Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1211
Xu Yulan vaguely saw that the red mountain crab crawled out of the smoke. The 'shell' on the back was opened, and a guy in a red vest showed up, waving his hands and accepting the cheers of the workers with a smile.
She secretly complimented him but somehow felt that her hands were itching. Perhaps because of the heated scene of construction, she suddenly gained the idea of having a competition with the guy.
"Daughter…" Xu Yulan rubbed her fists. "The guy who operated the red mountain crab was quite impressive. Do you know who he is?"
Yan Jinzhi's face suddenly turned extremely weird. She thought for a long time but still found it hard to explain. "Well, mom. Please don't be surprised, but that is actually the new 'Black Wind King'. His name is Li Yao!"
Chapter 1879: All Are Winners |
"This feels good!"
Li Yao played in the 'mountain crab' for a long time before he squatted near the farmland to observe how the magical equipment that could transform broken rocks into soil with special nutrition liquids and base materials worked. He also carefully studied the whole process of the immigrant starships of the Imperium unfolding into modern towns and bases. He could not have felt more comfortable and exhilarated.
It was not because he was pretentious enough to intentionally show his approachableness but because of his nature.
He had always been a fan of magical equipment. All kinds of magical equipment, whether civil or military, he loved them as long as they were advanced and innovative enough and could not stop himself from playing with them in person.
The Imperium of True Human Beings boasted state-of-the-art technology. Both the military magical equipment such as crystal suits and arsenal starships and the civil magical equipment such as the 'mountain crab' or the immigrant starships had a lot of good points. Many of the designs and operation patterns were extraordinarily creative, making the devices great eye-openers for Li Yao.
Instead of being involved in the complicated political struggle and scheming against a bunch of sophisticated officials, Li Yao would rather spend all his time on Boneyard dismantling the civil magical equipment of the Imperium while enjoying the great atmosphere where everybody was working together to develop the wilderness into a wonderful home from scratch. It was something that he felt really happy about!
At this moment, the awkwardness that Li Yao had when he was coerced onto the throne of 'Black Wind King' was finally gone. He had to admit that it was the best option. It was a win-win, no, a win-win-win-win. The federation, the Black Wind Fleet, the Ancient Sages Sector, and even the rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic on Firefly could all benefit from such cooperation.
The Star Glory Federation was naturally the greatest winner.
The first trophies that they claimed were not the warships of the Black Wind Fleet that had been armed to the teeth but the immigrant fleets, which housed countless technical staff and colonization technology of the Imperium.
Before the massive assault of the Black Wind Fleet, the Star Glory Federation had already hit the bottleneck after a hundred golden years of development. The main reason was that the speed of expansion was too high for the development of the colonization technology, which resulted in the high imbalance of population, resources, and regional development. A lot of subsequent structural problems and internal division were raised, too.
The Star Glory Federation boasted a population of a hundred billion and seven Sectors. On the surface, there were slightly more than ten billion people for each Sector, which was perfect.
But in fact, the distribution of the population was too abnormal.
On one hand, the highly-developed worlds such as the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Uranian Ring Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector boasted more than eighty percent of the population of the entire federation. It had long surpassed the limits of the environment capacity. Urban diseases, resource shortages, and aging problems were getting more and more severe. A lot of measures to control the population had to be taken.
On the other hand, the Water Crystal Sector, the Forest Ocean Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the resource planets such as Boneyard had a very low speed of development due to the lack of effective population because the environment was too harsh for people to live in.
Those worlds did not necessarily lack precious resources, but it was certainly not easy for the ordinary people to settle in and develop the deserts of the Water Crystal Sector, where wind raged; the primitive forests in the Forest Ocean Sector, which were brimming with venomous bugs and gas; or the wastelands in the Nether World Sector, which were full of radiation.
With the technological reserve and available forces in the federation at that time, it was impossible to modify all those places comprehensively. Even if they had gritted their teeth for development without caring about the cost, the resources to be devoted to the projects would far exceed the total quantity of the resources that the projects could yield in the following hundred years. With the great enemy coming right at them, it would have been a suicidal action.
Therefore, the federation could only drool over the resources hidden deep within those worlds while fantasizing about the wonderful future.
Take Boneyard, which Li Yao was on, for example.
Speaking of which, Li Yao was sort of connected with Boneyard. Years ago, as a member of the Occult Orbs Fellowship of the federation, he had been one of the first natives of the federation to step on the planet. Later, he had discovered Sparkle, a multipurpose exploration starship of the Star Ocean Imperium, in this place and sacrificed himself to defeat Skeleton Dragon with Sparkle. Eventually, he had jumped to the Flying Star Sector and begun a soul-stirring interstellar journey.
Since Boneyard was a camp for Skeleton Dragon, an expert demon from forty thousand years ago, and demons were of the same origin as humans, this place naturally had an atmosphere, breathable air, a relatively steady tectonic structure, and standard gravity.
