Li Yao thought for a moment. The many problems caused by the transcendence of time did fit his current situation quite well.
"It does seem to be the case. When I just returned to the Federation and read the books such as' Legends of Li Yao 'and' Legends of Ding Ling Dong ', I already had the feeling of' alienation '. It was clearly not the wife and me in my memories! Now that so many friends and family that are both familiar and strange to me have shown up before me, the feeling is getting stronger and stronger. "
Li Yao said with mixed feelings, "I finally understand why the Yuanying and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators in ancient times were called 'old monsters'.
"Of course, they couldn't really be immortal, but if they practiced some of the crude hibernation techniques and found a natural paradise that was suitable for hibernation, it wouldn't be strange for them to seclude themselves for hundreds of years, would it? Just like what Senior Gui Suishou said, they gradually turned from the 'crawlers' into the 'leapers', and they boasted morals and even an understanding of life that was entirely different from that of the ordinary people.
"The ancient people did not have the concept of 'timeout', nor did they know how to treat and counsel. They simply worshiped strength and worshiped the old monsters as gods.
"How could there be no problems when the old monsters of the 'leapers' were allowed to govern the civilization of the 'crawlers'? Perhaps the collapse of the world of ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago was more or less related to the incident.
"Then, what do we do now?"
Li Yao held Ding Ling Dong's hand under the table.
The two of them were like half-mature animals that had leaped out of the water at the same time in the river of time and evolved their fins into wings but had not figured out how to adapt to the brand-new environment yet. Only by holding each other's hands could they move forward bravely, right?
Ding Ling Dong responded to the strength in his palm softly and said, "Therefore, the authorities of the Federation do not support the long-term hibernation of human beings. Every generation has its own responsibilities. If the elites of the current generation all go to 'support the future', who will build the present? Who will guarantee that there will be a future that the hibernators can support when they wake up instead of a devastated and silent doomsday?
"How can there be a future without a present? Li Yao, I remember that's what you said. "
Li Yao pondered for a moment and nodded.
After hearing what Ding Ling Dong said, he also felt that it was not necessarily a good thing for a civilization that lived in continuous time to have a large number of excellent individuals choose to hibernate for a long time.
Ding Ling Dong said, "Of course, the government of the Federation cannot stop a person from hibernating by force. Right now, it is partly because of propaganda and partly because of taxation. High 'inheritance tax' and 'interest tax' will be levied on the hibernators. The tax is so high that even Yuanying is scared of it. Finally, the 'hibernation trend' has been contained to an acceptable level."
After a pause, she quickly added, "Of course, if it's for the sake of national strategic plans, or people who entered the hibernation state before the introduction of the 'Hibernation Tax Interpretation and related regulations', they will be exempt."
Li Yao scratched his chin. "Fair enough. Then, what about those of us who have just woken up from long-term hibernation?"
"There are indeed some psychological treatments and counseling. When the situation is stabilized in a few days, they will make arrangements for you. They made such arrangements for me before, too. However —"
Ding Ling Dong hesitated for a moment and shook her head. "I don't think they will do much. You and I are both people who are almost in the Divinity Transformation Stage. Our beliefs cannot be more solid. It is naturally difficult for the extraterrestrial devils or mental devils to corrupt us. However, the counseling and treatment methods of the outside world cannot penetrate into the depths of our mind at all!
"According to Senior Gui Suishou, hibernation is like a drug addiction. After one hibernation, one will be addicted and never be able to return to the state of the past. They will always want to cross the timeline again and go further and further into the future to see the utterly different world. Just like that, they will jump further and further away and sink deeper and deeper. Eventually, they will complete the metamorphosis of the 'leapers' and completely become 'time travelers'.
"All in all, for the hibernators, life is no longer 'here' and 'now' but 'future' and 'other shore'. Perhaps only at the end of time can they … truly live."
Everyone at the table was silent, and the originally cheerful atmosphere became somewhat stiff and heavy.
Li Yao tilted his head and thought for a long time. Then he asked, "What about you? Would you rather be a 'crawler' or a 'leaper'?"
"I …"
Looking at all her family and friends at the table, Ding Ling Dong's eyes suddenly became red. She bit her lips and said, "I don't want to leave you, the Xing Yao Federation, and my past self. However, I also want to drop everything and take a look at the distant future. I want to be a witness to the rise and expansion of the entire 'Xing Yao Federation' and even the 'civilization of mankind'. I want to see the moment when the infinite sea of stars is illuminated by the brilliance of the civilization of mankind and when the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag is waving.
"What will mankind, the Federation, and the civilization look like at that time?
