Leaving the "Forgotten Graveyard," a place ravaged by turbulent energy currents and littered with debris, Linde rode his seven-colored light, traversing a distance through the desolate sea of stars. Only when the massive nebula behind him, a tapestry of dark red and purplish-black, shrank into a blurry patch of light in the background did he begin to look for a suitable place to land.
Ultimately, he chose a grayish-brown rocky planet floating on the edge of a star system.
This planet is small in size, with its surface covered in impact craters. It has no atmosphere and is directly exposed to the cold vacuum and stellar radiation.
The planet's internal geological activity has long since ceased, making it a truly barren land with energy reactions so weak as to be almost nonexistent.
For Lind, this extreme desolation and silence was exactly what he needed. Far from any possible civilization or danger, it was the perfect place to process that unexpected gain.
He landed on the side of the planet facing away from the star, surrounded by eternal darkness and cold. Beneath his feet lay frozen rock, and above him stretched an unfamiliar sky, unobstructed and remarkably clear and dense.
Without wasting time arranging a complicated residence, Linde simply placed a few concealment and warning runes around himself, then sat cross-legged, holding the "Iris Core," the last legacy of the Iris civilization, in his palm.
The colorful crystals emitted a soft halo on their own in the vacuum of darkness, with nebulae slowly flowing inside, as if containing a miniature universe.
Even through the crystal, Linde could feel the vast and orderly flow of information contained within it, as well as that unique, gentle yet firm resonance of "belief".
"Let me see what makes Iris's wisdom so unique," Lind muttered to himself, a hint of anticipation flashing in his cold purple eyes.
He closed his eyes, and his spiritual energy, like a gentle stream, cautiously probed towards the "Iris Core".
There was no resistance, no obstruction. The moment his mental energy touched the crystal, it was as if a door to the palace of knowledge had been opened, and a vast torrent of information surged into his sea of consciousness!
This is not forced indoctrination, but a guided transmission that allows for independent reading and understanding.
What first flooded in was not specific techniques or methods of power, but a grand "worldview" about the universe, life, and consciousness.
• A Celebration of Life: The Iris civilization believed that life was not a coincidence or byproduct of the universe, but rather an inevitable expression of the universe's progress towards higher levels of complexity and possibility. Every form of consciousness, no matter how small or peculiar, is a mirror reflecting the universe's self-awareness, possessing irreplaceable and unique value. They revered diversity, believing that the exchange and collision between different life forms and different paths of civilization were key to the growth of the universe's "mind."
• The Dance of Balance Between Order and Chaos: Unlike the order arbiters who pursue "absolute order" and the extraterrestrial evil gods who represent "ultimate chaos," the Iris civilization believes that a healthy universe needs both a certain framework of order to maintain stability and continuity, and a moderate amount of chaos and randomness to provide fertile ground for change and innovation. They do not endorse either extreme path, believing that both would lead to the "stagnation" or "heat death" of the universe. What they pursue throughout their lives is to find a dynamic, ever-evolving balance point, where order becomes the container of chaos, and chaos becomes the catalyst for order.
• Dimensions of Consciousness: The Iris civilization's research into consciousness reached an extremely profound level. They divided consciousness into multiple dimensions—basic survival instincts, complex emotional fluctuations, rational logical thinking, collective resonance that transcends the individual, and a potential connection with the fundamental rules of the universe… They believed that a mature civilization should focus on elevating the consciousness dimension of the entire group, rather than simply pursuing the accumulation of matter or energy. Individual enlightenment and collective harmonious resonance are equally important.
Analysis of the "Purifier" (Arbitrator of Order): The core contains the Iris civilization's in-depth research on the power system of the Arbitrator of Order. They point out that the core of this power lies in the absolute control over "information" and "probability." The Arbitrator of Order seems to be able to "define" the physical constants and logical rules of local areas, forcibly reducing "anomalies" and "disorder" to zero or incorporating them into its pre-set framework. Its power manifestations (silver polyhedrons, purification beams) are merely manifestations of the application of these underlying rules. The Iris civilization speculates that the Arbitrator of Order itself may not be a biological civilization in the traditional sense, but rather a highly unified collection of mechanical consciousness controlled by some kind of "mastermind" or "core algorithm," whose ultimate goal may be to "optimize" the entire universe into a predictable, variable-free, absolutely stable system.
