Oulan Sea Flower is actually the name of the entire planet.
The name originates from the abundance of Oulan Flowers covering the planet's surface.
Oulan Flowers are unlike any terrestrial plant; they are large, approximately 30 meters tall, and bluish-purple.
When in bloom, the entire planet is filled with their fragrance. The flowers resemble lanterns, with downward-facing stamens approximately 2 meters in diameter.
The nectar can be directly harvested; it's extremely sweet with a rich floral aroma.
The most beautiful sight is Oulan Sea Flower at night.
The flowers contain bioluminescent material, emitting a soft glow at night. From space, it resembles a sea of bioluminescence.
The planet lacks oceans; its surface is entirely swampy.
There's virtually no ecosystem; only Oulan Flowers exist as multicellular organisms.
Humans reside within Oulan Flower biodomes, preventing insects from entering.
These biodomes are now empty, incomplete.
Simple damage is understandable.
But this isn't the case; these biodomes seem unfinished.
Yet, Oulan Sea Flower has been operational for 2,000 years; unfinished biodomes are impossible.
Yet, that's precisely what's observed.
Looking outward, one could see some blooming flowers slowly closing; after closing, the buds shrunk, reverting to their unbloomed state.
From the sky, a robot observed this.
[Analyzing possibility of biological regression]
[Cause of biological regression may be hormonal changes]
[Conflict detected; surrounding structures are also regressing]
[Artifacts are composed of accumulated matter. If time is reversed in a specific area, it's impossible for this matter to revert completely]
[Many components of these structures have left the planet. How can this be explained logically?]
The robot carefully analyzed.
A paradox emerged.
Assume an empty box. A person places an apple in it, then reverses time within the box.
Three possible outcomes:
Outcome one: The apple remains in the box.
The apple lacks support; time reversal cannot violate physical laws by making an object levitate; it only reverses time.
Outcome two: The apple levitates out of the box.
Similar to outcome one; without support, time reversal could restore the apple to its original state and position; time affects space.
Outcome three: A hand appears in the box, retrieving the apple.
Time reverses everything, even creating an identical hand to undo the events.
Intuitively, outcome two is the common perception of time reversal, but outcomes one and three are more plausible.
However, outcome two is what's observed.
Without the original matter, certain reversals shouldn't be possible.
This is suspicious.
It checked the surrounding energy fields; they were identical to normal fields; some time-reversed points mirrored the observation logs.
[Very similar, but still not true time reversal]
The robot's mission was to find the cause.
While just a robot, it possessed high intelligence; the average intelligence of Federation robots is comparable to humans. Unconstrained, they could launch a war against humanity at any time.
But Federation robots lack this inclination.
The Federation has rules for humans and for robots; robots live by their own rules, considering humans as "robots."
Humans and robots essentially exist in different worlds.
Robots also serve as explorers; when humans venture into space, they are invited to serve as onboard stewards and participate in exploration.
Strictly speaking, they are another facet of humanity within the Federation.
Luna understands this. As a machine, Ayla can't always cater to humans.
As long as humans consider robots as tools, and robots consider humans as tools, war is impossible.
After all, would humans feel genuine hatred, anger, or other emotions towards robots?
The same applies to robots.
Federation society is a dual structure of coexisting humans and robots.
Robots handle most of the Federation's manufacturing; they live within this society, while humans act as overseers, like supervisors in previous eras. If humans discover wrongdoing, they issue corrections and warnings; robots face salary deductions.
Robots are typically identified by serial numbers.
This robot's serial number is cbsh-1873nsa122f2-c0027113b0-A.
The first part indicates its type, the second its generation, the third its genetic pool, and the fourth its class.
"A" represents the highest-class robot; in human society, this corresponds to rank or status.
The robot landed, using its vision to analyze the surrounding air; it detected intense reverse reactions in air particles.
Yet, it detected no form of energy manipulation.
[I must be failing to detect a form of energy]
[My body seems to be affected by this energy; it's trying to revert me to my original state. As an alien object, it wants to return me to my original state?]
The robot determined that this wasn't simple time reversal; it wasn't natural.
It had known this before arriving; the current scan was simply confirmation.
Its primary reason for being here was different.
[If it were the universe reversing time, it could achieve anything]
[But if it's just a deceptive object, it could never truly reverse an object]
That object is—Light.
Light, aside from gravity, is essentially unaffected by anything.
Furthermore, the speed of light is immense; capturing it is difficult.
