Seeing their confused expressions, Su Mo offered a little guidance.
"Humanity only left Africa a hundred thousand years ago. They only began building cities ten thousand years ago, only began studying science a thousand years ago, and only began the first industrial revolution a little over three hundred years ago. Yet now, we are already in the early stages of the fourth industrial revolution."
"They learned how to use fire tens of thousands of years ago. They learned how to use electricity hundreds of years ago. And just a few decades ago, they were already capable of harnessing nuclear energy, forging Gifts with the power of Divinity as mere mortals, and even beginning to simulate an artificial sun."
"If you were to plot the development of human technology on a line graph, you would easily see that their progress is not linear. On the contrary, their development rate is exponential, like an uncontrollable explosion."
Hearing Su Mo's explanation, Sun Wukong and Kurma had a moment of realization.
"So that's what it means. A technological explosion... that's a pretty vivid metaphor."
The silver-haired loli tilted her head, understanding Su Mo's point.
Though she looked like a little girl who had run away from kindergarten—and in fact, had never graduated—and her eyes did indeed hold a clear, pristine foolishness, as a 2-digit being, even if she had no particular talent in the field of intellect, her instinctual great wisdom still surpassed that of most gods. She could grasp things by analogy.
Though she still didn't look very clever, cleverness and wisdom were not entirely the same thing.
"Great wisdom appears foolish" was a fitting description for Kurma. She could understand, through sheer instinct, things that most geniuses could not.
So, after a mere two seconds of thought, she understood the meaning behind Su Mo's words, and the meaning behind those words.
"In other words, you believe that with current human civilization, a technological explosion alone will be enough to exceed the gods' expectations, to the point where it can help you perfect the human cosmology?"
Even after reaching this conclusion, Kurma remained incredulous. "No matter how much they develop, a conjecture like that is just too exaggerated, isn't it? Besides, even if human technology has that kind of potential, betting everything on an unknown... that's just too risky!"
"A reason based on pure luck won't be enough to convince little Kurma!"
With that, the silver-haired loli crossed her arms in a large "X" in front of her chest, then turned to the loli beside her who shared her face. "Shiroyasha, Shiroyasha, say something! Are you just going to stand there and watch your man do something so dangerous?"
Kurma's intention was to get Shiroyasha to help her stop Su Mo.
However…
"M-My man? Guhehehe..." Hearing Kurma's choice of words, the white-haired loli let out a strange laugh, almost drooling.
On account of that single phrase, she decided to forgive the idiot for her earlier offense!
"This one's a lost cause..." Kurma stared dumbfounded at the love-struck fool before her. If she weren't so familiar with Shiroyasha's Divinity, she would have thought she'd been replaced by an imposter.
The White Night Demon King, who loved Little Garden so much she was willing to accept being sealed by the pantheons, had turned into this silly girl? Had she become so foolish that even the safety of Little Garden, which she once cherished above all else, could no longer move her?
As if sensing Kurma's shock and confusion, Shiroyasha quickly came to her senses, wiped the corner of her mouth, and waved a hand, saying with a straight face, "Don't you worry about a thing. When Su Mo does something, he always has his reasons. We just need to trust him completely!"
Shiroyasha spoke with absolute confidence, but Kurma listened with absolute despair.
Seriously? You're just going to believe everything Su Mo says without a shred of critical thought? What's the difference between that and being brainwashed?
Before she could start berating her and awaken Shiroyasha from her love-induced stupor, Sun Wukong, standing to the side, voiced the same doubt to Su Mo. Wasn't it a bit too unreliable to pin everything on an uncertain technological explosion?
Moreover, a technological explosion in human civilization would not necessarily bring about a positive outcome.
On the contrary, if technology grew stronger while human nature remained unchanged, the destruction of ethics and morality by technology could, in turn, become a factor in humanity's self-destruction.
Whether it was the Anti-Utopia Demon Lord that had appeared before, or the Absolute Evil Demon Lord - Last Embryo that Su Mo had vanquished just a couple of days ago, the apocalypses they represented were not the old kind of "disasters that could destroy humanity," but rather "disasters where humanity destroys itself."
One was totalitarianism, the other was the rampage of the powerful.
In the face of this kind of human self-destruction, no amount of technological explosion would matter. In fact, the stronger the technology, the more likely it was to drag humanity to the brink of extinction.
Just because the Asuras, Gods, and Buddhas of Little Garden belonged to the mystical side didn't mean they were ignorant of modern technology.
