Chapter 1185 Echo Wall

"People of the Stars?" Hao Ren hadn't expected Muru to suddenly mention this mysterious race. "Do you think they're related to the mastermind behind the Godslaying incident?"

Muru shook his head. "That's not what I meant. As you know, our understanding of the People of the Stars is also very limited. In this situation, we can't rashly say how much they're connected to what happened back then. I just associated something with the term 'Echo Wall.' You should remember we once said that all investigations into the People of the Stars were fruitless, and the only information available contains this sentence: 'The People of the Stars come from the depths of the universe, and the place where they live is occupied by the Dark Voice.'"

Hao Ren blinked, quickly recalling the sentence. He had heard it from Lementusa the last time he inquired about the People of the Stars. The race that left this sentence had vanished with time, but they were the only species that knew anything about the People of the Stars. Their words were practically the only clue about those ancient energy beings. Hao Ren was deeply impressed by the "Dark Voice" in that sentence.

"Dark Voice, whispers, Echo Wall—are these just coincidences?" Muru looked down at Hao Ren. "Putting these words together makes one think of some hidden connection. According to you, the Godslaying Sword is a fragment from our universe, and it's a fragment from tens of millions of years ago. In that era, even we guardians hadn't been born yet, but a powerful figure had already forged this sword and attached the power of the 'Echo Wall' to it, allowing the sword to trigger whispers in the souls of mortals. The People of the Stars are the oldest life in this universe, and they existed when this sword was forged. So in that ancient proverb, the 'Dark Voice' around the People of the Stars makes me think..."

Lily blurted out, "So I think the Dark Voice is the whisper, and the People of the Stars are the Dark Voice—or at least they can't be separated from it."

Muru was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "All clues point to this, but if that's the case, the People of the Stars' efforts to save the situation during the Great Disaster can't be explained."

Lily thought for a moment. "Maybe they were pretending to be good people, or maybe they screwed up and had to clean up their own mess."

Lily's speculation was simple and crude, but it made sense. Although Hao Ren was unwilling to use such malice to speculate about those mysterious beings who had indeed saved many lives, he had to admit that, in this theory, the People of the Stars suddenly had a huge amount of suspicion.

Whispers, Echo Wall, Dark Voice—these three words completely entangled the People of the Stars.

But at this moment, Sif, who had not spoken all along, suddenly said, her tone gentle, making people involuntarily calm down. "We can't draw any conclusions based solely on a 'Dark Voice' mentioned by a mortal race. After all, that mortal race never actually saw even one of the People of the Stars until their extinction. The sentence they left behind is most likely just religious delusion. And I suddenly remembered a sentence my mother said when she was still alive, about the People of the Stars."

The scene instantly quieted down, and then Lementusa said urgently, "What did Mother say? How come I don't know?!"

"It was just a casual conversation. We mentioned various mysterious life forms in the universe while chatting. When we talked about the People of the Stars, Mother said, 'They are very reclusive, but trustworthy. If something really happens one day, remember my words, they are trustworthy.' But at the time, I couldn't understand the deep meaning of what Mother said."

Everyone looked at each other. Sif certainly didn't intentionally hide what the Goddess of Creation had said. She had only suddenly remembered this when others had doubts about the People of the Stars, and this was enough to bring out a large amount of information.

"It seems we still need to be more cautious in dealing with the People of the Stars," Lementusa finally summarized. "But before we actually find those 'hermits,' we still need to maintain a certain vigilance and doubt."

"Then let's put this matter aside for now," Hao Ren said as he put away the Godslaying Sword. "Next, I don't know if you know a Guardian Giant named Mimir? He's stranded in my universe."

"Mimir?" Lementusa indeed had information. "I know three compatriots named Mimir. One was a charging warrior, and he died early in the war. Another was the Star Orbit Guardian of the Surun Gate, and he also died. The last one is a big figure. He was among the first of us to be born, known as 'Mimir the Wise Who Gazes at the Stars.' He was responsible for coordinating monitoring information from all life planets throughout the universe and was the caretaker of all of Mother's gardens. But after the war broke out ten thousand years ago, he disappeared. I always thought he had also died on some battlefield."

"Then it seems to be him," Hao Ren clapped his hands lightly. "He didn't die. Instead, he came to Earth with many 'heretics' who crossed the Wall of Reality at that time. I think he was carrying some mission, but like other heretics, he also lost his memory under the impact of the Divine Blood Sin."

As he spoke, he had the data terminal open a holographic projection. Mimir's photo appeared on it: only a head.

"Mother of Life!" Lementusa exclaimed when he saw Mimir's situation. "Our brother... how could he become like this?"

"It was just a lab accident. His body was destroyed, but his head is still surviving well," Hao Ren explained. "He doesn't know anything about the Dream Plane now, so I'm going to arrange a time for you to meet. I can't bring him to the Dream Plane—at least not yet, but I have a more suitable meeting place that might allow you to talk face-to-face without worrying too much about putting too much pressure on the Wall of Reality."

Muru's tone was very urgent. "What place?"

"I consulted my superior, and she gave me the suggestion—in our universe, there's a place called the 'Rift Nebula,' which is a scar in the universe, left when the Wall of Reality was torn apart many years ago. That rift is located at the junction of two universes, and two kinds of universe rules have formed a dynamic balance there. It will be very safe for you to meet there."

Hao Ren told the three giants his plan. In fact, "using the Rift Nebula as a new bridge between the Dream Plane and the Surface World" was something he had been thinking about for a long time, and its purpose was not just to allow the guardians to communicate with each other. Currently, the only channel Hao Ren uses to travel between the Dream Plane and the Surface World is still the rift under the Andre Manor in Siberia—the only known stable channel. However, the scale of this channel is very limited. Even if he uses various spatial devices to strengthen and expand this rift, he still feels very constrained when transporting certain large items.

His work has progressed to the point where it's no longer a matter that can be solved by one person running around like he did in the beginning. He often faces epic events, and who knows when he might need to summon an army again. However, transferring a large number of people to the Dream Plane would damage the Wall of Reality, so he urgently needs to open a new stable channel.

After researching with Raven 12345, he and the goddess sister unanimously agreed that the "Rift Nebula" was the best choice. Although that rift has now calmed down and healed, there is still a connection point deep within it. As long as some preparations are made, this gate can be safely opened.

Of course, this gate can only be used by Hao Ren to transport ordinary personnel and supplies. Considering the special attributes of the Guardian Giants, they cannot completely cross the Wall of Reality, so Hao Ren will build a special area within the Rift Nebula, which is equivalent to creating a safe island between the two universes, so that Mimir and Muru can meet.

Here, thanks should be given to Raven 12345 for her friendly technical support—of the non-exploding variety, of course.

"You can arrange it," Lementusa now had complete trust in Hao Ren. "We can go anywhere."

Hao Ren nodded. "Of course, there's no problem, but opening this gate will probably take some time. I need to wait for the Wall of Reality to reach its most stable state before I can open the connection point. The next cycle will be in about a month. Before that, you can have a video call or something... Here, I'll give you a special communicator."

As he spoke, he took out a silver-white cubic device from his personal space and handed it to Muru.

"Mimir also has one of these things. This kind of communicator is specially prepared for demigods like you. It can filter out the information interference generated when you talk to each other, thereby eliminating the pressure on the Wall of Reality. Try it. Mimir should be online over there."

Muru carefully pinched the communicator with two fingers that looked like palace pillars. "...Um, is there a larger size?"

Hao Ren: "...Damn, I forgot about that!"