Chapter 138 The Enigmatic Star

Lily and Vivian stared blankly at the data terminal, the latter completely unfazed, as if saying, "Anyway, my shell is hard; try biting me if you dare." Hao Ren, from the beginning, hadn't really believed that a husky and a bat spirit could accomplish any serious research together. He tapped the table, telling Lily to stop grinding her teeth, and casually picked up the pentagonal crystal panel. "Found any clues?"

The data terminal activated its holographic projection. "It's like a diary, left by a staff member of the observatory. This machine has already translated it for you. Take a look yourself."

Hao Ren stared at the log records on the holographic projection, finding that they were diary-like entries, all recording work-related content. The beginning was filled with uninteresting entries about equipment maintenance, weather, and constellations, but later, it suddenly mentioned an event that caught his attention:

"...Night of the ninth, clear and cloudless, atmospheric stability excellent. An incredible phenomenon was observed in the night sky. Akanar I erupted with a burst of light, the star's outline expanding to the size of the sun, its red light illuminating a quarter of the sky. The equipment recorded this miraculous phenomenon. The mentor speculates that this was a supernova explosion, believing it proves Akanar I is indeed an aging star, despite its parameters being vastly different from ordinary stars... Everyone regrets not being able to measure this ancient star's data before the eruption, but we should also celebrate this event, as perhaps we can analyze its composition from its spectrum..."

This passage was highlighted by the data terminal in a special color. Hao Ren asked, "Do you think this 'Akanar supernova' is connected to the eldest son disaster of Tanagus?"

"Remember the database you found on Alamanda? It contains all the information about the Tana people. According to the records, the first appearance of the eldest son's tendrils on the planet was three days after that supernova event," the data terminal shut off the holographic projection. "In any case, this Akanar supernova was the last major anomaly before the eldest son disaster. Regardless of whether there's a real connection between the supernova and the eldest son, we should pay attention to this astronomical event."

Hao Ren became serious, sitting next to Lily and pondering for a moment. He suddenly asked, "The database I handed over is already connected to the Imperial data network, right?"

"It's been connected for a long time, and it's already completed the overall translation and backup. It's currently connected to the Third Sample Repository. You can activate any relic museum of an extinct civilization with your inspector authority, but you can only modify relics of extinct civilizations registered under your name."

"Connect to the Tanagus civilization database, search for information on the Akanar star... and all astronomical events before the eve of the eldest son disaster."

The supernova record in the storage reminded Hao Ren that both the eldest son and the Creation Goddess were from the starry sky. If there was any harbinger of the doomsday event back then, it would most likely be reflected in some astronomical phenomenon. He should pay attention to information in that area.

The Third Sample Repository, also known as the "Civilization Graveyard" or "Species Tomb," was an infinitely large storage device dedicated to preserving the samples of civilizations that perished within the territory ruled by the Hillings. Seventy to eighty percent of these samples came from the inspectors. Inspectors would encounter various dying civilizations in the process of traversing the worlds, and collecting and organizing the relics of these civilizations was one of the daily tasks of an inspector.

Due to the special nature of the Third Sample Repository, accessing it required a higher level of secure mental connection. Hao Ren felt his mind split in two, just like the last time he "split his spirit" in the Dragon Spine Mountains and returned to the surface world. He was both consciously looking at his living room and having a part of his perspective taken to a wondrous realm. A part of his spirit traveled through a very empty space, and countless figures rushed past him: those figures were inspectors from other universes who were also accessing the Third Sample Repository. Some of these inspectors sensed the arrival of a newcomer, and several figures greeted him warmly, which Hao Ren reciprocated one by one. And soon, the information he was looking for was presented before his eyes.

Akanar I was an ancient star located on the ecliptic plane of the planet Tanagus, and it was also a "strange star" that had plagued the astronomers of Tanagus for thousands of years.

The astronomers of Tanagus called the first constellation on the ecliptic plane "Akanar," which meant "red arrow" in their language, and Akanar I was located at the tip of this triangular constellation. It appeared as a dazzling red in all seasons, with a brightness that topped all the stars. From the beginning of modern astronomy of the Tana people to the eldest son disaster more than a thousand years later, it always changed brightness at a fixed frequency. This change in brightness was different from ordinary stars and was its first mystery.

And the second mystery was that the Tana people couldn't even determine if this red star was a star at all.

Logically, besides the planets within a star system, the stars shining in the night sky should all be stars, because planets don't emit light and can't be observed with the naked eye by surface creatures. However, the astronomers of Tanagus studied it for thousands of years and couldn't determine what kind of "star" Akanar I was. Its various parameters and characteristics were closer to those of a planet. It had low temperature, low radiation, and didn't have any of the spectral characteristics that a star should have. It "unquestionably exhibited the characteristics of a solid planet," and no star light distortion could be observed around it, which proved that Akanar I's mass was also small, at least far from reaching the standard of a star.

Yet, it hung in the night sky of Tanagus, clearly visible on any clear night.

The Tana people had a detailed encyclopedia record of Akanar I in the Tanagus database, noting: From any perspective, this red star is a celestial body that should not be observed. This low-temperature, low-mass planet should be hidden in the dark depths of space. However, in fact, it has always been one of the brightest celestial bodies at night, which almost challenges our existing scientific system...

And the biggest mystery of Akanar I was yet to come: its distance couldn't be measured.

It just hung there openly, but the astronomers of Tanagus couldn't measure its specific distance. Because the usual measurement methods—triangulation parallax, spectroscopic parallax, Cepheid parallax, etc.—either produced completely different data or couldn't measure any data at all. It was like a shadow printed on the retina; you could see it, but you couldn't find it in real space.

It was precisely because of these mysteries that the Tana people had long debated Akanar I, arguing endlessly between three viewpoints: that this star was a star, a planet, or even a mirage in space.

It was this almost "supernatural" strange star that experienced a "supernova explosion" more than ten thousand years ago, and three days after that, the first tendril of the eldest son pierced the surface.

Hao Ren rubbed his eyes, detaching himself from the Third Sample Repository. Lily immediately wagged her tail and went up to him. "How was it, how was it?"

"A very complex, strange star," Hao Ren casually pinched Lily's ears, quieting the girl down as if dealing with a pet, and then roughly explained the information he saw in the database. "In short, it's something that doesn't conform to the laws of nature. I suspect it might really be related to the eldest son..."

While Hao Ren and the others were discussing the issue of Akanar I, a voice suddenly came from the direction of the back door: "Everyone's chatting?"

Hao Ren looked up and saw that the Big Beard was pushing the door open, carrying half a roasted rabbit. Looking at the sky outside, it was already dark: unknowingly, it was already evening, and the Big Beard had finished his day of wilderness survival and was returning home. Vivian slapped her forehead. "Oh, didn't look at the time... I'll go cook!"

Lily drooled as she looked at the roasted rabbit in the Big Beard's hand, her tail hitting the sofa armrest like a drumbeat. "Landlord, landlord, are you hungry? You must want to eat roasted rabbit, right? But you definitely can't finish it all by yourself, right? So..."

Hao Ren covered his face. "Don't play coy with your IQ... Brother Beard, lend me your roasted rabbit."

The Big Beard happily handed the rabbit meat to Lily, asking, "What were you guys discussing just now?"

"The Tanagus thing," Hao Ren casually told the Big Beard about the strange supernova record. "Ten thousand years ago, the night sky of Tanagus exploded instantly..."

The Big Beard had originally asked casually, but after hearing Hao Ren's description, he frowned. "Wait, I don't know if I'm overthinking it... The ancient books of the Radiant Church also have similar records."

Hao Ren: "...What?!"