"Let me explain a few things about the Startup Terminal... there should be some connection between the two banks."

The Abyss Xyrin suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Up until yesterday, this was just a conjecture, something I inferred based on the blueprint and function of the Startup Terminal. But now that there’s a tangible object in front of us, I can basically confirm this matter," the Abyss Xyrin briefly sorted out her thoughts and turned to look at the ancient Immortal Creation in outer space, "The Startup Terminal is probably the only thing that can break the incompatibility barrier between the two banks—it’s not matter in the usual sense, but purely an informational entanglement product. You see it placed there, but actually, you are just receiving its external existence information. Of course, according to the unified information theory: information is everything, we can still consider the Startup Terminal as a tangible ’thing’, but its creation process must be understood: a purely informational entanglement process, even simpler and more direct than the Empire’s information-to-matter conversion. Thus, the Startup Terminal possesses some extraordinary properties. Both banks use the same blueprint, the informational entanglement process is entirely identical, so the created Startup Terminals are exactly the same, because the entire process is not based on local material foundations, so it doesn’t have any attribute loss for us."

The Abyss Xyrin explained very clearly, and I immediately understood what she meant: the Startup Terminal is not made from the "material" of any bank, even the so-called Extraordinary Material has nothing to do with the Startup Terminal, therefore it naturally doesn’t have the "attribute loss" phenomenon. There’s only one set of blueprints for the Startup Terminal, from processing methods to raw materials, all predetermined by a genius on the other bank. And currently, it seems the Hearts of the World on both banks are essentially similar, so the Startup Terminals created are all the same. But I still find it hard to believe because that big floating thing in the distance is not at all in the style of the Startup Terminal created by the Abyss Xyrin. It looks like a scorched, deformed plastic ball, while the Startup Terminal created by the Abyss Xyrin is a radiant ball of light. No matter how much chaos this Naughty Kid causes, at least her aesthetic seems stronger than the other bank’s...

Sandora also thought of this, and curiously asked, "Did you say the Startup Terminals created on both banks are the same? There’s a big difference in appearance!"

"Appearance? Appearance doesn’t matter. The Startup Terminal doesn’t have a fixed form. It turns into a radiant ball of light when charged, but when fully dormant, it undergoes informational collapse, and the ’cooled’ Startup Terminal can take on any form," the Abyss Xyrin shrugged, "Don’t forget what it’s made from: the Heart of the World itself is an amorphous thing, and the Startup Terminal in its dormant state can randomly take any form. This messy big ball... is probably the form of some Heart of the World from the other bank."

Bingdisi was confused for a long time, but then somehow had an epiphany: "So if this thing turned into a pretty girl, it’s possible, right? As long as it’s something that could appear in the universe?"

The Abyss Xyrin looked at Bingdisi strangely: "...Theoretically feasible, but what’s the point?"

"No point," Bingdisi laughed stupidly and gave me a hard pat on the shoulder, "Your sister halo didn’t work this time!"

Me: "..." What has this crazy woman been pondering about all this time?!

"Now it seems there’s another detail in the bridge-building experiment that led to the destruction of our Hometown World back then..." Lin Xue looked at the ancient dark equipment thoughtfully, "The other bank wasn’t unaware that doors had to be opened on both banks to build a bridge, they also knew two Startup Terminals were needed, and they even launched one over. It looks like they intended to open the doors simultaneously through remote control or timing? But somehow this theoretically feasible plan still failed... the launched Startup Terminal wasn’t activated at all." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"According to historical records... it indeed wasn’t activated," Taville nodded, "Activating a Startup Terminal is a very noticeable and spectacular phenomenon. During the Peace Core battle, the entire universe was lit up by the glow of the Startup Terminal, but the historical record shows that our Hometown World faced the Abyss Gate and resisted fiercely for many years, yet no one ever saw any massive light pillar connecting worlds appear—this indicates the thing never powered on, and in the end, for unknown reasons, its shell fell off, leaving only a core. Theoretically, it’s like that."

The Abyss Xyrin suddenly revealed an odd smile: "Looks like the New Army is doomed to fail."

I was taken aback, but quickly understood the Abyss Xyrin’s meaning: After the Peace Core battle, we salvaged some secret information from the New Army, and ultimately confirmed that those radical madmen indeed created another Startup Terminal and launched it to the other bank. They really planned to "synchronize door opening" remotely, but now it seems that long ago another suicidal civilization tried this path, and it simply won’t work—although the ’remote control plan’ itself may not necessarily be infeasible, we can at least now confirm there are definitely issues with this path.

Taville already confirmed that the core "is still usable", so the problem must lie in the execution process.

It’s a pity the New Army, now reduced to dust, will never know these things.

Actually, speaking of them, the New Army is quite impressive, they were able to create another Startup Terminal within a few short months after splitting from the Abyss Zone and forcefully send it to the other bank. This ability is simply terrifying. Knowing how rare Startup Terminals are, losing even one core makes the Abyss Xyrin as troubled as anything, yet those madmen casually created another and sent it over...