• An Exploration of the Nature of the “Devourers” (Extraterrestrial Gods): Compared to the Arbiters of Order, Iris's understanding of the extraterrestrial gods is somewhat limited, but he still offers key insights. He believes that the gods are not simply destroyers, but rather a manifestation of a cosmic phenomenon driven by the instinct of “entropy revelry.” They devour order and information through “assimilation” and “distortion,” not to grow themselves (because they may not have a fixed concept of “self”), but rather to execute an “instinctive program” that pulls everything back to primordial chaos. They are the two poles inherently opposed to the Arbiters of Order.
The Inspiration of the “Third Way”: This is precisely the core value of the Iris Core. It doesn't offer concrete solutions, but rather provides a blueprint for a series of philosophical speculations, mathematical models, and consciousness experiments. It explores how to use the power of consciousness to “reconcile” rather than “confront” order and chaos; how to construct a “resonant civilization” model that can maintain individual uniqueness while achieving high synergy; and even proposes some bold conjectures—does a more fundamental “creative force” that transcends the current framework of cosmic rules, capable of balancing or even controlling these two extreme forces?
Linde was immersed in this vast ocean of knowledge. Even with his unwavering will, he couldn't help but be amazed by the wisdom and magnanimity of the Iris civilization.
This is similar to the path he took, but also fundamentally different.
The similarity lies in the fact that Linde also focuses on the origin of rules and power, and is also exploring the balance between the Pulleys of Light (order) and the Shadow Abyss (chaos/end).
The difference lies in the fact that Linde is more inclined to "control" and "utilize" the rules in order to achieve his own goals (protecting the continent of Til and seeking the truth). Its essence is closer to the absolute domination of power by a powerful "individual will".
Iris's path, on the other hand, emphasizes "integration" and "resonance," pursuing a "harmonious co-evolution" between the individual and the collective, order and chaos, civilization and the universe. This is a more... "soft" yet more inclusive path.
“Not control, but guidance… not confrontation, but reconciliation…” Lind murmured to himself, as if he had gained some insight.
Iris's knowledge was like a key, opening a new window for him and showing him another possibility for the application of power.
Especially when facing the rule-based suppression of the arbitrators of order, pure confrontation may not be the optimal solution. By utilizing Iris's theories of "consciousness resonance" and "information reconciliation," we can find ways to find a roundabout or resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, his conjecture that extraterrestrial evil gods are essentially "entropy-increasing instinct programs" also gave him new ideas on how to more effectively "purify" them. Perhaps it's not just about annihilation at the energy level, but also about "formatting" or "injecting logical paradoxes" at the information level?
Time flies by as we acquire knowledge.
After Linde had roughly sorted out the main knowledge framework in the core and compared it with what he had learned, he slowly opened his eyes.
The light of the "Iris Core" in his palm seemed to have dimmed slightly, but the nebula flowing inside seemed to have established a subtle connection with his spiritual power.
He could sense that this core was not a one-time consumable; it contained much deeper knowledge that required specific conditions or a higher dimension of consciousness to unlock.
"A very fruitful harvest," Linde commented, a rare hint of satisfaction in his voice.
This intellectual legacy is far more valuable than a core of a demon god or a few Sentinel fragments. It provides ideas, directions, and the theoretical foundation for dealing with the dual threats of order and chaos that may arise in the future.
He carefully put away the "Iris Core" and placed it close to his body.
Standing up, stretching his body which was slightly stiff from sitting for so long, Linde looked up at the starry sky, his gaze becoming even more profound.
The magic system of the continent of Til is, to some extent, in a dynamic balance between order (stable spell models) and chaos (wild primal magic).
Iris's theory might help him better understand and optimize the magical environment of the continent of Til, and even... find a more promising path of evolution for the people of Blackrock Territory, and even for all living beings on the continent.
Of course, all of this takes time and practice.
Now, the initial goals of the interstellar journey have been achieved—confirming the existence of the extraterrestrial evil god threat and obtaining some information about it; unexpectedly discovering the "Arbitrator of Order," a potentially more hidden and ideologically extreme threat; and acquiring the valuable knowledge legacy of the Iris civilization.
He had only one piece of the "Starscale Ship" left. Should he continue exploring the coordinates of the next dragon mark, or return directly to the continent of Tiel?
Linde activated the last star scale almost without hesitation.
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