Translator: AnubisTL
"We have research on it," the chubby young man nodded earnestly. "I imagine every civilization that isn't immortal would have some kind of research into death. And once you start studying death, you often end up delving into religion."
"Currently, we haven't achieved any breakthroughs."
"We still don't know where people go after death."
"What kind of entertainment activities does your civilization have?"
"Well, there are quite a few. For example, organic films, organic novels, and so on."
"Organic films and organic novels?"
"Yes, yes. Organic films are movies made with real actors, and organic novels are the same—written by human authors. In contrast, AI-generated content is extremely cheap and widely available for the general public. Organic films and novels tend to be more expensive."
"Besides that, there are organic celebrities and so on. AI creates highly charismatic virtual characters to attract fans and drive consumption. Entertainment companies now prefer cultivating virtual personalities."
"They'll never get canceled, they'll always obey company orders, they'll never run off with resources, and they'll stay young and immortal forever. The advantages are endless."
"For example—"
The young fatty tapped his tablet a few times, then displayed an aerial view of a city. "Two entertainment companies once partnered with this city's mayor to launch a massive online PK competition."
"The winning company's main virtual characters would appear everywhere in the city for a month."
"Think billboards, skyscraper screens, sidewalks, tunnel entrances, aerial projections—you name it."
"This is called 'city co-branding' in the industry."
"The PK lasted a full month, and the total rewards reportedly reached astronomical figures. Fans on both sides fought tooth and nail, but from what I understand, the bosses of both companies were actually the same person."
"They made a killing."
"My father painstakingly assembled exploration teams to scour the cosmos for the ruins of lost civilizations. He brought back artifacts from the Nami Civilization and sold them just to earn a meager living. Yet these people rake in fortunes with nothing but a few virtual characters."
"This society is completely unfair," the young man muttered, sounding resentful. "I have to stay on this mining star, digging diligently, while they sit in air-conditioned rooms, effortlessly earning more than I could ever make even if I mined this entire planet dry."
"The government should raise taxes on this industry to 90%."
"No, I think at least 99% would be fair."
"That's the only way to make it fair."
Xu Jiu sat alone on the Stellaris train, gently massaging his temples. He remained silent, having spoken at length with Little Fatty, exchanging a wealth of information until Little Fatty suddenly had to leave, abruptly ending their conversation.
This exchange had significantly deepened Xu Jiu's understanding of Fifth-Tier Civilizations.
The only regret was that Little Fatty's status within this civilization wasn't particularly high. Though he was a wealthy second-generation heir with access to certain intelligence-gathering methods, it was clear he hadn't delved into the civilization's deeper secrets. Xu Jiu had tried asking him about "Cosmic Landmines," but Little Fatty had no idea what he was talking about.
The other party said they didn't know.
He figured that different civilizations might have different names for the same thing, so he explained the general function and common forms of Cosmic Landmines.
After a moment's thought, the other party suggested that the Heavenly Palace might be a Cosmic Landmine.
When it came to deeper topics, the other party seemed to know nothing.
However, they were well-versed in everyday knowledge, giving him considerable insight into the living conditions within a Fifth-Tier Civilization. While overall technological advancement had improved, people's happiness hadn't increased significantly. No one starved or slept on the streets, as the government provided free housing, transportation, basic healthcare, and retirement benefits.
But even with all these provisions, societal happiness remained low.
Happiness stems from comparison.
When you see countless people starving, families spending eight lifetimes' worth of savings on a home, and individuals neglecting minor illnesses due to cost or being unable to afford treatment for serious conditions, then enjoying these benefits would feel like true happiness.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case here.
In the Nami Civilization, the people only saw the lofty nobles squandering resources that could never be exhausted in a lifetime. Even after working diligently for a thousand years, their wages wouldn't match the cost of a single bottle of wine casually opened by the elite during dinner.
This extreme wealth disparity meant that even with relatively good social welfare, the people's happiness remained low.
