Chapter 330: "Reach the Summit, or Die." |
"..."
Chen Mang narrowed his eyes slightly, standing in place silently without speaking. Although he didn't know the exact reason, he could now be certain that there was a high probability of a connection between the miner in front of him and that unknown Level 9 mine.
He might be an illegitimate child.
Or it could be for some other reason.
It was hard to say.
The universe was too vast; anything could happen.
A single piece of Level 9 iron ore was equivalent to one hundred million units of regular iron ore. A Level 9 mine, then, must contain... at least trillions of units of iron ore, right? He had never come into contact with a Level 9 mine, so he wasn't entirely clear on its actual capacity.
But he did know one thing.
A Level 6 mine contained one billion units, and a Level 7 mine contained ten billion.
The capacity of a Level 8 mine would be one hundred billion, and a Level 9 mine would hold one trillion.
One trillion.
This volume of resources was already on par with the reserve capacity of an entire civilization. Yet, in that other civilization, it was merely an iron mine contracted by a private train captain. This meant their Civilization Level was at least Level 5, or even Level 6.
Seeing the whole picture from a single detail—this was exactly it.
A high-level civilization.
This would be the first high-level civilization he had ever come into contact with, or rather, the first living one. The Niya Civilization was the highest-level civilization he had encountered, but unfortunately, they had long since vanished into the river of history.
He was eager to learn more truths about this universe from the other party—more information regarding civilizations, resource zones, cosmic rules, and so on.
In a high-level civilization.
Even a mere train captain who contracted a mine should know far more than he did. Furthermore, in any civilization, someone with the strength to contract an entire mine could hardly be considered an ordinary person.
However...
The risks were immense. After all, he came from humble beginnings and had never survived in a high-level civilization. He was somewhat worried about exposing his identity as someone from a low-level civilization, and also feared that the other party might use some unknown method to discover his cosmic coordinates.
The potential gains and the risks were equally massive!
Although theoretically speaking, even if the other party learned his coordinates, it was highly unlikely they would come looking for him. The resources consumed for such a trip would be exorbitant, making it completely not worth the loss. Still, no one could say for sure.
It was just like how humans liked to throw firecrackers into cesspools.
Did it bring any benefits?
No.
Did it cost money?
Yes.
Then why do it?
Just because they wanted to.
In the logic of human actions, apart from the principle of profit, there were many other motives. One unpredictable factor was simply wanting to do something. What if the other party just wanted to beat him up for fun? Who could he even reason with?
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Mang turned his head to look at Xiao Ai. "Take him down to rest. Lao Zhu, come with me."
Fifteen minutes later.
Chen Mang traveled through the Refrigerator and arrived at the Starlight Civilization. This Level 3 civilization residing on the back of a giant turtle was the highest-level civilization that maintained friendly relations with the Human Civilization. Perhaps he could glean some behavioral guidelines of high-level civilizations from them.
This civilization had now left the Dead End Star System through a Wormhole.
They were currently located in an unknown place.
"Look."
Chen Mang walked up to the wooden cabin situated in the fields. Before he could speak, the leader of the Starlight Civilization, a rather elderly-looking man, stood outside the cabin, pointing at the starry sky in the distance and muttering in a trance.
In the distant horizon, countless twinkling stars were draped in halos of various colors, resembling blushing brides wrapped in vibrant veils.
It looked incredibly dreamlike.
The sky was enveloped by a canopy of fluorescent green and scarlet light.
And closer by.
A massive planet occupied almost half of the sky. Its ice ring cut across the heavens like a silver arc, refracting a diamond-like, iridescent brilliance.
Beside the planet.
A diamond waterfall hundreds of kilometers long streaked across the sky, cascading down like a falling Milky Way.
The scene before him was so surreal that words failed to describe it. Most people would never witness such a sight in their entire lives. Chen Mang parted his lips, swallowing the words he had prepared to say, and turned to quietly admire the view alongside the old man.
