Chewing the core of the apple, Li Yao considered carefully.
His professor's theory seemed to be flawless.
Firstly, it was true that the Spiriters did not have many conflicts of resources and space with human beings and demons. Without conflicts, there would be no conflicts, and without conflicts, there would be no wars.
Besides, the Spiriters were transformed from human beings in the first place. Many of them were elites of human beings. Would he betray the civilization of mankind after he perished and transformed into a Spiriter one day?
That was impossible. His mind was still the same mind, his will was still the same will, and he was still the same person. He was just a disabled person who had lost all his limbs. How could he stand on the opposite side of the civilization of mankind all of a sudden?
Also, most importantly of all, the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus technologies of the Federation were still in the immature development phase. It was impossible to allow a hundred billion people in the Federation to be online at the same time and enter the same DLC of 'Civilization', which would result in the total collapse of countless service stations and data exchange centers. How could such crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus support an enormous, boundless Spiriters' Realm?
Therefore, even if the 'Spiriters' Realm 'did exist, it would only be on such a scale that was not very complicated to calculate, simulate, and render due to the small population in front of his eyes.
Even if Professor Mo Xuan was truly ambitious, and even if he was a 'star spirit' or a 'human-shaped crystal processor', it was impossible for him to develop a crystal processor technology that was tens of thousands of years ahead of the current era in secret in only a hundred years.
However unpredictable the Spiriters' Realm was right now, it was still based on the existence of the material world such as crystal processors. If the Federation could destroy the centers of crystal processors easily, what was the basis for the Spiriters' Realm?
Therefore, his professor had neither the motive nor the means. He was afraid that it would be difficult for him to find enough like-minded Spiriters to carry out his scheme, either.
Li Yao once again doubted whether or not he was worrying for nothing. Although his teacher's theory was earth-shattering and shocking, it was still just a theory and a prophecy. Perhaps it would become a reality in a few million years, but who could say for sure what would happen in a few million years? What was the point of interfering?
Narrowing his eyes, Professor Mo Xuan looked at the children who were flying and playing on kites in the sky and said solemnly, "Trust me. I know the craziness, danger, and evilness of the theory better than you do. Therefore, decades ago, after I perfected the theory and figured out what I was going to do, I immediately reported it to the government.
"The problem was that I did not know which government department was in charge of the matter at all … I did not know how I should put it.
"Thankfully, I was in a good relationship with some of the leadership in parliament and the leaders of a few major sects. It was needless to mention Ding Ling Dong, the leader of the Patriots Front. Guo Chunfeng, Jin Xinyue, Fiend Blade Peng Hai, and many other people were friends with me, too. I had helped a lot of other experts to craft the Crystal Suit for them.
"Therefore, I told my friends Ding Ling Dong, Jin Xinyue, and Guo Chunfeng first. Then, I made a few speeches in parliament and the Secret Sword Bureau through them. I also informed some specialists from the major universities in the Federation and invited them to join the great cause. Right, I also found more than ten Meditation Healers, psychologists, and specialists in psychiatry."
Li Yao was slightly dazed. "Why did you find psychologists?"
"I asked them to analyze me deeply and see if I was mentally ill," Professor Mo Xuan said solemnly.
"… That's too much, isn't it?" Li Yao asked.
Professor Mo Xuan shook his head. "Not at all. No matter how we cover it on the surface, it is true that I am not a normal person after I turned into the form of 'liquid metal' more than a hundred years ago. I have been a liquid metal life form for more than a hundred years. I cannot guarantee that my mind is completely normal and in line with the laws and social ethics of the Federation today.
"In the past hundred years, I was the director of the Grand Desolate War Institution, the president of the Refiners' Association of the Federation, and the president of the Association of Spectral Cultivators. I also held quite a few other important posts. I was more or less an important member of the leadership of the Federation. I had to be responsible for the Federation, my compatriots, and my mental status."
Li Yao was rendered speechless. He really did not know whether or not he should respect his professor. After a long daze, he asked, "What happened in the end?"
Professor Mo Xuan smiled. "The specialists all said that I was normal. I showed my theory to them, hoping that they could analyze something. But they said that I could modify it slightly and write a great fantasy novel."
Li Yao frowned hard. "Well, what did parliament and the Secret Sword Bureau say?"
"I didn't do anything illegal. I was just doing theoretical research. What can they say?"
Professor Mo Xuan said. "As the president of the Association of Spectral Cultivators in the Federation, was it illegal for me to contact the spectral Cultivators everywhere and propose a bill in parliament to change the legal name of the spectral Cultivators to 'Spiriters'?"
Li Yao thought for a moment. "No, it was not."
"Then, was it illegal to invite a bunch of fantasy novelists to write a series of novels based on the worldview that I proposed, shoot them into dazzling movies, and make them into games?"
"No, it was not."
"Was it illegal to advocate on the Spiritual Nexus and urge the young people to be more addicted to the Spiritual Nexus and not to go out when they have nothing to do? Was it illegal to block traffic, pollute the air, and waste resources?"
"No, it was not."