The solution was simple: prevent the lower classes from witnessing the gap.
The Leader of the Nami Civilization merely needed to ensure the upper classes' extravagant spending wasn't so publicly displayed. Instead of flaunting their wealth, they should indulge in secret, discreet consumption. Yet, it seemed either this was difficult to control or the elite simply didn't care.
If it were up to him...
At this point, he would intensify propaganda within the civilization, broadcasting news about how other Low-Tier Civilizations often faced severe food shortages, leading to mass starvation. This would boost the people's happiness.
Even if the news was fabricated, it wouldn't matter.
News was merely a tool for shaping public opinion, not necessarily bound by truth. It only needed to be effective.
Even a benevolent lie can be the right thing to do.
Time flowed slowly.
In the blink of an eye,
A month had passed.
In the vast cosmic river, a month seemed insignificant, but aboard the Stellaris train, it was anything but. Within this month, nearly all the mining stars had been completely exploited, and massive quantities of resources were continuously poured into a specially constructed space gate designed for resource storage.
The amount of resources visibly swelled daily.
This—
Was the final glory of the Kasha Civilization Federation's legacy.
"Sigh."
Chen Mang sat on the train, gazing at the Resource Panel and sighed deeply, his eyes filled with worry. While the resources had increased, the Niya Star System's reserves were nearly exhausted. Even if they defeated the Zerg Civilization, the Zerg territories wouldn't yield much more.
They were now confined to this limited space.
The resource ceiling had been reached.
Next, they would need to venture elsewhere.
Fortunately,
The Starfire Civilization was wandering the cosmos, dropping refrigerators wherever they went. Otherwise, they would have been trapped here. If only they could find a truly high-density resource zone soon.
"2.997 quadrillion units of iron ore, 389 trillion units of wood, 1.360 quadrillion units of copper ore, 34.9 billion units of Red Heart Rock, and 47.97 billion units of titanium crystal ore."
The above represents nearly all the resources mined from the mining stars within the Stellaris train. This is likely the peak of the Stellaris's resource reserves for at least the next few years.
It's time to begin mass enhancements.
Before initiating the mass enhancements, he reviewed the Advancement Conditions for a Third-Tier Civilization once more:
"Civilization Population reaches 1 billion intelligent beings, strongest attack energy range exceeds 20,000, possesses at least two planets, Civilization Warehouse resource reserves exceed 1 quadrillion units, and constructs over 10 Permanent Bidirectional Wormholes."
His current resource reserves far exceed the 1 quadrillion unit requirement.
Let's advance the civilization first.
Otherwise, who knows when we'll be able to accumulate such vast resources again?
In the next moment—
The Stellaris train found a stable spatial location and created ten permanent wormholes, consuming less than one billion units of iron ore.
The reason for this remarkably low cost was simply the short traversal distance of the wormholes—just a few kilometers, less than a light-year. Naturally, such a short-range wormhole was inexpensive.
Essentially, these were "showcase" wormholes with no practical utility.
However, for the purpose of civilization advancement, there was no need to construct wormholes capable of traversing vast distances. The resource consumption would have been prohibitive, and the Stellaris train couldn't afford such a massive expenditure at this stage.
With this, the final two conditions for civilization advancement had been fully met.
The preceding conditions had already been satisfied long ago.
Once all conditions were met, no manual confirmation was required.
A Civilization Broadcast, centered on the Stellaris train, rapidly transformed into wave-like light and shot deep into the cosmos.
["Second-Tier Civilization 'Human Civilization' has successfully advanced to Third-Tier Civilization."]
This Civilization Broadcast is issued by every civilization upon advancement.
It propagates at the speed of light.
In the vast cosmos, there's little need to worry about this broadcast attracting enemies. By the time more aggressive civilizations receive it, your civilization will likely already be extinct or on the brink of annihilation.
