Foundations of Cooperation

"This..."

Li Mengyun was momentarily speechless.

She could not answer a single one of the doubts Xia Fan had raised.

After the Salvation Sect discovered the Baiyao Mountain Ruins and verified the Pope's "prophecy," it had tirelessly investigated the Skywell region. Before long, one astonishing discovery after another surfaced: secret passageways leading straight into the heart of the mountains, endless food available at the press of a button, mysterious artifacts that altered the qi within one's body, tens of thousands of underground rooms...

Yet these miraculous discoveries were still only the tip of the iceberg beneath the Ruins' secrets.

To them, that world remained shrouded in fog. Aside from the guidance of prophecy, the believers knew little more than outsiders did.

"Why couldn't the Pioneers have escaped the catastrophe first, then returned to the world and evolved into what we are now?" Li Mengyun countered after a long while.

"Because the continuation of civilization requires a sufficient foundation of people." Xia Fan answered without hesitation. "If enough people had truly escaped disaster, they could have maintained their social structure by relying on themselves alone, and their knowledge and understanding would not have been severed across generations. But the truth is, while we can understand the Pioneers' language, we cannot comprehend their technology. History makes no mention whatsoever of matters related to them. That proves they never returned. Whether it was the Yong Dynasty or the states that came before it, none were descendants of those who left. They were more likely inheritors of those who had not yet managed to escape."

Li Mengyun found this explanation rather difficult to follow.

She did not entirely understand his wording, yet somehow, she seemed able to grasp the meaning behind it.

...Like a pack of wolves in the wild.

Two or three wolves