The same occurrences Yang Ying had experienced once before on Earth did not shock him as much this time. The energy emitted by Landon formed a sphere of light around them, resembling twinkling stars. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of light spots began to rotate in a clockwise direction, rapidly generating immense spatial fluctuations inside and outside the orb. Yang Ying had the distinct feeling that the world outside was receding from him.

When the sphere of light finally dissipated, he and Landon found themselves in an isolated space. This space seemed suspended, connected to neither heaven nor earth, entirely enveloped by multi-hued, translucent light screens. The screens overlapped in endless layers, shifting in myriad ways, as elusive and breathtakingly beautiful as the Aurora Borealis.

The place where they materialized was a vast platform, at least the size of ten football fields, large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. The platform's existence felt jarringly out of place against the surroundings, yet it floated starkly in the center of the luminous curtain.

At the center of the platform stood a massive, imposing gate, a hundred meters tall, its entire surface gleaming with a metallic, silvery-white luster. The base of the great gate was a hundred-step dais, shaped like a pyramid, arching protectively over the gate above.

The doorframe was inscribed with rows upon rows of mysterious characters. Each symbol was as large as a cartwheel, their strokes flowing with a vigorous, unrestrained style. Simultaneously, every line conveyed a sense of ancient grandeur and the fundamental truths of the universe.

Yang Ying recognized it instantly: this was the Imperial Noble Tongue Landon had taught him not long ago. In fact, "Noble Tongue" was merely a common appellation; the formal name for this language was Atlantean Spiritual Language, and the script was known as Atlantean Spiritual Runes, or simply Spirit Runes for short.

When Yang Ying had previously journeyed to the alternate dimension beneath the North Pole ice, he had seen a similar platform. However, that platform was reduced to nothing but scattered silver fragments, with various Atlantean-style components littering the ground, few larger than the palm of a hand.

It was easy to imagine the sheer power of the spell Landon had cast to shatter that great gate to such an extent.

What a magnificent Interstellar Gate!

This was the first complete Atlantean Interstellar Gate Yang Ying had ever witnessed. Facing it, he felt a crushing gravity in the air. This structure had been built over ten millennia ago, yet the sheer glory of the Atlantean Empire was evident in its remnants.

The two ascended the high dais beneath the gate. Landon walked directly to a control console, where she opened the panel to reveal the internal circuitry.

Yang Ying looked in and saw that the structure of these lines was extraordinarily complex. Many components were etched with intricate patterns, yet there was not a single visible wire. Perhaps because the power source was not yet engaged, the entire network appeared utterly dark.

At the very center of the circuitry was a circular mirror. It seemed crystal clear, standing out sharply against the dim environment, and appeared to have faint tendrils of light circulating within it.

Landon produced an octagonal badge and placed it on the mirror. "I need some time to rewrite the program and mask the signal for the Interstellar Gate's activation. Otherwise, the moment the gate powers up and connects to the traffic network, this location will be discovered immediately."

Yang Ying nodded and watched from the side.

The center of Landon's octagonal badge held a fiery red gemstone that looked as if a blaze were burning within it. Around the gem were golden filigrees, the patterns incredibly complex yet beautiful. These lines, finer than a strand of hair, layered upon each other, drawing the eye in until one felt lost within them.

Yang Ying recalled the knowledge Landon had transmitted to him, which described this badge. It served as Landon’s proof of noble status and was simultaneously a miniature optical computer. In daily life, it functioned as an omniscient tool: besides being an ID, it could act as a communicator, credit card, access pass, personal optical computer, and many other small necessities integrated into this tiny badge.

Because it was an identification meant exclusively for nobles, its users were all True Humans possessing spiritual power. Thus, for the badge to function as a computer, it had to be controlled by spiritual force. From a certain perspective, it was a type of miniature spiritual equipment.

After placing the badge on the mirror, Landon extended one hand over it, concentrating her spirit. Instantly, the red gemstone at the badge’s center flared to life.

If it had resembled a flame before, it now looked like a small sun.

While emitting light, the badge anomalously levitated upward, finally stopping a finger’s width away from the mirror.

The console reacted in kind. Four tentacles, composed entirely of pinpoint lights, extended from the mirror, reaching toward the badge.

When the tentacles connected with the badge, the red gem flashed intensely, beginning to spew a torrent of red symbols—the same symbols inscribed on the Interstellar Gate, the Spirit Runes.

These Spirit Runes flew out of the gemstone and coalesced into a matrix about the size of a washbasin, with hundreds of runes moving as if they possessed independent life.