In fact, technological breakthroughs were a common occurrence in human history. As gods, they couldn't afford to be as blindly optimistic about unknown technologies as humans were.
It was true that problems of development could only be solved by more development, but what if they couldn't be solved?
"Even the most powerful technology, without the right guidance, has the potential to lead human history to utter extinction." The golden-haired girl looked at Su Mo with utmost seriousness. "Lord Su Mo, I implore you to reconsider!"
She had not abandoned her previous stance and was doing her best to use facts and reason to persuade him.
Although the rate of human progress Su Mo had described had genuinely shaken her, she still couldn't accept his choice until the fundamental problem was resolved.
No one had the right to gamble the fate of all life in the infinite multiverse on a roll of the dice. Not even Su Mo, whom she deeply admired.
Facing the girl's incredibly determined gaze and Kurma's equally concerned stare, Su Mo nodded with a relaxed expression. "You're right. Technological development without the right direction is too dangerous."
"Eh?"
"!"
Sun Wukong and Kurma exchanged a look of astonishment, never expecting Su Mo to agree with them so easily.
Sun Wukong had come fully prepared. While the stone monkey was naturally clever and agile, her research on the two Human Last Embryos couldn't possibly have reached the depth she had just demonstrated.
Those were classified conclusions that required extensive investigation, speculation, and thought.
In reality, most of the points she had made did not come from her own experience, but from a crash course given by the World-Honored One and the Twin Goddesses. After being forced to retreat by Su Mo, finding an opportunity to communicate with him was not easy.
When they saw Sun Wukong volunteer, the Full Authority Domains decided to instill their ideas in her to avoid Su Mo's resistance, letting her present the pantheons' views and position.
This approach was somewhat difficult to control, but fortunately, the Stone Monkey of Numinous Wisdom was a quick study. She absorbed all their points and could even elaborate on them.
That was why, even after being shaken by the topic Su Mo brought up, she was still able to seize the opportunity, grasp the crux of the problem, and refute his reasoning.
Given Su Mo's demonstrated eloquence, she had expected a debate that would last hundreds of rounds, requiring her to use the thousands of pre-prepared arguments to convince him. But to everyone's surprise, the moment she presented her point, Su Mo agreed.
What was going on? Could it be that Su Mo was actually easy to persuade? That he didn't need to be worn down, that he would be easily convinced to change his decision and fully commit to becoming the future master of Little Garden?
"Lord Su Mo, you mean...?" the golden-haired girl blinked, her eyes, like Kurma's, holding a hint of excitement. She thought her mission was about to be completed.
Just then, Su Mo, his expression as calm as ever, lightly tapped the armrest of his seat and spoke slowly. "So, I found the right direction."
"...Huh?"
"What did you say?!"
Hearing this completely unexpected answer, the two messengers who had come to persuade Su Mo stared with wide eyes and slightly agape mouths.
Was Su Mo joking? Hadn't the human cosmology not even gotten off the ground? How could Su Mo possibly have found the right direction in such a short time?
It was as if he had just complained that "the apocalypse is dangerous and will affect the continuation of Little Garden," and in the next breath said, "so I completely solved the apocalypse."
It was so incredible it was almost absurd. How could such a thing be possible?!
Facing the two emissaries of the pantheons, who were so shocked their disbelief was written all over their faces, Su Mo raised his right hand and presented a pre-prepared Gift Game contract to them.
"If you two don't believe me, you can choose to participate in this Gift Game. I will provide the participants with sufficient evidence to prove my claim."
"Of course, since it's a Gift Game, there will naturally be rewards and punishments."
"If I fail to convince you, then my Gift Game will be considered a failure, and I will reluctantly agree to your request and become the Lord of the Pantheon to lead Little Garden."
"However, if I succeed in convincing you, as the price of victory, you both must join my banner and help me achieve my goals as my subordinates... How about it?"
With his dagger drawn, Su Mo stated his true purpose.
Hearing this, Kurma and Sun Wukong exchanged a look, realizing something was amiss. Both Su Mo's shocking statement and the pre-written game contract indicated that this was not a simple matter.
But the words Su Mo spoke were too tempting.
Both of them had said before that they disagreed with Su Mo because they felt his ideas were not feasible.
If they agreed to this Gift Game and Su Mo lost—if he failed to convince them—then not only would they lose nothing, but they would also achieve their original goal of completely changing Su Mo's dangerous ideas.
