Chapter 369: "If You Can Draw This Bow" |
"The Kasa Civilization?"
Chen Mang nodded thoughtfully, standing on the street and looking around. He was currently on a planet within the Rugged Civilization. This was not a commercial hub designed to be the focal point of a star system, nor was it a bustling tourist destination.
It certainly was not a military stronghold or an industrial powerhouse either.
It was simply an ordinary residential planet.
There was absolutely nothing remarkable about it.
Its sole purpose was to house a portion of the Rugged Civilization's population. However, planets like this often provided the truest reflection of a civilization's grassroots lifestyle.
The Kasa Civilization.
He remembered this civilization well. After all, it was one of the most powerful factions he had encountered shortly after leaving Water Blue Star. At that time, the Kasa Civilization was no different from gods in his eyes, an almost entirely insurmountable existence.
He naturally knew that their birth rate was abysmally low, a problem that even the Kasa Civilization themselves could not solve. He just never expected that it was actually the secret doing of the Green Mountain Civilization.
"How did they manage it?"
"Through a sexually transmitted virus," Xiao Ai replied.
"Sex? If that was the transmission method, it shouldn't have spread so widely. To lower an entire race's birth rate, it would need to affect at least ninety percent of the population. HIV is also sexually transmitted, yet you don't see ninety percent of any race infected with it."
Chen Mang shook his head. "As far as I know, the Kasa Civilization only suffered from a bit of corruption. There was no rampant promiscuity. There had to be another method of transmission."
Xiao Ai nodded and continued, "It wasn't entirely physical. The sexually transmitted virus engineered by the Green Mountain Civilization did not require actual intercourse to spread. As long as you had a sexual fantasy about someone, it would be transmitted to them with absolute certainty."
"For example—"
"If you were walking down the street and saw a beautiful woman, and your mind suddenly wandered into inappropriate thoughts. Even if you did nothing at all, never approached her to talk, and certainly never acted on it, the moment that thought crossed your mind, the virus was transmitted."
"Celebrities, needless to say, were among the very first victims."
"Furthermore..."
"Adolescent boys and girls often experience fleeting, intrusive thoughts even when looking at their parents, cousins, or other relatives. These passing sexual fantasies, which they would never act upon, are a normal part of puberty and human development."
"But under the influence of this virus, it became a fatal vulnerability."
"According to the statistical data compiled by the Green Mountain Civilization, an average person, regardless of gender, will only have actual physical relations with about six people in their lifetime."
"However, they will have fantasy-based sexual encounters with at least three thousand nine hundred and twenty-nine people."
"Therefore—"
"This method of transmission engulfed the entire Kasa Civilization almost instantly. After seeing how remarkably effective their experiment was, the Green Mountain Civilization refined the virus and set their sights on the Rugged Civilization."
"That last part is my own speculation. There is no concrete evidence to prove it; the Green Mountain Civilization covered their tracks immaculately."
"I see."
Chen Mang nodded slightly, tilting his head up to gaze at the starry sky. "So, the reason the Green Mountain Civilization attacked the Dead End Star System wasn't just to smother the potential threat of our Human Civilization in its cradle. They also wanted to completely erase the Dead End Star System."
"The Dead End Star System likely harbored residual evidence of the Green Mountain Civilization's plot against the Rugged Civilization. Even that experiment on the Kasa Civilization must have left traces behind."
"The Green Mountain Civilization feared that the rapid development of the Human Civilization would draw the attention of the Rugged Civilization, leading to the exposure of their dark secrets."
"Although the Rugged Civilization is currently leaderless..."
"If they were to discover what the Green Mountain Civilization did, the entire race's collective fury would easily be enough to annihilate them."
"No wonder..."
"No wonder the Green Mountain Civilization was willing to take such a massive risk to destroy the Dead End Star System."
"That is exactly what I find difficult to understand," Xiao Ai said, her tone laced with confusion. "Logically speaking, the Green Mountain Civilization cleaned up very thoroughly. They left almost no residual data within their own network, which means they should have also wiped away their traces in the Dead End Star System. Was it really necessary to take such a huge risk just to make a special trip?"
"It was."
Chen Mang nodded softly. "Every cheating spouse deletes the evidence of their infidelity as cleanly as possible. But when their partner goes through their social media accounts or their phone, they will still panic. They will still doubt whether they truly deleted everything."
"The Green Mountain Civilization panicked."
"And so they chose to reduce my Dead End Star System into a two-dimensional state. That way, it would be foolproof."
"The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get. Damn it..."
Although there was no concrete proof of the Green Mountain Civilization's conspiracy, the deduction was essentially complete.
If...
