by <unknown>
All the stars were gradually stretched into thin lines. The two of them seemed to be diving deep into the sea of stars. The nebulas and the stars were zoomed in, and a brown planet was quickly enlarged in front of them.
This place was a large simulation room of the 'Grand Illusionary Land'. It was more realistic than all the Grand Illusionary Lands that Li Yao had experienced. It was even more detailed than the real world.
He could vaguely sense that information streams as boundless as oceans were raging behind the light and shadow!
Li Yao found it rather peculiar. Every gram would be a heavy burden for a super long-distance space jump. Tremendous spiritual energy had to be consumed to teleport it over.
Therefore, every gram of weight would be calculated carefully for a starship that was about to perform a super long-distance space jump. Nothing useless would ever be brought.
But why was Su Changfa's Flourishing Sun carrying a simulation room of the Grand Illusionary Land, which appeared to be useless?
Thinking quickly, Li Yao immediately realized what was going on.
This was a 'brainwashing room'.
The three Immortal Cultivators came from far away. It was necessary for them develop their own kind in the new world and raise their loyal representatives so that the influence of the Imperium of True Human Beings could be expanded.
The traitors who were allured by power and benefits were all vile, undependable scumbags. They could be transformed back with higher power and more benefits at any time.
Only by brainwashing the 'traitors' could they become real Immortal Cultivators and work for the Imperium of True Human Beings dutifully and diligently. That would be the better approach!
Therefore, a 'brainwashing chamber' was definitely necessary for their starship in order to deeply brainwash the key persons such as Li Yao.
Li Yao estimated that they would decide the value and the possibility of betrayal of the targets first before they coerced the targets into join their side.
After the targets joined them, they would test the targets with the carefully-woven rhetoric. If the targets were not firm believers, it was very possible that their worldview would be shattered.
Then, they would bring the targets here and reestablish a world view that was completely different form the past for them through the more 'vivid' tales from history.
For Cultivators below the Nascent Soul Stage whose beliefs were not firm, after such a triple strike, it was indeed possible that they would believe in the new ideology in their dizziness and end up being Immortal Cultivators!
Li Yao sniffed in his heart.
Now that he had advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage, his belief and his soul had melded together. He was now one of the most stubborn diehards. It was impossible that he would be brainwashed by a few words.
Therefore, he simply watched what else the Immortal Cultivators could offer.
In front of Li Yao, the yellow and brown planet grew larger and larger still. He could tell that it was the fourth planet of a certain star, boasting an atmosphere and abundant ocean resources.
The picture slowly passed through the atmosphere and descended. Every detail of the planet was displayed.
It could be seen that this was a planet with a highly developed civilization. Honeycomb-like cities were everywhere on the vast continent. They were connected to each other via certain translucent tubes.
All the cities were brimming with coruscating skyscrapers. Many of the cities were even larger than the capital city of the Star Glory Federation!
However, all the cities were empty and lifeless. Even the most splendid buildings were full of rust and dust.
They were like countless monuments standing together and telling the glory of the past in silence.
What left the deepest impression on Li Yao was a statue almost a hundred meters tall at a city square. It was a young man with one hand on his hip and the other hand pointing at the sun.
From the vigorous face and the muscular body, it was not hard to envision the fearlessness of the civilization in its heyday!
It was a shame that the statue was now rusted and covered in bird feces. His smile was covered by dust and stains, and a lot of vines had also swallowed it inch by inch from the bottom.
The previously-shining gold statue had turned brown, red, and green, nothing more than a pile of mottled garbage.
Su Changfa's deep voice echoed behind Li Yao. "Now, Fellow Cultivator Li, I will tell you the stories of three Sectors. After the collapse of the Star Ocean Imperium, they all absorbed part of the essence of the imperium and were the first to be revived. They were once at the glorious peak under the lead of the Cultivators!
"However, because of the Cultivators' unrestrained pity, selfish hypocrisy, and their foolish ideology of protecting the ordinary people at all costs, the three worlds slowly embarked on the path of self-destruction, until they were ruined in the end.
"Their doom was not because of the invasion of the alien species, not because of natural disasters or apocalypses, and had nothing to with the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"In fact, one of the worlds of Cultivators had already self-destructed before the Imperium of True Human Beings was born! What they left for us was just a heap of dead bodies, a monument, and a profound lesson!
"This is the first world, the Curly Dragon Sector!"
The world around Li Yao slowly shivered before the map of the Curly Dragon Sector was fully displayed.
"Like the Flying Star Sector, the Curly Dragon Sector was a world spread over dozens of space zones but with a small population. It was not far away from the capital ring of the Star Ocean Imperium in the past. As a prosperous world not too seriously scourged by the war, it was slowly revived in the second millennium after the Star Ocean Imperium's collapse!"
The picture flashed. It could be seen that many human beings in bizarre clothes were excavating relics, exploring the foreign planets, and reconstructing their civilization.