Nearly 99% of civilizations fail to outlive the duration of their own Civilization Broadcast's existence in the universe.
This fact is evident from the Tier 200 "Vehicle Audio System" and its "Unique Overpowered Effect." The number of Civilization Broadcasts drifting through the Niya Star System far exceeds the number of surviving civilizations.
The fate of 99% of civilizations is destruction.
This cannot be altered by subjective will.
Soon—
A panel slowly materialized on the train control panel screen: the Civilization Panel, now reflecting the civilization's status as a Tier 3 Civilization.
[Civilization Name]: Human Civilization
[Civilization Level]: Tier 3
[Civilization Leader]: Chen Mang
[Civilization Planets]: Aquablue Star, Black Tortoise Star, First-Class Mining Planet, Mining Star Two, Mining Star Three, Mining Star Four, etc.
[Civilization Population]: 5.7 billion
[Advancement Conditions]: A population of at least 1 billion civilized intelligent beings, a maximum attack energy range exceeding 50,000, and possession of at least ten planets.
[PS: Each advancement beyond Tier 2 will release an "Advancement Ripple" detectable by all surrounding civilizations. The higher the tier, the greater the range of the ripple.]
[Civilization Means]: Grants access to a random Cosmic Civilization Empowerment.
When a First-Tier Civilization advances to a Second-Tier Civilization, the range of the Advancement Ripple is 100,000 light-years.
For a Second-Tier Civilization advancing to a Third-Tier Civilization, the range of the Advancement Ripple is 1,000,000 light-years.
Theoretically, any civilization within a million light-years could receive the human civilization's Advancement Ripple.
Of course, that wouldn't happen for another million years.
But right now, Chen Mang had no time to dwell on such matters. His eyes were fixed on the Civilization Panel, where a long list of options had suddenly appeared. The options scrolled rapidly, and a pointer moved across them.
When the pointer stopped on an option, the human civilization would gain that random Cosmic Empowerment.
No one had ever told him about this before.
Nor had anyone mentioned that advancing to a Third-Tier Civilization would grant a random Cosmic Civilization Empowerment!
This empowerment applied to the entire civilization!
Throughout the cosmos, many civilizations possessed unique Cosmic Empowerments, such as the Goblin Civilization and the Zerg Civilization. Only the human civilization had none, like cosmic orphans. But now, upon reaching Tier 3, they would finally acquire one.
There were countless options.
Though they scrolled at breakneck speed, Chen Mang's sharp eyes managed to spot a few promising ones.
["Low probability of Murphy Stone Mine generation within the civilization."] (Gold)
["Based on the happiness level of its citizens, the civilization reduces the resource cost of accessory upgrades to a certain extent."] (Yellow)
["When the civilization is at war, the resource consumption of all firepower accessories is reduced."] (Blue)
["When the civilization is under attack, the resource consumption of all firepower accessories is halved."] (Pink)
These were all functional "Civilization Empowerments," each graded similarly to accessories:
White Green Yellow Blue Purple Red Gold Pink * Seven-colored
White was the lowest grade, while seven-colored was the highest.
However, the grade only indicated rarity, not necessarily the empowerment's strength. Its effectiveness depended entirely on the civilization using it. For example, the empowerment "Low chance of Murphy Stone Mines spawning within the civilization's territory" was utterly useless to him.
It didn't even deserve to be white.
It wasn't worth taking even if it were free.
Conversely, the empowerment "When the civilization is under attack, all firepower accessory consumption is halved" might not appeal to a war-loving civilization, but for a defensive civilization like the Starfire Civilization, it would be considered seven-colored.
As long as their civilization was under attack, their combat power would instantly double!
These were all functional Civilization Empowerments.
There were also economic ones, such as:
["Within the civilizational territory, the rate at which mining stars generate will significantly increase."] (Gold)
["Within the civilizational territory, the mineral content of generated mining stars will be higher."] (Gold)
He finally understood why so many civilizations pursued vast territories.