It was beautiful.
In TV dramas, meteor showers were often used to symbolize romance.
Watching a meteor shower with a loved one was considered the most romantic thing in the world.
But in reality.
Meteor showers were actually one of the most mundane occurrences in the universe. There were countless landscapes far more dreamlike, and countless phenomena far more romantic. It was just like when Chen Mang had initially named his train the Stellaris Train, believing the name was quite presentable.
Only after venturing into the cosmos did he realize that so-called stars were merely dust in the universe—insignificant and ubiquitous. Any random region contained them by the billions.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?"
The leader of the Starlight Civilization gazed at the scene with a hint of intoxication before turning his head to smile at Chen Mang. "Chen Mang, although I don't know exactly why you came looking for me this time, I assume it has something to do with civilization development."
"You are a very dedicated civilization leader. However, I have encountered many such leaders in the past, and their endings are rarely good."
"In the universe."
"The more ambitious a civilization's leader is, the more likely it marks the beginning of a disaster for that civilization."
"You are developing too fast. The universe is a very dangerous place. You never know when you might perish in an unforeseen catastrophe, and you might not even know if that catastrophe was man-made."
"Sometimes, having a low Civilization Level isn't a bad thing. Staying in a small corner of your own, admiring these cosmic vistas every day—that is quite a happy life, isn't it?"
"..."
Chen Mang withdrew his gaze from the distant scenery. Looking at the leader of the Starlight Civilization, he said softly with a calm expression, "Only when you possess great strength can you truly appreciate this beauty. Otherwise, it is nothing but a fleeting firework, vanishing in the blink of an eye."
"A civilization might encounter perilous disasters and be annihilated during its development."
"But if it does not develop, it is doomed to perish."
"Your so-called peace is merely an evasion. But can you run away forever? You might escape for a moment, but can you escape for a lifetime?"
"When the day comes that you face a crisis you cannot flee from, how will you respond?"
The leader of the Starlight Civilization shook his head, making no attempt to persuade Chen Mang. He simply gestured for Chen Mang to sit and then sat down himself. "There is no response. We just wait for death. Which civilization in this universe lasts forever?"
"Everyone will die eventually."
"It's just a matter of dying sooner or later."
"Even those god-level civilizations—would they dare claim they can exist eternally?"
This old man, despite being merely the leader of a Level 3 civilization, had seen a great deal and interacted with many high-level civilizations. Thus, his knowledge far exceeded that of an ordinary Level 3 civilization leader.
This was exactly why Chen Mang had come here.
"I have two matters to discuss."
Chen Mang waved his hand. Beside him, Xiao Ai held up a tablet and played a video clip. It was the footage from the Doppler Radar showing a gargantuan star-beast, 2.5 light-years in length, hurtling through the cosmos. Its terrifying gravity tore apart all surrounding stars and planets, dragging the debris into a horrifying asteroid belt swirling around its body.
"I ran into this guy."
"Its power is terrifying."
"What I want to know is, is this a naturally born star-beast, or an artificially modified one?"
That star-beast had left a deep impression on him.
Especially since it bore a seventy percent resemblance to Xiao Lu; they were both Star Devouring Beasts. Thinking back to a few days ago when Xiao Lu had been lying on top of the train cabin, clearly distracted and pondering something, he couldn't help but feel there had to be some connection between the two.
The previously tranquil leader of the Starlight Civilization watched the video several times before his face gradually darkened. With a slightly hoarse voice, he said, "This is exactly why I am a pacifist."
"There is no other choice but to embrace peace."
"Did this star-beast chase you?"
"It did."
"Did it start chasing you only after you detected it?"
"Actually, yes."
The leader of the Starlight Civilization let out a long sigh, a trace of fear flashing in his cloudy eyes. "This is a Universe Ge Lei deployed by a high-level civilization. If this thing has appeared in your star system, my advice to you is to flee—flee as far away as possible."
