There were some things that Gwen could clearly see in his mind, and as the Silver Queen, Bersetia could certainly see it clearly as well. She was very clear that these seemingly top-secret antenna arrays were firmly in the hands of Cecil, and only by mastering these antennas could she master the only way to communicate with the "signal" (if it could talk). Gwen said that he wanted to start this surveillance program with all the countries in the Alliance, but would he also release the key to this door?
Obviously, it was impossible. Gwen might be a generous ruler, but he was first and foremost the leader of the Cecil Empire. He could not trust outsiders with this kind of thing that he did not know where it would lead to in the future.
But even so, Bersetia was willing to accept this "invitation." Since the Cecil Empire had mastered the core technology and the "first opportunity," it was normal and natural for them to lead this surveillance program. But the remaining "right to participate" was equally important, especially for the Silver Empire, which was not weak in terms of technology. As long as they could participate in this program, the elves were confident that they would be able to reap the benefits of the technology in the future.
Of course, whether this signal was a blessing or a curse would depend on how the future developed.
"When are you going to announce this matter?" After a moment of silence, Bersetia suddenly asked, "I mean … announce it to the whole society. Are you going to announce this matter to the people?"
At the end of the sentence, the Silver Queen was obviously hesitant. She knew that one of the goals of Gwen's efforts today was to "push knowledge to the people and return thinking to the people." He wanted to do his best to "make the people aware" to reduce the fear and even the tendency of all ordinary people to deify the unknown. She understood the necessity of this, but now there was a secret in front of her, and this secret pointed to an unknown world that had never been explored by humans. She suddenly hesitated.
Those ordinary people who lacked knowledge … could they really accept this kind of thing? After coming into contact with such a secret, would they really not develop a new belief in the mysterious starry sky?
Gwen could understand Bersetia's concerns. It was indeed complicated, so he thought for a while before breaking the silence. "This may be the first challenge since the establishment of the Theocratic Council. When cutting-edge technology suddenly touches the field beyond the understanding of ordinary people, and even the field of theology, how to explain everything to the public to achieve a smooth transition, so that blind reverence can safely land on the soil of rational logic.
"We have to face this problem head-on, because as long as our technology is still developing, similar situations will always appear. Today, it is a signal from the stars. Tomorrow, it may be an explanation of the Shadow Realm or even an understanding of the Origin of Mana. If we avoid explaining them in front of the public, it is essentially no different from the 'creation of gods' in the past. The more the public's doubts and reverence for cutting-edge technology accumulate, the sooner or later it will give birth to 'theological explanations' with the new technology as the goal of reverence. There might even be things like the Church of Machinery or the God of Technology."
Bersetia raised her eyebrows. "You mean, we should open this signal and a series of explanations around it to the public?"
"We should open it up, but we should take into account the public opinion and the public's habits of thinking. We should open it up gradually, in a limited and controlled manner," Gawain said as he pondered. His mind raced. At this moment, he suddenly realized that the mysterious signal was probably not just a simple 'greeting from the heavens.' In a sense, it could even be a 'practical drill' after the establishment of the Theocratic Council. Although it came unexpectedly, this' unexpected 'nature was one of its values. "We have to face up to the fact that the knowledge level of ordinary people and their way of thinking are different from that of real astrologers, so we can't communicate with ordinary people in the same way as we communicate with scholars …" Gawain said as he pondered.
"We should first do a good job of 'popularizing' the professional knowledge and translating the professional terms into a language that at least sixty to seventy percent of ordinary people can understand. We need some less serious publicity platforms and speakers to explain, or rather reexplain, to the public the astronomical concepts that had become common knowledge in the upper class during the Gondor period. Of course, even if we explain it in this way, they probably won't understand the difference between stars and planets, but at least they will understand one thing, that is, the world in the sky is also understandable. They are not out of reach, but they are within the sight of ordinary people.
"We can't tell them what 'interstellar communication' is at the beginning. It is easy for people with ulterior motives to misinterpret it as a divine revelation or some kind of 'harbinger' …
"In addition to the official caliber, we also need a very large range of civil guidance. We need someone to walk and observe among the public and understand what people are discussing in taverns and squares. We need to organize a large number of influential 'speakers' that ordinary people can trust. These speakers may not be real experts, but in the eyes of the public, what these people say will be more intimate and credible than those scholars who are full of obscure words. We have to manage these 'speakers.' If there are any, we have to incorporate them. If not, we have to build them from scratch.
"The mind of the people is not innately ignorant, but it is an uncultivated land. If we don't cultivate it, it will be easily occupied by ignorant and blind thoughts …"
Gwen pondered as he spoke. There were occasional pauses in the middle. This was to better organize his words and straighten out his thoughts. He went on to talk about a lot of details, and Bertilla and Bersetia could not help but look thoughtful. At the end, he did not forget to add one more point.
"In addition, Bersetia, you have to remember that the purpose of all our 'propaganda' and 'announcements' is not to pursue 100% accuracy and detail. It is difficult for the public to understand technical information that is too accurate and detailed. We have to ensure that these things are not wrong in the general direction, and the basic concepts are in line with the facts. The main purpose of these things is to …"
"To let ordinary people think." Bersetia nodded before Gwen could finish. "To let them not habitually fall into awe and theological explanations when facing the unknown, but to learn to use logic to try to understand everything. Whether this superficial understanding is correct or not is not important. What is important is that they don't immediately mistake the signal as the voice of God."
"Yes, this is the most important job of the Theocratic Council." Gwen nodded. "It seems that you have understood my theory. This is rare."
At this point, he couldn't help but sigh. "To this day, even in Cecil, there are many people who believe that I want to thoroughly educate the people. I want everyone to be able to think rationally and become wise and knowledgeable … Sigh, in fact, even I don't dare to think about such things."
