518: Chapter 518 The Beginning of Alien Life

The new life of the Eastern Federation's international students had begun.

The first week was an adaptation period; the schedule basically consisted of tours, lectures, getting familiar with the environment, and things of that nature.

The Void side had arranged a dense itinerary.

They visited several iconic research institutions and met many representative scholars and officials.

At every location, there were dedicated guides to explain things and androids to serve tea and water; everything was arranged in an orderly fashion.

The students were moved by the politeness and enthusiasm of the Shankong people.

The other party seemed full of curiosity about everything regarding the Eastern Federation, asking incessantly about everything from history and culture to daily life.

Some questions were laughably naive, but their sincere attitude made it hard for one to be dismissive.

"Can you Eastern Federation people really live to be over two hundred years old?"

"Does everyone get injected with the Enhancement Serum? Does it cost money?"

"I heard you have no faith; then how do you know what should be done and what shouldn't?"

Konks had been asked several times. Each time, he answered patiently and tirelessly.

But as the frequency of exchanges and the number of people involved increased, he began to notice some details.

Originally, he hadn't actually felt anything was wrong until he started chatting with the Shankong people about professional matters.

For instance, those scholars could talk eloquently about their own specialties, but as soon as the topic moved beyond their familiar Domain, they would start being evasive or steer the conversation toward religion.

For example, those officials were fluent and smooth when introducing policies, but when asked about specific data or historical background, they would either check their records or skip the topic entirely.

Some even directly started "talking nonsense," substituting an explanation of the question for an actual answer.

Furthermore, every time Adrian took them on a tour, the route was meticulously designed. At every intersection, whenever they showed interest in places off the route, there would always be an unexpected traffic control incident guiding them in a specific direction.

If they wanted to make a temporary detour into a side street to take a look, they would always be politely declined with reasons like "that area is under maintenance" or "that's a construction zone."

Konks kept these observations in mind and didn't say a word.

Once or twice could be explained as a coincidence, but when it happens many times, it's no longer a coincidence—it's a pattern.

In the second week, formal classes began.

Konks was assigned to a biomedical laboratory. His mentor was named Alva, a chief scientist who was said to hold a high status in the academic circles of Void.

The laboratory was large and the equipment was quite advanced; some instruments weren't even available in the Eastern Federation. When Konks first saw that equipment, his eyes lit up.

It wasn't that the principles or effects of the instruments were much more advanced than those in the Eastern Federation, but rather that no one in the Eastern Federation had ever developed an instrument to achieve that specific function.

It was a bit like the difference between a basic monocular and binoculars; the effect is largely the same, but the design is different.

After a few days, once the initial novelty wore off, he discovered a problem.

The people in the lab were very proficient at operating the equipment and followed steps meticulously. But when asked why they did it that way or what the underlying principle was, most of them couldn't answer.

"This is the standard procedure," they said.

"That is how it is written in the Revelations of the High Heaven," they said.

"We have always done it this way, and the results are good," they said.

Konks tried asking Alva. Alva could actually explain some principles, but as he spoke, he would start veering off into directions like "high heaven bestowed wisdom upon us" and "this is knowledge only The Favored Ones can understand."

Konks listened for a while, suppressed the urge to complain, nodded politely, and stopped asking.

Under the influence of these anomalies, he began to pay attention to the textbooks in the laboratory.

The so-called textbooks were actually just operation manuals.

Every step was written clearly; one just had to follow them without needing to think.

As for why this step was necessary or what the theoretical basis for it was, it wasn't in the manual, and no one in the lab discussed it.

He even went to the library, hoping to find some related academic literature.

The library was large with many books, but most were religious texts.

Various versions and commentaries of the "Revelations of the High Heaven," "The Path of the Graced," "Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures," "Order and Harmony"... there was truly a massive amount.

He couldn't find a single scientific work in the true sense.

He asked the librarian if there were any books on the history of biomedical development.

The librarian thought for a moment, led him to a corner, and pointed at a few books on a shelf.

Konks pulled one out and felt like he was being set up by something strange; could these things before his eyes even count as records of developmental history?

Look at these titles: "Biological Exploration Under the Guidance of high heaven," "Faith and Life Sciences," "The Medical Path of The Favored Ones."

What, what, what... what is all this?

Thinking that since he was already here, he might as well satisfy his curiosity.

After flipping it open, it was exactly as expected.