"Perhaps it is still tens of thousands of light-years away from you, and you feel that it will take a year or two for it to catch up, so you aren't very anxious."
"But the moment it catches you, it will be the day your civilization is annihilated."
"Once locked onto by a Universe Ge Lei like this, you might as well declare your civilization utterly doomed."
"Unless..."
The old man hesitated for a moment before saying hoarsely, "Unless you can migrate everyone from your civilization to our place through the Refrigerator within this year. However, we cannot let you stay here permanently; we simply don't have enough space."
"I can help you find a low-resource zone, an area without any powerful civilizations, where your people can continue to survive."
"Back when we signed the mutual assistance treaty, I secretly fantasized about the future. While I did not agree with your expansionist methods, your civilization's potential was truly formidable. I thought that if you eventually became a god-level civilization, I might be able to claim a patch of territory under your protection to settle down and develop, rather than continuing to flee like this."
"But now, it seems."
"Your luck is quite poor. You've encountered a Universe Ge Lei right after beginning your expansion."
"A Universe Ge Lei?" Chen Mang pondered the meaning behind the term thoughtfully before speaking up. "Don't worry, this star-beast didn't appear in our star system. It was in another system. I ran into it while strolling through a different galaxy for fun."
"There used to be a Level 3 civilization in that star system."
"But when I got there, I found that the Level 3 civilization had already been destroyed by this star-beast."
"Strolling for fun? Running off to another star system for fun—weren't you actually going there to start a war?"
"Strolling to start a war for fun."
"So what you're saying is, you aren't currently under this threat?"
"No, we aren't."
"And you don't need to migrate?"
"No."
"Everything is normal?"
"Couldn't be better."
"Good."
The civilization leader nodded. With his withered hands, he pulled a leaf from his pocket, then took out some tobacco-like substance, rolled it up, and wedged it deep between his upper gum and lip. He let out a long breath and slowly began to speak.
"It is a long story, so I must take my time telling it."
Chen Mang also sat down on a nearby chair, gesturing for Lao Zhu and the others to find a place to sit as well. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and brought it to his lips. Amidst the swirling smoke, he looked at the old man and said softly, "Take your time."
A moment later.
The old man's slightly hoarse voice echoed through the fields, mingling with the chirping of insects and carrying a heavy sense of history.
"Since an unknown era, without anyone intentionally promoting it, train-based civilizations gradually became the mainstream form of civilization throughout the entire universe."
"They have many advantages."
"But the greatest advantage is simply one thing."
"And that is, speed!"
"As long as there are enough resources, a Level 1 civilization can experience explosive growth, reaching Level 4 or 5 in perhaps less than a century. This is a terrifying figure. For other forms of civilization, achieving such a feat is virtually impossible."
"Take Cultivation civilizations for example. If they want to reach Level 4 or 5, it is absolutely impossible without spending tens of thousands of years."
"However, in the universe—"
"Space is too vast and distances are too long. Most of the time, communication and interaction between civilizations are measured in years or even decades."
"Furthermore, there are many anomalous locations in the universe. Perhaps an extremely resource-rich planet is suddenly discovered in a barren zone. A civilization stuck in that desolate region might suddenly, through some means, uncover massive resources, leading to an explosive surge in both their power and Civilization Level."
"All civilizations have mutually agreed to term this kind of event a Civilization Great Explosion."
"For high-level civilizations, there are many types of terrifying cosmic events, but the most dreadful among them is undoubtedly a Civilization Great Explosion. This often signifies that their own civilization could very well be driven to extinction."
"Those high-level civilizations."
"The territories of the massive ones span tens of millions of light-years, or even hundreds of millions of light-years. Some high-level civilizations possess a single star system with a diameter reaching hundreds of millions of light-years. Not every star system is as small as yours."
"Such a colossal territory inherently dictates that a massive number of civilizations exist within it—hundreds of millions, or even billions of them."
