Unfortunately, every piece of data is now unique because the entire system is unique. It is indeed quite difficult to find anything from this massive amount of data. More importantly, the old man did not say what was here; he just asked everyone to look for it and discover it, without giving any specific goal.
It seems we'll have to stay here for a while. Academician Zeng urged everyone to conduct as many observations as possible, as this system could collapse at any time, and we might not get another chance like this.
More than two years later, all the elders of the Tree Race returned to the JD6 Planetary System. The clan leader specially came to invite Hu Yu, Academician Xiao, and other high-ranking members to attend their Tree Race's celebration.
Hu Yu had originally suggested that the Tree Race chief should conduct a thorough check before entering the Alliance territory, given that there were hundreds of millions of Tree Race members. However, the Tree Race chief said that the Tree Race could not be infiltrated. Hu Yu thought about it and agreed; they possessed powerful consciousness and brainwaves, so identifying their own people was not a problem, and human methods were not more advanced than those of the Tree Race.
The Tree Race's celebration began, and countless Tree People had blossomed overnight with flowers of various colors. Although they looked like trees, they were now civilized beings. Watching these Tree People running around with their heads covered in flowers was somewhat comical, but the scene was indeed beautiful.
In space, countless Tree Race members have formed various formations, soaring freely through the starry sky like birds, their bodies emitting shimmering light. Due to their sheer number, their formations are larger than stars, and accompanied by twinkling lights, they are a truly breathtaking sight.
Several Tree Race elders lifted Hu Yu and the others into the sky, as if they had entered another world. The surrounding area was filled with the fluorescent light emitted by the Tree Race members, which made the starry sky incredibly beautiful. It was like a fairy tale world, sparkling and shimmering. Everyone couldn't help but dance along with the Tree Race members.
Everyone hadn't been this happy in a long time. Even academicians like Academician Zeng and Academician Xiao were laughing heartily, swinging back and forth on the branches of the Tree Race elders until their miniature force field devices ran out of energy and they had to return to the ground. Everyone was still reluctant to leave and wished they could replenish their energy and go back up again immediately.
"Prince, why don't you go have some fun?" Hu Yu asked with a smile.
"General, please don't tease me. I'm more used to calling me Ninety-Seven."
"Haha, the prince is still quite shy. What's wrong? You seem a little unhappy. Is something on your mind?"
"General, you'll find out soon enough."
"Secrets about your Tree Race?"
"Hmm." Ninety-Seven nodded.
The Tree Race Chief said that among the clansmen captured by the Far Watcher Civilization was a very important clansman, whose fate was related to the rise of the entire Tree Race. In order to rescue this clansman, Grand Elder Zhigu and Elder Shiyi did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves. The clansman was rescued, but Hu Yu did not see anything special, and the Tree Race Chief did not mention it either.
Hu Yu and the others had speculated about which important clan member could influence the rise of the entire Tree Race, but the Tree Race chief didn't say, and no one asked—this was out of respect for other civilizations.
The celebration had been going on for several hours, with a dazzling array of activities. Everyone was delighted to see such a performance for the first time. Other members of the alliance were also enjoying this unique celebration through various means, and all nodded in praise of the Tree Race's wonders.
"General, friends, the Tree Race's celebration has not been held for millions of years. This year's celebration will last for a month. On behalf of all the Tree Race members, I thank you, General, and all our human friends. Without you, this celebration might never have taken place."
"Chief, you flatter us. Since we are friends, why be so formal? We are all members of the alliance, and rescuing our Tree Race friends is the right thing to do."
"General, gentlemen, please follow me."
The Tree Race Chief led everyone through a hidden passage into the interior of the Tree Race planet. Although the Tree Race planet was hollow, its crust was about 5,000 kilometers thick. If it weren't for the Tree Race Chief leading the way, they would have had to enter by spaceship.
After passing through the hollow section, there was actually a smaller planet inside. The number of Tree Race members on this planet was significantly reduced, and most of them were actual plants. There were only a few hundred Tree Race members left.
The clan leader led everyone to land on this small planet, Grand Elder Zhigu immediately came to greet them.
"Don't be surprised, it's just an ordinary planet. We've wrapped it up to store important items or hold important meetings."
"Chieftain, General, you've arrived."
"General, please, this is the first time this secret of our Tree Race has been revealed. Even among our own people, only a very, very small fraction know about it."
"Thank you for your trust, Chieftain. Ah, Ninety-Seven!!! How come there are two Ninety-Seven!!!" Hu Yu exclaimed. Although the appearance of the Tree Race is similar to that of humans, after spending a lot of time with Ninety-Seven, it is still easy to recognize Ninety-Seven among all the Tree People. Now, there is a Tree Race member standing in front of him who looks exactly like Ninety-Seven.
"Twins?" Wen Zhonghua explained to himself.
"I'm afraid not. The Tree Race doesn't seem to have the concept of twins."
"Gentlemen, it's strange, isn't it? Actually, the two princes were originally one. To escape the pursuit of the Far Watcher Civilization, the prince was forced to split and hide. Sure enough, not long after the split, one of them was captured by the Far Watcher Civilization. Fortunately, the prince was clever and disguised himself as an ordinary member of his tribe, which is why he was not discovered by the Far Watcher Civilization. Our elder, who has been hiding in the shadows observing the Far Watcher Civilization, was mainly doing so to ensure that the prince was still alive."
"Chief, now that there are two princes, which one is the real prince?"
"Both are, but neither is complete. The prince's consciousness and the space within his body have been fragmented, so they must be reunited to become the true prince."
"Clan leader, if I'm not mistaken, both princes now have their own independent self-awareness, right? If they reunite, one of their self-awareness might disappear, wouldn't that be right?" Academician Xiao asked.
" Academician Xiao, that is indeed a possibility," Ninety-Seven said softly.
"No wonder you've been so downcast, Ninety-Seven. So that's what it's about. Clan Chief, can't they just not be united? Now they have their own independent consciousness and internal spaces, they can grow just as well. Wouldn't it be better to choose the best one from the two princes to lead the Tree Race then?"
"Alas, it's a pity. If the prince doesn't merge, our Tree Race's future elders will be pitifully few. The general must know that our Tree Race's reproduction doesn't rely on seeds, but on root division. Only the prince, who possesses a complete internal space, has a greater chance of splitting off new members of the clan to obtain that internal space. Currently, most of all the elders are split off from my root system. Grand Elder Zhigu also took on a part, but his success rate is very low, and the success rate of other ordinary clansmen is even lower."