There are more than 3,000 stars in the Republic of Galactic Republic. In addition to the more than 1,000 planets around the source of floodlight, there are 2,000 administrative star provinces scattered in other galaxies. The source of floodlight is the planet with the highest degree of artificial transformation in the universe. Since the era of light in 17007, after the Galactic Republic moved its administrative center here, the entire planet has been remodeled.
After thousands of years, the source of floodlight has been transformed into a metal planet similar to a comprehensive fortress, and the reconstruction rate has reached 37%. This once caused protests and condemnations from many member states of the Covenant, and the Great Astronautical Association therefore re-established the planet transformation law. , clearly stated that it is not allowed to over-transform the planet, so as not to cause the collapse of the environment and the gravitational system of the planet.
However, the fruits of the Republic have been preserved, the commercial star Uther United System, the residential star Andoranka, the agricultural and resource planet Sebis... More than a thousand planets of various types are under the jurisdiction of the Republic, surrounding the Floodlight The giant stars of the galaxy where the source is located revolve, echoing each other, but independent of each other.
After entering this star system, there is no need for a visa application to travel between the planets.
Due to its special status, the source of floodlight is covered with 74 million pieces of Veral-colored metal plates. They are interlaced with each other to build a corresponding number of platforms. Each platform is an independent area. The support of the magnetic field is staggered every hour and changes its position.
As soon as Opal got off the spaceship, he was attracted by the sky, the ground, and countless maglev vehicles and small robots flowing in and out. There were iridescent maglev vehicles everywhere.
The ground can move on its own. Cororin took him to stand on an orientation board marked "passing", enter the identity code and destination, and transparent boards are automatically inlaid around it, becoming a closed room, and the sofa pops up on the ground.
"Welcome to the source of floodlight." The female voice said: "Number of passengers: 2. Waiting in line, there are forty-one seconds before you enter the passage."
Coroline sat down on the sofa, and put his arms domineeringly on the back of the sofa, motioning for Opal to come and sit.
Opal looked out curiously and said, "There are no cars here?"
Cororin said: "Maglev vehicles have a dedicated track, just above our heads, I will find someone to borrow a car, and now try their public transportation first, show you around, and experience civilian life."
Opal sat down next to Cororin and learned that he had to put his arms on the back of the sofa, but his hands were short and his feet were short, so he couldn't get it up after a few strokes. glanced at him.
Coroline looked at Opal and seemed amused by the look in his child's eyes.
Opal: "What are we going to do?"
Coroline: [If I were you, I wouldn't be talking about subverting their national government in a public passage with monitors. ] Opal laughed and asked in his mind: [Is the monitoring very tight here?]
During the communication, the countdown on the glass room resets to zero, the scenery outside changes, and the two Valer-colored metal plates supporting the high-rise building are dislocated and rotated.
The glass room moved forward slowly, the speed was getting faster and faster, shuttled in a pipeline, the back wall changed into a milky white background, and the front wall showed a floor-to-ceiling light screen, playing entertainment programs.
Cororin adjusted the playback mode to holographic, and then adjusted it back to the plane. Opal rubbed his eyes and said, "The stereo looks dizzy."
"I think so too." Coroline nodded approvingly, and changed a few stations. Inside was a riot from a small planet a few months ago.
"Come to an unfamiliar place." Cororin said to Opal: "If you want to know about this planet, you can read the local news first."
"I don't believe you didn't do your homework before you came," Opal said.
Coroline snorted: "Of course, this is for you to see."
Opal watched the news for a while, and began to keep distracted. The things on it were not at all interested. After a while, the glass room would stop for a while and wait in line for other rooms to pass through.
Knowing that he didn't understand, Coroline patiently explained it to him.
"Their government follows the joint parliamentary system of the interstellar community 10,000 years ago," Cororin said.
Opal saw a person talking on the news, surrounded by a ring of seats, and someone was arguing loudly, and asked: "What is this doing?"
Cororin said: "While listening to the budget, all the planets in the entire republic have their own councilors, and each councillor represents one to multiple joint planets and participates in the decision-making meeting of the central government. The planets pay taxes, and these taxes are concentrated. Together, they will be used for public resource construction, military spending, etc."
Opal asked, "Then what are they arguing about?"
Coroline: "How should the money be spent?"
