Modern Cultivation : The Strongest Couple Bonded by Vampire System-Chapter 610: Empire and Federation

Alex shook his head as he remembered that to raise their power, they needed rare and expensive materials.

With this kind of income, even a thousand years would not be enough to climb in rank.

Without a huge jackpot, they were locked in place.

"I wonder how much others earn," MingYue said.

"But based on this, it seems only the rich can even acquire a Grade C map."

"The rich has many levels," Alex replied.

"But compared to these Mecalyte, anyone who can casually buy a Grade C map is rich."

He had lived as a billionaire.

He knew how different his life had been compared to ordinary people.

While people struggled to earn a daily wage, he could burn that wage in seconds for a short burst of fun in a game.

He had also seen worse.

Some used wealth to do whatever they wanted, exploiting the weak.

Some even called them poor cattle.

’I need to find a way to earn enough wealth.’

He let out a chuckle. "In the end, capitalism is the way, even on a universe level."

"At this point, I think it’s part of how civilizations develop," MingYue said.

"I wonder if my world would end up on the same path if enough time passed."

"I don’t think so," Alex said.

"Most strong people in your world leave to seek a higher realm. They don’t stay and build systems."

MingYue looked at him.

Alex continued.

"Capitalism comes from people that have no path forward," he said.

"They cannot look for stronger power. So They build structures that let them control resources without needing personal strength."

He tapped the cube interface again.

"In a cultivation world, if someone becomes strong enough, they can seize things, or leave.

That breaks the need to build stable trade systems.

But in worlds where strength is more equal, or where power is locked behind technology, people can’t just take everything with force," he said.

"If you take by force, everyone unites against you. If you rule by fear, the system collapses when you weaken."

"So they make these system instead," MingYue said.

"Yes," Alex said.

"Rules, contracts, ownership, and credits."

He spoke slowly, making it simple.

"A market system lets strangers trade without trusting each other," Alex said. "It lets people coordinate across planets without meeting face to face.

It lets their armies get supplied without them personally growing food.

Strength has a limit. One strong person can only be in one place.

But a system can be everywhere."

He held up a finger.

"If you own transport routes, you control movement.

If you own maps, you control knowledge.

If you own crystal mines, you control communication.

If you control credit, you control who gets to act."

He held up a second finger.

"And once someone controls those chokepoints, they can charge fees forever.

They don’t need to fight. They just sit at the gate."

MingYue’s eyes narrowed. "Like the Council taxes and tolls."

"Exactly," Alex said. "Those aren’t random fees. They’re part of the system."

"A poor squad can’t buy better tools, so they stay weak. Because they stay weak, they must take risky jobs. Because they take risky jobs, they get punished and taxed harder. It becomes a dead loop."

"That’s why we need to find a way to get wealthy as soon as possible," Alex continued. "The other choice is becoming strong enough that you can do anything you want in this universe, no matter where you are."

MingYue was silent for a moment.

"It seems even the Progenitors are not at that level."

Alex nodded.

"That’s why capitalism finds a way even here.

This universe is their limit.

They can’t break through it, so they build systems like this instead."

MingYue nodded, then smiled.

"I think we don’t need to worry too much about this, Alex.

The dragon race is our enemy, we can just take what they have."

Since the dragon race was rich, taking their wealth would be the fastest path.

Alex let out a chuckle at her blunt idea, and MingYue frowned.

"Something wrong with my idea?"

Alex shook his head.

To him, her frown looked like a girl pouting. It was oddly cute.

He reached out and patted her head. "Nothing. You’re right. We can take what they have."

’Truly a cultivator solution,’ Alex thought. ’If you don’t have it, take it from someone else.’

Of course, Alex did not plan to do it with just brute force.

He would plan it, then find the cleanest way to take their wealth.

And he needed to make sure they stayed anonymous.

MingYue’s face turned red when he patted her.

’Strange. No one ever dared do something like this to me before.

If someone else did it, I would probably cut their hand.

But this... this isn’t so bad.’

She felt warmth and calm settle in her chest.

Alex continued searching for more information about the current Progenitor, the Primordials, and anything related to them.

As he expected, there was almost nothing useful.

He found some information about the Progenitors, but most of it was rumors and legends mixed with conspiracy theories.

There were no clear records, no confirmed identities, and no reliable sightings.

He changed his search to the dragon race and the human race.

The results made him shake his head.

"What is this? The dragon race is a federation, while the humans are an empire led by an emperor?" he muttered.

"Based on my understanding, it should be the reverse."

Dragons were arrogant and prideful. Humans could be the same, but they also cared deeply about family and loved ones.

"I think that makes sense, Alex," MingYue said. "It just shows how much stronger the dragon race is."

"Think about it," she continued.

"What happens if there’s only one strongest person in a civilization?

Now compare that to a civilization with hundreds or thousands at the same level."

MingYue’s explanation made Alex nod in realization.

"You’re right," Alex said.

"This shows there’s probably only one person we need to worry about from the human side."

He narrowed his eyes.

"I wonder if it’s the human Progenitor, or someone else they chose to stand in front."

"The human Progenitor should still be alive," MingYue said. "So I think he’s hiding in the background."

As they continued digging through the WebPath for more information, the battleship finally reached its destination.

Deep in the planet’s core, a humanoid robot that looked exactly like Sigma was working.

There were more than a dozen of them, digging through the ground with careful, controlled movements.

At the same time, all of them stopped and looked up.

Their red eyes blinked, as if processing new data.

"Based on analysis, the biggest change is that the Mecalyte in this area has been subdued," one of the Sigmas said.

Another Sigma turned its head slightly. "Should we do it now? It seems we don’t have a choice."

"Yes," the first one replied. "We don’t have a choice."

They began to move.

In another area closer to the planet core, a huge chamber could be seen. Inside, four more Sigmas were working on eleven bodies.

Each of the bodies belonged to a Mecalyte that was missing from the battleship.