Chapter 238

Before answering that question, I have something I'd like to ask you.

The Shenzhou representative, expressionless, looked intently at the young man before him. "Is there no one else in your family? Why would they send you out?"

The young man with a confident smile on his face paused for a moment, and his smile faded considerably.

From the United Nations to the United Earth Government, the representatives of Shenzhou have been navigating the international situation for so many years, how could they not see through these people's clumsy tactics?

He didn't even need to think to realize that this group of people would not only try to smear Ai Yue at the joint meeting, but also incite panic and create chaos in the form of social media and other platforms, and guide public opinion in a direction unfavorable to Ai Yue, in an attempt to force Ai Yue to make concessions.

But what era are we living in? Why would these people think such methods are still effective? Are they some wild men who just escaped from some mountain ravine?

Putting aside everything else, the entire online public opinion is under the supervision of super Artificial Intelligence. This kind of mudslinging is probably sent to the cyber police as soon as it is posted. Do you still think that social media today is like the old days when you could manipulate public opinion by relying on online trolls?

Returning to the joint meeting—indeed, if a vote were to be taken, then a decision agreed upon by the majority would be unavoidable even by the representatives of Shenzhou. But what makes you think you are the majority now?

Doesn't this guy realize that most people are watching his performance with indifferent eyes?

Those greedy families did try to seize all the wealth and power in the world, but they weren't idiots. How could they allow such a fool to lead the charge?

But regardless, I really should make a statement.

"Since you've asked me, I'll share our perspective."

The Shenzhou representative didn't give the other party a chance to respond before speaking again, "You seem to believe that after Ai Yue becomes a true god, he will treat humans as his playthings or private property, and slaughter and control them at will, is that right?"

"But have you ever considered that Ai Yue doesn't actually need human civilization at all? On the contrary, it's human civilization that needs Ai Yue now?"

The representative from Shenzhou scanned the entire room with sharp eyes, as if trying to pierce the souls of those with ill intentions.

"I know where you come from, and I know why you think this way. At its core, it's just that you're judging others by your own standards—you know that you're in this position and you'd never let go of any opportunity to squeeze out any profit, so you assume that Ai Yue is the same kind of person. Therefore, in order to protect your own interests, you want to drag everyone down to stand against Ai Yue."

"But I want to tell you that all the wealth, resources and power in the world combined are far less important than one ten-thousandth of Ai Yue's importance."

"If Ai Yue is truly willing to intervene in the affairs of human civilization, it would be an honor for humanity—under his leadership, we have the opportunity, in just one percent of the time, to become a powerful civilization that roams the galaxy!"

"What's laughable is that you're willing to push someone of vital importance to humanity to the opposite side for a little immediate, petty gain?"

At this point, the representative from Shenzhou stood up abruptly. "The fruits of victory have only just been plucked, and not even by our own hands, yet you're already starting to harbor your dark thoughts? Well then, let me tell you the answer that belongs to Shenzhou."

"Shenzhou will support Ai Yue without reservation, just as Ai Yue once supported humanity without reservation!"

The representative from Shenzhou was not particularly tall, and due to his age, he even looked somewhat hunched over, as if the weight of the responsibilities on his shoulders had bent his back.

But when he scanned the audience, those who had ulterior motives seemed to be a little shorter and did not dare to respond to each other's gazes.

Because he represents a powerful nation called Shenzhou has become the de facto controller of the Asian region in the current world situation.

Even if one day Shenzhou were to update its national map and color the entire Asia in its own colors, absolutely no one would dare to raise any objections.

For such a country to choose to stand firmly on Ai Yue's side, regardless of the means or methods the young man's backers might employ, is essentially no different from defeat.

Just then, loud applause rang out from the main gate.

"Well said, Zhou!"

A figure strode into the conference hall. Upon recognizing the person, the young man seated in the North America representative's seat stood up in astonishment. "Mr. Ai Er..."

"Mr. Lazard, you're surprised to see me here, aren't you?"

The original North America representative walked up to the young man with a subtle smile on his face. "I said that my country would ultimately make the right choice. You have failed."

The young man opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The fact that the other party has returned here means that the North America Federal Congress has finally made a choice between the two options, and he has obviously not been chosen.

But they had been operating in the North America Federation for many years and had clearly secured so many seats, so why did they fail?

The real North America representative ignored the distraught young man and turned to his old friend with a knowing smile, "Your brilliance just now reminded me of my youth... You Shenzhou are always so clever."

"This is not just about wisdom, but also about deeper reasons."

The representative from Shenzhou smiled and shook his head, reverting to his usual gentle and friendly demeanor. "The fact that you were able to come back shows that there are still smart people in North America."

