Chapter 104: Sea of Light

Words : 1497 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

After leaving the Aquila A moon base for 24 hours and undergoing 24 hours of acceleration, the interstellar fleet reached a speed of 10,000 kilometers per second. Compared to Village-Class ships, Town-Class ships are less maneuverable. Furthermore, this was not a stress test but a regular voyage, so the acceleration time was extended to help prolong the engines’ lifespan. The chaotic asteroid fragments within the Aquila One star system posed no threat to thousands of interstellar ships equipped with high-energy laser cannons, energy cannons, and energy shields. During the voyage, Xiao Yu only needed to consider decelerating and avoiding obstacles if the density of these fragments reached a certain level. Under normal circumstances, the fleet could directly charge through. After traveling roughly over 400 million kilometers, Xiao Yu’s fleet deployed the first batch of ten relay satellites. These relay satellites were each equipped with superluminal communication devices and simple meteor collision prevention systems. In addition, they had energy shield systems and propulsion systems. These systems enhanced the survivability of the relay satellites, preventing accidental damage. Superluminal communication allowed for extremely fast signal transmission. A single satellite could handle the fleet’s entire data communications, but ten satellites were deployed here to guard against unforeseen circumstances. After all, over the long journey of 1.4 light-years, it was inevitable that some equipment might encounter issues. If the communication system was arranged linearly, any single point of damage could paralyze the entire network. By arranging it as a network, such concerns were mitigated; if one line failed, another could compensate. Xiao Yu’s vast fleet acted like a sower, planting seeds in space at regular intervals. Four months into the journey, Xiao Yu’s fleet reached a distance of 100 billion kilometers from the main base at Aquila A. The fleet passed through the heliopause of Aquila One once again, leaving the influence of the young star’s domain. Beyond this point lay the domain of interstellar dust. Xiao Yu’s fleet was once more enveloped by the faintly reddish nebula. Thousands of relay satellites had already been deployed, and over a dozen Village-Class ships had emptied their inventories. These ships left the fleet and began their return to the Aquila A base. In fact, of the fleet comprising over a thousand ships, only one specially designed ship would reach the Aquila Two binary star system. The rest would return to the Aquila A base after installing relay satellites. This precaution was taken by Xiao Yu to account for any contingencies. In such a scenario, even if his ship were captured by the unknown entity, they would only acquire a single Town-Class ship, which would have limited strategic value. Within the vast nebula, every dozen or so hours, another batch of relay satellites was released. These satellites, powered by their propulsion systems, maintained their positions and upheld communication between Xiao Yu and the fleet. Every few days, another ship would leave the fleet and return home. Over two decades later, the fleet had completed half its journey, covering approximately 0.7 light-years. Xiao Yu’s fleet had dwindled to fewer than 500 ships. This region marked the Oort Cloud of Aquila A. However, in a star-dense region like the Aquila Nebula, Oort Clouds typically had no distinct ownership. Materials in this area could simultaneously belong to two stars. In other words, this was both the Oort Cloud of Aquila One and potentially that of another star. Due to gravitational disturbances, their orbits were highly unstable. One moment, they might orbit Star A, and in the next cycle, they could end up near Star B. Some stars lacked Oort Clouds altogether. This was often due to passing celestial bodies capturing their materials. As time passed, Xiao Yu’s fleet came within five years of reaching the Aquila Two binary star system, a distance of approximately 1.5 trillion kilometers. At this range, the brightness of Aquila Two-Y finally became visible to the naked eye, though Aquila Two-X, a white dwarf, remained unseen. In fact, Xiao Yu had never directly observed Aquila Two-X. Its presence was confirmed only through measurements of Aquila Two-Y’s orbit, its mass loss rate, and the gamma rays emitted as Aquila Two-X consumed its companion star’s material. Through this data, Xiao Yu deduced the structure of the Aquila Two binary star system, confirming the existence of a white dwarf companion. This phenomenon is extremely common in the universe. In fact, even during the Earth era, humans—let alone with Xiao Yu’s advanced technology—had never directly observed celestial bodies like