"It is impossible for those high-level civilizations to completely eradicate all the weaker civilizations within their borders. That is simply unrealistic and unachievable. Every large civilization's territory undoubtedly harbors countless lesser civilizations. Naturally, all the high-level resource nodes in the region belong to the ruling high-level civilization. But hidden in the corners, things like an Ore Star possessing tens of trillions of units of iron ore might be completely ignored by them."
"These barren resource zones thus become the nutrients for these lesser civilizations."
"A vast territory also means that transmitting information is extremely difficult. Moreover, because the civilization is so massive, its internal organizational structure is often bloated. Even with the aid of Wormholes and other methods, relaying a message from the frontier to the political mother planet takes at least decades."
"Decades..."
"This means that by the time the civilization's political mother planet learns that a cataclysmic Civilization Great Explosion has erupted within their territory, decades have already passed. Dispatching an army to suppress it takes another dozen years or more."
"If the first suppression attempt succeeds, all is well. But if it fails, waiting for the news to return and deploying a second army will waste several more decades."
"After repeating this a few times."
"The expanding civilization inside a Level 6 civilization's territory might suddenly advance to Level 6 itself, making a massive, devastating war inevitable."
"The larger the territory."
"The higher the probability of a Civilization Great Explosion occurring within its borders."
"Once this happens, even if the ruling civilization isn't destroyed, its foundations will be shaken, causing immense losses."
"And so—"
"The Universe Ge Lei was born."
"Its physical form might be a modified star-beast like the one you encountered, or it could be something else entirely. But they all share one common trait: they remain dormant and stable during normal times, but the moment they sense they are being scanned, they will launch an attack on the target at all costs!"
"High-level civilizations deploy these mines across various regions within their borders, as well as in adjacent areas, to cement their absolute dominance and minimize the chances of a Civilization Great Explosion occurring in their domain."
"Generally speaking."
"Those capable of detecting this star-beast basically possess a Level 200 Doppler Radar. And this specification happens to be the absolute limit of what Level 3 civilization resources can achieve."
"If the radar's grade is lower, the detection range is merely 0.1 light-years. Even a Level 100 Doppler Radar, short of the Level 200 mark, only has a detection range of 100 light-years."
"In other words."
"Almost all high-level civilizations operate on an unspoken rule: the moment any civilization within their domain advances to Level 3, it must be destroyed immediately to nip the threat in the bud. The Universe Ge Lei exists specifically for this job."
"If you don't scan it, nothing will happen."
"But the moment you see it, it spells the apocalypse for your civilization."
"Those high-level civilizations will never grant others the right to gaze up at the stars."
"The instant you raise your head to look at the starry sky, the depths of the universe have already issued a death warrant for you."
The old man finished speaking. His explanation was crystal clear. Even though he was merely the leader of a Level 3 civilization, the information he possessed was clearly far greater than that of his peers.
"..."
Chen Mang sat in his chair in silence. After a long while, he murmured, "What if this high-level civilization happens to drop a Universe Ge Lei just a few light-years away from me? And my radar is only Level 100, meaning it has a detection range of 100 light-years. Since I detected it, the Universe Ge Lei senses my scan and comes to annihilate my civilization."
"Wouldn't you call that a bug?"
"I didn't even have a Level 200 radar; it was just dropped too close to me."
"That's not a bug. That's just called bad luck," the old man said faintly. "Did you see the black hole inside the mouth of that star-beast? That black hole sustains its energy consumption. Maintaining it is a considerable drain even for a high-level civilization, and using it like that is considered a waste of resources for them as well."
"..."
Chen Mang glanced at the screen again. Staring at the terrifying star-beast, he paused before asking, "So you're saying the targets of the Universe Ge Lei deployed by high-level civilizations are Level 3 civilizations."
"But—"
"Using this monstrosity to destroy a Level 3 civilization... isn't that using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?"
