by <unknown>
"That explains a lot." Chu Chongjiu was relieved. He thought for a moment but still lowered his voice, asking, "The Election Observation Delegation? This is your father's arrangement, isn't it? So to speak, has he made up his mind to get closer to the Star Glory Federation?"
"It is indeed my father's arrangement, but we are not getting closer to the Star Glory Federation." Professor Tang had been speaking very gently just now, but she suddenly turned determined when she talked about the issue. "We are joining the federation and integrating into it!"
Chu Chongjiu was slightly dazed before smiling bitterly. "I didn't know that you are even more radical than Captain Tang!"
"This is not radicalness but the last chance of survival in our desperation. Other than joining the Star Glory Federation, we don't have a choice right now!"
Deep sorrow was flowing out of the face that was hidden below her mask of light and shadow. "Uncle Chu, you know Firefly's condition for the past thousand years, too!
"For a thousand years, we have been wandering in the sea of stars. At first, we were still able to receive supplies from the worlds that were unwilling to give in to the Imperium. The warships of many Sectors were even connected to Firefly, and a lot of rebel and elite Cultivators from countless worlds joined us, turning Firefly into an enormous amalgamation of super-large warships. We had a lot of new recruits!
"But… that's all hundreds of years ago!
"In the last few hundred years, the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Alliance of the Holy Covenant have swallowed all the prosperous areas of the civilization of mankind. They are also extending their claws and tentacles to the corners of the universe from the heartland of the civilization. One world after another has fallen to them. The rest of the Sectors are all shuddering in fear and self-seclusion. Even if they are discovered by us, they do not dare get in touch with us at all under the horror of the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance!
"We have completely become orphans in the sea of stars. We are now an insignificant and lonely civilization of starships!
"To accommodate a civilization, and also to make the civilization stride forward, a certain population size is mandatory!
"The shortage of assets and energy, the harsh environment, and other problems on Firefly might be overcome one way or another, but we only have a population of 150 million in total, which is the maximum capacity that Firefly can support. How can so few people ensure the continuity of a great civilization?
"Uncle Chu, you and I are both refiners. Let's just talk about the arts of refining that we are both familiar with. Tell me, how many techniques of ours have been lost over the past thousand years because we could not find enough talented heirs from the limited population on board?
"A lot of knowledge was actually grasped by only one refiner, but if he couldn't find a suitable disciple from the hundred million people on Firefly, his lineage would be entirely gone after he passed away. Even if the techniques can be preserved through jade chips or other forms, many skills and tricks that require personal tutelage will not appear again!
"It is for this reason that our technological level and our reserve of techniques has actually been declining slowly for the past thousand years. Ours is a starship civilization that is degenerating to our doom due to the limitation of 'population'. Nobody can deny that!"
Chu Chongjiu's dry smile froze in his wrinkles. His face suddenly turned extremely gray as he helplessly said, "We can preserve the specialists and experts of the main fields through our hibernation technologies. They are the ultimate treasure of the Star Ocean Republic and the seeds of our civilization!"
"Indeed, we can, but leaving the side effects of prolonged hibernation aside, such an attempt is highly risky itself," Professor Tang said gloomily. "Have you forgotten the accident a hundred and twenty years ago, Uncle Chu? In the accident, 355 masters who were in the hibernation state were instantly killed. It was a catastrophe for our civilization!"
Chapter 1584: Competition of Routes on Firefly |
Chu Chongjiu was dazed for a long time before softly saying, "It was an accident."
"Uncle," Professor Tang replied, "an 'accident' shouldn't be found in the dictionary of a refiner. There are no accidents in the world; there are only problems and the odds that they take place!
"We have drifted in the sea of stars for a thousand years. All the components on Firefly have rusted, eroded, and aged. Also, they cannot keep pace with the development of our new technology anymore. It is only a matter of time that an 'accident' takes place. As time goes by, similar 'accidents' will only happen more and more frequently until our civilization is entirely destroyed in a world-blighting 'accident'!"
Chu Chongjiu was silent for a long time before he said after a long sigh, "You're right, miss."
"Therefore, the Star Glory Federation is our last hope. Although they have yet to reach our height in the fields of certain critical technologies, it does boast seven Sectors and Kunlun, which was left by the prehistoric civilization. Their resources, population, and territory are all a thousand times larger than ours!
"I believe that changes in quantity will eventually lead to a change in quality. The Star Glory Federation boasts infinite potential. Even if they are not as good as us right now in some fields, they will certainly catch up with us at lightning-like speed!
"Uncle Chu, did you know how many mixed feelings I had just now when I was studying the Azure Thunder devised by Wu Yaxuan? I don't know how I should put it. When did such experts of refining like Wu Yaxuan emerge at the underdeveloped area at the edge of the cosmos, who are capable of producing a crystal suit that is as distinguished as our mainstream equipment? What—what terrifying potential they have!"
