Chapter 335: Then Why Aren't You Dead Yet? |
The appearance of The Palace spread like a virus throughout the Naomi Civilization. It was almost impossible to contain, and an increasing number of people learned about the news.
But almost in an instant.
The news vanished from every corner of the planetary network. Anyone who had seen the information had their account IDs locked by the AI Mastermind. A mandatory gag order was issued, with the penalty set at the highest level of Level One Alert.
An advanced civilization.
It did not just possess superior offensive capabilities; it also developed multifaceted control in many areas, such as public opinion management.
Regions where the news had spread widely were placed under full lockdown.
Meanwhile, the planet where The Palace was located entered a global Level One Alert. All communication with the outside world was severed. Every Wormhole entrance and exit was shut down, completely cutting off any connection to external sectors.
This level of lockdown was equivalent to a Level One Combat Readiness state.
It usually signified that an incident capable of overturning the entire civilization had occurred internally.
The first time was when the Naomi Civilization ascended from a Level Four to a Level Five civilization.
The second time was when the current leader of the Naomi Civilization initiated a revolution, causing massive upheaval among the higher-ups.
The third time was right now.
"."
The person in power at the Fengtian Auction House, a slightly aged man, stood by the window, sensing the changes in the outside world. He remained silent with a complex expression. He had his own information channels.
When a person possessed immense wealth.
Even if he wanted to do nothing, countless people would flock to him, eager to offer all kinds of services.
Any information.
As long as he wanted to know something, he could always find out immediately.
All it cost was a trivial amount of wealth, and money was the one thing he never lacked.
He already knew the meaning behind the patterns on the nine massive pillars of The Palace. Furthermore, he knew that even the most cutting-edge spatial fluctuation detectors of the Naomi Civilization had failed to detect a single ripple.
This entity had not been teleported via a Wormhole, nor had it emerged from the Pseudo-Fourth Dimensional Space, and it certainly hadn't simply teleported out of thin air.
It just...
...appeared incredibly normally in the sky above the planet.
Without any fluctuations whatsoever.
The Naomi Civilization was a Level Five civilization. Even across the entire universe, it was considered quite powerful. Yet, the Naomi Civilization had absolutely no means to deploy an object into an area without causing spatial fluctuations.
He felt a bit more at ease than the others.
He knew more information.
This Palace wasn't a sign that some god-tier civilization had targeted them, nor was it something discarded by another civilization. It was merely a Cosmic Gift attracted by his Desk. Theoretically speaking, this palace belonged to him.
Right at that moment—
The desk lamp on his desk flickered slightly.
Understanding the signal, the old man immediately walked back to the desk and pulled open the drawer. Sure enough, a new Cosmic Taboo Item lay inside, only... only...
His expression gradually turned ugly. He could not shake the feeling that he was being dragged into some grand conspiracy.
This mysterious and unknown Desk had brought him immense wealth.
It allowed him to leap from an ordinary factory worker to becoming a top-tier, hidden tycoon within the Naomi Civilization!
No one knew exactly how much wealth he possessed.
All of this, everything, was because of this desk.
He had understood long ago that every gift from destiny secretly carried a price tag. Nothing in this world was free. He knew that sooner or later, this Desk would demand something in return, and he wouldn't be able to refuse.
It was just...
He never expected this day to come so soon, so incredibly fast!
Inside the drawer lay an ancient-looking Brass Key. It was only the size of a palm and looked extremely inconspicuous inside a drawer that was dozens of centimeters deep. The drawer of his desk was much larger than those of normal desks, reaching almost all the way to the floor.
The space beneath the desk was not hollow.
From a design perspective, this was not a desk suitable for normal human use.
He had no idea what this Brass Key was meant for.
But he wasn't an idiot.
First the unknown Palace appeared, and then this Brass Key. Even a fool would connect the two.
"."
The old man's ugly expression constantly shifted. Long ago, he had imagined this day would come. No matter what this drawer demanded from him in the future, he was prepared to accept it. As long as it allowed his wife and child to live well, it would be worth it.
But...
When things truly reached this point.
He found himself somewhat unwilling.
He had struggled so hard to reach his current position. If he was just going to be swept up into an unknown conspiracy like this, he couldn't accept it!