If he had leaked this information to the Rugged Civilization before going to war with the Green Mountain Civilization, he probably wouldn't have even needed to lift a finger. Of course, he would never do that. If he had, all those vast resources would have simply been handed over to someone else on a silver platter.
"..."
Chen Mang strolled through a city on the planet known as Qiu Shan Star. Passersby occasionally cast peculiar glances his way. There was no hostility in their eyes, only a sense of odd curiosity.
The dominant species within the Rugged Civilization were not humans, but the Star Arrow Clan.
Before making their choice to become God's Chosen, their physical appearance was entirely indistinguishable from ordinary humans.
However, upon becoming a Berserker, their bodies would undergo a drastic transformation within just a few short months—turning red, thickening, and growing taller until they appeared exceedingly muscular and burly.
Conversely, if they became a Divine Archer, their stature would turn tall and slender. Their ears would become pointed, and a third eye would open on their forehead.
Every member of the Star Arrow Clan would decide to become either a Berserker or one of God's Chosen based on their innate abilities upon turning eighteen. Until then, they simply resembled ordinary humans.
This was just an ordinary residential planet.
Not some bustling tourist destination.
The people on this planet only knew that their civilization was a seventh-level civilization, and they were ignorant of much else. They had no idea how vast their civilization's territory was, how many star systems it contained, how many other civilizations existed within it, what bordered their territory, or what truly lay out there in the depths of the universe.
They were completely clueless about such matters.
Nor had they interacted much with people from other civilizations.
Therefore, in the eyes of the locals, Chen Mang and his group appeared to be a bunch of unawakened, underage children. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, they looked unusually mature for their age.
A group of rather mature-looking children walking down the street naturally drew more than a few second glances.
"Would this even do any damage?"
Chen Mang stood inside a store called Zhi Hao Weapon Shop, weighing a massive axe in his hands as he muttered to himself. This civilization possessed a small amount of technology typical of train-based civilizations, such as Wormholes and the like.
But for the most part, the train-civilization products within their borders were strictly utilized for daily life and transportation.
They had absolutely nothing to do with combat power.
This civilization's sole source of military strength came entirely from these God's Chosen.
It was just that...
He highly doubted whether these axes and bows could truly pack any real punch. They might be fine to play around with on the ground, but in the cold vacuum of a space station or the depths of the universe, would these primitive weapons even be worth looking at?
To ascend to a seventh-level civilization, a necessary prerequisite was possessing an attack intensity in the three-hundred-thousand energy range. That was equivalent to a level 3000 Prismatic-grade accessory. Could this mere axe really unleash a strike comparable to a level 3000 Akhenaten Light Energy Main Cannon?
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
The shop owner's face betrayed a hint of displeasure. "Every single weapon in my shop is not some mass-produced, assembly-line garbage. Each one was personally forged by a master blacksmith. Their power is absolutely unquestionable."
"This axe is called the Open Heaven Axe, green-grade, level 30." "You're still a hairless child who can't use this weapon. Have your father come; he'll know just how formidable this weapon is!"
"..."
Chen Mang didn't get angry at the gunpowder in the owner's words. He merely gave a slight nod. It seemed this civilization disliked industrialized, assembly-line production and placed far more faith in master hand-forging.
The Rugged Civilization encompassed a total of thirty-nine star systems.
Just how many master blacksmiths would they need to satisfy a market of that scale?
"What is that?"
He looked up at a colossal tiger head specimen mounted on the wall. This tiger head was incredibly large, spanning a full seven or eight meters wide, taking up almost an entire wall.
"Oh, that..."
The owner let out a heavy cough, planting his hands on his hips and raising his chin with unmistakable pride. "To tell you the truth, I am a level 78 Berserker. That is a starry sky behemoth I slew out in the cosmos with a sharp axe back in my youth!"
"Well, how about it?"
"It's a pretty decent size, eh?"
"It's not bad..."
Chen Mang nodded, a strange glint flashing through his eyes. 'Slaying a starry sky behemoth with nothing but raw personal strength?'
That was indeed quite fierce.
"But why is your starry sky behemoth so small? The starry sky behemoths I've seen are measured in lightyears."
"..."
The owner stared at Chen Mang with a deadpan expression, his voice dropping to a gravelly tone. "Are you looking for trouble, kid? Aside from a few special starry sky behemoths that have been modified into Universe Ge Lei, since when has a starry sky behemoth ever been measured in lightyears?"
"Even the larger ones are only a million kilometers long at most."
"'The ones you've seen'..."
"Listen here, kid."
"You have to measure this world with your own feet and see it with your own eyes. Reading a few idle tales in books or watching a few videos doesn't mean you've seen the world. Wait until you've actually witnessed it with your own two eyes before you use the phrase 'I've seen'."
