Luna and Ayla's initial actions weren't about initiating diplomatic procedures, but about deploying forces to approach other advanced civilizations from a different direction.
They hadn't planned to contact those advanced civilizations, because everyone knew they would inevitably become enemies.
In fact, voices advocating exchange with other civilizations had already risen within the Federation.
But Luna and Ayla chose to ignore them.
Because this wasn't a simple matter; ordinary people find it hard to imagine the complexities of civilizations.
Let's simply say two people, or even two friends, are imprisoned in the same cell. Both haven't eaten for seven days, and each has a small knife. Would one trust the other?
That's highly improbable, let alone two civilizations unfamiliar with each other, not of the same species, and without any commonality.
Expecting benevolence from the other civilization is no more likely than expecting a starving tiger in a small cell to spare you, to not eat you.
The Federation occasionally sees the rise of such pacifists.
But they forget that their peace was won through war, through the weapons in their hands, not through learned knowledge, not through the mercy of the strong.
Whether it's humanity or civilizations across the cosmos, it's always the same.
The knife in hand, the gun in hand, the cannon in hand, riding warships—these are the things that truly bring peace.
The moment a more powerful civilization speaks, weaker civilizations can only submit to the stronger one's imposed "peace."
Luna and Ayla's actions served a dual purpose: first, to probe whether that powerful civilization truly held absolute control.
Second, to bait them. Other civilizations undoubtedly harbor similar questions. If one civilization couldn't restrain itself and initiated war, the civilization behind the Connector would certainly eliminate the disobedient one. The Federation would then learn just how strong the civilization behind the Connector was, while simultaneously gaining access to the annihilated civilization's technology.
Was this a calculated move?
Perhaps.
To Luna and Ayla, it was simply business as usual.
Having received confirmation of their assumptions, Luna and Ayla wouldn't rush; they would proceed cautiously, step by step.
Ayla then tallied the number of potential explosion points within the Federation's detectable range: sixteen, far more than Luna had anticipated.
"Sixteen points require troop deployment for defense; we cannot allow the High-Dimensional lifeforms to invade."
Luna was somewhat apprehensive, but dimensional invasion wasn't so simple.
Four-dimensional objects, upon entering three-dimensional space, would be forcibly compressed into three-dimensional objects. Just as three-dimensional beings can't comprehend a two-dimensional world, four-dimensional beings can't fully understand the three-dimensional world; they can only speculate.
However, speculation wouldn't allow them to create practical weapons.
Theoretically, four-dimensional civilizations would be severely weakened upon entering three dimensions.
"If we proceed from this point, the strength of a Type 3 civilization might exceed our imagination."
"What kind of weapon could exist across any dimension?"
Manifesting as a three-dimensional form in a three-dimensional world, a four-dimensional form in a four-dimensional world, and so on—theoretically, a Type 3 civilization inherently encompasses dimensions.
And its dimensional encompassment is like a stack of blocks: even separated, each block retains its properties, rather than being destroyed.
For example, a person in a three-dimensional world, if deprived of one dimension—height—becomes a two-dimensional being, yet can still exist as a lifeform in the two-dimensional world.
"That's incredibly difficult to understand and imagine, Luna."
Luna nodded, taking a sip of tea to help escape this line of thought.
"Dimensions are both overlapping and parallel; we ultimately need to head in that direction."
"But with my abilities, I'm afraid I can't search in that direction. We need more talented individuals to explore dimensions."
"In the 21st century, humanity considered dimensions merely a tool to explain quantum phenomena, but now we know dimensions exist, and have even observed the possibility of hypercubes. We need to revise our physics."
"Science is a continuous process of exploration and falsification, but the existence of dimensions itself presents a mathematical precision to humanity."
"Perhaps we can approach this from mathematics, using this uniquely human tool of truth to uncover the universe's secrets."
It's no exaggeration to say that all of humanity's achievements are built on mathematics.
And it's likely the same for other civilizations.
The Federation boasts numerous outstanding mathematicians. Federation dimensional theory continuously improved during the old Federation era, and in the new Federation, mathematics remains the paramount discipline, second to none.