"This thing might fall short of outright destroying a Level 4 civilization, but it's more than enough to inflict devastating damage upon one."
"You might have some misunderstandings about Level 3 civilizations."
The old man shook his head with a sigh. "Even among Level 3 civilizations, the ones in your star system are extremely weak when placed against the backdrop of the entire universe. In reality, any normally developed Level 3 civilization, regardless of its region, is absolutely a formidable presence on the galactic stage."
"In their respective territories, they hold undisputed hegemonic rule."
"But I can't blame you. After all, your region is far too desolate, and your room for development is severely limited. However, you're right that the power of this Universe Ge Lei is indeed overkill. Yet, that is the original design intention for every Universe Ge Lei—to achieve absolute, overwhelming suppression with zero margin for error. They will do this even if it results in a waste of resources."
"Do you remember what I said earlier?"
"If the first crushing strike fails, waiting for the news to relay back and dispatching another army will consume decades. This means the target civilization will gain several precious decades to develop further. This is a scenario high-level civilizations refuse to see."
"Therefore—"
"Even if it wastes resources, they must ensure the first strike is a one-hundred-percent overwhelming obliteration, leaving no chance for the enemy to catch their breath."
"In the universe, the number of civilizations that have perished due to a Civilization Great Explosion is simply too high to count."
"Take you, for example."
"I've always felt that your civilization is currently undergoing a Civilization Great Explosion, and an extremely explosive one at that. I have no idea if your star system falls within the boundaries of a higher civilization."
"It probably doesn't. The Dead End Star System where I reside is just too desolate."
"That's hard to say."
The leader of the Starlight Civilization spoke with a slightly peculiar expression. "You still don't quite understand the universe. I mentioned earlier that the territories of high-level civilizations span tens of millions, hundreds of millions, or even billions of light-years, right?"
"But—"
"A billion light-years is nothing more than a slightly larger speck of dust in the grand scheme of the cosmos."
"The territories of those god-level civilizations are likely even more vast, incredibly expansive. The high-level civilizations I spoke of might very well reside within the borders of a god-level civilization. And within its territory, this god-level civilization has also deployed Universe Ge Leis—it's just that the trigger conditions are far more stringent."
"These high-level civilizations simply haven't triggered them yet."
"So, these high-level civilizations develop cautiously, terrified of tripping a Universe Ge Lei from a higher-dimensional civilization, while simultaneously laying down massive numbers of their own Universe Ge Leis to ensure none of the civilizations trailing behind can ever catch up to them."
"This is exactly why I abhor the current state of the universe."
"Every civilization is walking a tightrope as they develop, paralyzed by the fear that disaster might strike at any moment, while ruthlessly destroying others at all costs to protect their own standing. By the time you reach this stage, you cannot back out even if you want to."
"Your ecological niche in the universe dictates that you must keep climbing upwards. Until you reach the summit, you cannot slack off for a single second."
"But in this vast universe, how many civilizations can actually reach the summit?"
"The vast majority of civilizations will wither away in the river of time. Those high-level civilizations cannot even fathom the methods of god-level civilizations, much less imagine the form or trigger conditions of their Universe Ge Leis. It's as if they are exploring the cosmos in shackles."
"On this path of civilizational strife, there are only two possible endings."
"Reach the summit, or die."
"Do you believe you will be the one to reach the summit out of billions of civilizations?"
"..."
This time, the silence stretched even longer. Then, Chen Mang suddenly laughed. "In other words, it is highly likely that we are currently located within the territory of some god-level civilization?"
"Very likely."
The old leader of the Starlight Civilization also chuckled in spite of himself. "There is a significant chance that there might be a Universe Ge Lei laid by a god-level civilization just a short distance ahead, but we don't even possess the qualifications to trigger it."
"Even if we were to walk right past it, that mine wouldn't react at all."
"Just like how an anti-tank mine won't detonate if a single human steps on it."
