by <unknown>
"It doesn't make sense. Nothing makes sense!
"After further investigation, I discovered that the 'experiments on the Virtual Spirits Sector' were conducted in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone years ago.
"At that time, Hundred Flowers City had just begun construction. All the super crystal processors had been shipped from the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, the Uranian Ring Sector, and Kunlun to this place to be assembled and debugged again. According to the public reports, it was because something went wrong with the debugging of the computation center next to the laboratory that Professor Mo Xuan, Su Changfa, Lu Changfa, and the mainframe crystal processor in the laboratory were affected. In the end, the collapse of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' was caused.
"Today, the relics of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' must be hidden somewhere below the computation center of Hundred Flowers City, right? The development and control center of 'Civilization' is here, too. As for my professor, although he has left the research team of 'Civilization' and abandoned the Virtual Spirits Sector, he is still currently living in Hundred Flowers City supervising other research projects."
Long Yangjun understood it. "So, you want to find Professor Mo Xuan to learn the truth about 'the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector' in the past, in order to decide if something is wrong with Lu Qingchen?"
"That was my original plan," Li Yao said. "However, after careful studies, I discovered a new lead. As it turned out, not just Lu Qingchen, even my professor was not right!"
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. She lowered her voice subconsciously and asked, "What was not right?"
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and said, one word after another, "He got divorced!"
"…" Long Yangjun.
Li Yao slapped the table hard and said, "He got divorced, and only because he got caught by his wife, Professor Yuan Manqiu, who is another teacher of mine, when he was cheating on her!"
"Forgive me," Long Yangjun said. "It suddenly occurred to me that there's something I need to do. Why don't I leave you to enjoy your noodles?"
"Wait, listen to my explanation," Li Yao urged. "Professor Mo Xuan and Professor Yuan Manqiu used to love each other and supported each other for more than a hundred years. That couldn't have been easy. Why on earth did Professor Mo Xuan cheat on her and then get divorced?"
"It's freedom of marriage and none of your concern. I only have limited patience, and it ran out when you had your third bowl of noodles!"
"No. Trust me and think about it. The whole thing happened soon after the collapse of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector'. Do you not feel that it was a weird accident?"
Long Yangjun took a deep breath, only to smell nothing but the spicy flavor of the noodle residue. She waved at her nose in disgust and managed to think for a while. Then, she nodded and said, "Now that you put it that way, it is indeed a bit weird. Isn't your professor a spectral Cultivator? How could he cheat on his wife?"
"That's actually not a problem," Li Yao said. "He is a piece of erratic liquid metal. Technically speaking, he can totally make what he needs by himself, and even more than one of them if he wants. Also, even for the regular spectral Cultivators, thanks to the developed artificial limb industry in the federation nowadays, special limbs have been devised for them. How should I put it delicately? It's like the so-called 'Mister Horn', 'Doctor Rod', or 'Lady Oyster' in the Ancient Sages Sector. You are a eunuch, aren't you? Shouldn't you be most familiar with that kind of stuff?"
"Who's a eunuch?" Long Yangjun bashed the table hard, leaving a deep dent on the table. "Since it is not a technical problem, isn't it perfectly normal? Star spirit or spectral Cultivator, he is a human being after all. Every human being has their feelings and needs. The two of them have spent seventy years together. It is only natural that they grew tired of each other.
"Think about it. Professor Mo Xuan was responsible for part of the development of the game 'Civilization' and supervising the project of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector' in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone, while Professor Yuan Manqiu worked as the dean in the Refining Department in the Grand Desolate War Institution in the Heaven's Origin Sector. The two of them must've been more often separated than united!
"In the past, they were both focused on the studies of crystal suits, and they could support each other and communicate better. But after Professor Mo Xuan turned into a star spirit and had a soaring computational ability, he changed his focus to the studies of the Spiritual Nexus. Then, would they still have any common language?
