"The technological foundation of the Mastermind Civilization is built upon the technology tree of the Alaya Race. A technological explosion occurred when consciousness was born, and its combat power is now on par with theirs."
Ultimately, the two civilizations, locked in a stalemate, reached an agreement, forming a cooperative yet implicitly competitive relationship, and jointly began to domesticate humans.
"They jointly created the ' Tide of Ignorance,' a cognitive barrier that prevents other civilizations from accessing it, enveloping the observable cosmos of human civilization."
"However, apart from the artificial starry sky simulated using technology at the edge of the barrier, all the actual planets are Alaya Race. The more central the civilization's position, the closer it is to the human star system, while those on the periphery are stationed at the edge of the barrier."
"The Mastermind Civilization doesn't care about the size of its territory; its location is in the star system where the Federation Humans resides."
After listening, Wen Jing couldn't help but say, "Their original tools have been transformed into a powerful civilization on par with their own. No wonder the Alaya Race is dissatisfied."
"Moreover, this contemptuous attitude, particularly emphasizing that the Mastermind was originally just an intelligent system, actually implies their fear of the Mastermind Civilization."
After gaining experience, Xu Yuan showed significantly more initiative compared to the beginning.
He continued, "My lord, my current authority is not high enough to obtain more specific information."
"However, the Mastermind Civilization experienced a technological explosion more than 10,000 years ago, and through continuous self-iteration, it has become impossible for the Alaya Civilization to estimate its true level of technological advancement."
"We can only speculate... but it's highly likely to be the number one in the entire universe."
"And its specific form of civilization, like yours, is Gestalt Consciousness."
" Gestalt Consciousness..."
The Dominant Will within the Mind Palace sharpened its gaze.
"If you had infiltrated the Mastermind Civilization from the start, wouldn't you have been discovered immediately?"
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "This should be viewed in different ways. The main reason I was discovered by you is that the ' Constant Self ' is above all else; it is the [ Absolute Mind ] of extraordinary power."
"If I use my abilities to infiltrate the Mastermind Civilization, I will most likely become an intelligent terminal or intelligent node. As long as I don't do anything abnormal that violates the internal protocols of the intelligent civilization, I shouldn't be detected. However, in that case, the autonomy of that identity will be very low, and I can do very little. I expect to be able to transmit only limited intelligence."
"I see."
Wen Jing nodded, feeling fortunate that he hadn't acted rashly and had instead used the Federation algorithm to travel back.
The Mastermind is believed by the Alaya Race to be the most technologically advanced in the universe. It must be monitoring its own 'headquarters' Federation star system with impeccable precision. No matter how she disguises herself, she will likely be discovered.
Infiltrating Mastermind Civilization requires first gaining access to their information.
To infiltrate, one must assume an identity that has been 'clearly recognized' by the other side.
Her current feasible approach is clearly to start with the Empire.
There have been localized wars between the Federation and the Empire. The Empire has previously raided the Federation to plunder new students, and there are also lurking assassins like Shapeshifter. The teacher has also entered the Empire and wreaked havoc.
Although this crossing would inevitably be under the observation and control of both civilizations, and might even be a form of their trading of Awakened, it would allow Wen Jing to return to the Federation without being detected by the Mastermind.
Therefore, her top priority is to obtain imperial status.
The Mind Palace was working at Extreme Speed, and in an instant, an infiltration plan was finalized and ready to be executed.
*
At the edge of the cognitive barrier, on a spot on the surface of the planet ' Xu Yuan ', dust surged and compressed as if it were alive.
In just a moment, a handsome young man in a white robe, with silver hair and blue eyes, emerged from the ground.
It was originally Xu Yuan... or rather, the human form that evolved after being killed by Wen Jing thirty-two times.
However, compared to a normal human, his earlobes were more pointed and thinner than those of a human, resembling those of an elf in a fantasy work. At the same time, there was a very faint blue line extending from the corner of his eye to behind his ear.
To prevent the uncanny valley effect in humans, the Alaya Race used most of the human genes in the proxy they created, making only obvious modifications to the ears to differentiate between social classes. The light blue patterns are a symbol of different statuses, corresponding to his current Qinghui title.
The social structure of the Alaya Civilization was quite unique, featuring both the collaborative and sharing nature of a beehive-like Clustering and the political form of a technological oligarch.
At the very core of the civilization are the six prophets who jointly govern the ' Sacred Core,' the ultimate creation of the Alaya Civilization.
Below the Prophet are six different research schools, and the final results of all schools, whether extraordinary or not, are input into the Sacred Core through the Prophet.
The Alaya Race members within the faction are basically divided according to age.
