75: Two children

"the guide" had transformed from an ethereal inner voice, an abstract concept existing only in historical legends and the collective subconscious, into a flesh-and-blood, real individual.

The impact and significance of this transformation for the entire Faleim Civilization were indescribable.

It felt like a devout believer who had grown up listening to the Bible suddenly receiving a video call from God Himself one day, with God kindly calling out his name and asking how he had been lately.

Shock, ecstasy, and a tremendous sense of happiness from having found their ultimate belonging swept through the hearts of every Faleim People present like a warm ocean current.

"Great Guide," Consul Price made a request filled with anticipation. This invitation came out almost instinctively; it was his most genuine and intense desire at this moment. "We sincerely implore you to come to our homeworld—the Falem Homeworld."

"Let your children, let all the Faleim People living on that land see your great figure with their own eyes, and let them know that you have always been with us, watching our every move."

"Your appearance would not even require you to say a single word. Simply projecting your image into every corner of the Falem Homeworld would be enough to instantly elevate our cohesion, which is currently slightly low due to the loss of our imperial territory, to an unprecedented peak! That would be more inspiring than any declaration of victory in an interstellar war!"

This proposal was full of temptation.

Lei Wen could even imagine that if he truly agreed, his status within the Faleim Civilization would instantly upgrade from a "spiritual leader" to a true "living deity."

He would possess unquestionable authority over an interstellar civilization. He could realize any of his grand visions as he pleased, just like in a game, without having to carefully balance the interests of various countries on Earth as he did now.

However, after a brief moment of thought, Lei Wen slowly shook his head.

He refused.

"Price," he addressed the Archon he had personally "nurtured" in a tone of equality. This form of address caused Price's holographic image to involuntarily tremble slightly. "I understand your feelings, and I admit that seeing your growth and your glory makes me genuinely proud of you."

"However," his tone shifted, his eyes becoming firm and clear, "I am an Earthling after all, and I belong to the Human Civilization."

"The blood flowing through my body is that of this blue planet, and my roots are deeply planted in this land."

"My joys and sorrows, all my emotions and memories, are closely connected to this planet."

"The reason I am standing here talking to you now is not just as the guide."

"But also as a representative of the Human Civilization, here for the future of our civilization."

Lei Wen's words left all the Faleim People present stunned.

They did not expect that after confirming the special relationship between them, which was almost like that of a "father and son," the guide would take the initiative to draw a line between them.

It was like a child who had been away from home for many years finally finding his father, only for the father to tell him that he already had another family.

A subtle sense of loss inevitably arose in the hearts of some Faleim People.

"But… Great Guide," Chief Scientist Zeral said, somewhat puzzled. His brain, wrapped in absolute rationality, could not fully comprehend this complex emotion for a moment. "We can provide comprehensive assistance to the Human Civilization! The primitive civilization you are in can completely become a part of our Faleim Civilization. As long as we are given some more time to restore our interstellar industrial capabilities, we can completely satisfy all the material needs of every person on a primitive planet."

His eyes flashed with the pure enthusiasm and desire to solve problems that belonged to a scientist.

"We can even share all our technology with the civilization you are in without reservation! We can dispatch our engineering fleets to help you build the most advanced infrastructure in this star system! We can even have the shipyards of the Faleim Civilization build a super fleet for you that would be capable of sweeping through our former old universe!"

"As long as you give the order, within a year we could make this small blue planet one of the most powerful civilizations in this galaxy! You would have two equally great children at the same time!"

Zeral's proposal made Lei Wen's heart waver slightly.

What a tempting picture that was! With the help of the Faleim Civilization, this "super cheat," the Human Civilization could skip all the long and painful process of climbing the technology tree, ascend in one step, and stand directly at the top of the forest of cosmic civilizations.

All problems, all crises, would be easily solved.

But soon Lei Wen banished this thought from his mind.

He thought of the tragic fate of those indigenous civilizations in Earth's history that had been forcibly "civilized," and he thought of those peoples who had lost their culture and even their history under the sugar-coated bullets of colonists. Forcing growth would only lead to deformed fruits.

He shook his head again, this time more firmly.

"I also refuse this proposal."

His voice was not loud, but it was full of unquestionable determination.

"Why?" Zeral was even more confused; he could not understand why the guide would refuse such a shortcut to success.

"Because," Lei Wen looked at him, speaking slowly in the tone of a teacher instructing a student, "the growth of a civilization is like the growth of a child."

"You can give him the best food, the best clothes, pave all the roads for him, and keep him from all wind and rain."

"You can solve all the problems he encounters for him and make his life smooth sailing."

"But a child who grows up that way will always just be a giant baby living in a greenhouse."

"He may possess powerful strength, but he will not possess the resilient mind and independent spirit to match it."

"In his bones, he will always lack the true self-confidence that is forged through overcoming difficulties and challenges."

"He will never learn how to face a real storm alone. When one day the shelter of his elders is gone, he will be instantly torn to pieces by that real and cruel universe."

"The Human Civilization I hope to see is one that can rely on its own feet and step onto the stars one step at a time."