Compared to the planets made of fatal acids, this place was almost a paradise. Also, together with the facilities deep below the ground left by Skeleton Dragon, it should have become a rather acceptable settlement, or at least an area of resource collection.
However, the surging tides on the ocean that could easily be thousands of meters tall wrecked the hundreds of kilometers near the shoreline on a regular basis. The inland was made of continuous mountains that were utterly barren.
In such an abnormal environment, even if a large batch of sturdy demons were sent over after a long journey, it would still be difficult for them to yield any kinds of resources effectively.
Therefore, the federation's development on Boneyard had always been postponed in the past hundred years. Only a few Cultivators and expert demons had established some settlements and exploration stations there, but such facilities were never expanded. It was the same case for the deserts in the Water Crystal Sector, the jungles in the Forest Ocean Sector, and the wastelands in the Nether World Sector.
So, the Black Wind Fleet's surrender was definitely timely.
The fleet near the brown dwarf under Di Feiwen's command had nothing but logistical troops that carried tremendous military assets and immigrant starships that housed millions of civilians. No wonder it required the planning of a 'merchant'.
The immigrant starships stood for the essence of the colonization technology of the Imperium, which were at least one generation more advanced than the federation's. With the technological help that they outputted incessantly, the large-scale modification and development on Boneyard, the Water Crystal Sector, the Forest Ocean Sector, and the Nether World Sector was finally a possibility.
The federation had regarded Boneyard, the Water Crystal Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector as settlements to accept the civilians in the Black Wind Fleet not just because of humanitarianism or petty kindness.
On the one hand, the federation needed the technology and specialists of the Black Wind Fleet to modify the harsh environment and change the desolate lands in the shortest amount of time possible so that the environment would be more favorable for more people of the federation to migrate there.
On the other hand, a large batch of specialists, technical staff, and apprentices had moved to the place to work together with the specialists of the Black Wind Fleet to build a new home and learn the most advanced colonization technology of the Imperium.
The universe was a vast place. There were a lot of planets from which some juice could be squeezed out. However, the federation could only watch those planets from afar because of the technological restrictions.
Once they had learned the advanced technology of the Imperium, the federation would be able to start a new round of expansion and make the comprehensive national power leap again!
Of course, necessary wariness was still needed. The federation would certainly not do such a stupid thing as to open the door for the burglar, waiting to be robbed.
Li Yao knew himself very well and was aware that his title as 'Black Wind King' was only nominal. He did not intend to be involved in the political struggles for long.
However, he did have a very suitable candidate who could be at his service—his disciple, Jin Xinyue!
Jin Xinyue was a woman practically born for schemes and power. After her 'Dim Moon Plan' almost screwed up, she had been keeping a low profile. But it did not mean that her ambitions had completely hibernated. She was merely looking for new battlefields and new prey.
Boneyard became a new stage for Jin Xinyue, and accepting and educating everyone in the Black Wind Fleet from 'Immortal Cultivators' to 'hominoids' became her new challenge. The queen of demons enjoyed the arduous task as if it were sugar and was smart enough to mobilize a batch of muscular demons from the Blood Demon Sector as the first safety measure.
Li Yao believed that Jin Xinyue must have grown even more after the death of her father, Jin Tuyi, one of the best strategists in the federation. At the very least, the tiny proportion of guys in the Black Wind Fleet who had ill intentions would not be able to get away from her eyes. It was probably the best place for her right now.
As for the second 'safety measure', it was Firefly.
After the news that the Star Glory Federation secured an unbelievable victory in the space battle more than half a year ago was spread to Firefly, the people of the rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic could not have been more stunned.
Everyone was even more dumbfounded, even including Speaker Cui Lingfeng and Captain Tang Dingyuan, when they learned that the so-called 'Team Red Lotus' actually consisted of experts at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage from the Ancient Sages Sector each having a Colossus, and their 'captain' was the legendary Vulture Li Yao.
After the details of the battle were presented to them one after another, including the scheme of the extraterrestrial devils, the assault of the Black Wind Fleet, and the dominance of Li Yao, the integration of Firefly and the Star Glory Federation was finally devoid of all suspense. The starship that had fled and drifted in the dark universe for a thousand years finally sailed into a new home.
Right now, regarding the name and the architectural details, the legislators of the two parties were still negotiating. But Firefly had already jumped to Boneyard from the Dragon Snake Space Zone and landed to the surface of the planet after loosening the hundreds of starships that were connected to it before.
The Cultivators of the rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic and the Immortal Cultivators of the Black Wind Fleet were certainly not in the most harmonious relationship. Thankfully, Boneyard was a vast, unpopulated place with too much undeveloped land. Each of them occupied an area of relatively flat hills and co-existed parallel to the settlement of demons led by Jin Xinyue. Together with the Cultivators of the federation who were mixed among the immigrants of the Black Wind Fleet as 'volunteers' and the 'rebirth schools' that were founded to monitor and educate the Immortal Cultivators, there was no need to worry that any fellow with ill intentions would raise any further trouble.
