Chapter 86: Earth - Beast Tide (Part 27)

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“Firstly, the five rewards are clearly divided into three categories: those dealing with life after death within the civilization, those affecting environmental transformation, and those concerning the inheritance of civilization.” Xu Xiao briefly summarized the classification of the five treasures.

He turned to Yi Gang. “How is the civilization core controlled? Is it subjective or objective? Is it possible to set certain rules in advance?” This had always been a question he wanted answered, but previously Yi Gang hadn’t elaborated on the true control capabilities of the civilization core, which had only served as a repository for the preservation of civilization and its heart.

Yi Gang took out the civilization core and sensed it.

“It requires joint configuration with Sun Meng to be successful. Apart from the first setup, only when the civilization advances can we reset the parameters.” Yi Gang explained.

Xu Xiao nodded, and at that moment Sun Meng spoke.

“I believe inheritance is indispensable, so one environmental and one posthumous item should suffice. In the long run, the Spirit Cleansing Pool and the Celestial Plate are more suitable. I suspect that future resource-type rewards will only be obtainable through tasks.”

Xu Xiao nodded and looked at the others. “Any thoughts?” He himself agreed with Sun Meng’s plan, as it seemed the most beneficial for Earth’s civilization in its upcoming development.

“I agree to prioritize the Soul Hall. After all, inheritance is paramount and helps maintain internal unity within the civilization. It also compensates for the current shortcomings in our cultivation system.” Uncle Turtle said. This was particularly helpful for their spiritual beast tribe, even though they could find many techniques and spells through the Spirit Net; as he had mentioned before, what was posted online was not always complete.

“We have no objections.” The representative from America replied. This option was entirely advantageous for them, so why refuse? What he hadn’t considered, however, was that choosing this might cause their unique cultivation methods to lose any possibility of advancement under the overwhelming influence of the Huaguo cultivation system.

A rare unanimous decision was quickly reached. Sun Meng took the items and prepared to grant them all to Earth together once the selections were complete.

Mu Xingye studied the descriptions of the five items and, after some thought, said, “It seems these are all tailored to our civilization’s immediate needs. Our two civilizations still have different development focuses, so I’ll take my leave.”

Sun Meng felt a bit awkward; Mu Xingye’s meaning was clear enough—filling the remaining two slots would likely take a long time, judging by the way discussions progressed on Earth.

In truth, Sun Meng was always curious how Pixar and Mu Xingye managed to control their civilization’s decisions as contestants. Not that he wanted to emulate them, but sometimes the decision-making discussions on Earth dragged on for far too long.

Should the deceased be transformed into Earth Spirits, thereby surviving and helping to manage terrestrial resources? Or should they be reincarnated swiftly, converting into new power sooner? Should they absorb starlight to increase the world’s spiritual energy, or stabilize the world’s framework to ensure a steady environment?

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Every option brought both benefits and drawbacks.

Half a day passed, yet no one could present an argument persuasive enough to sway everyone.

“Ha—choo!” Sun Meng stretched, already growing impatient. They weren’t involving him in the discussion at all; he could only observe through Yi Gang’s perspective. It was dreadfully dull.

“Is it really so hard to decide?” Sun Meng asked. “Let’s set aside the first two for now. Earth’s environment is clearly trending toward a continental direction. If we don’t establish a stable structure, who knows what accidents could happen? As for spiritual energy, I can’t guarantee that Earth’s concentration will always be at its maximum, but I’m confident we can meet ordinary requirements.”

Sun Meng flashed a confident smile. “Take the first two choices—while the Spirit Cleansing Pool allows reincarnation according to preset evaluation criteria, that would mean no new lives would be born in Earth’s civilization! Remember, after breaking through Tier Three under the rules, the population cap for the civilization races is redefined. Isn’t it premature to lock it in now?”

A moment of silence followed, and Xu Xiao was the first to speak.

“Sun Meng is right. We’ve been focusing on present circumstances, forgetting that we’re still in a game. We can continuously acquire resources from it. What’s most important now is maintaining control over the whole Earth.”

The others nodded in agreement. Everyone had their own opinions, but with the two big names voicing theirs, what use was opposition?

Thus, the debate finally concluded. Sun Meng exchanged the Earth Spirit Book, Celestial Plate, and Soul Hall for Earth.

The Soul Hall appeared directly at the heart of Huaguo’s capital—a majestic, solemn hall topped by a nine-tiered tower appeared before all.

The Celestial Plate sank into the continental base, invisible runes of law spreading across the entire bedrock, linking with the barrier. People on Earth suddenly felt the environment become noticeably more comfortable.

The Earth Spirit Book materialized in Yi Gang’s hand and projected a map showing the continent’s terrain, with all earth veins marked. Red indicated areas not controlled by Earth’s civilization, white meant Earth Spirits could be assigned at any time, and green represented controlled zones lacking Earth Spirits.

The red markers were most numerous, especially in the oceans and the two invaded continental regions. White denoted places abandoned during the previous upheaval, while green marked current population centers.

Once the map was withdrawn, the Earth Spirit Book transformed into a shaft of yellow light shooting skyward, striking the barrier above, then scattering as countless points of light across the sky before vanishing. The others felt nothing, but Yi Gang, attuned through the civilization core, sensed the effect of the Earth Spirit Book.

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“I think we can construct a commemorative building, like an altar. Those who contributed greatly to our civilization’s development, after death, could be honored through such rituals and recognized by the civilization core, becoming Earth Spirits. Additionally, the Earth Spirit Book will automatically record information on each deceased individual, and I can manipulate it to project images like a void hologram.”

Xu Xiao looked at Yi Gang. “That means you’ll have a lot to handle! After all, the inheritance configuration for the Soul Hall also requires your involvement.” While being acknowledged by the civilization core meant one could never commit acts detrimental to society, so much power concentrated in one person’s hands was worrisome for everyone.

Yi Gang replied, “Actually, all it needs is a basic setup. The rest will evolve on its own. These are Tier Four treasures—we can’t fully comprehend them yet.”

Hearing this, even Sun Meng felt a rising question: why were such rewards granted directly? Though these tools wouldn’t immediately strengthen Earth’s civilization, their long-term benefits were considerable.

Meanwhile, Sun Meng returned to the spaceship; Mu Xingye had already arrived.

“How did it go? What did you choose?”

Sun Meng said, “Earth Spirit Book, Celestial Plate, and Soul Hall. What about yours?”

Mu Xingye answered, “Cosmic Energy Conversion Reactor, Planetary Environmental Stabilizer, and Interstellar Engine.”

“Interstellar Engine?!” Sun Meng stared at Mu Xingye in surprise. “Why would you choose that? Is it meant for the flagship?” He couldn’t understand the need for such a thing, nor did he believe Mu Xingye would pick something useless. The technology behind these rewards was too advanced for them to fully decode.

“That’s the difference arising from divergent civilization paths and the situations we’ll face in the future. For us, leaning toward the technological side, interstellar travel begins after Tier Three.” Pixar walked in. “Of course, that’s our own projection, but since the system offers such rewards, they must have value, right?” He looked at Sun Meng. “We have at most a month and a half left. We need to hurry and mine rare metals.”

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