The next morning, after getting the key, Dane and Clark said goodbye to Martha and flew to the North Pole.
Dane only knew that the spaceship was near the Arctic Circle, but he didn't know the exact location.
But this wasn't a big problem. Clark had X-ray vision, and the ice layer was just a decoration to him.
Of course, Dane wasn't slacking off either. He used a tracking spell to roughly define an area, which turned out to be within Canada.
In less than an hour, they found the spaceship, located about 300 meters beneath the ice.
Clark was very excited. When he saw the spaceship, he had a strong feeling inside that it belonged to his family.
If Dane knew his thoughts, he would agree with his intuition.
According to the DCEU's setting, this research vessel belonged to the ancestor of the House of El, Kara Zor-El (not Supergirl), and was her personal ship.
It was one of the first pioneer ships dispatched when Kryptonian first began space exploration twenty thousand years ago.
Although it sounded ancient, its technological level was still far beyond Earth's current capabilities.
Before reaching Earth, this ship had explored at least 100,000 Worlds, collecting and recording their knowledge.
Dane had an idea at this moment: he wanted to learn the knowledge on this ship.
The Wisdom of Solomon gave him intelligence and learning abilities far superior to ordinary people; it would be a pity not to use them.
You agree, don't you, Billy Batson?
Although he was a god of magic, it didn't prevent him from learning technology.
Dual cultivation of science and magic had a higher Upper limit. Dr. Doom from Marvel even reached a multiversal level.
It showed that this path had broad prospects.
Clark's heat vision cleared the way, and soon they passed through the ice layer and saw the beetle-like spaceship.
Its upper and lower parts were frozen by ice, but the hatch was wide open.
Perhaps sensing someone approaching, a half-human-tall operating platform floated out from inside the door.
It was small and exquisite, with a small diamond-shaped triangular hole in the center.
Clark looked at this thing thoughtfully, completely unaware that something like a Metapod was floating behind him.
But Dane wasn't dazed. He raised a finger, and a scorching white lightning flashed, instantly piercing the "Metapod."
It was then that Clark turned around and saw the mechanical construct with a hole through it.
He turned his head, looking at Dane gratefully.
"Be careful to protect yourself. You're not the Master of this ship yet."
Clark took out the key, inserted it into the slot without hesitation, and pressed it.
Immediately, both felt the entire spaceship light up.
Clark was somewhat lost in thought, and Dane coughed at the opportune moment.
"Clark…"
"Oh, right."
Clark immediately snapped back to attention and quickly said to the operating platform: "No signals allowed! Maintain silence!"
The indicator light on the platform lit up for a moment, then went out.
Clark looked at Dane, his expression questioning.
Dane gave a thumbs-up.
At this moment, a third person suddenly appeared in their field of vision. He stood there, quietly watching them.
"Did you see him?"
Clark pointed there, his tone somewhat incredulous.
"Of course, my eyesight is very good."
Dane nodded; he knew that person was Superman's biological father.
The man stood for a while, then suddenly walked into the interior of the spaceship.
"Please wait!"
Clark chased after him without a word, and Dane followed.
The man seemed to be guiding them, leading the two into the cockpit, where there was a single-person pilot's seat.
Clark searched for a while but couldn't find the person. Then he saw the pilot's seat ascend, and the cabin suddenly became spacious.
The person who had just guided them here stood in the very center, as if he had been there all along.
He looked at Clark, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness and affection.
He then looked at Dane, seemingly judging whether he posed a threat, but he quickly lowered his guard.
Because Clark proactively introduced Dane: "He is my friend, Dane. You, you are…"
Clark was a bit hesitant to speak, but the man gently completed his unspoken words.
"I am your father, Kal."
"I am very pleased to see you have grown into an adult. If Laura could have seen it with her own eyes, it would have been wonderful."
Even though he had already learned about it from Dane, Clark was still very excited. He couldn't help but ask:
"Who, who exactly am I?"
"Your name is Kal-El. I am the Shadow of your father, Jor-El, or rather, his consciousness, his memories."
"I have many questions to ask."
"Of course, I will answer them one by one."
Jor-El said, and the nano-materials behind him began to combine, forming the shape of a Planet.
"First, let me introduce you to your home Planet, Kryptonian."
Clark's eyes widened, like a student in class.
Dane knew this was one of the most important moments in Clark's life, so he remained quiet and did not disturb him.
"The environment on Kryptonian is much harsher than on Earth."
"A long time ago, during the Age of Expansion, our race traveled throughout the Universe, searching for new habitable Planets."
"Countless spaceships were launched into the Universe, and the one we are standing on is one of them."
"We established outposts on other Planets, designed large machines to terraform environments according to our needs…"
The nano-materials combined to form a large three-legged machine, which was the World Engine.
Zod is probably in those outposts now, modifying this thing.
"Our civilization prospered for a long time, creating many miracles, until…"
"Until what?" Clark asked impatiently.
"Until we underwent a reform, began population control, and countless outposts were abandoned."
What Jor-El said here was very vague, but Dane knew very well that the so-called reform was actually a massive civil war.
At that time, Kryptonians were almost unrivaled in the known Universe, and even powerful forces like Apocalypse and the Green Lantern Corps could only avoid them.
The invincible Kryptonians, for some unknown reason, started a civil war. This war lasted a very long time, and countless Kryptonians died in the conflict.
Finally, one day, the Kryptonians had enough deaths, began to reflect, and re-established their laws.
They pre-designed the social division of labor for every newborn Kryptonian infant, determining their future social role from birth.
The full implementation of this law was the foreshadowing of how Krypton would later transform.
Jor-El continued his narration.
"We exhausted our natural resources, causing the planet's core to become unstable."
"Finally, our Military leader, General Zod, attempted to change this situation through a coup…"
To be fair, although Dane disliked Zod's domineering nature, he believed that Zod's actions at the time were not wrong.
The Kryptonian Council was clearly unable to solve the problem of Krypton's destruction, yet it forbade Kryptonians from emigrating, which was akin to dragging all the people of the World to their deaths.
Zod's move was to save the World; although he also coveted power, overall, there was nothing wrong with it. His only mistake was that he failed.
The loser is always wrong, no matter what they say.
"Your mother and I foresaw the end, so we found a way to send you here."
As he spoke, Jor-El began to move, leading Clark and Dane to the Genesis Chamber.
Inside were artificial wombs hanging like grapevines.
He began to tell Clark about the designed destiny of Kryptonians, and to instill in Clark the idea of free will.
Free will—the U.S. loves this.
This bowl of chicken soup, brewed for 25 years, finally welcomed its first customer, and Clark happily drank it down.
Dane could see that Clark was full of conviction at this moment.
He was certain that if Dane said he wanted to fight Zod at that moment, Clark would absolutely follow without a second thought.
When it comes to persuading people, it still has to be Superman's father; Dane felt that his own cultivation was still far from enough.
Finally, Jor-El opened a nearby locker, revealing a blue bodysuit and a red cape.
Jor-El explained to him the meaning of the "S" on the House of El's chest—it stood for hope.
Clark picked up the clothes, and the cool touch made him reluctant to put them down.
He was about to put them on when he paused, turning to look at Dane.
Dane rolled his eyes before saying, "Alright, I'll wait for you outside."
After speaking, his down jacket suddenly shimmered, transforming into a red battle suit. He raised an eyebrow and flew out directly.
A battle suit, as if he didn't have one.
Clark's face twitched slightly, then he obediently put on his clothes.
Jor-El watched this scene with a benevolent expression, feeling even more relieved. At least Karl had friends and didn't have to be alone.