Chu Chongjiu was dazed for a long time before he said softly, "It was just an accident."
"Uncle Chu," Miss Tang said, "an 'accident' should not be spoken by a refiner. There are no accidents in this world. There are only hidden dangers and probabilities!
"We have drifted in the sea of stars for a thousand years. All the components on Firefly are rusted, worn, and aged. Also, it is less and less possible for them to keep up with the development of our new technology. It is only a matter of time before an 'accident' happens. As time goes by, such 'accidents' will only happen more and more. In the end, our civilization will be completely destroyed in a world-shaking 'accident'!"
Chu Chongjiu was silent. After a long sigh, he said, "You're right, my lady."
"Therefore," Miss Tang said, "the Xing Yao Federation is our last hope. Although they are not as good as us in certain critical technologies, the Xing Yao Federation has at least seven Sectors under their control. They also have a 'Kunlun relic' left by the prehistoric civilization. Their resources, population, and territory are all thousands of times larger than ours!
"I believe that quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes. The Xing Yao Federation boasts infinite potential. Even if they are not as good as us right now, they are destined to catch up with us at a high speed!
"Uncle Chu, did you know? When I was studying the 'Azure Thunder' designed by Wu Yaxuan just now, I had so many complicated feelings that I didn't know how to put them into words. Since when did such an expert of refining like Wu Yaxuan emerge in the countryside at the edge of the cosmos, who can craft a crystal suit that is as good as our mainstream equipment? This, this is such a frightening potential! "
Chu Chongjiu couldn't help but say, "You are being too modest, my lady. Wu Yaxuan's skills in refining are nothing compared to yours. Didn't you solve the problem easily just now and even trigger the performance of the Crystal Suit through adjustment? Your skills are even more 'perfect' than Wu Yaxuan's. Not just Wu Yaxuan, even if his mother, Master Xie Anan, were here in person, she might not be able to teach it better than you, my lady."
Miss Tang smiled and shook her head. "There's no need to exaggerate, Uncle Chu. I know very well how good I am in refining. Besides … I am the only one on Firefly, but Wu Yaxuan is just a rising star in the Xing Yao Federation. He is invincible among the young people. When we reach the top of the circle of refiners, there are plenty of refiners who are even more excellent than him!
"All in all, I believe that geniuses are piled up by quantity. The so-called 'rarely-seen existences' are just the tip of the pyramid, which requires the support of an enormous number of people! Right now, Firefly lacks such a base and is destined to decline. Only when the population of the Star Glory Federation is large enough can a civilization with infinite potentials thrive day by day!
"We have the cutting-edge technology, but we lack an industrial foundation and a population base. The Xing Yao Federation has a solid foundation, enough population, and enough resources, but we don't have enough resources after all. I'm afraid that it will take hundreds of years for us to accumulate the cutting-edge technology and techniques!
"If we can really merge, both of us will benefit greatly. Only such a brand-new civilization can possibly defeat the expedition army of the Imperium and even march back to our hometown at the center of the cosmos!
"It is both my father's dream and my wish. No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are, I will walk on the path to the end. Uncle Chu, you will support us, too, won't you?"
Chu Chongjiu smiled bitterly and said, "I have been under Captain Tang's command since I was eleven years old. At that time, we were just two little students in the engine compartment. That time, it was Captain Tang who saved my life in the engine compartment explosion. After so many years, if I don't support Captain Tang and you, who else can I support?"
"However, the path is not going to be easy. The people on Firefly are not necessarily against the merger with the Xing Yao Federation. After all, we are the only two civilizations of Cultivators in the universe. However, there is a problem of who is in charge here. Those people in our parliament are all demanding that we directly take over the parliament of the Xing Yao Federation. Even the name 'Xing Yao Federation' has to be changed to 'Star Ocean Republic'!"
The young woman with the surname Tang widened her eyes, and her courteous demeanor completely disappeared. "Is there something wrong with these people's brains? Our population is only one thousandth of theirs. We do not even have a resource planet under our control. All we have is a ragged starship that is riddled with holes! Our only bargaining chips are some techniques, technologies, and intelligence from the center of the cosmos that have been passed on for a thousand years. Nothing more!
"As for our techniques and technologies, even if they develop independently, they can always develop them after hundreds of years of hard work!
"Just because of that, they want to enter the parliament of the host country and even ask them to change the name of their country? Isn't that even more hilarious than 'a snake that swallows an elephant'? "
Chu Chongjiu hesitated for a moment and finally said, "Maybe their heads are not wrong. It's just that we see the problem from a different perspective because of our different positions."
