Chapter 20: Tracing the Light Civilization, a 6.7 Million-Year-Old Spaceship

A giant cave beneath the planet's surface.

Escorted by tens of thousands of robots, Yan Xia entered the cave, and the sight that greeted him was awe-inspiring.

The cave was so vast that it could accommodate an entire mountain.

In its center stood a silver pyramid, and at the top, a miniature sun emitted a dazzling, colorful light, illuminating the entire cave as bright as day.

This reminded Yan Xia of certain legends from ancient Egypt.

"Ella, after your comparison, is there any connection between this pyramid and the pyramids of ancient Egypt?"

Such a question was best left to Ella, the expert.

Since there was no holographic projection outside, Ella was currently controlling a robot.

Whether intentionally or not, this robot had the same silicone shell as before, now dressed in a tight-fitting outfit.

Ella had dyed its hair, eyebrows, and even eyelashes a snowy white, while its pupils were ice-blue cameras with a mechanical overlapping structure.

At first glance, it looked no different from a human, even possessing unparalleled beauty.

Only when it moved did one notice that its skin texture was different from that of a normal life form.

Ella mimicked a human's thoughtful expression, then spoke with certainty.

"Yan Xia, there's no connection."

"This pyramid is actually a starship, and what you see is just the exposed bow of the ship. Its real shape is a prism."

"The structure of the pyramid is a cone, which is stable and not prone to collapse under the influence of gravity on a planet's surface."

"In space, a cone-shaped structure is impractical and meaningless unless it's a design choice. It would even create additional problems when the ship leaves the planet's surface."

Of course, unless this civilization had discovered the gravitational force and achieved complete control over gravity, realizing anti-gravity technology.

But a civilization capable of studying the most terrifying celestial body in the universe, a black hole, and even using it as an energy station, would be at least a Level 3 civilization.

Yan Xia nodded, indicating his understanding.

In other words, this spaceship had nothing to do with the pyramids.

As for the light at the top, Ella had already provided Yan Xia with the relevant information, which was displayed on the helmet's visor of his spacesuit.

The light was bound light energy, indicating that the spaceship possessed a powerful 'light civilization'.

Ella estimated the civilization's level to be around 2.

The difference in energy sources between civilizations of adjacent levels is a hundredfold, and the gap in technology is even more significant.

Ella herself had only developed to Level 1.4.

Yan Xia slowly approached the spaceship.

At first glance, it didn't seem that large, but as he got closer, he felt his own insignificance.

The bow of the ship alone was over 700 meters high and 1,000 meters wide.

In the visible part, Yan Xia couldn't find any seams or rivets; the bow seemed to be a monolithic metal mirror that clearly reflected his image.

"So, the Hundred-Eyed Race's civilization didn't develop over a long period but inherited the technology brought by this spaceship?"

Yan Xia asked.

This was the primary reason he had come here.

The discovery of the spaceship explained many previously inexplicable doubts.

As a Level 1 civilization, the Hundred-Eyed Race was still at a very primitive stage in terms of energy, and although there were reasons to explain this, it still seemed a bit far-fetched.

Especially the development speed of the Hundred-Eyed Race's civilization—after being hit by Yan Xia's absolute zero-degree missile, it quickly stagnated, showing no resilience expected of a Level 1 civilization.

"That's right, although there's no record of this spaceship in the Hundred-Eyed Race's history."

"But it's evident that this is the origin of their civilization."

"Light doesn't lie."

"I've also studied the formation of this cave, and it's at least 6.7 million years old."

"This also aligns with the Hundred-Eyed Race's historical development."

"The Hundred-Eyed Race has been studying this civilization, but the technology they copied is too advanced. It's like a vocational student studying rail transportation being given the technology and machinery to manufacture 1-nanometer chips. They can indeed produce the chips, but they can't innovate."

Yan Xia was shocked.

A Level 2 civilization from 6.7 million years ago—what level would it have reached if it had continued to this day?

"Where's the entrance? Let's go in and take a look."

Just the exposed bow was astonishing; the interior must be even more impressive.

Ella pointed to a large hole next to the spaceship.

"The Hundred-Eyed Race dug here and opened the ship's hatch."

The hole was almost vertical, but Ella had arranged for a temporary elevator to be built for Yan Xia's convenience.

Yan Xia rode the elevator down 4,000 meters to the hatch, a huge triangular opening over 60 meters in diameter.

Inside, Yan Xia was speechless.

The interior was in disarray, as the Hundred-Eyed Race had dismantled many parts for research.

"Ella, have you learned any technology related to this civilization from these parts?"

This was what Yan Xia wanted to know the most.

If they could decipher the technology of a Level 2 civilization, their own civilization would take a significant leap forward.

"Actually, I've already started analyzing it, Yan Xia."

"This civilization is a light civilization, and I predict that their home planet, unlike this planet, is not lacking in light but is instead bathed in it."

"Their home star system likely consists of multiple stable stars. They yearn for light, study it, bind it, and control it."

"Not only is their spaceship's weapon system based on light, but even their power system and main computer extensively utilize light."

"They use light energy for information storage and propulsion. According to my calculations, the theoretical speed of this spaceship can reach 10,000 km/s, one-thirtieth of the speed of light."

A terrifying speed.

The fastest spaceship Yan Xia had was the Star Patrol Ship, capable of 1,455 km/s.

"We can't fully decipher their technology yet. This civilization's development direction is very different from that of humans, and the Hundred-Eyed Race has only learned some superficial aspects."

Yan Xia looked around, and many of the instruments were peculiar, most of them made of crystals to facilitate the propagation of light.

"We shouldn't copy them blindly; we need to absorb their essence and discard the dross."

"By the way, what about this spaceship? I like its outer shell material; it's unique, and there's no rust even after 6.7 million years. Can we modify this spaceship?"

Yan Xia was interested in the shell.

Ella thought and calculated for a moment.

"No problem, but I'd rather analyze the materials used in this spaceship so we can produce them ourselves."

That would be even better.

Yan Xia nodded. "Then let's do it."

"Afterward, let those Hundred-Eyed Race scientists participate."

"I trust your wisdom, Ella, but civilization is never formed by one or a few individuals. Imagination is more important than technology and computing power. Let's squeeze the creative juices out of those Hundred-Eyed Race scientists."

Yan Xia decided to develop on this planet first.

This way, he could be better prepared to face unknown dangers in the future.

Instead of panicking and taking thousands of years to occupy a planet, as was the case with the Hundred-Eyed Race.

"No problem, I'll brainwash those elite Hundred-Eyed Race members for an extended period, turning the entire Hundred-Eyed Race into humanity's vassals."