Seeing that the brand-new settlement was taking shape, Li Yao was greatly relieved. He wondered if there was really such a thing as' national destiny 'that was guiding them to find the best path.
If he had turned down Di Feiwen's proposal a few months ago, or if the commander of the fleet near the brown dwarf had not been a 'businessman' such as Di Feiwen but another Heiye Ming, a 'soldier' who would never give up, the Federation and the Black Wind Fleet would have been in a completely different state right now.
The immigrant starships before his eyes, as well as all the civilians on board and the knowledge and technology to transform the new world in their heads, would certainly have been burnt to ashes in the fire of war. While the Black Wind Fleet would have been annihilated, the development of the Federation would have been slowed down for decades, too. It would have been impossible to resist the invasion of the second and third armies of the Imperium. Together with the Black Wind Fleet, they would have been caught in the abyss of destruction.
Right now, even if the homeland of the Imperium had learned of their existence, there was still a slim chance of dealing with them!
In the next moment, while the Black Wind Fleet and Firefly were integrated, the Federation would focus its attention on the Ancient Sages Sector.
To be more exact, it would focus on the intact Nuwa warship and the Pangu base that had been suppressed by the Nuwa warship in the depths of the Land of Eternal Night in the Ancient Sages Sector.
The technologies of the Nuwa Clan and the Pangu Clan that were excavated from there would effectively supplement the lost technologies on Kunlun. They could be analyzed and pieced together. Eventually, local war abilities that were above the Imperium's would be developed, and the independence of the Federation would be preserved in the face of the tides of the Imperium and the Holy League.
The Ancient Sages Sector was at the end of the dynastic cycle, too. The barren land could not support so many people. Tremendous refugees and rebels were born, resulting in countless slaughters and tragedies.
Naturally, the Federation would not sit by and watch. Very soon, a large batch of people would be migrated to Boneyard, which had been slightly modified, to start a new life.
In Li Yao's vision, Boneyard would be a 'model special area of modification'.
The Federation was too small after all, and the Imperium was too large. The Federation could neither conquer every world at the center of the cosmos by force nor kill all the Immortal Cultivators.
Whether or not it could be done technically was one thing, but it was also difficult to make such a choice from a standpoint.
The Immortal Cultivators were two-faced. On one hand, they were the cruel, heartless rulers and brutal oppressors, but when faced with the Alliance of the Holy Covenant and the extraterrestrial devils that were even more inhumane, they were also the unwavering defenders of the civilization of mankind.
According to what Li Yao had learned in the past six months, in the war against the Holy League, they would fight to the death and never surrender.
If the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium were fighting bloody battles with the puppets of the Holy League on the frontline, it would be difficult for the Cultivators of the Federation to stab them in the back.
How should the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators get along with each other? How should the Immortal Cultivators be educated and transformed? How should the submissive, ignorant 'hominoids' become modern citizens with dreams, ambitions, and the self-awareness and abilities to carry out their own will? All kinds of questions would be tested in the 'special zone' to find out the answers.
Standing on the top of a fold that had a height difference of thousands of meters, Li Yao observed the heated construction down below and pondered with great interest.
In a place slightly lower than the fold, Di Feiwen, the leader of the Immortal Cultivators, was negotiating with Cui Lingfeng, the Speaker of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic.
For a long time in the future, the two forces that were incompatible with each other would have to live on the same planet and work together to fight against the harsh environment and build a common home. As the saying went, one had to stir the pot with a ladle. At this moment, the two leaders naturally had a lot of things to say, or rather, a lot of profanities, that they wanted to pour out to each other.
Seeing that the two sophisticated leaders' faces were somewhat pale, Li Yao could not help but feel like laughing.
He realized that the two of them were indeed quite similar.
Di Feiwen considered himself to be a 'mere merchant' and claimed to be a 'not very pious Immortal Cultivator'. Cui Lingfeng, for the survival of Firefly, would do anything possible and claimed to be a 'bad Cultivator'.
What was the difference between a 'not very pious Immortal Cultivator' and a 'bad Cultivator'?
Very soon, the two of them finished their argument and climbed to the top of the mountain one after the other.
Di Feiwen was the first to reach the top of the mountain. His eyes lingered on Li Yao's eye-catching red vest for a long time, especially on the words' Red Star Volunteer Service Team 'that were arranged in an arc on the front of the red vest. Taking a deep, deep breath, he did not know how he should comment on Li Yao's style.
"How did it go, General Di? You had a pleasant conversation with Speaker Cui, didn't you? It doesn't matter if there are any minor disputes. You can talk to Jin Xinyue later. She is quite easy to talk to. I've already talked to her. She will certainly try her best to solve any problems for you."
Li Yao grinned. Pointing at the heated construction down below, he said, "In any case, the Black Wind Fleet has finally taken the first step to be reborn. I like the Black Wind Fleet in front of me more than the one that is raging in space.
"Before, I was not confident, but after seeing the picture in front of me, I suddenly have strong confidence that the Immortal Cultivators can really turn into Cultivators. What do you think?"
Staring down, Di Feiwen said casually, "I don't want to say anything that will dampen your mood, my lord. So, let's not talk about it."
"Is that so?"
Li Yao found it odd. "What are you going to say? Just say it."