Landon plunged both hands into the matrix of runes. Her elbows, wrists, and fingers moved in a dance, her fingertips constantly tapping various runes.

The pool of runes flowed and shifted with her actions; each rune seemed to leap beneath her fingers, much like striking keys on a keyboard, though the aesthetic of Landon’s dancing hands far surpassed the mundane act of typing.

This beauty was directly proportional to the difficulty of the operation.

Yang Ying understood clearly: to operate an Atlantean optical computer, a person's processing speed had to reach an exceptionally high level. The amount of data the brain needed to handle every second was incalculable, like grains of sand in the Ganges.

In the Atlantean Empire, optical computers could only be used by True Humans and Awakened individuals among the Subhumans. Moreover, these computers, like spiritual power, had a tiered ranking system. Awakened individuals of a certain level could only operate computers of their own level or lower.

Attempting to use a higher-level computer was as difficult as ascending to heaven and could lead to severe consequences, potentially causing a mental collapse as the overwhelming volume of data drowned the user.

Watching Landon operate the optical computer with such practiced ease, Yang Ying sighed inwardly. Only a nation like the Atlantean Empire, teeming with Awakened beings, would dedicate such massive effort and resources to developing this super-tool exclusively for them, maximizing the information processing capabilities of every rank of Awakened individual—surpassing Earth's computers by more than a hundredfold.

Yang Ying mused that when he reached the Empire, he must smuggle some forbidden technology back. Tools as efficient and technologically advanced as the optical computer were beyond the capability of even the Divine Race now, let alone the Human Race.

Of course, if the technology of the Human and Divine Races continued to advance, the situation might change.

While Yang Ying was thinking, Landon finished modifying the program. She withdrew her hands and announced, "Done. It’s fortunate this system is over ten thousand years old; otherwise, it would have been truly difficult. I have set the activation signal for this Interstellar Gate to be hidden, and I've linked the recognition system to an edge city within the Empire. This way, after you use the gate, you will appear to have arrived from that city."

With that, she tapped the red gemstone once. The mirror beneath the badge lit up instantly, and then, centered on the mirror, light spread outwards, illuminating the entire internal circuitry of the control panel.

Yang Ying knew these lines of light were the pathways for energy. All Atlantean Imperial equipment operated on the basis of photons. Once large devices were excited, the resulting light show was a visual feast, magnificent, much like the current Interstellar Gate.

The lines of light spread from the control panel onto the platform and continued outward, soon lighting up the entire dais. Spirit Runes of light materialized on every step, making it seem as if Yang Ying and Landon were walking on a carpet woven from runes.

The light then climbed onto the Interstellar Gate, illuminating the runes etched upon it. When the entire gate was covered in light, a burst of silvery-white flame shot skyward, making the massive door resemble a giant torch. Simultaneously, a low, resonant hum reached Yang Ying and Landon's ears.

The two approached the base of the gate. Where there had been empty space within the frame, a small vortex had appeared, twinkling with points of starlight, looking like a spinning galaxy.

The vortex grew larger until, after a few breaths, it filled the entire doorframe. The vortex, reaching its peak, suddenly collapsed inward.

A starscape appeared within the doorway—serene and mysterious, giving the impression that the surrounding space was being sucked in.

As Yang Ying gazed at the giant door with an appreciative eye, Landon also looked at the starscape with a distant gaze, as if recalling something.

After a moment, she returned to herself and stepped forward. "The Interstellar Gate is fully activated. The destination is a habitable planet in the Sagittarius Arm, named Red Cloud Star. I have told you everything I know about Red Cloud Star, but my information is from eight years ago; things might have changed. How you handle the situation upon arrival will depend on your improvisation."

Yang Ying nodded. "Once I arrive, I will gather the information you require and transmit it back using the unique technology of our Trant Mercenary Group. Blade will relay it to you."

Yang Ying and Blade were connected via mental resonance—the tightest and most concealed form of connection in the universe. Yang Ying and Blade were essentially one being, differentiated only by the distinction between the main body and a projection, like a person's left and right hand—the most reliable connection possible.

A flicker of curiosity arose in Landon's heart, but she suppressed it. Although she desperately wanted to know how Yang Ying could bypass the Empire's potent communications censorship, since Yang Ying refused to say, she had no choice but to trust him. "When you are ready to return, remember to notify me in advance. I will reopen this Interstellar Gate to meet you. At that time, as long as you carry the jammer I give you and enter any Interstellar Gate within the Empire, no matter where you set your destination, the signal will return here."

"I will remember that," Yang Ying said, bidding her farewell with a wave, turning, and stepping into the giant gate.