While Gwen and Bersetia were discussing seriously, Bertilla remained silent for a long time. She seemed to be thinking about something. When the discussion came to an end, she suddenly said, "Even so, it is inevitable that some people will mislead the public around the signal and the stars. They may be politicians with ulterior motives, conservative clerics who are eager to find loopholes under the pressure of the Theocratic Council, or even cultists who have been scheming from the beginning. The situation may be better in Cecil, but not all countries can effectively control society. In such a situation, the people will become a hotbed for the breeding of heretical beliefs."
"When this happens, I am afraid that we will have to use the Council's Theocratic Tribunal," Bersetia said, looking into Bertilla's eyes. "Of course, that is the last resort. If we can achieve the goal through widespread education, literacy, and intellectual liberation, we do not have to solve the problem by violent means."
At this point, the elven ruler suddenly let out a long sigh. She smiled under the starlight and looked at Gwen beside her. "What you have just said has benefited me a lot. I have held the reins of an empire for seven centuries, and sometimes I even think that I am a successful ruler. But now it seems that there are still many things in the world that are worth learning.
"This knowledge does not sound like something that Uncle Gwen can summarize. Are they the teachings of the 'extraterrestrial wanderers'?"
"Is there a difference?" Gwen smiled. "We are already the same entity. Even if the things I just said come from the 'extraterrestrial wanderers,' the details are based on Gwen Cecil's understanding of the world."
"That's true." Bersetia smiled softly and felt a little emotional. "Then again, the things you just said … It will take a long time to realize. It seems that I need to go back and think about it now. "
She turned around, her back facing the antenna array behind her, and bowed slightly to Gwen. "It's getting late. I will leave now. Can you continue to show me around this magical place tomorrow?"
"Of course." Gwen nodded with a smile and said to Bertilla beside him, "Send her back."
As soon as Gwen's voice trailed off, a rustling sound came from the depths of the nearby sea of leaves. Then, a large number of flower vines suddenly bloomed and spread out from the layers of leaves. As the vines wriggled, another avatar of Bertilla came out and quietly came to the Silver Queen. "I will take you to a place to rest. Helene has been waiting for you for a long time."
The Silver Queen looked at the two avatars of Bertilla in front of her with some surprise. Then, she showed a decent smile and followed the second avatar. She turned around and left the platform where the antenna array was located.
When the avatars disappeared, only Gwen and Bertilla were left on the treetop under the night sky. Gwen looked at the latter and asked, "You can now create and control two avatars at the same time?"
Bertilla smiled with a hint of smugness and slyness on her face. "I have a lot of brains."
Gwen was speechless.
Some crazy images flashed through his mind, and Gwen almost shivered in the warm summer night. Then, he quickly shook his head and shook the mental pollution out of his mind. Then, he fell into deep thought.
After a brief consideration, he looked at Bertilla and said solemnly, "I remember you said that your body can still continue to grow … and there is a lot of room for future growth?"
"Theoretically speaking … if we only consider 'growth', the growth potential of the Solin Tree is far from its limit. Even I don't know how big the limit is." Bertila thought seriously and said cautiously, "But in fact, there are many things to consider. First of all, whether we can ensure such a large supply of nutrients, and second, how to ensure the stability of the overly large structure. These two points are actually easy to solve. I can consciously adjust the new branches and roots system to ensure the structural strength of the giant tree and the supply of nutrients …" Bertila thought seriously and said cautiously, "But in fact, there are many things to consider.
"Then, we have to consider the carrying capacity of the environment. My tree canopy has now affected the ecosystem of the entire Solin Plains. Under conscious control, the impact has reached a beneficial balance. But if the canopy continues to spread, I will have to include the ecosystem of the entire Plains of the Divine Spirit into my calculations. This will lead to too many unpredictable parts …
"Finally, and most importantly, my ability to think."
Bertilla pointed at her forehead. But it was just a symbolic gesture. Both she and Gwen knew that her brain was only made of wood.
She was referring to her ability to think.
"You mean … the scale of the Solin Tree is too big. If it continues to expand, it will affect your thinking." Gwen frowned. "Even your mind will not be able to control such a huge body, causing parts of the giant tree to go out of control?"
"That's right." Bertilla nodded. "Although now I have … 'transformed' into this form, and even my mind seems to have mutated to a certain extent. I can control such a plant-like body, but my mind still has a limit. If the giant tree continues to expand, I will eventually lose my perception and control of parts of the body."
Gwen's tone became serious. "What will happen if part of the Solin Tree goes out of control?"
"Don't be so nervous. Those branches that go out of control will not turn into monsters and jump down from the canopy." Bertilla looked at Gwen's serious face and could not help but laugh. "Just like the 'Bertilla Marionette' whose vines are cut off, the branches that go out of control will only become ordinary branches. At most, they will die and fall off, just like …"
For some reason, a word popped up in Gawain's mind. Hair loss?
Working overtime will lead to hair loss. jpg
Bertilla: "… Although your description is very subtle, why do I feel offended?"
Gwen quickly coughed. "Ahem, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about … Forget it, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Bertilla glanced at Gwen suspiciously. After a moment, she looked away. "Well, it's basically like what you said. Those giant tree structures that go out of control will fall off like … hair. By the way, why are you suddenly asking me this? Didn't you say that the Solin Tree has now expanded to a sufficient size, and it's best to stop expanding? "
Gwen was silent for a moment. He silently looked up at the night sky.
The distant Frostsky Constellation shone quietly in the night sky. In that direction, there might be a pair of eyes on a star, looking into the same universe, quietly thinking about the problem of fate.
"I just suddenly feel some urgency." He whispered to break the silence.
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