Hong Yuting frowned deeply, muttering at the nonsensical report. "Describe it in more detail."

"Yes, sir." The scout on the other end seemed to sense his rising anger, becoming cautious. After a pause, he continued, "It's a vast space outside, impossible to determine its boundaries. There is visible light, but no gravity. No harmful radiation."

He paused again, then added, "There is air. Preliminary tests show no noxious gases. Oxygen levels are normal. The temperature is between freezing point and human body temperature. Detected: suitable for human life."

"Huh?" Hong Yuting grew increasingly perplexed as he listened. Hearing that the exterior was actually habitable made him exclaim in surprise. No gravity yet air—no wonder the scout had been speaking incoherently before. At one moment saying it was deep space, the next suggesting they were inside a planet. This place was certainly peculiar.

As he pondered, he heard Yun Zhongyu speak, "Test the water content in the air."

"Do as he says."

Hong Yuting silently praised Yun Zhongyu's quick thinking; the man had immediately thought to check for water. Water is the source of life; if there was water here, the probability of life existing would be much higher.

After a moment, the scout's voice returned, "The moisture content in the air is within the normal range, sir."

The detection gear on the scout wasn't the most professional grade; to conserve energy, it didn't list specific figures, instead using terms like normal, slightly high, slightly low, or dangerous for immediate clarity.

The equipment the scout carried was quite rudimentary. This was unavoidable, as one doesn't typically carry the most advanced detection gear unless specifically prepared.

"This..." Hong Yuting looked toward Zhong Yun, instinctively relying on this powerful adventurer, especially within this "Golden Ruin." He wanted a professional opinion.

Zhong Yun pondered. "I've never encountered this situation before. However, environments in various ruins are wildly diverse, so it's not entirely surprising. I imagine the Gu family might know more."

Hong Yuting nodded, agreeing with his assessment. In this ruin, they were essentially blind, stumbling around would surely lead to a quicker death. Since the Gu family dared to venture here, it implied a degree of confidence, perhaps even possessing a star chart.

After some thought, he ordered the scout to continue reconnaissance outside and report any new findings immediately. Then, he connected with a relatively close allied family to begin discussions...

Ten minutes later, all families except the Lan and Qin families jointly pressured the Gu family to disclose the intelligence they possessed. After intense negotiation, a consensus was finally reached.

According to Gu Yi, they discovered this "Golden Ruin" purely by chance. In the Royal Library, a senior professor specialized in the history of the previous epoch.

The Andu Empire boasted a long history and preserved much extremely valuable historical data, including fragments pertaining to the previous epoch. Though the information was incomplete, it was priceless.

While researching, the professor inadvertently discovered that a massive base had been constructed at a specific location by a super-civilization nation from that era. Being deeply knowledgeable about cosmic geography, the professor spent nearly a year studying and concluded that the coordinates for that massive base lay precisely within the current A Star Sector.

The professor specifically looked into the history of that sector and found no record of major cosmic catastrophes ever occurring there. This meant the base likely still existed.

If true, it was a monumental discovery. The professor was naturally ecstatic.

This professor held royal blood, and the news inevitably fell into the hands of the Gu family. Emperor Majesty approved the project, allocating special funds for its research and enforcing strict secrecy.

The professor conducted multiple on-site investigations near those coordinates. After nearly a decade of study, the exact location of the base was finally confirmed. The base, built tens of thousands of years ago by a super-civilization, was indeed still there.

This was the origin of the "Golden Ruin."

Gu Yi did not explain how the Lan and Qin families became involved, but it was likely that the Gu family, deeming their own strength insufficient and aiming to mitigate risk, brought them aboard.

Gu Yi also revealed that several years prior, they had dispatched an advance team into the "Ruin," which is how they gathered some initial intelligence.

Hearing this, Hong Yuting realized why they seemed so familiar with the place—they had scouted it before. Simultaneously, the Emperor Majesty's restraint chilled him; based on Gu Yi's account, the Gu family had discovered this ruin over ten years ago but only officially entered now.

However, the Gu family's original selection team had entered using mechs and did not encounter sensor failure. Their current predicament was an unexpected setback. Perhaps something had changed here.

But since they were already here, the Gu family, having prepared meticulously for over a decade, would certainly not retreat now. The Lan and Qin families were naturally committed to advancing or retreating with the Gu family. As for the other families, disobeying direct orders from their own clans to flee mid-mission was unthinkable.

Thus, everyone had no choice but to proceed.

Gu Yi stated that there was a landmass one hundred million kilometers away, and they were heading there. He even marked the direction for them.

Although the landing craft sensors had failed, they could still maintain direction. The Gu family's landing craft contingent led the way, sending out numerous scouting parties ahead, guiding nearly a hundred "blind" landing craft forward.

The Hong family lagged at the rear. Following Zhong Yun's advice, Hong Yuting dispatched the majority of the mech warriors from their landing craft, trailing the leading convoy.

Zhong Yun also boarded the Linglong and flew separately outside. Entering the "Golden Ruin," he dared not be complacent.

He truly felt uneasy flying inside a vessel without "eyes."

The one hundred million kilometers passed quickly, and the continent Gu Yi mentioned materialized before them. Even from a distance, it was visible—an elliptical landmass colored green.

Zhong Yun, looking through the Linglong's optical imaging system, saw the true nature of this continent. He had been somewhat puzzled when Gu Yi mentioned a landmass, but seeing it firsthand confirmed that Gu Yi’s description was perfectly accurate.

This was indeed a continent, unlike celestial bodies in the universe; most celestial bodies, whether stars or planets, were spheres. This landmass, however, was flat. It looked like an oval washboard.

Seeing this continent, Zhong Yun recalled an ancient saying: Tian Yuan Di Fang (Heaven is round, Earth is square). This perfectly illustrated the scene before him.