"It sounds more like an information civilization?" the Ender said.
"Algorithms aren't exclusive to information systems. Input, output, determinism, finiteness, effectiveness—don't you think these fit rather well with something mechanized?" Laysis countered.
"That's true enough." The Ender pondered. "Without species consensus, there can be no sense of racial identity. Without organizational consensus, there is no foundation for cooperation. Without territorial consensus, you can't develop a homeland culture or territorial awareness."
"So your civilization does indeed need some 'stability anchors.'"
The Ender across from her got straight to the point:
"Put that way, wouldn't it be very disadvantageous to wage a civilization war against you?"
"Why do you say that?"
"Without a homeland, there are no fixed possessions. You don't even have a single stationary planet for your activities. Even if you captured a Virus Mechanical Overlord, you couldn't interrogate it about the locations of the other Overlords, because you're not familiar with one another at all. You only have methods of contact in the general sense. In fact, even whether to launch a war isn't decided by a minority or majority vote, because the minority can refuse to obey the majority."
"That is indeed the case," Laysis said with a smile.
"What a peculiar form of civilization!"
The Ender sighed and drank a beverage of unknown composition, but worth at least as much as an inhabitable planet.
"All civilizations are peculiar. In fact, in my view, the Ender civilization is far more peculiar than ours."
Following the Ender's gaze, Laysis looked out the window.
From the Ender's perspective, he was suspended above the clouds. A cold holographic pyramid hung upside down in the gloomy sky, while quantum cables dangled from its base like veins, connecting to the rusted slums on the surface. The proles huddled in honeycomb compartments built from