The larger the territory, the greater the area covered by their Civilization Empowerment, allowing their civilization to develop even faster.
In addition to these, there were also rule-based empowerments, such as:
["The civilizational territory will be filled with a scent repulsive to Cosmic Behemoths, deterring them from approaching."] (Blue)
["Unlocks the 'Planetary Wormhole' technology tree."] (Blue)
["Unlocks the 'High-Dimensional Planet' technology tree."] (Seven-colored)
["Civilization Level will be permanently capped at Tier 3, but all accessory consumption and upgrade resource costs will be reduced to one percent."] (Seven-colored)
Chen Mang stared at the seven-colored options flashing across the screen, his breathing growing rapid. His hands instinctively clasped together as he began to pray for the option to cycle back around and stop precisely on the pointer.
I need this. I absolutely need this!
To him, Civilization Level was important, but not that important!
Of course, he knew that each Civilization Advancement granted unique means, and the higher the advancement, the more rule-based these means tended to be. But he didn't care.
As long as upgrading and resource consumption are reduced to one percent, I can enhance the train's accessories by thousands of tiers in minutes!
Then—
I'll become the Cosmic God!
This "Civilization Empowerment" was actually quite useless for most civilizations. Unless they were on the brink of destruction, they wouldn't hope for this option. After all, advancement still required murphy stone, and even with resource consumption reduced to one percent, where would they find so much murphy stone?
But he didn't need it!
This Civilization Empowerment was a perfect fit for him. He'd even be willing to trade all the train's resources for this single effect.
Once I get it—
I'll take off like a rocket!
But as the pointer slowly came to a stop, Chen Mang sighed deeply, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. It hadn't landed on the Civilization Empowerment he wanted. A pity.
Otherwise, he might have even dared to challenge a God-Tier Civilization with the power of a Third-Tier Civilization!
The screen displayed the "Civilization Empowerment" he had randomly obtained this time.
["For each Civilization Wonder recognized by the Cosmic Rules you construct, you will receive a chest containing a random, mysterious reward, up to a maximum of nine chests." (Seven-colored)]
Luck seemed to be on his side.
He had randomly received another seven-colored "Cosmic Empowerment."
However,
its specific use remained unclear.
Below, a line of small text read:
[Confirm/Rescreen]. Rescreens remaining: 3. Each rescreen costs 1,000 units of iron ore.
"..."
Chen Mang pondered seriously for a moment before asking, "Xiao Ai, can you estimate how long it would take to rescreen three times and randomly get that Civilization Empowerment I wanted earlier?"
Xiao Ai's voice quickly echoed through the train:
"First, we don't know if the Civilization Empowerment options displayed earlier represent all possible options. It's highly unlikely they do. However, if we calculate the probability based on the options shown, it would be approximately 3 in 1,000."
"That's a lower bound."
"I estimate the actual probability to be closer to 3 in 10,000, or even lower."
"..."
After a long silence, Chen Mang glanced at the countdown timer gradually appearing on the screen and finally chose to confirm.
He claimed the Seven-Colored Civilization Empowerment.
He thought for a moment.
In the end, he decided not to gamble on his luck. Although he knew that obtaining that specific Civilization Empowerment would instantly propel him to new heights, the odds were simply too slim to justify the risk. The current Seven-Colored Civilization Empowerment was already quite satisfactory.
Next—
He didn't even bother studying his Civilization Empowerment or upgrading his accessories. Instead, he strode directly to the refrigerator and traveled to the Starfire Civilization.
"The only one."
The Leader of the Starfire Civilization, sitting before a wooden hut in a field, shook his head wistfully. "Civilization Empowerment... such a nostalgic term. Back then, countless civilizations fought to the death for a single Empowerment. The scenes are still vivid in my mind."
"Though many died..."
"Those were truly days filled with purpose."
