283 years later, the virtual world of 《 Divine Revelation 》 had seen the rise of a legendary mage, a renowned white-robed sword master, a dark-robed sorcerer dwelling atop a high tower, a valiant knight leading a mighty army, a brilliant and cunning monarch, a shadowy master assassin, the Adventurer's Guild's top adventurer, a dragon-slaying hero, and a powerful priestess wielding ancient, forgotten magic...
All of it, real and unreal at the same time.
Upon awakening, Luna was disconnected from it all.
"A truly fulfilling 283 years."
Unlike her previous, unexplained hiatuses of several centuries, the time spent in the virtual world felt meaningfully spent.
She sat up, a cloud of condensation forming around her mouth and nose.
A robot, which had stood beside her hibernation pod for 283 years, spoke. "The hibernation fluid vaporizes above 50 degrees Celsius, transitioning from liquid to gas."
"This aids in waste removal."
"Welcome back, Luna."
Looking at the robot, Luna felt a profound sense of contrast.
Ayla, in the virtual world, had been so accommodating and even childishly endearing.
Ignoring Ayla, Luna left the hibernation pod, got dressed, and headed to the bridge.
"Luna, why aren't you responding?"
"Has our long association made you tired of me?"
"Or perhaps the fluid damaged your vocal cords?"
"..."
Ayla followed, peppering her with questions, clearly already knowing the answers.
Ayla, with her advanced intelligence, easily deduced that Luna was deliberately ignoring her.
But instead of accepting that, Ayla chose a more human approach—persistent questioning.
Entering the bridge, the screen displayed what Luna had requested.
Two large stars, one slightly larger than the Sun with a similar spectral class and golden hue, and another slightly smaller, orange in color.
These were Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B.
Their arrival here meant they had entered the Centaurus constellation.
Proxima Centauri b wasn't orbiting either of these stars; Luna's target was hidden behind their light.
It was a red dwarf star with only 12.2% of the Sun's mass. It orbited the barycenter of Alpha Centauri A and B. This star was Proxima Centauri, also known as Alpha Centauri C.
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From Luna's perspective, Alpha Centauri A and B were orbiting each other, while Proxima Centauri circled them, in a roughly circular orbit.
The two larger stars were only 23 AU apart, equivalent to a star in the Solar System orbiting between Uranus and Neptune.
Proxima Centauri was 0.2 light-years from the barycenter of the two larger stars, possessing three planets: Proxima Centauri b, c, and d.
Proxima Centauri c was a large rocky planet, seven times the mass of Earth, but 1.5 AU from Proxima Centauri.
In the Solar System, this distance would be considered ideal. However, Proxima Centauri, being a red dwarf star, had a much lower surface temperature (2800°C), significantly less than the Sun's 6000°C.
Therefore, the surface temperature of Proxima Centauri c was a frigid -230°C, similar to the Multi-eyed planet's surface temperature. Without significant geothermal activity, it's unlikely to support a civilization.
Proxima Centauri d, while further out, was actually closest to Proxima Centauri—less than 5 million kilometers. A railway could reach the surface in just a year and a half using 21st-century high-speed rail technology.
Its surface temperature could reach 100°C. However, with only 26% of Earth's mass, it was too small to support a civilization.
Only Proxima Centauri b was located within Proxima Centauri's habitable zone, making it the most suitable planet for human survival and the most likely to host a civilization.
"Let's stop here."
Luna wasn't planning on landing directly on Proxima Centauri b.
They still needed to confirm the absence of any civilizations.
"Dispatch a Falcon to scout ahead. Maintain complete stealth. Avoid approaching the planet's surface."
A planet with an advanced civilization would have many surface structures, easily detectable with high-powered telescopes.
"Ayla, analyze Proxima Centauri b. What's the probability of this planet harboring a civilization?"
The Multi-eyed planet had supported a Type 1 civilization.
This planet, far more suitable for life, should have a probability millions of times higher.
"13.72%."
"Proxima Centauri b, from our close-range observations, is 1.52 times the size of Earth, slightly larger than initially predicted."
"This mass creates a denser atmosphere. While its proximity to Proxima Centauri results in tidal locking—one side intensely cold, the other intensely hot—the atmosphere distributes heat more evenly, resulting in a predicted surface temperature of approximately 46°C on the sunward side and -82°C on the dark side."
"The average temperature at twilight is around 10°C, ideal for life."
"Furthermore, Proxima Centauri b has a low eccentricity (0.17) and a stable 3:2 orbital resonance, suggesting a higher probability of civilization development than the initially calculated 13.72%."
In short, the probability was quite high.
After a 12-day journey covering 57 AU, the Falcon reached a point only 4 AU from Proxima Centauri b.
Here, the reconnaissance drone deployed its three-meter-diameter telescope, capturing humanity's first ultra-high-resolution images of Proxima Centauri b (70 trillion pixels) over three days.
Nineteen minutes later, the Hope received the images.
After processing them, Ayla displayed the images at their maximum resolution.
On Proxima Centauri b's dark side, countless points of light were evenly distributed.
Luna felt a shock.
If each point represented a settlement, Proxima Centauri b's level of development was exceptionally high.
"The Falcon has transmitted a second image."
Ayla announced, displaying an image of Proxima Centauri c.
Countless points of light were also visible on Proxima Centauri c.
This confirmed that the civilization on Proxima Centauri b was at least Type 1.
"Ayla, clear all space dust within 10 AU. Relocate the reconnaissance drones to a distance of 30 AU to ensure we are not detected by enemy warships."
"All warships, prepare defensive systems. Enter combat readiness."
"Recall the Falcon. Avoid any rash actions."
"The fleet will maintain radio silence for one month. Ensure the Proxima Centauri civilization does not detect our presence."
A series of commands were issued.
Luna needed to be cautious. If they could observe this civilization, it was likely that this civilization could observe them too.