"At this point, the project of the 'Virtual Spirits Sector', to which Professor Mo Xuan devoted his life, failed and even caused the death of a researcher. I don't need to remind you how regretful, frustrated, and depressed he must've been.
"If a charming nymph, or a female researcher who also focused on the studies of the Spiritual Nexus and crystal processors, approached him while he was vulnerable and healed his wounded heart with her gentleness, is it strange at all that something happened between them?"
Li Yao scratched his chin hard. "Now that you mentioned it, it is exactly what happened. According to the gossip I read, my professor's mistress seemed to be a female researcher of the 'Grand-Unified Spiritual Nexus Computation Center'. She was also some sort of experienced algorithm specialist."
"Then, what is your problem?"
Li Yao shook his head hard. "No. I have to figure the whole thing out. It won't take much time anyway. I'll simply pay a visit to Professor Mo Xuan while our starship is being repaired and refilled with fuel. If everything is alright with my professor, I'll send the message that I'm back to Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue through him. I don't trust anybody else right now."
Long Yangjun pondered for a moment and said, "That's very reasonable. It's true that we should contact Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue, the two 'giants', now, in case of any misunderstanding in the future.
"Then, what is the project that your professor is responsible for in the Hundred Flowers Space Zone? Where can we find him?"
Li Yao opened a light beam. "Here. The Tinder Plan, originated from the Monument Plan proposed by Gui Suishou, the oldest demon emperor of the Blood Demon Sector, a hundred years ago for the purpose of passing on our civilization. After that, the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, and some other sects in the federation all invested in the project to put it into practice. Because 'monument' sounded too ominous, it was renamed as the Tinder Plan.
"After the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector, Professor Mo Xuan was frustrated and abandoned most of his previous work. He dedicated himself to the Tinder Plan and became its supervisor. With his help, the progress of the Tinder Plan was greatly accelerated. Right now, the first batch of 'tinder' has already been produced and is ready to be launched into space.
"In fact, because the Black Wind Fleet is drawing near, and nobody can tell when they will suddenly lunge out, the very first piece of 'tinder' will be launched tomorrow.
"I learned of the arrangement from the news. That's why I specifically requested for our starship to arrive at the Hundred Flowers Space Zone and visit the project team of the Tinder Plan so that we could communicate more with Professor Mo Xuan on the succession of civilization. It has been approved by authorities. The trip will only take half a day. Our itinerary will not be affected."
Long Yangjun narrowed her eyes and read the news fast. "The first deep-sky exploration starship that carries the tinder of the Star Glory Federation will be led by Wei Qingqing, a famous novelist and educator in the federation. Miss Wei is highly likely to be the first person in the history of the federation to hibernate for tens of thousands of years and to pass on our civilization in the distant future? Miss Wei… Wei Qingqing… Oh… I get it now!"
Li Yao blinked hard. "What did you get?"
Long Yangjun looked at him thoughtfully and said with a fake smile, "So, after all your garbage talk, it is not Professor Mo Xuan that you want to meet but your old lover!"
Li Yao's face immediately tu
rned pale. "What old lover? We are in my wife's turf right now. You'd better watch your mouth!"
"Isn't Wei Qingqing the girl in the Refinement Stage who sacrificed herself to save you on the train north to the Grand Desolate War Institution before your spiritual root awakened?" Long Yangjun chuckled. "It is said that her encouragement helped you set up the goal of being a Cultivator. For you, she is always some sort of… sacred and glorious big sister.
"Don't glare at me. All your biographies say exactly the same!
"I totally understand it now! The big sister who saved your life and encouraged you to embark on the path of Cultivation is about to set off for a journey of ten thousand years tomorrow, and you will never see her again. Now that you have heard such a piece of astounding news, it is perfectly normal that you want to bid her farewell. It does not conflict with our business, either!
