by <unknown>
Such voices congregated into iron torrents and echoed in parliament.
The General Staff of the federal army deduced the possible outcomes of the war time and time again. The Nether World Sector, which only had a wasteland, and the Forest Ocean Sector, which was covered in primitive forests, could not expect to resist the scourge of the federal fleet.
The war would be a perfect duplication of the conquest of the Water Crystal Sector, and it would be an easy win. And this time, they were fairly experienced when it came to the arrangement of the occupation army and how to govern the locals through tyranny.
When the second expedition army of the New Federation finally began, the commander and captains played by the experts of the game all thought that.
Their prediction was not entirely wrong. When the expedition army arrived in the atmosphere of the mother planets of the Nether World Sector and the Forest Ocean Sector at the same time, the panicked troops of the locals were indeed crushed before they could put up much resistance.
However…
When a fleet of the Uranian Ring Sector made of a thousand main-force starships popped up behind the expedition army of the federation, it was already destined that, no matter how many tactical successes the game experts achieved, they had completely lost the game.
Yes. In this timeline, since the federation did not hide its ambitions from the Forest Ocean Sector and the Nether World Sector at all, naturally, the locals of the Forest Ocean Sector and the Nether World Sector did not wait to be killed.
The most daring and adventurous ones among them secretly flew into the depths of the universe, searching for the expedition army of the Imperium that was the bane of the 'evil federation', hoping to receive the Imperium's protection.
In the end, although they did not find the Imperium, they did find… or rather, they were discovered by the people of the Uranian Ring Sector.
Unlike the Forest Ocean Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Water Crystal Sector, the Uranian Ring Sector boasted rather advanced universal sailing abilities and an enormous space fleet.
Having learned what the federation had done, naturally, the people of the Uranian Ring Sector would not wait and watch as such an ambitious civilization grew nearby.
Therefore, the Uranian Ring Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector, as well as the determined resisters of the Water Crystal Sector, forged a secret alliance to resist the powerful and tyrannical New Federation together.
When the timeline reached this point, the outcome of the war itself no longer mattered.
Whether the war was won or lost in the end, supported by the fleet of the Uranian Ring Sector, the Forest Ocean Sector and the Nether World Sector would never be completely conquered and absorbed by the New Federation in mere decades, not to mention the homeland of the Uranian Ring Sector, which had started to prepare for battle decades in advance.
The timeline had hundreds of different variations when played by the experts of the game, but even in the best variation, the Star Glory Federation did not manage to conquer the four new worlds even at the cost of great casualties, economic stagnation, social ossification, and unsteadiness of countless Cultivators until year 155 of the New Federation Calendar.
According to the odds, there was a ninety-seven percent likelihood that the Black Wind Fleet would have arrived by that time.
Leaving aside the fact that the New Federation, whose resources and blood had been drained by the protracted war, did not have much strength left to resist the Black Wind Fleet at all, the people of the Uranian Ring Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector who had just been conquered would never sincerely support such a Star Glory Federation.
The final outcome would be the 'failed world'. While the New Federation seemed to boast seven Sectors and an unprecedently huge army, it was destroyed by the Black Wind Fleet without much struggle.
When the last Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag slowly descended from the Federal Square in the capital city in the Heaven's Origin Sector, there were even cheers in the crowd nearby.
The New Federation died in the most shameful way.
And it all began in year thirty-one of the New Federation Calendar, when the Star Glory Federation decided its attitude toward the Water Crystal Sector, the first new world to join the country.
Should they choose arduous compromises and negotiations, or should they choose a quick and clean conquest that seemed able to reap countless crystals and inject an exhilarant into the federation?
That was the end of the story of the first failed world.
The choice that the second failed world had to make was whether or not to grant the local residents of the Blood Demon Sector, namely the 'demons', the complete rights of residents and even citizens.
In the Old Federation a hundred years ago, after a series of internal conflicts, the Blood Demon Sector had joined the federation with a conditional surrender.
However, there had been a chasm between human beings and demons at that time. Also, most of the demons had been sent to resource planets as miners and paid 'war compensation' through their work. Naturally, the rights that they enjoyed were different from the general rights of humans.
But after sixty years, as the Water Crystal Sector, the Forest Ocean Sector, and the Nether World Sector joined the federation one after another, even a lot of locals of the new Sectors became citizens of the federation in many ways. Should the shackles on the demons who had been making contributions to the New Federation for sixty years be loosened, and should they be acknowledged as real citizens of the federation?
It was not a simple question of title or prejudice.
Politically speaking, it would mean that the community of demons, which had a huge population, would be given the right to vote. They would be able to influence the future of the federation's development. The change also paved the way for the leadership in the government who were demons and even for Jin Xinyue who was running for Speaker today.
More importantly, economically speaking, once the treaties signed sixty years ago were entirely abolished, the benefits and wages for the demon miners would be drastically improved. The cost to all the resource giants would be doubled or even multiplied. It would seem that such a change could slow down the federation's collection of resources and rapid development.
