Before he left, the humans also laid their cards on the table with Zhang Ming.
They told him about their current difficulties, the troubles they might face in the future, and so on.
Population control, reshaping the crust, diplomacy between civilizations, producing nuclear weapons, further investigation of the Nether Domain Calamity, inter-civilization trade-each task weighed on them like a block of lead, leaving them struggling to breathe.
But Zhang Ming had no worries weighing on him. He had already done his best. The rest could only be left to his fellow humans.
"Apart from the Snake People, are there any other nearby civilizations we can work with?"
"There's a race called Akala. They look a little like burly Vikings, but they're quite far from us. Getting there by steamship would take about three years."
"And they're... well, relatively weak. They're in their Second Industrial Revolution and don't seem to have any unique technology, so there isn't much value in trading with them." Old Wang spread his hands. "Fifty years ago, we received electromagnetic signals from them and established the most basic diplomatic contact."
"We're planning to communicate more now... using electromagnetic waves. As long as there's any value in trading with them, we'll make the trip."
Zhang Ming nodded. It was good that humanity had this pioneering spirit.
As for inter-civilization trade, humanity now had so many Statesmen that there were already enough people to handle it.
"There's another species called the Paji Civilization. They're even weaker, still in their First Industrial Revolution. It would take about twelve years to reach them by steamship. But they seem to have some interesting biotechnology. They raise a monster called Flesh Mountain, which can efficiently process biological waste and convert it into energy."
Twelve years was a little far.
But Zhang Ming had