"During Civilization Advancement, only when ascending to Third-Tier Civilization do you receive a random Civilization Empowerment—and that's the only time. Subsequent advancements won't grant any further random Empowerments. At least, as far as I know, there's no such thing when advancing to Fourth-Tier Civilization, and it's highly unlikely for Fifth-Tier Civilization either."
"Third-Tier Civilization is a threshold, you might say."
"Becoming a Third-Tier Civilization means officially stepping onto the stage of the Civilization War. It's when you can finally show your true colors and perform your grand act."
"How long that performance lasts..."
"Remains to be seen."
"But—"
"Although you can't obtain 'Civilization Empowerment' through Civilization Advancement after that, the universe offers many opportunities to acquire it. There are various ways it manifests, such as when you're traveling through space and suddenly discover an unknown luminous sphere ahead."
"As you approach, a line of text appears on the train's screen."
"[Remain here for over 30 days to grant your civilization a random Civilization Empowerment. However, if you stay for more than an hour, the sphere's coordinates will be publicly broadcast to all nearby civilizations. Any civilization that meets the 30-day requirement can then claim the empowerment.]"
"Hmm, that would lead to a battle."
"Quite entertaining."
"Back then, the universe was a lively place. Most opportunities were concentrated on the Great Battlefield, so I mostly heard about them rather than experiencing them firsthand."
"The Great Battlefield?"
"Yes. Once a civilization advances to a 4th Tier Civilization, they can access the Great Battlefield—a special High-Dimensional Space. Regardless of your location in the universe, any civilization at or above the 4th Tier can enter this space, and upon entering, you'll only encounter civilizations of the same Tier."
"It's filled with abundant Civilization Opportunities."
"There are three ways to enter."
"First option: gamble on luck."
"Normal entry. Within the Great Battlefield, death is not permanent. After being killed in battle, you are automatically ejected from the Great Battlefield Space, but any opportunities or resources you acquire are reduced to one-tenth of their normal value."
"Second option: gamble on life."
"Normal entry. Death within the Great Battlefield is permanent. Any opportunities or resources acquired retain their normal value."
"Third option: gamble on the fate of your civilization."
"This option is exclusive to Civilization Leaders. Should the Leader die within the Great Battlefield, the Cosmic Rules will forcibly erase the entire civilization through an incomprehensible means. Civilizations erased in this manner leave no trace whatsoever in the universe."
"Entering through this method grants ten times the normal value of opportunities and resources."
"The Great Battlefield offers opportunities to obtain Civilization Empowerment."
"Sounds like fun."
Back in the locomotive cabin, Chen Mang sat down, his eyes narrowing slightly.
This was the first time he had heard of the Great Battlefield.
It sounded...
like it might indeed be quite fun.
But Little Fatty had never mentioned the Great Battlefield. He'd have to ask him about it next time they met.
All this time...
No information explicitly stated that the Niya Civilization had been destroyed by a more powerful civilization. His understanding of their history only covered the period before their demise, before the Backpacker set out on their journey.
Now, it seemed possible that the Niya Civilization hadn't been destroyed by another civilization at all.
Perhaps their leader had gambled the civilization's fate in the Great Battlefield and lost.
It was also possible.
He could only speculate about the exact circumstances. These events had occurred after the Niya Civilization's advancement to a Fourth-Tier Civilization. While the universe contained vast resources, for civilizations, they were always in a state of extreme scarcity.
At this point, civilizations resorted to various means to acquire resources.
He even suspected that even God-Tier Civilizations might face resource shortages.
Then, he turned his attention to the control panel screen. After a civilization advances to Tier 3, it can define its "civilizational territory" with virtually no restrictions. The territory's size is entirely up to the civilization, as large as they desire.
There were only three requirements:
The territory's range must match the maximum detection range of the civilization's most powerful radar.
2: If you want a territory beyond your radar's detection range, it's simple. Just take your train for a spin beyond the radar's range, mark a few points along the way, and connect the dots. That's your territory.