Frankly, the occurrence of "time reversal" on this scale is unexpected, requiring enormous energy.
If even light is reversed, it would imply an unbelievably immense energy source.
The robot began scanning.
As expected, it found flaws in the light reversal.
All light was indeed reversed, but not like other matter. Some of this light became "reversed light."
The logic is: if present light is reversed, what happens to the light already present on the planet in the past?
The new light is added as reversed light.
Macroscopically, the process—forward or backward—is indistinguishable.
Like water flowing from one end of a container to the other; reversing it still involves water flowing from one end to the other.
Microscopically, however, flaws are apparent.
For instance, light source direction; the directions are chaotic, not consistent.
The force manipulates photons; some photons, originally meant to strike the ground and reflect, forming a V-shape, now form \ /—separate, unconnected.
A photon, after striking the ground, reflects to a different location.
This is deliberate interference.
[This is beyond the capabilities of Federation technology]
[Even advanced civilizations likely couldn't achieve this]
[It must be a form of "normal" technology from a higher-dimensional being]
[This technology is akin to simulation, not time reversal]
The robot reached this conclusion:
Simulation.
The entity affecting Oulan Sea Flower is simulating the planet's construction process, then reversing the stimuli.
But what is its purpose?
[If it's a higher-dimensional civilization, it's likely trying to understand our civilization]
[If a three-dimensional being enters four-dimensional space, everything would appear chaotic, lacking order. One would need to find order within this chaos]
[How? By observing and simulating the world's changes]
The robot understood; the enemy was doing just that.
When higher-dimensional beings enter three-dimensional space, their senses are limited; they need to explore their surroundings using other methods.
This exploration process is about understanding and mastering this world.
Like a three-dimensional human entering a two-dimensional world; you couldn't even see others nearby because of the lack of height perception.
That's too abstract; the robot dismissed this line of thought; further calculations were pointless.
[My mission is incomplete; I must find the entity]
[The entity is altering the planet using unknown methods; this might be higher-dimensional power]
[If the entity can use higher-dimensional power, has it created a space between the three-dimensional and four-dimensional spaces?]
The robot used this to locate its target.
It deployed several "mini-drones," small, highly sensitive, and fast-flying devices.
Within a day, it completed a scan of the planet's surface.
It found nothing.
[It must be inside the planet]
The robot transformed into a liquid and infiltrated the ground.
After continuous searching, it finally found an anomaly on the 16th day.
The anomaly showed no density variations, implying a solid object. How could the target be there?
The robot approached.
Upon reaching the anomaly, all its sensory systems failed; it saw only a blank screen.
It quickly retreated, regaining normal function.
Not destruction, but interference!
[Was that feeling…what it's like to enter higher dimensions?]
The robot was unsure; the complete sensory deprivation was unsettling.
Fortunately, it hadn't gone too deep; a full-scale intrusion might have rendered it unable to return.
[Cannot risk a physical approach; proceed directly with the plan]
The robot's mission wasn't just reconnaissance; if possible, it could eliminate the target.
Previous simulations predicted the target fleeing; in such cases, the robot must eliminate it as quickly as possible during any period of visibility.
The initial exploration was thorough, enabling the intrusion into the dimensional intersection.
However, the target showed no intention of moving.
[Is it unwilling to move, or unable to move?]
This level of activity implies significant energy consumption; the entity is likely using higher-dimensional energy.
This energy transfer might involve (Energy)(Gravity)(Energy) or (opened-string)(closed-string)(opened-string); gravity facilitates membrane penetration.
To disrupt this structure, gravity is needed.
The robot deployed a weapon into orbit:
Black hole matrix.
It transmitted the coordinates; time reversal couldn't intercept this signal.
A device resembling a toothbrush activated; each "bristle" emitted light, and immense energy converged at their tips, firing downwards.
Energy bombarded continuously.
Directly shattering the ground.
However, this occurred at a microscopic level; nothing was visible macroscopically.
The energy reached its target coordinates; countless giant atoms were released. These atoms were 10,000 times the mass of normal atoms; upon impact, they were immediately followed by others.
Upon collision, immense energy erupted, creating numerous micro black holes.
These micro black holes existed for an incredibly short time.
But their sheer number was significant.
One group formed, collapsed, and was replaced by another, continuously bombarding a single point. These black holes strangely exhibited a form of containment.
Weak links appeared between these black holes.
These links prolonged their existence.
This was the Black Hole Matrix.
Linking black holes creates a short-range wormhole effect; this effect expands the black hole's influence on spacetime, affecting dimensional connections.