One can only say that people without limits truly can do anything. The biggest problem with creating a Startup Terminal core is it requires a large number of Hearts of the World, and they must be ’naturally occurring’, fast-growing synthetic versions won’t do. The biggest reason the Abyss Xyrin is troubled is that she still has limits; she can’t lay hands on other worlds (the Void Three Giants would hit her), nor can she touch her territory in the Abyss Zone (she’s reluctant), but the New Army is different. They destroyed all the worlds under their control, either sacrificing them to charge the Startup Terminal or dismantling them to create the core, and during a few months of frenzied actions, they also plundered many innocent worlds in the White Zone—this was found out later from the captured data warehouse. The Void is vast, and some areas are beyond the reach of both the Divine Race and the Empire combined, we simply cannot monitor every act of plunder by the New Army, only known worlds can be watched. So these limitless madmen achieved this near-miraculous ’outcome’.

But they didn’t know they chose a path that failed countless years ago.

Of course, much of this can only be my speculation—after all, many details of the ’gate-opening incident’ in the Hometown World back then are already unclear, and the real reason why this ancient Startup Terminal wasn’t activated is also a mystery, not to mention that there is no longer any evidence on the New Army’s end, merely relying on some broken database salvaged after the battle makes it very difficult to reconstruct the entire truth.

"What could be the actual reason for this Startup Terminal being scrapped?" Sandora showed a thoughtful look. Meticulous as she is, it’s impossible she wouldn’t consider many hidden issues, "The Abyss Gate that appeared in the Hometown World back then was a failure, could there be a fault with this Startup Terminal? Using it... isn’t that unsafe?"

"There’s no problem with the Startup Terminal itself," the Abyss Xyrin nodded firmly, "Although you can’t see its actual form without activation, the initial tests were all smooth, judging whether the Startup Terminal core is intact is very simple, as long as it passes several attribute checks, you can be one hundred percent sure it has no faults."

Taville also chimed in: "Perhaps the problem back then was with the exterior components of the Startup Terminal. Maybe those components were damaged en route after being launched, but this isn’t important, we only need its core now. Theoretically, that’s how it is."

"What’s the next step?" I stared at the oddly shaped ancient core, "Just stuff this thing directly into our Startup Terminal’s shell? Do we need to do any processing, adjust the size, grind the interface or something?"

The Abyss Xyrin stared at me in awe, and after a long time, she lowered her head in admiration: "Father, only your imagination makes your daughter in awe."

Me: "..." No matter how well they pretend, Naughty Kids are all the same kind!

Taville cleared his throat twice to break the silence: "Ahem, the specific installation plan hasn’t been finalized yet. First, we need to thoroughly inspect this core inside and out, as it’s something from many years ago, and it wasn’t made by the Empire, which makes me feel a bit uneasy. After inspecting it, we still need to figure out its energy supply model. Although the startup terminals made by both sides are identical, their energy interfaces are always ’special products’ made by each civilization. We haven’t even found the socket yet... Theoretically, that’s the case."

So now, the expert group is busy looking for a socket for this device, which is truly an upscale job.

"Speaking of, does our Ghost Energy... work?" I suddenly recalled that the startup terminal uses Ghost Energy for charging, at least the Abyss Xyrin-made startup terminal uses Ghost Energy as energy. "Will there be any conflicts?"

"Didn’t I tell you? The startup terminals from both sides are exactly the same," Abyss Xyrin looked over a bit helplessly, "Can you listen more carefully? The startup terminal is probably the only thing so far from both sides that won’t have ’incompatibility’ issues. And of course, the energy can be interused. Besides, Ghost Energy is just one form of Extraordinary Energy, according to the Void Ladder, anything on the same level can essentially interchange. Ghost Energy can transform into the world, and the world can be burned up into Ghost Energy. Holy Light, Advanced Arcane, and Power of Truth are equal to Ghost Energy. Transformation is this easy, and even if one energy frequency doesn’t work, we can switch immediately. At worst, we’ll install a ’transformer’ inside it. Anyway, the startup terminal has plenty of space inside; we can stuff in lots of bits and pieces."

I wiped away the nonexistent cold sweat from my forehead: "Why does your plan seem even more haphazard than my imagination? Is this really okay? I feel like the quality of the startup terminal is worrisome."

"At least it’s complete equipment, so nothing will go wrong," Abyss Xyrin spread his hands, "Besides, the startup terminal only carries out the ’startup’ task throughout the process. Simply put, it’s a disposable consumable. After the bridge is built, it’s useless. The Void Long Bridge will sustain stability on its own, and the startup terminal will evaporate by itself afterward. Yep, the plan is perfect. It seems I’m almost as capable as I was back in the day."

Everyone: "..."

Finally, I glanced at Lin Xue and Xiao Xue. The only role of these two Prophets here seemed to be as weather vanes. When Abyss Xyrin finalized the "plan," the mother-daughter duo of Prophets simultaneously nodded.

Alright then, it seems there really won’t be any problems... theoretically speaking.