Opal asked again: "How should I spend it?"
Coroline shrugged.
Opal listened to it for a while, and roughly understood it, and said, "I'm arguing about military spending."
Coroline hummed and said, "The name of the person who is making the report is Bordeaux. On behalf of a part of the forces, he is asking for an increase in military spending for the next year and the use of the Panopticon."
Opal: "What is the Flounder Goddess?"
Coroline: "A large aircraft carrier with enough weapons to destroy a galaxy."
Opal: "Why enable it?"
Coroline: "I want to attack the Meteorite Empire."
Opal: "… "
Ke Luolin crossed Erlang's legs and said leisurely: "The king of the Meteorite Empire is a big villain, so he must be exterminated... Let me think about it, it should be a guy named Ke Luolin."
Opal said worriedly: "Really?"
Speaking of Opal, he glanced at Cororin, who changed the stage, shook his feet, and said, "The representatives of the surrounding galaxies have asked for an increase in funding to match the upcoming joint military with the Empire soon. action, and the representative of the central galaxy of the Milky Way thinks it is unnecessary, why do you think this is the case?"
Coroline looked at Opal, which made Opal a little nervous. After thinking about it, he said, "It should be... Haven't hit them yet?"
Coroline nodded, and Opal said: "The central galaxy in the Milky Way is less threatened by the Meteorite Empire. So they want to save money."
"This is one of the factors." Cororin changed the platform and added: "Secondly, if there is a war, part of the rights of the Republic must be handed over to the military to change the current situation. Thirdly, some galaxies do not want to be with the Meteorite Empire. Starting a war involves their respective positions and issues left over from history. Some people are still doing business with the Cororinian forces in private, and they will lose a lot of money when they start a war.”
Opal: "There are people who are afraid of being retaliated by Cororin if they lose."
Cororin hummed and continued to change channels, saying: "Currently, I tend to use economic sanctions to make Cororin suffer a little bit. All foreign trade including female Luoxing is blocked..."
[They didn't take action when I invaded Fierce Star.]Coroline used the power of faith to say in Opal's mind: [Once you miss it, you will never have a chance. ] Opal: [Fighting star? I seem to have heard you say that.]
Cororin: [Where the mercenaries are, they are very united, and they do not obey the dogma. Thankfully I've settled the planet.] Opal: [Do you rule it?]
Cororin: [No, but soon, everything is under my control.] Opal did not ask any further, the two of them stared at the light screen, which was an advertisement for Fantasy Paradise Company.
Opal: "What is this?"
Coroline: "Fantasy music, something for falling in love, with someone you like."
Opal: "Do you have someone you like?"
Coroline nodded and looked at Opal like a gentleman. Before Opal could ask, Coroline smiled and said, "You can invite me when you grow up. Is this the answer you expect? my apprentice."
Opal's mouth twitched, and neither of them continued the topic.
Opal: "What is this?"
Coroline: "Vacation machine, plug your mind into the terminal, you can go on vacation in a virtual world."
Opal: "What about this?"
Coroline: "A service of reproduction that uses genes to find a good match."
Opal: "What about this?"
Coroline: "Sixteen forms of transformable assembled home service robots that can become sofas, tables, bathrooms...and more."
Opal: "Looks bulky."
In the picture, a huge cabinet walks awkwardly with people.
Coroline: "It can also be used as a private car."
Opal: "This... oh I see, it's a drink."
Cororin laughed: "Conceptual advertising, you will feel very happy after drinking it, but I think this kind of drink is simply unpalatable."
"what about this?"
"Real estate advertisement, you can buy a small planet for 14 million credit points, including simple decoration..."
"Why was it just 50,000 just now?"
"That's the virtual world, this is the real world, it's different."
"… "
Opal was a little confused, and Coroline said casually: "In fact, it is the same, many people would rather stay on the planets under the jurisdiction of the Republic around the grip of the light, and spend the rest of the day connecting to the Internet except for eating and sleeping every day. Buy an online planet, Plant flowers and harvest vegetables on it. You can save a lot of money.”
Opal nodded, and the voice in the glass room reminded: "You have arrived at the destination Xingfu Street."
Cororin put one hand in his pocket and held the opal with the other hand. The lights on this street flickered. It was night time. The whole block was well planned.
