Thor and Loki were both somewhat speechless, but that really was the logic of it. They had said, "temporarily slow the pace of exploring the universe," not that they would stop conducting scientific research on the surface. Still, something about it felt strange.
The process of a normal civilization entering the age of interstellar colonization should have gone like this: first, build chemical-fuel rockets and explore nearby planets; find a foothold on one of those planets and establish a testing ground; build better rockets and explore more distant planets. Step by step, they would expand outward until they had thoroughly mapped out their own star system.
Then they would begin testing chemical-fuel spacecraft, commonly known as "spaceships." As long as a spaceship's range and safety allowed it to reach the nearest foothold and transport large equipment and fuel, it was basically a success.
Next, they would establish a space-based experimental facility at the closest foothold to their home planet that still maintained a sufficient safety distance. They would continuously improve the spaceship's safety, speed, and range. Then they would find more efficient fuel within the star system and keep improving the ships until they could travel between the various planets of the system in a short time.
And this was where the key point came in. If they wanted to leave their own star system, chemical-fuel spaceships definitely would not cut it. There were two paths at that point: either develop versatile Shield Technology, maintaining stability inside the shield so passengers would not be harmed, then simply push the speed as hard as possible. It was basically a "cosmic dump truck"—as long as my shield is tough enough and I'm fast enough, I can drive wherever I want. The universe was vast, and no speed ever really seemed fast enough,