The content was roughly about how high heaven revealed the human body to the ancestors, how high heaven guided scholars to discover cells, how high heaven bestowed blessings to advance medicine...

There wasn't a single word of actual scientific history.

He put the book back, walked out of the library, and stood at the entrance looking at the sky.

The sky was very blue, the clouds were very white, and everything was very clean.

He pulled out his terminal and read that post once more. After a long while, his mouth twitched, and he shook his head with a sigh.

Meanwhile, on the Eastern Federation's home planet.

Thirty international students from Void also began their studies.

The general process was not much different from that of Konks and the others; if there was any difference, it was that this group of students received an even more grand reception.

Of course, this was mainly because the gap in productivity between the two sides was somewhat large, plus the Eastern Federation's consistent way of treating guests, so it appeared much more grand.

Naturally, the reception was indeed extraordinary.

The Eastern Federation arranged special dormitories, special courses, and special mentors. The standards were a notch higher than those for ordinary international students from other Voids.

The Shankong students performed very well. They listened attentively in class, asked questions actively afterward, showed great respect to their mentors, and got along harmoniously with their classmates.

During their spare time, they participated in various club activities and showed sincere curiosity about everything in the Eastern Federation.

"Your Eastern Federation's education is so open; can we freely choose our research direction?"

"With a technology as good as the Enhancement Serum, why not monopolize it? How much money could be made from that? Why let the entire population enjoy it?"

"You've had quite a few religions in your history, especially the one called the Imperial Cult, which is quite similar to our faith. Why don't any of you believe in it?"

Question after question, their attitude was so sincere that it was impossible to refuse, but the questions themselves left the Eastern Federation students and teachers somewhat bewildered.

The mentors discussed privately that this batch of students had good qualities, were eager to learn, and were polite. Although they were sometimes a bit silly, they were much better than some of the local troublemakers.

No one noticed that these students often gathered privately to exchange the valuable information they had each come across.

Nor did anyone notice that they had a list in their hands.

The list contained names and brief profiles.

A certain scholar who had published critical articles in a certain year. A certain writer whose works revealed a nostalgia for the old era. A certain retired official who was said to be somewhat dissatisfied with the current situation. A certain entrepreneur who had received a foreign education in his early years and still retained certain habits.

This information had been collected by the Void side through various channels during the cultural exchange process, and the list was hidden among the personal belongings of each Shankong student.

One of their tasks was to find these people, contact them, and establish relationships.

Not just once or twice, but a long-term, gradual deepening of ties.

Eastern Federation society was very open, and interpersonal relationships could be said to be relatively simple compared to Void's society.

There were countless legitimate reasons to get to know someone: academic exchanges, cultural salons, non-profit organizations, interest clubs. As long as one was determined, an entry point could always be found.

These students were all carefully selected. They knew when to smile, when to listen, and when to express agreement.

Historically, their ancestors had used this method to enter the kingdoms of the faithless, learn their knowledge, make friends with their talents, and finally replace them.

Today, it was their turn.

Three months later.

Konks sat in his dormitory with a small notebook spread out before him.

This was his habit—to record his observations and thoughts every day to avoid forgetting them.

Quite a lot had already been written in the notebook.

"Laboratory equipment is advanced, but the methods of use are rigid; no one asks why."

"The mentor is not interested in basic principles, or rather, is not good at them."

"There is no real history of science in the library, only religious interpretations."

"The society looks glamorous on the surface, but I always feel something is wrong, though I can't put my finger on it."

He put down his pen and leaned back against the chair.

Outside the window, the night view of Aetherland was still brilliant. Those Hive City buildings were like giant glowing sculptures, slicing the night sky into fragments.

"Three months already," he muttered to himself.

He remembered what the old leader of the research institute had said to him privately before he left.

"Little Kong, you're sharp and good at reading people; keep your eyes open. If anything seems off, just record it and don't make a scene."

He hadn't paid much attention to it at the time. Thinking about it now, the old leader probably knew something.

Outside the window, a squad of androids passed below, their steps perfectly synchronized as if cast from the same mold.

Konks watched for a while before withdrawing his gaze.

He flipped open the notebook and wrote a few words on the last page.

"This Void has only one point of meaning, but it has many secrets."

Then he closed the notebook, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

Outside the window, the sound of the androids' footsteps gradually faded away. The night remained brilliant and so quiet it didn't seem real.