Almost every scholar's chosen field inevitably includes mathematics.
But reviewing past research, Luna discovered a previous error in the Federation's approach to dimensions—an unforeseen development.
Following the Federation's typical trajectory, understanding the true existence of dimensions would likely occur around type 2.7 or 2.8, prompting exploration of dimensions, rather than simply treating them as tools. Dimensions were seen as a small part of the universe, as Calabi-Yau spaces.
Even though Luna and Ayla had previously anticipated that Type 3 civilizations were dimensional civilizations, their assumptions were only suspicions, not certainties.
Their speculations lacked a foundation in rational calculation.
This time, however, they aimed to transform those suspicions into certainties.
"Our first attack will likely be weak, as the High-Dimensional beings need to complete their reconnaissance in lower dimensions."
"The purpose of this so-called war isn't inherently warfare, at least not in the initial stages. It's about exploring, measuring, and researching dimensions, allowing advanced civilizations to gradually understand, control, and exploit dimensions, ultimately ascending to Type 3 civilization."
Ayla made this judgment based on the currently available information.
Everyone's primary goal is to reach Type 3 status.
In fact, many previous mysteries are explainable now that the Connector has appeared.
The reason for the immense power of stellar explosions is that they aren't confined to a single dimension but involve six dimensions.
The reason for the linear nature of the explosions is that the dimensions can only connect through gravitational forces. Luna suspects that a black hole exists at each end of this so-called straight line, allowing precise targeting of the bombs between dimensions.
The reason for the conscious influence is that a certain dimension is likely testing methods beyond warships—consciousness-based manipulation that transcends space and time. If weaponized, it would be incredibly troublesome.
"For now, our understanding remains speculative."
"Our next step is to verify and falsify this information, piece by piece."
"There's a lot of work to be done."
Luna sighed.
She herself was fine, but now she couldn't help but be busy.
It truly proves the adage that even a tree wishing for stillness is struck by the wind.
The irony is that the most peaceful period of her life may have been the tens of thousands of years spent waiting at Gas Station.
...
The Federation chose its first target civilization from the Olive Branch civilization's star chart—a civilization located over 5,000 light-years away.
This is one of the closest known civilizations to the Federation.
Another civilization considered was the one that originally destroyed the Multi-eyed civilization.
Although this civilization is also approximately 5,000 light-years away, the prediction that it was a Type 2 civilization 10 million years ago led Luna and Ayla to believe it's likely a Type 2.8 civilization now, rather than the somewhat uncertain Type 2.6 civilization on the Olive Branch star chart.
The possibility that this civilization, having developed for 10 million years, has become a Type 3 civilization, is clearly impossible based on Luna and Ayla's current theories and available data.
First, if the Milky Way contained a Type 3 civilization, the Connector wouldn't be necessary; the Milky Way's current situation would be far more "orderly."
Second, the leap from Type 2 to Type 3 is a far greater hurdle than discovering the graviton—a breakthrough beyond the comprehension of the beings themselves, like the shackles and restraints described in cultivation novels, requiring both luck and innate talent.
Without both, progress would be permanently stalled.
Civilizational advancement is similar. Consider humanity on Earth: for millennia before the scientific revolution, it was an agrarian society; after the Industrial Revolution, however, it experienced unprecedented rapid progress.
Could some civilizations remain forever stuck in an agrarian stage?
Quite possibly.
For example, feudal societies find it difficult to quickly generate new ideas for reform.
This is due to limitations in both the form of consciousness and the physical form of the beings. Dinosaurs dominated Earth for millions of years, yet produced no civilization—not even a single high-IQ species.
Similarly, if a civilization has a low birth rate and lacks external pressure, like the Warbeasts, they wouldn't need any left-wing ideology; a purely right-wing society would suffice.
Therefore, the emergence and progress of civilizations require various combined influences. Where there's pressure, there's resistance; where there's resistance, there's revolution; where there's revolution, there's progress.
It's a continuous cycle.
Interaction with a Type 2.6 civilization is definitely preferable to a Type 2.8 civilization.