"We survived not because we are strong, but because we are weak."
"Once we grow strong, what awaits us is not a boundless future, but a greater catastrophe. In this universe, remaining weak is often nothing to be ashamed of—in fact, it is the key factor for survival."
"After all..."
"Surviving is what matters most, isn't it?"
"The lifespan of a civilization after advancing to Level 3 is generally only about one or two thousand years."
"What kind of concept is that?"
"Many unrated civilizations that lack even the means to land on their nearest neighboring planet can survive and pass down their heritage for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years."
"Do these civilizations live longer because they are powerful?"
"No."
"It is because they are weak."
"They are so weak that no one in the universe pays them any mind, and thus, they are able to survive. Isn't a life like that full of happiness?"
"When they look up at the sky, they merely think the stars are beautiful tonight. They can't even fathom that in the depths of the universe they are gazing at, vast multitudes of civilizations are locked in maddening slaughter. Billions of lives are snuffed out, and countless stars detonate on a whim."
"A person's misery often stems from knowing too much. If one knew nothing, they could simply calm their mind and marvel at the beauty of a sky full of stars."
Chen Mang nodded, taking over the conversation with a smile. "But a man has to try, doesn't he? Who knows, maybe he really will reach the summit."
His confidence stemmed from having an escape route.
His civilization's territory had no fixed borders; all its planets were inside the train. Even if he encountered an irresistible crisis, the worst-case scenario was simply fleeing with the train.
"It's quite strange to say."
The old man sighed wistfully. "The vast majority of civilization leaders have probably never won a lottery in their lives, yet they firmly believe they can successfully reach the summit amidst the slaughter of billions of civilizations."
"It really is strange."
"I don't know where they get all that confidence and self-assurance."
"Oh, right."
The old man suddenly slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot. Most civilizations don't even know these things exist. During their development, they never even imagine that things like Universe Ge Leis exist, much less that they are situated within the territory of another civilization."
"Even when disaster strikes, they have no idea what happened."
"No one tells them these things."
"Those high-level civilizations certainly wouldn't go door to door, warning them, 'Whatever you do, don't upgrade your civilization! Do it, and we'll exterminate you.'"
"But I've explained everything very clearly to you today, and yet you remain unswayed, resolute in your pursuit of expansion. This makes me rather curious about what your trump card is. Of course, rest assured, I won't pry. I have at least that much common sense."
"I just want to remind you of one thing."
"In the universe—"
"Whatever ace in the hole you are proud of, other civilizations likely possess it too."
"Any secret you consider strictly classified might actually be common knowledge."
"Any unique method you think belongs solely to you might be something everyone has."
"Nothing is truly unique."
"In the cosmos, uniqueness does not exist."
"Do not overly rely on any one special trick. If you are truly determined to walk this path to the summit, what you need is..."
"Absolute rational clarity."
"A thoroughly pulverized conscience."
"An inextinguishable ambition."
"The madness of a desperate gambler."
"And—"
"Boundless luck."
"The first four make up one percent, while the last makes up ninety-nine percent."
Chen Mang couldn't help but laugh out loud. "It sounds like the first four are completely useless, and one just needs pure luck."
"Because that is exactly how it is."
The old man spread his hands helplessly. "The path to the summit has the highest mortality rate and is the cruelest path in the entire universe. Personally, I admire any civilization leader who knowingly and willingly chooses to walk it."
"But I must also admit that in my eyes, these people are nothing more than red-eyed, frenzied gamblers."
"Even if they fail, they deserve no pity."
"You will need to stain your hands with the blood of countless lives. A single civilization comprises tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions, of beings. To become a high-level civilization, you will have to personally slaughter thousands of such civilizations."
"You will lose your humanity."
"Gradually ushering in divinity."
"Until you become a demon."
"Shouldn't it be becoming a god?"
"The gods do not welcome those who have murdered so many beings."
"Then I'll just butcher the gods too."
