Chapter 535: Obsession
"Agreed." Gang Duo took only half a second to consider, as if his outward aging and the earlier slowness he displayed were nothing but an act.
The old Pope's plan had actually been shared with many of those present, but because the effort far outweighed the gains, it had remained shelved.
There were a total of four linking gaps between the Divine Kingdom and the Nine Netherworlds. Filling these gaps required massive amounts of materials, and each gap also needed a six-stage superhuman to personally stand guard.
To counter the incursions from the abyss, the power of these guardians would likely see no progress whatsoever.
In an era where a hundred ships raced to the fore, everyone knew full well what such stagnation implied, so even though Gang Duo promised to take full responsibility for one of the gaps, the others still couldn't accept it.
...
"To casually retract even one's pledged vows... I won't let such a thing happen again." Gang Duo, who usually projected an image of a good-natured old man, muttered repeatedly.
It seemed that certain events from his youth had left him with a fixation as powerful as his faith, compelling him to complete this plan at any cost.
Overwhelming power nurtured the ambitions of some, and awakened the long-dormant obsessions of others.
...
"This is my summoning array. Once set up, it can draw upon forces to resist the abyss." Bai Mo inserted his index finger into the projection's temple, pulling out an orb of light containing a vast amount of information.
This statement immediately sparked contemplation among everyone present.
How much influence Bai Mo wielded over the Moon, and how much combat power he could deploy—these were crucial pieces of intelligence that would determine how far they needed to flee Earth to ensure their safety.
"Between Earth and the Moon, there are three hundred eighty thousand kilometers." Bai Mo said, his meaning subtly implied.
...
"He has always used the avatar he buried on the Moon earlier. Just the real-time transmission of the stone tablet across hundreds of thousands of kilometers drained ninety percent of that avatar's power.
From this, it's clear that even he might not be able to easily launch seven-stage attacks over ultra-long distances."
"Are you saying he can't bear the cost of high-power, ultra-long-range output?"
"But if that's the case, how could he promise to temporarily block the gravitational pull between Earth and the Moon?"
"I suspect he won't completely eliminate the Earth-Moon gravity, but rather temporarily distort the space on Earth's surface.
He once had an ability called 'A Thousand Miles in a Foot,' which could distort and stretch the space around him, turning one centimeter into ten meters.
Gravity is an inverse-square force. As long as he stretches the space on Earth's surface, making the Earth-Moon distance twice its original length, the gravitational pull would already be reduced to a quarter of what it was before."
"But wouldn't that consumption still be considerable?"
"It's different, because after ten years of transformation, Earth must have become his main base. The surface could be fully equipped with numerous auxiliary facilities to assist him with output."
...
A massive amount of information was transmitted through their internal high-frequency communication network, allowing the council members to swiftly exchange opinions. The time it took them to complete this exchange was even shorter than the delay in Bai Mo controlling this projection.
After receiving the orb of light, Gang Duo seemed to become even more eccentric, but because he was a devout believer on a daily basis, this slight change didn't attract the attention of others.
...
"Since our official business is concluded, it happens to be my eldest daughter Yun Ru's birthday party today. Would you do me the honor of attending the banquet at Bland Palace?"
After the cooperative tone was established, the previously tense atmosphere gradually eased. Yun Jie took the initiative to extend an invitation, hoping to create an opportunity to further improve their relationship.
To be fair, while Bai Mo had driven them from Earth, he had at least given everyone a chance to choose, and in that process, he hadn't actively killed a single person.
Yun Jie felt that if it were him, he definitely wouldn't have been able to do the same.
Possessing absolute power, yet still granting all beings the right to choose, allowing them to decide their own destinies, and furthermore, not indulging in the act of slaughtering those who displeased him—this struck him as quite unique.
Over these years, from his high position, he had witnessed countless sordid affairs, yet he was frustratingly constrained by the internal checks and balances among the high-ranking officials, unable to cut through the Gordian knot with a swift blade.
If he possessed absolute power over life and death, he would definitely be the first to hack apart those individuals he found utterly displeasing, without needing to worry so much.
...
"She's quite curious about you, you know."
"Miss Yun Ru, one of the Federation's Ten Prodigies?" Bai Mo paused, sifting this information from the intelligence he had gathered about the Moon.
The Ten Prodigies was a small internal ranking for young talents within the Federation, primarily limited to cultivators under twenty years old, between the second and third tiers.
"A title like 'Ten Prodigies' is just something for kids to play around with; why are you making a joke of it too?"
Bai Mo offered no comment.
...
"Citizens of the Federation, greetings! I am Liu Bei Xi, chief spokesperson for the Federal government, and I am here to provide a detailed response regarding the 'time reset' event that occurred this morning.
Mr. Drager, a council member of the Federal Presiding Council and a great explorer, along with Mr. Xi Liu, the 'Blood Battle God' and fellow council member, discovered a colossal inheritance relic near Rice Town today.
Within this inheritance relic was a legacy-holder from an alien star, who used their final power to rewrite our temporal data, and proposed a trade:
If we agree to adopt a new calendar, leaving behind the last vestiges of their civilization, commencing with the Daoyuan Era, and designating today as the first year, first month, first day.
In exchange, they will open up an otherworldly legacy to all inhabitants of the Moon.
To demonstrate democracy, we will hold a nationwide online vote within 24 hours to decide whether to accept this proposal."
...
After the deal between the Federation's high command and Bai Mo was settled, their strategists quickly concocted a half-true, half-false backstory, concealing Bai Mo's direct involvement while adding some touches of mystery.
After all, if the public were to learn the full truth, it would be a massive blow to the prestige of the Federal Council.
...
"Bro, isn't your classmate working in the Federal government? Got any inside info?" Back in the same calendar factory, a group of employees started their own little calculations after hearing the news.
"The boss is still smoking on the rooftop; maybe it's not great for us to be talking like this,"
"Anyway, I don't care. I'm definitely voting for this side. It's a mysterious legacy that can change your destiny! Those calendars that turned into waste paper aren't mine, they're just the boss's..." The young man, also with a cigarette dangling from his lips, grew increasingly excited, as if casting his 'yes' vote now would instantly transform him into an peerless expert in the next second.
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