The old man stood in place, his expression grim as he remained silent for a long time. After making a difficult decision in his heart, he walked to the bookcase in the corner of the study, pulled out a book, flipped to page 37, and pressed down on a slightly raised word.
The next moment—
The study suddenly began to tremble slightly. A pitch-black passage entrance slowly emerged on the floor. The old man took a deep breath, walked over to the desk, wrapped his arms around it, and carried it with some difficulty toward the passage entrance.
After descending dozens of meters underground.
Bright daylight lamps lit up on both sides of the passage.
A conveyor belt was laid out across the floor. The old man placed the desk onto the belt and stepped onto it himself. After pressing a nearby button, the conveyor belt began to move rapidly, carrying both him and the desk deep into the passage.
The Civilization Great Explosion.
Various technologies sprang up like mushrooms after rain.
Countless Primordial Blueprints were developed.
People had even grown accustomed to transportation methods like spatial jumping and Wormhole shuttling. Without relying on these modes of transport, humanity would never have been able to expand into the vast universe. Even leaving one's home planet by just a single light-year would have been an unattainable fantasy.
While these methods were certainly excellent, they also left conspicuous spatial fluctuations.
For the sake of secrecy.
He adopted this most primitive of methods.
Sometimes, primitive meant leaving fewer flaws.
This was a secret tunnel he had built long ago. It was intended for the clandestine transfer of his Desk during a time of crisis. The Desk was his life; it was the source of his rise to power. He could not afford to lose it.
This secret tunnel had cost him a massive amount of money and energy.
Everyone involved in its construction had been assigned to an expedition team, sent to explore the southern frontiers, and permanently lost contact in an accident.
A vast number of components had been installed within the tunnel.
This ensured that unless it was top-tier radar, it would be completely impossible to detect the tunnel, let alone realize its existence.
An hour later.
The conveyor belt slowly ground to a halt at a spacious platform.
This wasn't the end of the line.
However, the surrounding area was much wider than the passage he had come through. Several pieces of equipment were set up, resembling a carved-out resting area.
The old man standing on the conveyor belt took another deep breath. He wrapped his arms around the desk and then, with considerable effort, placed it onto a hydraulic press in the corner.
After doing all of this.
The old man finally exhaled softly. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket and slowly lit it.
Inside the brightly lit tunnel, the cigarette in the old man's mouth flared and faded like a dying candle. The smoke exhaled from his lips initially clumped together before being torn apart and scattered by the drafty wind in the passage.
He took a very deep drag.
It was as if he wanted to swallow all the impurities of the world into his lungs. When he exhaled again, the smoke lingered and twisted around the wrinkles on his face.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Cigarette ash fell silently onto the lapel of his clothes. The old man glanced down but didn't brush it off; he simply stared at it quietly.
He looked at the gradually dissipating smoke ahead, his eyes growing slightly moist, seemingly irritated by the smoke.
Once the cigarette burned down to the filter.
The old man crushed the butt with his fingers and walked over to the desk. He took the Brass Key from his pocket, tossed it back into the drawer, and closed it for the last time. Then, he grabbed the remote control next to the hydraulic press and stepped back a few paces.
Looking at the desk lying quietly beneath the hydraulic press, he fell into a dazed silence for a long time before looking down at the red button in his hand and muttering.
"Goodbye, old friend."
"There is always a time for parting in life."
Only when approaching death would a person realize that they weren't as strong as they thought they were.
He had always believed he wasn't afraid of death.
But when the Desk truly began to show signs of demanding a price, he grew afraid. He didn't want to be dragged into an unknown plot, nor did he want to become a pawn. He felt it was time for destiny's gifts to come to an end.
He wouldn't need them anymore.
His current fortune was substantial enough. Even without the desk, it wouldn't impact him too much.
The next moment—
The old man resolutely pressed the red button in his hand.
The roar of the hydraulic press echoed throughout the entire tunnel.
Under the crushing force of the press, the plain and unadorned desk shattered almost instantly. The tabletop cracked first, sending countless wood splinters bursting into the air. He had once leaned over this very desk, writing out many dreams for the future. He had often thought about passing this desk down to his son.
However.
At this moment, he was destroying his desk with his own hands.
