Chapter 324: The Interests of the Dragon Race Are Above All Else
Chapter 324: Chapter 312: The Interests of the Dragon Race Are Above All Else
The success of a Void Cosmos Civilization might not be replicable, but the lessons from a civilization’s downfall are often universal.
Luh Yao carefully read the history of the rise and fall of the North and South Continent Island Civilization.
On the northern landmass, the Zhouzhou People’s initial development progressed by leaps and bounds. Their culture, technology, and confidence grew, making them optimistic and open, adopting an inclusive and integrated attitude toward outside groups.
Unfortunately, the still-unstable early civilization of the Zhouzhou People encountered an unprecedented crisis during an Era change, leading to rifts and disagreements that fractured their path of positive development.
The Zhouzhou People couldn’t figure out what was happening with the natural disasters.
Whether it was because they worked backward from the results of the catastrophe, or they changed and contracted out of pure fear, or perhaps the radical faction seized power at that moment… In any case, the deaths of a large number of their people prompted a change in the Zhouzhou People’s foreign policy.
If their civilization had had a few more Eras to stabilize and build a firm and solid sense of confidence, perhaps the subsequent tragedy would not have occurred.
Unfortunately, there are no “what ifs.”
The Zhouzhou People’s wavering and panic turned into internal strife and external plunder.
This act completely changed their status as the core civilization and also incited the Merfolk’s resistance and awakening.
After the Merfolk rose, they challenged the Zhouzhou People’s position. This wasn’t just revenge for the Zhouzhou People’s abuse and slaughter of the Merfolk; it was also the yearning of a nascent civilization for a voice and influence.
The confrontation between the old and new powers erupted into a war with no room for compromise.
Suo Liweng used his Divine Power to suppress them, forcing the two Races to shake hands and make peace.
But the hatred and desire did not disappear because of this; they were merely hidden, concealed beneath awe and Fear of the God.
The appearance of the Dragon Race brought immense external pressure, compelling the Zhouzhou People and the Merfolk into a second collaboration as they cautiously adapted to this unpredictable world.
If Suo Liweng had still been around, perhaps after several Eras of integration and change, the northern and southern Races could have truly achieved cultural fusion and become a more closely-knit symbiotic civilization.
But something happened to Suo Liweng.
After the God fell, the Dragon Race departed, and the external pressure vanished. The world’s timeline, which had been forcibly altered, converged back to its original path.
All it took was a single catalyst for the unresolved war between north and south to ignite once more.
This was a battle to decide who would dominate the future of Continent Island.
Although the Merfolk achieved victory, their young civilization, lacking a foothold on land, eventually followed in the footsteps of the Zhouzhou People.
Luh Yao learned two lessons from this.
The first lesson: a singular civilization and Race is very unstable.
A diverse civilization is much less exclusionary toward outside groups and new races. They can effectively complement each other, making them better able to cope with Era changes and a volatile, complex external environment.
The second lesson: a God directly altering a civilization’s progress feels good in the moment, but the repercussions are long-lasting.
The results of this kind of action have been proven time and again. For example, the Bright God, who cared for his Believers meticulously, ultimately had his civilization wiped out by the Beggar Grass Monsters and Mad Traveler Rats.
If one decides to do so, they must be prepared for long-term observation and to deal with the subsequent chain reactions. This would be incredibly draining and a thankless task.
Suo Liweng wasn’t completely unprepared.
After stopping the north-south war, he also took a series of follow-up measures: he consumed Faith to perform Miracles, adjusted the water temperature in the coastal areas to further increase the fish population, and increased rainfall and sunlight, which accelerated the growth of terrestrial plants, indirectly promoting the prosperity of the land’s ecosystem…
In short, he knew very well that merging the sea and land civilizations of the north and south required both time and the right environment.
But the arrival of the Dragon Race disrupted all his arrangements.
The background information on Continent Island had only one simple description: [Suo Liweng] became a Subordinate God to the Dragon Race’s [Yinglong].
This Yinglong didn’t even appear in person, yet Suo Liweng chose to submit. It was unknown whether the Divine Hall of the Gods or some other means was used.
Since it concerned the Dragon Race, Luh Yao asked Cancong.
“Lord God, [Yinglong] is one of the honored positions of Dragon Residence. Each honored position is unique.”
Cancong stated, “The Dragon Race Pioneers take the name of their honored position; they are also called Venerable Dragons.”
Luh Yao understood.
‘The individual Dragon Race member holding the title of [Yinglong] might change, but the title of [Yinglong] itself remains. It’s like the inheritance of a certain kind of power and honor.’
What surprised him was that Yinglong, as a Main God, would actually recruit a God like Suo Liweng, who had only recently entered the Divine Hall of the Gods, as a Subordinate God.
“My lord, Venerable Dragons usually have a vast group of Subordinate Gods. In the past, the Venerable Dragons controlled immense territories in the Flying District, so they needed many Subordinate Gods to guard and maintain them.”
Cancong said, “The God who controls the Tunnel World where the Nine-Grain Pillar is located must be a Subordinate God of a Venerable Dragon. Otherwise, it would be impossible to guarantee the long-term, stable operation of the entire Dragon Residence Passage.”
Luh Yao was more interested in this [Yinglong].
Unfortunately, Cancong was just a maintenance worker stationed on the periphery and knew nothing about the reclusive, high-ranking figures of the Dragon Race.
Having learned of Yinglong’s identity, Luh Yao now had a better understanding of Suo Liweng’s situation.
‘Since Continent Island became a Tunnel World for the Dragon Race, everything on it had to prioritize the Dragon Race. The development of the local civilization was secondary; the main priority was to maintain the stability of the Nine-Grain Pillar.’