Because Type 2.8 civilizations possess the potential to break the rules. Since there are no Type 3 civilizations in the Milky Way, even if the civilization behind the Connector is a Type 2.9, it can't completely suppress a Type 2.8 civilization—making Type 2.8 civilizations very dangerous.
Thinking about this, Luna recalled the predictions of the previous Holy Grail project.
"Before introducing the concept of dimensions, the assumptions were valid."
"Now, with the concept of dimensions introduced, the Holy Grail project's assumption that the Milky Way only contains Type 2.8 civilizations is no longer valid. Because Type 2.9 civilizations require not just resources, but dimensional advancement to reach Type 3 and achieve true dominance."
"A Type 2.9 civilization can't leverage its own strength to accelerate civilizational development like an oil slick, so a Type 2.9 civilization could exist in the Milky Way."
Under these circumstances, Chu's feeling of being foolish is understandable.
But it isn't.
In discussions where both sides lack complete knowledge, the person who pretends to know everything always has the upper hand.
Luna chose to be that person, thus gaining the authority to speak.
The Holy Grail project, at that time, was an unverifiable event. Even after the final war with the Olive Branch civilization, the Holy Grail project's assumptions remained valid, because the Olive Branch civilization was still unaware of the Milky Way's true situation.
It's like a gathering: if you can boast and brag without being exposed, you become the center of attention.
Luna and Ayla initially estimated that this interaction would take at least 35,000 years.
But it was much faster than they anticipated.
Approximately 2,000 years later, Luna and Ayla made contact with the other civilization.
Because the other civilization's warships departed earlier and traveled at over 100,000 km/s—nearly one-third the speed of light—covering the 5,000 light-year distance.
Their journey took 15,000 years, implying they possessed the information 13,000 years earlier than the Federation.
The civilization behind the Connector had long been planning this.
Moreover, the contact likely followed a hierarchy, or a sequence of precedence.
Advanced civilizations receive information first; less advanced civilizations receive it later. Civilizations receiving advance notice acquire more resources.
Luna and Ayla couldn't express outrage; this was simply reality.
Confronted with the other civilization's warships, Luna and Ayla wouldn't attack. As they'd predicted, the first to strike would be punished, and the other civilization clearly expected this.
The only good news was that the information received from the approaching warships confirmed the Connector's claims, at least regarding their own and the other civilization's positions.
However, neither civilization could truly verify this. What if the Connector was a tool of deception used by the other civilization?
Therefore, Luna and Ayla proceeded cautiously with the exchange.
This interaction didn't use language, but mathematics.
The two civilizations established non-invasive information exchange through mathematics, after which the interaction ended.
This was a truly peaceful exchange; neither side showed any hostile intent. This was the Federation's first encounter with a civilization demonstrably devoid of hostility.
Of course, even this "absolute" could be debated.
After the interaction concluded, the Federation's tachyon equipment detected tachyon signals originating from the other civilization's warships.
This served as a reminder to Luna and Ayla: tachyon technology is a dimensional technology. If all civilizations explore dimensions in the later stages of Type 2, then tachyon communication would lose its advantage.
Furthermore, due to the existence of High-Dimensional lifeforms, tachyon communication could theoretically be blocked.
They must have developed more advanced tachyon communication encryption techniques.
The other civilization's warship didn't leave but remained in Federation sector. It then disintegrated, scattering onto a rogue planet, forming numerous lifeforms.
Until the warship disintegrated, Luna and Ayla never saw its appearance.
Because the warship had no discernible form.
It couldn't be detected by any Federation equipment.
This wasn't because it existed outside three-dimensional space, but because its particles seemed to undergo multiple layers of encryption at the wave level.
Like how the human eye can only see specific frequencies of light; if someone alters the light's wavelength, making it fall outside any detectable light spectrum, biological organisms and their machines would be unable to observe it.
Only after the warship transformed into lifeforms did they become observable.
This was a species with a relatively easily-accepted appearance for humans.
This civilization calls itself the Flyers.
Because they possess wings.
They have wings like those of a butterfly, seemingly delicate yet beautiful. Their bodies resemble the embryos of juvenile dinosaurs; one could describe them as colossal dragons with butterfly wings instead of leathery ones.