"If I choose to return to the identity of a 'crawler', I will never see that day no matter how hard I train and upgrade myself. Therefore …"
Li Yao understood everything.
Under the table, he held Ding Ling Dong's hand even harder. He smiled as if he did not care at all. "It's alright. You still have me. If you choose to 'crawl', the two of us will crawl slowly, second by second, minute by minute. If you choose to 'leap', let's leap to the mysterious future together after all the troubles right now are resolved!
"Master …"
Both Wu Mayan and Xie Anan were sobbing. They raised their wine glasses to cover the wetness in their eyes.
"That's not right. Isn't this a welcome dinner for me today? Why is the atmosphere so awkward as we talk, as if we are going to part forever?"
Li Yao scratched the back of his head hard and waved his chopsticks. "Rest assured. Wherever we 'leap' to, we will certainly never forget the Federation and all of you!
"Only when we remember our hometown and the way home can we call it a 'journey'. If we don't even remember our family and friends in our hometown and the way home, we will not be a 'time traveler' but a 'time wanderer' at best.
"Besides, the 'crawlers' and the 'leapers' are just preliminary plans. Right now, the hibernation technology of the Federation is far from advanced enough to allow people to sleep for ten thousand years, right? The troublesome matters at hand, such as the Imperium, the Holy League, the Pangu, Nuwa, and the extraterrestrial devils, will take us at least a hundred years to deal with. Hahahaha. Come on. Let's leave the future to the future and cherish every second of the present. What matters most now is to eat and drink well!"
Li Yao raised his wine glass again. The enormous canteen was filled with laughter again. The atmosphere was so heated that it almost broke through the ceiling and soared into the immeasurable universe that was illuminated by the stars billions of years ago.
…
Li Yao did not manage to finish the 'welcome banquet' after all.
It was because Bai Kaixin and Jin Xinyue had arrived one after the other.
It was still a time of war after all. The collapse of Black Swirl and the death of their commander did not mean that the Black Wind Fleet had completely lost its combat ability. Besides, nobody could predict what kind of insane things the defeated soldiers would do in their desperation.
The Ancient Sages Sector, the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet, the main troops of the Black Wind Fleet behind the brown dwarf, the subtle attitude of the homeland of the Imperium, the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic on Firefly, and the Federation's own response … There were too many things to consider in every aspect.
Bai Kaixin and Jin Xinyue were busy with military affairs and were still chasing the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet. Li Yao was very understanding and supportive. He told them that there was no need for them to return in a hurry. After all, they had already waited for a hundred years. Another couple of days would not be a big deal.
Besides, communication technology was so advanced these days. If there was anything to say, it was the same as saying it through the spiritual crane messenger.
But they still returned to the base one after the other.
Also, the two of them looked almost identical. Their faces were pale, cold sweat popping up, and they seemed to have lost their wits.
Bai Kaixin was the first to arrive. When he said that he had something urgent to discuss with Li Yao and was invited to a secret chamber by Li Yao and Ding Ling Dong, the first thing he did was to gulp down a whole bottle of wine that had been aged for almost fifty years.
Li Yao and Bai Kaixin had known each other for years. When he was lost in the Flying Star Sector, the first Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector that he met were Lei Dalu and Bai Kaixin from the 'Great Horn Exo Society'.
Lei Dalu was careless and carefree, as if he did not care about anything. Bai Kaixin, on the other hand, was meticulous and extremely calm. He was a perfect advisor and advisor.
Li Yao and Bai Kaixin had been through life-and-death battles many times. They had even unraveled the mysteries of Bai Kaixin's birth in the underground fortress of Spider Den together, allowing him to reunite with his biological father, the Pirate Potentate Bai Xinghe. Naturally, the two of them were very close.
However, Li Yao had never seen Bai Kaixin so out of control and drunk before.
The war in space was not over yet. Bai Kaixin was the advisor of the Burning Prairie Fleet. It was understandable that he had returned on his own, but why was he so distracted?
When Bai Kaixin poured the third bottle of wine into his mouth, Li Yao finally could not help but snatch the bottle from him. "Brother Bai, stop drinking for now. Why don't you tell me what happened exactly? Isn't the war going well? There shouldn't have been any unexpected changes! "
Bai Kaixin's bloodshot eyes were frozen for a long time. It was not until a long time later that he gradually relaxed. Putting on an overwhelmed and regretful expression, his eyebrows, which were always drooping, lowered even lower. His lips and teeth touched for a long time before he struggled to say, "He — he's gone!"
Li Yao and Ding Ling Dong looked at each other in bewilderment, both scratching their heads in confusion. "Who's gone?"
"Bai Xingjian, the commander of the Great White Fleet."
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