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Chapter 200: I'm the Examiner!
Odym, a planet orbiting Polaris.
Hal temporarily took his leave and flew back to the Green Lantern Corps Headquarters on Oa, while Orin Vale and Ganthet went ahead together to Odym, the under-construction headquarters of the Blue Lantern Corps.
Towering mountain ranges stood majestically amidst verdant forests, their magnificent peaks dotting the azure planet. Rivers, so clear they had almost vanished from Earth, gurgled through the mountains. Light ripples, stirred by the gentle breeze, shimmered on their surface like translucent gems.
The dense forests and diverse vegetation resembled a vast green ocean. Multicolored flowers dotted the branches and leaves, exuding a fragrant aroma.
A planet brimming with vitality and life.
Full of Hope.
Following Ganthet, they flew over the mountain ranges, and the two soon landed in a patch of forest.
Soon, figures appeared from the surrounding Forest Land. Alright, to be precise, they weren't exactly human.
The one in the lead had white skin, human-like eyes and a mouth, but no nose. Following behind him was a humanoid elephant, its long trunk swinging back and forth as it walked. The one after that had orange-red skin and a face that brought to mind the Squash from Plants vs. Zombies.
Orin Vale quickly performed a facial recognition scan with his Quantum Brain, retrieving images from the comic book fragments in his memory from over five thousand years ago that matched the distinct racial features of these characters.
Saint Walker, Brother Warth, and Sheen. They were all future members of the Blue Lantern Corps.
However, at this moment, none of them had a Power Ring. They were all dressed in loose, deep blue robes that gave them a solemn and natural air, stylistically similar to the monks of the Human World.
It seemed that, as Ganthet had just mentioned, the application of the Blue Light was still in development. Therefore, these future senior members of the Blue Lantern Corps were currently just candidates.
According to his memory of the Original Work, they should have been directly recruited into the Corps by fully developed Blue Lantern Rings. It appeared the timeline had changed. But that was normal; after all, if things had followed the original path, it would still be many years before Ganthet was expelled from the Guardians and established the Blue Lantern Corps.
"Master Ganthet, we have been eagerly awaiting your next visit to inspect the results of our training."
Saint Walker stepped forward and bowed respectfully, his gaze then falling upon Orin Vale.
"Is this a new brother of ours?"
The Blue Lanterns addressed members of their Lantern Corps with the prefix "Brother" or "Sister" before their names. The entire organization was essentially a legion of hermit monks.
Saint Walker was the Leader of the Blue Lanterns in the original timeline, a saintly figure who never gave up Hope, no matter the circumstances. Among the Seven Lantern Corps, friend and foe alike, even some of the most extreme individuals, were won over by his noble character.
"Not yet. He is a distinguished guest," Ganthet introduced.
Orin Vale had already reverted to his human form and met Saint Walker. Saint Walker also greeted him with a friendly bow. "A guest of the Master is a guest of Odym. Please, come in."
It was clear that the current number of Blue Lantern candidates wasn't large; it was basically just the few prominent figures from the Original Work. The lore stated that the Light of Hope was the most demanding power in the Emotional Spectrum, so even at its peak, the Corps' membership was very small.
Orin Vale met with each of them and found that they were indeed pure and good-hearted people. Without needing a Blue Lantern Ring for testing, Orin Vale could sense on his own that each of them possessed the seed of what the Ultraman Race called "Light" within their hearts.
Only then did he realize that it wasn't just the Blue Lantern Light itself that was compatible with him, but the Blue Lantern Corps as well.
The ability of a Blue Lantern Ring could soothe the intense emotional fluctuations of any chosen sentient target, create constructs to comfort their spirit, and ignite hope in the hearts of the despairing. This was the very purpose for which the Blue Lantern Corps was founded, and every member took it upon themselves to save others and spread Hope throughout the Universe.
So, from a certain perspective, this entire Corps was practically a group of walking light-energy generators for an Ultraman.
