not clash or annihilate as usual. Instead, they formed a strange, intertwined yet independent spiral structure, like twin star spirals at the beginning of the universe, radiating stable and powerful energy fluctuations.
A miniature, conceptual prototype of a "nexus" appears to have been successfully developed.
Linde calmly observed, his [Deconstruction Aura] fully activated, analyzing the stability of each energy node and the smoothness of each rule pattern.
Perfect.
At least at this scale and level of complexity, it is perfect.
However, the vision of the "All-Encompassing Star Hub" is to cover the entire continent of Til! The information flow it needs to process, the energy levels it needs to coordinate, and the total amount of beliefs it needs to support will be hundreds of millions of times larger than this miniature prototype!
As he began to mentally rehearse, scaling up this prototype proportionally and integrating it with simulated "planetary will" (constructed based on his understanding of the ley lines and magic network of the Tyre continent) and "beliefs of all beings" (simulated based on his mental fluctuations sampled from the people of Blackrock Territory)...
The problem erupted instantly.
First, there is the exponential complexity brought about by the energy level transition. The balance between the light veils and the shadow abyss becomes extremely fragile. Any tiny disturbance—such as a sudden surge of magical energy in a certain area of the simulation, or a momentary feeling of fear in a large number of living beings—will cause a chain reaction of oscillations in the entire spiral structure. The balance is broken, light and darkness begin to erode each other, and ultimately the entire model collapses.
Secondly, there was information overload. Even with Linde's soul, tempered by god-slaying and the sea of stars, he felt significant sluggishness and pressure when simulating real-time information flows across an entire continent. And this wasn't even the real data deluge, merely a deduction based on existing knowledge. What kind of incredibly powerful "processing center" would the true core of the "All-Encompassing Star Hub" require?
Finally, and most importantly, there's the issue of the "bridge" and the "furnace." He can serve as the initial catalyst and the core maintainer, but he cannot sustain the entire system alone forever. How can we establish a stable, self-sustaining mechanism that allows the two fundamentally opposing forces of light and darkness to maintain a dynamic and autonomous balance, responding to the needs of the world without constant intervention?
He tried several advanced energy topologies and consciousness resonance models learned from the Iris core in an attempt to solve these problems. But each time, when the complexity of the model increased to the continental level, the system would completely collapse after running for a period of time due to the accumulation of some unforeseen variable or an unsolvable logical paradox.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
Time seemed to stand still in the laboratory, with only countless complex models constructed from light and dark energies and spiritual power arising and ceasing in the void. Some shone like stars, operating for a long time before collapsing; others were like fragile bubbles, bursting into chaotic energy turbulence as soon as they formed.
Linde's brows furrowed more and more, and the usual coldness and confidence in his purple eyes were gradually replaced by a deep solemnity.
He encountered a bottleneck.
A bottleneck concerning knowledge, experience, and even potentially touching upon some limit of the current rules of the universe.
He possesses power, wisdom, and vision that transcends his time. But creating a world-class active system requires more than just these. It demands a profound understanding and harmonious resonance with every particle, every wisp of energy, and every consciousness in this world; it requires a skill—a technique he doesn't yet seem to have fully mastered—of "weaving" laws.
Iris's theory pointed the way and provided the tools, but how to use these tools to draw the unprecedented masterpiece "All-Encompassing Star Hub" on the unique "canvas" of the continent of Til requires his own "insights" and "practice" that cannot be borrowed.
When the large-scale model was connected to the simulated "beliefs of all beings", the tiny and complex impurities of "selfishness" and "fear" contained in the belief caused abnormal fluctuations in the power of the Shadow Abyss, which eventually led to the overload of the light veins. After the entire model flickered with dazzling light and deep shadows, it fell into complete silence.
Linde watched the dissipating afterglow of energy in silence for a long time.
He dismissed all the running simulation models in the laboratory, leaving only the original, miniature, stable prototype of the light-dark spiral, which slowly rotated in the center.
He walked to the observation window, where the orderly lights of the Starfire Base were visible, and further away, the sleeping outline of the continent of Til.
The idea is great, but I don't know where to start.