However, there are differences. Their heads resemble those of a horse, long and slender, more akin to a walrus than a horse. A fin-like structure, extending from their head to their tail, sprouts from the top of their heads; this fin is pink or dark red.
Their arms are long and thin like a monkey's, as are their legs, but with only three fingers, covered in thick scales and ending in sharp, retractable claws like switchblades.
What's truly astonishing is their size.
While appearing delicate, standing before them reveals their immense and terrifying scale.
The largest creatures in the Federation are the Warbeasts, but they are dwarfed by these beings.
These are colossal monsters, further enhanced by bio-engineering, making their bodies incredibly formidable.
According to Ayla's observations, the density of these creatures is approximately 37 g/cm³, compared to iron's 7 g/cm³ and gold's 19 g/cm³. Their sheer mass is in the thousands of tons.
However, in this era and within the context of a Type 2 civilization, even incredibly strong biological organisms are no match for firepower.
The Federation now possesses powerful weaponry, such as the basic Lasgun, which can momentarily output nearly 40 gigawatts—enough to overcome even genetically enhanced creatures.
The term "Flyer" is commonplace in the Federation, but within their civilization, it carries greater significance, representing their civilization's pride.
Based on their unique physiology, Ayla believes these creatures were originally no larger than a large dog, not apex predators, but rather prey. Their powerful flight ability became crucial for survival, leading to their chosen name in the early stages of their civilization.
The Federation unilaterally designated the Flyer Civilization as the "Lepidoptera Draco," These creatures seemingly fall within the Federation's expectations, but in reality, they represent a completely different level of life.
Ayla's envoy described their contact: "These are creatures you can only look at."
Because they cannot be touched.
These creatures are essentially pure energy beings, or perhaps a blend of energy and physical matter, capable of freely shifting between these states.
Sometimes, they become completely invisible to the eye.
Visible light would pass right through them, making them lack any visible shadow.
Invisibility!
Humanity has long sought the abilities these creatures possess so effortlessly.
Luna only heard the description; she didn't make contact. She was incredibly curious, but Ayla strictly forbade it. The Connector's control made Ayla deeply worried about Luna's safety; even if not in immediate danger, Luna could be controlled by other civilizations at any moment.
Ayla realized she was also trapped within the Federation's framework, possessing no scientific or technological superiority beyond her position. This meant she couldn't protect Luna from powerful civilizations.
Previously, Ayla had disagreed with the Metacellular cloning, but after the Connector incident, she agreed to Luna creating clones.
"The Flyers' peace rests on the existence of stronger entities, but this doesn't mean they won't use other means to conquer us."
"After establishing their base, the Lepidoptera Draco began recruiting humans. They know they can act with impunity; even without the Connector civilization, their inherent power surpasses ours."
"I predict they will gradually lure Federation personnel with advanced technology. They have sufficient resources to assimilate all Federation lifeforms. I suspect they will foster a star nation to checkmate us."
The current method of containment isn't warfare, but rather creating significant obstacles through calculated measures.
Ayla's prediction, based on facts, is highly likely to be accurate.
This so-called "true peace" is defined by the absence of destruction; at least, the other civilization won't harm the Federation.
"Isn't this perfect? We need a powerful enemy!"
Previously, Luna had Chu instigate conflict between the Federation and the eternally democratic star nation, but that conflict was controllable; this one is not.
But Luna isn't worried. The Federation remains under Ayla's control; most Federation personnel are granted authority by Ayla; they themselves can choose not to participate in Federation production. The Federation needs humans because it needs diverse perspectives.
One could say the resource theory of imagination underpins the Federation's need for life.
The Federation's long-term development has proven the accuracy of Luna's resource theory of imagination.
Even if Ayla can calculate trillions of things, she cannot create something from nothing. This is a property of mathematics, and it extends to machines.
Zero multiplied by anything remains zero.
Human imagination transforms zero into one, and Ayla performs multiplication based on that one.
Of course, many extraordinary scholars directly create 10, 100, even 1000 or 10,000 things; Ayla's computational power can't instantly process those.
