Chapter 543: Belief
Unfortunately, the good days for the Bai-ologists, who had been happily slacking off and collecting Federation government subsidies, were about to come to an end with the launch of the Star-Net Project, symbolizing the Federation's Great Expedition.
Because once the Great Starry Sky Expedition began, Earth and the Moon would no longer have many opportunities for close interaction. Naturally, research concerning the Land of White would cease to be a core focus for the Federation's high command.
The extraterrestrial enemies they would face in the coming centuries would replace the Land of White as the new strategic focus.
In the future, Bai-ologists might continue their research, but the Federation's subsidy programs would downgrade it from a top-priority national strategic project to a general historical and cultural study.
They would not forget this humiliating chapter in history, but people always have to look forward. The past was the past; the present and future they could grasp were undoubtedly more meaningful and deserved more attention.
......
Manghuang Realm, Hanluo City.
Two fellows, dressed in a manner utterly different from their surroundings, were grilling skewers.
"Little Yu, are you really not going to seek opportunities elsewhere?"
"Having a free canteen to freeload from every day is certainly nice, but aren't you a bit too unambitious? Everyone else is trading everywhere, squeezing the last drop of oil from this realm's natives, and you're the only one left in this city."
"Aren't you here too?" Yu Queyue, with a shota-like face, said languidly.
If a girl had said that, it could be perfectly described as seductive glances like silk, but appearing on a boy, the atmosphere became undeniably strange.
"Don't be so gay! This old man is a straight man of steel! I just happened to be passing by to see an old friend! If you don't want that slot, why not just sell it to me?" The muscular man in the cloak finally revealed his true purpose.
"If you want it, it's yours." Yu Queyue looked utterly indifferent, as if the slot was worthless.
"At market price, three hundred Xierdesi."
"As you wish."
A flash of light appeared, and the two completed their transaction. The muscular man exchanged three hundred Xierdesi, the currency issued on the Ark, for the slot in Yu Queyue's possession.
......
To expand its much-needed talent pool, and to acquire sufficient resources before withdrawing from the Manghuang Realm, Origin City, the Ark's provisional supreme authority formed by various small groups, issued a mission to everyone on the Ark:
"Each person was required to bring an elite native onto the ship!"
Of course, the Ark's decision-makers had underestimated the enthusiasm of the Manghuang Realm. After witnessing a wider world, many local Bloodline House experts developed the desire to "see the world, it's so vast."
Consequently, the original mission transformed into a sought-after benefit, hotly contested by many. Many experts eagerly befriended the transmigrators on the Ark, hoping to seize an opportunity to escape their "frog in a well" existence.
......
"Why do you think those Six-Tier behemoths aren't moved?" the cloaked man asked, puzzled. "Isn't connecting with us the best way to escape that one's control?"
The existence of the Manghuang Realm's "Old Ancestor" was exposed to all transmigrators after the wondrous sight of the sky, centered on Hanluo City, being distinctly split into two halves, appeared.
"Uh, hard to say if it's the Canteen Master, uh, or if they have a deal, uh." The little boy seemed to have eaten a bit too much, and kept hiccuping.
"Canteen Master... You're eating that person's food, yet you give him such a nickname? Doesn't your conscience bother you?" Upon hearing this title, the cloaked man nearly burst out laughing.
"This is their public canteen, and that person is 'public.' So what's wrong with calling him the Canteen Master?"
"Going straight to a planned economy and implementing a full rationing system in one step, aren't they afraid of overreaching and having it backfire?" The big man took a bite out of the chicken wing in his hand, chewing it with relish, and muttered, "So delicious."
His impression of the Land of White wasn't very good, but that didn't stop him from thoroughly enjoying the food in their public canteen.
The public canteen in Hanluo City was also open to the transmigrators from the Ark. People from both sides would occasionally interact, but the explosive differences in their worldviews often made discussions rather unpleasant. Ra{N}OBE/s
"It's truly hard to imagine how a society without money could possibly operate efficiently, or what else could motivate everyone to work tirelessly?"
"Faith.
Every one of them, to varying degrees, believes in the Theory of Oneness of All Things, which posits that all life in the universe is connected on a higher dimension.
This higher-dimensional life form they call the God Body. Every life in the world is its projection in three-dimensional space.
Since all things are one, there's no distinction between 'them' and 'us'; working for the collective is the same as working for oneself." Yu Queyue said faintly.
"Are these Holy Progenitors really Earthlings from ten years ago...? It feels more like entering a massive cult concentration camp." Even though the sun outside was still quite fierce, the cloaked man still felt a chill run down his spine after hearing those words.
Any staunch atheist, upon learning they were in the stronghold of fanatical believers, would feel anything but pleasure.
"But they're actually quite nice people, and they never force outsiders to accept their views. They just state their beliefs and that's it; believe it or not, as you wish. Compared to those One-Wheel Cult zealots from back then, who lived by the motto 'If you don't believe, then die,' they're infinitely better." The little boy chuckled.
"That's good then. I was just afraid two squads would suddenly burst out of the canteen, tie us up for forced brainwashing, and burn those who couldn't be washed..." The cloaked man vigilantly scanned his surroundings, fearing his own "crow's mouth" would prove true.
However, the auntie in charge of serving food in the canteen seemed to be closing her eyes, enjoying the thrill of surfing the net, completely oblivious to the two outsiders grilling skewers outside.
......
The Land of White had been free of crime for many years, because everyone lived under the system's watchful eye, making any possibility of wrongdoing nonexistent.
Initially, as soon as a mischievous thought arose and they intended to do something, the system would issue a warning. Gradually, over time, no one entertained any ill intentions anymore.
Internal vigilance consequently plummeted to an all-time low.
The Land of White, using countless "eyes" from the system, in the most incomprehensible way, had forcibly achieved a state where "nothing was lost on the road, and doors were left open at night."
The Holy Progenitors, who had collectively arrived in Hanluo City, then, with a super-speed unimaginable to outsiders, established a nation with a complete industrial production system on this land.
They transformed tens of thousands of square kilometers of land, centered around Hanluo City, into an industrial cluster so vast and complex that it was almost inconceivable.
Apart from the Chief Designer himself, even those who had personally participated in parts of the construction, without consulting a map, would find it almost impossible to comprehend its structure.
PS: My sincerest apologies, I've been really busy lately, and I have a business trip tomorrow and the day after ORZ, so I could only update tonight.
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