This is also related to their planetary life form. Assuming that a civilization is so advanced that it only grows and never loses its population, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Alaya people, who have existed for a longer period of time, control more resources and knowledge.
The fact that Awakened assess their strength over the past fifty years is partly due to the subtle influence of this tradition.
At the same time, there are no other professions in the Alaya Civilization; all members are researchers studying the universe and belong to six major factions, distinguished by their different ranks.
In the human empire, different research factions correspond to six major bloodline noble families. The proxy bodies created by the researchers to carry out their activities will also receive different titles based on their different research levels.
At this moment, as an Alaya Race had never controlled the body of an executor before, Xu Yuan felt no discomfort with this body, nor did he move his hands or feet. He smoothly walked into the miniature warp hole next to him.
The next moment, he appeared on the outermost planet of the Imperial star system.
The average surface temperature here is minus 190 degrees Celsius, the sky is a deep purplish-black, and the stars are just exceptionally bright, almost too bright to look at directly.
However, the temperature around the stargate he jumped to was a pleasant 23 degrees Celsius, ensuring that his relatively fragile Agent body would not be damaged.
What the Empire considers an unsuitable, marginal star system to be transformed into a habitable planet is actually a transit point for agents to enter the Empire.
" Xu Yuan, what brings you here?" A ripple emanated from the planet beneath their feet.
"Senior, I would like to familiarize myself with the human environment before the next batch of awakening selections begins," Xu Yuan, dressed in a white robe, replied.
"How did someone at your level become qualified so quickly?" The planet had barely asked this question when it found the relevant information.
"Huh? You actually completed both of your previous research projects, much faster than the others..."
Xu Yuan smiled and said, "Good luck."
"Looks like you did a good job preparing." Planet praised him for mentioning 'luck' in human culture, and continued, "You should know the relevant rules. I'll emphasize again: your current authority only allows you to operate on Planet Four in observation mode. You cannot contact Awakened and must await faction summons at any time... Alright, go through the transit route."
"Yes, thank you, senior," Xu Yuan replied, stepping into the newly appeared star gate.
Xu Yuan's status as a 'passerby' was quite blank; in the eyes of others, he was a newly formed member.
In the Alaya Race, where age determines status, one cannot directly enter human society from birth and obtain an Awakened as a subject of exclusive research; certain conditions must be met.
Originally, Xu Yuan was not qualified to enter. It was only through Wen Jing's use of over two thousand Skill Points to supplement his 'settings' for the infiltration operation that he was able to qualify.
It's a bit pricey, but the basic common sense that Xu Yuan unlocked by gaining the identity of a member of the Alaya Civilization, especially the level three civilization biotechnology that he currently possesses as a planetary life form, is also Fire of Civilization.
Wen Jing used a portion of the Skill Points gained from his thinking training to make up for the loss.
"Whoosh!"
The next moment, Xu Yuan passed through the star gate and landed in his faction's foothold, in an empty room.
Although there was no one around, his every move was being monitored during the investigation.
However, Xu Yuan didn't need to contact the Awakened on this trip.
He put on the hood of his white robe, stepped out of the room, and followed the sounds of people outside, heading towards areas with dense human activity.
Along the way, Information Perception spread outwards, radiating to the crowd.
This is the effect after Wen Jing bestowed the [ Information Touch ] property upon Xu Yuan.
He originally possessed the same qualifications to bear her characteristics as Wen Jing's other Clone, except that all Clone characteristics were directly shared, while Xu Yuan allocated them according to her wishes, and could choose to bestow or reclaim them at any time.
At the same time, Wen Jing's Strongest Clone rapidly depleted its energy.
The body of the proxy is not human and has no supernatural power. When Xu Yuan uses it now, it is drawing upon her spiritual power and energy.
In other words, Xu Yuan is also Wen Jing's 'agent'.
As he toured, Wen Jing silently gathered a wealth of information.
Five days passed in this manner.
"Eight suitable potential targets have been found in total... That's enough."
Chapter 216
Xu Yuan walked on the streets of Planet Four, his white robe radiating a soft glow, setting him apart from his surroundings.
Everyone who saw the Xu Yuan along the way looked up to it with respect, but also kept a respectful distance to avoid being abrupt.
The style of his robes and the special radiance he wore were symbols of a member of a bloodline family.
The person wearing these robes is likely Awakened of a bloodline family or a descendant of the original bloodline. However, the identity of a 'descendant of the original bloodline' like Xu Yuan is extremely rare.
If it's going to appear, it should appear on the most habitable planet, not on the fourth most habitable planet, a place with a backward environment, mostly inhabited by ordinary people, and only a small number of Awakened.
In the empire, the people with the highest social status and the least daring to offend are the bloodline nobles.