Chapter 633: Splendid Rivers and Mountains
One after another, the hereditary flagships, appearing as if dumplings were being dropped into boiling water, became the cornerstone supporting the Federation's national policy of establishing an interstellar nomadic nation.
In the new vision of the Federation's high-level leadership, these ship-cities, resembling independent small kingdoms, would become the minor worlds where various affiliated human races would live.
Meanwhile, the main body of the Human Federation would reside within a composite of dozens of colossal public flagships, collectively named the Great Worlds.
While Federation citizens on the Great Worlds enjoyed full citizenship rights, the alien races in the minor worlds were more akin to the private property of the hereditary nobles.
Whether their fate was life or death, or their future, all were held in the hands of the lords who wielded high-tech whips.
Only the elite of the original alien races, who had been fully assimilated into humans from the inside out, were qualified, under the supervision of Federation inspectors, to "ascend" and immigrate to the Great Worlds, which were designated for human habitation, thereby becoming a beneficial supplement to human society.
By continuously absorbing elite immigrants from the assimilated alien races, the Human Federation would maintain its eternally supreme position.
…
However, the gradual restoration of the aristocratic system within the Federation was, in truth, an inevitable trend that had long been underway.
It was merely due to concerns about appearances that the leadership was unwilling to bear the blame for reversing human history, which was why they had never officially brought the system to the forefront.
But the large number of Martian alien races obtained after this war presented an opportunity for those with ulterior motives.
Publicly practicing slavery within humanity would be unsightly, but humans enslaving alien races carried far fewer qualms.
Of course, whether it would eventually sour remained a question only Heaven could answer.
Or perhaps, turning sour was precisely the true aspiration of those who proposed the hereditary flagship system.
The Federation, together with their affiliated races, would jointly form an interstellar nomadic fleet, establishing a civilization that lived on the backs of ships.
Before the advent of faster-than-light travel technology, transforming into an interstellar nomadic nation was undoubtedly the best choice for staying as far away as possible from the increasingly dangerous Bai Mo on Earth.
…
On Mars.
To construct a sufficient number of flagships, Mars's surface was extensively dug up by countless engineering units, leaving it resembling a blossoming flower field.
Simultaneously, the unusually abundant mineral deposits beneath the surface also attracted the gaze of countless prospectors.
Along the scarred cracks on the ground, left by Bai Mo's sweeping power, countless mining pits were distributed on both sides of the fissures.
Adventurers, like ants, gambled their lives for a chance at instant wealth in depths that machines still couldn't reach.
…
"Have you heard? Some nouveau riche miner bought a huge plot of land in East Eight Domain and is going to build some 'Splendid Rivers and Mountains Park'."
"That's old news from days ago, who doesn't know about it? That mine boss spent three billion Federation yuan to replicate the entire Martian landscape into his park in East Eight Domain."
"Not just Mars; even the surface of the Moon, which is about to be dismantled, seems to have been replicated by him too."
"I heard from online news that he earned tens of billions just from this wave of mining..."
"Ten billion... that's my income for a thousand and twenty-four lifetimes!"
…
According to the currently prospected reserves of Empty Profound Crystals, the Federation initially envisioned dividing the Great Worlds into twenty-five regions.
Each region would be carried by a giant flagship, named from East One Domain to East Twelve Domain, West One Zone to West Twelve Zone, and the Zero Zone, where the capital Marinjoa was located.
The twenty-four Great World-class giant flagships would become the main body of the new Federation, connected to each other by fixed Spirit Energy spatial gates, jointly forming a mobile Royal Court.
This way, even if one or several flagships unfortunately met with an accident, like the Moon before, the Federation could choose to sacrifice a part of itself, abandoning a portion without facing total annihilation.
The three thousand medium and small flagships beyond the giant flagships were positioned as outer vassals, also connected to the Great Worlds by teleportation arrays.
…
"Hello, everyone! Welcome to East Eight Domain's newly completed attraction—the Splendid Rivers and Mountains Park." The tour guide, wearing a small earpiece and with a beaming smile, led the dozens of people behind her into the park.
"The Splendid Rivers and Mountains Park was donated and built by Mr. Li Weiyang, Chairman of the famous mining group Freshwater City. It is a national park open to everyone for free, covering a total area of three hundred and fifteen square kilometers..." The young tour guide expertly recited her lines.
"The park is divided into four major sections, which respectively replicate the landscape of Mars's front side, Mars's far side, the Moon's front side, and the Moon's far side..."
"Tour guide sister, why does Mars's surface have so many cracks, but the park's name is still 'Splendid Rivers and Mountains'?" A mischievous child looked at the map and asked curiously.
"Because the Empty Profound Crystal ore dug from these cracks is the main raw material for building the flagships! Aren't the twenty-four Great World flagships our 'Splendid Rivers and Mountains'?" The young tour guide gently brushed her hair back and continued to recite her pre-prepared answer.
"Then... sister, sister, one, two... nine, ten, how come there are ten such huge craters on the Moon?"
Another sharp-eyed mischievous child, held high by his father, discovered ten craters on the map that seemed somewhat regularly distributed and of similar size.
Converting them to actual area using the scale, these shallow craters each measured tens of thousands of square kilometers in size.
"…"
This question seemed to hit a blind spot in the young tour guide's knowledge.
An area of tens of thousands of square kilometers was just a slightly larger dark spot on the Moon's map; she hadn't even noticed such a minute detail.
…
"Weiyang, some people upstairs have a few opinions about you." On the top floor of the Splendid Rivers and Mountains Park office building, two men in black suits sat facing each other.
"Why did you even include those ten finger impressions in the park?"
"I just want to record the true history.
Those hands that lifted the Moon are the ones who truly protect this splendid land. As for all that nonsense about the Federation's trump cards showing their might and protecting humanity in times of crisis, that might fool others, but we're all insiders. Papering over the truth..."
"Some things are best known in one's heart."
"But I still want to do something."
"Do you think he cares?"
"What does it matter to me whether he cares or not? I only seek to have a clear conscience. He saved me; what's wrong with me erecting a monument for him?"
"Act as you see fit. There are still quite a few narrow-minded council members who possess power but lack the virtue to match their position."
The man put down his wine glass, gently patted Li Weiyang's shoulder, and turned to leave his office.
"When great power rests within oneself, what use is virtue..." After his friend left, Li Weiyang sat on the sofa and sighed.
PS: I've procrastinated for a few days, so here's a daily recommendation: "The Strongest Stand-in in Ten Thousand Worlds." Fans of parody-fantasy novels might enjoy it. There's also "The Kefulo Annals," by an author who is quite stubborn, leaning towards hard sci-fi novels.
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