A Choice for Humanity

The tides of the new era were surging!

Even if this single wave was still inconspicuous and had yet to spread, everyone present knew that sooner or later, it would become a towering tsunami!

What they needed to do now was seize this opportunity. If they could ride the winds and break through the waves, becoming a Level Five Civilization—or even a Level Six Civilization—would be more than possible.

And so, the preliminary explanation took nearly half a day. A brand-new concept centered around "Acquired Mythical" officially emerged. From production and industry to end consumption, enormous changes would take place—changes that could even be called revolutionary!

Compared to it, the previous Field Industrialization truly could not compare to Mythical Industrialization.

That was not to say Field Industrialization was bad. The two were actually compatible.

It was simply that Field Industrialization was less difficult and could only solve the problem of certain low-end resources. Raising a civilization to Level Five was already its limit—but that was still an immense achievement. After all, most civilizations did not have sufficiently capable artisans to create tools like the Future Mirror.

Mythical Industrialization, on the other hand, was extremely difficult, but it could solve the shortage of high-end resources and raise a civilization to Level Six, or even Level Seven Civilization!

At last, Lu Yuan said loudly, "Friends, the path from Field Industrialization to Mythical Industrialization is clear, and the road ahead is bright. If your artisans are not capable enough, please focus on developing yourselves first. Otherwise, if your civilization lacks sufficient fortune, it will be difficult for Acquired Mythical to emerge."

"I know you are all anxious. However, some of this knowledge concerns the genetic security of Human Civilization, so we cannot directly release all the experimental data. I hope you can understand."

He bowed deeply to the reporters and the leaders of the various civilizations.

The many insightful people who had been burning with impatience could understand that as well.

An alliance was an alliance, and a civilization was a civilization. Who did not have some private matters? Besides, they were the ones asking for help now, so they had no grounds to make demands. Honestly, if they themselves had invented this path, they might not even have made it public. Keeping it hidden was far more likely.

"As for intellectual property rights, they will definitely be made public. Once our staff has organized the materials, they will be released for free..."

Lu Yuan finally escaped the frenzied crowd and walked out of the field.

With such an enormous body, moving around really was inconvenient. No matter where he went, he became the center of attention, and most buildings could not even accommodate him.

"Invincibility really is lonely."

Once he returned to the human territory, he was greeted by smiling faces and thunderous cheers.

"Grand Commander, mighty!"

Hai Zhiyun, Lu Tiantian, and the others cheered loudly. Even the large group of university interns looked radiant with excitement.

They were deeply proud to have such a great elder.

Lu Yuan said gloomily, "Today, I turned into some kind of freak giant. I don't even have a house to live in. Look how huge I am..."

The crowd immediately burst into laughter. "It's fine, we'll camp out with you!"

It was a lively and enjoyable night of camping. Even Old Cat and Seashell joined the desert camp.

When the sandstorm subsided, the stars filled the sky, blinking one after another.

Beneath that vast heavens, everyone spoke of their ideals and described the future.

Filled with youthful spirit and ambition, Mythical Industrialization had only just begun. It was a Big Cake, and Green Field City would also invest heavily in it. There were simply too many topics to discuss.

Being with young people always made one feel young as well.

"Grand Commander, will you stay this big forever?"

"Not necessarily... By controlling Bloodline Power, I can shrink down. I'm just still experimenting with it."

Lu Yuan could naturally reduce his size, but he had only just publicly become Acquired Mythical. To avoid suspicion, he still had to live at this size for a while.

"When exactly will that be?" After great difficulty, Lu Qingqing climbed onto his shoulder.

Having such a gigantic older brother was truly a strange feeling—especially since although Lu Yuan had grown larger, his pores remained normal-sized. His skin was smooth and flawless, without the slightest imperfection. Even women sincerely envied him.

"Probably a year or so. Once I've mastered Bloodline Power, I'll be able to shrink," Lu Yuan casually lied to his younger sister.

"Then... when are you going to visit our hometown?" Although Lu Qingqing had settled in Green Field City, her heart was always thinking of home.

Lu Yuan understood his sister's thoughts. He really did need to take care of the humans' side. "Tomorrow. I'll take you there for a look."

The next morning, a giant strolled leisurely through the desert with his little sister. The scene had a rather Beauty and the Beast sort of feeling.

Lu Qingqing laughed. "Are we searching for an oasis?"

Lu Yuan strode swiftly, kicking up waves of yellow sand. "Artisans need to follow their inspiration. I remember the last time I took you out for fun was last time."

"Pfft, that last time was when I was in high school. In the blink of an eye, it's been... nearly a hundred years."