3: When defining your territory, it cannot include any civilizations with a Civilization Level equal to or higher than yours.
It was absurdly simple.
It was practically spelled out: claim whatever territory you want, as long as you can defend it. If your train can travel far enough, you could even claim the entire universe as your territory, and no one would stop you.
Moreover, your territory boundaries can be changed at any time.
It wasn't a very strict system.
In the past, the Kasha Civilization had defined their territory as the area occupied by the Kasha Civilization Federation. As for him...
Chen Mang clicked his tongue and swiped his hand across the control panel screen, quickly defining his own territory. The entire Niya Star System was now his civilization's territory, meaning the Zerg Civilization was currently within his domain.
If he possessed a functional "Civilization Empowerment," such as one that would cause small Murphy Stone deposits to appear within his territory, it should be taking effect now.
But he lacked any "Civilization Empowerment" of this type, so...
Even though he had claimed such a vast civilizational territory, it was essentially meaningless.
It was like a child's scribbles.
You can scribble however you want.
Draw whatever you want, however you want.
The only difference was that—
On the galaxy map, this vast area would be displayed as the territory of the "Human Civilization," making it look impressive. If other civilizations came here, they would encounter a civilization with an enormous territory. Beyond that, it served no practical purpose.
It felt a bit like children playing house.
"So, if that's the case, are the advanced civilizations with territories spanning billions of light-years just drawing arbitrary lines too?"
"I doubt their radar can cover billions of light-years."
Chen Mang gazed at the human civilization's territorial boundaries on the screen, his expression slightly odd. Previously, when he heard about the advanced civilizations' territories—often tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of light-years—he had been awestruck.
It sounded incredibly advanced.
The kind of power that seemed invincible.
But now that he was claiming his own territory, the illusion had shattered.
Isn't this just drawing lines however you want?
Claim whatever you want, however you want.
If he could temporarily create such expensive wormholes, he could instantly amass hundreds of millions, tens of millions, or even millions of light-years of territory. But no, he couldn't. There were undoubtedly civilizations stronger than his nearby.
He simply lacked the power.
He glanced again at the "Civilization Advancement" conditions. One requirement for advancing to a 4th Tier Civilization was achieving a maximum attack energy range exceeding 50,000—meaning he needed a Tier 500 Seven-colored grade firepower accessory.
Just as he'd suspected.
Tier 200 accessories essentially represented the ceiling for Third-Tier Civilizations.
Reaching Tier 500 would allow him to formally enter the Fourth-Tier Civilization.
From this perspective, the human civilization would advance to the Fourth-Tier Civilization much faster than others.
In the cosmos, there was a phenomenon known as the "Civilization Big Bang," where a Train Civilization suddenly acquired vast resources, enabling rapid advancement. But he believed that from now on, whenever the Civilization Big Bang was mentioned, the human civilization would inevitably be part of the discussion.
Without even needing murphy stones, he could trigger an even faster Big Bang.
He estimated that within three months, he could wipe out the Zerg Civilization and advance to the Fourth-Tier Civilization with minimal difficulty.
Even by current standards, the Starfire Civilization's progress was remarkably swift. In just a few years, they had ascended from a low-tier civilization to a Tier 3 Civilization, surpassing the advancement speed of both the Kasha Civilization and the Mechanical Civilization.
As for the Zerg Civilization...
That one was still stuck as a Tier 2 Civilization. If not for their combat strength far exceeding typical Tier 2 civilizations, they wouldn't even warrant mentioning.
Immediately afterward, he turned his attention to the Civilization Empowerment effects he had just acquired.
["For each Civilization Wonder recognized by the Cosmic Rules, you will receive a chest containing a random mystical reward, up to a maximum of nine."] (Seven-colored)
The message consisted of a single, simple line.
Nothing else was provided.
"Civilization Wonder..."