By this time, Chen Mang's attention had already been drawn to a bow hanging at the very top of one of the walls. His eyes narrowed slightly. For some inexplicable reason, his hands suddenly itched to try the bow out.
"That bow up there. Take it down and let me have a look."
"You?"
The owner looked Chen Mang up and down before using a hook to bring the bow down. He handed it over. "Here, knock yourself out. Every kid who comes into my shop to pick out their adult weapon always asks to look at this bow."
"But looking is all you'll be doing. I advise you not to get your hopes up. It's been a very long time since anyone has managed to become a Divine Archer."
"Just resign yourself to being a Berserker."
"This bow is blue-grade, level 50."
"Until you become a Divine Archer and acquire the 'Bow Draw Assist' skill, it is absolutely impossible to draw this bow. Do you know what 'Power Steering' is?"
"Without power steering, it's virtually impossible to turn a steering wheel. This bow works the exact same way. Without awakening as a God's Chosen, trying to draw this bow with nothing but raw physical strength..."
"...is pure fantasy."
"If you can draw this bow..."
The very next moment—
The owner's voice caught in his throat, coming to an abrupt halt.
Chen Mang had taken the bow, pinched the bowstring between two fingers, and steadily applied pressure. The bowstring was pulled back into a full crescent moon. At the same time, an unseen force tugged at his senses; he felt as though a nearby planet was being drawn upon by his will. A brilliantly multicolored energy arrow slowly materialized on the bowstring.
It radiated terrifying ripples of energy.
"T-this..."
The owner's eyes bulged with sheer disbelief. He stared breathlessly at the volatile energy arrow that looked ready to detonate before finally snapping out of his daze. "Don't shoot it inside the shop! It'll blow the place up!"
Chen Mang stepped outside the shop and aimed the arrow at the sky.
With a deafening sonic boom, the prismatic arrow tore into the sky and detonated high in the atmosphere, triggering a significant spatial distortion. The sheer power of that single strike was undeniably formidable...
"Now that's quite interesting," he murmured.
He looked at the bow in his hands, still craving a bit more action. The power of that shot was equivalent to a level 40 Hellfire Cannon. While such firepower was entirely useless to the current Stellar Train, however...
He had to admit.
This thing was incredibly engaging to use. That profound sensation of establishing a connection with a planet, and then watching the arrow gradually manifest from that bond...
It was downright exhilarating!
In truth, it was simply borrowing a planet's Core Energy. Whether it was the mechanics of a train-based civilization or the mystical arts of a Cultivation civilization, the fundamental essence was all the same—just utilizing the universe's energy through different mediums.
But...
It just felt incredibly good to use!
This was a good toy. He could keep it to play around with in his free time.
"How much is it? I'll buy it."
When he turned his head to look at the shop owner, he found the man frozen in place. The owner's lips had turned pale, and his bloodshot eyes were fixated directly on Chen Mang. "Kid... Do you have any idea what it means that you can draw this bow?"
"Does it mean I can awaken as a Divine Archer in the future?"
Chen Mang raised an eyebrow and smiled casually. He naturally wasn't going to become a Divine Archer; his ability was entirely due to the racial talent granted to him by 'Bread'.
"No!"
"It's far more than just that!"
The shop owner's voice grew frantic. "It is absolutely destined that you will become a Divine Archer! In fact, you will be the very first person on Qiu Shan Star to become a Divine Archer in years! But the most important part is..."
"That arrow you just fired wasn't a physical arrow!"
"That is the 'Star Arrow', a skill that only high-level Divine Archers can acquire!"
"By extracting a planet's energy, you can fire off a vastly powerful Star Arrow. And yet, the very first time you ever touched a bow, you managed to do it entirely on your own without a master!"
"With this kind of talent..."
"With this kind of potential..."
"As long as you don't perish prematurely, you might even pass the trial for the Holy Arrow and become the absolute leader of the entire Star Arrow Clan!"
"The Rugged Civilization has not seen a Lord Holy Arrow in a very, very long time."
The shop owner's tone grew increasingly agitated and feverish. By the end of his rant, his legs inexplicably gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. With bloodshot, teary eyes, he shouted in a trembling voice, "The Rugged Civilization is finally going to welcome back its true leader!!!"
Right at that moment.
Xiao Ai, standing quietly by his side, spoke up softly. "Captain."
"I am detecting massive spatial fluctuations surrounding Qiu Shan Star. Twenty-eight Wormholes were opened simultaneously just a moment ago, and new Wormholes are continuously forming. A large number of people are rapidly converging on Qiu Shan Star."
"Their objective is unknown."