The voice in the communication was hoarse and sharp.
Moreover, the surrounding environment was full of noise, and a few roars, similar to some giant creature or beast, could be vaguely heard, indicating it was not safe.
Even in space, Emrys clearly felt a deep-seated revulsion and discomfort through this eerie audio.
He turned to Carol and, seeing that the elderly sage looked a bit dazed, spoke to rouse him.
"Lord Carol, could you tell me more about this Archmagos Julius Davenport, who has been missing for nearly a century?"
Carol, roused from his daze, took a deep breath, and his thought array gradually cleared. He then began to speak.
"Julius Davenport was hailed a hundred years ago as the most gifted talent of the Mechanicus and the most promising candidate to become the youngest 'Forge General.' He loved adventure and exploration, so he often led a Mechanicus Ark fleet to mysterious places recorded in Mechanicus scriptures. But no one expected that a hundred years ago, this most gifted Archmagos of the Mechanicus suddenly vanished without a trace."
After speaking at length, Carol slightly composed himself and continued.
"Later, the Mars Forge world also searched for him, but strangely, his fleet left no records. The only thing known was that the fleet's last voyage record was to the northernmost part of the — — — — Obscurus Nebula."
"So, they went to the Imperium Nihilus?" Emrys asked.
"Exactly." Carol nodded, his sole remaining eye filled with complexity.
"I didn't expect that we would accidentally find the crash site of Julius Davenport's exploration fleet."
Emrys exhaled a breath, his gaze falling on the image transmitted by the exploration team: the wreckage of the Mechanicus Ark, covered in thick Moss and algae, looking like a landmass after its crash.
"Do you think this could be a trap?!"
Actually, he couldn't be blamed for being too cautious.
So far, their understanding of this pink world was almost zero. The only thing they knew was that it was extremely dangerous!
The wreckage that crashed a hundred years ago, a Archmagos of the Mechanicus who had hoped to become the youngest Forge General and was the most talented—
All met their demise here, which was sufficient proof of the world's danger.
It should be known that a typical Mechanicus exploration fleet was a massive armada consisting of several frigates, cruisers, and capital ships. Both their firepower and personnel configuration far surpassed their current fleet.
Even such a powerful exploration fleet crashed on this world, which was truly unimaginable.
Carol understood his concerns and said.
"Lord, I don't deny that it is indeed very dangerous here, but—" A Mechanicus Ark, even a crashed wreck, is an extremely valuable asset. Moreover, this Archmagos Julius Davenport held several "STC templates" in his hands. Both in terms of wealth and knowledge, even now, he would be revered among many Forge Worlds."
"That makes some sense."
Emrys nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his point of view.
"There's a second point, Lord." Carol continued.
"Julius Davenport mentioned the 'Cocoon of the Omnissiah' and 'Gate' which give me a very bad premonition. Combined with the Omega-level signal he sent, I believe it's very necessary for us to investigate."
"Alright, since you think it's worth it, then let's proceed with this plan for now." Emrys tapped his fingertips, then adjusted the communication channel to inform the exploration team of this decision.
"Winnie, come to the command center."
Emrys didn't forget to call for the Living Saint. She should have some suggestions.
The scene returned to the exploration team.
The few individuals were wearing a new generation of bio-mechanical armor, developed jointly by engineers and Archmagos Carol from the alien world. It possessed both the power of mechanical attributes and the convenience of biological attributes, as well as survival functions in extreme environments.
Emrys had specifically asked Carol to develop this armor, considering the various dangers that might be encountered after entering the Imperium Nihilus.
After receiving Emrys' order to continue deeper exploration, the several individuals boarded the Mechanicus Ark, which was submerged in the pink ocean, in several batches.
For safety and to avoid a total annihilation, they needed to wait for the preceding small team to transmit accurate information before successively landing and establishing stable communication nodes, scanning towers, etc.
After the three members of the first exploration team boarded the Mechanicus Ark, their real-time communication screen was blocked by an unknown signal, and the video was lost.
However, the subsequent batches of exploration team members on the Valkyrie could still maintain communication, clearly seeing the members who had boarded the Mechanicus Ark wreckage.
With communication blocked, they communicated using simple sign language. The members of the first exploration team who boarded the Mechanicus Ark wreckage then began to troubleshoot the source of the unidentified anomalous signal, preparing to establish communication and scanning towers.
However, as the members of the first exploration team who boarded the wreckage gradually disappeared from sight and time passed minute by minute, the subsequent batch members on the Valkyrie gradually sensed that something was wrong.
"How much time has passed?" the Mechanicus Priest inquired.
"An hour and a half." The leader of the exploration team, also the Captain, glanced at his watch, his brows tightly furrowed.
"According to the scheduled time, they should have returned here to report the situation they found, but they haven't come back yet. It's very likely that an accident has already occurred."
No matter what they were exploring, if communication devices were obstructed, they had to return to the starting point every hour to report the conditions along the way to the exploration team.
"Second team." The Captain of the exploration team said expressionlessly, continuing to send the second team to the wreckage.
"Remember, your mission time is one hour. After finding the first team, immediately return to the starting point and report the situation."
If the first time was an accident, then when the second team departed and also did not return after an hour, it already proved there was a problem.
However, just then—
The Captain suddenly noticed that the waves in the sea below seemed to be getting higher and higher. He sharply turned his head and discovered an extremely horrifying sight.
Unbeknownst to them, the Valkyrie they were on, including the Mechanicus Ark wreckage, was surrounded by tsunamis surging from all directions!
Wait, tsunamis?!
No, this is impossible—the Captain's pupils suddenly constricted, shaking like an earthquake, his face pale, his mind a complete jumble.
How could such a large-scale tsunami occur without any prior warning?!
Not to mention the commotion caused by the tsunami, even the tidal fluctuations detected in the early stages of a tsunami should not have allowed them to fall into the predicament of being surrounded by a tsunami without any awareness!
"Robel, what is going on with you?!" The Captain turned his head and roared at the equally terrified Tech-Priest.
"Such a large-scale tsunami, why wasn't there an early warning?!"
"I, I—"
Tech-Priest Robel was also scared stiff, staring blankly at the waves that seemed to connect with the sky.
"By the Omnissiah, I swear, this tsunami—it appeared suddenly, with no warning at all!"