Chen Mang frowned slightly, pondering the phrase. What exactly did it mean to be "recognized by the Cosmic Rules"? His first thought was of the Great Wall of China from his previous world, but after further consideration, he doubted it would qualify.
The true awe of the Great Wall stemmed from its construction during an era of extremely limited productivity, requiring immense human labor and resources to create such a monumental landscape.
For the current human civilization, constructing a million-mile-long wall would be trivial. Without that historical weight and sense of struggle, it would lack the essence of a true Civilization Wonder.
"Xiao Ai, what kind of Civilization Wonder would be recognized by the Cosmic Rules?"
"I don't know either," Xiao Ai's voice echoed through the train. "There's no clear definition. But why don't we have Doba and the goblins tinker with it first? They have significant talent points in construction."
"That makes sense. Let's leave it to them for now," Chen Mang nodded, instructing Doba and the others to ponder the matter. He planned to ask his good friend Little Fatty for his insights tomorrow.
Over the past few days, Chen Mang had been chatting frequently with Little Fatty, and a genuine bond had formed between them.
Initially, Chen Mang had only seen Little Fatty as a tool for gathering information. But as their conversations deepened, he realized the boy was excessively sincere. He hadn't liked such people at first, as their sincerity made him, someone approaching others with ulterior motives, feel a pang of guilt.
He preferred dealing with animals, which eased his conscience considerably.
Yet, over time, he grew to appreciate Little Fatty's genuine nature, even though the boy's mind seemed a bit... off. His words often came out strangely.
Inside the Stellaris train:
"Huh?"
Doba, who was in the city, received President Ai's command and stared blankly at PuruPuru beside him. "You're well-versed in these matters. What exactly is a 'Civilization Wonder recognized by the Cosmic Rules'?"
He completely failed to understand the order.
When he asked President Ai for more details, President Ai simply replied, "Lord Mang said to use your own creativity."
"Hmm..."
After a long, awkward silence, PuruPuru finally spoke up, forcing himself to sound confident. "I think... since it's a Civilization Wonder, it has to be unique, right?"
"Exactly!" Doba Mian nodded earnestly. "Anything worthy of being called a Cosmic Wonder must be one-of-a-kind."
"But the universe is so vast! How can we guarantee that what we create will be truly unique?"
"That's why it needs to be bizarre!"
"Bizarre?"
"Yes!" PuruPuru exclaimed, his excitement growing as if he'd finally found the right approach. "The more bizarre, the better! Only then can we ensure our Civilization Landscape is truly unique. What's the rarest thing in the universe? Uniqueness, of course!"
"That makes sense... Let me think about it."
Doba Mian pondered seriously, his expression grave. He took this mission very seriously. Lord Mang had inspected their Palace not long ago, and now he was entrusting them with such a significant task.
This proved that Lord Mang recognized their talent for construction, and he was determined to seize this opportunity!
He would build the greatest Civilization Wonder!
Meanwhile—
In the Southern Frontier zone of the Nami Civilization, on an uncharted mining star, Little Fatty, having packed all his belongings, gazed at the empty mine with lingering reluctance. He was about to leave this mining star, the mine having been completely exhausted.
He had gotten too carried away chatting the previous day and forgotten to tell his mysterious friend that he would be leaving the next day.
He wanted to say goodbye to his friend before leaving, as they might never meet again.
Just then!
A familiar figure appeared in the desolate mine. Little Fatty rushed forward, grinning widely. "Chen Mang, you finally came! I'm leaving this mining star today. We might never see each other again."
Over the past few days, he had learned the other's name and even discovered that he was a Civilization Leader.
The familiar figure handed him a slip of paper, as usual.
"If you continue contracting the mine, we'll likely meet again."
"Do you know about the Great Battlefield?"
"Of course. It's incredibly dangerous, but many still risk their lives there. Those who survive often reap substantial rewards, and some even receive government commendations, becoming heroes of civilization."
"That's right! Your question suddenly reminded me of something. My father used to..."
