Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 473 - 471: The Subsequent Path of Development

Chapter 473: Chapter 471: The Subsequent Path of Development

After modifying the primal drive of genetics, survival was no longer the primary concern, and instead, other things, such as beliefs or certain desires, became the leading purpose of life, thereby avoiding the potential for degeneracy.

But this also created other problems... Nothing is perfect, Level 5 Civilizations, too, have contradictions amongst themselves.

"When the direction of progress between different civilizations conflicts, these clashing civilizations could potentially unleash the most dangerous wars."

"Our primary concern is survival, from which various complex interests arise, whereas they do not mind sacrificing their lives for their beliefs."

"So, fundamentally, there’s a significant difference in the way of thinking. Do you understand what I’m explaining?"

Humans, of course, could understand these things. Civilizations below Level 4, including those at Level 4, don’t have many contradictions because of the vast resources in the vast cosmos. Most civilizations are ordinary and lack the ability even to venture into space; they simply don’t have sufficient motivation to spark interstellar wars. Especially after reaching the stage of a Level 4 Civilization with the possession of Planet Fortresses and Curvature Technology, they could just squat in any corner of the Milky Way with their Planet Fortress, making it very difficult for Level 5 Civilizations to detect them.

Even for human civilization with its current third-level technology, isn’t it enough? Of course, it’s enough!

The New Human Civilization could achieve tremendous wealth in a matter of minutes if desired, using the current system of intelligent robot manufacturing to allow the vast majority of people not to work and still lead lives of leisure, just like humans in the Sakura World.

But people dare not!

Even with significantly improved civic qualities, they still don’t dare. Examples from various Virtual Worlds are living antitheses, dissected and studied every few months. If people lived too freely without life pressures, the vast majority would become waste-like beings. This is precisely why inside the New Human Civilization, various economic systems exist, including the Civilization Contribution System.

On the other hand, these low-level interstellar civilizations are usually afraid of death and would negotiate and make political deals, seeking compromises after conflicts arise. If they can avoid war, they’d rather not wage war.

If communication is much simpler than annihilating the opponent, attempting to communicate becomes the fundamental logic.

In contrast, civilizations above Level 5, due to the purification of thought, completely discard all the babbling and irrelevant stuff, making them more prone to eradicating, world-shattering wars.

As long as there is a massive conflict in thought, "please go die" is the best option, and when words fail, Level 5 Civilizations choose to act, while Level 4 Civilizations only talk.

That’s simply terrifying!

Zhang Yuan took a deep breath; no wonder so many low-level interstellar civilizations have long clustered in the trade markets. On one hand, technology does indeed progress rapidly after exchange; on the other, this is where the safest refuge can be found...

The Huantai Civilization is just a Level 4 Civilization, but it’s backed by the Level 6 Amoeba Civilization... Although Level 5 Civilizations might not prioritize "survival" foremost, it doesn’t mean they lack rationality.

Of course, after some deliberation, people generally believe that the conflicts between Level 5 Civilizations won’t be all-encompassing, and there will be compromises amongst them. Self-regulation is a very profound subject, and human wisdom at present can only glimpse a tiny corner of it.

Otherwise, the universe wouldn’t appear as it does now.

The beliefs of High-level Civilizations should not be doctrinal religious beliefs, but rather more pure goals such as the pursuit of technological progress, maintaining the strength of civilization, and even possibly something as seemingly bizarre as "liberating the oppression throughout the universe." These beliefs would be written into the genes, becoming a noble meaning in life.

"I think, Level 5 Civilizations with great destructive tendencies have probably been exterminated during the billions of years, and what remains are likely civilizations with more peaceful ideologies. Similar to the Gaia Civilization, Hicks Civilization, and the like."

Zhang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Such beliefs should probably not be nebulous goals like ’technological progress.’ These overly vast directions could potentially drive human behavior into a dead end. Human wisdom is limited; without seeing the goal, we don’t know how to strive."

"In fact, during a period of human history, humanity indeed had very lofty goals and was willing to struggle and fight for these goals all their lives, their combat will strong and vigorous."

So, what period was that?

World War II.

Soldiers marched in rows singing spirited songs, courageously approaching death, their anger burning like a raging fire that consumed the entire sky.

Zhang Yuan had experienced various Virtual Worlds, where the bright spots of human nature would completely explode in some special eras.

But, unfortunately...

That world ultimately turned out to be a dark and lonely one, with the red regime collapsing and everything eventually returning to its original state.

A flash, after all, is just a flash and cannot replace the Sun, ending up as if nothing had ever happened.

"If we could turn the flash that glimmered for a moment into a true Constant Star... What a powerful civilization that would be! I think I can begin to imagine what a real Level 5 Civilization is like!"

Listening to Zhang Yuan’s narrative, some of the other returnees showed a thoughtful expression, while some co-workers, who understood the whole meaning, found it hard to truly feel what that lofty emotion was like.

"The wartime, huh... Yes, including the years following World War II, people’s beliefs were still very strong."

"But how should this ideology be maintained over the long term and even rooted in our genes?"

It’s unclear, really hard to describe with words. Zhang Yuan shook his head and pondered for a while before giving up on that description.

These young people would only comprehend if they truly experienced similar eras in the Virtual World. Relaying "they were great" or "they made sacrifices" through language isn’t of much use.

The truth is, an era’s influence on humanity is immense, without having lived through such conditions, it’s difficult to feel the past’s splendid drama or kindle a true flame.

On the other hand, what is a Level 6 Civilization, which follows a Level 5 Civilization, like? This question fermented in everyone’s mind.

In the end, it was Minister Chen Mu, standing at the forefront, who spoke, "This information is indeed very important, and it even relates to our future development direction. However, a Level 5 Civilization is still too far off for us... There’s no need for everyone to worry too much. A Sixth Level Civilization is even more remote."

"Our civilization is still evolving, and our potential is far from exhausted."

"As for the subsequent Philosophy Tree, the self-regulation system, it’s a massive project, probably more complex than the technology tree."

Zhang Yuan nodded along, in reality, every different ideology had its pros and cons. Modifying the entire race’s mindset blindly before understanding the situation was certainly irrational.

Zhao Qingfeng patted Zhang Yuan’s shoulder and said softly, "...I’ve experienced similar worlds too, where the spirit is beautiful but also extraordinarily cruel, yet only in special periods can it be preserved."

"The decline after the peak is indeed too fast. It’s hard to imagine what a civilization would end up like if all citizens maintained a simple combativeness..."

Zhang Yuan sat back down, nodding and took a small sip of water, "Level 5 Civilization, huh... Having a direction to move forward is good. I’m curious, though, what a Level 6 Civilization is like..."