"A precognitive?" Melos looked on with suspicion. A stranger suddenly appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be able to foresee the future. He had never seen anything like it before. What was this guy?!
Melos was skeptical, his first reaction being disbelief. With a playful look, he said, "You can see the future, so do you know what I'll eat tomorrow morning?"
"It's okay if you don't believe my identity. Just listen to me, and time will prove whether what I'm saying is true or not."
Ignoring Melos's teasing, Han Xiao began his performance, feigning profundity and speaking in an inscrutable tone in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"The contradictions have already surfaced. Before long, your race's guardian deity will split, and from then on, Sunil's dream of revival will be forever shattered. Calamity will exhaust your resources and hope, leaving you no choice but to seek aid, thus embarking on the path of vassalage, becoming a subordinate race to other advanced civilizations. Your people will be scattered to live in different cities, your cohesion will gradually disappear, you will eke out a living, depend on the strong, and slowly lose your heritage and spirit. Your past will become written words, recorded in the textbooks and history books of advanced civilizations. Your descendants will only be able to learn about your race's history through written words, becoming yet another withering race in the vast universe..."
His wording was deliberately ambiguous; predictions are meant to leave a vague, hazy impression, so that when the event actually occurs, recalling the prophecy will evoke feelings of sudden realization or deep regret. Han Xiao naturally understood the future trajectory of the Sunil Race. This tribe did not experience physical annihilation, but rather a kind of "extinction."
Spirit, culture, thought, and history—these are the accumulated foundations of a race's evolution from ignorance to wisdom. Through reflection on each stage of development, they arrive at answers unique to the group. These unseen and intangible elements are what allow a race to be called "civilized," like the foundation of a building, the resonance of all individuals within a group, and the pillar supporting national cohesion. Even wild animals are divided into different races, but no one ever calls them "civilized."
The Sunil Race is a fallen civilization, and superhumans are their guardians. The tribe is grateful for their sacrifices, but they lack the resources to reward them and must rely on superhumans to recover. However, it is precisely this endless sacrifice that gradually brings conflicts to the surface. In a previous life, some superhumans could no longer tolerate it, feeling that they had done their duty, and chose to abandon their country and home to pursue "freedom," abandoning the tribe they considered a burden, indulging in sensual pleasures in the starry sky, which they regarded as their new home.
The Sunil Race was severely impacted. Previously, the losses from each Calamity were manageable, and the tribe's strength was slowly recovering. The higher-ups hoped for the day when the hardships would end. However, when the tribe's guardian deity split, their situation plummeted. The losses from the Calamity began to exceed the tribe's accumulated losses, making their situation increasingly difficult.
The Sunil Race lacked sufficient resources for migration and had to seek help, but even with sufficient resources, they wouldn't do so. Various malevolent forces roamed the interstellar space, and a distressed civilization was a tempting target. Leaving Goddora's protection, even greater dangers awaited, such as large-scale scavengers and slave traders. There were numerous examples of powerful slave traders wiping out entire groups, sparing only a few individuals to inflate prices under the guise of "species extinction." Other evil factions exterminated races to complete certain rituals or simply for personal satisfaction.
Order maintains the basic balance of the universe, but it cannot expel all evil.
Ultimately, the Sunil Race accepted military aid from Goddora Tu Shu migrated again. Goddora dispersed the Sunil people and sent long-term garrisons to "protect" them. With the implementation of various targeted policies by Goddora and the passage of time, the Sunil people were assimilated, and the Sunil "civilization" perished.
The three major cosmic-level civilizations have agreed to a treaty prohibiting the invasion of lower-level civilizations. However, the war has never ended, only it has ceased, though without the smoke of gunpowder. The seemingly chaotic, orderly universe is merely a facade, concealing the ambitions of various civilizations, some blatant, some restrained. Each civilization harbors the fantasy of becoming a hegemon. If conquering lower-level civilizations through war is not permitted, then assimilation will suffice. Even the civilizations of the Orderly Faction are not benevolent; even the Goddora, who uphold pure-blood beliefs, will cultivate vassal races.
The rise and fall of your civilization is your own business. You may want to continue your race, but others don't care and may even take the opportunity to exploit you. Every day, some race or civilization will perish somewhere in the universe. What difference does one more make? At most, they will send people to record the history of this group, turning it into a topic of conversation over tea, or a record that is dispensable.
Some interstellar programs like to report on the plight of civilizations, their selling point being to evoke empathy and compassion from viewers. However, expecting others to translate compassion into action is a very slim hope. Individuals have emotions and desires, and sometimes make emotional decisions, but when it comes to a civilization or a group, only self-interest is eternal. Ultimately, the Sunil Race is just one of countless ordinary civilizations, and has no right to be treated specially. Moreover, this is Shattered Star Ring, the visible edge of the universe, remote and wild, where the active population consists of scavengers, the abandoned, mercenaries, and other pragmatic individuals resembling Vulture.
Moreover, DarkStar attacks various low-level civilizations to deplete Goddora's resources. If a distressed civilization manages to break away from Goddora and become independent, and even recovers its strength, why would DarkStar stand idly by and allow a Goddora Ally to emerge?
Han Xiao used vague words to tell Melos these things, making him understand that the future of the Sunil Race was bleak.
"Why are you telling me this? Do you think I look interested?" Melos said casually, tilting his head back and taking a sip of his drink, looking every bit the drunkard who didn't care about the end of the world.
"Because I foresaw your fate, many things could have been avoided." Han Xiao smiled slightly.
Melos put down his glass and asked curiously, "What will be my fate?"
Although he didn't believe Han Xiao was a so-called prophet, most people would be curious about their own future. Han Xiao had just spoken very logically, and Melos was eager to know how this guy would "predict" his fate.
Han Xiao stopped, smiled, and said, "I will tell you once you believe I am a precognitive."
"I already believe it," Melos quickly changed his tune.
"If you truly believe me, I welcome you to come find me in the future."
Han Xiao smiled, realizing that trickery wouldn't work on him.
Melos is the protagonist of the Sunil Race's storyline. Based on his experiences, Han Xiao believes there's a chance he can abduct this protagonist. Currently, Melos is still an alcoholic who escapes reality and doesn't live up to the image of a "protagonist." His "scene" hasn't unfolded yet. Master Han's act of playing tricks is specifically aimed at Melos's future changes, leaving a deep impression.
One's own faction cannot consist of only one "NPC"; it must expand its leadership. Melos is the first target to test the waters.
Just then, an argument suddenly broke out in a corner of the bar. One of the men, who was heavily pregnant and clearly drunk, got into a conflict with his drinking buddies. They seemed to be discussing the topic of tribal survival, and the disagreement arose from their differing opinions.
The drinking buddy retorted angrily, "You know nothing! This is all Goddora's scheme! They deliberately moved us to a dangerous planet. How could they not know the true nature of this planet?! Goddora just wants us to beg him!"