The stillness of the chamber of stasis gave way to urgency. Rayleigh knew how serious the situation was. Without delay, he led Lin Yan and the others out of the cave and deeper into Crystal Mountain along another, more secluded passage with even stranger energy fluctuations.
This passage was different from the previous one. Instead of crystals or stone, its walls were "murals" seemingly formed from flowing time and memories. Walking through it was like strolling through a corridor of time. They could see the lights of countless homes during the Ancient Kingdom's heyday and the harmony among its many races; they could also see the devastation and tragedy when war broke out, and silhouettes of Joy Boy wearing his signature smile, encouraging people never to give up hope... The weight of history washed over them, silently recounting past glory and downfall.
"This is the Memory Corridor," Rayleigh explained as they walked. "It leads straight to Crystal Mountain's central data storage area. What Roger left behind and the Ancient Kingdom's most complete backups of its knowledge are all there. This was where we saw 'everything' back then, too."
At the end of the passage stood a milky-white door, smooth as a mirror and entirely unadorned. Sensing the special fluctuations coming from Rayleigh and Lin Yan-Rayleigh's long-standing guardian clearance and Lin Yan's Nika aura-it slid silently open to either side.
Beyond it lay a vast space, even grander and more "technological" than the spherical chamber before.
Countless enormous, translucent screens floated in midair, displaying waterfall-like streams of data and complex holographic structural diagrams. Rows of crystalline pillars resembling control consoles stood neatly arranged across the floor, some still flickering with the faint glow of standby mode. At the center was an enormous, slowly rotating dynamic model of the planet's energy cycle,