Although the environment was extremely hash, everybody's face was glowing with hope and happiness, as if a torch was burning in their chest.
"However, the distribution of resources of the Curly Dragon Sector was quite special. Curly Dragon, the mother planet of the world and the sole naturally-habitable planet, had extremely limited crystals. Most of the resources were actually reserved in the harsh planets at the edge of the world that were far away from the mother planet!"
Li Yao nodded. The situation was rather familiar in the Flying Star Sector.
Maybe, it was a common feature of the Sectors with multiple space zones.
"At first," Su Changfa continued, "the ignorant people of the Curly Dragon Sector didn't realize it. Relying on the non-abundant resources of their mother planet, they still developed an advanced civilization!
"But the more advanced a civilization is, the more crystals it will consume. Very soon, as the population of the mother planet boomed, the crystals were running low!
"Right then, people of the Curly Dragon Sector discovered another few relics of the Star Ocean Imperium. Finally, they grew clearer of the world that they were living in!
"After learning that all the crystals of the mother planet were buried on the shallow surface and that they would find no more however deep they excavated when the resources were drained, all the people were shocked!
"Hehe. Fellow Cultivator Li, if you were leader of the Curly Dragon civilization, what would you have done?"
"It's simple. Organize an exploration fleet and go to mine the resource planets at the remote area!" Li Yao blurted out without thinking.
"Exactly. That's the most correct methodology. The resources of any planet will run dry. Every civilization is faced with a cruel race of death since its birth. They must figure out a way to leave their mother planet before the resources do run dry!
"If they grasp space cruising technologies that are advanced enough for them to leave the mother planet and march into the universe before the
resources run out, the civilization will be preserved and enter the next round of the death race that is even crueler.
"But if they cannot leave the mother planet after the resources run out, they will be trapped in the cradle forever, unless a civilization of a higher level discovers them in time!"
Su Changfa sighed and said, "The problem of the Curly Dragon Sector was that their mother planet was too deceptive!
"Aside from crystals, the mother planet boasted abundant mother lodes of all the metals you could possibly imagine. The climate was stable, too. Destructive disasters were rare. Harassment of demons and extraterrestrial devils were never heard of. It was the best natural paradise for the reproduction of lives!
"The crystals, despite their insufficient volume, were mostly buried very shallowly and easy to develop. Some of the crystal mines were actually open-air. A pebble you kicked on the road might be a crystal. Every sign couldn't help but give everybody the illusion that more abundant mother lodes were deeper under the ground!
"Therefore, for a long time, the people of the Curly Dragon Sector believed that their mother planet was resourceful enough to provide everything for them!
"They were not in a hurry to explore the sea of stars at all. Instead, they dedicated all the resources to the construction of their mother planet, building it into the most spectacular heaven. The living environment significantly improved. Not just the Cultivators, even the ordinary people could live extravagant lives!
"Everybody thought that such days would last forever. Everybody took six-hour workdays, paid vacations, three-year maternity and paternity leaves, a munificent pension, and other benefits for granted. Everybody wanted the easiest, most 'creative' jobs. The entertainment business, the lottery business, and other third industries thrived. Nobody was interested in the fundamental work that was in the slightest exhausting. The workers of such trades often went on strike for 'violation of human rights', demanding fewer work hours, better working conditions, and better wages and benefits!
"Such a carefree life lasted three hundred years with no problem whatsoever on the surface. The Curly Dragon Sector almost became the epitome of harmony between Cultivators and ordinary people and a paradise where human rights were absolutely ensured.
"However, good days came to an end eventually. All the crystals on the mother planet were running out!
"After parsing the map of resources of the Curly Dragon Sector from the Star Ocean Imperium, they got a good piece of news and a bad one.
"The good news was that the Curly Dragon Sector was not barren. There were still enough crystals for the coming thousands of years.
"The bad news was that all the reserves were in the most remote space zones of the Curly Dragons, which had harsh environments that were absolute unfavorable for human beings!
"With such a prosperous mother planet, the people of the Curly Dragon Sector had never thought it necessary to develop space cruising technologies in the past hundreds of years.
"Thankfully, their civilization was already rather developed, and a lot of relics of the Star Ocean Imperium were available. After excavation, analysis, and duplication, they finally boasted the preliminary abilities for space voyage and resource collection!
"However—
"After thorough analysis, the specialists of the Curly Dragon Sector reached the conclusion that, with their current technology, tremendous sacrifices were unavoidable to mine in the remote space zones!
"Countless miners were bound to be killed miserably in the dark, cold, foreign stars because of various factors!
"The death rate would be proportional to the yield of crystals. If they wanted resources, they had to trade lives for them!
"From their preliminary estimation, every ton of raw crystals meant the possible death of three to five miners!"
Chapter 1246: Land of Drought |
Li Yao was suddenly alarmed because he vaguely understood what Su Changfa meant.