"Eat first." Coroline went to a restaurant and sat down with Opal: "This is a poor area. I'll show you around and go to a rich area tomorrow."
Opal looked around curiously, the restaurant was as bright as day, the surrounding glass walls were changing with desert scenery, and the sunset in the distance reflected the silky sand and blue sky.
Cororin pressed a button, and the glass wall took away the desert view, revealing a view beyond the street.
Pedestrians on the street dressed in similar styles, with only color and subtle differences, and everyone's expressions were the same—numb and indifferent.
Opal began to feel a little uncomfortable here, and the people in the restaurant also had their own meals, and occasionally there was a whisper or two of conversation.
The robot waiter came over, and Cororin pressed his finger on a small screen, and finished with a beep.
Opal also followed his finger.
"Don't you need to order?" Opal was a little confused.
Cororin waved his hand, leaned back in his chair, and waited with his arms around him.
A few minutes later, the robot served two milky white drinks. Opal tried to stir it with a straw. Coroline motioned him to drink, and Opal drank a little.
"Is there no other diet?" Opal waited for a long time, and found that no new food was served.
"No more." With a smile in his eyes, Cororin drank the liquid in the cup with a straw in his mouth.
Opal drank some more and said, "What is this?"
Coroline pressed a button next to the table and called the robot, and Opal searched the robot's information database.
"Just now we pressed our fingers." Cororin explained: "The robot detects the lack of nutrients in your body through the secretion of micro sweats, and prepares this drink for everyone, vitamins, proteins, amino acids, cellulose, etc... Prepare the food in the most appropriate proportions for you to eat."
Opal said: "This... feels really good, neither malnutrition nor overeating will lead to obesity."
Coroline hummed and said, "Everything is just right. Live a healthy life and live longer."
The robot came again, this time for food feedback, the two pressed their fingerprints, and the robot served the supplementary drink again according to the absorption level of the customer.
Opal: "Do they only eat this every day? Nothing else?"
Cororin said: "Of course there is. After you go home and connect your mind to the Internet, you can enjoy a variety of delicious food on the Internet. You will not gain weight or have diarrhea if you overeat in the virtual world."
Opal felt that this model really subverted his worldview.
"It not only saves natural resources, environmental protection, and health." Cororin smiled and said, "It also meets everyone's needs."
Opal: "It feels a little… unreal."
Coroline: "True, 100 percent true."
Opal: "I mean it's all in the virtual world..."
Coroline: "Stimulate your nerve center directly through the sense of taste, isn't it all the same?"
Opal: "It's different."
Coroline: "Same."
Opal: "It's different!"
Coroline: "Same."
Opal: "Oh, same."
The two came out after eating and walked on the road. Most of the people living in the happy area were poor people. They used the same long memory cloth and wore relatively simple clothing styles. There were almost no people in the block park, only Cororin and Ou. Parked on a bench.
In the distance, the huge Vail swatch moved again, with a steel building standing in the night traversing, blocking the moon. Opal noticed that everyone here seemed to be different from everyone else.
The residents of the republic seem to have shorter hands and feet, a little bit fatter, and a bit shorter neck? The gap between the eyes is also a little narrow.
Opal looked at the people hurrying by outside the street, yawned, and said, "Where are you going now?"
Coroline: "Practice."
To kill? Opal involuntarily tensed.
Coroline gave him a slightly odd look and said, "No, how can you think like that? There are many people here, practicing what I've taught you."
Coroline said in the world of consciousness: [Read the hearts of passers-by and see what you can get.] Opal narrowed his eyes, trying to exude the power of faith.
Coroline: [Your beliefs do not yet have a fixed characteristic, and it is time to acquire a spiritual characteristic. ] Opal: [What are the spiritual characteristics?]
Coroline: [The spiritual characteristic is the manifestation of the power of belief in each different star knight, for example, my teacher Rector, his spiritual characteristic is hypnosis. My psychic trait is dream control.]Opal: [What is mine?]
Cororin: [I don't know, it needs to be excavated.]
Opal: [Is there any other form?]
