Standing at the edge of the elevator, Commander Wang playfully stretched out his hand and then pulled it back, thoroughly enjoying himself. It was unclear what had piqued his interest.
Of course, as the elevator got closer and closer to leaving the atmosphere, he didn't try again. After all, he was still a mortal and couldn't survive in a vacuum. He could only put his hands behind his back, look at the dark starry sky outside, and the huge Earth Star reflecting a silvery-white light beneath his feet.
The elevator left Earth Star silently and entered outer space.
Of those present, apart from Li Xingkong, almost everyone else was in space for the first time. Thanks to the elevator, they didn't experience the various inconveniences of space like the previous astronauts. They could enjoy their visit as ordinary tourists.
"The fact that this elevator got here already counts as a success!"
Looking at the unique scenery around him, Old Tang was momentarily lost in thought. Having interacted with astronauts so much, he never imagined that one day he would be able to travel to space himself.
"Of course it was a success."
The others were also captivated by the view of space, unable to tear themselves away.
The elevator lingered in space for a long time, until everyone had adapted to the change in environment, before Li Xingkong turned it around and started its return journey.
As the return journey began, Old Tang and Commander Wang also came over, as if they had something to say.
" Xingkong, the formation that holds the elevator together is so complex. Are there any precautions to take?"
Old Tang understood perfectly well that the core of this elevator was the array. As long as the array existed, it was only a matter of time before multiple elevators were built.
"The most important elements of this formation are the array flags and their placement. These two are the core of the formation. If the array flags are damaged, the corresponding formation will fail. Similarly, if the positions of the array flags change, the entire formation will also be affected."
"Therefore, this formation is more suitable for fixed locations. It's best not to move it after it's set up to ensure its smooth operation."
For a formation master, these are not problems. They may carry multiple formations with them and set them up at will. But for the user of the formation, these are all important. After all, he is just a user and does not understand the principles at all. If a few parts are moved, no one can restore it except Li Xingkong himself.
This requirement seems demanding, but it actually far exceeds Old Tang's expectations. After all, large-scale formations like the space elevator can be left untouched for hundreds of years once they are set up, so these kinds of intricacies are naturally not a problem.
"I see this elevator can be moved at will, so how fast can it go at most?"
Commander Wang looked at the sphere controlling the elevator and asked curiously.
"Because this elevator is so enormous, its speed is destined to be slow; otherwise, if it were to collide with something, it would be a catastrophic accident."
Li Xingkong estimated that if the elevator were inside Earth Star's atmosphere, its speed would be at most the same as that of a car.
"Its top speed is 140 mph at most. Any faster, given its size, it could cause various weather problems and even disrupt airflow in local areas."
"It has no load-bearing requirements?"
Commander Wang asked again.
"Theoretically speaking, there are no requirements for its load capacity, since the array that allows it to take off utilizes gravity. However, it still depends on its size, as it cannot exceed the range covered by the array."
Li Xingkong made a conservative estimate, after all, the load capacity of this thing was impossible to measure, and there simply weren't enough things for it to transport.
"Can your formation provide any protection? I mean, can it defend against weapons like artillery shells?"
Commander Wang's focus is a bit strange; Li Xingkong feels like his focus is off-target.
"Of course such formations exist, but this elevator doesn't need that level of protection. Inside Divine Land, no one's artillery can penetrate it."
Of course, such defensive formations exist. Formations are most famous for their defensive purpose. In fact, the primary purpose of most formations is defense. After all, formations require a site, and for offense, it's certainly not as straightforward as taking direct action.
"I mean, is it possible that it could be used for more than just being an elevator?"
Commander Wang's eyes lit up.
"It can fly, it's very fast, it has a huge area, and it can defend against most attacks. It's a real shame that this thing isn't used as an airborne carrier. Old Tang, how about we part with it and give it to me? I can turn it into an aerial military base next year."
He wasn't so confident at first, but the more he spoke, the more confident he became, and the louder he spoke.
That's right, it's such a waste to use this thing as an elevator. It covers 500 square kilometers. If it were used as an aircraft carrier, it could carry planes from half of Divine Land. If this thing were to land over the head of the Eagle Country, no one could do anything about it.
Your nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is impressive, but how many planes can one carrier carry? Mine can bring out an entire army, with complete logistics and no need for long supply chains. If possible, we can start farming on their heads while simultaneously conquering them.
"Well, your idea is good, but we're in peacetime now; development should be the priority."
Old Tang naturally wouldn't just give this thing away like that. He wanted to keep this treasure for himself. Putting everything else aside, with just two round trips, Divine Land could build a space port directly in Earth's orbit and start building a space fleet right away.
With a space fleet, Divine Land can begin exploring the outside world. In Old Tang's view, it seems petty to be competing with those countries on Earth Star at this point. Besides, with nuclear weapons in hand, war is unlikely.
Who told the old Eagle Country to have already strapped its nuclear missiles to the Yellowstone National Park? This wasn't exactly a secret; in fact, the more people in the Eagle Country knew, the better. After all, they wouldn't dare to act in such a suicidal tactic if their adversaries knew.
They could win a war, but what would be left for Divine Land would be a ravaged Earth Star, which is not what they want. In fact, this war might even accelerate the return of Earth Star to an ice age.
As we all know, the millions of years that humanity has lived have coincided with the interval between two ice ages on Earth Star. During this interval, the temperature is just right for human survival. However, if volcanoes erupt, or if a third world war breaks out, humanity's current weapons are more than enough to significantly raise the temperature of Earth Star. This would cause the polar ice caps to melt, sea levels to rise, and ultimately the land area to decrease. In the following years, this would lead to a drop in temperature, and the entire world would enter an ice age prematurely.
This is also why large-scale wars have been difficult to break out since the advent of nuclear weapons. Earth Star itself is very resilient; nuclear weapons can at most leave some marks on its surface, but for humanity, that would be a much bigger problem.
Even if they win, survival on a devastated Earth Star will be a problem.
This is also the main reason why Old Tang disagrees. Divine Land is not lacking in firepower or aircraft carriers. The most important thing is that there is no guarantee that it will be able to obtain complete territory after the war starts or after winning the war.
Land contaminated by nuclear radiation, or Earth Star with disrupted weather patterns, is bad for everyone. There are no winners in such a war; it's a lose-lose situation.