Deep Space Wandering Fleet
Chapter 496 - 494 Return of the Transcendent

Chapter 496: Chapter 494 Return of the Transcendent

Zhang Yuan finished explaining this, then continued, "That’s why I suggest it’s necessary to purchase life extension methods from other civilizations, especially those whose biological structure is similar to humans’, as they can offer some insights for reference."

"Since we are all part of the interstellar civilization, usually, research is conducted on ourselves. Apart from some civilizations like the Insect Race, for most civilizations, life extension technology is inevitable. We should also acknowledge that some interstellar civilizations’ biological technologies are far more developed than ours."

"Of course, in addition to using Amoeba Points, I believe we can also exchange technology with other civilizations. We should exchange what we can, and for what we can’t but urgently need, we will just have to purchase."

This plan indeed got the approval of most people.

The increase in average lifespan benefits the entire civilization, and the prices of related life extension technology vary, some are cheap and some are expensive. The expensive ones might not necessarily be suitable for humans, as long as we select the appropriate ones.

Humans, being at the bottom, still use life extension technology initially researched by Earth Civilization. It’s quite easy to select technology that is both cheap and suitable.

Under Zhang Yuan’s proposal, the meeting attendees quickly discussed a series of technological catalogs, primarily focusing on two directions: life extension and intelligence.

However, technologies related to intelligence were ridiculously expensive, at least ten times more than those related to lifespan!

This phenomenon was quite understandable; life isn’t omnipotent. A turtle living for a hundred years wouldn’t achieve what a human could in a day.

Intelligence is omniscient; as long as a lifespan isn’t too short, sufficient intelligence can accomplish enough, including extending one’s own life.

Take, for example, the Hicks Civilization’s Abel Ring, whose thought processing speed is a million times that of humans, not to mention the quality of thinking. Even if its lifespan was as short as one year, it could sufficiently transform itself within that time.

"So, according to the meeting’s discussion..." After a half-day of discussion, Captain Ke finally announced, "We will allocate 421.7 Amoeba Points to various laboratories. The remaining two thousand plus Amoeba Points will be allocated later as needs arise."

"What specifically to purchase will be decided by each laboratory and then consolidated at the captain’s office."

The assembly members in the meeting room represented various industries; their discussions could easily become confusing and thus, extensive debates here were unnecessary.

The Superdimensional Perception Laboratory where Zhang Yuan worked received an allocation of 3.4 points, a substantial number that symbolized a great intellectual effort. When this funding was handed over, Zhang Yuan immediately felt a heavy pressure.

External perception was one aspect of intelligence; all related items were quite expensive, requiring optimal usage of these points.

"...so, it’s necessary for me to take a trip outside," sighed Zhang Yuan. "I want to exchange with the Tos Civilization, and if possible, best to do it without using points."

The Tos Civilization, known for its Magnetic Field Perception, had maintained fairly close trade relations with humans over the past six years.

"Are you suggesting a personal visit to the market? The boys and girls in the lab will probably be thrilled!" Ms. Kate said with a hint of excitement.

Zhang Yuan quickly responded, "Not everyone can go; do you think it’s a field trip? A small group, no more than ten people, should be enough."

Although he said this, the mood in the meeting room grew a bit somber when the permission to use the Amoeba Points was granted. Despite the joking and excitement, everyone felt a serious responsibility.

Especially those laboratories focused on human health, receiving over two hundred Amoeba Points; they absolutely had to improve human average lifespan.

Authority means responsibility; one Amoeba Point is worth more than fifty PhDs. To work in the trade market for an entire year, all of human civilization could earn no more than 0.2 points!

If so much money was spent with nothing gained, they would have no choice but to commit suicide!

...

The final item on the agenda was discussing the development direction of New Human Civilization. Among the most crucial: the issue of Transcendent beings returning to reality.

This was an unavoidable threshold for everyone.

The Transcendent plan was a mandatory experience for everyone after death unless they were among the few who had lost the will to live and voluntarily chose not to continue.

Currently, the return ratio was one in two hundred thousand, meaning that among ten million deceased elderly, only fifty could return. This ratio was extremely low, such that each returning genius truly was equivalent to a hundred ordinary individuals.

Yet, a civilization’s makeup can’t consist solely of genial heroes; it also needs more people who can silently, selflessly contribute.

Most people on Earth possess ordinary talents; even given a hundred million years, they wouldn’t become real heroes, but they could maintain their cause and uphold minimal justice amid chaos.

"Are these the types of talents the new civilization needs?"

Of course!

Even with auxiliary brain technology, technological development is increasingly difficult; many times, developing a project could take decades or centuries. The longer the development time, the more loopholes there are, and if too many shortcuts are taken, the civilization will cease to progress.

However, the probability of Transcendents taking shortcuts is much lower.

"Furthermore, would it be possible for native geniuses from various Virtual Worlds, like Einstein, Newton, to contribute to our real-world civilization?"

"With countless Virtual Worlds giving birth to numerous native heroes, we should not blindly despise them, thinking they’re merely tools, inferior to us. They too possess their thoughts and unique experiences..."

"Once they join our world, they should be treated equally and possess the same civil rights. True talents need sufficient power and freedom."

A scholar in this field came forward to speak, presenting data collected over the years, including Civilization Contribution and thought processes among others.

This was followed by a wide-ranging discussion among the attendees.

Zhang Yuan did not participate in this debate. Everyone had their own opinions on such matters, and arguing back and forth with merely subjective thinking would not lead to clear conclusions.

The most important thing was to let the data speak, as only data can provide a direct perception.

He believed that having a decent character was most crucial, followed by capability.

But this kind of character shouldn’t be formed by the background of an era, like in certain revolutionary times when everyone’s thoughts seemed exceptionally excellent, although somewhat twisted. This was unnatural and unsustainable over the long term. If placed in a different era, these people would immediately lose their direction.

True character is revealed in adversity: Only when a civilization is regressing can one truly assess a person’s character. Choosing talents from such a world would be more appropriate.