74: Falems

Whether on the bridge of the rathia or in the solemn Central Council meeting room on their home planet, Faleimland.

All Faleim People who could see Lei Wen's image, whether they were battle-hardened generals, erudite scientists, or high-ranking members of the Central Council...

instantly stood straight at the very moment Price saluted, as if a deep-seated instinct had been triggered.

With uniform, pious, and solemn gestures, they placed their right hands over their left chests and bowed deeply to the young figure with black hair and black eyes on the screen.

At this moment, hundreds of elites of the Faleim Civilization offered the highest honor of their civilization to an individual from a "primitive civilization."

The visual impact of this scene was unparalleled.

It represented not just the confirmation of an identity, but an absolute sense of belonging that transcended race, time, and space, bordering on faith.

Lei Wen watched the familiar yet strange faces on the screen, observing their heartfelt expressions of awe, and a tempest raged within his heart.

He had still underestimated himself.

He had underestimated the supreme status that the identity of "the guide" held in the hearts of the Faleim People.

Or rather, he had underestimated the brand, rooted in the deepest parts of their souls and impossible to erase, that the magical game system, "stellar universe," had imposed upon this civilization he had single-handedly created.

For the past few years, he had viewed the arrival of the Faleim Civilization as a crisis, regarding them as an external enemy to Earth civilization and an opponent that needed to be resisted.

But now he realized that, in the perception of the Faleim People, he was not some secular ruler or leader at all.

He was like the concrete embodiment of the entire civilization's will.

He was an existence that transcended monarchs and gods, similar to the legendary "Gaia Consciousness" on Earth.

Perhaps the only one who could surpass his concept was the one sitting on the Golden Throne.

"Everyone, there is no need to be so restrained."

After a long silence, Lei Wen spoke slowly, his voice carrying a trace of complex emotion he hadn't even noticed himself.

"Yes, the guide."

Everyone straightened up in unison again, but their heads remained slightly bowed, not daring to meet Lei Wen's gaze, as if it were a form of blasphemy.

Lei Wen knew it was time to tell them the final and most cruel truth.

He did not want any more deception or concealment.

He needed to establish an absolutely honest relationship with the "children" he had single-handedly raised.

"I think you must have many questions now," he said in a deep voice, looking at the faces on the screen filled with awe and curiosity. "For example, why I appear this way, and why I live on this planet that you perceive to be in a primitive stage."

"Now, I will tell you the whole truth."

He took a deep breath and, in the calmest and most cruel tone, revealed the secret he had hidden in his heart for years, one capable of overturning the worldview of any civilization.

"The universe you are in, the tens of thousands of years of glorious history you have experienced, all the enemies you have fought, all the miracles you have created..."

"...in a sense, all originated from a... game I played on this planet years ago."

"A game."

When this word came out of Lei Wen's mouth, even for Price and Talon, a brief moment of blankness and confusion appeared on their faces for the first time.

Lei Wen did not give them too much time to think; he continued to cruelly tear away the candy wrapper that enveloped the entire meaning of their civilization's existence.

"Your world is just a video game within the civilization I belong to."

"And I am just an ordinary player."

"I chose your race, set your traits, and guided your development direction... Every major decision in your history, every victory in war, every leap in technology, was just a mouse click of mine in front of the screen."

"the guide you revere is actually just an ordinary person sitting in front of a computer."

"And you..." He looked at the Faleim People who had fallen into a state of stupor and said the most fatal words.

"You are just data in one of my game save files."

Silence.

A heavy silence.

Some people's lips moved slightly, but they said nothing.

Lei Wen had even prepared for the worst.

He had previously issued an order to Grey Wind that if the Faleim People developed any hostile behavior because of this truth, she would destroy the Far Star Fleet with thunderous force.

As for how to deal with the Faleim People's anger afterward...

Lei Wen knew very well how powerful the Faleim Scientific Integration Nation was; he would have Grey Wind transform into a habitat ship capable of carrying the maximum population, load enough humans, then activate the Jump Drive to leave the Solar System and head into the distant deep space to find a new home for humanity.

However, the hypothetical anger, collapse, or hysterical resistance did not appear.

After experiencing the initial deathly silence and stupor.

Consul Price slowly raised his head, his blue eyes regaining their clarity.

There were no negative emotions on his face as Lei Wen had imagined.

There was only a sense of relief, like parting the clouds to see the blue sky, and a deeper, purer sense of filial affection.

"So that is how it is." He murmured to himself, as if speaking to himself, and as if declaring it to the entire civilization.

Then he looked at Lei Wen again, a smile appearing on his face that had not been seen for thousands of years.

"Regardless of what our origin is, and regardless of what your origin is, whether it be a primitive civilization or a game player."

"You will always be our most beloved Guide."

"We will always be your most loyal children."

His words shook Lei Wen.

This was somewhat different from what he had expected.

Why did they accept this cruel truth so calmly?

"Why?" Lei Wen asked the confusion in his heart subconsciously.

This time, it was Chief Scientist Zeral who answered him.

"Guide," Zeral said in his usual rigorous and serious tone, "You seem to have some misunderstandings about the thought patterns of our race."

"Admittedly, the truth you just revealed is subversive for any civilization, but for us Faleim People, the question of 'Where do we come from' is far less important than the question of 'Where are we going'."

"To us, Earthlings are just a group of primitive indigenous people, and Earth is just an insignificant life-bearing planet." Price took over the conversation.

"But in our eyes, you are special, a special existence that transcends the concept of race."

"Even if we know that your guidance of our civilization was just a game, the fact that you led our civilization from a small planet to the glory of unifying the entire galaxy is indelible."

"You may have just been playing for entertainment, but what you gave us is a real, undeniable—great civilization."

"More importantly..." Price looked at Lei Wen and stated the most critical point.

"Every individual in our entire race is incapable of harboring even the slightest negative thought toward you."

"As long as your will is issued, no matter what it is, we cannot resist it."

Lei Wen finally understood.

When most civilizations learn that they have a creator, their first thought is often "god-slaying," rebelling against the creator to gain complete, unconstrained freedom.

But the Faleim People were different.

Perhaps in the game settings of "stellar universe," every operation by the player, every command issued, would not change the game progress in a rigid way.

Instead, it would transform into a voice that resonated simultaneously in the hearts of all the citizens.

That voice was warm and intimate, like a call from distant parents, filled with unquestionable correctness and guidance.

It would not force you to do anything.

But it would make you believe from the bottom of your heart that "this is the right thing to do" and "this is in the highest interest of our entire civilization."

Over time, this "voice" originating from the game mechanics became the deepest imprint in the subconscious of the entire Faleim Civilization.

They became accustomed to listening to that voice from the ether during every major decision.

They respectfully called the owner of that voice "the guide."

If it weren't for the fact that Lei Wen, when creating this civilization, had forcibly set them to have the [Fanatic Materialist] ethos in pursuit of maximum scientific research efficiency, perhaps they would have already worshiped Lei Wen as the only true god, thereby embarking on a path of [Fanatic Spiritualist].

To them, Lei Wen was not a tyrant who needed to be overthrown.

But a "father" who had been absent for too, too long, and whom they missed and felt lost without.

Now, the father had finally returned.

How could they possibly rebel against him?

Lei Wen looked at the faces on the screen filled with filial affection, and the hardest ice in his heart finally melted completely at this moment.

He felt that the wall of code made of 0s and 1s between him and this civilization he had single-handedly created had completely disappeared at this moment.

Replacing it was an inseparable, real bond.