Elemental Magnetic Star

Chapter 199 The Abyssal Mystery

"If we can't move the Gold and Silver Sea, then we can't shake the Celestial Domain, and the pain of the Azure and White Forest will continue," Willow Wood massaged his forehead. "Can't you persuade the Gold and Silver Sea?"

Raina Grace, observing Willow Wood's increasingly human-like gestures, asked, "You get headaches too?" She thought it was a trait exclusive to humans.

"Having a human body means inheriting their genes, including the body's reactions to external stimuli. Aren't you the same?"

"So, you age and die too?"

"Yes, this body is aging. Do you see it?"

"Yes, I see it. It seems to be rapidly withering."

"So, I don't have much time left."

"What happens then? Will you switch to another body?"

"I'm not that omnipotent; I'm also bound by natural laws." Willow Wood gave a bitter smile. "Even this body was obtained through the use of humanity's Nuwa system and a chance for rebirth borrowed from the Sky Whispers. I have no more opportunities."

Raina Grace wasn't sure how to feel. She had thought Willow Wood, seemingly all-powerful, was also bound by time and would eventually weaken. "But I heard you've been tracking humanity since their arrival on the Elemental Magnetic Star, for so long, and only now have you decided to act, but..."

"It's ironic, isn't it? I felt that if I delayed any longer, I might indeed end up unable to do anything. So, I attempted a final effort, only to find it futile. The Gold and Silver Sea refuses to reverse its flow, the Azure and White Forest remains indifferent, and the only ones with ideas are the Sky Whispers. However, I believe Luminous Harmony is more attracted to human hierarchy and systems, wanting the Sky Whispers to evolve into a similar societal form. Before that, they need to drive humans away from the star domain."

Raina Grace didn't expect Willow Wood to have such a clear understanding. So, what was he still clinging to?

"I don't know what all this persistence is for. Perhaps what has always driven me is our unified will—to maintain cosmic order, akin to our genetic coding. I can't go against it. Only now, after deeply interacting with the genetic codes of other species, influenced by both the Sky Whispers and humans, or perhaps because I'm nearing the moment of shedding all material constraints, returning to chaos and disorder, I've realized life has its own order. So, my previously presumed supreme intelligence was merely a cold existence, not truly living."

What did this mean? Raina Grace was utterly lost. Willow Wood's earlier declarations, aiming for the Elemental Magnetic Star to return to its former state and for all natives to resume normal lives, now seemed irresponsible. Now, he suggested that both natural evolution and human intervention were valid. Willow Wood was ready to let go, but what about the eagerly waiting Sky Whispers and the Pale Jade Tree?

Seeing Raina Grace's bewildered look, Willow Wood sighed deeply, "I've been holding on, wanting to fulfill my duty, which has always been to harmonize cosmic order. But harmony has different definitions in different contexts. You're right; you and your kind are the true masters of the Elemental Magnetic Star, more qualified and responsible for its future. It's your home. Whether it's harmonious or how to achieve harmony is up to you, the Sky Whispers, Terra Grove, Ocean Bloom, and even humanity, to decide together."

"But can the freedom and proliferation the Sky Whispers and Terra Grove yearn for coexist without conflict with the civilization and development humans crave?" Raina Grace wished for peaceful coexistence and joint development, but could the scarcity of resource distribution and deep-seated hatred be resolved?

"The ecology of the Elemental Magnetic Star was relatively simple, and the elemental magnetic environment was not conducive to biological evolution. However, the arrival of humans changed all that, allowing civilization the chance to sprout. Yet, they are also trapped by the lack of energy and communication with the universe," observed Willow Wood, "And to solve the energy problem, it falls back to cosmic communication."

Willow Wood's view of the universe was beyond Raina Grace's imagination, captivating her.

"Due to its unique elemental magnetic field, the Elemental Magnetic Star is almost invisible in the universe, an isolated entity. If not for the accidental discovery by a human spacecraft, it wouldn't have been found. Fortunately, the Elemental Magnetic Star's special elemental magnetic force has formed a unique conduit to the depths of the universe over billions of years, akin to a black hole."

Raina Grace immediately thought of the Cetacean Beast she and Flame Wave had spent a long time with, "Are you referring to the Abyss?"

"You've discovered it?" Willow Wood's initially smug expression turned to astonishment and then to approval, "I thought your isolated perspective would never uncover it. I was narrow-minded."

"So, what exactly is the Cetacean Beast?" Raina Grace eagerly wanted to know the truth about the Abyss, "Is it an extraterrestrial being that came to the Elemental Magnetic Star through a cosmic black hole?"

Willow Wood paused, gazing into the distance as if calculating, "Inside the Abyss, there exist mysterious spatial rifts, potentially connecting to different dimensions and universes. The so-called Cetacean Beast likely came through one of these rifts. I used its energy to establish the Eye of the Abyss, but its power is so mysterious and vast, I've only glimpsed a fraction."

"Was the Cetacean Beast not imprisoned by you in that space?" This was one of the aspects of Willow Wood's profound power that Raina Grace and her companions had been wary of.

"No, it likely entered by mistake and couldn't escape. Fearing other cosmic entities might invade, I took advantage and made some adjustments. Luminous Harmony relayed your experience in the Abyss to me. When Flicker Shadow shattered the Eye of the Abyss, saving you and releasing the Cetacean Beast, I feared that space had become a true black hole, potentially a vulnerability for the Elemental Magnetic Star."

"A vulnerability? You just said the black hole was an opportunity for the Elemental Magnetic Star," Raina Grace frowned, "Why is it now a vulnerability?"

Willow Wood pondered for a moment, his tone becoming serious, "Black holes are extremely special and powerful entities in the universe, with immense gravitational pull, even capable of swallowing light. If a true black hole has formed inside the Abyss, it will profoundly affect it, possibly altering its spatial structure and even causing dimensional turbulence."

Raina Grace's heart sank, "Dimensional turbulence? What should we do?"

"The mysteries and variables of the universe are not something we can understand at our level. I can only offer some advice, but how you act is up to you. In the ever-changing spatial force field, any theory or advice might become irrelevant. My idea is to first stabilize the structure of the Abyss, preventing the black hole from spreading. If we can control the black hole, integrating it into the Elemental Magnetic Star's force field for its use, it might become a pathway to other spaces and dimensions, enabling the Elemental Magnetic Star to access more cosmic energy and information. Then, the Elemental Magnetic Star could become a cosmic transit hub, a gateway to exploring the vast universe!"