Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 384 - 382: The Logical Ruthlessness

Chapter 384: Chapter 382: The Logical Ruthlessness

Yes, these tree hearts, stored for hundreds of thousands, even millions of years, transformed into fossil resources, are indeed of exceptional quality, comparable to the finest oil. With a certain industrial base, they could refine a large amount of chemical raw materials.

Including some that can burn in a low-oxygen environment, with very high caloric value, providing a solid foundation for the industrial revolution.

One scientist analyzed, "The method for industrially separating oxygen is quite simple... There is oxygen in the atmosphere of this planet, so it is not completely devoid of oxygen, hence, compress and liquefy the air first, then according to the different boiling points of each gas, separate out the oxygen."

"As long as the temperature is controlled above -195.8℃ but below -183℃, one can obtain a large amount of high-concentration oxygen. The economic cost of this industrial separation method is quite low."

"With enough oxygen, subsequent development will naturally follow."

But all these premises are based on the Riley Civilization being able to develop scientific technologies! Only then could they enjoy enormous benefits in their subsequent development.

If, over the next ten million years, they stubbornly clung to their religion without any progress, they would gain nothing and instead would court their own destruction.

"This is the real truth!"

Upon reaching this point in the discussion, almost everyone fell into a subtle mood, accompanied by a faint sense of dread.

Some people were in a quite excited state, witnessing the ideological influence of a more powerful civilization and couldn’t help but find this "Enlightener Civilization" quite intriguing.

Others were reflecting, "This civilization is stronger and more benevolent than Humans, but also more ruthless. Yet, this ruthlessness is easily accepted by us. Is it a... logical ruthlessness?"

"The Enlighteners" gave the Riley Civilization ten million years.

The carbon fixation by the World Tree is slow, and the extinction of species is also slow... It would take at least ten million years to cause massive species death.

If, after ten million years, the Riley Civilization remained as it is now, what more is there to say?

Even the most merciful person would only lament that the Riley people themselves were lackluster. If they were to go extinct, then so be it.

One civilization helping another cannot be limitless—enjoying the convenience of a higher level civilization must come with its influences, bearing the thought patterns of a more advanced civilization...

This is somewhat like the strange regulation found within Earth Civilization’s wildlife conservation societies: Do not rescue or feed wild animals.

Wild animals must either be taken into zoos for rescue or left to survive on their own.

People often see on television, animals hungry and emaciated for lack of food, with hungry offspring too, thus eliciting the greatest degree of sympathy from viewers, who then donate generously.

In such cases, viewers may not understand why feeding wild animals is prohibited.

Why don’t the photographers rescue the wild animals?

The reasons are manifold; on one hand, there’s a fear that these wild animals will develop dependence, losing their instincts. On the other hand, the wild animals that need assistance are often the physically weak, old ones or those with various physiological and physical defects in the animal population.

These individuals get naturally selected out, becoming meals for other animals.

For Nature, this was a normal phenomenon of natural selection, where only by eliminating the weak and the flawed could a population ensure that it consisted of superior individuals with excellent genes, allowing the species to develop and flourish.

At the same time, the so-called "old, weak, sick, and disabled" were also a meal for other creatures; if humans were to save a certain wild animal from a television program, it might result in the death of other animals due to a lack of food.

Using this principle by analogy, if a civilization did not advance yet still held the top of the food chain on a planet, it undoubtedly appeared pathological in the eyes of some interstellar civilizations.

"Moreover, after planting the World Tree and the mass extinction of species, this planet will possess a higher concentration of oxygen, more conducive to the birth of complex life forms."

After one hundred million, two hundred million, three hundred million years, microbes capable of breaking down the "tree heart" would inevitably evolve... The entire ecosystem would gradually tend toward balance.

After four hundred million years, species began to burst forth anew.

Five hundred million years later, it was possible that new intelligent life would emerge in this world, ecstatically discovering the precious fossil fuels buried deep underground, and thus initiating their own Industrial Age.

However, regarding the history of this dead civilization, the new civilization would never know... Even if they did, they would only curse "Stupidity," and that would be that.

The transformation of seas into mulberry fields, the changes of the world—this was the true Universe!

Who had decreed that a species, even a species possessing wisdom, must exist in the Universe? Merely because it had intelligence, could sense the existence of "self"?

In the midst of this discussion, everyone felt a very pure idea emanating from the Enlightener Civilization.

If you do not progress, then please die and make room for the civilizations that follow.

Of course, according to the view of most people, the Enlightener Civilization was still a very kind and intelligent civilization... People could only glimpse little bits of its philosophy through its actions.

Hearing Zhang Yuan’s reasoning and speculation, Li Zhendong found himself momentarily unable to refute.

The entire event was already very logical.

If the other party was the so-called "harvester of organic matter," how could they not simply exterminate the native civilization? These native civilizations represented a huge variable, like pests in crops; as long as they developed a certain level of industrialization, they would preemptively use up those fossil fuels, and what then would there be to harvest?

In the end, Professor Li Zhendong said, "I still suggest that if we reach the next Life Planet, we need to carry out a strict investigation of the native civilization for any traces related to the Enlightener Civilization... including the presence of traps that led to extinction millions or tens of millions of years later, similar to the Riley Civilization."

"Whether this civilization’s actions are benevolent or malevolent could involve Earth itself, and we cannot be too careful."

Many experts discussed this for a while and collectively believed that such traps likely did not exist on Earth... and even if they did, humans would have already passed that stage.

But Zhang Yuan still nodded and said, "That’s no problem, as for the actions of the Enlightener Civilization 150,000 years ago, it will definitely be a focus of our upcoming interstellar journey. I will also ask the Badit people to see if they have any relevant information."

In the ensuing silence, everyone gradually left, and Zhang Yuan returned to his captain’s office and sighed softly.

After such discussion, humans were not inclined to help the Riley people much more.

In this transaction, humanity had already given them some basic knowledge, which could be considered doing all that is morally right. If the Riley people put this knowledge aside and led themselves to extinction, how could it be blamed on humans?

"Yes, it’s no big deal; let it be, alas..."