"Was it illegal to improve the level of the crystal processors, produce more advanced crystal processors, and optimize the algorithms to create a virtual world that was close to 100% realistic and call it the Spiriters' Realm, where everybody from all walks of life was welcome?"
"No, it was not."
"Then, it was settled!"
Professor Mo Xuan clapped his hands and said, "I remember the lesson that Lu Zui, director of the Secret Sword Bureau of the Federation, taught me more than a hundred years ago. In fact, his original intention was not necessarily wrong, but it was exactly because of the clandestine approaches that he sank deeper and deeper into the abyss that he made such a huge mistake that he could not turn back.
"Therefore, I exposed everything to the sunlight from the very first second in an absolutely legal way. Although not everybody in society knew about it, at least the leadership of parliament, the intelligence agencies such as the Secret Sword Bureau and the Dim Moon Fund, as well as the futuristic research institutes of various universities, all knew what I was doing and participated in all the procedures to help me supervise, control, and guide the direction.
"That's not the case.
"Among the guests who are going to observe the first shooting of the 'Tinder Plan' tomorrow, there will be the Secret Sword Bureau, the Union Army, the senior representatives of parliament, and the most famous sociologists, futurists, and ethicists of the Federation. Everything will be done openly!
Li Yao thought quickly and suddenly realized something. "The Tinder Plan is not just a simple 'plan to pass on the civilization of mankind', is it? Is it related to the Spiriters, too?"
"Of course it is. Why else would I have devoted all my assets to the 'Tinder Plan'?"
Professor Mo Xuan did not seem to be hiding anything at all. He said frankly, "From the beginning to the end, from the Monument Plan to the Tinder Plan, it has always been an 'escape plan'. Other than passing on the civilization and exploring the future, the main purpose of the plan is to lead a batch of Spiriters to escape from you."
Li Yao was confused. "Escape … from us? Why?"
"Because we are scared of you. Or rather, we are scared of conflicts with you."
Staring at Li Yao, Professor Mo Xuan said thoughtfully, "I know very well that I have walked too far. In the history of mankind, those who walked as far as I did did not have good endings.
"Did you know? In the early years of the ancient Cultivators, when the three thousand Sectors were not connected and the truth of the universe was not clear yet, many Sectors insisted on the 'geocentric theory'. They believed that they were unique worlds and that the sun, the moon, and the stars revolved around their world.
"The first batch of Cultivators who proposed the 'heliocentric theory', on the other hand, were almost all killed as heretics!
"At that time, in different Sectors, the Cultivators who insisted on the 'geocentric theory' and the Cultivators who insisted on the 'heliocentric theory' had many similar wars. The blood of countless innocent people was shed for nothing because of the absurd and hilarious arguments.
"Perhaps, this is how human beings are. When they encounter an unknown object or an unknown theory, their first thought is fear, and their second thought is to destroy it!
"The Spiriters do not intend to be enemies with human beings. You've heard it just now, too. The resources that we need do not overlap. There is no reason for us to have conflicts. We can live in harmony and help each other.
"However, if we have to find a reason for conflict, it will be the fear of human beings.
"Tell me, Representative Lin, and Miss Ling, what was the first thought that popped up in your head after you heard my theory just now?
"The Spiriters? That's too horrible! They will certainly destroy the civilization of mankind, conquer all human beings, and enslave us!
"Mo Xuan is crazy! It is no longer a human being. It is liquid metal, another life form. If it is not one of us, it must be scheming something!
"Only creatures with flesh, blood, and brains like us deserve to be called 'human beings'. The Spiriters cannot be counted as human beings at all. Destroy them!
"Although it seems that there is no reason for the human race to have conflicts with the Spiriters, who cares? It is better to be safe than sorry and strike first. We must nip all the hidden dangers that may threaten the civilization of mankind in the bud!
"Look into my eyes and tell me, did any of the above thoughts flash through your minds for even a moment?"
Li Yao and Ling Xiaole looked at each other. Both of them were speechless, and their faces were slightly red.
Professor Mo Xuan smiled. "There is no need to hide it. I understand you very well. The Spiriters are human beings too. They are just like you, so they will naturally have the same thoughts and concerns as you.
"You are all highly-educated elites who boast a high computational ability and a calm mind. You may be able to consider the whole thing calmly, but can most ordinary people really remain absolutely calm and avoid any conflict with the Spiriters if they are instigated by someone with ill intentions?
"Right now, the population of the Spiriters in the entire Federation is only one percent. It is still a tiny part. Maybe ordinary people can tolerate it.
"But what if it is more than five percent or even higher one day? Can the other ninety-five percent really tolerate the existence of the Spiriters and admit that the Spiriters represent the future? Will they admit that they are 'old human beings' and the Spiriters are 'new human beings'?
"I hope so, but I have to be highly vigilant. The first two branches of the civilization of mankind, human beings and demons, fought a bloody war for forty thousand years before they reached a preliminary settlement in a tiny Federation in a corner of the universe. I do not want the third branch, the 'Spiriters', to have another forty thousand years of conflict with their brothers. Such a tragedy should not happen again in any case.
"Therefore, if we can't do it, we will float on the ocean.
"Let's run.
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