Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 500: Holy City
Luka Two knew very well that up to this point, what most attracted Dorun and the group of accompanying scientists was not the various beautiful scenery within the habitation ship. Although the scenery here was beautiful and the climate pleasant, such things could also be found on the homeworld of a Level 4 Civilization, and in abundance. Mere beautiful scenery could not attract these scientists.
Luka Two knew that what truly aroused Dorun’s envy was the Divine Ark Civilization’s immense scientific foundation and its rich academic atmosphere. Here, the knowledge base of a middle school student might already be broader than his own, the discussions of a university student might already be beyond his comprehension, and an ordinary researcher might be far stronger than he was. For a scientist with a frenzied thirst for knowledge, what else could such a place be but heaven?
Luka Two had already seen the fervor in Dorun’s eyes, but he felt that the current degree was still not quite enough. So Luka Two prepared to play his trump card.
“The next place I will take you to visit is the most core location of our Divine Ark Civilization.” Luka Two said with a hint of mystery, leading the scientists to board the craft once more.
“The most core location?” Dorun’s heart tightened, and his curiosity could not help but surge. “Where would that be? What place is it?”
“You will know when we get there.” Luka Two said, selling a point.
The craft quickly reached the port of the Home One ship, and then they boarded a spaceship and arrived at the port within the Home Three ship.
“Do you know? Within the Home Three ship, everyone is a scientist, or a scientist’s family member, plus robots that serve scientists.” Luka Two said, standing at the port and gazing at the enormous city shrouded in the morning light in the distance, his face full of fervor. “This is the realm of scientists. Ordinary citizens of the Divine Ark Civilization have no qualification to come here, unless they become scientists or receive the approval of a particular scientist. Within the Home Three ship, everything is the best. Food, clothing, housing, and transport, all are the best. The scenery is also the best, and the treatment scientists receive is the best, so good as to exceed your imagination.”
“Every scientist and their family members possess the highest-grade all-purpose robots, responsible for providing them with comprehensive and most perfect service. Scientists have priority in enjoying various most advanced technological achievements, including in life sciences. Here, scientists generally possess lifespans of over ten thousand years. The few most outstanding scientists are now nearly eighteen thousand years old, yet with the help of advanced life science they still have healthy, vigorous bodies. The material conditions here are the best. Each scientist’s residence possesses the most complete internal ecological circulation system, and these ecological systems are specially crafted according to each scientist’s different constitution. Here, scientists are like gods. Whatever scientists want, they have.”
“This is the most core place of the entire Divine Ark Civilization, the Central Research Academy of Science.” Luka Two said loudly.
“Cen…Central Research Academy of Science?” Dorun and his party looked at the city shrouded in the morning light in the distance, their bodies involuntarily beginning to tremble. Finally, they prostrated themselves on the ground, like the most devout believers arriving at the holy city and witnessing a miracle, and began to bow in worship.
All the scientists prostrated themselves on the ground, expressing their reverence for this great city. Although the Purple Civilization also treated scientists with sufficient favor, it was far from the Divine Ark Civilization’s level of establishing a city specifically for scientists and providing meticulous care in every respect.
This point shocked Dorun even more, making him feel that this was heaven.
Threading through the densely packed crowd lying on the ground, Luka Two stepped forward and pointed to another satellite city in the distance. “That is the High-Energy Physics Institute under the Central Research Academy of Science. Mm, that place is the Computational Academy of Science. That is the Weapons Institute. That is the Defense Research Institute subordinate to the Equipment Institute. That over there is the Life Science Institute, and that is the Social Academy of Science. This is the holy land of science.”
“My lord, my lord, I beg you to allow me to live here. I do not ask for any material conditions. I want nothing at all. Just give me the most basic sustenance and I can do without everything else. Please, let me live here. Even if it is only to run errands for the scientists inside the academy, please, let me live here.” Dorun suddenly seemed to think of something. He leapt up, clutched Luka Two’s leg, and pleaded frantically.
Seeing Dorun like this, the other scientists reacted as well. Immediately, a large group of people lay prone on the ground, and waves of supplication rose one after another.