The matter of the startup terminal was unexpectedly and happily resolved like this, leaving only the things the expert group needs to worry about. I felt that if I continued to stay in this place with its immense amount of information, I would eventually feel inadequate and die from my limited knowledge, so I bid farewell and left.

Bingdisi also left with me, accompanied by Xiao Xue: the former because her professional background wasn’t related, and listening to Taville and Sandora study the startup terminal sounded like gibberish to her as well. As for the latter... forget it, does a Naughty Kid need a reason to do things? Although I also don’t quite understand why such a big girl still needs to hold her dad’s arm when going out shopping.

The three of us arrived at the bustling and lively marketplace of the Civilian Zone in Shadow City. Perhaps the resolution of the startup terminal issue lifted my spirits, even making me see the entire world through rose-colored glasses. What I saw daily suddenly seemed more vibrant, with all sorts of races filling my view. People in bizarre outfits, both humanoid and non-humanoid, were bustling on the streets. Some of them I could barely recall where they came from, but most were completely unrecognizable—partly because many came from the Macro World, leaving little impression, and partly because these people had fully integrated into this extraordinarily inclusive Capital of All Realms, becoming a part of Shadow City, entirely local.

Previously, Lin Xue unintentionally remarked that everything about Shadow City was good except for its lack of culture. Xyrin Apostles never studied such things; their culture was generally inscribed on warheads, and visitors from various realms were ultimately mere visitors and temporary residents, not the "natives" of Shadow City. But now I feel Lin Xue’s remark is entirely out of place—Isn’t this the culture of Shadow City?

Inclusive of everything, full of vitality, and everyone can live peacefully, with countless laugh-and-cry incidents happening daily. Countless customs and habits blend and merge here, creating this peculiar atmosphere, which is completely the culture of Shadow City, or even can be called the culture of the New Empire.

Alright, it seems resolving the startup terminal issue has made my mood so jubilant beyond control, leading me to make such reflections while seeing a few Centaur girls tangling with two shoe vendors on the street. But speaking of... Centaurs use horseshoes, right? Ladies up ahead, don’t you feel you should go to a blacksmith shop or such places to buy shoes?

Just as I thought this, I saw one of the shoe vendors pull out a few horseshoes from a small satchel beside him: "How about trying these, young ladies? Genuine durable horseshoes, I’ll nail them on for you..."

A mystic small satchel, suspicious brand knockoffs, cross-range business without legal proof... Although he wasn’t wearing dark glasses or a "uniform," I immediately understood what was going on: Two months of peace, Sicaro’s subordinates, those bastards are finally warming up, oh dear!

But... well, since I’m in good spirits today, I’ll leave them be. Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve seen the city management in Shadow City clashing against mafia gangs, squeezed by the war for so long that even the army feels breathless. Now we’ve finally entered a relatively long peaceful period; it’s good to let these rascals relax a bit—even though Xyrin Apostles don’t seem to need much relaxation.

"Peace is wonderful," I looked up at the clear azure sky and sighed softly, "Relaxing the mind makes the whole world look as beautiful as if Photoshopped..."

"You still have such a whimsical way of describing things," Bingdisi walked beside me energetically, with her hands behind her head, even though we’re merely strolling, she carries such an imposing momentum as if on a fast march, "But seeing you completely revert to normal does relieve me. You have no idea, normally such a carefree and silly optimistic person, to suddenly become serious and deep, how awkward it feels, watching you every day felt like my three views were constantly reshuffled."

Bingdisi’s words remain straightforward, solid as if rocks are hitting one’s face, yet this candid manner of speaking still conveys an undeniable, heartfelt concern, which seems to touch me a bit, softening my smile: "To be honest, you’ve taken pretty good care of me all these years. You know I’m quite a half-baked Emperor, Sandora can teach me about knowledge, but she’s really not good at guiding people... I imagine being such a half-baked Emperor has worried you quite a bit."

"Initially, I always thought... What does a guy from the Xyrin side have to do with me," Bingdisi’s crimson eyes glanced over, "But later, unknowingly, I realized you’re quite a person, couldn’t help but care about you. After all, it’s not easy to witness a Void Creature growing. Having turned you into something worthy, I could brag about it for a lifetime."

I think it’s true; this female hooligan now counts as part of the Xyrin Divine System, but initially, she and I were two parallel lines. Friends being friends, but the extent to which she truly cared about the growth of an alien race leader shouldn’t have been easy. Yet she has always assisted this half-baked me over the years better than any of the other members of Tiaozi Five, almost forgetting her original racial identity before inadvertently becoming part of Xyrin (a similar situation involves Dingdang, but Little Thing’s unconventional actions are due to intelligence factors, not comparable to Sister Bing). What does this count as?

A voice suddenly came from the side: "The touching unsung contribution of four years from the Nameless Void Foster Wife doubtlessly... Oh, seems not really a foster wife? Don’t mind the details."

I turned my head to look: Xiao Xue was right next to us. This girl rarely goes a whole journey without speaking; almost forgot her just now!

And as Xiao Xue’s words landed, Bingdisi seemed to get thoughtful. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)