Arrogant, cold, selfish, and cruel.
The 'Star' civilization—at least the facet of it Lei Ting had encountered—could be described perfectly by those words. Yet, even they had something they feared.
—【Extinction】.
To life and intelligence, eternal cessation is always a heavy burden. Perhaps virtue, faith, and will might place other things above life and death, but for a group, a collective of living beings, survival is always the first priority. Even if they must abandon their original biological forms, even if their souls must merge into one, they will choose to live on.
A collective monster born for the sake of survival—that is the essence of a 'civilization.'
Thus, under the massive threat of the 'Fungal Invasion,' no matter how much they yielded, it was only natural. After all, while few individuals possess a resolve for survival that never wavers, there are always those who simply wish to stay alive.
【...Extinction—is—indeed—a—major—threat. This—matter—has—been—granted—first-level—priority.】
The voice of the collective entity calling itself the 'Silver Star Council' echoed in the surroundings, still a cacophony of different voices talking over one another.
【'Commister'—will—destroy—the—entirety—of—the—Galaxy. We—possess—a—basis—for—cooperation. Have—you—decided—to—let—the—Orion—Arm—Human—Federation—walk—toward—death?】
Brief exchanges were fine, but as soon as they began speaking in long sentences, the Silver Star Council's phrasing became somewhat strange. It was a combination of words that suited their own habits, and in Lei Ting's eyes, it could not more clearly proclaim their status as absolute aliens.
Lei Ting’s expression turned cold, and the radiance in his eyes became as calm as a still lake. He knew he had achieved his immediate goal, so he stopped pretending to have normal emotional reactions.
"Cease all your actions against the Orion Federation," he said. "Then, share your intelligence."
Intelligence—that was the true prize he sought. He could overlook their actions against him personally for now, but for the impact they had on the Federation, he would make them pay. Before that, however, they had to provide their information.
Intelligence accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, concerning the beginning and the evolution of everything... He wanted to obtain it, connect it with the present situation, and find the truth behind the future disasters and the ancient wars.
After all, since one side in that war from the distant past had deployed a targeted rule-based weapon against the other, and 'Starnet' was its victim... who could guarantee that Starnet was its only target, or that the network disaster from over a decade ago was the full extent of its power?
【...】
The Silver Star Council responded with silence.
"With all due respect, arrogance and concealment cannot be traded for survival or a future..." Lei Ting said softly, glancing around.
The eruption of the Galactic Core seemed to be in its early stages. The energy jets currently capable of eroding a planet in an instant were merely symptoms of the buildup. Beyond that, this massive nebula cluster showed no signs of large-scale material flow. The matter within the Galactic Core had long since been harvested or incinerated; the remaining fine debris amounted to meteorites at most, with even true asteroid belts being rare.
And within that, tens of millions of Star Beasts hidden inside suns maintained a powerful link with the 'Spirit's Depths.' They were linked to the same extraordinary entity—a dark, deep shadow, silent and terrifying, existing there as if it meant to devour all light.
In years past, it had never been discovered—because in the pitch-black Spirit's Depths, its fusion with the environment was seamless. But after Lei Ting's arrival, 'sunlight' that had never truly descended upon that world spilled in. The phantom of the extraordinary sun was as small as a grain of dust compared to that shadow, but as long as the former existed, it was impossible for the latter to remain hidden!
Amidst the jets of crimson flame, Lei Ting raised his hand and made a grasping motion.
A powerful force spontaneously neutralized the surrounding energy. An inextinguishable light shone in his palm; in this blindingly red world, it looked as if he had fished a tiny sun out of a sea of blood. It was a 'star' that seemed small... but was undeniably real.
And in the distance, deep within the world submerged by waves of crimson energy, a speck of golden light also ignited.
"Recognizing reality is your only path to survival. As for what you are thinking, seeing, or discussing, that is unimportant. The military might you take pride in is also... to me..."
He suddenly clenched his fist. Golden light burst through the blood-red waves!
"...meaningless," he said.
the Silver Star Council's massive facial projection fell into a deep silence. It naturally knew that at this moment, whether it was a star in a certain region of the Galactic Core or the massive phantom in the Spirit's Depths, a piece had been hollowed out of both simultaneously. All that remained was a torrent of chaotic, violent energy that had lost its management.