Coroline: [Ledgerson's memory effect and modification... ]
Opal: [Isn't Ledgerson the one who sings? So singing is his part-time job?]Cololin: [I think the star knight is a part-time job for him. You know that a person is always half-hearted, and it is easy to do nothing well... Now try yours. ] Opal took a deep breath, and Cororin said in his consciousness again: [Don't be too nervous, you're about to pee. ] Opal: "… "
Coroline made a resignation motion, signaling him to start, Opal's heart thumped, and faith spread out following Coroline's guidance.
Coroline: [What is that woman thinking?]
Opal: [She is thinking about going home quickly and falling in love with the beautiful man Li Wei. Who is Li Wei? ] Cororin: [is a general of the Republic.]
Opal: [Her love object is an admiral?]
Coroline: [It's just in the dream machine. Li Wei was very angry at this situation of being stripped out in other people's thoughts, but he couldn't stop the public opinion from lusting after him. Go on, that man over there is there Thinking what? ] Opal: [Thinking that his little planet still lacks a fortune to build... a defense net. ] [Well, that's a game in the virtual world.]Coroline got up, and Opal followed. They walked along the long street, a maglev car was flashing above their heads, and countless people passed by. Opal began to read everyone's inner world one after another.
There was a man sitting in the glass window watching them numbly, and Opal said, "Teacher, that man wants to play fantasy music with me."
Coroline nodded and said, "Your child's image is inspiring... You need to protect yourself."
Opal read the thoughts of another man, who wanted to hang him under a lampstand, stripped naked and beat him.
[unacceptable!] Opal couldn't help but get angry, and the man in the restaurant suddenly poured the drink all over his body.
Cororin frowned slightly, stretched out a hand, and calmed his restless emotions. Some passersby were thinking about how to get more money, while others were upset that the work content was always the same every day. repeat.
"Everyone has his own mind." Coroline said, "I seem to see your spiritual characteristics."
Opal nodded, and when he saw a person, he couldn't help but read his heart, and what he got was almost all negative emotions.
"It can be seen that the people here are not all happy." Coroline whispered: "Next we have to change the place, the gathering place of the rich will be slightly better."
They got in the car and walked to another block. There was a large neon square, surrounded by many shops. Opal looked through the window to see the displays and furnishings inside. A gentleman tried on clothes in the store.
Coroline: [Try hacking into his mind and see what you can do.]
Opal reads his heart: [He is a tourist and wants to buy a handmade dress here and go back to his hometown to show off to his companions. ] Cororin: [Well, yes, but this dress is too expensive, almost equal to his three-month salary, can you help him decide?] Opal said in his heart: buy it, buy it.
The customer was still a little hesitant, called the vending robot, took out the card, and pressed it a few times on the light screen.
Coroline: [Tell him not to swipe his card.]
Opal recited again: don't buy, don't buy.
The customer put the card away.
Coroline: [Very good, Opal. You are a genius.]
Opal breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head to look at Cororin, and suddenly felt Cororin's joyful emotion. The emotion was direct and strong, and it instantly infected Opal.
[try again. ] Cororin said: [Let him take the clothes and run.]
Opal's lips trembled slightly, and Coroline said again: [Listen to me.]
Opal released the power of faith, the customer hesitated for a moment, and suddenly ran out of the store, the robot inside immediately sounded the alarm, and the security robot outside the store came over and knocked him to the ground.
The chaos attracted many customers and tourists, who turned their heads and glanced at the store indifferently.
[very good!]Coroline directly used consciousness to say in Opal's mind: [Now, let's get out of here. ] Opal followed Cororin through the commercial plaza. He felt that Cororin was very excited and asked: [What is this? ] Cororin: [Behavior control... Your mental characteristics are very useful, you can directly affect his heart and control his actions without talking to people. This mental trait is stronger than my teacher, and I am very happy with it, Opal.] Opal breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, he didn't know what it meant, but he could feel that Coroline was satisfied with him, so he was also very happy.
Coroline glanced at him with a smile, but said nothing.
The night of the source of floodlight came, and Cororin took Opal to a hotel. There were many strange non-human intelligent life forms in the lobby, a murloc with blue skin and fins and gills. Lie down in a large tank full of sea water and speak to a round object beside you.