In reality, under the active work of persuasion and even coercion by Jin Xinyue, the leader of the demons, parliament finally passed the 'Bill of Rights for General Equality', stating that human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector, ghosts of the Nether World Sector, demons of the Blood Demon Sector, and all people in the federation were equal.
In the virtual timeline, however, the players who abided by 'human supremacy' could naturally veto Jin Xinyue's motion quickly without any hesitation. They could even try to strike the leader of the demons who seemed too active through the legal and illegal, open and clandestine approaches.
However, at the point of year fifty-five of the New Federation Calendar, the demon miners who had been devoted dutifully and silently for sixty years had already had enough of it. Their patience and their thirst for a better future had reached the limits and could not be vetoed by any parliament in the universe.
"Even the barbarians in the Forest Ocean Sector who do not wear clothes and the wandering ghosts in the Nether World Sector who are packed into garbage can be citizens of the federation! Why can't we? Why!"
Such angry voices echoed above the mines in the remote resource planets.
The efficiency of the demon miners plummeted. Slacking and sabotage took place on all the resource planets. The feeble sparks congregated into fires of strikes and then escalated into the magma of riots. Jin Xinyue could not do anything about it. She was soon replaced by new leaders of the demons who were even more radical and dangerous. The New Federation was showing signs of division again.
The chaotic situation lasted more than ten years, until the Uranian Ring Sector was discovered, and a w
ar broke out.
But this time, the races within the federation were divided. Humans and demons did not trust each other. The New Federation, who were too busy dealing with their internal strife, could not organize and maintain a powerful expedition army at a super high efficiency like it did in reality.
The people of the Uranian Ring Sector keenly sensed the division within the federation, too. They sent secret envoys to get in touch with the radical new leaders of the demons.
In the end, the outcome of the timeline was the same as the first one.
No matter how many tactical successes were achieved, and no matter how many times the demons' insurgency was suffocated when it was still in its cradle, there was no stopping the war against the Uranian Ring Sector from become protracted. When the expedition army of the Imperium finally arrived, it was still impossible to completely finish the internal reorganization. The hundred years of radiance of the Star Glory Federation was nothing more than a fleeting cloud that was gone in the blink of an eye.
Under such circumstances, the Star Glory Federation could not be saved despite the countless strategies adopted by countless players. And the beginning of everything was the moment when the 'Bill of Rights for General Equality' was or was not passed in year fifty-five of the New Federation Calendar.
They were what one could call life-and-death decisions!
Chapter 1660: Xiao Ming and Wen Wen |
Li Yao examined the deductions made by experts of the game who were probably admin-type Cultivators. He carefully studied every policy that they issued, only to find that, like when a raging river changed its course, once a wrong offshoot appeared upstream, there was simply no saving and stopping the flood downstream however hard one worked.
"In the history of the New Federation," Ling Xiaole said, "those two decisions were of the greatest significance. At that time, huge controversies were raised as to whether or not to agree to the Water Crystal Sector's greedy conditions and to assist them with rather powerful magical equipment and techniques, and whether or not to grant demons extensive and equal residential rights and citizenship later.
"After all, the Water Crystal Sector seemed so weak, and their world boasted the crystal resources that the federation was in dire need of. All that was needed seemed to be an insignificant war in order to achieve everything without much trouble.
"For the second decision, many people hadn't forgotten the old hatred and were highly wary of the demons. They believed that completely loosening the shackles of demons would be opening the gate of disaster. A lot of interest groups from the resource industry were also instigating trouble and making matters even more difficult.
"Therefore, the two decisions were quite controversial in the decades before and after they were made. Those involved in the decisions were even lashed by the radicals as 'coward', 'thieves', 'appeasers', and even 'traitors of the civilization'!
"Many people didn't like Jin Xinyue, the leader of the demons who always appeared too tough. Even I don't like her very much. But—"
"You don't like Jin Xinyue?" Li Yao was slightly dazed. "Aren't you a… for lack of a better word, 'half-demon'?"
Ling Xiaole blinked and smiled. "Yes, I am a half-demon, but it is only the bloodline given by my parents. I'm prouder of my identity as a 'Secret Sword Agent' because I've earned it with my own hard work!
"The people in the Secret Sword Bureau are not particularly fond of Jin Xinyue. She worked in the Secret Sword Bureau before and was even once at the top of the agency, only second to Director Guo. But she and Director Guo had a conflict, and the two of them were rather at loggerheads later. In the end, she left with a bunch of elite workers and established her own 'Dim Moon Fund', which goes against us, steals our business, and disrupts our plans all the time!
"People of the same trade can never like each other. Everybody in the federation knows that the Secret Sword Bureau and the Dim Moon Fund are mortal enemies. Neither of us are willing to obey the other agency.
"Compared to the Secret Sword Bureau, which is responsible for internal safety, the Dim Moon Fund, which focuses more on actively attacking, is more criticized. Many novels, movies, and even DLCs of 'Civilization' also set the Dim Moon Fund as the supervillain in the end.