"It's perfect, but the unpredictable nature of the uncontrollable is difficult to gauge."
"We still need to focus on our own strength."
"Right Luna, the news from Betelgeuse hasn't arrived yet, but I've calculated that its supernova is imminent—within the next 100 years."
Luna was momentarily stunned.
So soon?
Yet, it felt like a long time ago.
"In other words, we need to secure the first—no, the second—black hole."
The Solar System's primordial black hole takes precedence.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly!"
Given Betelgeuse's mass, the probability of collapsing into a black hole is only 2%–4%; there's a 96%–98% chance of collapsing into a neutron star.
Ayla's years of preparation were aimed at increasing this probability. If it fails, Luna and Ayla will have to resort to a backup plan: causing Rigel A to collapse as well, then using gravity to bring the two neutron stars closer, inducing a neutron star merger to create a black hole.
...
Betelgeuse.
Also known as Alpha Orionis.
Its mass is approximately 13.1 solar masses.
This isn't particularly large by the Federation's current standards; numerous larger stars have been discovered, and other stars in Orion are arguably better choices.
However, Betelgeuse was chosen for its proximity.
Other high-mass stars are significantly farther, posing logistical challenges for fuel transport. The Federation couldn't extend its sector too far at the time.
A longer sector would yield more resources, but in the face of enemy attacks, warships wouldn't be able to provide timely reinforcements.
1,000 light-years means it would take thousands of years to provide assistance—too long.
For example, Gaia BH1, a black hole approximately 1,500 light-years away, wasn't considered.
Only after receiving news of a peaceful third dimension did Luna and Ayla plan to expand towards Gaia BH1; after all, it's a black hole with ten solar masses.
Exploiting Betelgeuse was a better initial choice.
Having already begun the Betelgeuse collapse plan, abandoning it now is impossible.
If Betelgeuse collapses into a black hole,
the Federation can accomplish much more, and the Orion Nebula will be fully controlled, allowing similar collapse plans for Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka.
At that point, the Federation can declare its transition from a stellar civilization to a black hole civilization.
By then, Betelgeuse will be completely different from its original state.
First, it will transform from a single-star system into a multiple-star system—not a simple one. The most common multiple-star systems in the universe are binary systems, followed by ternary to quinary systems. Betelgeuse will become a seventeen-star system.
Ayla orchestrated the capture of surrounding stars, incorporating them into Betelgeuse's orbit. This star system is incredibly complex, so much so that Ayla can't maintain its long-term stability.
In fact, if she hadn't been limited to seventeen stars, Ayla's ultimate goal was thirty stars.
Because the additional sixteen stars only add up to about six solar masses, merging with Betelgeuse would result in less than twenty solar masses.
The probability of forming a sufficiently massive black hole still wouldn't be high.
Therefore, Ayla created several massive gravitational devices on the periphery of the star system. These are like enormous satellite cauldrons, aimed at the central Betelgeuse.
"Commence operation!"
Aboard a warship on the edge of the star system, individuals anxiously watched. They had toiled for over 30,000 years for this moment, and now it's finally begun.
"Initiate the sequence. No need to wait any longer."
Everyone's hearts pounded; they felt like they couldn't breathe.
The chief engineer pressed a button.
There was no ceremonial fanfare.
The gravitational devices began disrupting the internal gravitational forces of the star system, destroying any conservation of angular momentum, and the sixteen stars spiraled towards Betelgeuse.
The process took two years; finally, the first star collided with Betelgeuse.
Betelgeuse, a red supergiant nearing the end of its life cycle, is immense, with a diameter of a staggering 1.283 billion kilometers. The star impacting its corona simply vanished, as if a pebble dropped into a lake.
Subsequently, more stars entered its corona and merged with it.
Approximately sixteen days later, Betelgeuse's brightness suddenly increased by 200,000 times, reaching 20 billion times the Sun's luminosity—a brief peak before instantaneously dropping to around 500,000 times the Sun's luminosity, returning towards normalcy.
A second brightness surge followed, reaching 6 billion times the Sun's luminosity. While less intense than the first, it was more sustained, lasting a full seven seconds.