Before the North America representative could say anything more, the screen that had been off suddenly lit up, revealing Ai Yue's figure.

Good evening, everyone.

Ai Yue's face was beaming with joy, even more so than when he defeated the Herrscher of the End. "Oh, a newcomer? Did I disturb your meeting?"

"Of course not."

The Shenzhou representative sat down again and nodded to Ai Yue. "I wonder if you have any specific needs for making this appointment?"

The North America representative unceremoniously pushed aside the bewildered young man and sat in his rightful place. The young man, seemingly still dazed, could only stand there blankly, like an intern who had made a mistake.

"It is indeed a bit,"

Ai Yue snapped his fingers, and an identical folder appeared on everyone's tablet at the same time. "To be precise, it should be considered a reward for you all."

The Shenzhou representative opened the folder, glanced at it a few times, and then subconsciously held his breath.

This folder is filled with all sorts of files. You don't even need to open them; just looking at their names is enough to give you a sense of overwhelming awe.

"Comprehensive Automation Factory Blueprints", "Artificial Synthesis Technology for Precious Metals", "Imaginary Energy Reactor Design Schematics", "Blueprints for Ultra-Large-Scale Fully Automated Agricultural Ecosystems", "Superhuman Serum"...

"The 'AY001' project is something I've been preparing for a long time,"

Ai Yue said with a smile, "Of course, it also has an easier-to-understand name—"

"The Great Harmony Plan".

Chapter Four makes it sound like you can give me something.

Great Unity.

These four simple characters, with only sixteen strokes in total, are easy for even a child to write. Yet, the world depicted by these simple characters represents a grand vision that humanity has strived for thousands of years to achieve.

Because it was a world of peace and tranquility, abundant material wealth, a just and warm society, where everyone was equal and prosperous, and there was no strife or crime.

Sometimes it is also called Utopia, Paradise, or Earthly Heaven... but no matter what it is called or what the aspirations are, the core idea is almost the same.

However, the reason why the ideal of Great Unity is called a grand vision is precisely because it is extremely difficult to achieve.

To create such a world, both material abundance and spiritual strength are indispensable, but material abundance is clearly the most fundamental condition—after all, when a person is struggling to survive, emphasizing morality to him is meaningless.

As the saying goes, "When people are well-fed and warm, they think of money; when they are hungry and cold, they think of theft." Only when material needs are met can people have the energy to pursue spiritual fulfillment.

But it is precisely this "abundance of material wealth" that has become the key obstacle to "Great Unity".

The Great Unity should benefit all of human civilization, not just a small group of people. However, even if all the resources accumulated by human civilization to date were divided equally, it would still fall far short of the goal of everyone enjoying a prosperous life.

Not to mention, the so-called "abundance" of the Great Harmony Society is not just about having enough to eat and wear and a place to live—it means that everyone can be free from the worries of money and have enough time to enjoy life!

Perhaps only by pooling all the world's resources together can we barely provide such a lifestyle for the people of a single country, and that country cannot be a massive behemoth like Shenzhou or North America with a huge population.

But as mentioned earlier, Great Unity is never something prepared for a select few, let alone at the cost of exploiting and oppressing others.

So, how can we make material resources more abundant?

The answer is to improve technological capabilities.

Agriculture, textiles, manufacturing, construction, healthcare... the development of each industry will improve the material standard of living and people's lives—but at the speed of human technological development, how many centuries or millennia would it take to acquire enough material foundation to establish a utopian society?

But what about now?

The Shenzhou representative looked at the names of the documents in front of him and felt his whole body trembling.

Ai Yue's consistently demonstrated strength allowed him to believe in the authenticity of these documents without hesitation, and it was precisely because of this that he knew what a treasure trove he was facing.

It can be said that the so-called "reward" that Ai Yue gave them was enough to allow human civilization to climb the technology tree to an extremely terrifying height in a very short period of time!

As a politician, he doesn't know much about the technology field, but the technology in front of him is so outrageous that even a junior high school student can understand its value!

Putting aside everything else, the "Artificial Synthesis Technology for Precious Metals" alone can artificially produce gold at a relatively low cost.

This single technology alone could completely overturn the financial system of human civilization and trigger tremendous changes in countless related fields—not to mention that gold is just one of the precious metals.

There are many other technologies of the same level in this folder. Not to mention the "Imaginary Energy reactor" that can provide clean energy in an almost endless manner by linking to the imaginary world, it is in no way inferior to artificially synthesized gold.

It's important to understand that unlike Honkai Energy, which is highly corrosive and therefore requires extreme caution in its use, Imaginary Energy not only Honkai Energy in various aspects but is also much more stable. It is even impossible to trigger secondary disasters through conventional means, making it a top-tier clean energy source.