Allowing it to be pulverized by the grip of the hydraulic press.
Men could often become sentimental about objects that had accompanied them for a long time. The old man watched the gradually fragmenting desk, his eyes growing slightly red. But right at that moment!
The hydraulic press suddenly jammed.
The old man paused slightly. The roar of the machinery in his ears didn't stop. He pressed the red button in his hand a few more times, but the hydraulic press simply refused to push any further. The desk in front of him had already been half-destroyed, with countless wood splinters flying through the air.
After he operated the controls to reset the hydraulic press.
Freed from the crushing pressure, the desk instantly collapsed to the side.
And then.
He finally saw the true form of this desk.
A flash of horror crossed the old man's eyes. He looked at the scene before him in disbelief. The desk had merely been a disguise. When the outer wooden shell shattered under the hydraulic press, what was exposed underneath was... a Refrigerator?
He strode forward.
After clearing away all the wood chips and debris from the outside of the Refrigerator, he carefully inspected it and confirmed once again that it was indeed a Refrigerator. At least from a human perspective, this thing could only be a Refrigerator.
Moreover, it was a Refrigerator without a door.
It was a modified Refrigerator. He had always thought he was pulling open a drawer, but in reality, he had just been pulling a doorless Refrigerator out from under the desk.
Refusing to believe it, he tried operating the press a few more times, only to find that this Refrigerator was abnormally sturdy. The surface of the hydraulic press columns was already pitted and dented, but this Refrigerator remained completely unscathed.
"."
After remaining silent for a long time, the old man abandoned the Refrigerator there and ignored it. He turned around, stepped back onto the conveyor belt, and headed back the way he came.
He would leave it here for now.
As for that key, he left it inside the Refrigerator for the time being.
Upon returning to the study.
As if possessed, he suddenly began asking his informants whether any locked doors or similar structures had been discovered during the exploration of The Palace. However, the news he received was that they were only exploring the perimeter so far and had not yet ventured deep into The Palace.
In the end, the civilization still chose to explore.
They had locked down the information as much as possible.
But just in case a higher-tier civilization found out, that civilization would inevitably assume they had already explored it. Since that was the case, they might as well explore it themselves first. Perhaps they could find some fortuitous opportunity left behind by a god-tier civilization, allowing them to instantly ascend to a Level Six civilization!
Upon reaching the stage of a Level Five civilization.
It was fundamentally difficult to advance smoothly step by step. Upgrading the civilization usually required waiting for this kind of opportunity. Once such a massive opportunity was encountered and its resources fully assimilated, it would usher in a Civilization Great Explosion.
In reality, it wasn't that steady, gradual progression was impossible.
Theoretically speaking.
Assuming there were sufficient resources and enough time, all civilizations could steadily and methodically advance all the way to a Level Nine civilization.
But the problem lay right there.
Resources were not infinite, nor was time, and other civilizations would not just sit idly by and watch you develop...
"Deep in the universe, there are many, many civilizations."
Inside the Stellar Train, Qiu Laoshi stood at the podium, looking down at the students with a smile as she lectured, "Currently known forms of civilization include the Train Civilizations, Cultivation Civilizations, and the Zerg Civilization."
"Each civilization form has its own strengths and weaknesses, but what are they all essentially based on?"
The students below the podium answered in unison, "They are all based on the utilization of Core Energy, just through different methods."
"That is exactly right."
"Train Civilizations are the current mainstream civilization form in the universe, and our Human Civilization operates exactly under this form. The advantage of this model is that, as long as there are sufficient resources, the civilization's development will be extremely rapid, practically transforming day by day."
"Everyone here has experienced the apocalypse."
"Perhaps you all feel like those days are long past, right? But in reality, only a few short years have gone by. In these few years, the development speed of our Human Civilization has been phenomenal."
"."
Outside the classroom.
Accompanied by Lao Zhu and a few others, Chen Mang stood outside the window, quietly observing the scene inside. This was merely a microcosm of the Human Civilization. As the civilization's strength grew, education had not been neglected.
It was just...
Chen Mang turned his head to look at Lao Zhu. "Does Qiu Laoshi usually like to draw out her words this much when she speaks?"
"Uh..." Lao Zhu awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Probably."
