Judge Yan continued his patient explanation: "If we take a single core mother star as an example, this star contains many time lines that can infinitely extend on their own, with varying time laws. Each time line has an independent central star, and these independent stars are supported by the core mother star that encompasses all the central stars of the time lines."
Judge Yan went on, "If the core mother star is completely destroyed, all the time lines dependent on it will be destroyed as well. Conversely, if all the time lines within the mother star are destroyed, the mother star itself will collapse and be destroyed. Regardless of how the mother star is destroyed, it will form a black hole that is at least as large as its original volume."
"During the destruction of the mother star, the divine power from the Spirit Realm will become unbalanced, triggering another massive explosion. This causes all the time lines within the mother star to merge into one and transform the mother star into a black hole with a randomly generated time law. This single time law will then consume everything within the black hole, forcing them to conform to this one time law."
"As a result, these black holes, under the influence of this singular time law, will yield vastly different ages when observed—some appearing much older or much newer. Observers from different time laws will detect different formation ages from the black hole. This principle applies whether the black hole is formed from a single core mother star or an entire core star system."
With Judge Yan's detailed explanation, Haoyun gained new insights and found his previous understanding overturned once again. He couldn't help but wonder how Earth scientists, who firmly believe in science and dismiss the mystical, would react if he shared the true reasons behind black hole formation. Would they find their understanding of the world upended? Or would they brand him as a heretic and burn him at the stake in the town square?
Haoyun wanted to ask Judge Yan more questions about the perplexing issue of time lines. But before he could speak, a pleasing chime echoed from the system screen in the center of the judgment hall. Immediately, Master Gu exclaimed excitedly, "We found it! We've found Elina's trail!"
Everyone rushed to Master Gu's side, elated, as he pointed to an inconspicuous red mark near black hole VOID-5173 on the screen. "Here! After extensive comparisons, the system finally found traces of Elina's energy in a moving gain time line adjacent to black hole VOID-5173. And after thorough verification, it seems Elina left no other traces of energy nearby. Therefore, I boldly speculate that Elina most likely escaped into black hole VOID-5173."
Under Master Gu's guidance, Haoyun and the others reviewed the system's feedback and quickly understood why Master Gu was so confident Elina had fled into black hole VOID-5173. The location of VOID-5173 was far from the areas where Elina had previously been active. From the system's tracking of Elina's movements, it was as if she had been drawing attention southwest, only to suddenly appear in the northeast. This deceptive maneuver was clearly suspicious.
Additionally, the energy traces Elina left near VOID-5173 were more concealed and potent than those at other nodes, indicating she had used a powerful spell upon arriving there. Coupled with Haoyun's recent trance that led him to VOID-5173, all clues seemed to point towards the black hole. Thus, after carefully analyzing the intelligence multiple times, the group unanimously decided that black hole VOID-5173 must be closely monitored as a key target.
Given the likelihood that Elina had slipped past the guards around VOID-5173 without detection and breached the Spirit Realm's blockade, Judge Yan immediately ordered more divine officers to be dispatched to VOID-5173. They were to set up additional blockades to ensure Elina could not escape if she truly had entered the black hole.
Simultaneously, Judge Yan deployed a military unit to patrol the area around VOID-5173 to monitor any unusual energy reactions. Judge Yan was confident in deploying the divine army so boldly because the region around the black hole was inhospitable to any lower realm beings, making it a true no-man's land. Therefore, even if their actions slightly damaged the local time lines, it wouldn't be severe and could be easily repaired.
Once Judge Yan had strengthened the blockade around VOID-5173, everyone turned their attention back to Haoyun.
"It seems your brain is indeed having issues," Dream Jia was the first to speak.
"Hey! Didn't the system locate the black hole based on my description? That proves my brain is fine!" Haoyun retorted.
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"Yeah, but how did you accurately describe the scene around the black hole if your brain is fine?" Dream Jia pointed to the black hole VOID-5173 and the star map around it.
Indeed, Haoyun was just a rookie who had recently ascended from being a mortal to an assistant divine officer chasing down Spirit Realm energies. How could he accurately describe the scene around black hole VOID-5173 without prior knowledge? Seeing Dream Jia's reasonable doubt, Dao Lao and the others began looking at Haoyun more peculiarly.
"Hey! Can you stop staring at me like I'm some kind of freak? I was just thinking about where Elina might be hiding and got curious about the star map on the screen. I unconsciously reached out to touch it, and suddenly, I was in a trance and saw the black hole and that star map," Haoyun explained. Feeling uneasy under their stares, he stepped aside as he spoke, trying to avoid their gazes.
