Chapter 45: The Mecha Dynasty, Section 8

Is the Light and Dark Stone actually a universe?
To be honest, Hei Fa had always thought his own experiences were the strangest in the world. But he never expected to hear even more bizarre things during his lifetime. A stone—Madaro claimed it contained a complete universe?
He opened his mouth, suddenly wanting to laugh, but found that his muscles had gone numb at some point. Though he managed to open his mouth, no smile appeared. His own voice startled him—when had it become so hoarse? It sounded like gravel grinding together.
“Confirmed?”
“Yes, it’s confirmed.” Madaro was equally dazed, nodding as he replied in a dreamy voice. It was clear this news struck him just as hard, even overturning all his worldview in some ways.
“How many people know about this?”
“Twelve. All of them are under control.”
“That’s good. Under no circumstances must this get out. Otherwise…” Hei Fa shuddered, his face paling.
As he recovered from his initial shock, Hei Fa no longer doubted Madaro’s words. He finally believed that a universe truly existed within that so-called Light and Dark Stone. And if that was the case… he would have to bear the consequences of discovering this secret.
The first step was ensuring secrecy. The implications of this news were immense. Hei Fa could hardly imagine the difficulties he would face if the outside world learned of it. Not to mention the Moors—even among humans, he would become a pariah. His former allies, Marshal Wick and Duke Poseidon, would never allow him to monopolize such a terrifying secret. That was human nature; nothing could change it.
Beyond that, Hei Fa suddenly found himself at a crossroads. His choices would directly affect the fate of the Death Star in the future.
Should he uncover the secrets of the universe within the Light and Dark Stone, and what benefits could this universe bring him?
What benefits… Wait!
As his thoughts unfolded, a cold glint appeared in Hei Fa’s eyes. He suddenly thought of the Moor Emperor’s leech warships, the monkeys, and that blond, blue-eyed European.

A terrifying thought, one enough to make Hei Fa shudder, quietly arose in his mind. In an instant, Hei Fa was so terrified that he could hardly breathe. His usually resolute face turned as pale as paper. Beads of sweat dripped down from his forehead. Even his hands, which were usually so steady while piloting mechs, were now trembling like sieve mesh!!

It was a universe… a universe that the Moor Emperor desperately needed… it was the Moor Emperor’s weakness…

So, in that universe, was there perhaps another planet, its name being…

Earth?

He was shocked by his own thought. At that moment, Hei Fa could hardly think. Every second felt like an eternity to him. He didn’t even know where he was. Although he could see the hall ahead, he felt a thick darkness surrounding him from all sides, slowly… slowly devouring him.

“Hei Fa… Mr. Hei Fa…”

It was unclear how much time had passed before a distant voice rang out in Hei Fa’s mind, pulling him out of his shock. Straining to focus, Hei Fa realized that he was surrounded by people. Not only was Madaro looking at him with concern, but many Black Prison researchers were also staring at him anxiously, their eyes filled with worry and care.

“Ah. It’s nothing. I’m sorry for disturbing everyone. I’m fine.” Seeing this, the corners of Hei Fa’s mouth twitched slightly as he forced a smile before waving his hand.

“Go back to your tasks. Don’t worry about me. Really, it’s nothing.”

“Is it really nothing? That’s good. Then let’s all go back to our work,” Madaro said, sighing in relief and echoing Hei Fa’s words as he sent the Black Prison researchers back to their duties. Only after they all left did he turn back to Hei Fa and speak in a low voice.

“Mr. Hei Fa… are you really fine?”

“Mm.” Glancing at Madaro’s anxious face, Hei Fa suddenly felt a wave of warmth in his heart. He nodded firmly. “I just remembered something unpleasant and got lost in thought for a moment. But I’m fine now. By the way, any progress in your research? If it’s indeed a universe, what benefits could we gain from it?”

“Well…” Madaro rubbed his hands together and thought carefully. “We’ve just found a way to proceed. It’s too early to say there’s progress. But as for benefits… there are quite a few.”