[That is the water blue star.]Coroline put his hand on Opal's shoulder: [Don't read it, the other is Lin Fengxing people, you can't read the thoughts of these living beings.]Opal was about to control the water blue star to stand up from the fish tank, when he heard the words, he stopped and asked in his mind: [Why? ] Cororin: [Their thinking activities are different from those of humans. The Shui Lan Xing people evolved from human beings, but the Lin Feng Xing people do not present their thoughts in the form of pictures. I will teach you how to read them later. Come here. ] Opal and Coroline swiped their ID cards at the reception, and their names appeared on the screen.
Coroline: [Now I am an uncle and nephew with you. My name is Klin Enmenor, and your name is Ivan Enmenor. ] Opal: [Ok, I see.]
The two entered the vertical tube-shaped passageway, which had countless branches, and on both sides were honeycomb-like personal rest rooms. Opal watched curiously as the tenants slid into the small passageway, entered the narrow capsule-like space, and looked around. , found that each rest room can only accommodate one person.
Opal: [This is the hotel?]
Cororin: [Well, every inch of land on the Floodlight Source is so precious that it costs 600 credits to stay in a room like this one night.]Opal: [What do they do after they go in? like a…]
Coroline: [Like a coffin? There is the Internet system that comes with the Republic, which can access the Internet and find entertainment items to play.]Opal: [Are we too?]
Coroline: [No, all language and behavior on the Internet is monitored by a central system, and we don't live in that kind of room. ] The lifting platform stopped at the top floor, and the robot girl said, "Welcome Mr. Enmenor from Irish Star."
Cororin opened the door with his fingerprints, and the two entered the room. This is a very spacious suite. Opal finally reached a place where he felt more normal, and heaved a sigh of relief.
"You can talk freely here." Cororin went to the wine cabinet to get a drink and said to Opal, "This is a retro VIP suite that receives alien guests. The government of the Republic does not set up monitoring facilities here."
Opal said: "This planet is so strange, it's like a dead city."
Coroline went to the bathroom with a drink. After a while, there was the sound of water. Opal heard the sound of him urinating and couldn't help but think about it. Meet a different person.
"The development of Internet technology." Coroline undressed in front of the mirror in the bathroom and said, "The human soul has gradually become accustomed to abandoning the body, and the spirit is free to wander in the virtual world."
Opal thinks of the occupants on the source of floodlights, their food and shelter are almost all rationed in the most reasonable proportion. So they also live in these small capsule-type spaces
"Yes." There was the sound of rushing water in the bathroom, and Coroline said in a deep voice, "Come in and wash the teacher's clothes, and then take a set of memory cloths to choose the right clothes for me."
Opal went into the bathroom, stood on tiptoe and took off the clothes on the shelf. From the reflection in the mirror, he saw Cororin's hazy, naked male body in the swirling suspended water - bronze skin, clean and strong ankles, slender legs. Legs, nice glutes and back, broad shoulders, a watery neck.
The same perfect figure as Raymond.
Coroline turned around and said, "Go and choose your clothes."
Opal's face flushed and he nodded, knowing that his mind must be exposed to Cororin's mind-reading technique all the time.
He ran back to the living room, pulled the chair and put a pillow on it, sat on the chair with both feet in the air, turned on the projection light screen, and set the style of the memory cloth.
"Choose a dress for a formal occasion," says Coroline.
Opal chose a silver-white imitation moonlight cloth, and Coroline added: "Underwear."
Opal chose underwear and retrieved the body proportion information from Cororin's ID card. After a while, the robot made a formal silver-gray dress.
The sound of the water stopped in the bathroom, and Coroline walked out of the bathroom naked. Opal immediately froze and did not dare to look back at Cororin. Coroline put on a vest and underwear and said, "Humans are also evolving. You see. The citizens of the Republic who have arrived are the shape that has evolved after entering the virtual fantasy world for a long time."
Opal said, "So they have shorter hands and feet?"
Coroline nodded, put a bottle of snowmelt wine on the coffee table, and shook it at Opal, who took his dress over and said, "Wear it now?"
Cororin waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow, I will go out when the sun comes out."
Opal yawned again. He felt that he was always sleepy and hungry, or the body of a child was not used to it. He always had endless questions, and he was already a little tired of asking. , This new environment is too unfamiliar, so unfamiliar that he is a little scared, but fortunately Coroline is here, he feels like his only life-saving straw.
He was lying on the sofa, leaning against Coroline's thigh, feeling his skin was warm, he wanted to climb up and hug him, but he didn't dare.