After all, even oil and batteries can catch fire if not handled carefully, hydrogen can explode directly, and nuclear energy is even more problematic, as it is not only unclean but also extremely difficult to handle.

However, Imaginary Energy reactors are not only clean energy sources, but their performance is also hundreds or thousands of times greater than that of nuclear reactors. Unlike wind and water power generation facilities, they are not limited by geographical environment and can be built directly on spaceships to draw energy from Imaginary Space anytime and anywhere.

Of course, the Shenzhou representative was unaware of these matters, but he understood that any technology selected by Ai Yue and included in this "Great Harmony Plan" could not possibly be of low quality!

With these things, not to mention a utopian society, even a civilization capable of interstellar travel would be within reach!

Although the representative from Shenzhou had just said that following Ai Yue would give him the chance to grow to the point where he could walk among the stars in just one percent of the time, he did not expect that the opportunity to verify this statement would come so quickly.

Not only the representative from Shenzhou, but everyone present, including the young man standing behind the representative from North America, were utterly shocked.

There may be some people who are not clear-headed among those present, but there are definitely no people who are not smart, so they also realized the great value of this gift.

It was so weighty that some people even turned off their screens after just one glance, fearing that knowing too much might bring them disaster.

"Don't worry about not understanding it. The content is very clear. Let those guys in Atra City handle it. At the latest, they should be able to get it done within five years."

Looking at everyone's reactions, Ai Yue smiled and said, "Of course, if we add more people, the time might be even shorter."

"We... will make the arrangements."

The representative from Shenzhou finally snapped out of his shock and nodded somewhat absentmindedly. "But are you really that reassured?"

These technologies are indeed very powerful, but precisely because of this, if they fall into the hands of malicious individuals, they can also cause enormous disasters.

Not to mention that among the basic conditions for forming a utopian society, in addition to the great satisfaction of material needs, the development of the spiritual realm is also of paramount importance.

Having material resources but lacking the corresponding spiritual awareness can easily lead to tragedies.

After all, while some of the flaws in a person's heart may be compensated by material satisfaction, no one can guarantee that they can be completely compensated.

Otherwise, the future of human civilization wouldn't have gradually become distorted and bleak in various science fiction novels.

"You all have to grow up on your own, don't you?"

Despite facing someone more than twice his age, Ai Yue said, "But I believe that most people are smart, and you will definitely find a way."

The North America representative wanted to say something, but suddenly noticed that the young man behind him had taken a step forward. His face showed a hesitant expression, clearly indicating that he had something to say but was afraid to speak for some reason.

"For your grandfather's sake,"

The North America representative could naturally see through the other party's thoughts. After a moment's consideration, he proactively pushed the microphone on the table to him, saying, "You'd better watch your step, or no one can save you."

So the young man picked up the microphone, composed himself for a while, and then spoke softly, "Hello, Dr. Ai Yue."

Although he had been speaking eloquently about the newly ascended deity before him, he became somewhat timid after actually seeing the real person.

Even he himself was a little confused about this feeling, because Ai Yue in front of him looked like an easy-going young man, without any hint of divine airs or majesty, but when he was facing him, he didn't have the slightest thought of arrogance.

"Oh, hello there."

Ai Yue didn't seem to care about the other person's mood. "It seems you have some questions for me?"

"I want to know,"

The young man composed himself and then asked, "Why are you giving us these things?"

What's the problem?

Ai Yue couldn't help but smile. "Because you need these technologies, don't you?"

"But what will you gain from this?"

Perhaps finding Ai Yue's attitude very gentle, the young man finally mustered up his courage and asked the question he most wanted to ask, "Keeping them in your own hands can actually achieve your goal, can't it?"

In his view, by mastering these incredibly advanced technologies and applying them to human civilization through means such as drone swarms, he could also promote a great abundance of material wealth, build the foundation for a utopian society, and ensure that Ai Yue's position in human civilization would remain unshaken.

To put it bluntly, Ai Yue could use these technologies to completely seize control of human civilization and make everyone work for him.

This makes sense logically, since who would give away something so valuable so easily? After all, free things are often the most expensive!

To everyone's surprise, Ai Yue frowned when he heard this question.

"I have found peace and quiet?"

Ai Yue looked at him with a rather subtle expression, "After all, how can I have so much energy to pay attention to you all every day? You should handle this kind of thing yourselves."

The young man stood there stunned for a moment before letting out a long breath and revealing a relieved expression. "I give up."

He had considered many possible answers, and even thought that Ai Yue might use a riddle to avoid the question in order to maintain his divine image, but he never expected the other party to have this attitude.

The tone was as if to say, "Once you learn to make your own toys, don't come back to me to play with you anymore."

Only now did he finally understand what the representative of Shenzhou had said.