Chapter 172: Moving Towards The Artifact That They Came Here For 2

Neris nodded slowly, still looking at the data in front of her instead of anyone else. "Then if we take what matters here, we also need to decide if this place is something we keep... or something we just strip and leave."

That comment seemed to surprise everyone for a second before they started thinking about it logically.

Because that was the real question sitting under everything they had been talking about.

It wasn’t about whether the station had value. It clearly did.

It wasn’t about whether it is related to a different civilization, but more in the line of how far away it is from Haven.

Then another question was simple in a different way. Did they need to use this as a launch board to the deeper parts of the universe on the opposite side, so that they have more ways to expand other than just fighting?

Aurelian didn’t answer right away.

He looked at the station map again, at the way the power levels dropped off in different sections, at the scattered pieces of what used to be a fleet, at the damaged archives, and the parts of the vault that were still working.

Eirenne had already laid most of it out clearly without being asked, and now it was just a matter of deciding what it meant.

After a moment, he said, "That depends on what it takes to keep you running."

Eirenne looked at him, as she was thinking about what her master wanted to do, as the most logical choice would be to just take the stuff they need and leave, as they still have to attack that checkpoint.

Just a small pause, like she hadn’t expected the question, but she still answered.

"I would need a stable power source again," she said. "A proper command core line would help. Structural repairs in key areas. Support systems that actually function instead of what I’m using now. Better defenses. And time."

Rhoswen let out a quiet breath through her nose. "That sounds like a lot."

"It is," Eirenne said, without trying to soften it.

Aurelian let that sit.

Yes, it was a lot.

But "a lot" didn’t always mean "too much." Not when the return was something like this. A working command site, even a damaged one, still mattered.

A surviving intelligence that could actually help manage things at scale mattered. Whatever else was still hidden deeper in the station mattered too.

It wasn’t simple.

It wasn’t cheap.

But it wasn’t something to ignore either.

Rhoswen shifted her weight, already getting tired of standing still and talking, her eyes moving toward the route marker that led deeper into the station.

"So are we getting the engine first," she said, "or are we going to keep talking until this place falls apart on its own?"

Neris actually smiled a little at that.

Aurelian looked at Eirenne. "Can we move now?"

"Yes," she said. "Just be careful."

"Then we move."

That was enough.

The conversation ended there.

Eirenne turned and took the lead again, guiding them out of the chamber and deeper into the station.

This time, they were able to move quickly because they had focused on the surroundings before; now that they were focused on the engine artifact, they could move quickly.

The corridors changed as they went deeper, some narrowing, others opening up, but the same feeling stayed with them the entire time.

This place had once been strong; everyone can tell, but even then, it was brought to this state, showing the extent of the damage the enemies of this civilization caused.

The mechs Aurelian had brought moved with them in a controlled spread, not too tight, not too loose, just enough to keep the approach safe and to make sure nothing unexpected caught them off guard.

Rhoswen noticed that and glanced back at the formation, then at Aurelian.

"You know," she said, "if I had brought my own frames like this the first time we did one of these, it would have looked better."

Aurelian looked at her. "You’re saying this now."

"Hmm? I mean, you didn’t ask."

Neris spoke quietly from the side. "True, but you are forgetting that those heaps of steel make so much noise."

Rhoswen ignored that. "I’m just saying, walking into a place like this with a proper guard behind you makes a difference."

Eirenne, still moving ahead, answered without stopping.

"It does."

Rhoswen blinked. "You agree?"

"Yes," Eirenne said. "How something looks still matters." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

That comment seemed to throw Rhoswen into a state of loss, as she didn’t expect her to put it that way.

Aurelian let it pass. It didn’t change anything, and if he was being honest, Rhoswen wasn’t completely wrong.

There was a difference between walking into a place like you belonged there and sneaking in like you didn’t. Even if the situation was dangerous, that difference still mattered.

They kept moving.

After a while, the path brought them to a lower section of the station, and the change was clear right away.

The structure here was heavier. The walls were thicker. The doors were built to withstand pressure, not just separate spaces.

Even the defensive mounts along the walls, damaged as they were, showed what this place had been designed for.

This wasn’t just another part of the station.

This was where something important had been kept.

"The vault is below this level," Eirenne said. "There will be one last gate."

Aurelian looked at her. "Human clearance."

"Yes."

That wasn’t surprising.

He stepped forward when prompted, and the system took its time to react, as if it had to remember how to work before it could respond.

A section of the wall shifted open slowly, revealing an old mechanism that looked like it hadn’t been used properly in a very long time.

Inside was a blood-key unit.

And it seems that there was still some power that kept some of the systems alive, albeit barely.

Rhoswen stared at it for a second. "So it really is still that simple."

"It was never simple," Eirenne said. "Just direct."