"Ah, this is why I say you people are too bloodthirsty. You can never transition into a divine-worshipping civilization. You can hardly bear to worship a deity. Your minds are filled with thoughts like, 'The god seems to have exposed their health bar—maybe I should test it with a cannon blast.'"
Chen Mang didn't reply immediately. He simply lit another cigarette, leaned back in his chair, and said distantly, "I can sense you're trying to dissuade me from taking this path, yet you also seem to desperately hope that I don't give up."
"People are always full of contradictions; it's completely normal."
The old man took a cigarette from Chen Mang. After inspecting it with curiosity, he lit it and hesitantly placed it to his lips. "Your civilization was the first to sign a mutual assistance treaty with the Starlight Civilization. From the perspective of a friend, I want you to be safe."
"But from another perspective."
"Your civilization is the fastest-developing one I have ever seen—the one undergoing the most rapid Civilization Great Explosion. Everyone loves to witness a miracle, even if that miracle has nothing to do with them."
"If you truly reach the summit, I will also be a witness to that miracle."
"It's just..."
"I am genuinely worried because the name of your civilization is a bit too arrogant."
"The Human Civilization."
"I can tell you explicitly: there is an existing god-level civilization named the Human Civilization. The two of you are inevitably going to war in the future, so prepare yourself mentally in advance."
"Your path to the summit will be far more arduous than others."
"But—"
"There's also a piece of backdoor gossip. The current god-level Human Civilization did not actually use this name during their ascent. They only employed certain methods to rename themselves the 'Human Civilization' after reaching the summit. That isn't truly the path of a rightful king."
"If you can reach the summit utilizing the name 'Human Civilization', you will be the true, orthodox Human Civilization. You will gain the acknowledgement of more than half of all human-centric civilizations in the universe. They will view your civilization as humanity's holy land. Upon ascending, your prestige and resources will far eclipse those of the current god-level Human Civilization."
"Your path is the true path of kings."
"It is harder than everyone else's path to the summit, but once you succeed, the dividends will surpass anything achieved before, creating an unprecedented existence."
"After you."
"Any civilization foolish enough to name itself 'Human Civilization' will be spontaneously besieged by others. Without you even lifting a finger, they will face universal extermination. No one will ever acknowledge a second Human Civilization again. You will be the eternal, solitary, and true orthodoxy."
"Where do you even hear all this gossip?"
"Are you kidding? The Starlight Civilization also participated in the war for the summit once, you know! It's just that we were nearly exterminated, which is why we've been reduced to a peace-loving nomadic civilization."
"Why must you always attach the prefix 'peace-loving' in front of 'nomadic civilization'?"
"If I don't add the prefix, doesn't it make us sound like stray dogs?"
"And adding it makes a difference?"
"Adding it makes it sound like we started wandering because we love peace."
"Fair enough."
Chen Mang nodded. Leaning back in his chair, he quietly savored this moment of tranquility. "So, when you talk about 'reaching the summit,' you mean becoming a god-level civilization?"
"Naturally."
"But there's more than one god-level civilization, right?"
The old man's mouth twitched slightly as he turned to face Chen Mang. "What are you trying to say?"
"What I mean is, since it's called 'reaching the summit', it only stands to reason that one must trample all god-level civilizations underfoot to truly claim the top. What kind of summit is it if you're just sharing the title of god-level civilization with others?"
"The very peak should only have enough room for one person."
"If it's crowded, it's not the peak."
"..."
The old man's eyelids twitched. He slowly closed his eyes and let out a long sigh before saying weakly, "I deeply regret signing that mutual assistance treaty with you. When you inevitably face a catastrophic crisis in the future, I beg you, whatever you do, do not mention the name of my civilization."
"Trampling all god-level civilizations underfoot."
"If you can actually pull that off."
"You would be the undisputed master of the cosmos. Hell, you could even unify the entire universe and permanently end this war for the summit. You would have to forge a completely new title for a civilization, one standing above a god-level civilization."
