The light in the council hall shifted from the bright azure of load-bearing schematics to the cold, sickly crimson of an open ledger.
Cascades of decrypted numbers flooded the air, scrolling in tight, upright columns that climbed from the granite floor to the high timber rafters. Each row was marked with a timestamp in ancient sky-high cycles. It was followed by intake volumes, pressure readings, and destination tags corresponding to the great family vaults of the Upper Realm.
Su Ling’er stood frozen, her hands pressed against the edge of the council table. Her amber eyes darted from column to column, her mind struggling to absorb the terrifying time scale unfolding before her.
“Epoch One,” Su Ling’er whispered, her voice barely louder than the rustle of dry leaves. “The First Celestial Dynasty... Two million, eight hundred thousand years ago. Extraction rate: one hundred thousand cubic meters per cycle.”
“Tracking data analysis confirms,” Dao Spirit announced, her voice echoing with somber deep ring. “The historical log comprises twelve distinct world-size epochs, spanning three million terrestrial solar cycles. The data reveals a consistent, cyclical methodology of artificial civilizational regulation.”
Lin Xiao floated closer to the scrolling light, his semi-clear blue mass hovering silently. His two white eye-markings, usually so lively and curious, were steady as stone.
