You didn't know what any of it meant
Once begun, it could not begin again, the circles spread over and over
There were scenes like fish swimming, you might be another you
When the butterflies exploded like metal one by one, burned, died
And everywhere you looked, only your traces remained
-Excerpt from Zhang Zao's "Water of October"
Tens of thousands of warships ignited their engines again, becoming tens of thousands of burning flying swords that headed into the distant depths of the universe.
Those flames with their deep blue sheen were not the combustion of anything tangible, but more like streams of light. Before long, the burning flying swords vanished without a trace, their destination unknown. Around that enormous red fireball, nothing remained except the dust of the Outsider Heavenly Demon's corpse.
"The Mother Nest! That was a real Mother Nest! Its defenses are incredibly strong, and its pulse attacks can penetrate the thickest alloy plates. Destroying it takes at least a flotilla. I refuse to believe one person killed it!"
"I've told you many times, he's a liquid-metal robot, not an actual human."
"And I've told you many times that's impossible! Spectral analysis shows his body isn't metal at all, but consists of an unknown element. And look at his skin and hair... where would you find biomimetic materials that good? The biggest logical problem is, if it's a liquid-metal robot, why simulate a human appearance and even the arrangement of internal organs? It makes no sense. Besides, where's his microprocessor? You've scanned him over seven hundred times. Have you seen a single processor or found a single information channel?"
"After receiving the data, the Academy of Sciences concluded that he's very likely a remnant of the ancient civilization."
"Oh, please. How many years