‘Therefore, Suo Liweng must have spent a great deal of time on the Nine-Grain Pillar, as well as on the Dragon Race members who came and went.’
Using the [Red Coral Mirage] to hide the Nine-Grain Pillar was also part of his job.
According to the records of the Continent Island World, Suo Liweng performed a large number of Miracles on the ocean with the goal of maintaining the Nine-Grain Pillar and expanding the Red Coral Mirage.
It was like a large corporation constantly sending people by, who might also come to the grassroots level to make various demands. Suo Liweng, as the local manager, was likely overwhelmed.
‘To Yinglong, the interests of the Dragon Race were paramount, and even the Divine Kingdoms of its Subordinate Gods had to serve those interests.’
‘Suo Liweng left in a hurry because he was summoned by Yinglong. At that time, there were still injured members of the Dragon Race recuperating on Continent Island. From this, it’s clear that the Tunnel Worlds are like exclaves of Dragon Residence within the Void Cosmos.’
‘In short, coordinating with the Dragon Race’s work affected Suo Liweng’s primary duties as a God, and an unknown accident at Dragon Residence led to his fall.’
The speed at which time flows varies between Divine Kingdoms. Additionally, the civilization on Continent Island had not developed mathematics or a precise calendar, so it was impossible to determine the exact time of the accident at Dragon Residence.
The only certainty was that the damage to the Nine-Grain Pillar was indeed directly related to the situation at Dragon Residence.
After studying the past of Continent Island, Luh Yao turned his attention back to the present.
After more than a thousand Eras, this ownerless Divine Kingdom had undergone many changes, but no species capable of creating a civilization had ever appeared again.
The climate changed constantly. The overlords of the northern landmass came and went, and now the most adaptable wild boars and wild dogs had taken their place. They both maintained gregarious habits, possessed some organizational ability and social structure, and their populations reproduced stably.
In the ocean lived an ancient species called the Red Thorn Snake.
In the past, they were an ingredient for the Zhouzhou People’s medicines and a snack or fishing bait for the Merfolk. Even though they had emerged long before both the Zhouzhou People and the Merfolk, their evolution was too slow, causing them to be reduced to food and consumables.
Many years after these former overlords died out, the Red Thorn Snakes, after a long wait and evolution, overcame brutal natural selection and the harsh, ever-changing environment, finally climbing up from the bottom of the food chain step by step.
Their appearance was somewhat like a starfish, but with a long tail. Their bodies were covered in a hard, conspicuous red keratinous layer that protected their internal skeletal plates and various organs.
The giant starfish Luh Yao had seen on land were, in fact, them.
The Red Thorn Snake is shaped like a five-pointed star, but it can slowly crawl onto land to feed on ground plants and insects.
To hunt more effectively, they usually disguise themselves as motionless starfish. When an insect is lured in, their tentacles rapidly shift and envelop it.
And when hiding from natural predators like wild boars and dogs, it will change its body, retracting three of its points, stretching its torso, and slowly transforming into a red snake to drill into the sand or under rocks.
The system information showed that the population of Red Thorn Snakes on Continent Island exceeded 620,000.
Luh Yao felt that a large portion of the 170,000 Faith cost to anchor the world likely came from this species.
…
[Red Thorn Snake LV1]
Life Value: 5/5
Mana Value: 1/1
Damage: 1
Defense: 1
Speed: 2
[Imitation]
Inherently skilled at imitating other creatures.
…
The existence of the [Imitation] ability was allowing the Red Thorn Snakes to develop many new ways of survival. Some had learned to climb trees, some to drill into the ground, and others to stick mud and stones to their bodies as a form of shell.
A small portion of them also possessed the [Wisdom] Trait.
A portion of the Red Thorn Snakes in the water were advancing towards various parts of the Northern Continent, constantly adapting to their surroundings and extending the reach of their species even further.
As Luh Yao observed this marine creature that had crawled onto land, a plan for Continent Island gradually became clear in his mind.
In a nutshell: maintain its primordial state.
‘This is a very complete natural world. With the Yao Race’s level of civilization, they could quickly adapt to the local environment and carry out a series of transformations.’
‘But that would just be creating a branch base for the Yao Race.’
‘If I can let Continent Island naturally evolve a civilized species, allowing them to slowly develop their own path of civilization according to the ecology and environment here, it would not only be a supplement to the Yao Race Civilization but also an investment in the future.’
‘Even if it remains in a primitive stage, it can still serve as a backup world for the Yao Race.’
‘There’s no downside either way.’
Luh Yao left the [Deep Sea Lord] behind and had Slime Mod dispatch a Grid Limb Clone to ride the Deep Sea Lord and act as an observer in this world.
The Slimo Master immediately accepted the order: “Rest assured, my lord. This humble one will constantly monitor the developments of this world. I will report any major changes to you at the earliest opportunity.”
With that settled, Luh Yao turned his attention back to the Nine-Grain Pillar.
Now he faced a new choice: what was his next destination?
Sun Casting Bay, or Blood Hill?
In the background records of the Continent Island World, there were simple descriptions.
[Sun Casting Bay]: A Tunnel World specializing in forging and repairs.
[Blood Hill]: A Tunnel World primarily for training warriors and nurturing Commanders.
Luh Yao thought, ‘It seems the Dragon Race is very goal-oriented when seeking out Tunnel Worlds. Regardless of a world’s size, the division of labor is crystal clear, and each has its own specialty.’
‘Blood Hill sounds like a place where martial traditions prevail.’
‘Sun Casting Bay seems promising.’
‘In the Ring Realm Group, the Bamboo Reed Kingdom and the Ghost Realm have labor and raw materials. What’s missing is a centralized processing base.’
‘That’s the one.’
Luh Yao decided.
Next stop, Sun Casting Bay.