The Warp Engine
The army of the Telo Empire, though seemingly overwhelming, was actually nearly eight light-years away from the Origin Star System.
However, their warp drive was indeed powerful. This engine was the same main engine technology that the Riken Race had been trying to understand on the "Treasure Ship" buried by the Epoch Clan that they had unearthed.
This is a profound application of gravity technology. By converting energy into gravity, space is warped, causing the space in front of the spacecraft equipped with the engine to contract while the space behind it expands. The axis connecting the front and rear is the direction in which the spacecraft moves. The spacecraft moves forward on the wave within a certain range, which is called a "Warp Bubble," a flat spacetime.
Therefore, in reality, the spacecraft is stationary relative to the local flat space; what actually moves is the "Warp Bubble" that surrounds it. This breaks the limitation that the speed of an object cannot exceed the speed of light in the local area.
The Telo Empire once unearthed an Epoch Clan spaceship, but like some transactions, they let you try it out for a couple of days to pique your interest, and then they took it back. To truly understand it, you had to spend real money.
The real money used in transactions with the Epoch Clan is in the form of points. The points required for basic warp drive technology are astronomical. This requires a massive number of researchers and contributions.
The Telo Civilization, having just been invited to reap a wave of benefits, still maintained considerable vitality. Fueled by hatred, they were even more determined to improve. They believed that by using the data collected while handling the Treasure Ship as a reference, they could also develop warp drive technology on their own.
However, the warp drive is a watershed moment in civilizational development, crucial for expanding across multiple star systems and ensuring stable rule. This very thing held the gifted Epoch Clan back for tens of thousands of years, triggering the Dark Era and severely weakening the Epoch Clan. Even with a physical reference, it's not something that can be easily researched.
Not to mention, the so-called "Treasure Ship" is just a tempting bait. Why would the Original Epoch Clan willingly hand over their technology for free? Even if it's extremely difficult to crack, what if? What if they encounter a civilization with even greater talent?
Therefore, the bait is poisoned, and the warp drive on the spaceship is actually a high-quality replica, one of the detours taken by the Original Epoch Clan. So, trying to cross the river by following its lead will only lead you further and further away from the correct path.
Almost every foreign civilization has fallen into this trap. Not only the Telo Civilization, but every civilization considers itself the chosen one and wants to solve problems on its own. As a result, after wasting time and expending a lot of resources, they finally refuse to accept reality. Only after spending a huge price to purchase technology do they realize that they have been tricked.
At this moment, their greatest desire was naturally to strangle the Epoch Clan, but the disparity in strength forced them to choose to endure and harbor their hatred in their hearts. But how could the Epoch Clan allow themselves to attract such hatred?
As more civilizations fell for the trick, this mentality gradually changed under the covert guidance of the Epoch Clan. Whenever a new civilization fell for the trick, the previously tricked civilizations would feel a secret sense of satisfaction. Moreover, a distorted relationship of interest was formed: if I paid the price, others must also pay the price. At this point, the Epoch Clan no longer needed to intervene; these early civilizations that had been tricked would actively maintain this relationship.
After the Original Epoch Clan disappeared, why would the New Epoch Clan voluntarily abandon such a fine tradition? Naturally, they simply copied it entirely.
This trap has a huge impact on a civilization. Even an old civilization like the Telo Empire, with a history of nearly 100,000 years, only acquired warp drive technology 10,000 years ago, which shows how treacherous it is.
Moreover, this is only the basic warp drive technology. With the support of over a hundred researchers from other races, the Epoch Clan had already advanced this technology to an extremely advanced level. But they wouldn't kindly achieve it all at once; naturally, they divided it into several stages, and the required expenditure was practically a bottomless pit.
Some civilizations that Telo Civilization by tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years, were only on par with the Telo Civilization in this technological level. This illustrates just how difficult it was to acquire subsequent technologies.
However, even the rudimentary technology of the warp drive represents a significant leap forward, a key technology that will elevate the overall level of civilization.
It can increase the speed of warships from sub-light speed to twice the speed of light. From the outer reaches of the Big Horn and White Grub Star System to the Origin Star, it would take the Duoqi Civilization more than ten years, while the small team of the Telo Civilization arrived in just four years.
That's the difference.
"Admiral Bular, do you think our journey will go smoothly?" A hundred warships were advancing at a speed exceeding the speed of light, and they were about to arrive at their destination. The hibernating personnel gradually awoke. At this moment, two muscular giants stood one after the other on the bridge. The one lagging behind, a Telo, suddenly spoke up, her face showing slight worry, her voice soft, which seemed very out of place with her physique.
"Don't worry, Kaoyi, our safe journey here speaks volumes about the Zerg's attitude." The Telo standing in front spoke with a resolute voice. He turned and patted the Telo behind him, who was slightly shorter than him. His Adjutant was a female, and although she was also a muscular giant with very developed pectoral muscles, just like him, she was considered a super beauty in the Telo's aesthetic standards.
Upon hearing Bular's words, Kaoyi's angular face showed surprise. "Major General, we are traveling faster than light. Although the rudimentary engine technology still has some flaws, the other side is only a rudimentary civilization. They probably won't even be able to detect us, right?"
Bular nodded and said, "You're right, Kaoyi. According to the data, that's indeed the case. Although they are numerous, they haven't shown any advanced technological capabilities so far, so theoretically they shouldn't be a threat. But for some reason, I have this feeling that they can detect and intercept us. You know, my intuition is usually very accurate; it's saved us several times."
"Although I still find it hard to believe that a rudimentary civilization could accomplish this, I'm willing to trust your premonition, Major General. However, if your premonition is accurate, it means our opponent is even more formidable, and our journey will be even more dangerous." Kaoyi showed worry again.
"Kaoyi, as I just said, if my hunch is right, they do have the ability to intercept us, but they haven't made a move. This means they also intend to talk to us. I estimate they learned about the Alliance from the Duoqi Race, but those Duoqi will definitely mix truth with falsehood. They want to learn more through us, so we'll be safe."
Thank you Eternal Insect Mother for the 1500 Qidian Coins reward, thank you Grand Ming Imperial Guard Commander for the 500 Qidian Coins reward, and thank you Okay, I'm Fine for the 200 Qidian Coins reward.