"Miss, as you know, since hundreds of years ago, there has been a 'competition of routes' on Firefly, mainly between the technical posts and the managerial posts."
"Like you, like me, and even like your father, the captain, the chief mate, the navigator, and the rest of us who are engaged in the specific technical work naturally do not attach much importance to the 'rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic'. Many of us even believe that Firefly right now is just a starship. So, we only need to manage it according to the rules and regulations on the starship. We don't need any 'rightful government' at all!
"But don't forget that when our ancestors escaped from the Empyreal Terminus Sector a thousand years ago, the starship was filled with the representatives of the 'rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic' and their families. Those people are deeply connected and influential. After a thousand years, they are still maintaining the daily operation and management of the parliament, or 'parliament of stars'."
Miss Tang sniffed and said, "What parliament of stars? To put it nicely, it is a burden, and to put it bluntly, it is a cancer!"
"Miss," Chu Chongjiu said, "a technician such as you naturally regards' parliament of stars' as a burden if not a cancer. However, in the eyes of the representatives of 'parliament of stars', they are the last hope to maintain the rightful government. They are the national elites who are far more important than the technicians!
"For hundreds of years, the competition between the technicians and the managers has been quite intense. Now that a 'Xing Yao Federation' has popped up all of a sudden, hasn't it aggravated the contradiction between the two parties?
"If I may say something unpleasant, miss, your father is the captain of Firefly. You are the youngest lecturer of 'Star Ocean University' and the youngest level-one researcher of the 'Star Ocean Research Institute'. As for me, I can provide some technical support in the field of refining, if I may say so."
"For the technicians such as us, even if we join the Xing Yao Federation, our position will only be high, not low.
"Your father can continue to be the captain of Firefly. The Xing Yao Federation may even offer some resources to support him to establish a fleet, and he will be the commander-in-chief of the fleet. As for the specialists of Star Ocean University and the Star Ocean Research Institute, you can also find a Sector and establish education and research institutions of a larger scale, or you can be hired by the eighteen best universities of the Federation with a high salary to participate in more profound and extensive studies. Even for me, it will be a piece of cake for me to enjoy better treatment in the Federation than right now.
"All in all, for the technicians such as us, joining the Xing Yao Federation will only bring us benefits and no harm.
"But what about the MPs and even our Speaker? What good will it do them if they join the Xing Yao Federation?
"The Xing Yao Federation is short of everything except MPs and Speakers. They are doing a good job themselves. Every MP and Speaker has accumulated countless military credits and worked hard to get to where they are today. Why should they share the benefits with us? How is that possible?
"Two tigers cannot live on the same mountain. It is impossible for one Federation to have two Speakers, right? Miss, why don't you tell us why the 'Star Ocean Society' supports a comprehensive merger? After the merger, we can make a living with our technology. What will the MPs do then?
"Management? Yes. Technically speaking, they are only good at management! The problem is, as you said, miss, there are only about a hundred million people on Firefly. The MPs have only dealt with the problems of a hundred million people at most! The seven Sectors of the Xing Yao Federation, on the other hand, have a population of more than a hundred billion! Our Councilors' pitiful management experience is nothing compared to them! "
"Any city that the Federation picks out may have a population of hundreds of millions. Why should our Speaker be the mayor of the city? Our Speaker is willing to do it, but the mayor of the city won't, either!
"And that's the Speaker. What about the officials in the empty departments? When we evacuated years ago, we kept almost a hundred departments. So many of them haven't done anything for a thousand years. What are they going to do after the merger? Are they going to work as clerks in the bottom-level departments of the Federation? Who would be willing to do that?
"All in all, joining the Xing Yao Federation is very complicated. Although your father is the captain of the starship, it is impossible for him to make the decision in one go. Let's consider it carefully!
"The Black Wind Fleet is coming. How can we consider it carefully?"
Miss Tang couldn't help but clench her fists. "If the merger cannot be completed before the great war, then …"
While she was talking, Chu Chongjiu's portable crystal processor suddenly buzzed. Someone had sent a message.
In order to talk to Miss Tang, Chu Chongjiu had set up the level of the message. Except for the few very important people, the messages of the general public were all blocked.
The content that popped up in the message dazed Chu Chongjiu. He frowned hard.
"What's wrong?"
Miss Tang looked at him concernedly. "Uncle Chu, is there anything wrong?"
"Something strange has happened."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