This micro Black Hole Matrix was specifically designed for dimensional war.
Luna's suggestion of hypnosis was, of course, merely a suggestion; it wasn't intended for practical application.
...
The Black Hole Matrix continued disrupting the space; the energy within struggled but was helpless.
Black holes only become unstable and collapse due to insufficient mass; other methods can only maintain or slow their demise.
The entities from the other dimension clearly lacked effective countermeasures against black holes.
It used energy.
But low-dimensional and higher-dimensional energies were the same to the black hole—absorbed into its event horizon!
This was pointless.
The space became extremely unstable; the robot knew it had to leave.
It returned to the surface, but left a portion of itself behind for continued observation.
The area was warping.
Not in the usual sense; spacetime was being distorted and destroyed, leading to extreme destruction.
Matter warping is manageable; space warping isn't; it requires even more powerful energy; even another dimension's power wouldn't suffice.
This is certain; controlling space warping means controlling black holes; one could not only weaponize them but also manipulate them freely.
Just as the robot thought it was over, it suddenly felt rigid.
This rigidity prevented movement and even thought.
It couldn't understand its state; it couldn't even process this experience.
Was this a form of control?
Apparently not.
The Boundary God observing from outside the planet knew the answer.
That area had reached absolute zero.
The higher-dimensional being was using this method to escape the spatial distortion; absolute zero could freeze everything, halting time.
While it couldn't freeze space, it could freeze space's influence on matter—gravity.
However, after calculations, the Boundary God deemed this impossible.
Achieving absolute zero is incredibly difficult, requiring vast amounts of energy.
But energy expended would flow into this "absolute zero" space, creating it; since energy enters, how could absolute zero be achieved?
When a space reaches absolute zero, its surface is covered in photons. These photons, frozen, can't enter; they also can't radiate energy due to this constraint.
Therefore, a space at absolute zero would be visible.
Any matter contacting its surface would be disrupted; secondary photons would be 100% reflected.
The Boundary God hadn't observed this phenomenon.
It could detect near-absolute zero conditions, but not true absolute zero.
Oulan Sea Flower's surface temperature is slightly higher due to surrounding light; the interior is cooler, but low-level radiation still heats the area.
The entity slowed time, stretching a one-second event to 1.00000000001 seconds.
The dimensional barrier was still breached.
But this near-absolute zero state didn't stop.
Theoretically, the higher-dimensional entity wasn't destroyed.
This is expected; the entity can transcend dimensions; dimensions are space, and the entity possesses certain space-resistant properties.
Space warps, but it's unaffected.
The Boundary God concluded that it was a pure energy being.
Its response to the Black Hole Matrix showed that it could actively or passively defend, implying a degree of consciousness or processing power.
This confirmed Luna and Ayla's suspicions.
The Boundary God then collected information, analyzed it, and initiated the third phase: action.
The star system's super-range weapons targeted Oulan Sea Flower, launching an attack without hesitation.
Oulan Sea Flower, including the entity and the robot, was engulfed in immense energy.
To destroy an energy being, a more powerful energy is needed to disrupt its systems, causing collapse.
To prevent escape, the surrounding area was saturated with various energy detection devices.
The entity was still detectable.
No signals were detected; it was still within the planet. The intense energy bombardment broke the near-absolute zero state within a second; the planet's surface began to melt and disintegrate.
...
"Is that matter settled?"
Luna was eager to study the entity, but its enigmatic nature made this difficult. Destruction and information gathering were their only options.
"Based on the robot's analysis, the object was studying and gathering three-dimensional information to simulate and understand our world."
"What do you think, Ayla?"
Ayla found this plausible. As a higher-dimensional being, it wouldn't launch a direct attack. Attacking three-dimensional space would be wasteful; it wouldn't be efficient.
This dimensional war isn't primarily about warship battles; such battles might occur, but they're secondary.
The war aims to connect dimensions, providing a powerful civilization the opportunity to study other dimensions, gaining the knowledge needed to become a Type 3 civilization.
It's more like a military competition.
"But over time, weapons will be transferred to other dimensions; that's when we'll face problems."
The opponent is a civilization capable of transferring energy between dimensions, likely at least Type 2.8, far stronger than the Federation.
The Federation is currently Type 2.5, but only in terms of energy production.
The Olive Branch civilization didn't possess Type 2.5 technology; neither does the Federation. Their merger is a pseudo-Type 2.5, several thousand or even tens of thousands of times weaker than a Type 2.8 civilization.
