Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 237 - Chapter 237 Chapter 237 The Footsteps of History

Chapter 237: Chapter 237: The Footsteps of History Chapter 237: Chapter 237: The Footsteps of History In the ancient past, residential communities were based on clans within a tribal system, distributed in spots along habitable zones.

Because of the comfortable environment, coupled with their own long sleeping periods and short waking hours, waging war was quite difficult, and the entire civilization lacked truly ambitious figures.

Thus, during the several hundred thousand years of this ancient period, there was never a united community or a formation of a large nation.

This fragmented state was actually quite detrimental to the development of a civilization. Without much exchange, communication, and trade, at most only connected by some “minstrels,” the civilization was like stagnant water–how could there be any change?

It’s no wonder that in the several hundred thousand years before the “Enlighteners” appeared, the Gliese Civilization remained in a state of ignorance. But now things are different, with the passage of time, Glizerians have come to love these elegant “arts” with almost infinite potential!

They began to spontaneously yearn for the places where the “Enlighteners” once stayed–namely, the so-called Holy Mountain, Gor City!

Especially some smart Glizerians, after new academic discoveries, longed to interact with more intelligent beings. The number of geniuses within a tribe always numbered so few, and interacting with dunces was less satisfying if the latter could not understand.

Thus, a massive migration naturally took place!

It must be said that this social change was very peculiar, fundamentally different from that of humans. Humans gathered together for better survival, but Glizerians gathered for a better discussion of “art”!

As more and more tribes gathered at the “Holy Mountain,” not only would there be a clash of ideas, but naturally various contradictions, frictions, and related trade activities would also occur.

When the population exceeded fifty thousand, the original tribal rules, morals, and modes of production could no longer accommodate so many people, and naturally, major changes were needed.

So, against this historical backdrop, the first recognized sage of the entire civilization, a significant figure named “Gando,” arrived belatedly.

“Gando,” the most intelligent sage of the time, a great mathematician, the discoverer of the law of buoyancy, an agriculturalist, and the first Governor of Gor City, led the development of agriculture, feeding a larger population.

The reason why great people are called great is that their vision far exceeds the limitations of their time.

Gando was keenly aware of the limitations of his own civilization; in comparison to the grand Enlightener Civilization, the deficiencies were truly frightening.

Because the “Enlighteners” never rested!

Yet the Glizerians had to sleep for about ten days, only to wake up for two days. Everyone slept when they wanted to sleep and woke up when they desired to get up.

This sleep pattern made the entire civilization’s organization extremely poor and even made educating the next generation very difficult.

Imagine, even going to school, with students’ waking periods scattered, how could knowledge be passed down on a large scale? All relying on self-study?

Furthermore, the ideological tendencies of the civilization leaned towards indolence. To become a powerful civilization like the “Enlighteners” was really… very difficult.

As the first Governor of Gor City, Gando racked his brains, issuing a series of policies, unifying the system of measurements and currency, developing agriculture, and perfecting the corresponding laws.

The most controversial was a policy regarding sleep cycles.

Gando believed that only when all Glizerians’ sleep cycles were unified could they concentrate their efforts on great endeavors and make Gor City stronger!

This was a simple principle, yet exceptionally difficult, truly very difficult…

How much power could a natural government, which was not unified by violence but elected by the votes of the people, exert? And how strong could its enforcement be?

Witnessing this part of history, Zhang Yuan felt profoundly moved. The differences between civilizations were really too much!

Earth people, because of the Sun’s rising in the east and setting in the west, day and night, have a natural sleep-wake cycle that requires no unification.

Even all the biological organisms on Earth have their own sleep-wake cycles because of the planet’s rotation.

As a result, this civilization did not. The planet was tidally locked, with perpetual twilight outside, and the light in the underground cities was forever dim. Coupled with comparatively safe environments, they had no concept of time at all.

Implementing a “regulated sleep-wake schedule,” was quite frankly against their nature!

Not allowing sleep was no different from taking a life!

This wise individual named Gando, despite having made tremendous contributions to civilization and being highly esteemed, had also accumulated quite a few political enemies over a hundred-year governing career. Once this policy of enforcing unified sleep cycles was implemented, the political enemies seized the opportunity, and the angry masses almost ousted the Governor in a riotous manner.

Gando spent the rest of his life in constant turmoil, with no tribe daring to take him in, nor any tribe adopting the concept of regulated sleep schedules.

Zhang Yuan overheard two scientists whispering to each other nearby, “Gor City… Is that the underground city where our diplomatic team is staying?”

“Yes, probably the strongest city of this civilization… the center of science and culture,” one replied.

The march of history is tortuous and cyclical.

Only in the end… when the “regulated sleep-wake system” was truly born, was this wise individual named Gando reevaluated by future generations.

But by the time that happened, many, many years had passed since the great person’s death…

Zhang Yuan sighed softly. Aren’t humans the same?

Socrates was sentenced to death by a People’s Court and faced the threat of death without flinching, leaving behind only a famous quote, “Now, the moment of our parting has come; I go to die, and you continue to live. Yet no one knows which of those two states is the more pleasant one, except God.”

Giordano Bruno faced the blazing flames and the mad, ferocious believers and thundered against the tribunal, “You tremble more in pronouncing my judgment than I do in receiving it!”

Li Dazhao spoke passionately on the scaffold…

To be ahead by half a step is genius, a full step ahead — madness. Concepts that outpace the times are never easy to accept.

Sitting next to him, Li Zhendong commented, “Well, when you think about it, it’s not that surprising… Life tends to stay in its comfort zone, reluctant to change. If you were asked to upend your day and night, you certainly wouldn’t accept it without cause.”

Li Zhendong said, “Actually, I’m even more intrigued by the civilization called ‘Enlighteners’ who changed the historical course of the Gleize Civilization through a minimal effort approach. The Enlighteners… well, they must have done a good deed, right?”

Zhang Yuan nodded, “The good or bad state of a civilization can only be measured by the entropy function, which is a bit complicated to calculate. However, I also think the Enlighteners did a good thing.”

“But a planet’s darling is not necessarily the darling of the universe. The ultimate biological organism on a planet may only be rudimentary in the universe…”

“…Evolution always progresses just enough to suffice, not to perfection. Once it suffices, evolution stagnates…”

“The structure of our own human bodies hasn’t changed for a very long time…”

Compared to Earth, Gleize Civilization faced far too little survival pressure and its comfort zone was a bit too comfortable. Change was incredibly difficult.

The rest of the history is simple, following the exile of the wise “Gando,” since the sleeping habits of the entire population were never unified, there was no way to focus their efforts on significant tasks, and various chaos continued…