“For example, resources…”

“We don’t have to worry about that. My Twins is already the largest resource distribution center in humanity. There’s almost no limit to resource collection.” The black-haired man interrupted Madaro’s words.
“But what about the variety?” Madaro asked quietly in return.
“Every universe, no, even every galaxy and every planet, has its own specialties. Every race has its own civilization. The universe is so vast that it’s impossible for us to cover everything. In the past, to obtain even a little new resource, we had to pay a hundredfold price—colonizing, killing, plundering—wasn’t everything done for those purposes?”
“Go on…” The black-haired man’s eyes sparkled, as if he realized what Madaro was about to say.
“Now, we possess one universe.” Madaro raised a finger. “So can I say that I have access to all the resources in this universe?”
“That’s impossible.” The black-haired man rejected it without hesitation. Not to mention his suspicion that this universe was his hometown, even Madaro’s claim was an utterly unattainable fantasy. Discovering something was one thing; occupying it was another. How could he think of taking control of an entire universe? Must he have been kicked in the head?
“I know it’s impossible. But think about the difficulties we faced to decipher the secrets of this stone. In fact, after careful consideration, those energy-absorbing characteristics and the process by which the Mud Aliens were consumed can actually prove a legendary hypothesis.” Madaro swallowed hard, his eyes suddenly glowing with a surprising light.
“That’s the theory of the finite universe. The universe isn’t actually infinite; it also has its own limits and boundaries. What we deciphered were those boundaries of the universe—in other words, the legendary Crystal Wall!”
“If that’s the case…” The black-haired man’s thoughts were guided by Madaro, and he unconsciously continued his words.
“If that’s the case, it means we can enter this universe. And the resources in this universe will be available to us—whether through occupation or exchange, it’s possible.” Madaro continued, his wrinkled old face turning red with excitement.
“Of course, we’re still studying what rules this universe follows. But if we can master those rules, we’ll almost become gods there. Everything we want will be achievable.”

“Master the rules!?” The black-haired man’s eyes lit up instantly. Suddenly, he saw the truly valuable aspects of Madaro’s vision. Just like the universe he was in now, which also followed certain rules familiar to him—physics, chemistry, gravity, and so on—there were still many things he had never imagined before. Things like magic-based civilizations and spells. All of this showed that every universe had its own rules. And by mastering those rules, one could exploit them to gain tremendous benefits. In other words, to find loopholes. For example, in a universe governed solely by physical laws, the emergence of a magic-based civilization would bring about revolutionary changes. The black-haired man could use his resources to acquire astronomical profits or even unparalleled power. Even true conquest might be possible. Thinking of this, he immediately thought of the Emperor of Moore. Had he come from the universe within the Stone of Light and Darkness? If so, was that universe his homeland? He must have mastered the rules and resources of that universe, brought them here, reaped enormous benefits, and used them to build a powerful Moore Empire, conquering all directions and becoming a true ruler. His heart pounded violently. In an instant, he realized he seemed to have found the path the Emperor of Moore had taken and could vaguely sense his weaknesses. It was still the rules! But not those of this universe, but the rules of the Stone of Light and Darkness!! He must master the same rules as the Emperor of Moore; otherwise, he would never be able to defeat him. Before he knew all of the Emperor’s secrets, he had been like a mountain that could never be climbed, intimidating him. But now that he had discovered the path the Emperor had taken, he had the same opportunity. Moreover, this was related to his dream of returning home. The black-haired man no longer wanted to hesitate. After understanding this, he immediately pulled Madaro to a corner, stared into his eyes, and spoke in an unprecedentedly serious tone, word by word: “From now on, all my resources, including myself, are at your disposal. There is only one requirement: find the secrets of this stone and the rules of the universe it contains. If possible, you must also find a way for me to enter that universe.”

He blinked once; Madaro was clearly not used to Blackhair’s serious attitude, but he still nodded a few times. He took a deep breath.
“I understand, but I need time.”
“As you wish… I’ll fight for it for you.” Blackhair gave Madaro’s iron shell a firm pat in agreement. Then he turned and left the hall without looking back…