Rolling eyes, Su Changfa asked with a faint smile, "Fellow Cultivator Li, if it was in the Flying Star Sector, how would you have dealt with the situation?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and replied, "If it were in the Flying Star Sector, the Cultivators probably would've led the elites among the ordinary people, such as the stronger soldiers, to form 'dare-to-die teams'. No matter how many sacrifices must be made, the crystals need to be excavated, right?
"After all, without crystals, it would be practically impossible to escape the planet and the galaxy. Everybody would end up trapped on the mother planet one day!
"The Flying Star Sector is different from the Curly Dragon Sector as Senior Su described. 'Iron Plateau', our mother planet, was struck by an apocalypse five thousand years ago. The environment there is harsh in the first place, dominated by the aggressive 'qi-trainers' who dislike foreigners. Therefore, we do not have a resourceful mother planet that we can count on. We must get everything on our own!
"Having to struggle for a life in the rigorous sea of stars, the Cultivators and the ordinary people of the Flying Star Sector are not as delicate as those of the Curly Dragon Sector. I believe that they wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice when necessary.
"Moreover, I believe that the high death rate is just temporary. After the environment of the resource planets is improved, the excavation and purification magical equipment advances, and everybody's experience in mining grows more abundant, they will certainly figure out a set of effective approaches to reduce the death rate to an acceptable level."
Su Changfa smiled and said, "It appears that the civilization of the Flying Star Sector is still in the rising period and not entirely rotten yet.
"The civilization of the Curly Dragon Sector, however, was too sick to be treated!
"The people of the Curly Dragon Sector lived comfortable lives on the resourceful mother planet without doing anything for too long. Hundreds of years of such a carefree lifestyle corrupted the resolution, doggedness, ambition, devotion, and all the other noble spirits in their hearts!
"Spoiled by the Cultivators, the ordinary people of the Curly Dragon Sector took for granted the benefits that they had traded the future for. They thought that their actions were justified!
"Also, the Cultivators dwelled in the halo of 'savior' for too long and lost their way amid the cheers and admiration of the public!
"When the harsh environment of the resource planets, the tediousness and dangers of mining, and all the other cruel truths were demonstrated to them, most people were not able to accept it!
"Other than a few Cultivators, nobody was willing to be killed in such places!
"Was trading their lives of flesh and blood for cold crystals ethical and justifiable, or was it unpardonable?"
"The question raised unabated discussion in the civilization of the Curly Dragon Sector. The entire society was divided into two sides with opposite ideologies. They further drifted away from what they should do and wasted their precious time and effort on meaningless debates.
"The discussions lasted decades, during which, whatever was left of the crystals on the mother planet were still being consumed rapidly, but not a single mining starship was sent to the resource planets!
"Decades later, perhaps because of the stimulation of the alarming stock of resources, the Curly Dragon Sector finally managed to reach a consensus. The crystals had to be excavated, but nobody could be killed!
"Not just death, even the relatively more exhausting work was in violation of human rights and the core principles of the civilization!
"Therefore, they wasted precious resources, attempting to build an absolutely safe and comfortable mining system.
"In the mining system, the mining starships were as extravagant as space yachts, and the mining bases were even more enjoyable than luxury hotels. Most of the dangerous jobs were completed by the spiritual puppets. All the miners had to do was sit in the bases and tap on the light beams while drinking their beverages!
"Even so, few people were willing to mine on
the resource planets. The miners who agreed to work in the frontier all believed that their sacrifices were too huge. They greedily demanded higher pay, better benefits, and better working environments time and time again!
"In the end, the package of a miner was several times higher than that of a professor on the mother planet. The yields of the mother lodes, instead of being transported to the mother planet, were dedicated to the modification of the mining resources lavishly!
"Instead of improving the efficiency of mining, they constructed a lot of entertainment facilities unrelated to the work in the mining bases under the guise of 'building a humane working environment'. They also reduced the working hours to five hours per day, and they went on a strike every once in a while.
"Hehe. You can't have all the best in the world. Is it possible to excavate crystals so easily?
"Because of their follies, the cost of excavation and transportation soared. They could barely make ends meet in the end. Every ton of raw crystals would waste more resources than the value of the crystals!
"Of course, such a system was not promising. Finally, some Cultivators who couldn't stand it any longer proposed a reform, but it was too late!
"The miners and part of the administration on the resource planets had established a powerful labor union. As an enormous interest group, they united and negotiated with the mother planet. They even extended their hands into the government of the mother planet.
"High benefits and easy work were considered basic human rights in the Curly Dragon Sector. Most people supported the labor union of the mining industry and believed that they had sacrificed for the entire civilization. Cultivators who grew up in such an environment couldn't force the ordinary people to do anything, either. Under the aggression of the labor union, they conceded time and time again despite their strength!
"After every concession that the Cultivators made, the labor union would be more arrogant, demanding more privileges!
"The miners' theory sounded reasonable at first. Crystals were mostly excavated for the training of Cultivators and to provide energy for the magical equipment. Of course, Cultivators would take the most advantage.
