The [poseidon] was like a silent black behemoth, sailing steadily across the azure Pacific Ocean, leaving the clamor of the California coast far behind.
For this deep-sea mother ship, which integrated the highest technology of Stark Industries, these waves couldn't even cause a glass of water in the dining room to flicker.
In the bridge command room, Tony Stark had finally exhausted his initial novelty for this new toy. He paced the room irritably like a tiger trapped in a cage, while Lin Huai sat quietly on a sofa in the corner like a meditative old monk, resting with his eyes closed.
This eerie tranquility was completely shattered on the second day of the voyage.
"So, 'spirituality' is a quantum field that currently cannot be observed, right?" Tony placed a cup of coffee heavily on the table, finally unable to resist starting a new round of "academic discussion."
"And 'Resonance' is a directional wave function interference with information transmission characteristics based on that field?"
This was the hundred and first time in two days that Tony had tried to deconstruct Lin Huai's occult system using his own scientific language. He wanted to compile a "Science-Occultism Cross-Reference Dictionary," and Lin Huai was that damn original work that refused to be translated.
Lin Huai slowly opened his eyes, his tone devoid of any ripples: "Mr. Stark, you are trying to use the structure of a musical score to analyze the colors of an oil painting. They are two completely different expression systems."
"I don't believe it." Tony shook his head stubbornly. "As long as it exists, it must be definable and quantifiable! It's just that my equipment isn't precise enough yet!"
"Then until you build a scale capable of 'weighing the soul,' I suggest you trust my 'intuition' first." Lin Huai said, standing up.
"Now, I need a tool. A 'Compass' that can guide us in this sea area where physical rules are disordered."
"A Compass?" Tony sounded like he had heard an old-fashioned joke. "You mean the kind of antique that relies on geomagnetism? In that 'Silent Zone,' it'll spin faster than a top."
"I'm not talking about a Compass that points to the physical 'North'." Lin Huai took a pen from his pocket and drew a simple sketch on a piece of paper.
It was a pendulum made of crystal, its structure so simple it was almost primitive.
"What it points to are the coordinates of 'spirituality'."
Tony leaned in for a look and sneered, "A stone hanging from a string? This is your multi-billion dollar 'Fish Finder'? My engineers would laugh their heads off."
"The core is the 'crystal,' not the'string'," Lin Huai explained calmly. "It's like a blank cassette tape; it needs a ritual to record the'signal' it needs to search for."
However, Tony's mind had already jumped to another dimension.
He stared fixedly at the sketch, a feverish intensity in his eyes that appeared when an engineer discovered a new problem.
"No... no, I get it!" He clapped his hands suddenly, his previous mockery vanishing, replaced by extreme excitement.
"Its directionality isn't a macroscopic swing!"
"If it were a simple physical swing, as you said, any water current or geomagnetism would interfere. So its 'pointing' must be an extremely subtle change that my naked eye and conventional instruments cannot detect! Perhaps it's a microscopic tremor, or some kind of ordered restructuring within the crystal!"
He completely ignored the "ritual" Lin Huai mentioned and instead excitedly pulled up a large number of complex instrument models on the holographic screen.
"The problem isn't stabilizing it, it's how to 'read' its signal!"
"I need to translate the 'oracle' it receives into a language Jarvis can understand!"
"Jarvis! Prepare an A-3 Level Sterile Experimental Chamber, wrap it in three layers of Faraday Cages, and pump the interior to an absolute vacuum! I want a room that is 'cleanest' on a physical level!"
"Then, inside the experimental chamber, set up a Ring Laser Interferometer and a Quantum Tunneling Sensor Array for me! I want to be able to capture even a nanometer-level change in its form!"
For the next twenty-four hours, the precision machining workshop on the [poseidon] entered a state of full-speed operation.
Tony Stark completely unleashed his engineering talent.
He didn't build some flashy stabilization platform; instead, he created a "High-Sensitivity Signal Converter" that could be called a work of art.
A flawless natural white crystal, precisely cut and polished by robotic arms, was carefully suspended inside a glass bell jar, surrounded by a dense array of shimmering sensor probes.
"Done." Tony looked at his masterpiece with satisfaction. "Now, not even gravitational waves caused by a butterfly flapping its wings can interfere with its readings. You can begin your'sacred ritual' now, Mr. consultant."
Lin Huai walked over. Ignoring the complex instruments, he simply reached out and gently covered the cold crystal with his hand. He closed his eyes, mobilized the spirituality that had just recovered in his body, and whispered that ancient, obscure Hermes Language.
Tony wore his analytical glasses; on the lenses, Jarvis's data stream jumped frantically.
[Warning: Unknown energy infusion detected from the target! The microscopic structure inside the crystal is undergoing ordered reorganization... incomprehensible phenomenon!]
A moment later, Lin Huai let go. The surface of the crystal appeared unchanged, but he knew this "stone" had come to life.
"It's done."
"That's it?" Tony was a bit disappointed. "I thought there would be lightning and thunder or something."
"The real change happens on a level you can't see," Lin Huai said calmly. "Now, start your 'translator'."
"I like that name!" Tony snapped his fingers, walked to the console, and pressed a button.
A massive amount of chaotic vibration data, like white noise, immediately flooded into Jarvis's computing core from the sensors.
"Jarvis, activate the 'Neuronal Noise Reduction Algorithm' I just wrote. Translate these cryptic signals into a simple arrow!"
"Yes, sir. Algorithm activated... analyzing data stream... pattern recognition in progress... initial vector direction generated!"
On the giant holographic sea chart, a faint, flickering golden arrow abruptly emerged, pointing toward the boundless distance.
This was their first technical collaboration.
Lin Huai provided the mysterious core CPU, and Tony built a unique motherboard and graphics card for it.
"We have the Compass, next." Tony looked at Lin Huai. "That 'Ancient Ballad of Homecoming' of yours—we can't just play it on a loop like a hymn on the ship, can we? How exactly is it used?"
"Its function isn't to summon, but to'stimulate'," Lin Huai explained.
"You can think of it as a kind of noise directed at a specific creature that will make it extremely irritable. In the vast deep sea, the target creature will maintain spiritual silence. But when we get close and play this 'ballad,' it will be provoked, thereby releasing strong spiritual fluctuations. At that time, our 'Compass' will be able to pinpoint its location accurately."
"I see." A knowing, mischievous smile appeared on Tony's face.
"We're not fishing; we're taking a very noisy stick to poke a sleeping bear until it gets pissed off and roars at us."
"An apt metaphor."
"Jarvis."
"Yes, sir."
"We have arrived at the designated coordinates, 25° North latitude, 71° West longitude. Abnormal fluctuations have appeared in the external geomagnetic readings of the hull; we are entering the 'Silent Zone'."
Inside the bridge, the atmosphere changed instantly. All crew members returned to their posts nervously.
The screens of several consoles began to flicker with slight static.
Tony walked to the huge porthole, looking at the deep blue sea outside, which looked no different from anywhere else yet hid surging undercurrents, a feverish smile on his face.
He looked back at Lin Huai.
"Alright, Mr. consultant."
"Your stage is ready."