Three days after the message exchange between Sui Yan and Xu Qingxiang, an automated shuttle arrives at Colony Five.
Boarding the shuttle, Sui Yan heads for Colony Three.
"…"
Staring out the shuttle's window, and seeing the numerous magic arrays—that covered the entirety of an iron vessel, Sui Yan raises an eye.
Visually speaking, the outward appearance of the vessel looks like a complete mess, and due to how difficult it is to clean off the excess materials—that were chipped off during the carving process, the vessel is currently covered in metal dust.
...…
Half an hour later, and arriving at the docks of Colony Three—
"Hm?"
Getting off the shuttle, Sui Yan turns her head to the side, and sees a woman with pale pink hair and red eyes.
Standing behind the woman—who is dressed mostly in black, are several other individuals, who all have an expression of curiosity on their faces, as they looked towards Sui Yan.
The atmosphere of this gathering, it's difficult to describe it as especially welcoming.
However, if it must be described, then it's probably similar to how an entire village would gather together to examine an outsider, while contemplating how they should interact with them going forward—should the outsider choose to stay.
"…"
"…"
Meeting one another in the flesh for the first time, silence looms between Sui Yan and Xu Qingxiang.
Just as Xu Qingxiang begins to feel awkward about the situation, Sui Yan raises a subtle smile, and walks over, while remarking—
"I wasn't expecting the colony leader herself to come and pick me up. Should I take this as a good sign?"
Raising a subtle sigh, Xu Qingxiang replies—
"You know very well that it isn't."
Throwing a glance at those behind her, Xu Qingxiang continues to say—
"Everyone is curious about when you'll be putting the finishing touches on their five years' worth of effort."
Maintaining her smile, while raising an eye, Sui Yan asks—
"Curious to know if it's a failure or a success, are they? Well, let's not keep them waiting; shall we?"
"…?"
Blinking her eyes, Xu Qingxiang asks—
"You plan to do it right now?"
"Of course. No point in wasting any time. The moment I'm done with that matter, I'm off to bed."
Glancing between Sui Yan and the crowd behind her, Xu Qingxiang raises another sigh, and says—
"Follow me then."
As Xu Qingxiang guides Sui Yan forward, the crowd parts to the side.
In the same instance, a drone follows behind them—with its camera focused on the two's backs.
Right now, the entirety of Colony Three is keeping an eye on the two—waiting with bated breaths to see what would happen.
Having toiled away at carving out the necessary magic arrays, while also building the core, which will be used as a vessel to contain the soul of a planet, everyone is curious about the results.
"Five years of work…"
"…Please work."
"…Please be a success."
Praying earnestly, while having their eyes glued to a computer screen or a smartphone, the citizens of Colony Three bear witness to Sui Yan and Xu Qingxiang entering the central research lab.
"…That's her then?"
"…The one from Colony Five who came up with this project?"
Within the lab, numerous researchers and artisans are gathered; and towards Sui Yan and Xu Qingxiang's entry, their eyes are immediately focused onto them.
"…"
Pausing in her footsteps, Xu Qingxiang turns to Sui Yan, and gestures to the core, while remarking—
"This is the fruit of everyone's five years' worth of effort."
"Hmm."
Approaching the core, Sui Yan begins to examine it closely.
The structure itself is round in form, and covering its surface is a complicated network of magic arrays, along with runes of calligraphic design.
"…"
Walking around the core with narrowed eyes, Sui Yan continues to examine the object, while also peering into it via divine senses.
Eventually—
"Everything checks out. Now then…"
*Shaaa…* raising a hiss, a black serpent sticks its head out of Sui Yan's sleeve.
Positioning her right hand in front of her chest, while the black serpent positions its head an inch away from the edge of her palm, Sui Yan mutters—
"Soul Extraction Art."
Following this utterance, the world trembles, causing those present to widen their eyes.
"Uh?"
"This is…?"
"The souls of shattered planets?"
"This many? Are they all going to be…-?"
"…Would it even hold if they were to all be placed into that vessel?"
As wisps of varying radiance manifested in the air, everyone raised their heads in alarm, while also asking questions of this nature aloud or in their minds.
*Shaaa!* at the hissing of the black serpent, the wisps—if they had heads, all seemed to have reared it towards Sui Yan's direction.
"…"
Adjusting her glasses with her left hand, Sui Yan says—
"**** * *** *** ** *** * ***** **** **."
Speaking in a language that no one within the vicinity understood, Sui Yan seems to be offering an explanation to the planetary souls that have been gathered here.
This explanation went on for a full two minutes, and eventually—
"** *** *****?"
Judging by the tone of Sui Yan's voice, a question seems to have been raised to the planetary souls.
*…! …! …!* as odd sounds emanate from the planetary souls, Sui Yan momentarily offers what seems to be an answer to a question in the same unknown tongue.
In this manner, a series of exchanges are made, and after a bit more than ten minutes' passing—
"** ***** ******** ****?"
Towards the question that Sui Yan had raised, silence loomed in the air for a while, as the colorful wisps moved about—contemplating the information that was just given to them.
And a few minutes later—
"…"
A subtle smile appears on Sui Yan's face, as the souls begin to gather onto her right hand.
"…"
Seeing Sui Yan's wisp-shrouded figure, Xu Qingxiang blinks her eyes in an absentminded manner—for the former's appearance at this time can only be described as mesmerizing.
Rather quickly, a radiant sphere of white light—akin to a miniature sun, looms above Sui Yan's right hand.
"* ****** **** ******* ** *** ******* ** **** **** ******** ****** ***** *** ***** ** **** **** ***** *****!"
Speaking in the unknown tongue—seemingly making a grand announcement or oath, Sui Yan presses her right hand closer to the core, and as the black serpent draws closer to the combined soul, it gently pushes it with its head.
As the combined soul enters the core, the complex network of magic arrays and calligraphic runes gives off a blinding shine, to which—
"…Nh!"
"Uh…"
Averting their eyes, several individuals instinctively took a few steps back.
...…
In the same instance, all the magic arrays that are present throughout the colony vessel—both inside and outside, give off a similar degree of white radiance.
"What's going on—on Colony Three?"
"…That project of theirs, did it really-?"
Staring at the vessel of Colony Three from another vessel, it's as if the former mass of iron had become a genuine star, causing the other colonies' denizens to widen their eyes in astonishment.
...…
*…!!!!!!!!* as the entirety of Colony Three trembles, several individuals are knocked off their feet, as they fall onto their rears.
"Wh-What's going on?"
"Did it fail?"
"Is the colony going to blow up?"
Just as these concerns are raised, the overwhelming radiance that is emanating from the core begins to die down, and as the surroundings gradually become visible to the eyes—
*…!!!!!!!!* white mist erupts from the core, and as this mist washes over the bodies of those within the vicinity, several individuals begin to show signs of making a breakthrough.
Without pausing, this white mist pours out into the hallways of the vessel, and rather quickly, it leaks into the outside world—covering the entirety of the colony vessel.
"The natural energies of Heaven and Earth…"
"And so much of it…"
"They really did succeed…"
...…
Back in the mist-shrouded lab—
"Uh?"
Blinking her eyes, Xu Qingxiang sees a figure dressed in what seems to be a long coat approaching her.
"Sui Yan?"
"…Help me over to my room."
Saying this, Sui Yan falls forward, to which, Xu Qingxiang quickly catches the former.
Sensing Sui Yan's weight leaning against her, Xu Qingxiang mutters—
"…It really did succeed."
"Un."
Towards Sui Yan's light slapping of her cheek, Xu Qingxiang is once more made to recognize the present reality.