"I get it. I totally get it. Why didn't you tell me more straightforwardly? It's only natural that you want to see your life-savior who is in a 'pure' relationship with you for the last time. I support you and definitely won't tell your wife. Just rest assured!"
Chapter 1703: Tinder Lives, Civilization Lives! |
"Sister Qingqing and I are pure friends," Li Yao said solemnly. "You can stop being so nosy. Also, my primary purpose is to visit my professor to figure out the truth about the collapse of the Virtual Spirits Sector and Lu Qingchen!
"Listen up. This is my plan.
"Soon, Ling Xiaole of the Secret Sword Bureau will come and lead me to the Tinder Base. I prepared to go there alone. But since you've already guessed so much, you might as well come with me. We can take care of each other if something goes wrong.
"After we reach the Tinder Base and get to know the Tinder Plan, we will certainly speak to Professor Mo Xuan. I will take the chance to ask him why he left the production team of Civilization and why he and Professor Yuan Manqiu got divorced.
"After everything is sorted out, I'll contact my wife through Professor Mo Xuan's communication route. As one of the most influential celebrities in the federation, Professor Mo Xuan must have his private routes that connect to the capital city or the Grand Desolate War Institution. Also, Ding Lingdang is from the Grand Desolate War Institution and was in a good relationship with Professor Mo Xuan. Even if Professor Mo Xuan cannot reach out to Jin Xinyue, he can certainly speak to my wife!
"Alright. After I contact my wife through professor and tell her the good news that I'm back, we will be able to communicate with the federal army through my wife and gain part of the control permissions of the Hundred Flowers Space Zone. At the very least, we can summon a batch of troops or soldiers of the Patriots Front.
"After my wife learns everything, and with the support of the Patriots Front and the federal army, we will return and tell the truth to the other ten experts of the Ancient Sages Sector. We will tell them that I am in fact Monster Li. When they are flabbergasted and soaked in sweat, I will talk sense into them and allure them with benefits. In their astonishment and gratitude, can they do anything but join the federation?
"Even if something goes wrong, I will have arranged a lot of experts from the federation. We'll have everything covered.
"In such a case, before the enemy knows it, the federation will have gained ten experts at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage and even two in the Divinity Transformation Stage!
"I don't care about the tricks and schemes of the enemy. This time, I'm going to beat them with overwhelming strength! When the enemy plays all their moves and thinks that they are sure to win, the twelve ancient Cultivators will slap them in their face! Tell me. How can we lose the battle?
"This is my plan. Simple, straightforward, and absolutely effective. Do you feel that it is secure?"
Long Yangjun frowned and pondered for a moment. "Probably… I guess?"
"That will do!" Li Yao clapped his hands. "Of course, if time allows, and if we happen to run into each other, it is perfectly understandable to bid farewell to Sister Qingqing, catch up with her, and ask her to bring bliss to the people in billions of years' time!
"Alright. Enough talking. Ling Xiaole is here. Let's go to the Tinder Base to meet Professor Mo Xuan!"
…
Hundred Flowers City, at the center of the vast Hundred Flowers Space Zone near the overlapping gravity sphere of the two stars, was made of an array of hundreds of round space stations. Not counting the workers and their family on the hundreds of 'space gates' nearby, the main district alone already had a population of 150 million.
Although it was not the largest space metropolis in the Star Glory Federation, it was definitely a 'future city' with the highest education on average and the most cutting-edge techniques and arts.
Because it was at the center of the sailing routes of the federation, it was naturally suitable to be a center of transportation and data interaction, which also attracted the talents of the seven Sectors and countless sects, groups, research teams, and academic institutions related to crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus to migrate to this place. After decades of development, especially after the core database and super computation center of the 'grand-unified Spiritual Nexus', the control and interaction center of 'Civilization', and 'Future University of the Star Glory Federation' were established there one after another, the city became the well-deserved 'think-tank' of the federation.