"How does 'Emperor-level Civilization' sound?"
"It lacks a bit of flair."
"Then I'll spend the next few days thinking up better ones. When you finally reach the summit, you can decide whether to adopt them."
"Alright, I'll leave that task to you. Think hard."
"No problem."
The old man sighed helplessly. He didn't take Chen Mang's words seriously at all, treating them as nothing more than idle banter. The sheer absurdity of the conversation made it impossible to maintain a grave and solemn demeanor any longer.
"There is a second matter."
Chen Mang continued with a smile. He didn't actually know how far he could go, but since he was already walking this path, he figured he might as well aim high. He truly didn't care about power.
All he wanted was to sleep soundly at night.
But there were always people trying to disturb his rest.
He kept stumbling upon crises that robbed him of his appetite and sleep.
Once he conquered the summit, he would finally be able to sleep in peace.
"I came into contact with a high-level civilization. I don't know the exact level, but I know someone within this civilization has contracted a Level 9 mine. I reached out using a special method, so the mine owner doesn't know much about me for now. I want to extract some information about high-level civilizations from him, or learn more about the rules of the universe."
"However, I am unsure of the behavioral etiquette people from high-level civilizations use during interactions."
"I'm worried about exposing my identity as someone from a low-level civilization, and I fear leaking my cosmic coordinates."
"Do you have any good advice?"
"A Level 9 mine..."
The old man nodded thoughtfully. "If they allow private contracting of such a mine, they must indeed be a high-level civilization—at least Level 5. A Level 4 civilization certainly wouldn't possess enough surplus resources to contract out a mine containing approximately one trillion units of iron ore to a private individual."
"With a civilization of that caliber, my advice is actually to avoid dealing with them as much as possible."
"I haven't interacted with one myself, but they might possess incomprehensible methods to instantly acquire all your information, including your cosmic coordinates. However, a mere mine contractor shouldn't have access to such methods. As long as you speak the Cosmic Language fluently and don't show any fear, you should generally be fine."
"How about this."
The old man paused for a moment before continuing. "Generally speaking, the stronger the civilization, the more ancient the Cosmic Language they use to exude a sense of superiority. I happen to know some ancient Cosmic Language, though I only know a few words."
"For example: yes, no, hello, and so forth."
"I'll teach you this foundational ancient Cosmic Language. That way, when you converse with him, you'll seem incredibly profound, as if you hail from some ancient, high-level civilization yourself."
"In the cosmos, age often equates to power."
Having said that.
The old man cleared his throat and, with a solemn expression, croaked out, "Aba aba!"
"..."
Chen Mang opened his mouth slightly but found it exceedingly difficult to mimic the syllables. It was incredibly tongue-tying. Yet, this was the marvel of the Cosmic Language: even though he didn't know the literal translation of the sounds the man produced, the underlying conceptual meaning transferred perfectly, carrying a heavy, profound weight to it.
"Never mind."
"I'll skip learning it. I'll bring someone over later and trouble you to teach him instead. I was planning on sending him to communicate with the mine owner anyway."
"That works too."
The old man cautioned him, "But remember, remote communication is fine, but you must absolutely never physically enter their civilization's territory. Generally speaking, high-level civilizations can examine the civilizational brand within a person's body to ascertain their civilization's name and Level. The moment that happens, your cover is blown."
"That probably won't be an issue."
Chen Mang hesitated slightly. He was still unsure of the exact nature of their dreamscape interactions, nor did he know what kind of entity he appeared as in the eyes of the mine owner.
A ghost?
After all, being gunned down by armed robots every now and then, only to inexplicably respawn the next day... no matter how you looked at it, that didn't seem like the behavior of a normal human being.
During their last encounter, the armed robot hadn't even fired a shot; it simply delivered a note. Clearly, the other party had already lost their temper and given up.