Mother White Lotus' confusion was the confusion of all the other Yuanying experts. The experts of the Ancient Sages Sector remarked with mixed feelings again. Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar and Master Bitter Cicada began to talk about what they had seen.
When they were in the Ancient Sages Sector, Ba Xiaoyu had been a wandering hero, while Master Bitter Cicada had been dedicated to saving lives.
Therefore, the field that they proposed to investigate was the charity and relief industry of the Federation. They wanted to see how the Xing Yao Federation treated the poor people at the bottom level of society.
They visited a few orphanages and relief stations that day. They even took the elevators below the ground of the Uranian Ring Planet and saw what kind of treatment the miners, especially their children, had.
"We saw quite a few schools on the ground that were well-equipped. The students were the children of the common miners, but many of the teachers were Cultivators. Some of them were even experts from the core worlds who had come all the way here to teach!"
Recalling what he had seen during the day, Ba Xiaoyu still found it hard to believe. "Of the Cultivators who were teaching, some were summoned by certain spirits to make selfless contributions to the remote, poverty-stricken areas, like the 'Patriots Front', but most of them were hired by various foundations. Even the schools, hospitals, orphanages, water purification plants, and so on were subsidized by the foundations!"
"You are quite right, Fellow Cultivator Ba," Master Bitter Cicada said. "The 'foundations' seem to be the main force of the Federation to provide relief to the poor and ordinary people.
"The Xing Yao Federation is a country with a high tax rate. The tax rate for the Cultivators is particularly high. According to certain Jin Dan and Yuanying Cultivators, who make money like money-sucking behemoths, the tax that they have to pay every year is astronomical.
"However, the tax law of the Federation is very interesting. If the income is invested in various charitable foundations, the tax can be avoided in a very neat way.
"Therefore, in order to pay less taxes, the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators have established all kinds of charity foundations. Almost every Core Formation Stage Cultivator and the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator has several foundations under their name.
"There are certain conditions for the establishment and operation of a charitable foundation. They are examined every year, and a certain number of projects have to be completed.
"After a hundred years of development, the Federation's Charity Foundation has formed a virtuous cycle.
"Jin Dan and Yuanying level experts provide resources and connections to set up all kinds of foundations. On one hand, they can gain a good reputation, and on the other hand, they can avoid paying taxes.
"The new Cultivators, on the other hand, often choose to join a certain foundation after their spiritual roots are awakened and work in remote and poor places for a while. Through the foundation, they can expand their circle and make friends. If they perform well, it is even possible for them to be noticed by the owners of the foundation, such as Jin Dan and Yuanying. A few years later, they will work in the major corporations under the name of Jin Dan and Yuanying. Some of them may even join the core circle of the sects.
"Furthermore, right now, most of the disciples that Jin Dan and Yuanying Cultivators recruit, especially those who are 'true disciples', require them to have worked in a charity foundation for a long time. It is generally believed in the circle of Cultivators that such disciples have a firm belief and a pure heart, and they are more suitable to inherit their knowledge."
Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar and Master Bitter Cicada talked excitedly. Both of them were passionate men. When they reached the climax, the beggar slapped his thigh so hard that it was cracking noisily.
All the experts from the Ancient Sages Sector were fascinated. They were all deep in thought.
The modern flying swords, shuttles, crystal trains, Crystal Suits, and starships, however sophisticated and ingenious they were, were understandable after they thought for a moment.
However, the system that the Xing Yao Federation operated was entirely different from that of the Ancient Sages Sector. It would take a very, very long time for them to digest, absorb, and fully accept it.
After Master Bitter Cicada and Beggar finished, the other experts spoke one after another. Li Yao took the opportunity to brag about 'Civilization', too, pretending to be shocked and strongly recommending all the experts to experience it whether they were free or not.
He believed that after the experts experienced the charm of 'Civilization', they would certainly fall in love with such a new world and would not be willing to leave it.
After the eleven experts finished sharing, Long Yangjun was the only one who did not say anything. She simply looked at everybody with a mysterious smile.
"Fellow Cultivator Wang," Wu Suiyun, an old expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage, asked, "you seem to be hesitating. Did the inspection today not go well?"
"No, it went very well, but there's nothing to be said."
Leaning against the headboard of Li Yao's bed, Long Yangjun put her feet on Li Yao's bed and rested her head on her hands comfortably. She casually said, "Fellow Cultivators, you all know what I am. I am the leader of 'Ghost Character', the most feared lackey, and the executioner. If I were in the Xing Yao Federation, I would be the equivalent of the 'Secret Sword Bureau' or the 'Dim Moon Fund'.