According to the statistics, of the Gai-level super crystal processors in the federation, which had the highest computational ability nationwide, Hundred Flowers City had one, and of the Jing-level super crystal processors secondary to the Gai-level, the city had sixty-nine, which was more than one third of the total. The city was an out-and-out city of crystal processors.
It was thanks to the computation, analysis, interaction, and transmission of the super crystal processors that the smoothness of the sailing routes and the stability of the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus were ensured.
After Li Yao and Long Yangjun boarded the shuttle that was the shape of a silver waterdrop under the lead of Ling Xiaole, the half fox demon, and travelled inside Hundred Flowers City without a sound, they truly felt the extraordinariness and profoundness of the city that far exceeded Fish Dragon City, Firefly, or the orbit city in the Uranian Ring Sector.
From the outside, Hundred Flowers City was a perfect cube made of hundreds of balls that were dozens of kilometers in diameter and had absolutely no flaws on the surface.
Such a shape that was in complete violation of natural law and the universe's regular form was the best symbol of mankind's ambition to challenge nature.
However, when the shuttle travelled inside Hundred Flowers City, it seemed to be travelling in a splendid natural landscape.
They were travelling on a boundless prairie and appreciating the cows and goats through the transparent floor below their feet, then seeing lakes in the middle of raging deserts and the green oases next to them, and then passing through deep, dark canyons reaching primitive forests. They witnessed the exotic views on many resource planets. It was truly dazzlingly beautiful.
Such natural views were all the illusions constructed by super large-scale 3D light beams.
Such facilities were almost installed in every space city with limited space as a virtual comfort for human beings who originated from a planet.
The illusions in Hundred Flowers City were particularly vivid and almost felt real. One might even say that they were an enormous Grand Illusionary Land that covered the entire city.
Normal people would inevitably feel that they were on a certain planet as the scenes changed several times.
"Future University lies in the 'mountains' up ahead. It is a supreme university founded together with the New Federation. The most excellent talents in the seven Sectors have been gathered there.
"The silver, egg-shaped buildings in the 'deserts' are the data interaction and control center of the game 'Civilization'. Also, the production center for new plots and new DLCs is here, too. For the needs of the super crys
tal processors, the climate here has been set to be very dry.
"In front of us is the Tinder Base."
Ling Xiaole, Li Yao's tour guide, wagged her fox tail and introduced the city to them enthusiastically.
While talking, the little girl stuck her tongue out. "I must thank you for bringing me here. Many research centers and bases in Hundred Flowers City are not open to outsiders. Even I did not have a chance to visit them even though I am a distinguished employee of the Secret Sword Bureau… Wow!"
After the shuttle moved into the Tinder Base, the picture in front of their eyes changed drastically into a dirty undersea world, as if they had passed through a nonexistent gate or pierced through a bubble.
No. It was not a dark, blue ocean as seen today but one from the time when the planet was just born. Volcanoes were erupting at the bottom everywhere, turning the ocean into a pot of boiling soup. Black pillars of smoke were rising from the highly unstable prehistoric ocean, like the hands of fiends that were extending from the cracks at the bottom of the ocean.
However, it was exactly because of the amazing reactions between the precious metals and minerals brought by such 'fiend hands' from the depths of the crust and the materials in the seawater and the raw air that the first batch of monads was born.
Although they knew that it was just an illusion, Li Yao and Long Yangjun were still greatly astounded by such a magnificent picture of a prehistoric undersea world.
The Tinder Base seemed to have a deeper meaning by setting up such illusions at its edge.
The shuttle kept pushing forward. As if they were travelling through a channel of time, the illusions around them were changing nonstop, too. The undersea volcanoes gradually fell dormant. The seawater turned shallower. Thick ancient fungi grew out of the craters around the ancient volcanos and extended to the end of the ocean like a white carpet. The prehistoric ocean creatures who fed upon the ancient fungi gradually showed up, too. Red algae, green algae, trilobite, Anomalocaridids, nautili, Devonian fish…