If he really became their Lantern Corps' Leader, it might not be a bad thing at all.
He had initially thought Ganthet might not easily disclose the technical principles behind the forging of the Power Rings and the utilization of Emotional Energy, but it seemed he had overthought it. Ganthet didn't mind him looking through the R&D materials and even shared the current obstacles in the development of the Blue Lantern Ring.
"Our design philosophy is fundamentally derived from the development of Green Lantern weapons," Ganthet explained. "We have a wealth of experience in developing the Green Lantern Ring. But when we try to adapt it for the Blue Light... many aspects are not applicable.
"Because Hope is different from Willpower. It is powerful and precious, yet it can be easily extinguished. Sparks of hope have flickered in the hearts of many, but they often dim and vanish in an instant.
"And the Blue Lantern Rings we've forged so far have proven to be extremely demanding."
"They refuse to choose a suitable bearer?" Orin Vale asked, his Super Brain rapidly processing the vast amount of research data.
"That's only one aspect. Another is that it easily abandons its wielder. The wielder must have unwavering faith and the fortitude to never give up hope for the Blue Lantern Ring to continue shining. If they lose hope for even a moment, the Power Ring will dim, or even leave them."
Orin Vale fell silent. He recalled that this had always been a major problem for the Blue Lantern Corps in the Original Work, one that was never resolved even in later stories. Perhaps it was just a fundamental property of this particular light, difficult to overcome with technical means.
"Ganthet."
The voice came from above. Ganthet looked up and saw another Guardian, one of the Little Blue Men, flying down. From the sound of her voice, he could clearly tell she was female.
"Sayd."
Upon seeing his beloved, Ganthet immediately lifted off the ground and flew up to greet her joyfully. The two Little Blue Men held hands, and the air filled with the sour stench of their public affection.
"I've been looking for you," Sayd asked. "Where did you go?"
"I had some... unpleasant encounters. I'll tell you the details later. The important thing is, I'm back now, and it might have been a blessing in disguise." Ganthet smiled. "I believe I may have found the key person to solve the Blue Lantern problem that has been plaguing us."
"And this is?" Sayd followed his gaze to Orin Vale.
"Orin Vale, from Earth," Orin Vale waved at the female Guardian.
As a former Guardian of the Universe, Sayd could naturally tell at a glance that he wasn't truly from Earth. But since he said so, she just smiled slightly and nodded in greeting, not asking any further questions.
"Speaking of the Power Rings, our latest prototype has just been completed," she said to Ganthet. "The candidates, under Saint Walker's guidance, have also made progress in their training recently. We've scheduled a test for today."
"That's perfect."
Ganthet turned to Orin Vale.
"Perhaps you'd like to watch... to understand how the Power Rings operate and see the condition of our members."
"Of course," Orin Vale nodded in agreement.
The members were quickly assembled. A batch of beautiful, brand-new, azure Power Rings, fresh from the forge, were placed in a container shaped like a blue Power Battery.
While Sayd was gathering and organizing everyone, Ganthet briefly explained their testing procedure to Orin Vale.
The standard test is held periodically and is divided into three parts. The first part is the most fundamental: the members must get a Power Ring to respond to them.
They need to summon a Power Ring, making it fly through the air to their hands, simulating the process used by the Green Lantern Corps where the ring chooses a suitable bearer to join the Corps.
To achieve this, one must possess immense Hope.
The few candidates present were all future senior members of the Blue Lanterns, rare individuals filled with hope, handpicked by Ganthet and Sayd from countless civilizations across many Sectors. Even so, to date, the only one who had ever successfully summoned a Blue Lantern Ring was Saint Walker.
"Remember, you must hold hope in your hearts."
With the arrangements complete, the Guardian Sayd flew up and away from the area, speaking to the members below.
"Just as Ganthet and I have often told you."
The members all nodded with pious expressions, closed their eyes, and began to chant softly in unison, as if reciting scriptures.
"All will be well."