Luka Two let out a slight sigh. He helped Dorun up and said with a sigh, “Dorun, I know you are also an outstanding scientist. It is only due to the overall environment of your civilization that you have not advanced further. To speak frankly, our Divine Ark Civilization has always held a kindly and inclusive attitude toward external civilizations. As long as an external civilization is willing to join our Divine Ark Civilization, we have always been most welcoming. However, your situation is too complicated. If I were to permit you to join our Divine Ark Civilization, it would cause a very bad impact within your civilization. You must understand how great a blow it would be to your civilization’s scientific progress if you were to leave. Considering this, I cannot agree to your request.”
Luka Two refused the requests of Dorun and the group of scientists without hesitation. This was the result he and Xiao Yu had discussed long ago. It was a joke to say otherwise. Only by casting a long line can one catch a big fish. Xiao Yu’s goal was the entire Purple Civilization, and a mere hundred or so scientists could not satisfy Xiao Yu’s appetite.
“Our civilization, our civilization…” Dorun’s face was full of pain. After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and stood up. “Lord Two, thank you for your advice. As a member of the Purple Civilization, it would indeed be inappropriate for me to leave the Purple Civilization in this way. Let us leave it at that, Lord Two. We will not visit the Central Research Academy of Science, because we fear that after visiting it, we will be filled with the determination to die rather than depart. Please send us back.”
“Very well. Our Divine Ark Civilization welcomes you to visit again at any time.” Luka Two said with a smile, nodding as he led the scientists once more onto the spaceship. Before departing, Dorun looked back at every step; his soles practically scraped the ground as he left. Seeing his expression, Luka Two could not help but worry that he might suddenly throw caution to the wind and rush back into the embrace of the holy city in his heart.
Luka Two smiled faintly. He knew that he had completed the first step of Xiao Yu’s plan. The greatness of the Divine Ark Civilization and the Central Research Academy of Science had completely captured the heart of this chief scientist of the Purple Civilization.
Thus ended the Purple Civilization’s first inspection of the Divine Ark Civilization. After the first inspection came the second, then the third. Because the Divine Ark Civilization limited the size of the inspection teams, only a small number of people within the Purple Civilization could obtain this opportunity. Although only a few came to visit the Divine Ark Civilization, information about the scenery within the Divine Ark Civilization still spread outward. The artificial oceans over there, the marvelous weather cycle system, the beautiful various sights, the delicious Guka fish, the friendly citizens, the advanced technology, and so on all continuously stoked the curiosity of the populace.
The Purple Civilization is a species that instinctively obeys order. Naturally, they knew that such a precious opportunity should be given to scientists, which was most appropriate. But their inner feelings do not obey the commands of reason. The desire to visit the Divine Ark Civilization kept fermenting and finally burst out.
Citizens began piloting private ships to venture close to the habitation ship, attempting to gain a chance to enter and tour the interior, but were persuaded to withdraw by the Divine Ark Civilization’s guard forces. However, as time passed, more and more citizens undertook such risky approaches, to the point of vexing the Divine Ark Civilization’s soldiers. After all, these were fanatical admirers of the Divine Ark Civilization, so the soldiers could not drive them away with rough or coercive means. Some even more frenzied Purple Civilization beings declared that if they were not allowed to enter the habitation ship, they would detonate their ships here and commit suicide, which gave the soldiers a real headache. Large-scale petition activities began on the Purple Civilization’s Star of Light, with countless citizens demanding to go to the habitation ship for a visit.
Everything was proceeding according to Xiao Yu’s plan. Xiao Yu believed the time was now ripe.
“The more you understand the Divine Ark Civilization, the stronger its pull on you will be, and the easier it will be to carry out my plan.” Xiao Yu thought to himself. “I would be delighted if each and every one of you could come tour the habitation ship.”
Though he thought this in his heart, what he said was completely different. At last, one day, Luka Two responded to the Purple Civilization government’s repeated requests to expand the number of visitors.
“Our Divine Ark Civilization is a benevolent people, and we are very willing to let the citizens of the Purple Civilization come to learn about our civilization. But due to the ship’s maximum carrying capacity, we cannot receive so many visiting tourists. So let us do this. We will expand the visitor limit and at most allow two hundred thousand citizens to come tour the habitation ship at one time.”
[T/N: 500 chapters down, about halfway through! Hope you’ve been having as much fun reading as I’ve had bringing this to you.]
