Chapter 640: Value
"In this world, as long as someone takes a portion that exceeds the societal average, there will inevitably be someone who receives less than the average.
If the strong acquire ten thousand times more than the average, it means at least ten thousand weaker individuals receive less than the average.
If the strong acquire one hundred million times more than the average, it means at least one hundred million weaker individuals receive less than the average.
..."
"The value created by people is fundamentally different; to force everyone to receive the same treatment—that is the true unfairness!"
"Then I ask you, what is the value of a person, and who defines it?"
Xi Si Da Mu had not yet noticed that, as his friend continued speaking, a faint white glow seemed to appear in the center of his pupils.
He remained engrossed in the debate.
"The worth of each person, that is the consensus of the majority in this society! Who should earn high income, who should earn low income—that is all determined by the market."
People, you see, they're really no different from stocks in the past.
Which profession or which stock is worth how much, in the end, it's always the major capital and major shareholders who decide; as for us, the small fry, we can only be price takers."
"..."
"Whoever holds the power of pricing in society can define themselves as the most valuable, euphemistically calling it 'societal consensus'."
"..."
Xi Si felt this topic couldn't be discussed any further. His friend's worldview diverged too greatly from his own; they needed to switch to a light and pleasant topic to adjust the mood.
...
"Tie Tou Jun, this is a goodie I've been keeping specially for you." Xi Si Da Mu no longer deliberated and directly pulled the wind-clothed man aside.
The two of them turned their backs to Ling Qiushui, engaging in a small maneuver.
From inside his jacket, he took out a specially made, small, round disc, sealed tightly in a box, and secretly slipped it to him.
Then, from his backpack, he pulled out something resembling diving goggles, along with a mishmash of connecting wires, all tied up in a bundle.
"This is..."
"It's our company's latest VR game, called Single-Player Dungeon. You can choose from over a hundred storylines, it comes with one hundred and sixty-eight pre-set faces to satisfy all kinds of preferences, and of course, it also supports players creating their own custom faces.
Why not try making it your wife's face?
After all, there are many scenarios your wife wouldn't play with you, right?"
Xi Si revealed that knowing smile everyone understood, explaining it meaningfully to the wind-clothed man.
Ling Qiushui, standing nearby, looked on, completely bewildered, at the two men who kept breaking into smiles. She just had a feeling they weren't talking about anything good.
"My brother!" The wind-clothed man first glanced at his girlfriend behind him, then, with a righteous expression, stuffed Da Mu's gear into his bag. His eyes glowed anew with spirit.
Just like countless political debate groups where the atmosphere immediately becomes harmonious once the topic switches to "driving," the wind-clothed man and Xi Si, who were just "class enemies" in words, instantly reverted to good brothers.
"Let's go! To the cafeteria. My treat today."
"We won't leave until we're drunk!"
"..."
Ling Qiushui rolled her eyes at the two of them and walked away toward her own house.
They each had their own independent lives.
The system allocated houses on a one-per-person basis, so couples like Ling Qiushui, in reality, mostly lived in their separate abodes.
At most, they would occasionally stay at their partner's home for a few days; the situation of long-term cohabitation simply didn't exist.
With the disintegration of the concept of family, the characteristics of an atomized society of individuals in the Land of White became increasingly distinct. No one considered themselves a part of a family unit.
Even if intimate relationships existed, it was clearly understood that both parties were always two independent individuals; the other person was merely a small part of one's life.
...
"Have you decided?" In the seemingly endless hall, a calm, almost emotionless voice echoed.
Only a fully armed young woman stood alone in the center of the hall.
This was the nominal center of the Land of White—White Month, a massive spherical structure.
"Ru'er and Mei'er have both grown up, and here, I have nothing left to worry about."
Yue Yu, still in the guise of a young woman, yet had two daughters who appeared to be around her own age. If the three of them stood side by side, it's quite possible most people would take her for the youngest sister.
She had come to Bai Mo this time to borrow his power to travel to the Manghuang Realm, to search for Yun Jie, who had been out of contact for over ten years.
Ever since he let go of everything and chose to become the first person on the Moon to undergo the Reincarnation Tribulation, no news of him had emerged since.
While the Federation did have some ways to contact the Manghuang Realm, no one possessed the ability to let others physically cross the spatial rift.
If one truly wanted to go, one could only do so like those people on Xierdesi: abandon their physical body and cross in soul form.
...
"He said that should they ever need your help in the future, they should use this to repay the favor." Yue Yu took out a tightly sealed box from her Spatial Ring and casually placed it in mid-air.
The box hung steadily in mid-air, seemingly unaffected by gravity.
"A favor...?" The same voice echoed in the air, but the speaker remained unseen.
"You are too far from humanity," she couldn't help but exclaim with emotion, watching the box that vanished without a trace.
Bai Mo had not appeared from beginning to end.
"Indeed, I am too far removed from the lives of normal people.
Can you understand the feeling of needing only a thought to do anything?
To move, with just a thought, I can reach tens of thousands of meters away.
To attack, with just a thought, no one can survive a second move.
To operate a computer, with just a thought, my psychic power can simultaneously use thousands upon thousands of mice and keyboards.
Psychic power has replaced my hands, my feet, my body—the biological parts of me as a human.
..."
"..."
Yue Yu was speechless.
Bai Mo had developed his psychic power to be a substitute for his very physical existence.
All functions that the human body could achieve were executed by him through psychic power.
"Why don't you try learning to be a human again?" She covered her mouth, chuckling.
This act of developing one's abilities to replace all bodily functions truly exceeded her imagination of superpowers.
"What do you think the Reincarnation Tribulation is?"
"I knew it, this is completely something you came up with, and not some cultivation technique obtained from another world.
Am I right? You didn't rise to power through some otherworldly passage at all; they're just desperately making excuses for themselves, unwilling to face the truth."
"You know too much, little genius."
Facing the woman he had known for nearly fifty years, Bai Mo's words seemed to become a little more casual.
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