"..."
Chen Mang had a long conversation with Little Fatty this time.
When the miner awoke again, the Dream Realm closed, and the connection was severed.
Unbeknownst to Little Fatty, his ability to see the miner stemmed solely from the telescope in his possession. This telescope maintained a close connection with a Cyber Miner aboard his train, forming the basis for their continued meetings.
This was an exceptionally rare and difficult-to-replicate method.
Moreover, it only worked within the mine. For some reason, attempts to have Xiao Ai create other Dream Realm scenarios where Little Fatty could meet the Cyber Miner failed; only the mine allowed such encounters.
As long as Little Fatty continued contracting the mine, they would inevitably have opportunities to meet again.
In recent days...
He often chatted with Little Fatty and the Leader of the Starfire Civilization, gathering valuable information that greatly broadened his perspective. Having such friends in the vast cosmos was a rare and precious thing.
It was a true luxury.
The Nami Civilization also had its own Great Battlefield, where all 4th Tier Civilizations could enter and compete. Little Fatty revealed that the Leader of the Starfire Civilization had only experienced the outer perimeter of the Great Battlefield, where encounters were limited to civilizations of the same Tier.
The inner depths, however, were a chaotic battleground where civilizations of all Tiers clashed.
When trains entered the Great Battlefield, they appeared completely at random, preventing fleets from overwhelming the area in coordinated assaults. Group warfare lost its advantage here, emphasizing the individual strength of each train.
But—
This was precisely his advantage.
The human civilization was unique. Even after advancing to Tier 3, it lacked any significant military force. Its sole combat asset was his Stellaris train.
He had poured all his resources into upgrading his train.
One was all he needed.
A single, supremely powerful train could crush millions of weaklings like chickens and dogs.
Once he advanced to a 4th Tier Civilization, he planned to thoroughly explore the Great Battlefield.
As for Civilization Landscapes, Little Fatty knew that the Nami Civilization reportedly possessed three such landscapes within its territory. Once a Civilization Landscape was built and recognized by the cosmos as a Cosmic Landscape, it gained special effects.
For example, one of the Nami Civilization's landscapes was the Train Graveyard.
This was entirely accidental.
After a major war, the Nami Civilization had gathered vast amounts of waste and ruins in a designated zone for collective disposal. For reasons unknown, the Cosmic Rules inexplicably recognized this area as a Civilization Landscape.
Its effect was:
"Within this zone, there is an extremely low probability of a Train Soul manifesting. Embedding a Train Soul within a train's interior grants the Train Auxiliary AI an additional Overpowered Effect."
Since then, the abandoned trains in the area began self-assembling into several derelict locomotives that roamed the Train Graveyard daily. They posed no threat to humans, instead becoming a tourist attraction, drawing countless visitors to witness the spectacle.
Upon learning this, Chen Mang felt utterly despairing.
The Nami Civilization, a Fifth-Tier Civilization, possessed only three Civilization Landscapes. He'd be lucky to create even one, let alone nine—that was simply impossible.
Although the Seven-Colored Civilization Empowerment was of the highest grade, its difficulty to realize was far lower than expected.
Forget it, he thought. Let Doba tinker around. Whatever he manages to create is fine. I'll just pretend this matter doesn't exist. If he succeeds, it'll be a pleasant surprise; if not, no harm done.
However, over the past few days, Chen Mang had gradually realized that the strength of advanced civilizations was multidimensional, constantly enhancing themselves in every aspect.
It wasn't merely about possessing overwhelming firepower that defined an advanced civilization.
Foundational elements like cultural heritage required vast amounts of time to accumulate, and the human civilization was like a blank slate in this regard, possessing virtually no foundation whatsoever.
These are matters for the future, he thought.
For now, Chen Mang turned his gaze to the Resource Panel on the control panel. Let's splurge on these resources first, he decided. The train's various accessories need upgrading anyway.
(End of the Chapter)
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