black holes. Their existence could only be confirmed through gravitational lensing effects around the black hole, the orbital trajectories of nearby celestial objects, and the various types of radiation emitted as black holes devoured surrounding matter. Xiao Yu’s fleet continued to approach the Aquila Two binary star system. When only one billion kilometers remained, the fleet was reduced to just two ships. One was Xiao Yu’s specially designed observation ship; the other was a transport ship. This transport ship would release the final relay satellite and then begin its return journey. During this nearly fifty-year voyage, Xiao Yu achieved a remarkable feat. He had established a communication link between two stars, enabling near real-time communication across the vast distance between them. At this distance, Xiao Yu unexpectedly discovered that the Aquila Two binary star system still harbored a planet. It was a gas giant with approximately 0.6 times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting the central pair of stars with a period of 69 years. A red dwarf, a white dwarf, a planet, and countless interstellar materials comprised this intricate and extraordinary binary system. The distance between the red dwarf and the white dwarf was only ten million kilometers. Such proximity necessitated their incredibly rapid orbital motion to prevent a collision. Despite their tremendous speed, a white “bridge” always connected the two stars. This white bridge, stretching ten million kilometers, was thickest at the red dwarf, where it originated. It gradually thinned as it extended to the white dwarf, wrapping around it several times before ultimately connecting to its surface. Through this bridge, stellar material continuously transferred from the red dwarf to the white dwarf at an astonishing rate of 17 million tons per second. The bridge’s white coloration indicated a temperature of around 6,000 degrees Celsius, comparable to the surface temperature of the Sun. From a distance of one billion kilometers, Xiao Yu used his telescope to observe every intricate detail of this incredible binary star system, marveling at the spectacle. Despite being a billion kilometers away, the radiation intensity here far exceeded that of the Sun—Xiao Yu detected X-rays and gamma-ray radiation at least 10,000 times stronger than those from the Sun. Nevertheless, all of this remained within the tolerances of his specially designed ship. Xiao Yu pressed forward without hesitation. Within a billion kilometers, there was virtually no matter—no asteroid belts, planets, or dust. The powerful stellar winds had swept the region clean. Xiao Yu’s ship continued its rapid approach. When only 300 million kilometers remained, the final transport ship released its relay satellite and embarked on its return journey. Only a lone Town-Class ship remained, drifting like a solitary leaf on the vast cosmic ocean, resolutely pressing toward its destination. Xiao Yu focused his telescope on this astonishing binary star system. Adjusting the resolution and reducing the brightness, he eventually synthesized an image detailed enough to reveal the surface of the white dwarf. At first glance, Xiao Yu’s gaze became transfixed. On this white dwarf, smaller than Earth but with the mass of the Sun, he saw numerous structures of varying heights resembling artificial buildings. Due to extreme gravity and temperatures, the stellar material adhered to the white dwarf’s surface was in a bizarre state. It exhibited fluid-like properties but defied conventional descriptions of liquids. In this state, energy continuously radiated outward in the form of visible light and heat. The white dwarf’s luminosity was faint, but this faintness was relative to stars; it still radiated at a stellar level. Here was a sea of light and violent energy. Amidst this sea, Xiao Yu observed countless structures—some resembling towering factories, others vast machines, and innumerable small robots busily at work. Both the white dwarf and the red dwarf were in a frenzied state. Yet, amidst the violent cosmic dance of death, technological constructs of a civilization still existed. To Xiao Yu, these structures were beautiful, exuding a peculiar sense of aesthetic appeal. From them, he felt a sense of tranquility and peace, as if they embodied all the most beautiful aspects of the universe. “An unfamiliar technological civilization. I’ve been waiting here for fifty years, and at last, you’ve arrived.” A message was transmitted to Xiao Yu’s specially designed ship. The message was immediately relayed to a relay satellite 400 million kilometers away, passed from one satellite to the next like a relay race. Eventually, the message reached Xiao Yu’s mind. Xiao Yu stood there, stunned.

Chapter 104: Sea of Light

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