They closed their eyes, recalled their daily training, felt for Hope, and attempted to establish a connection with the Power Rings.
Sayd flew up to a higher vantage point, landing between Ganthet and Orin Vale.
The examiners waited for the candidates to respond. Before them, a Manifested Interface displayed the hope index of each member.
At this moment, the values for each of them were rising at a visible rate.
"Indeed, they're higher than during the last test," Ganthet nodded slightly.
"Saint Walker is still far ahead," Sayd said, looking at his particularly outstanding data.
Ganthet said, "That is why we have always had high hopes for him. Judging by the data, this time he should have a better chance than ever before—"
"The Power Rings are reacting!" Sayd called out.
Sure enough, the blue rings began to move!
They flew out of the Power Battery, one after another, tracing beautiful blue trajectories.
This batch of five prototype Power Rings flew out from the Power Battery in a neat formation, every single one of them!
"Success!" Ganthet's face lit up with joy.
The last time they came this close to success, only one ring had responded, flying into Saint Walker's hand, and even then, the connection was broken after just a moment.
But this time, all five rings had reacted!
The members in training were also overcome with indescribable joy, as if all their hard work had finally paid off.
Each of them raised a hand, ready to receive the ring flying toward them, as if they were about to say, "I do."
However, the next moment.
The five rings flew only halfway towards them.
Then, all at once, they curved.
Making an obtuse turn, they traced five great arcs and shot towards the figures high above.
"Orin Vale of Earth, you have the ability to instill great hope in others..."
"Orin Vale of Earth..."
"Of..."
"Of..."
"Of..."
The five Blue Lantern Rings, like global satellites, all began to circle around Orin Vale, who was completely baffled by this sudden development.
"Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps!" x5
The five Blue Lantern candidates with their hands still raised, the two Guardians with their strange expressions—everyone froze in that moment, the scene seemingly paused in time.
Even Orin Vale was stunned.
Wait a minute...
I'm the examiner! The candidates are down there, right?
What are all you dopey rings doing coming to me for?
(end of chapter)
Odym, a planet orbiting Polaris.
Hal temporarily took his leave and flew back to the Green Lantern Corps Headquarters on Oa, while Orin Vale and Ganthet went ahead together to Odym, the under-construction headquarters of the Blue Lantern Corps.
Towering mountain ranges stood majestically amidst verdant forests, their magnificent peaks dotting the azure planet. Rivers, so clear they had almost vanished from Earth, gurgled through the mountains. Light ripples, stirred by the gentle breeze, shimmered on their surface like translucent gems.
The dense forests and diverse vegetation resembled a vast green ocean. Multicolored flowers dotted the branches and leaves, exuding a fragrant aroma.
A planet brimming with vitality and life.
Full of Hope.
Following Ganthet, they flew over the mountain ranges, and the two soon landed in a patch of forest.
Soon, figures appeared from the surrounding Forest Land. Alright, to be precise, they weren't exactly human.
The one in the lead had white skin, human-like eyes and a mouth, but no nose. Following behind him was a humanoid elephant, its long trunk swinging back and forth as it walked. The one after that had orange-red skin and a face that brought to mind the Squash from Plants vs. Zombies.
Orin Vale quickly performed a facial recognition scan with his Quantum Brain, retrieving images from the comic book fragments in his memory from over five thousand years ago that matched the distinct racial features of these characters.
Saint Walker, Brother Warth, and Sheen. They were all future members of the Blue Lantern Corps.
However, at this moment, none of them had a Power Ring. They were all dressed in loose, deep blue robes that gave them a solemn and natural air, stylistically similar to the monks of the Human World.
It seemed that, as Ganthet had just mentioned, the application of the Blue Light was still in development. Therefore, these future senior members of the Blue Lantern Corps were currently just candidates.
According to his memory of the Original Work, they should have been directly recruited into the Corps by fully developed Blue Lantern Rings. It appeared the timeline had changed. But that was normal; after all, if things had followed the original path, it would still be many years before Ganthet was expelled from the Guardians and established the Blue Lantern Corps.