Chu Chongjiu could not help but observe, "You are being too modest, miss. Wu Yaxuan's expertise in refining is nothing worth mentioning compared to yours. Didn't you resolve the problem easily just now? You were even able to trigger a better performance of the crystal suit through adjustment. Your adjustment was truer to the meaning of 'flawlessness' than Wu Yaxuan's techniques were. Not just Wu Yaxuan, even if his mother Master Xie Anan were here, she wouldn't have done a better job than you."
The girl smiled but shook her head. "There is no need to exaggerate, Uncle Chu. I know my own refining level. Besides… there's only one me on Firefly, whereas Wu Yaxuan is just a rising star in the Star Glory Federation and only invincible in the younger generation. In the upper class of the society of refiners, there are bound to be many more specialists who are more excellent than him!
"All in all, I believe that geniuses can only be found when the population is large enough. They are the tip of a pyramid that has to be supported by an enormous foundation! Right now, the foundation is missing on Firefly, which means that we are doomed to decline. In comparison, the population of the Star Glory Federation is large enough to support a civilization with infinite potential!
"We have cutting-edge technology in our hands, but we lack the industrial infrastructure and necessary population. The Star Glory Federation's foundation is solid enough, and it has sufficient population and resources, but it does not have too much reserve after all. Some of the cutting-edge technology and techniques might not be developed for hundreds of years!
"If we can truly be merged, it will be beneficial for both parties. Only such a brand-new, complementary civilization can expect to defeat the expedition army of the Imperium and even march back to our hometown at the center of the sea of stars one day!
"This is the wish of both my father and myself. However many difficulties we may run into in the future, I will walk to the end of the path. Uncle Chu, we can count on your support, right?"
Chu Chongjiu smiled bitterly and said, "I have been under Captain Tang's command since I was eleven. At that time, we were merely two students in the engine compartment. Even my life was saved by Captain Tang in the explosion of the engine compartment at that time. Who else can I support if not Captain Tang and you after all these years?
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"However, it is not an easy path to walk on. People on Firefly do not necessarily object to the merger with the Star Glory Federation. After all, we are two of the few civilizations of Cultivators in the sea of stars, but the question remains—who will be the leader in the new alliance? Those people in our parliament demand that they should enter and manage the parliament of the Star Glory Federation. Even the name of the 'Star Glory Federation' must be changed directly into the 'Star Ocean Republic'!"
Professor Tang bulged her eyes, her courtesy and meek aura just now entirely gone. "Is—is there something wrong with those people's heads? Our population is only one thousandth of theirs. We do not have a single resource planet. All we have is a broken starship that is riddled with holes! The only leverage we have for the negotiation are the techniques, technology, and intelligence from the center of the cosmos that we've held onto since a thousand years ago. Nothing more!
"If they are determined to develop our techniques and technologies independently, they will certainly get all of them after a few hundred years!
"Just based on that, those people on Firefly are hoping to dominate their parliament and even force them to change the name of the country? Isn't it even more hilarious than a snake that tries to swallow an elephant?"
Chu Chongjiu hesitated for a moment. After thinking, he still said what he wanted to say nonetheless. "Maybe their heads are absolutely fine. It's just that they are viewing the question from a different perspective because of their different stance.
"Miss, you know that the 'competition of routes' has been going on for hundreds of years on Firefly. It's mostly the argument between the 'technical staff' and the 'administrative staff'.
"People like you, me, your captain father, the chief mate, the navigator, and others who are dedicated to specific technical work naturally do not attach much importance to the slogan of the 'rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic'. Many of us even believe that, if we get to the bottom of it, Firefly right now is more like a starship than a 'rightful government'. So, all the affairs should be managed according to the rules and regulations of a starship. There is no need for a 'rightful government' to meddle at all!
"However, don't forget that the starship was fully loaded with the MPs and their family members of the 'rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic' when our ancestors escaped from the Empyreal Terminus Sector a thousand years ago. Those people are deeply connected with each other and boast unparalleled influence. After a thousand years, they are still maintaining the daily functioning and management of the parliament."
The girl sniffed and said, "What parliament? They are redundancies, if put nicely, or cancer, if we are being honest!"
"Miss," Chu Chongjiu said, "the technical staff such as you certainly regard the parliament as a redundancy if not a cancer. However, in the eyes of the MPs, they are the last hope that sustains the rightful government and the national elites who are much more important than the technical staff!
"In the last few hundred years, the competition between the technical staff and the administrational staff has been quite fierce. Now that the Star Glory Federation has popped up out of nowhere, hasn't the contradiction between the two parties significantly intensified?
"Let's be honest here, miss. Your father is the captain of Firefly; you are the youngest lecturer in Star Ocean University and the youngest Level-A researcher in the Star Ocean Institute. As for me, I can more or less provide technical support in terms of refining, too.
"For the technical staff like you and me, even if we join the Star Glory Federation, our position will not be any lower than it is now.
"Your father can continue working as the captain of Firefly. It is even possible for the Star Glory Federation to offer some resources and support him to establish a fleet of which he will be the general commander. For the specialists from Star Ocean University and the Star Ocean Institute, you can establish larger educational and research agencies in a certain Sector, or you can be hired by the eighteen supreme academic institutions in the federation with a high pay and participate in the more in-depth and profound studies. Even for myself, I can easily find better privileges in the federation than what I am enjoying right now.
