Based on the information at hand, the Denizens had since maintain a low profile and only reappearing after the fall of the Goddess to go around saving worlds from the rampaging guardians.
That somehow did not really clicked with their original image. As a reclusive race, they should have been indifferent towards the fate of the universe and the mortal races in it, and they too were not in the killl list. For these recluse, why would they suddenly went all out saving the world?"
Muru and the rest were did not particularly understood the clues that Hao Ren and the rest had found and asked in unison. "What do you mean?"
"The planet in exile, Holletta, the Ark fleet, these three civilisations are millions of light years apart." Hao Ren crossed his arms. "But they had seemed to received warnings about the impending calamity all at the same time, and there is truth to that, our reports show that many other races too had received such warnings. The Denizens too with haste had mounted various aid and support missions; while not completely successful, their measures had some visible effects. That means they were already ready for this eventuality."
A loud crack suddenly came from above and Hao Ren was surprised by the sudden motion. Only when he looked up he realised Lemendusa was clenching his fist very tightly, his face furious. "You mean to say that they had already knew someone was trying to kill Mother?!"
"That's only a conjecture at the moment, and given how unusual their modus operandi are, and how their worldview differs from the rest, it's very hard to say if their actions were intentional or not." Hao Ren quickly tried to calm Lemendusa down. "Besides, our information is just too insufficient right now, simply slapping a motive to their actions is a little unfair no?"
Lemendusa took a few deep breaths. He knew Hao Ren was right and finally calmed down.
"The key question is we don't know if the Denizens of the Stars are still around or not." Vivian sighed. "They may be powerful, but they are no match for a rampaging First Born. They would be hard pressed just to defend themselves. Since the time of the Goddess' fall they had been running about warning everyone to evacuate or to seek shelter, and they had not been heard for almost ten thousand years since, so where do we find them now?"
That particular phrase appeared in Hao Ren's mind again: The edge of the stars is covered with the sound of darkness.
"The sound of darkness at the edge of the stars.." Hao Ren looked at Lemendusa. "Don't suppose you know what that means?"
"Most races understanding of the universe is often riddled with misconceptions, and it differs based on the level of civilisations. Some very simple space phenomenon would be made complicated by some convoluted explaination. The edge of the stars could mean the edge of a galaxy, or the border of a star system... As for the sound of darkness... that's even more difficult to narrow down. The universe is a sea of darkness, and who knows if they are talking about blackholes or any other unnnatural spatial phenomenon." Lemendusa shook his head. "But if I were to look for the Denizens of the Stars there's at least general direction; towards the most ancient star system. They are the first race to awaken in this universe, and their homeworld should ben in the deep end of the galaxy, as that place was the first point of evolution of the universe."
"Are there any life-sustaining enviroment there still?" Hao Ren was taken aback.
"There's nothing but ash there. While I've never been there myself, I know for a fact that the stars there had already burnt out. Even the new planets formed after the collapse of the earlier stars too had burnt out. There are no longer any births of new stars, and only a sea of charred, scorching materials floating about. That is after the oldest part of the galaxy, but the Denizens of the Stars could very well live there. They had been there since the begining, and were probably used to this extreme condition. If we can't find them in other parts of the galaxy, then we should be looking at the burnt-out heart of the galaxy."
"That's a very dangerious place..." the MDT muttered. "The droids have yet to deploy any explorators there."
"The droids have never been into the central star system before?"
"Nope, of course not. That's a literal planetary graveyard. The first place in the galaxy to burn out. There's no life there, and the Goddess of Creation had never sown any life that direction either. The droids will of course not head there automatically." The MDT shook. "And frankly speaking, it's just too far away. And base on the speed the droids are exploring and setting up a base camp, it will probably take many many years before they would reach the vicinity of the central star system."
Hao Ren demurred for a moment. "Let the droids send some Nestweaver vanguards there first, and build a separate unit in the system."
After settling the matter of the Denizens of the Stars, Hao Ren sighed before slightly pursing his lips. "Say, that prisoner had been locked for a while now, what's the status?"
Muru grunted with contempt. "A stubborn one that is. I've looked at him from afar, and he still had that look to him. No shame nor regrets, and he is resistant towards any mental pressure."
"No effect at all?" Hao Ren raised an eyebrow. "I've set up so many... Let me have a look."
Crystal Apple Research Station. The Penitentiary Quarter.
The security of the area was as strong as ever, and yet there was only one prisoner in the massive penitentiary. Within the prison cell that was formed by many light rays, the captured 'treacherous child' lay asleep. He still had that gilded appearance to him and the many days of captivity did not seem to diminish him at all. A few glowing arcane structure and droids floated about the captive, and the 'prison guards' had formed a faint lightweb in the air, encompassing the prisoner within.
Hao Ren and the rest stood outside the cell as they monitored. Rollie carefully used her paws to boop the wall of light. "Big Boss Cat, what is he doing?"
"Facing interrogation." Hao Ren bent down as he pulled up Rollie by the collar. "How may times do I need to tell you to walk straight. That person is facing a gruelling interrogation, but from what I can see..."
Hao Ren turned towards the crystal control panel to the side that displayed the prisoner's mental status..
"From what I can see it's bloody useless. That bastard's mental fortitude is ironclad."
"He looks like he is sleeping, nya." the catgirl mumbled.
Hao Ren knew Rollie's comprehension capabilities was better than Lil Pea but still limited, so he could not be arsed to explain further.
The interrogation method chosen was due to the fact that the prisoner was not afraid of physical pain, and even Y'zaks soul interrogation had limited effect against the treacherous children. So Hao Ren could only moved the interrogation process into the spiritual level. He wanted to pry open the mind of the latter to dig out whatever information he could, so he even had Zom help out, using the First Born's special mental ability to build a series of complex system. At present the system was working fine, but the problem lies within the prisoner's stubborn resistance against a conciousness dive.
On the control panel beside the cell, a holographic display showed the current state of the captive. He was now in a purgatory hell, and was undergoing a horrific pain of having lava injected into his bloodstream, before being thrown into an endless battlefield, where endless waves of powerful foes would have tire any normal person to the point of giving up their lives. At times, he was sent to a state of restful slumber but the dream was a fleeting one before changing into a living nightmare. No matter how these illusions hammered against his pysche, the prisoner was stoic as ever.
Almost as if he did not have a heart.
"Well... we're back to base torture again." Hao Ren shook his head as he saw the images. "No creativity at all."
The MDT was helpless too. "But the mainframe computer had already used all sorts of hellscape from many legends, and even Y'zaks suggestions had been used.
Hao Ren frowned before touching the crystal prism by the control panel. "Let me try, a direct dive into the bastard's mind."