The singing stopped, and the hall fell silent.
"A cold, metallic garment...like a mountain...within a honeycomb...an unnatural radiance..."
Elder Orodan repeated in a low voice, his gaze once again fixed on the dark blue disc, "And... the veil that tears the heavens..."
All the elders paused slightly in their breathing.
Is the "tear of space" that Sirenna speaks of the same as the "tear of the sky" in the ballad? Is the "flying metal island" the legendary "fallen star" that is "clad in cold metal" and "came from beyond the stars"?
This inference is too shocking! If the legend is true, it means that in an incredibly distant era, a similar being descended near the eye of the storm! And what Sirina stumbled into was most likely another "fallen star"!
"This disc..."
The Fourth Elder, a massive elder with a thick, dark blue fishtail, spoke with a voice like deep-sea thunder. He pointed to the disc and said, "The patterns on it... an ancient ballad mentions 'strange emblems on the outer shell of a star, like frozen galaxy trails'..."
All eyes were once again drawn to the inhumanly precise geometric patterns and runes on the disc. Those cold, orderly lines—weren't they like frozen galaxy trails? A kind of "heraldry" originating from an unknown civilization?
"Could it be..." Third Elder Serena's voice trembled with excitement and disbelief, "that 'Lind Truk'... he's not a monster, but... the owner of this 'Fallen Star'? Or... its successor? He released Serena and sent this 'embroidery'... it really is some kind of... 'contact' that transcends unimaginable time and space?"
"touch?"
Elder Orodan's brow remained furrowed. His massive staff slammed heavily onto the pearl-paved ground, emitting a deep hum that caused a ripple in the surrounding magical energy.
"It could be a disaster! The song mentions 'unknown seeds'! Who knows what that star brought? Who knows what this 'Lind Truk' truly intends? His plucking of Sirena's scales for 'research' is by no means a benevolent act!"
The elders were engulfed in a heated debate.
Conservatives viewed this as an unprecedented and enormous threat, arguing that the disc should be sealed or even destroyed immediately, the defenses of the eye of the storm strengthened, and all possible connections severed.
Some elders, including Serena, believed that this might be the only opportunity for the Siren race to peer into the world beyond and come into contact with higher beings. They thought the legend was not unfounded and that it might contain the key to the Siren's evolution, so they should be cautious about making contact.
The debate continued, and the eternally rotating energy vortex at the core of the eye of the storm seemed to accelerate slightly due to the intense clash of ideas within the hall.
The azure disc lying quietly in Arya's hand, like a silent messenger from another world, radiated a cold and profound luster. It became a pebble thrown into the Eye of the Storm's peaceful (or rather, secluded) life over millions of years, a pebble powerful enough to stir up a monstrous wave.
The ancient legend of the "fallen star" is once again enveloping the hearts of the siren clan in an unexpected way.
While the elders were arguing, no one noticed that at the core of the azure disc, an extremely faint mark connected to Linde's soul essence seemed to sense the unique rhythm of this powerful magic network node and flickered very faintly.
Like a sleeping behemoth in the abyss, it quietly opened a crack in its eye.
The eye of the storm is watching the disc, and the disc is silently transmitting the coordinates and fluctuations of this place to the other side of a distant continent.
A deep blue disc floated in the center of the Elder Hall, its cold geometric patterns flowing with a profound light like an awakening star map.
Guided by the light, the crystalline remains appeared out of thin air, as if precisely assembled by an invisible giant hand, emitting a faint and cold "click" sound.
A body made entirely of pure magical crystals solidified and took shape before everyone's eyes.
Linde's will, like a cold torrent, instantly poured into him.
The crystalline eyelids opened, and two deep purple beams of light replaced the pupils, scanning the deep-sea temple constructed of coral, crystal, and eternal vortex energy.
A cold, orderly, and unnatural sense of precision spread out like a tangible tide, creating a strong and unsettling conflict with the soft, natural rhythm of the magical net flowing within the hall.
"alert!"
Elder Orodan slammed his staff heavily on the ground, a deep hum reverberating through the air.
The well-trained siren guards instantly tightened their formation, and the crystals embedded in their long forks lit up, pointing towards the crystalline skeleton that exuded an absolutely alien aura.
The tense atmosphere almost froze the air (or rather, the energy flow in the seawater).
Crystal Linde slowly turned his head, his sharply defined jaw opening and closing, producing a sound that was not the vibration of flesh and blood, but a cold, clear universal language with a crystalline resonance, clearly penetrating the barrier of the seawater:
"Guardians of the Eye of the Storm, nice to meet you. I am Lind Truk, Lord of Blackrock, and the one Sirona referred to as the 'Scale Plucker'."
He readily admitted it without any attempt to conceal it, displaying instead a calm and superior demeanor.
"This body is merely a projection for convenient communication. My true self is thousands of miles away."
Elder Orodan stepped forward, his aged face like a seabed reef, weathered yet unyielding. His deep blue eyes, sharp as knives, stared directly at the inhuman purple light of Crystal Lind:
"Lind Truk! Whoever you are, the Eye of the Storm does not welcome uninvited guests! You forcibly abducted my people, subjected them to... the humiliation of research, and now you descend upon my sacred land in such a blasphemous manner! What are you trying to do?!"
His voice was like the deep sea surging, containing boundless anger and a resolute determination to protect the sacred land.
In his eyes, that dark blue disc had completely confirmed its status as a "blasphemous object".
Crystal Linde let out a very faint laugh, like the friction of metal.
"Abduction? Disgrace to research?"
He shook his head slightly, the movement so fluid it was unsettling. "Sirena was a lost child who stumbled into my domain. I took her in and, out of pure curiosity about your race's talents, conducted some harmless observational sampling. As for the 'insult'..."
His lips, formed of crystalline flesh, seemed to curve upwards in a cold arc, and his gaze swept over the Grand Elder with a hint of amusement in his scrutiny.
"On the long road of seeking power and knowledge, what are a few scales and insignificant fears? Compared to what you are about to face..."
The real 'humiliation' is nothing more than a tiny, insignificant ripple.
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