"However, as much as I dislike Jin Xinyue, I have to admit that at the crucial point in year fifty-five of the New Federation Calendar, if she hadn't persuaded and coerced parliament doggedly and aggressively, if she hadn't struck the radicals within the demon race without mercy, and if she hadn't conducted the clandestine deals with various parties in secret… All in all, if she hadn't facilitated the passing of the 'Bill of Rights for General Equality' by any means possible, the federation today definitely would have been faced with a disaster!
"From that point of view, like Ding Lingdang, Jin Xinyue is one of the greatest contributors for the New Federation to make it to this day. That's why they are the two front runners in the most important election for the Supreme Speaker despite their young age and their lack of seniority.
"This is what the game 'Civilization' tells us. In many cases, we might not be making the best decision that will satisfy everyone, but the other decisions can possibly be much worse!
"After understanding that point, if we review many people, many things, and many tough decisions of the past in hindsight, we may be calmer, more objective, and more at ease, and we will not be overwhelmed by extreme, radical thoughts easily, right?
"Because everybody has learned that, even if some choices at hand appear more tempting, noble, and 'perfect', the final outcome could be…" Ling Xiaole pointed at the two lackluster and devastated 'failed worlds' that were rotating slowly in the light beam while she said, "… like this with only one moment of carelessness!"
"Can I try running the two 'failed worlds' from the beginning?" Li Yao could hardly wait any longer.
"Of course, you can start from the moment when we refused the terms of the Water Crystal Sector and declared war upon them in year thirty-one of the New Federation Calendar or from the moment when parliament rejected the 'Bill of Rights for General Equality' in year fifty-five of the New Federation Calendar." Ling Xiaole smiled. "See if history might take a different course after you make different choices.
"Enough talking. We have prepared two super accounts for you. Please take your time to enjoy it. As for the specific operations, the game assistants will help you in the game. I will be next door. Just call me if you need anything."
Ling Xiaole slightly bowed to Li Yao and Heiye Lan before she left the VIP room.
Li Yao looked at Heiye Lan. He could tell that there seemed to be a frozen volcano in the eyes of the elite female warrior of the Imperium. She certainly had a lot that she wanted to say.
But even an idiot would know that this was not a suitable place to talk.
Furthermore, the two of them were full of curiosity about the world of 'Civilization'. Nodding at each other, they both entered 'Civilization' through the immersive game cabins.
"Welcome to the world of 'Civilization', I am Xiao Ming."
"Are you ready to change the future of mankind? I am Wen Wen."
In the splendid and brilliant virtual sea of stars, the infinite light of the stars gradually concentrated into a little boy and a little girl. Both of the kids were plump and jovial. They were jumping to greet the players.
They were the game assistants that the players could summon any time after they entered 'Civilization'.
The world of 'Civilization' was too vast and complicated. Much of the perfectly simulated information processing and data calculation was boring, too.
The two game assistants could not only guide the players to get the hang of a new DLC quickly but also help the players adjust the difficulty of the game and handle most of the tedious, detailed world on behalf of them. With the assistants' help, the players only needed to pick the major policies.
It was sort of a balance between fun and sense of reality.
The boy, Xiao Min
g, and the girl, Wen Wen, were dancing and laughing carefreely in the middle of the space and chasing after one another for fun. Suddenly, the boy turned around and put on a tiny, cute crystal suit, pretending to be majestic. "You can also call me 'Li Yao'!"
The girl also turned around standing on the tip of her toe, and a crystal suit appeared on her body, too. "You can also set my name to 'Ding Lingdang'!"
"Or Mo Xuan!"
"Or Jin Xinyue!"
The boy and the girl announced dozens of names in a row. Li Yao had heard some of the names before, who were all famous heroes or scholars in the history of the federation. But some other names sounded rather strange and were likely new celebrities who had emerged in the last hundred years.
He realized that the names of the two game assistants could be user-defined. They could be named after the heroes and scholars in history or any other bizarre things that the players liked, and they did not have to carry the two initial shabby names, Xiao Ming and Wen Wen.
Li Yao was only there to experience the game. Naturally, he found it unnecessary to give 'Xiao Ming' or 'Wen Wen' any other names.
He chose the second 'failed world' first, which was the point in time related to his youngest disciple Jin Xinyue. He also selected the so-called 'godly perspective', in which he would not play any specific character but only make the decisions that would influence the big picture from a certain stance.
With the help of 'Xiao Ming' and 'Wen Wen', Li Yao soon familiarized himself with the operations and the background of year fifty-five of the New Federation Calendar.
Of the two game assistants, Xiao Ming was more likely to provide strategic suggestions on military and politics, whereas Wen Wen was better with research and culture. On the other hand, Xiao Ming's suggestions were mostly cruel and tough, while Wen Wen's were relatively soft and gentle.
However, after dozens of tries, neither the cruel and tough approaches nor the soft and gentle ones were helpful. As long as the equal rights for demons were completely rejected at the beginning of the game, the federation would inevitably walk to division, and a New Federation that had been torn apart could never finish the Uranian Ring Sector quickly. Once the war against the Uranian Ring Sector failed or became protracted until the expedition army of the Imperium arrived, the destruction of the New Federation would be unavoidable.