Chen Mang didn't press the matter further. He had stopped thinking about the incident with The Palace. That was an issue for far in the future. Right now, the two most pressing matters before him were the development of his civilization and the Zerg Civilization.
The Zerg Civilization still showed no signs of launching a full-scale assault.
He wasn't in a hurry either.
He hadn't finished mining all the ores yet, so now wasn't a good time to start a war anyway.
With nothing urgent today.
He decided to take a casual look at the development of various departments.
Currently, every city within the Human Civilization had established its own academies. However, the academy located on the Stellar Train was the highest-ranking institution. Whether it was the quality of its faculty or its overall prestige, it stood at the absolute pinnacle.
The students capable of studying at the Stellar Train's academy had all gone through rigorous rounds of selection. Screened based on intelligence, character, background, and other criteria, the students sitting in these classrooms were practically destined to hold official positions within the Human Civilization in the future.
When the train was still in its infancy.
His control over the train was absolute.
He knew almost everything that happened in any corner of the train. But as their scale expanded and the population grew, he lost track of the detailed developments in many areas. His subordinates couldn't report every little thing to him; many trivial matters simply weren't qualified to reach his ears.
Therefore, he needed to come down and observe more often.
Only then could he personally experience the subtle changes within the train and the civilization, grasping exactly how far they had developed, rather than just staring at lines of cold data on a screen.
While the data provided by Xiao Ai was undoubtedly accurate.
It lacked a human touch.
"Not bad,"
Chen Mang gave a slight nod outside the classroom window. He didn't enter to interrupt the students' lesson. After taking a tour accompanied by the principal, he finally left the school.
It was worth noting.
That the principal of the Stellar Academy, the institution representing the pinnacle of learning in the Human Civilization, was actually an old acquaintance...
"Lord Mang, do you have any other instructions?"
Li Shu stood respectfully to the side, bowing and nodding deferentially.
"."
Chen Mang turned his head to look at Li Shu with a slightly peculiar expression. He had almost forgotten that this person was still on the train. Li Shu had worked in resident census, served as the team leader of the breeding carriage, acted as the accountant for Neon City, and had even researched the Zombie Spawner Cage.
He was definitely part of the train's old core team.
Having followed him since the early days of the Stellaris Train's creation, his resident ID number was in the double or triple digits—an absolute veteran.
However, the train had developed too fast. Many of the old crew members had gradually lost their positions on the train and faded into the crowd. Chen Mang had always maintained an objective stance on this: the capable would rise to the top. This was the natural law of development, and forced intervention wouldn't necessarily yield better results.
He had thought Li Shu would end up the same way.
Slowly retiring to the second line and perhaps running a small business on Water Blue Star wouldn't have been a bad outcome. But he never expected the man to quietly become the principal of the Stellar Academy. This position carried immense status and authority.
"Who made this personnel appointment?"
Chen Mang turned to look at Lao Zhu.
"I made the appointment," Lao Zhu hastily explained. "When we were selecting candidates for the principal position, we found a few potential options."
"There was Qiu Laoshi, who had been teaching on the train all along; that professor we met on Water Blue Star, along with a few others; and Li Shu."
"Later, after a multidimensional evaluation encompassing work capability, character assessments, seniority, and employment history, Li Shu came out on top."
"I believed that since the Stellar Academy is the premier institution of the Human Civilization and its future graduates will step into managerial roles, loyalty to you, Lord Mang, and to the Stellaris Train is of utmost importance. Li Shu has incredible seniority on the train and is unwaveringly loyal to both you and the train."
"I actually reported this in one of the weekly email updates."
"Did you?"
"He did," Xiao Ai's voice echoed faintly from the side. "I can confirm this."
Xiao Ai remembered very clearly that Lord Mang had just woken up at the time. Sitting in his chair smoking a cigarette, he had casually glanced over it before skipping past it. Now, it was obvious that Lord Mang hadn't even read the names on the list.
"That's fine."
Chen Mang smiled and patted Li Shu on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I've always thought highly of you. I'm happy for you that you managed to find a position on the train that suits you so well."
"Keep pushing forward."
"How is the progress on your Zombie Spawner Cage coming along?" "Uh... I've already handed my research findings over to Qi Ke Xiu. I heard they've made considerable progress over there."
