The probes had sent back disturbing images of the planet’s underground.
The images revealed the hollow internal structure of the planet and its original rock formations were gone. After thousands and thousands of years of an exhaustive existence, the planet was no longer a real celestial body, but a large creature. Dark tentacles and hollow spaces were everywhere. The probes had not been able to find any soil or rock formations.
One of the probes flew quickly in the underground, maneuvering past the tentacles that looked like a thorn forest. Red was the only light that filled the underground space. This light was the glow that the ganglia and pump-like organs emitted. There were also ubiquitous, thin clouds of microbes released by the tentacles. Their composition was the same as that of the bacteria in clouds in the atmosphere of the planet. Some heterogenized fragments of crust and mantle in the form of dark, metallic deposits remained in between the tentacles.
The probe seemed to be flying forward in an endless labyrinth tunnel. No matter which direction it headed, there were only hollows and red. The environmental readings that the probe sent back indicated that the surrounding temperature was rising. It was near to the location of the First Born’s core organ, where strata had mostly disappeared. The MDT switched on the mic of the probe, and instantly it picked up something sounding wonderful to the ear.
A throbbing sound was in the wind; it was low and slow, like the heartbeat of this planet.
“It’s estimated that eighty-percent of the planet has been consumed and used to build a more efficient energy system.” The MDT analyzed using the available information. “The First Born is the only one who could extend the life of the ecosystem without the sun. It swallows the planet into its stomach and converts energy to maintain the cyclic processes. The First Born is very efficient in converting the energy. The probe has also found the ‘factory’ that produces the microbiota. It is a sporangia-like tissue connected to the tract, which in turn to Heaven’s Pillar, where the cloud is made.”
The First Born’s transformation of the planet and control of energy was akin to a planned economy; it worked best in a resource shortage situation like this.
Hao Ren’s brows knit together as he tried to make sense of this incredible biological system. “Looks like it doesn’t work anymore.”
The MDT said, “Since the clouds have been working normally, the cloud-making organ has gone into dormancy–not disappeared. So I think the maintenance of the clouds is not regular. The organ would wake up and replenish the atmosphere with clouds, which it discharges through the special part of Heaven’s Pillars.”
A thought suddenly crossed Hao Ren’s mind. “Would this process affect the ‘ecological warehouse’ between the two crusts?”
“Possibly,” the MDT replied. “The microbial population needs to be replenished, and they are also related to each other. When the cloud-producing organ re-starts, it will inevitably affect the bright clouds.”
Hao Ren and Vivian glanced at each other. “The legendary ‘light burial’ phenomenon,” they said in unison.
“How is the First Born doing?” Vivian sounded a little worried. “Is it normal?”
“There’s something special about this First Born. It is different from what we have seen before.” The MDT activated a holographic display and called up the image of the First Born. The image was only showing what it had detected so far. Many tentacles were in gray; gray meant inactive. “The gray ones represent the nerve tissues that are responsible for thinking and exercising. As you can see, they are offline. The First Born is working unconsciously now, as its main consciousness is inactive. The transformation of the planet and the production cycles rely on its reflection. We are now standing on one of its most important nerves. This nerve tissue seems to e controlled.”
“So where these nerves connect to?” Hao Ren asked.
“They connect to connective tissue. If I am not mistaken, it is where the brain nucleus located. The probes have not found the entrance though. Maybe we can drill into it as long as we don’t irritate it.”
Hao Ren was weighing the option whether to disturb this sleeping behemoth further. Suddenly, a buzzing echo came into his ears. “The fragment of the goddess is asleep there,” a voice said.
“Who is it?” Hao Ren looked at the direction where the sound came from and was stunned to see a translucent figure appeared out of nowhere behind them.
It was a stooped, old man judging from the blurry figure. The old man, dressed in a kind of robe that Hao Ren had never seen before, was standing with hands on his back a dozen meters away. As the old man swayed like a blue candle flame, Hao Ren could not help but think that he had seen a ghost.
“I am the king of Sun Dynasty, Gragon. Perhaps people have forgotten about the name,” said the old soul, who slowly came up to Vivian and bowed devoutly. “Lord, as per your order, the lullaby has never stopped. Now you can retrieve the thing,” the soul said.
Although Vivian had been playing god in front of Gezer and his compatriots for the past days, she was still stunned by the ancient soul who called her ‘lord.’ She pulled her brows together and said, “Are you sure I am your Goddess? You must know what is hidden underground.”
“We know, we all know,” the ancient soul, who self-proclaimed to be the king of Sun Dynasty, said slowly in a rhythm that sounded like he was singing. “You are beyond reason, and your existence is a miracle. Your presence, no matter where, when and in what form, is the benefactor of this world…”
As Gragon chanted, mysterious halos appeared on the stone columns. More figures started to emerge from the electric light. They all dressed in the costumes of the Sun Dynasty. Just like Gragon, these souls were translucent, faces were blurry, and had a calm and serene aura. These ancient souls quietly gathered before Vivian. Rows after rows, one after another, they formed into a square formation as if they were coming on a pilgrimage.
The souls did not utter a single word as they came before Vivian.
Seeing these souls, Nangong Wuyue almost jumped out of her skin. She curled herself up and hid behind the team. The scene gave Hessiana the heebie-jeebies as she took a couple of steps back instinctively. Meanwhile, Bonia was standing beside Vivian. She smiled, reached out to the souls and greeted her ancestors happily. “Hello, I am Bonia!” she said.
The little girl was only about ten years old, but she did not turn a hair. She felt the goodwill and kindness of these souls and treated them as her kind.
Hao Ren had noticed the seriousness on Vivian’s face from the beginning. He knew she had known something from the blood crystal. Perhaps she had seen these wraiths in the illusion earlier. “It seems you know something.”
“I only know that they are the builders of this ancient city,” Vivian said in a low voice. “Looks like these souls have been performing certain rituals to suppress the First Born since ten thousand years ago. The blood crystal contains only fragmented memories. I’m here to find the missing part.”
Hao Ren could not help but look up at the colossal stone columns, which continued to give out an electric discharge to suppress the tentacles. Since the appearance of these souls, the electrical discharge had weakened.
The spirits of the late king of the Sun Dynasty who built the city had never vanished. They became part of the city, powering a lullaby uninterruptedly for thousands of years. They were the ‘programs’ stored in the stone columns, where human souls were the software that ran this complex system.
However, there was an unresolved mystery. Even if these ancient people had made such sacrifices, their strength was not enough to exert control over the First Born. Something stronger must be helping them build this facility and complete the first ritual that forced the First Born to surrender itself.
It was apparent who the transcendent power was.
Hao Ren looked at Vivian. “What’s underground?”
“Another me,” Vivian said with a smile.