"Master Ganthet, we have been eagerly awaiting your next visit to inspect the results of our training."
Saint Walker stepped forward and bowed respectfully, his gaze then falling upon Orin Vale.
"Is this a new brother of ours?"
The Blue Lanterns addressed members of their Lantern Corps with the prefix "Brother" or "Sister" before their names. The entire organization was essentially a legion of hermit monks.
Saint Walker was the Leader of the Blue Lanterns in the original timeline, a saintly figure who never gave up Hope, no matter the circumstances. Among the Seven Lantern Corps, friend and foe alike, even some of the most extreme individuals, were won over by his noble character.
"Not yet. He is a distinguished guest," Ganthet introduced.
Orin Vale had already reverted to his human form and met Saint Walker. Saint Walker also greeted him with a friendly bow. "A guest of the Master is a guest of Odym. Please, come in."
It was clear that the current number of Blue Lantern candidates wasn't large; it was basically just the few prominent figures from the Original Work. The lore stated that the Light of Hope was the most demanding power in the Emotional Spectrum, so even at its peak, the Corps' membership was very small.
Orin Vale met with each of them and found that they were indeed pure and good-hearted people. Without needing a Blue Lantern Ring for testing, Orin Vale could sense on his own that each of them possessed the seed of what the Ultraman Race called "Light" within their hearts.
Only then did he realize that it wasn't just the Blue Lantern Light itself that was compatible with him, but the Blue Lantern Corps as well.
The ability of a Blue Lantern Ring could soothe the intense emotional fluctuations of any chosen sentient target, create constructs to comfort their spirit, and ignite hope in the hearts of the despairing. This was the very purpose for which the Blue Lantern Corps was founded, and every member took it upon themselves to save others and spread Hope throughout the Universe.
So, from a certain perspective, this entire Corps was practically a group of walking light-energy generators for an Ultraman.
If he really became their Lantern Corps' Leader, it might not be a bad thing at all.
He had initially thought Ganthet might not easily disclose the technical principles behind the forging of the Power Rings and the utilization of Emotional Energy, but it seemed he had overthought it. Ganthet didn't mind him looking through the R&D materials and even shared the current obstacles in the development of the Blue Lantern Ring.
"Our design philosophy is fundamentally derived from the development of Green Lantern weapons," Ganthet explained. "We have a wealth of experience in developing the Green Lantern Ring. But when we try to adapt it for the Blue Light... many aspects are not applicable.
"Because Hope is different from Willpower. It is powerful and precious, yet it can be easily extinguished. Sparks of hope have flickered in the hearts of many, but they often dim and vanish in an instant.
"And the Blue Lantern Rings we've forged so far have proven to be extremely demanding."
"They refuse to choose a suitable bearer?" Orin Vale asked, his Super Brain rapidly processing the vast amount of research data.
"That's only one aspect. Another is that it easily abandons its wielder. The wielder must have unwavering faith and the fortitude to never give up hope for the Blue Lantern Ring to continue shining. If they lose hope for even a moment, the Power Ring will dim, or even leave them."
Orin Vale fell silent. He recalled that this had always been a major problem for the Blue Lantern Corps in the Original Work, one that was never resolved even in later stories. Perhaps it was just a fundamental property of this particular light, difficult to overcome with technical means.
"Ganthet."
The voice came from above. Ganthet looked up and saw another Guardian, one of the Little Blue Men, flying down. From the sound of her voice, he could clearly tell she was female.
"Sayd."
Upon seeing his beloved, Ganthet immediately lifted off the ground and flew up to greet her joyfully. The two Little Blue Men held hands, and the air filled with the sour stench of their public affection.
"I've been looking for you," Sayd asked. "Where did you go?"
"I had some... unpleasant encounters. I'll tell you the details later. The important thing is, I'm back now, and it might have been a blessing in disguise." Ganthet smiled. "I believe I may have found the key person to solve the Blue Lantern problem that has been plaguing us."