"What about Shen Ye?"
"He's serving as an anatomical subject at the Stellar Academy."
"Good."
Chen Mang glanced around and didn't linger any longer. Accompanied by Lao Zhu, Biao Zi, and the others, he continued his tour of the train's other sectors. Coming down to take a walk occasionally was quite nice; it significantly improved his mood. After all, everything here was the foundation of his empire, accumulated bit by bit over the years.
Seeing these familiar old faces.
Was quite comforting.
Li Shu watched Lord Mang's retreating back and let out a long sigh of relief. His back gradually straightened out. After coughing lightly, he said in a hoarse voice, "Director Sha, we handled Lord Mang's surprise inspection very well this time. Take note of the key points for the future: tell Qiu Laoshi not to draw out her words so much when she speaks. It feels too theatrical."
"Understood."
The young man standing beside him puffed out his chest, raised his head, and responded with a stern expression. He looked a bit like someone who couldn't quite pull off the imposing aura of a Dean of Students, but was forcing himself to try anyway.
This young man, addressed as Director Sha, was the very same youth who had constantly tailed behind Li Shu.
Several years had passed.
This young man had steadfastly followed Li Shu all along, offering encouragement. Even when Li Shu was at his lowest point, he never held back his support. Now, he had finally reached the moment where his patron's rise brought him up as well.
Throughout his entire life.
He lacked ability, had no special skills, and possessed even fewer opportunities. In the apocalypse, he was nothing more than a minor lackey.
He was purely a nobody on the side of the road, someone who could be casually crushed to death.
Yet to be able to reach his current position today.
It was entirely due to his singular devotion and unwavering loyalty.
His life perfectly illustrated the saying about waiting for the clouds to part to see the moonlight. If the moon hadn't shown itself yet, it just meant he hadn't waited long enough, so he kept waiting.
The young man, stern-faced and unsmiling, turned around and strode purposefully toward the teaching building. However, perhaps because his clothes were too loose, a book slipped out of his garments and fell to the ground.
"."
Expressionless, Li Shu picked up the book off the ground. It was titled "Machiavellian Management Studies." He dusted it off, shoved it back into the young man's arms, and let out a long sigh. "I think you might have some stereotypical misunderstandings about the role of a 'Dean of Students.' Not every Dean has to be a fat man with a protruding belly."
"You've been trying a bit too hard to gain weight lately."
"And even if you are trying to bulk up."
"You should at least wait until you've actually gained the weight before changing into these obviously oversized clothes."
"Go on."
"Looking at you gives me a headache right now."
"Oh, right—"
"One more thing. The West District requested an anatomical subject earlier today. Go deliver Shen Ye over to them."
Only then did Li Shu look up at the statue of Lord Mang erected in the Stellar Academy. He nodded in deep satisfaction. Earlier, he had noticed Lord Mang glancing at the statue several times, clearly pleased by the gesture.
"All students, maintain a solemn demeanor."
Within the Stellar Academy, beside a pristine white operating table, a teacher in a white coat held a scalpel. He looked at the gathered students with a serious expression and said, "Every anatomical subject has made tremendous contributions to the field of medicine. We must treat them with the utmost respect."
"Now."
"I will extract a section of the nervous system to let you all see exactly what it looks like with your own eyes."
Lying on the operating table, Shen Ye stared vacantly at the ceiling, looking completely catatonic. He showed absolutely no expression. Even as the freezing steel of the scalpel sliced deep into his flesh, he didn't react in the slightest.
For a long time now.
He had been pondering a single question.
Why had he chosen to "Eject" back then, instead of "Self-Destruct"?
And what exactly was the meaning of life?
"Teacher, he doesn't seem to be in pain?"
"Anatomical subjects are always fearless in the face of life and death. They are extraordinary."
Inside one of the carriages of the Stellaris Train.
The Film and Television Base was currently bustling with activity.
Under the organization of Director Zhang Yiren, a massive blockbuster movie was in production. The film detailed the entire developmental journey of the Stellaris Train from its very inception during the apocalypse. Efforts were being made to recreate many characters and scenes as realistically as possible.
To achieve this.