"I hope to see them racking their brains to solve energy crises, celebrating nationwide to build their first starship, and arguing endlessly over the first discovery of extraterrestrial life."

"I hope to see them able to brush off the dust after experiencing countless failures and setbacks, and continue to move forward with their heads held high."

"What I hope to see is a civilization that is flesh and blood, that can cry and laugh, and is full of infinite possibilities, not a perfectly designed replica that has lost the entire process of growth."

Lei Wen's words left all the Faleim People present in silence.

Their mindset, which was accustomed to measuring everything with optimal solutions and maximum efficiency, was hit hard at this moment.

However, they finally understood the good intentions of the guide.

The development history of the Faleim Civilization was not smooth sailing either; it was also full of difficulties and setbacks, but they overcame these difficulties one by one, resolved these setbacks one by one, and finally stood at the peak of their galaxy.

Lei Wen's eyes, filled with determination and anticipation, aroused a feeling mixed with admiration and understanding in Consul Price.

He once again performed a solemn chest-touching salute to Lei Wen.

But this time, it was no longer just out of instinctive awe, but more of a heartfelt, noble respect for a truly great mentor of civilization.

"I understand, Great Guide." A look of relief appeared on Price's face. "Your wisdom is as deep as the sea of stars, and we feel ashamed of our previous short-sightedness. The Faleim Civilization will respect your wishes; we will not conduct any form of direct interference in the internal development of the Human Civilization."

He reached out, and a holographic projection of a Star Map appeared in front of him.

He slowly drew a line on the Star Map. That line, bounded by Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light-years away from the Solar System, was like an invisible barrier.

"From today on," he declared to the entire civilization in the name of the Archon of the Faleim Scientific Conglomerate, "taking the Proxima Centauri system as the boundary, the direction towards our Faleimland System will be the main direction for the future expansion and exploration of our civilization."

"And we will not set foot on the other side of the Proxima Centauri system unless we receive your summons."

The significance of this decision by Price was immeasurably profound.

He was not only drawing a non-aggression boundary line for the two civilizations, but also, in an extremely generous way, leaving behind a vast piece of land for the Human Civilization, which was still in its Cradle, enough for them to develop for countless years.

In this vast star region, humans could freely explore, colonize, make mistakes, and grow without worrying about suddenly running into a neighbor they could not contend with at all one day.

This was the most gentle and precious gift that Price, and indeed the entire Faleim Civilization, could give to the Human Civilization, or rather, to Lei Wen.

...

This historic communication, which spanned a distance of several light-years, ended in an atmosphere of harmony filled with mutual understanding.

Both sides were very satisfied with the result of this contact.

For Lei Wen, the Sword of Damocles that had been hanging over the entire Human Civilization for several years had finally disappeared completely.

Not only did he no longer have to worry that the mysterious Far Star Fleet would bring a devastating blow to Earth, but he also unexpectedly gained a super backing that was powerful to the point of being invincible.

With the existence of the Faleim Civilization as a "distant relative," he could finally set his mind at ease completely and devote all his energy to guiding the healthy development of the Human Civilization itself.

And for the senior officials of the Faleim Civilization, the significance of this contact was even greater.

The return of the guide was like the most potent stimulant, instantly dispelling the confusion and gloom that had been hanging over their hearts due to the loss of their imperial territory.

They had once again found the direction and meaning for their civilization to move forward.

After ending the communication, Consul Price immediately and impatiently ordered the propaganda department to announce this earth-shattering good news, which was enough to inspire the people, to all citizens at the fastest speed.

He needed to use this news to revitalize the currently somewhat low national cohesion. He wanted all the Faleim People to know that the guide had not abandoned us! He had always been here! He was watching us from another distant world!

He believed that after this news was announced, the entire Faleim Civilization would erupt with unprecedented enthusiasm for construction and a pioneering spirit.

This universe was very large, far vaster than the old universe they once had.

They might have lost an old empire, but they would surely, under the gaze of the guide, build a more glorious and greater new empire in this vast new world!

...

However, just as Price had just had someone draft the announcement that would be enough to make the entire civilization boil with excitement, a rapid alarm sound suddenly rang out in the conference room of the Central Council, interrupting everyone's joy.

"Your Excellency, Consul, members of the Council, emergency!"

The holographic projection of the researcher in charge of the homeworld's deep space monitoring station suddenly appeared in the center of the conference room, his face carrying a trace of gravity and confusion.

"Just now, our deep space monitoring station located on the periphery of the Faleimland System captured an unidentified object flying towards our system at an extremely high speed!"

"All of our monitoring facilities for faster-than-light objects are aimed at hyperspace travel. This unidentified object must have used a faster-than-light method other than hyperspace travel to approach our system, so we did not discover it until it hit the inner side of the stellar gravity well, causing a spatial tremor that led it to exit the faster-than-light state. Only then were we able to monitor its arrival. Currently, this unidentified object has been intercepted by the enhanced gravity conduit of Faleimland Deep Space Monitoring Station 756."