Although the phrase "reluctantly become the Lord of the Pantheon" sounded a bit like a humblebrag, the current Su Mo was indeed qualified to say it.
The billions of gods were practically on their knees, begging him to become their leader.
And if Su Mo won, it would mean his theory was highly viable, that the human cosmology could indeed be completed, and that Little Garden would absolutely not be destroyed.
Regardless of the outcome, it seemed to be a good thing for the future of Little Garden. The only price they had to pay was to become his subordinates.
For long-lived beings like them, this price could be large or small, depending entirely on their willingness.
So, what should they do?
In the distance, Canary watched this scene with a knowing smile. She had already learned from Su Mo what kind of response Little Garden would give him, so she knew exactly what the result would be.
As expected…
"I agree!"
"If the work isn't too hard, little Kurma can accept it, too."
The two who had dared to come before the supreme Su Mo to plead for the safety of Little Garden did not flinch when it came to sacrificing their own interests to save the world. They resolutely agreed to the wager.
One minute later, on Mount Meru.
"Report!"
"Reporting to the World-Honored One and the Twin Goddesses! Lady Kurma and the Victorious Fighting Buddha have started a Gift Game with His Excellency Su Mo! They have entered the game field! It seems a conflict has broken out!"
Vaisravana listened intently, reporting the intelligence he had gathered with all his might.
"A conflict?" Hearing this, the World-Honored One paused for a moment, then a look of joy spread across his face. "Excellent. It seems Kurma and Wukong have concluded the debate phase we discussed and have moved on to the bargaining phase."
"Mm, very good!" The Twin Goddesses also nodded in satisfaction, speaking in turn.
"With the combination of a Pure-Blooded Dragon and a Half-Celestial Spirit, as long as they make full use of their advantages, even Su Mo won't be able to deal with such troublesome opponents quickly."
"He will soon understand that if he doesn't compromise, he will only be worn down to the very end by them. In that case, he might as well accept our proposal, save Little Garden with the mythological cosmology, and become the master of the billions of gods!"
After confirming their mutual thoughts, the World-Honored One smiled at Vaisravana. "Excellent news. Continue to monitor and report!"
"Yes!" Seeing the World-Honored One's delight, Vaisravana's spirits rose, and he went back to work with renewed vigor.
A few minutes later, he stared wide-eyed and reported loudly again. "Report! World-Honored One, Lady Kurma and the Victorious Fighting Buddha have come out of the Gift Game field! The Gift Game seems to be over!"
"It's over?!" the World-Honored One immediately asked, tense. "What's the situation? Are they injured?"
"No, neither of them!" Virudhaka reported first. "Aside from a slight depletion of their Divinity, neither of them shows any signs of injury!"
"No significant injuries?" The World-Honored One was overjoyed. "The immortality of Celestial Spirits and Pure-Blooded Dragons is truly extraordinary!"
The Twin Goddesses were also ecstatic. "For the fight to end so quickly, doesn't that mean Su Mo has already realized the danger of a protracted battle and decided to compromise?"
"With Su Mo's wisdom, he must have understood the importance of our bargaining chips. Although this threat is somewhat lacking in glory, for the safety of Little Garden, it had to be done!" Hearing the Twin Goddesses' triumphant words, the World-Honored One also nodded.
"We will apologize to His Excellency Su Mo afterward. For now, according to the plan, Kurma and Wukong should be qualified to begin true negotiations with Su Mo. Vaisravana, what is the situation?"
"The three of them are talking. It's possible they are continuing the negotiations, as you said, World-Honored One. But I dare not listen too closely. His Excellency Su Mo's presence is too terrifying. It seems I would be discovered just by listening in." As Vaisravana spoke, he suddenly let out a cry of surprise. "Huh? What's going on?!"
At the same time, Virudhaka also exclaimed in shock. "Why... Why is Lady Kurma hanging on His Excellency Su Mo? Is-is this... is this also part of the negotiations?"
Dumbfounded, the two of the Four Heavenly Kings looked at each other, and an incredible possibility simultaneously surfaced in their minds.
Could it be... Lady Kurma has defected?
The thought was not spoken aloud, but it was completely captured by the Buddhist faction's telepathy.
CRACK!
Beneath the incredibly steady sixteen-foot golden body, the golden lotus throne cracked wide open, instantly turning to dust, reflecting the extreme turmoil in the World-Honored One's heart.
What the fck, why?*
Kurma, that two-faced traitor, actually defected to Su Mo at a time like this, just like Shiroyasha?
Are you all fcking crazy?!*