This feeling of near-"confusion" was something he hadn't experienced in a long time. The last time was probably when he first came into this world, facing the unfamiliar and dangerous.
He is accustomed to analyzing, controlling, and destroying. Even when creating a new order or establishing a Spark Base, it is based on clear goals and feasible paths.
But the "Hollow of All Things"... it's too vast, too complex, too unconventional. It's like a colossal tower that needs to be built from scratch, reaching straight to the top of the nebula. It has found the most solid material in theory (the origin of light and darkness), and drawn up the most magnificent blueprint (the Iris theory), but it has not yet found a concrete method to fit together those billions of materials seamlessly and ensure that the tower can stand firm against wind, rain, lightning, and even the impact of stars.
"Is my strength not strong enough? Or... is my understanding still stuck at the level of 'force' and has failed to touch the core of 'reason'?" Linde asked himself in a low voice.
He recalled the description of "consciousness resonance" in Iris's core, which was not about forcibly controlling, but about guiding and harmonizing, about becoming part of the "resonance" rather than "dominating" it.
He recalled the miracle of the Crystal People transforming pollution into nourishment—a wisdom that integrated "opposition" into "cycle."
Perhaps he was too fixated on “building” a perfect system, trying to “define” everything with his own will and power? He overlooked the fact that a system itself should “grow” and “breathe” with the world and all living beings?
The thought was like a glimmer of light in the darkness, but it remained vague.
He knew he needed time, more knowledge, and perhaps an opportunity—a deeper touch and understanding of the essence of this world.
Just then, there was a gentle knock on the laboratory door.
“Father.” It was Allen’s voice, tinged with a hint of caution. “You’ve been here for seven days now. Mother and sister are very worried.”
Linde snapped out of his reverie, the confusion in his eyes vanishing instantly, replaced by his usual deep and cold expression. He waved and opened the laboratory door.
Allen stood in the doorway, holding a plate of simple food and water.
He looked at his father. Although Lind's expression remained as calm as ever, Allen keenly sensed that the invisible aura around his father, which seemed to control everything, had now become slightly... stagnant.
"I'm fine." Linde took the food, his gaze sweeping over Allen. He noticed the bloodshot eyes and the weariness between his brows, but his mental core was more refined than before. Clearly, the lesson from that construct mutation had helped him grow a lot.
How are you feeling?
“I am well, Father,” Allen replied respectfully. “I am redesigning the defensive barrier of the construct core according to your instructions, and adding multiple layers of energy filtering and mental protection runes. Also… I have analyzed the remnants of that ‘Tranquility Crystal’ and made some discoveries.”
"Oh?" Lind gestured for him to continue.
“I discovered that the energy structure of that crystal is very peculiar. It is not simply ‘stillness’; it has an extremely subtle ‘weaving’ property inside, like…like spider silk, which is good at capturing and fixing specific energy frequencies and information fragments.”
As Allen spoke, he handed over a data panel. "This is a preliminary analysis report. I'm wondering if this property, if its harmful aspects are removed, could be applied in certain fields, such as information storage or energy guidance..."
Linde took the crystal plate and quickly scanned the data and energy diagrams on it. Allen's findings were very detailed, even touching on some superficial aspects of the "Silent Weaver's" power manifestations.
Looking at the report and recalling his earlier confusion about the "weaving" principle, Linde had a sudden thought.
Perhaps... the answer doesn't always lie in the most profound theories and the most powerful forces. Sometimes, the most basic, most overlooked details and phenomena hold the key to the truth.
He glanced at the report on the microstructure of the "Tranquilizing Crystal" in his hand, then looked out the window at the vast and unknown continent.
The path to "All Things Star Pivot" remains shrouded in mystery, but he seems to have found a small path that may lead to the next landmark.
“Well done.” Lind nodded to Allen, a rare hint of approval in his voice. “Continue your research, and stay alert. As for the others… I may need to address some more fundamental issues first.”
He needs to re-examine the world, starting with the smallest energy interactions, the most basic material structures, and the most universal life forms. Perhaps only after fully understanding the essence of "threads" can he truly begin to "weave" the giant web that covers the world.
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