Zhang Yiren had specifically requested substantial support from Lao Zhu. This included borrowing a Train Order and a portion of resources, all in an attempt to achieve a one-hundred-percent accurate recreation of the events and individuals.
Currently, many roles had already been cast.
Figures like Lao Zhu and Biao Zi were playing themselves. As for deceased characters like Kun Ye and the rest, they had scoured the Human Civilization to find actors who matched their descriptions perfectly.
Right now—
There was only one role that was impossible to cast.
Within the Film and Television Base.
Zhang Yiren sat in his chair, frowning deeply. A group of people was gathered around him, all sporting similarly long faces. Everyone was racking their brains over one crucial issue: who in the world would play "Lord Mang"?
This was a huge fucking deal!
Ask Lord Mang himself?
What a joke. Lord Mang was swamped with thousands of daily tasks; how could he possibly come and play pretend for a movie?
Find someone else to play Lord Mang?
Are you kidding?
Once the film aired, wouldn't they end up with a "real vs. fake Lord Mang" situation?
"How about..."
The Dwarf Man sitting to the side spoke up softly, "I have a suggestion. What if we shoot the movie entirely from Lord Mang's first-person perspective? This way, we won't need an actor for his role at all. We just need to request Lord Mang's voice samples from Boss Ai."
"Huh?"
Zhang Yiren paused, a glimmer of light sparking in his eyes. He looked up at the Dwarf Man, his lips trembling slightly. "Wait, wait... let me think about this."
In the history of cinema.
First-person perspective movies weren't completely unheard of, but they were incredibly difficult to shoot. It meant the narrative would be entirely tethered to the protagonist, and the storyline had to be exceptionally precise.
But this truly was a fantastic solution.
This way, they wouldn't have to agonize over who could possibly play Lord Mang.
By filming in first-person.
All their casting problems would be instantly solved.
Right at that moment—
Chen Mang, accompanied by Lao Zhu and his entourage, stepped into the Film and Television Base. The group sitting inside instantly shot to their feet. Staring at Chen Mang with solemn expressions, they greeted him in unison.
"Mhm."
Chen Mang casually pressed his hand down in the air. "Everyone, sit. I just came to see how you're doing. The development of a civilization shouldn't rely solely on advancing the Military; the Culture aspect must keep pace as well."
"Have there been any outstanding literary works, music, films, or games produced recently?"
"You've filmed quite a few movies lately. I've watched them, and they aren't bad at all."
"What about literature?"
Lao Zhu, standing to the side, quickly chimed in. "That guy on the train who used to write twenty thousand words of fiction a day? He's now become a famous author within the Human Civilization. His latest work, 'The 13th Street Serial Murder Case', is quite the bestseller."
"That's great."
Chen Mang nodded with a chuckle. "It seems the train's old guard is full of hidden talents. Whatever industry they step into, they do quite well."
The corner of Lao Zhu's mouth twitched. After thinking about it, he decided it was best to keep his mouth shut.
First of all.
He had to admit that the guy's new book was indeed an excellent read.
But—
Literature was a fickle thing. Just because a book was good didn't guarantee it would be popular. There were far too many interfering factors.
For example...
He felt—purely as a subjective personal guess—that the small line of text on the cover of the new book, which read 'Exclusive Author of the Stellar Train,' was responsible for at least 70 percent of its success.
Another 20 percent.
Was probably due to the "Messages from Friends" section in the first few pages.
Lao Zhu, Biao Zi, Li Shu, and the others had all left glowing reviews for the book.
The remaining 9 percent.
Was likely thanks to the publishing house pulling out all the stops for its release. After all, someone from the inner circle had submitted a manuscript—did the publishers really need anyone to tell them what to do? The last 1 percent of its success was attributed to the book's actual content.
It was all these factors combined that fueled the book's explosive popularity.
It was a prime example of writing a book fueled purely by connections.
Never mind writing about a serial murder case; Lao Zhu felt that even if the guy wrote a serial shitting case, it would still become a massive hit. Selling hundreds of millions of copies wouldn't be an issue at all.
Most importantly—
The guy wasn't even technically bragging or spinning a yarn.