"Therefore, I did not go to other places today. I only proposed to learn more about the 'Secret Sword Bureau', especially the major cases that the organization cracked in the past hundred years. Naturally, most of them were about the crimes of the Cultivators."
"Oh?"
Wu Suiyun and the other experts looked at each other. "What did you find?"
"Nothing special. If there was anything special, they certainly wouldn't have shown it to me," Long Yangjun said lazily.
"I only want to remind all the fellow Cultivators here and pour cold water on you. Everybody knows what the so-called 'incognito visit an imperial envoy' is all about. Did we not play such tricks in the Ancient Sages Sector and the Great Qian Dynasty in the past?
"No, no, no. I'm not saying that everything we saw today is false. It must be 100% real. It is impossible to make up such a large-scale illusion.
"However, what we saw today must be what they wanted us to see. It is the best side of the Xing Yao Federation. The Cultivators we got in touch with today must be the purest, most genuine Cultivators, too.
"However, as everybody knows, there is no such thing as' perfect '. There is no such thing as a perfect country. Cultivators who are 100% firm in their beliefs, have a noble character, and only care about others without any self-interest … are even rarer. Hehe. They are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
"As the investigation deepens, I believe that the imperfect side of the Star Glory Federation will be revealed very soon. I only want to remind you, fellow Cultivators, not to set your expectations too high, in case your final judgment is affected by disappointment. You must know that …"
There was a fruit bowl on the tea table in the middle of everybody. Long Yangjun curled her finger and drew two apples from the fruit bowl. Holding them in her hands, she smiled and said, "We are now making a choice between the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Xing Yao Federation. It is like choosing one of the two apples. But if you are thinking that you are going to choose the 'better one', you will be wrong.
"Perhaps, we are going to choose the 'less rotten one' of the two apples."
Kacha!
Long Yangjun picked an apple randomly and bit it hard. The juice was splashing everywhere.
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment. They were about to ask further, but she stood up and tossed the other apple to Li Yao. Yawning, she said, "It's late now. We will continue the exploration tomorrow. You should go to bed early, fellow Cultivators!"
The clone of the Nuwa warrior from the primeval war hundreds of thousands of years ago disappeared in front of everybody's eyes while chewing the apple.
…
The establishment of the base camp and the deep military cooperation between the government-in-exile and the Xing Yao Federation were not things that could be settled overnight. In the next ten days, the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector stayed in the Uranian Ring Sector for further investigation.
After Li Yao read 'Civilization', and especially after he listened to the debate between Professor Mo Xuan and Professor Xie Wufeng, he suddenly thought of something and wanted to talk to her more deeply.
After all, Long Yangjun was different from other experts of the Ancient Sages Sector. Like Li Yao, she was more like a certain 'player' who was beyond the chessboard and was on a higher level.
However, everybody's investigation schedule was full. Everywhere they went, they were protected or monitored by the Secret Sword Bureau. Also, Long Yangjun intentionally chose a few investigation projects that were away from the main team and went deep into the surface and even the underground mines of the Uranian Ring Sector for quite a few days. Li Yao could not find her at all.
It was not until twelve days after the last party that Long Yangjun finally returned to the hotel where she was staying and was caught by Li Yao.
This time, it was in Long Yangjun's room.
Long Yangjun was playing 'Civilization'.
Her interest did not seem to be in the game at all but 'Xiaoming' and 'Wenwen', her game assistants. She had been playing with the two adorable little fellows, making them giggle and hide behind Li Yao.
"How interesting."
Long Yangjun turned off the mini crystal processor, and the two little fellows immediately vanished into thin air. Looking at Li Yao, she took out two apples out of nowhere and threw one to Li Yao, before she said with a smile, "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?"
"Yes. Have you watched the video that I sent you? Professor Mo Xuan's theories about the 'parent civilization, the child civilization, and the annihilation and inheritance of a civilization'."
Li Yao said solemnly, "In the past, I've always been hostile to the Pangu civilization. Even the Nuwa civilization … How should I put it? Fear, wariness, insecurity.
"After all, Gui Suishou's words in the past left a deep impression on me. If the emperor wants his subject to die, the subject has to die. If the father wants his son to die, the son has to die!
"However, after hearing Professor Mo Xuan's brand-new theories, my opinion has changed.
"I would like to know more about the 'parent civilization' of mankind. Is everything as simple as what I saw on Kunlun? What's the relationship between the Pangu and the Nuwa civilization exactly? Are we really pure tools, or are we 'children' to some extent? Is there really only one possibility between us and the Pangu Civilization that we will not rest until one of us dies?
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