Chapter 6951: Civilized Beasts |
"So what are the other theories that you have come up with?" Ves asked. "While I am already convinced by the first one, I still want to learn what else you have devised."
This was all new to red humanity.
Humans had only just begun to explore the possibilities of phase lord body cultivation.
Their understanding of this development trajectory was nowhere near as detailed as their understanding of mech pilot willpower cultivation.
The lack of understanding and certainty created room for alternate explanations.
"The second theory that we came up with ignores the possible influence from this so-called heavenly authority." Vector Loban said. "While there is increasing proof that there is an overarching will that is not only biased towards the native aliens but actively intervenes to favor their beliefs, not every phenomena should automatically be attributed to them. A simpler explanation for what has happened to you is the phenomenon that a strong body is always governed by a strong mind or consciousness. If you rashly try to progress your phase lord cultivation without taking the time to strengthen your mental capacity to assert your control over your transcendent physique, then your body will spawn this consciousness by itself as a corrective measure."
Ves looked thoughtful when he heard this. The second theory was based on a different set of assumptions.
If he applied Occam's razor to his situation, then this was clearly the more plausible explanation for what happened.
It relied on fewer assumptions and did not require Ves to prove the existence of an active and partial heavenly authority.
"I have encountered instances in the past that corroborate this theory." Ves said as he thought back on the incident related to the Uranus. "I am not sure whether it can spawn a complete personality that happens to have a god complex, though. It is much more probable for my body to generate a feral and savage personality. From how Sev comported himself, it is clear that he is rational and in control of himself. That makes it less likely for this theory to be true."
Maria Abselon added her own opinion. "Large organisms generally tend to have more brain matter. Proportionately, their brains may still be small relative to the rest of their physical forms, but that does not discount their importance. When these brains grow larger, the organisms develop more cognitive abilities. They may not necessarily grow intelligent enough to communicate and build a civilization, but they are still stronger in mind than they appear on the surface. This is an especially noticeable phenomenon among large and old exobeasts and astral beasts. They are already intelligent enough to be sentient in their own right. The original form of Qilanxo is a good example."
Maria Abselon added her own opinion. "Large organisms generally tend to have more brain matter. Proportionately, their brains may still be small relative to the rest of their physical forms, but that does not discount their importance. When these brains grow larger, the organisms develop more cognitive abilities. They may not necessarily grow intelligent enough to communicate and build a civilization, but they are still stronger in mind than they appear on the surface. This is an especially noticeable phenomenon among large and old exobeasts and astral beasts. They are already intelligent enough to be sentient in their own right. The original form of Qilanxo is a good example."
"Wait."
Not many people had access to records of the fateful mission that sent Ves out of the frontier of human space for the first time.
That was one of the most exciting periods of his life. He had yet to found his clan and become burdened by responsibities. He traveled around, widened his horizons and came face-to-face with mass-murdering aliens.
He met and befriended the Flagrant Vandals and Lydia's Swordmaidens during these formative years. It was through those shared struggles that Ves and these outfits managed to forge a bond trust and camaraderie that lasted long after the mission.
What Ves focused on was not the people, but the exobeasts they had encountered after making landfall on the planet that gained the name of Aeon Corona VII.
How could he possibly forget about the colossal native landbeasts that prowled the surface while constantly mutating after getting exposed to higher-dimensional energies unleashed by malfunctioning FTL drives?
Ves was not entirely clear whether E energy was part of the mixture of higher-dimensonal energies that had spilled over from the other dimensions, but even if it was not true, it didn't matter too much.
What Ves encountered on the surface of Aeon Corona VII were humans struggling to maintain a civilization in an environment that actively degraded most forms of technology.
The human descendants from the Starlight Megalodon had degenerated into savages, one group having fallen even further than the other.
Nonetheless, these ignorant humans who had all but forgotten the splendor of the Common Fleet Alliance had come to worship those very same landbeasts as gods.
Why wouldn't they? To these ignorant humans that had gone native on Aeon Corona VII, they had no connection to the wider civilization of the Milky Way.
They lived in a primitive society that was devoid of the comforts and the advanced technologies that modern humans took for granted. Stuff as uncomplicated as data storage devices or the galactic net were entirely absent. This broke the chain of inheritance to these unfortunate descendants and caused them to regress on a technological level to an unbelievable degree!
These people who had forgotten about the power of technology were ignorant beyond belief.
When they saw the massive exobeasts that had rapidly adapted to the influx of higher-dimensional energies and mutated into greater organisms that also learned to manipulate a portion of the power of those very same energies, they saw gods in the flesh.
That was how exobeasts such as Qilanxo become worshiped as sacred gods.
What was funny was that the exobeasts did not kill or ignore the annoying humans who worshiped their destructive powers or their physically tall statures.
The exobeasts actually accepted the worship of the degenerated humans and even began to live alongside them! The two groups had come to depend on each other.