Back when the Stellar Train was still on Water Blue Star, the guy genuinely had been the exclusive author of the Stellar Train. He was tasked with writing novels to provide the residents with extra entertainment. It was the exact same reason why Zhang Yiren's movies were so wildly popular.
Wasn't it simply because he was once the exclusive director for the Stellar Train?
Anyone who hailed from the Stellar Train—as long as they possessed even a shred of ability and tact—would never be poor. It was practically impossible for them to be broke.
Even if they wanted to be poor.
The market simply wouldn't allow it.
"That's great."
Chen Mang nodded with a very satisfied smile. "And what about music?"
"There's that too."
Lao Zhu's voice turned faint. "Lord Mang, you might have forgotten about someone. Do you remember the little girl who used to sing otaku songs on the train? The one with the song, 'Clap your hands up, the loli beside me is the moe type.'"
"I have some impression of her."
"She's become a famous singer now. Her latest album is also a massive hit."
"Not bad."
Naturally, the cover of that little girl's album featured the words "Exclusive Singer of the Stellar Train."
Truthfully, there were many things Lao Zhu didn't want to bring up.
During the train's savage early stages of growth, they had the "Red House" to resolve physical needs. This was perfectly normal. He had also occasionally patronized the establishment a few times, which was also completely normal. But just a few days ago, he discovered something about one of the women he had visited.
She had actually tattooed 'Formerly Patronized by Vice Captain Lao Zhu of the Stellar Train' onto her body. She then became the top-tier escort at a high-end brothel. Her prices were exorbitant, yet the line of customers queuing up for her was endless.
Thank goodness he had discovered it early.
He suppressed the matter and forcibly made the woman leave the industry to live a decent life. If he had let the issue fester and spread, he had no idea how much it would have ruined his reputation.
After getting a general understanding of the situation, Chen Mang finally returned to his own cabin on the train.
The internal development speed of the Human Civilization was incredibly fast.
It was expanding comprehensively in all directions.
Transforming every single day.
Once that batch of Ore Stars was completely mined out, they would usher in an even more monumental change.
Inside the captain's cabin of the Stellar Train.
Chen Mang looked over the conditions required to advance to a Level Three Civilization.
-
[Ascension Conditions]: The number of intelligent beings within the civilization must reach one billion. The maximum attack energy range must exceed 20,000. The civilization must possess at least two planets. The resource reserves in the civilization's warehouses must exceed one quadrillion. Must construct over 10 permanent two-way Wormholes.
-
The requirements were still somewhat difficult to achieve.
The main issue was the resource requirement; it was simply too high.
For the time being, advancing to a Level Three Civilization would be very challenging.
Right at this moment—
Xiao Ai's voice rang out through the cabin.
"Captain, that miner has fallen asleep again and reappeared in that fatty's mining site. Shall I start the live broadcast?"
"Broadcast it live."
Chen Mang's eyelids twitched. The last time, this miner had experienced violent emotional fluctuations, forcing him to exit the dream state, and he was unable to re-enter, cutting off their previous conversation. Now that he could enter again, Chen Mang needed to gather more information about that civilization.
Although he estimated that civilization to be unimaginably far away, making it highly likely they would never interact in this lifetime.
It was still a Level Five civilization, after all.
He was mainly curious about the internal workings of a Level Five civilization—what level their technology had reached, what kinds of advanced methods they possessed, and so on.
This time, the other party was very proactive.
The moment the miner materialized, the chubby young man bounded over. His tone was brimming with excitement, and he clutched a tablet in his hand. "You're here! Something huge happened in our civilization recently. I bet you'll be super interested."
"What's the biggest palace you've ever seen?"
"Well, it's definitely not as big as this one!"
"It's as massive as an entire planet!"
"It suddenly appeared inside our civilization today, right in the sky above the planet where my dad is. And it doesn't block the sunlight at all. It's totally magical. Look..."
The chubby young man was bubbling with excitement, endlessly explaining this bizarre new event in his civilization to his newfound friend.
Meanwhile, sitting in the captain's cabin, Chen Mang stared at the footage on the tablet in the fatty's hands, a flicker of bewilderment flashing through his eyes...
He had already set aside thoughts about The Palace for the time being.
It was just too far away from him.
He preferred to focus on immediate matters first.
But—
How did this damn thing suddenly pop up in front of him again?