"The bottom line is, for the technical staff like us, joining the Star Glory Federation has all kinds of merits and absolutely no harm.
"However, what about the MPs and even the Speaker? What benefits can they get after they join the Star Glory Federation?
"The last thing that the Star Glory Federation is short of is politicians. They are doing their job quite fine. Every MP has accomplished their place after earning countless military credits, and yet you are asking them to share the power with the lords in our parliament? Is that fair?
"There can't be two tigers in one den, and there can't be two Speakers in one federation, can there? Miss, tell me about it. How can our parliament support a comprehensive combination? After the combination, we can make a living with our knowledge, but what can the MPs do?
"Management? Yes. They claim to be best at management! The problem is, as you said just now, miss, there is only a population of a hundred million on Firefly. The best that our MPs can expect to handle are the issues of a hundred million people! The Star Glory Federation, on the other hand, has a population of almost ten billion people in the seven Sectors! The poor experience in management that our MPs have is not worth mentioning in their place!
"Even a random city in the federation may have a population of hundreds of millions. Is our Speaker willing to demean himself by working as the mayor of a city? Even if he is willing to, it's not like the original mayor of the city will voluntarily clear the post for him!
"That's the Speaker we are talking about. What about the officials of the idle bureaus? When we evacuated years ago, we kept the hundred departments we had before. Those officials have been doing nothing for a thousand years. What can they do after the merger, work as an insignificant official at the bottom level of the corresponding department in the federation? Why would they agree to that?
"All in all, it is a very complicated issue to join the Star Glory Federation. Even if your father is the leader of the captain, it is impossible for him to rush into anything faced with such tremendous obstacles. Let's make thorough plans and preparations first!
"The Black Wind Fleet will arrive in no time. How can we make thorough plans and preparations?"
Professor Tang could not help but clench her fists. "If we cannot finish the assimilation before the great war begins, then—"
While she was talking, Chu Chongjiu's portable crystal processor suddenly buzzed in a low noise. Somebody had sent him a message.
To speak with Professor Tang, Chu Chongjiu had already adjusted the settings on his portable crystal processor. Except for those from a few most important people, the messages from the irrelevant people were all blocked.
Chu Chongjiu was dazed and frowning hard after he read the message.
"What happened?" Professor Tang looked at him concernedly. "Anything wrong, Uncle Chu?"
"Something weird has happened," Chu Chongjiu said in confusion. "Nie Siyuan, the manager of the Maintenance Department of this place, asked me for help. He said that something happened to the Azure Thunder that we both adjusted just now!"
Chapter 1585: King of Adjustment! |
The staff-only workshop in the Maintenance Department of the Four Sectors Magical Equipment Center was the most advanced maintenance center with the most sufficient facilities and the best trained and most experienced refiners in the entire Dragon Snake Space Zone.
The dazzling facilities on the ground were ten times more professional than the simple maintenance platforms next to the test field.
But they could not stop the dozens of most skilled maintainers and modifiers of the Dragon Snake Space Zone furrowing their eyebrows in front of the Azure Thunder.
The armor and the maintenance panel were opened again, revealing the various components that were as delicat
e as the nerve network and the muscle fibers of a human body.
At first glance, as the four deep blue tubes transmitted feeble spiritual energy into the crystal suit, all the units of the crystal suit were still functioning smoothly while glittering in a patterned rhythm, fluctuating like a huge beast breathing.
However, tiny anomalies always occurred after every few seconds during the 'breathing'. Something seemed to be wrong with the super-compressed crystal reactor of the crystal suit, which was like the heart of the beast, making it unable to input and output the blood normally.
A majestic-looking, middle-aged man was standing in front of the Azure Thunder in silence. Sha Yongming, the young refiner, was catering to him carefully nearby.
It was Nie Siyuan, the chief maintainer and modifier in the Chamber of Commerce.
He was also the manager of the Maintenance Department of the Four Sectors Magical Equipment Center, and he had only just arrived from the auditorium of the 'Ace Game' because of the emergency.
However, the renowned master of maintenance and modification in the Dragon Snake Space Zone did not know what the problem was exactly, either. He was staring at the Azure Thunder, as confused as Sha Yongming and the other refiners.
"Master Chu is here!"
"Professor Tang, too! Professor Tang, who demonstrated shocking performance in the test field just now, has arrived!"
The maintainers and refiners greeted Chu Chongjiu and Professor Tang like the stars surrounding the moon.
"Brother Chu!" Nie Siyuan walked forth and clasped his fist toward Chu Chongjiu. Then he bowed to the girl beside him and managed to put on a smile. "Fellow Cultivator Tang, you must be an expert on your side. Please do forgive my obtrusion by inviting you here…"
"Brother Nie." Chu Chongjiu bowed back to Nie Siyuan. "We are too familiar with each other to bother with all those formalities. The crystal suit has gone wrong again after being adjusted by the two of us. According to the tradition of the refiners, we are certainly obliged to see what is going on and if anything went wrong during our adjustment. If it is indeed our fault, we will definitely take full responsibility!"