"The picture in front of us is indeed joyful and harmonious, but it is based on abundant materials," Di Feiwen said.
"It is exactly because of the support of the Xing Yao Federation and the countless resources from the seven Sectors that the landing and the unfolding this time can be so easy and … unprofessional.
"Without the support of the Star Glory Federation, everything would have to be carefully planned with the resources that we carried with us. We would have to follow every procedure strictly and use everybody as a screw or a brick. When necessary, iron rods, electric whips, and even bullets would be used in order to maximize the odds of survival.
"You can say that the system that separates families and hibernates the useless people for decades or even abandons them is inhumane, but isn't it the greatest humanity?
"If you have enough food, you know etiquette. If you have enough food, you know honor. Getting to the bottom of it, is there any difference between the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators? They are just the optimal choices made by the experts when they have different resources.
"As long as they have enough resources and are not forced into desperation, the Immortal Cultivators will naturally turn into Cultivators who know 'etiquette' and 'honor'.
"It's a pity that, in terms of both space and time, 'sufficient resources' is a special case. Everything you see right now, however splendid it may be, is just a dream after all. It cannot last forever.
"Rarely, the Immortal Cultivators will turn into Cultivators, but more often than not, it is the norm of a civilization that Cultivators turn into Immortal Cultivators."
Li Yao was slightly dazed. He was amused. "And you said that you were a 'not very pious Immortal Cultivator'. Why do I feel that you are rather stubborn?"
Di Feiwen smiled and shook his head. "I am a businessman, and I do not like the true path of immortality. That is true. However, ninety-nine percent of the things and patterns in the universe do not follow my preferences.
"Where do you think the Immortal Cultivators came from, my lord? Are we born without the feelings of human beings? Are we born to hate the so-called 'kindness', 'sympathy', 'mercy', and all the beautiful things? Are we all monsters who derive great satisfaction from torture and slaughter?
"No. Perhaps some of the perverted Immortal Cultivators are like that, but most people are not."
Li Yao's face grew solemn. "I'd like to hear more about it."
Di Feiwen pointed down below. "Let's take the picture in front of us as an example. Assuming that a kind-hearted, virtuous expert whose duty is to protect everyone is down there right now, building a beautiful home together with the ordinary people and transforming the desolate and barren Boneyard into a prosperous place after decades of hard work, he will naturally be a Cultivator, won't he?
"But right then, an unstoppable enemy arrives. Maybe it is the second expedition army of the Imperium of True Human Beings, or maybe it is the inhumane army of the Holy League, or maybe it is the extraterrestrial devils that have descended from the sky with all kinds of bizarre alien beasts.
"The feeble defense circle of Boneyard will not last long. They have to evacuate immediately, but the starships available for the evacuation are limited. Only one tenth of the people can be taken away.
"Boneyard must've been in a mess at this moment. All the order has been lost before the enemy invaded the atmosphere. Driven by the desire to survive, everybody is running toward the starships crazily. Which tenth of the people should the expert, as the commander, choose to survive?"
Li Yao was silent.
Di Feiwen smiled and went on. "Maybe you will say that the selection should not be based on capability and identity, and that the tenth of the people should be randomly selected, or the tenth of the people who are closest to the spaceport and are most likely to be boarded.
"Then, how can the remaining ninety percent of the people be stopped from boarding the starships by force?
"It must be noted that everybody is crazy at this moment. For the one ten-thousandth chance to board the starships, they will do whatever it takes without caring about anything. When they lose the hope of boarding the starships, they will even open fire at the starships that are slowly taking off, hoping that everybody will stay and die together with them.
"Don't think that I'm just exaggerating. What I'm talking about is a real thing in the history of the Black Wind Fleet. There are indeed examples where the escaping starships have taken off, only to be shot down by the chaotic mobs on their own side.
"In many cases, when time is tight, and the situation can't be more chaotic. In order to ensure the survival of as many people as possible, the experts have to suppress them with violence or even execute a large batch of mobs in advance in order to ensure the safety of the escaping starships. The only outcome of petty kindness is that everybody will die together!
"On the other hand, while it is true that human beings should not be classified into different levels and that everybody is equal, let's say that an expert is faced with such a situation. He has a starship, and the space and food on the starship are enough for the last civilian to escape, but something is wrong with the power system of the starship, which is sometimes good and sometimes bad.
"At this moment, he discovers a power rune array specialist and a cute and pitiful little girl about seven or eight years old.
"If I may ask, should he rescue the power rune array specialist or the cute and pitiful little girl with a pair of big, watery eyes?
"Hehe. The war at the center of the cosmos is much more gory than at the edge of the cosmos. Such a cruel choice is not once or twice but ten times. It happens every now and then. All the Immortal Cultivators are faced with it more or less.
"If the kind-hearted, virtuous, and compassionate expert is' forced 'to choose to kill the crazy mobs and rescue the power rune array specialist in ten difficult choices … Then, what do you think he will become after ten times? A Cultivator or an Immortal Cultivator?"
Old Cow has just uploaded the image of the cover of the first episode of the simplified version of '40,000 Years of Cultivation' on Weibo. It feels quite good and is exactly what Old Cow imagined. You can go and take a look if you have time.
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