Not long ago, The Palace, which had originally been situated near the Starlight Civilization, had suddenly vanished. Although he didn't know the exact circumstances, he hadn't cared much. If it was gone, it was gone. He even guessed that perhaps a future version of himself had made a different choice, leading to The Palace's disappearance.
So why did it suddenly manifest inside the Naomi Civilization?
"."
Chen Mang fell into a long silence before asking in a hoarse voice, "Xiao Ai, analyze the similarity between this Palace and the one we saw. I'm starting to suspect there might not be just one of these in the universe, but rather multiple Palaces?"
"Based on the visual data from the tablet in his hands, the calculated similarity is 96 percent. It is nearly identical. The only discrepancy lies in the lighting and shadow brightness reflecting off it. If environmental lighting is factored out, the similarity is a perfect 100 percent."
"Statistically speaking, it is almost certain that these two Palaces are the exact same entity. However, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of there being two perfectly identical Palaces."
"Tell me..."
Chen Mang furrowed his brow. "Was it a mistake for me not to explore that Palace back then? The Naomi Civilization is separated from us by an unfathomable distance in both space and time. We have absolutely no relation to them, yet over the past couple of days, various events keep inexplicably tying me to the Naomi Civilization."
"Could it be—"
"That destiny is guiding me toward the Naomi Civilization?"
"Or perhaps my future self is guiding my present self to the Naomi Civilization?"
Back at the mining site, the chubby young man looked confused as the mysterious traveler remained silent for a long time. Soon, however, the traveler handed over a note, just as he usually did.
"Has your civilization gone to explore that palace? Did they find anything inside?"
"No,"
The chubby young man shook his head. "According to my dad, they're only doing a preliminary exploration. They haven't even entered the palace gates yet, so they haven't found anything. But judging from what my dad said, he seems very pessimistic. He feels like this event will bring an unstoppable disaster to our civilization."
"Are you not pessimistic?"
"Me? I'm alright. I don't know if I should be pessimistic or not. I just feel that all humans eventually die, and all civilizations eventually perish. Even god-tier civilizations can't avoid destruction; how could a Level Five civilization completely avoid it?"
"If the day of our destruction truly arrives, then it's simply our fate."
"I think mainstream society is very pessimistic. Everyone worries that our civilization might encounter a powerful enemy and be destroyed someday. The main issue is that people live far too long. If we were like low-level civilizations, with lifespans of only sixty or seventy years, no one would need to worry about any of this. After all, there's a high chance they wouldn't live to see that day anyway."
"When people live long enough, their worries just multiply."
"My dad once arranged blind dates for me. I only had one requirement: they had to be factory original. But as it turned out, not a single one was."
"You mean a virgin?"
"No."
The young man shook his head. "When I say factory original, I mean having zero mechanical organs in their body, and never having undergone physical restoration or life extension in a Medical Pod. Just like me: exactly as they were when they were born from their mother's womb. Purely original."
"Does your civilization not have this concept?"
"Going into a Medical Pod to restore yourself once counts as one reboot. Two restorations mean two reboots. If you haven't rebooted even once, you're considered original."
"I just always feel..."
"After going into a Medical Pod and getting completely restored, every cell and organ in your body is reset to one hundred percent. But is the person who walks out still really you? Sure, your memories are identical, but what if your memories were actually just extracted and stuffed into the body of a clone?"
"I'd rather die young than reboot my body."
The young man muttered softly. Ever since he was a child, he had been somewhat withdrawn and morbid. Ordinary people couldn't accept many of his ideas, so he didn't have many friends. Over time, he became even more reluctant to interact with others.
The mysterious traveler was one of the very few friends he had actively sought out over the years.
Moreover, this person's way of thinking clearly diverged from mainstream society as well, so he wouldn't think the young man was abnormal.
"Then why aren't you dead yet?"
"."
The young man froze slightly, looking blankly at the mysterious traveler in front of him. "Uh... well, I don't exactly want to die just yet."
The traveler clearly didn't think he was abnormal.
But now, he was beginning to feel that the traveler was a bit abnormal.
"What I meant is, does your civilization not research death? Do they not study where a person goes or what happens to them after they die?"
"And what is the world like after death?"