Chapter 1880: After the Choice |
Li Yao was relieved to see the brand-new settlements growing into scale, wondering if there was indeed such a thing called 'fate' that was guiding them to find the best path.
If he had refused Di Feiwen's proposal a few months ago, or if the commander of the fleet near the brown dwarf had not been a 'merchant' like Di Feiwen who was open to compromises and negotiations but another relentless 'soldier' like Heiye Ming, the federation and the Black Wind Fleet would have been vastly different.
The immigrant starships before his eyes, as well as the civilians on them and the knowledge and technology in their minds to reshape the new world, would have been reduced to dust in the war. While the Black Wind Fleet's doom was certain, the federation's pace of development would have greatly slowed. It would have been impossible to resist the invasion of a second or a third army from the Imperium. Eventually, it would end up in the abyss of destruction together with the Black Wind Fleet.
Now, even if the homeland of the Imperium had learned of their existence, there was still a chance to deal with the problem!
While combining the Black Wind Fleet and Firefly, the federation would pay most of its attention to the Ancient Sages Sector.
More precisely, their focus would be the intact warship as well as the base of the Pangu Clan that was covered by the Nuwa warship in the Land of Eternal Night in the Ancient Sages Sector.
The technology of the Nuwa Clan and the Pangu Clan would make up for the missing parts of the technology on Kunlun effectively. By analyzing and completing the puzzles, the federation would eventually develop a better ability to defend themselves in local wars against the wild tides from the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance.
The Ancient Sages Sector was now at the last phase of a dynamical cycle, too. The barren land could not afford such a huge population. A lot of homeless peasants and rebels had risen up, leading to countless massacres and tragedies.
Naturally, the federation would not turn a blind eye on it. Very soon, a large batch of the population would be moved to Boneyard after preliminary modification and start their new life.
In Li Yao's design, Boneyard would be built into a 'special district of reform'.
The federation was too small, and the Imperium was too huge. It was impossible for the federation to conquer every world at the center of the cosmos or kill all the Immortal Cultivators.
It might or might not be technically possible, but such a choice was difficult to make from the moralistic point of view.
The Immortal Cultivators were two-faceted creatures. They were cold, heartless tyrants, but when faced with the Alliance of the Holy Covenant and the extraterrestrial devils, which were even more inhumane, they were also the most resolute defenders of the civilization of mankind.
From what Li Yao had learned in the last six months, the Immortal Cultivators often refused to surrender even if they were the last soldiers standing in the battles against the Covenant Alliance.
If the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium were fighting the puppets of the Covenant Alliance bloodily on the frontline, it would be hard for the Cultivators of the federation to stab them in the back.
How the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators could live in peace; how the Immortal Cultivators should be educated and transformed; how the obedient, ignorant 'hominoids' could be changed into modern citizens with vision, ambition, and the ability to realize their will… All the questions would be tested in the 'special district' to find out the answer.
Standing atop a fold that had an altitude difference of several thousand meters and observing the heated, obstreperous site of construction below him, Li Yao considered such questions with great curiosity.
In a place slightly lower on the fold, Di Feiwen, the leader of the Immortal Cultivators, and Cui Lingfeng, the Speaker of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic, were negotiating with their saliva dashing out.
For a long time in the future, the two highly incompatible forces would be forced to live on the same planet, fight the cruel nature side by side, and develop their shared home. Naturally, the two leaders had all the words in the world, or rather, all the profanities, that they would like to pour on each other.
Seeing that the faces of the two sophisticated leaders were both pale, Li Yao could not help but feel amused.
It occurred to him that the two guys were indeed quite similar.
Di Feiwen regarded himself as an insignificant businessman and claimed that he was an impious Immortal Cultivator. Cui Lingfeng, on the other hand, did everything possible for the survival of Firefly and called himself a 'bad Cultivator'.
What was the difference between an 'impious Immortal Cultivator' and a 'bad Cultivator'?
Very soon, the two of them ended their argument and crawled up the mountaintop.
Di Feiwen was the first to reach the summit. His eyes stopped on Li Yao's eye-catching red vest and especially the few words 'Red Star Voluntary Service' on the back of it for a long time, while he took a long, long breath, not sure how he should comment on Li Yao's style.
"How about it, General Di? Did you have a pleasant talk with Speaker Cui? It's fine if you have some minor conflicts. You can always communicate with Jin Xinyue later. She is quite friendly. I've already talked to her. Whatever your problems might be, she will try to help you solve them."
Li Yao grinned. Pointing at the heated construction site below, he said, "In any case, the Black Wind Fleet has finally taken the first step toward its rebirth. I prefer the Black Wind Fleet in front of my eyes right now to the one raging in space.
"Before, I was not very confident. But after seeing this scene before me, I suddenly became certain that the Immortal Cultivators could really change into Cultivators. What do you think?"
Staring at the valley, Di Feiwen casually said, "I don't want to ruin your fun, so I think I should keep my mouth shut."