As they approached Human City, the patrolling soldiers grew nervous at first. They thought some enormous anomaly had arrived, but when they recognized Lu Yuan, their faces lit up with excitement and they lowered their guard. "Quick, notify the mayor and the party secretary! Mr. Lu is here!"

With Old Lu's size, he could not enter the city. He would also draw crowds of gawking civilians, which would be rather awkward.

So he could only set his sister down in the city and let her go have fun on her own.

Then he met with Li Chunhong, Li Jun, and the others in the desert.

"I plan to move Human City to the Northern Frontier ahead of schedule," he said directly. "Flame Serpent, Red Ben, and your allied Haji Civilization—if you want to relocate, you might as well come along."

"Is it really that urgent?" Li Chunhong was stunned for several seconds before saying helplessly, "Actually, no one wants to leave. We all want to gather near the Kuxi Great Desert! Yunhai City has been witnessing Mythical Industrialization these past few days. The atmosphere has been so lively... perhaps only returning to Earth would be even livelier."

The Supreme Artisan Competition had truly opened humanity's eyes.

With such a powerful compatriot, aside from feeling immensely proud, it was actually difficult to feel things like envy or jealousy—when the gap was too great, there was no jealousy at all, just as ordinary people would not envy the richest person in the world.

Lu Yuan said, "A great desert is still just a great desert. Although many civilizations have gathered here, living resources are scarce, and there isn't even enough water to go around. This truly isn't a place for long-term settlement."

"These civilizations will eventually disperse little by little. The Northern Frontier is the real home. Of course, digging a Space Tunnel specifically to transport the Human City there would still be far too extravagant."

"The Buzhou Alliance wouldn't approve such a project either."

There was no naturally connected Space Fissure between the Central Continent and the Northern Frontier, and excavating a Space Tunnel would be extraordinarily costly.

Although Lu Yuan's influence might have been enough to persuade the aberrant management team to forcibly open such a tunnel, calling in favors and severely damaging his goodwill for it simply wasn't worth it.

"Then what should we do?"

"You can travel there through the temple, like the Northern Frontier artisan teams."

"But what about our assets?" Li Chunhong frowned. "That temple has limited carrying capacity. We can afford the cost of transporting individuals, but an entire city... it can't be transported."

"All the assets of a Level Three Civilization should amount to something. We can't possibly start from nothing and reclaim wasteland again amid ice and snow."

Lu Yuan had actually considered this problem before.

Even with his current wealth, he would still scavenge a bit when he encountered the ruins of a Level Three Civilization. Rashly urging others to give up their wealth was indeed not very sensible.

But things were different now.

He was already an Acquired Mythical. Even if he used abilities beyond imagination, others would not be overly suspicious.

"You all know that I possess Storage Space abilities."

"After becoming an Acquired Mythical, the Storage Space I can use through Bloodline Power can hold massive quantities of matter. So, you can divide the city into several sections. I'll help you pack up and take away valuable factories and equipment."

"There's no need to bring things like worthless reinforced concrete. They can be easily purchased at the Northern Frontier Trading Market. That way, the difficulty of rebuilding from scratch won't be too great."

In truth, Lu Yuan could have moved the entire Human City into the Qiankun World, then transported it back out after reaching the Northern Frontier.

But he did not dare take that gamble. The Qiankun World was too important. Not the slightest risk could be taken, and not the slightest hint could be leaked.

He would rather make several trips carrying things himself and work a little harder in exchange for safety.

The idea was rather tempting.

Li Chunhong and the others fell silent, then exchanged glances. "Your suggestion does seem feasible, but we'll need to return and make plans, inventory our assets, and divide up the city. It will take at least a year."

"Moreover, we must prepare the public mentally for reclaiming new land and raise the corresponding transportation fees. All of this together will take quite a bit of time."

"We have nearly a hundred million people. The transportation fees will not be a small sum."

"By the way, how large is your Storage Space?"

Lu Yuan answered, "1.1 cubic kilometers. I can't fit anything more than that."

Everyone was startled. The power of an Acquired Mythical was truly terrifying. With such a vast space, he could carry an enormous amount of goods in a single trip.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan was considering upgrading his Earth Escape Flying Shuttle.

In recent years, exchanges between the Northern Frontier and the Buzhou Alliance had become frequent. The Earth Escape Flying Shuttle's carrying capacity was becoming somewhat insufficient, and certain extremely large items could not be transported at all.

Transporting the population of an entire civilization would require an even more enormous amount of spiritual essence.

"I should commission the Immortal Palace Aberrants. I don't need to do everything myself..."

The materials were fairly abundant anyway, and the Turtle Civilization had several Grandmaster Artisans. Asking them to help forge it would not be much trouble.