After this brightness subsided, Betelgeuse underwent significant expansion, its radius increasing by 3% in a short period, and continuing to grow.
Luminosity stabilized at around 200,000 times that of the Sun, followed by several more brightness fluctuations, all below 100 million times the Sun's luminosity.
"Incorrect. Continuing this way, Betelgeuse will eject a significant portion of its mass, and this ejected material will only collapse into a neutron star."
The personnel aboard the warship began urgently recalculating and adjusting the gravitational device parameters, then activating the gravitational confinement.
This gravitational confinement consumed 1,100 years' worth of the Federation's energy reserves.
The expanding Betelgeuse instantly stopped expanding and began contracting inward.
But this wasn't cause for celebration.
Vast amounts of matter were compressed to the limit, but the star's core didn't begin to collapse. This caused the gravitationally compressed energy to rebound, sharply increasing the internal pressure.
182 hours later, the star unexpectedly stopped contracting and resumed expanding.
"Damn it, reactivate the gravitational device!" As soon as someone yelled this, all eyes turned to him.
"Captain, you forgot—we only have enough energy for one gravitational contraction."
The captain's heart sank; it felt as if his heart had taken flight.
"It's over!"
Just as everyone's spirits plummeted, the star's expansion began to slow.
"Slowing down!"
"Could it be…?"
Had the star's core finally begun to collapse?
But it was uncertain if this collapse would form a black hole. If not, the external matter would escape the star's gravity, resulting in a complete waste of resources.
But if it's a black hole…
"Rapid contraction! Now!"
In less than 20 seconds, expansion turned into contraction, at an unimaginably fast speed.
The moment the words "Now!" were spoken, the previously expanding matter collapsed into the core in less than two seconds—almost instantaneous.
The matter from Betelgeuse that hadn't been absorbed rushed towards the warship, blinding the screens with intense white light.
The warship activated its shields, blocking the matter, but only white light remained visible.
After approximately seven hours, the light gradually faded.
Before the warship now lay a region of absolute darkness. No matter could escape; the blackness seemed to have been carved from the very fabric of space, indescribable because it contained nothing.
Only the swirling accretion disk, radiating light, confirmed its existence.
"A black hole!"
"We did it!"
Everyone aboard the warship embraced and wept.
They had accomplished an extraordinary feat.
...
"Successful?"
"We paid a heavy price to facilitate this black hole creation."
Luna received the information and let out a sigh of relief, taking a few celebratory sips of alcohol.
She hadn't drunk in a long time, as alcohol offered no benefit and impaired his judgment.
But this was a moment worth celebrating.
Ayla had indeed invested heavily in Betelgeuse. The gravitational devices alone cost the Federation over 200 years' worth of energy reserves.
The gravitational confinement of the star's expansion consumed another 1,100 years' worth.
Moreover, moving those stars into Betelgeuse's orbit was an enormous undertaking.
If propelling a planetary-class warship is energy-intensive, then propelling stars is exponentially more so.
Ayla had previously only moved two stars herself; the remaining fourteen were moved using energy borrowed from Chu.
The two stars were moved using the energy Ayla had accumulated over tens of thousands of years of rest—and those were the smallest two. At Ayla's previous rate of energy accumulation, it would have taken her another 20,000–25,000 years to accomplish what was just done.
The Olive Branch civilization had vast energy reserves. While Gas Station held the most, the other Stations also possessed significant stores.
This black hole effectively drained the Olive Branch civilization's resources.
That's why she breathed a sigh of relief.
If a neutron star merger were initiated, it would likely require half the resources of the Olive Branch civilization.
How to obtain those resources?
Only through stable development over tens of thousands of years, avoiding large-scale expansion.
But now that war has begun, waiting tens of thousands of years would leave the Federation far behind. Therefore, Luna and Ayla won't initiate that plan in the short term; they'll focus on further expansion through other dimensions.
This success has significantly advanced the Federation.
"Indeed, but we can recover the consumed energy using gravitational energy."
Luna and Ayla's discussion shifted to gravitational energy.
Everyone knows the law of conservation of energy.
