For a Faint Hope

"Don't you already have the answer? I saw relevant records in your database. Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to look at your database. It's just that your encryption technology is too outdated. Don't worry, I don't have a habit of spying."

The Rhomboid Crystal seemed quite polite, but what it said made everyone exclaim, "Wow!"

Some people were still reeling from the shock of the failure of Quantum Hyperdistance Communication when they heard the Rhomboid Crystal say this, and instantly felt that humans were completely transparent in front of it.

"We have records, how could we not know?" Yue Yuan asked again at this moment.

"This..." The Rhomboid Crystal didn't waste any words and directly pulled a stored piece of information from the Lyra database onto the screen for everyone to see.

"A star older than the universe? Could that be?"

This information records a star that humans observed was over 13.8 billion years old. At the time, humans thought there were two possible reasons: either the observation was wrong or the age of the universe was miscalculated. There is even a theory that the true age of the universe is actually 26.7 billion years.

"Yes, it's not that your observations are wrong, nor that the age of the universe is miscalculated, but rather that it's the result of some kind of rule change. I don't know the specifics, but without a doubt, there must be some kind of danger hidden behind this strange phenomenon, a danger that even we should avoid at all costs," the Rhomboid Crystal said.

Yue Yuan looked intently at the Rhomboid Crystal and asked the question that had troubled him for a long time, "Why didn't you, like other beings, choose not to tell us certain things, citing reasons such as the weakness of our Human Civilization or the diversity of civilization development? Don't you think that the information you're telling us will affect our future development?"

"Heh, you're talking about the Awakeners recorded in your database, right? I don't know why they didn't tell you about the Great Voyage. Perhaps it's because of differing philosophies." The Rhomboid Crystal didn't give a definite answer. It continued, "In my opinion, the fact that you were able to activate my mechanism proves that your Human Civilization meets our standards. As part of the Drift Bottle Project, I will naturally tell you everything. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that some of my stored information had been lost due to the passage of time, I wouldn't mind telling you the destination of our civilization when we started the Great Voyage."

"However, these are not major problems. Once you reach a certain level, I believe you will understand why and the destination of the Great Voyage. Because once you reach a certain level, you will discover a hopeless future, just like we did back then."

Having finally found someone so knowledgeable and open-minded, Yue Yuan certainly didn't want to miss the opportunity. After thinking for a moment, he spoke again, "You keep talking about a hopeless future. Can you tell us what it is? Is it a shackle set up by Cosmic Civilization, preventing all civilizations from reaching the interstellar level?"

The Rhomboid Crystal was equally unambiguous. "Regarding the question of whether the shackles were created by our civilization at the cosmic level, our civilization has also pondered this question, but unfortunately, we have no answer. As for discovering a hopeless future, I think Interstellar Civilization —oh, perhaps using your new generation's classification of Level Six Civilization would be more accurate— Level Six Civilization should all have discovered it; it's not exactly a secret."

In fact, your Human Civilization itself has relevant theories. Although it is puzzling how you discovered them, it must be said that some of your Human Civilization's theories are indeed far beyond your level of development. Although many theoretical knowledge is only a superficial understanding of its true nature, you have indeed seen it.

Did you know that some civilizations from at least Thirty Billion Years Ago had reached the Interstellar Civilization but had not discovered any related theories or phenomena? Yet you, at a stage where you haven't even reached the level of Tier 1 Civilization, have discovered all sorts of theories. Although they are mostly wishful thinking, it is undeniable that you are truly amazing.

In contrast, compared to your limited knowledge of Aerospace Civilization technology theories, your understanding of the key scientific theories at the level of Level 5 Civilization and Level Six Civilization is remarkably lacking. This is, undeniably, an interesting phenomenon.

"Could you be more specific?" Yue Yuan couldn't help but ask, still feeling confused.

"In your terms, it's called the Casimir Effect." The Rhomboid Crystal was straightforward this time, but it left the scientists present somewhat bewildered.

What? The Casimir Effect!

The scientist, realizing what was happening, immediately asked, "You mean Vacuum Energy?"

"Yes, Vacuum Zero-Point Energy," the Rhomboid Crystal said.

Ah?!

Is there such a Vacuum Zero-Point Energy? Actually, human scientists have always had a guess about Vacuum Zero-Point Energy. They thought that Vacuum Zero-Point Energy was a technology that marked Level Six Civilization, but now the Rhomboid Crystal says that it is not.

"That is the foundation for civilization to truly create infinite energy devices. It is the essential technology for civilization to travel in the universe. We have seen the direction, but we are devastated to find that we can never master it. All experiments on it will not have the correct answer. All Level Six Civilization are blocked by this hurdle."

The Rhomboid Crystal continued, "Only by mastering these technologies can Cosmic Civilizations continuously draw energy from the Void, thereby ignoring the fact that galaxies are lacking in matter and truly possessing the ability to travel on a cosmic scale."

In fact, Level Six Civilization does not have the ability to cross river systems, but we have no other choice but to bite the bullet and embark on a long voyage, because if we do not sail far, we will eventually stop at the Level 6 level and eventually perish as time goes by and as the resources of the river system become scarce.

To sail across river systems, one must master Vacuum Zero-Point Energy; but to master Vacuum Zero-Point Energy, one must venture far from river systems and reach that unknown destination for even a sliver of hope. It's like...

It's like needing a boat to cross a river, but you can only get a boat after you've crossed the river—it's a vicious cycle.

Upon hearing what the Rhomboid Crystal said, everyone present roughly understood what the Great Voyage was: a path that a group of civilizations trapped in a galaxy believed might lead them to become Cosmic Civilization.

The Precursor's billion-year exploration has proven everything; this is the only path. Of course, this so-called only path may be wrong, and the answer may not be found, but those who question it should first be prepared to explore within their own galaxy for a billion years. "You said that our understanding of the relevant marker scientific theories at the Level 5 Civilization and Level Six Civilization is quite lacking. May I ask what the standard scientific and technological theories are for these two levels of civilization?" a scientist asked curiously.

"The former is the Technology Tree related to Negative Matter and Negative Energy, while the latter is the Technology Tree related to Dark Matter and Dark Energy," said the Rhomboid Crystal.

Although his words were very general, they undoubtedly pointed out the direction for humanity and also made the scientists ponder deeply.