Awakener Indeed
Just as Yue Yuan was forming a series of guesses, perhaps due to the inherent reasons behind the phenomenon, the answer appeared in a way that surprised everyone.
Inside the Lyra, everyone heard a voice in the Command Center. However, unlike the voices previously emitted by the Awakeners using human amplification devices, this time the Lyra detected the source of the voice as a patch of air in front of the large screen.
The sound was produced by the air vibrating itself about three meters in front of where Yue Yuan was standing. The timbre was the same as the sound when humans first encountered the Awakeners, but it felt like there was an invisible person talking there.
It was pure Chinese voice, but it was clearly not the voice of anyone on the Lyra.
"Human Civilization, I shouldn't be meeting you at this time, but there's no way around it. Some things have developed in ways we didn't expect. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is 'Illusion.' You may not recognize this name, but if I told you that you met me thousands of years ago and that I brought you to this star system, you should remember me."
Upon hearing this, the other new members on the Lyra might not have reacted immediately, but Yue Yuan, who had experienced the events of that year, remembered them vividly. He immediately asked instinctively, "You were the Awakeners back then?"
His words were filled with excitement.
"Hehe, Yue Yuan, the leader of Human Civilization, I remember you. The fact that you've survived until now means you've mastered more advanced life-extending technologies. Very good, you're very good. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Hmm, actually, you don't need to use such honorifics. Being too polite makes me feel a little uncomfortable." The air vibrated again for reasons unknown to humans, converging into these words.
There was no direct answer to whether it was yes or no, but everyone who heard it knew that it must be the Awakeners.
In an instant, everyone turned their heads to look at the empty source of the sound. The Science Officer, the First Mate, the Second Mate, and all the staff members did the same, their expressions as if they could see an invisible person standing at the source of the sound.
However, not a single person left their post.
The Lyra is a warship, the flagship of Human Civilization, and also the center of human military and political affairs, where most of humanity's high-ranking officials work. Naturally, some of them survived from the first encounter with the Awakeners, but after thousands of years, the majority are New Humans who have been elected and replaced.
Of the people currently in the Command Center, about 80% are new members. Of course, while they are considered new, they have been working on the Lyra for one or two thousand years, they just haven't experienced the first encounter between humanity and the Awakeners.
Therefore, apart from Yue Yuan and a few others, they all showed great surprise. However, they immediately used their Personal Terminal to search for information about Awakeners in the Human Database and quickly understood what kind of existence Awakeners was.
"Alright!" Yue Yuan nodded, but he still used a respectful form of address when he spoke, "Did you cause the disappearance of the starry sky? What methods did you use, and why did you do it?"
He started by asking three questions in a row.
"I did it." The voice of the Awakeners, who called himself 'Illusion,' rang out in the air. He admitted it first, and then continued to answer Yue Yuan's question. "What method? You wouldn't understand if I explained it in too much detail. In your words, it's probably a kind of Space Cutting technique. It took a long time and a lot of effort to prepare. The purpose is very simple: to protect you."
"And another thing," Huan added, "You guys shouldn't use honorifics anymore. I'm not used to it, and if nothing unexpected happens, you'll all change how you address each other eventually."
???
What does this mean? What do you mean by saying you'll change your tune someday, and that your purpose is to protect us? What is all this nonsense? Is something big about to happen in this star system again? These words left Yue Yuan completely bewildered. He wasn't just confused by this; he was also puzzled as to why the Awakeners would help humanity so much. And had this Awakeners, who called himself 'Illusion,' been observing humanity all along? What was his purpose in doing this? Protection? Protect what? Humanity is just a Low-level Civilization; what do they have that would warrant the attention of a Top Civilization? Judging from Illusion's tone, he seems to respect humanity quite a bit. What's going on? This seems a bit different from when they first met. Back then, this guy kept calling them 'little guys,' only mentioning 'Human Civilization' when he was leaving. Why doesn't he even allow respectful terms now?
Are humans really that amazing?
The Awakeners's words made Yue Yuan question his existence. He thought to himself: Could this be some kind of past or future drama?
Honestly, at this moment, Yue Yuan even felt that he wouldn't be surprised if the Awakener 'Illusion'' said something like, "You humans will help us at some point in the future," "You humans will become top-tier leaders in the future," or "You in the future will travel through time and tell us how great you humans are."
Even Yue Yuan started to mentally complain about this kind of plot.
Driven by a ninja's urge to complain, Yue Yuan spoke up, "Why have you protected us all these years? Have you been watching us the whole time? Was everything we've encountered since arriving in this star system arranged by you? And why have you been so friendly to us? What is the reason for all of this?"
He held back his complaints, but he couldn't suppress the questions in his heart.
Not only Yue Yuan, but everyone else was also full of questions. They couldn't understand why this Awakeners from the Triangulum Galaxy would take such good care of humans.
Moreover, having just finished reading about the Awakeners, they discovered that the Awakeners had told humanity that they hoped to see more possibilities for civilization.
If we see more possibilities for civilization, we shouldn't interfere too much with human development, just like the Awakeners were reluctant to talk about human technological development back then. But why are they doing it again now?
However, what the Awakener 'Illusion'' said next surprised everyone; there was no talk of traveling through time or space.
"I know you have many questions, and you may even wonder if I have some kind of conspiracy or ulterior motive. But don't worry, the reason I've appeared here this time is not only to tell you some things that you need to know, but also because I guessed that you would have many questions."
This isn't hard to understand. We Awakeners also progressed step by step from Low-level Civilization. If you put yourself in my shoes, you'll understand how you feel. The misunderstanding probably stemmed from me explaining things to you only after I finished. Indeed, I should have informed you first, but you must understand that sometimes, in urgent situations, one must act expediently.