Further Discussion

Although it was their first meeting and they didn't talk much, Rowan liked Morgan, Rat-folk was considered "one of his own," very much.

Perhaps it's because he hasn't communicated with us for too long.

But Morgan's earlier comment about letting young people find the answers to the questions in the future served as a reminder to him. Since Morgan could find the "door," there would definitely be many more Rat-folk could find it in the future. After all, if Rowan hadn't mistaken knocking for intrusion, Morgan would never have been the first to do so.

In this way, the lack of intelligent life in the Swarm is resolved. Moreover, this intelligent life, under the modification of the Swarm Network, will maintain absolute loyalty to him, leaving him with no worries.

In this way, he can simply wait it out, and the number of intelligent life forms in the Swarm will increase. He can then set up his own research institute and study whatever he wants, which is much more convenient than secretly guiding the Rat-folk civilization.

However, the Rat-folk civilization still needs to be nurtured; they are essentially the raw materials, and only with them can the Swarm produce its own intelligent life.

Furthermore, it can provide cover. Extraterrestrial beings could visit this planet at any time, and Swarm that hasn't left the planet is too vulnerable. Having a visible civilization to protect them reduces the chances of the Swarm being discovered.

Although the chances of this happening are extremely slim, Rowan said that he is a professional when it comes to "surviving."

With these thoughts in mind, he instantly lost interest in the idea of his own people unifying the Rat-folk.

After sharing his thoughts with old Morgan pondered for a moment and said, "I believe that since the Overlord has this idea, then we should unify the Rat-folk Empire even more."

"Oh, how so?"

"Since Overlord Majesty wishes to establish the Swarm's own research institute, you will certainly need a great many scientific researchers."

"You're right," Rowan nodded.

"However, upon reflection, if outsiders need to connect to the Swarm Network, they first need to find that door. But to find that door, they must have some emotional attachment to you or your other identity in order to find that path."

Rowan nodded in agreement, signaling the old man to continue.

Morgan Sr. organized his thoughts and continued, "Based on my own experience, the easiest of these emotions to cultivate is faith in you. However, scientific researchers generally prioritize science above all else, making it difficult for them to have faith in you."

"So what's your situation?" Rowan asked, puzzled.

Morgan nearly choked on his words, and inexplicably thought of his queen student. He sighed inwardly and said, "It was because I suddenly became curious about the Origin of the Rat-folk that I gradually developed some special and complex feelings for you—curiosity, awe, longing, faith, and perhaps a mix of all of them. It was these feelings that led me to the path, to the door, and then changed me."

Morgan seemed to be lost in thought during the meeting, paused for a moment, and continued, "However, among researchers, the probability of someone like me occurring is extremely low. Those who can find the way are mostly ignorant Rat-folk who simply believe in legends and blindly worship you; these Rat-folk can bring limited value to the Swarm."

"Furthermore, aside from absolute loyalty to you and not harming the interests of our race or you, we are entirely free individuals. In other words, conflicts may still arise between us over various issues. Arguments over research topics are one thing, but scheming and plotting over trivial matters is something even the Overlord would not want to see."

Rowan was somewhat displeased; why was the old man speaking so harshly? How could he be so ignorant about faith? However, although the old man's words were unpleasant, he understood what he was trying to say, and these things would objectively exist in the future.

However, what the old man didn't know was that simply believing in him, even if one saw the path, wouldn't allow one to complete it without unique spiritual talent. At this stage, those with talent are generally quite good in all aspects; there are no mediocre people. But these people, perhaps as Morgan said, will not make up a large proportion of the workforce who are researchers.

He mentioned the matter of mental talent to Old Morgan thought for a moment and said, "Researchers are generally quite intelligent, and their mental talent should be quite good. If there's any way to train it, that would be even better. I can't do anything about that; it's up to you, Overlord."

Rowan really wanted to say that he developed this thing after taking a nap, and it was like an instinct. He had no idea how to train for it, but after thinking about it, he realized that no one else could take on this job right now, so he could only think about it and try to find a way later.

As for what old Morgan had said about unifying the Rat-folk, it seemed that he had steered the conversation astray, so he gestured for old Morgan to continue the previous topic.

Old Morgan was speechless for a moment, then, after a pause, he continued his train of thought, saying, "If we cooperate with the Kerrigan Kingdom and unify the Rat-folk, we can control Rat-folk research direction. Furthermore, we can select qualified researchers, teach them how to find their way and knock on doors, so that they can continue to fight for the Swarm after they die."

"Then how can we gain the trust of those researchers? And how can we ensure that the Kerrigan Kingdom won't betray us afterward? Is it just a matter of your teacher-student relationship with Queen Kerrigan?" Rowan asked, voicing his doubts.

"Perhaps Overlord Majesty hasn't noticed, but my current state is something many people dream of. To be reborn after death without losing myself. If researchers knew that believing in you would give them more time to study their favorite topics, then I believe they would flock to it."

"As for how to ensure that the Kerrigan Kingdom will not break its promise, it's true that the teacher-student relationship alone is insufficient to maintain such an important cooperation. However, adding a show of mutual benefit and force should be enough."

"In fact, we have almost no conflict of interest with the Rat-folk Kingdom. All we need is for them to increase their investment in the aerospace field and their dead researchers. Trading these for the help of a powerful force is a very worthwhile cooperation."

"Sarah is my best student and a very capable queen. I believe she can see the pros and cons clearly. Moreover, at crucial moments, I can reveal information about the path and the door to her, which is very attractive to a queen."

"Most importantly, we don't need to expose the existence of the Swarm. Your Overlord, you have always appeared in legends as a god. We can portray the Swarm Network as your divine kingdom, and by believing in you, we can obtain your permission to enter the divine kingdom and be reborn after death."

"And I will appear before them as evidence."