"Why don't you try again? See if you can trigger any other reaction," Dream Jia suggested curiously. She reached out and pulled Haoyun back to the screen.
Haoyun realized he couldn't refuse Dream Jia, so he reluctantly took a deep breath, rubbed his hands together, and mentally prepared himself. Then, he once again muttered Elina's name and cautiously reached towards the star map on the screen. As expected, nothing happened. Unwilling to give up, Haoyun tried two or three more times, but there were no unusual reactions from him.
"It seems like your connection with her has been severed," Dao Lao said, motioning for Haoyun to stop his futile attempts.
"Severed connection? What does that mean? Dao Lao, have you figured out what happened to me?" Haoyun asked.
Dao Lao didn't answer Haoyun. Instead, his eyes revealed a flicker of sadness. Judge Yan quickly intervened, "Uh—Haoyun, besides seeing the black hole and the starry sky, did you experience anything else?"
Haoyun recalled the trance-like state he had been in and replied, "Besides seeing the black hole and the slowly moving stars, I also heard a voice calling me. This voice sounded both familiar and strange. It made a part of me feel very excited and gave me a strong sense of belonging. I then felt the black hole and the surrounding star map were unusual and tried to remember them as clearly as possible. As it turned out, we found Elina's hidden traces based on that black hole and star map."
"I see," Judge Yan said with a mysterious smile, glancing at Dao Lao and Master Gu.
"In that case, it seems we'll have to trouble you three divine officers to make a trip to black hole VOID-5173! Rest assured, considering the dangers of the journey, the Thirteenth District of the Spirit Realm will fully support your quick in-and-out mission," Master Gu said, bowing slightly to Haoyun and Dream Jia, and then giving Dao Lao a heavy pat on the back, urging him to perk up.
"Alright then, let's get ready! My spear is itching for some action! Elina, you'd better not let me catch you this time, or I'll shoot your butt to pieces!" Dream Jia declared, stroking her long spear.
With everyone in agreement to investigate black hole VOID-5173, Haoyun naturally didn't hesitate. Despite the constant dangers on the Alf star mission, he didn't develop a fear of undertaking another mission. On the contrary, the Alf star mission had tempered Haoyun's resolve and ignited his adventurous spirit. Moreover, from the previous two missions, Haoyun realized the immense responsibility of his job. To prevent further harm from Spirit Realm energy, he felt compelled to face each task with full dedication, ensuring the peace of the Spirit Realm and protecting its inhabitants.
("Sigh! This story ultimately returns to the main theme of the protagonist saving the world. Sigh! When will we have our own protagonist?" the author lamented.
"Hey, there you are again. Thanks for your hint last time, or we wouldn't have known how to deal with Elina!" Haoyun said upon hearing the author's sigh.
"Oh, that. It was my fault, I shouldn't have said anything," the author replied dismissively, not wanting to revisit the topic.
"What do you mean? Aren't you the author? Leaking a bit of the plot is no big deal, right? Besides, you essentially saved us from ruining the story by abruptly killing off characters," Haoyun retorted.
"If I could, I'd end this damn book sooner! I shouldn't have said anything!" the author mumbled regretfully.
"Really? I was just trying to thank you, but you're being difficult!" Seeing that the author didn't want to engage, Haoyun decided to ignore him.)
"Say that again!" Dao Lao's sudden roar snapped Haoyun back to reality.
"Hey, Dao Lao, I'm just doing my job, following protocol!" Judge Yan said insincerely.
"Bullshit protocol! Looks like you two need a lesson!" Dao Lao continued to shout angrily.
"What the hell is going on? Weren't these old guys getting along just fine?" Haoyun wondered, bewildered.
"They're arguing over the reward. Judge Yan and Master Gu say Dao Lao didn't capture Elina, so he shouldn't get paid. And now they're arguing about—hey, where are you going?" Dream Jia asked as Haoyun angrily joined the dispute.
"What?! They're trying to cheat us? We agreed on the payment before we went to Alf star!" Haoyun shouted, jumping into the argument.
For the next while, the group engaged in a heated discussion about whether Haoyun and Dao Lao deserved their reward for the Alf star mission. Judge Yan and Master Gu argued that since Elina escaped, the mission was technically a failure, so no additional compensation should be given. Haoyun and Dao Lao countered that Elina's escape was due to unforeseen circumstances and emphasized that they had thwarted a long-standing Spirit Realm energy conspiracy and exposed a hidden threat in the Thirteenth District. This, they argued, was a significant contribution deserving of reward.