Ves couldn't help but see many parallels between the primitive society that Ves had encountered on Aeon Corona VII and the more contemporary native alien society in the Red Ocean.
"What are you thinking about, Ves?" Vector asked after Ves remained silent for a duration of several minutes.
"Are you familiar with my adventures on Aeon Corona VII?"
"I have read the classified reports. Ah. I see why you found reason to bring up this incident of the past."
The Farseer and the vice director of the LBI looked confused. They obviously hadn't been initiated to this particular secret.
"Can you share those reports to the two ladies, Vector?" Ves asked his Transhumanist friend. "This is the fastest way to bring them up to speed. I know that the events that took place on that blasted planet is classified, but… I don't think anyone cares about that anymore."
"You are correct. There is little value in withholding this information from the others."
Vector Loban proactively retrieved the relevant documents and transmitted them to the two women so that they could learn about what he had encountered.
Both women were extremely quick studies. It only took a short time for them to understand the key points of what Ves encountered in the past.
"What I just read not only conforms to our second theory, but also lends credence to our fourth theory." Maria Abselon said. "I am even more confident than before that both of these theories may be correct. These 'sacred gods' are the clearest proof yet that exobeasts can rise above their savagery through the power of faith."
Ves looked curious. "What is the fourth theory about?"
"On the surface, it is an extension of the second theory, but it encompasses so much more. It is based on the premise that the phase whales were originally exobeasts. Whether through evolution or through the deliberate manipulation of the so-called Elder Gods, this aquatic exobeast species began to grow stronger after absorbing phasewater and learning how to channe it in deliberate ways. However, that does not mean they have become civilized. We believe the early phase whales to be incredibly savage and brutal towards each other and other alien species. Once the violent and bloodthirsty phase whales gained the ability to warp through space, they likely abused their newfound powers to raid different star systems and rampage across the stars."
It was already obvious where the biotech scientists was taking this story.
Ves smirked and crossed his arms. "Let me guess. The nunsers, orvens and other aliens became so traumatized by the power of these primitive phase whales that they started to worship them as gods."
"That is the basis of the fourth theory. Whether this speculative history is accurate is not our job to ascertain. It does serve as a helpful stringboard that can explain the possible interconnection between faith and exobeasts. What if the predecessors of the modern aliens surrendered to the phase whales and worshiped them as gods?"
"Perhaps the servile behavior and lack of resistsance may have persuaded the phase whales to let these alien civilians live." Ves guessed.
Maria smiled. "We think that this has happened to the organisms of Aeon Corona VII as well. The sacred beasts were obviously exobeasts who mutated wildly and eventually wielded a form of extraordinary power. That should have made the more savage and willing to fight each other to a ruinous end. Instead, they became more intelligent and managed to suppress her irrational impulses, possibly with the help of the worship of all of those degenerated human survivors."
It was a beautfiul theory, and one that touch upon higher-level phenomena that could affect the course of history for a society or even an entire galaxy!
"So how does making comparisons between sacred gods and phase whales tie back to my condtion?" Ves asked.
"If our theories related to phase whales are true, then phase lords are intelligent aliens beings that are deliberately trying to evolve into intelligent exobeasts." Maria Abselon explained. "Every phase lord undergoes such a radical and extreme transformation that they become partial exobeasts. Even if they deny any equivalence to the savage alien beasts that are devoid of civilized thought, that does not necesssarily make them right. The stronger a phase lord becomes, the more he or she will become prone to degenerating into savages themselves. The only known means to keep them sober, rational and friendly towards civilization is the faith of many sentient beings. Just as the exobeasts of Aeon Corona VII transitioned into more benevolent and civlized gods, phase lords are able to suppress their growing savagery by forming a symbiotic bond with a flock of worshipers."
All of it made so much sense. They were like puzzle pieces that happened to fit perfectly together.
Ves had never imagined that phase whale body cultivation involved such controversial secrets.
It was not a surprise that the phase whales and phase lords of the Red Ocean did everything in their power to hide this controversal truth.
If the masses understood that their native gods were in fact savages that were constantly struggling to maintain their own rationality, then they were liable to treat phase leaders as monsters as opposed to gods!
In fact, people could even argue that there was never much of a difference between the two in the first place.
A powerful being that was hostile and murderous towards people was a monster.
A powerful being that was more benign and willing to protect a group of people was a god.
Was this the fundamental nature of godhood in the Red Ocean?
Ves did not dare to think whether there was any truth to these wild claims.
Personally, he believed that at least parts of the theory conformed to the truth, but he did not dare to voice his opinions in public for fear of single-handedly pissing off numerous of the most powerful aliens in this dwarf galaxy!
"You know what?" He spoke up. "Let's consult one of the beings who used to be one of the sacred gods. Qilanxo! Are you there? Let's talk!"
A powerful spiritual wave swept across the isolated chamber. A small manifestation of a lizard-like being appeared next to Ves.
Qilanxo had arrived, and looked ready to explain the nature of her past existence.