"And this is?" Sayd followed his gaze to Orin Vale.
"Orin Vale, from Earth," Orin Vale waved at the female Guardian.
As a former Guardian of the Universe, Sayd could naturally tell at a glance that he wasn't truly from Earth. But since he said so, she just smiled slightly and nodded in greeting, not asking any further questions.
"Speaking of the Power Rings, our latest prototype has just been completed," she said to Ganthet. "The candidates, under Saint Walker's guidance, have also made progress in their training recently. We've scheduled a test for today."
"That's perfect."
Ganthet turned to Orin Vale.
"Perhaps you'd like to watch... to understand how the Power Rings operate and see the condition of our members."
"Of course," Orin Vale nodded in agreement.
The members were quickly assembled. A batch of beautiful, brand-new, azure Power Rings, fresh from the forge, were placed in a container shaped like a blue Power Battery.
While Sayd was gathering and organizing everyone, Ganthet briefly explained their testing procedure to Orin Vale.
The standard test is held periodically and is divided into three parts. The first part is the most fundamental: the members must get a Power Ring to respond to them.
They need to summon a Power Ring, making it fly through the air to their hands, simulating the process used by the Green Lantern Corps where the ring chooses a suitable bearer to join the Corps.
To achieve this, one must possess immense Hope.
The few candidates present were all future senior members of the Blue Lanterns, rare individuals filled with hope, handpicked by Ganthet and Sayd from countless civilizations across many Sectors. Even so, to date, the only one who had ever successfully summoned a Blue Lantern Ring was Saint Walker.
"Remember, you must hold hope in your hearts."
With the arrangements complete, the Guardian Sayd flew up and away from the area, speaking to the members below.
"Just as Ganthet and I have often told you."
The members all nodded with pious expressions, closed their eyes, and began to chant softly in unison, as if reciting scriptures.
"All will be well."
They closed their eyes, recalled their daily training, felt for Hope, and attempted to establish a connection with the Power Rings.
Sayd flew up to a higher vantage point, landing between Ganthet and Orin Vale.
The examiners waited for the candidates to respond. Before them, a Manifested Interface displayed the hope index of each member.
At this moment, the values for each of them were rising at a visible rate.
"Indeed, they're higher than during the last test," Ganthet nodded slightly.
"Saint Walker is still far ahead," Sayd said, looking at his particularly outstanding data.
Ganthet said, "That is why we have always had high hopes for him. Judging by the data, this time he should have a better chance than ever before—"
"The Power Rings are reacting!" Sayd called out.
Sure enough, the blue rings began to move!
They flew out of the Power Battery, one after another, tracing beautiful blue trajectories.
This batch of five prototype Power Rings flew out from the Power Battery in a neat formation, every single one of them!
"Success!" Ganthet's face lit up with joy.
The last time they came this close to success, only one ring had responded, flying into Saint Walker's hand, and even then, the connection was broken after just a moment.
But this time, all five rings had reacted!
The members in training were also overcome with indescribable joy, as if all their hard work had finally paid off.
Each of them raised a hand, ready to receive the ring flying toward them, as if they were about to say, "I do."
However, the next moment.
The five rings flew only halfway towards them.
Then, all at once, they curved.
Making an obtuse turn, they traced five great arcs and shot towards the figures high above.
"Orin Vale of Earth, you have the ability to instill great hope in others..."
"Orin Vale of Earth..."
"Of..."
"Of..."
"Of..."
The five Blue Lantern Rings, like global satellites, all began to circle around Orin Vale, who was completely baffled by this sudden development.
"Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps!" x5
The five Blue Lantern candidates with their hands still raised, the two Guardians with their strange expressions—everyone froze in that moment, the scene seemingly paused in time.
Even Orin Vale was stunned.
Wait a minute...
I'm the examiner! The candidates are down there, right?
What are all you dopey rings doing coming to me for?
(end of chapter)