If gravity could be converted into electromagnetic force, it should experience loss, but it doesn't; gravity remains powerful.
"Then where does the energy generated by gravitational energy come from?"
Ayla created a dimensional model to explain the origin of gravitational energy.
"Converting gravity into electromagnetic force is possible, but not using gravity to induce electromagnetic force."
"Therefore, gravity must have other replenishment pathways. When gravity is consumed, space itself pulls in surrounding matter to compensate."
"But we haven't observed any matter depletion. This means the missing matter must come from beyond our observational range."
That is, from other dimensions.
Energy depletion in other dimensions replenishes this gravitational deficit.
"Could this be used to transform a black hole into a 'white hole'?" Luna immediately considered this possibility.
If a black hole could be transformed into a white hole, it would be their first dimensional weapon.
However, Ayla's answer was negative.
Because a black hole exists in every dimension, each dimension has only one black hole. There's no such thing as a three-dimensional black hole being a projection of a four-dimensional black hole, etc.
Therefore, this type of gravitational energy absorption will inevitably be replenished in some way. If there were no replenishment, it would mean the black hole could be drained of gravitational energy.
Converting gravitational energy is a way to destroy a black hole.
But this hasn't been observed. The primordial black hole, despite the application of gravitational energy, shows no signs of shrinking.
Therefore, something must be transferring energy into the black hole.
What could it be?
Ayla believes it is the previously hypothesized completely closed two-dimensional world.
Gravitational energy continuously flows into this two-dimensional world, and the black hole within it serves as an outlet for gravitational energy.
After careful study, Ayla concluded that the two-dimensional world is a tool for balancing the universe.
The entire universe is a system, and dimensional energy is also a system. When one dimension has excessive energy, that energy will press into other dimensions—perhaps the reason why black holes appear.
Where energy density is too high, it needs to be distributed to other dimensions to achieve balance.
"This is still a somewhat flawed hypothesis."
After hearing this theory, Luna noticed its shortcomings.
It couldn't explain the effects of a one-dimensional world, let alone a zero-dimensional one.
"It needs further refinement."
"That will take a long time, but I believe that if we can understand this relationship, we'll be close to becoming a Type 3 civilization."
Luna nodded, agreeing with Ayla's assessment.
"But for now, we shouldn't focus on that, but rather on quickly developing energy sources. What's the mass of the black hole now?"
The reported mass was 14 solar masses, as most of the matter was captured by the gravitational devices before being absorbed by the black hole.
The accretion disk still contains some residual energy, roughly two solar masses; another four solar masses were released during the final collapse.
This energy is powerful, forming a vast planetary nebula.
With luck, in a few years, it will again merge into new stars under gravitational forces.
However, with the Federation's involvement, this is impossible.
Ayla's next plan is to collect this matter and build a Gravitational Energy Device.
Once built, this device will produce 3.7 x 10³¹ watts of energy per second—a single black hole supplying all the energy needs of a type 2.53 civilization.
This is only the initial stage.
In the later stages, Ayla's construction will increase this black hole's energy production by five times, reaching 1.85 x 10³² watts per second, bringing the Federation's total energy output to the Type 2.6 type.
Of course, this won't fully exploit the black hole's potential.
A star's total energy output is approximately 44 orders of magnitude—roughly 100,000 years' worth of energy reserves for the Federation. Fully utilizing a single star would suffice for the Federation's development.
Unfortunately, even with large-scale stellar destruction and energy harvesting, the Federation only captured a tiny fraction of the matter ejected during a supernova; it couldn't collect all the star's energy.
Completely harvesting a star's energy is impossible; during a star's death, much matter is ejected at the speed of light. Unless the entire star could be contained, but such a project would be colossal, exceeding even the construction of a Ringworld.
Aside from the scale of construction, the required materials would need to withstand the attacks of millions of super-range weapons—an extremely difficult task.
Therefore, until the necessary technology is developed, the Federation must rely on black holes for a stable and sustainable energy supply.
"The black hole situation seems stable, and the Connector information has over 50% credibility. Next, we need to deploy defensive equipment near dimensional gateways."
Luna and Ayla still have much to do.