Coming back to himself, Lu Yuan saw that the human leaders were still thinking and discussing. He could guess what they were hesitating over. "Mythical Industrialization is advancing in full swing. The Northern Frontier will absolutely not fall behind."

"Although I cannot personally travel to the Northern Frontier, I will send Li Datie and the other core artisan teams there."

"The work there is also extremely demanding. The Planetary Engine has barely even begun. We need a trustworthy civilization with a voice and sufficient drive for advancement to oversee this work. I wonder if you are up to the task?"

Since he had put it that way, Li Chunhong and the others could only set aside their hesitation. After all, Lu Yuan's "favorability" was far more important than any other kind of wealth!

"What do you think we should do?"

"After arriving in the Northern Frontier, simply focus on developing yourselves. You must at least reach a Level Four Civilization before you can compete for a voice. There are also several Human Civilizations there, so your presence will not be too conspicuous."

"Your greatest trump card is actually Yao Drizzle. Anomalies are scarce in the Northern Frontier, and disaster-level anomalies are completely nonexistent. Yao Drizzle is particularly suited to growing in that frozen environment."

Li Chunhong froze. "But it will be difficult for us to fully control that anomaly."

"A newborn Yao that has not yet had the chance to grow will submit after a few more beatings," Lu Yuan said. "I'll beat it up a few times first, but you must also hurry and develop. Once it grows to the point where I can no longer defeat it, you'll have to rely on yourselves."

The crowd was instantly overjoyed. "Then... thank you very much, Mr. Lu!"

One day later.

Yellow sand swept through the air. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Lu Yuan gave the Yao a brutal beating!

Yao Drizzle lay in the desert, taking in less air than it expelled. Thousands of eyes across its enormous head were filled with fear.

All right, a battle at the Acquired Mythical level against a Yao still in its growth phase was actually somewhat strenuous.

But on the one hand, Lu Yuan had rich combat experience, and his own strength far surpassed that of an Acquired Mythical.

On the other hand, the Kuxi Great Desert was incomparably arid, without a single drop of water. Yao Drizzle could not even display one-tenth of its abilities, turning the battle into a completely one-sided affair.

"It's still not obedient enough. I'll beat it up every few days until it develops psychological trauma." Lu Yuan waved his hand and left with his Younger Sister.

Only a group of spectators remained, staring at one another in dismay.

"It's wonderful, having a relative like that who has everything arranged for you," a Minotaur from the Red Bull Alliance suddenly said.

The human leaders sighed.

Li Chunhong suddenly asked, "Have you all made your decision? Will you head to the Northern Frontier with us, or stay here?"

"Human friends, the Yan Snake Civilization has no way back. We are willing to go to the Northern Frontier!" the Yan Snake leader declared firmly. Most of their assets had already been lost, and starting over somewhere new was not necessarily a bad thing.

The Red Bull Alliance, on the other hand, hesitated and gave no answer for a long time.

As a civilization that possessed an Ox Ghost, they had many possible destinations.

With so many backup plans, it was only natural for them to compare their options.

Becoming an outer member of the Buzhou Alliance, joining the Neutrino Industrial Union, or even developing independently—all were viable choices.

"We... need to think about it some more."

The Minotaurs seemed to have inherited certain traits from their ancestors. They were generous and straightforward in small matters, yet when it came to major decisions, they became hesitant and unable to move forward.

During an internal meeting, the various Minotaur chieftains voiced their opinions and argued without end.

A huge black bull widened his eyes and shouted, "We still don't know what the Northern Frontier is really like! But even if it develops well, it can't compare to the Buzhou Alliance! We should stay in the Kuxi Great Desert. With the support of our ancestor, the Ox Ghost, we can at least secure a place for ourselves!"

Indeed, an Ox Ghost was a highly coveted asset. Not only could it fight, it could also provide a modest output—ghost blood, Ox Ghost hair, and so on. Though there was some suspicion of selling off their ancestor, the Red Bull Alliance had done quite well by relying on it. Their status was even somewhat higher than that of the Level Four Civilizations in the Buzhou Alliance.

Another old yellow bull retorted, "Not so! If we go to the Northern Frontier, we'll be the head of the chicken. If we remain in the Kuxi Great Desert, the Level Five Civilizations will always stand above us."

"Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix."

Some Minotaurs even suggested, "Shouldn't we consider the Neutrino Industrial Union? They lack Idealistic Material. If we join them, we'll surely be honored guests!"

The place was a noisy mess, with everyone insisting they had the better argument.

Suddenly, the chief of the Azure Ox Clan slapped the table with a bang. Only after everyone had quieted down did he say, "My opinion is that we should go to the Northern Frontier."