1613, Crazy Plan
In truth, this rejection did not mean so-called disloyalty, but rather a lack of identification.
For example, Egyptian civilization could never truly identify with Britain. Although the former had been conquered by the latter for a long time, from the perspective of civilization, that was simply how things stood. It had nothing to do with strength.
So, even if civilizations such as the Gran, Dagg, and Semirians sincerely wished to become part of the Duchy of Dawn, that did not mean they sincerely identified themselves as part of the Fourth Civilization.
But Baher-Banak, the Givin Chief Stellar Mathematician before them, was entirely different. Unlike the other races, who merely claimed to be members of the Duchy of Dawn, he spoke directly of the Fourth Civilization.
The nature of that was completely different.
It was a deep sense of identification, unrelated to strength—an identification born from the soul, from tradition, and from culture.
Matt Hona, who had also noticed something unusual in Baher-Banak's tone, frowned. "Because the Givin and the Fourth Civilization share the same goal?"
Baher-Banak shook his head. "No... because the Fourth Civilization can give us Givin a future."
Matt Hona could not quite understand. "What kind of future?"
"Under Tang Xiao, we may be able to obtain an entire habitable planet. Even if it must be taken by force." Baher-Banak said, "Do you know what a habitable planet means?"
Matt Hona appeared thoughtful, though his face still held some confusion.
Baher-Banak continued, "In this Milky Way Galaxy, habitable planets are the most precious resource. Among the trillions of planets in the entire galaxy, there are fewer than a hundred thousand habitable worlds. And every single habitable planet already has intelligent life. Native planets with pleasant climates that have not yet evolved even a primitive civilization