While drinking, Coroline reached out his hand and patted him on the back soothingly.
Boring, Opal thought.
He didn't dare to think about anything, especially those crazy things.
"You can think about whatever you want." Coroline smiled.
Opal felt even more boring, but Cororin said: "On this planet, as long as you use brain waves to connect to the Internet in the galaxy to conduct activities and entertainment, the whole process is monitored by the government, but many people do not know it and are too lazy to do so. Just know."
Opal said: "Is this the trend of the evolution of human civilization and society?"
Coroline nodded approvingly and said, "Why do you ask this question?"
Opal was a little dazed, and Corolin explained: "The Republic is actually using mind-reading techniques. They use a virtual spiritual network to monitor the thinking of every citizen, and make them inseparable from this illusory spiritual world, so all People's psychological activities are under the control of the government, which inadvertently promotes the slow evolution of the whole society towards 'common knowledge'."
"What is common knowledge?" Opal asked.
"Everyone knows." Cororin took a sip of Snow Mountain Wine and said, "It's the social form of the phantom people, you know my thoughts, and I also know your thoughts, and every phantom person can know the thinking activities of other individuals. Absolute honesty, no fraud, no communication misunderstandings caused by language, and no framing or competing with each other."
"Down and upright differences, open and upright confrontations, there is no right or wrong, no need to convince anyone, each becomes an independent existence, and does not depend on other individuals and social relations to survive..."
Opal was shocked.
Opal frowned and said, "Is this really good?"
Cororin said: "What do you think? Maybe human beings will become like this in the future. When the soul is freed from the bondage of the body and becomes a free and free brain wave individual in the universe, imagine if one day in the future, everyone They have all become phantoms and have the ability to read the hearts of others, what will this society be like?"
Opal said: "Yes... it must be messed up, teacher!"
Coroline: "Are you sure you'll mess up?"
Opal was already in chaos, and Cororin added: "Illusory people don't need water, land, air, and food, neither do they need shelter, nor do they need material conditions. Many differences in cognition do not have absolute criteria for judging. A unified concept needs to be formed because there is no need.”
Opal thought for a long time and said, "What about love? Family, love, friendship and other things that make people feel good."
Cororin said: "Nolan thinks that Phantom people no longer have feelings, and emotions inevitably fade away in the process of evolution, but I think they do."
Opal: "Then what's the point of them being alive?"
Coroline: "Pursue the truth of the universe and find the meaning of your own existence."
Opal thought for a while and said, "I think there should also be feelings, because living things have evolved to have feelings and desires..."
Coroline nodded and smiled, and said: "You are very smart, do single-celled organisms have feelings? No, so the evolutionary history of humans and all living things is a gradual transition from survival response to emotional needs. I once carefully discussed with Nolan. After discussing this issue, he thought I was right. When he was born, the phantom race had completed the last step in the evolution from biological to spiritual life, and history was obliterated. Look at history to confirm their fork in the road."
Opal's thoughts were chaotic, and he asked: "They... are spiritual beings still human?"
Cororin took a sip of wine and said, "What do you think?"
Opal said again: "The phantom people I know don't seem to be like this."
Cororin said: "That's just a small group. Regarding their origins, I will explain them to you later when I have time."
Opal asked: "Is this what the phantom told you?"
Coroline nodded and said, "It was Nolan who told me that he was the founder of the Star Knights, who established the Sequeria Sanctuary, and brought the mechas in the high-dimensional universe."
Opal said: "What is their world like?"
Coroline shrugged: "There is no detailed description, but the only thing we know is that they walked into the dead end of evolution, and finally perished a lot. Nolan's father took the magic blue fluorite and the entire race to a lower dimension and came to us. world."
Opal said, "Why did it perish?"
Cororin said: "You can't understand it yet, I will tell you slowly in the future, first look at it with your eyes, observe the universe, I will tell you my inferences and conclusions, try to question it, just like this , you say 'no, teacher, what's wrong here', that's fine, what the teacher says is not necessarily true, one day you will understand and form your own beliefs."
The two turned their heads to look at the night view of the Republic outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. From here, they could see the whole city was brightly lit, but not very popular. Opal yawned again and fell asleep on Cororin's lap.
Cororin drank alone for a while, then carried him into the room and placed him on the big bed. The lights went out and the room was silent.