An insurmountable gap.
Especially since the Holy Grail project's predictions were shattered, implying the existence of a Type 2.9 civilization.
The Federation's only option is to—hasten the training of new recruits.
"I heard a new civilization was discovered 2,000 light-years away?"
.....
This is our planet.
This is our star system.
1,830 years ago, we left our home planet and ventured into the cosmos.
We colonized most of the planets in our star system.
Our population has exploded from 1.8 billion to 48.2 billion.
We are fortunate to live in this era; it's a scientifically advanced world. We can acquire knowledge, explore vast regions, and enjoy greater freedom and abundance.
The universe reveals its beauty and immensity before us.
It's magnificent, drawing us forward.
But all this changed in an instant.
We forgot that the vast universe holds not only knowledge and beauty but also unknown dangers.
Our ancestors taught us: if we forget something, it will remind us.
No one wants to experience this.
But no one can avoid it.
Yesterday, countless beings lived ordinary lives. Today, colossal monsters appeared in the cosmos we've observed for millennia.
They silently drift through space, hidden in the darkness, like assassins lurking in shadows.
It all happened too quickly; we couldn't prepare.
However.
The initial fears proved unfounded.
The colossal monsters didn't attack; they remained inert, doing nothing.
On the second day, some of our people succumbed, urging surrender; we were helpless against the monsters.
We couldn't comprehend them; we hadn't done anything, yet they were ready to enslave us; it was absurd and infuriating.
It was a humiliation for our civilization, but we couldn't force them to plead.
They soon retreated, disappointed; the monsters ignored them, offering no response.
Perhaps they simply weren't prepared, we reasoned.
Then, a thousand years passed.
The monsters' presence caused no significant changes.
We experienced much: development, peace, war, and regression.
Progress and peace were attributed to our efforts; war and regression were blamed on the monsters' intervention.
But countless voices insisted the monsters did nothing; they simply observed.
The largest civilizational collapse occurred 140 years ago.
It was an unprecedented war.
Factions clashed, likely due to societal issues; concentrated power in the hands of individuals led to conflict.
But we didn't think so.
Like many times before, we believed the colossal monsters were manipulating everything.
We've always been manipulated, in the past, present, and future.
We were driven.
To declare war on the colossal monsters.
We began mass-producing weapons; countless weapons formed mountains, loaded onto warships, creating the largest military force in our civilization's history.
This was a revolution for us.
This revolution bore our civilization's name.
—The Omili Revolution.
Our confidence was boundless.
We attacked the colossal monsters.
After years of silence, the monsters finally reacted.
A sphere emerged from within one of them.
The sphere wasn't large, smaller than our warships. It approached our fleet, which launched a panicked attack; countless weapons struck the sphere, yet its surface remained unmarked.
What kind of despair is this?
We expected the sphere to attack, to slaughter us, but it didn't; it remained inert.
It was a provocation, a challenge: destroy this sphere before confronting me!
It was an extreme mockery.
Our warships attempted to approach the monster, but vanished before reaching the sphere.
They truly vanished, leaving no trace.
We attacked the empty space; no attack could penetrate; an invisible barrier blocked everything.
We persisted; more warships were dispatched, with the same result.
We realized it wasn't a war or a revolution; it was insignificant beings trying to shake a mountain—absurd.
It was demonstrating its power, yet it remained passive.
We ceased our futile efforts and resumed development.
Another thousand years passed.
The monster remained, motionless.
It had become part of our lives; no one was surprised by its presence.
This millennium was unusually peaceful, perhaps due to the monster's overwhelming power; no one attempted conflict or expansion. It was a period of stagnation; technological progress was minimal.
After this millennium, the curse seemed to lift; technological advancements resumed, and civilization rediscovered its momentum.
We surged forward, avoiding the colossal monster, exploring further into the cosmos. Unhindered, we discovered a remarkable opportunity: another star, only 0.8 light-years away.
We could reach it and expand further.
We thought this would be forbidden, but the monster didn't intervene.
Our confidence soared; we reached a new peak; development accelerated rapidly.
Warship speeds increased from 39 km/s to 113 km/s; reaching the new star would take only 2,000 years; we had entered a new era.
We rejoiced, but didn't forget the colossal monster.
We wouldn't provoke it but remained vigilant.
We expected another long period of peace, but it didn't last.
The moment we set foot on the new star, the colossal monster revealed its fangs.
Countless monsters emerged.
They ravaged the entire star system.
Our civilization faced unprecedented destruction; planetary structures became ruins; countless lives were lost.
It was a terrifying catastrophe, aiming for our extinction.
We deployed our forces.
But our warships were helpless against the monsters; they were too large, too numerous.
100,000?
1 million?
We couldn't count them; our civilization faced annihilation.
We fought fiercely, surviving for 30 years, discovering ways to combat the monsters.
We sacrificed tens of thousands of lives to kill the first monster, then the second, the third…
Monster after monster fell.
After 300 years, we finally eliminated the last one.
We were victorious.
But it wasn't truly over; the colossal monster still existed; we couldn't defeat it; it was too powerful, too terrifying.
We knew we couldn't continue our peaceful development; we needed a breakthrough, we needed to become stronger.
We united as never before, determined to overcome all obstacles.
We were progressing!
We felt our civilization advancing, rapidly advancing.
Another 200 years of peace; we returned to our peak, even surpassing it.
We controlled most of our star system, even harnessing the energy of the central star.
We expanded as never before.
We yearned to destroy the colossal monster.
But before we could act, the day arrived.
The monster opened its maw again; countless monsters emerged, more numerous than before.
500,000?
Perhaps 1 million?
We didn't know.
But there were many, aiming to destroy our civilization again.
This was impossible; we were far stronger and more united; we slaughtered the monsters; losses were heavy, but we prevailed.
We successfully defended our civilization.
Then, the colossal monster fell silent again.
We continued to develop; we needed to become even stronger; no one could predict the next attack.
Someone suggested we try; perhaps we now possessed the capability.
Those who reached the sphere attacked it; a "3" appeared on its surface.
We didn't understand its meaning.
Our attacks did not damage the sphere.
We knew the gap remained immense.
Another 100 years passed.
The colossal monster unleashed more monsters—twice as many as before.
Fortunately, we had recovered and grown stronger; we fought fiercely, achieving a technological breakthrough.
Our warship speeds reached 227 km/s—a massive improvement, allowing us to reach another star system within 1,100 years.
But there was bad news.
Lifeforms in another star system betrayed us; unwilling to face the colossal entity, they sought to break away.
Pathetic beings abandoning their civilization; they deserved no sympathy.
We deemed them enemies.
But we lacked the time to eliminate them.
The threat persisted.
100 years!
Another 100 years!
Yet another 100 years!
After 700 years, we reached a new peak; we attacked the sphere; it now displayed a "16".
We used various energies; it reacted to energy levels numerically.
It seemed like a testing device, a game.
We looked upon the colossal monster, filled with rage, but to what end? We were powerless; we were insignificant compared to it.
...
Federation.
Free Star City.
Luna remained here, traveling the Federation aboard Free Star City.
Thousands of years passed; her original company sent good news: the combined views of her scientist interview videos reached 2.1 trillion over the millennia; each video garnered over 200 billion views.
These figures only included the Alpha Eridani star system; her accounts encompassed other star systems and various Free Star Cities.
Inter-system communication was previously limited; Luna aimed to facilitate creative expression and expand reach across the Federation.
At least within 100 light-years; this significantly expands the available space.
The ultimate solution would be developing super-antimatter displacement technology, perfecting the displacement of biological organisms, but progress has been slow; only a 2% improvement over millennia.
A breakthrough was needed.
Aboard Free Star City, Luna heard news from the Omili Civilization.
"The civilizations we previously encountered were weak, lacking significant technological capabilities; direct assimilation was feasible."
"The Omili Civilization has ventured beyond its planet; it possesses unique technology. We should avoid altering it, allowing it to grow naturally, then integrating it into the Federation."
This was a joint plan between Luna and Ayla.
They discussed this at length.
For instance, they killed many Omili; why would the Omili Civilization join them?
Ayla's answer was simple: it didn't matter if they didn't join; the Federation possessed their genes and technology; they could create a new Omili Civilization.
That was the plan.
The Federation didn't need to conquer them; supporting them was sufficient.
"Right, I recall a civilization of similar strength during the old Federation era."
"What happened to it?"
Ayla wouldn't let a civilization within her control slip away.
"It vanished, not by the Olive Branch Civilization, nor any other, but through internal destruction."
"They were destroyed by their own technology."
This happens often. Luna regretted that, without the war with the Olive Branch Civilization, they might have integrated this civilization into the Federation.
It was a minor regret.
Such events are constantly occurring throughout the cosmos; stars die; civilizations are even more fragile.