When the concept of an 'outward attack' overpowered everything else, the things it swept over could only hope for the luxury of being turned to ash. Just like this extraordinary entity they inhabited, the 'Secondary Dark Side.'
The Silver Star Council could not help but close its eyes. This was likely their collective choice at this moment, and it made them realize exactly what they needed to do.
【...You—have—presented—the—correct—choice.】 The Silver Star Council followed the advice readily. 【Then... we—decide—to—share—intelligence—with—you.】
...
*Stubborn until the very end,* was likely the best description for these fellows. Lei Ting even felt, inexplicably, that even if the Galaxy were truly devoured by Commister, if he returned after a few thousand years, he might still find a mouth in this place spouting diplomatic rhetoric...
【This—matter—must—be—told—starting—from—an—interstellar—war—in—ancient—times,】 the Silver Star Council said. 【Before—that, the—Large—Magellanic—Cloud—as—you—know—it—did—not—exist...】
...
In short, it was a story of two rival giants fighting a war, only for a third, smaller bystander to be the one that got phased out.
In ancient times, the first batch of intelligent beings born in the universe were carbon-based. Among the civilizations that emerged from those most primitive and powerful creatures, several were exceptionally strong and had been in constant conflict since they began interstellar travel.
After tens of millions of years of war, they had left more than half the universe riddled with holes, and only two civilizations remained on the chessboard. But the universe has its own way of healing; whether it be space-time rifts or zones of chaos, if left alone for tens of thousands of years, they would surely restore themselves.
This should have been the universe's way out, but because of it, the two civilizations still at war made their fires even more destructive.
In addition to the laser or kinetic weapons based on physical rules still in use today, there were astrolabe-level matter-conversion weapons based on the material changes of the universe itself, and biochemical weapons of genetic engineering modeled against the enemy's hereditary factors, which were developed and used through generations. Even terrifying weapons that directly rewrote parts of the physical universe's rules were created by both sides.
During the long war, countless small civilizations rose and fell because of it... and among them, they sought a way out.
【Life—loathes—upheaval—and—death,】 the Silver Star Council said. 【All—things—have—their—destination, but—it—should—always—be—by—one's—own—choice.】
"You are the least qualified to say that," Lei Ting said flatly.
The Silver Star Council did not argue; they chose to continue the narrative.
...
It was an era of incomparable darkness and chaos, where philosophy and love seemed non-existent. Over tens of millions of years, countless civilizations were affected by the war, and most of them, lacking the ability to leave the surface of their home planets, did not even have the chance to voice a protest.
Countless chaotic currents of thought surged through the universe. Some shattered along with the civilizations that held them; others, even if their original proponents had long since vanished, were maintained by successors who struggled to keep them alive.
The violence of the universe's birth had long since passed, and the good days had just arrived; there was no place where resources were not abundant. But the endless harvesting and extraction by the two great powers, along with their attitude of "either exterminate or enslave" toward other races, ensured that life was simple for no one.
"I thought they would be a bit more rational and organized," Lei Ting said.
The policy of "exterminate or enslave" clearly could not yield the maximum benefit for its practitioners. A policy where the second option was always "to die" required a level of power to execute that was beyond ordinary imagination.
【Rationality—and—reason—run—contrary—to—strife,】 the Silver Star Council said.
"Or perhaps they are interdependent," Lei Ting countered.
The Silver Star Council did not dwell on the issue but spoke of something new.
...
Civilizations were seeking their way out, and among them, there was a biochemical-energy civilization that transformed itself into a new life form for this purpose. This was normal; whether it was the Silver Star Council, the Orion humans, or other races that could now occupy a place in the stars, they had all performed such acts of 'Technological Ascension.' These days, who hadn't tinkered with their own genetic factors or life forms?
But the problem lay in... the path that biochemical-energy civilization chose was Gestalt consciousness. And the consciousness carrier they ultimately anchored themselves to was the most economical, practical, and resilient 'organism' in the universe.
"..."
Lei Ting fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly: "...Fungi."
Yes, fungi.
Abandoning civilization and culture, losing their individual names and wills, having only a single unified designation, becoming a complete 'individual.' That was the path that civilization chose.
【The—structural—rules—and—biological—composition—of—this—universe—possess—a—strong—sense—of—design. Optimizing—without—destroying—is—harder—than—destroying—everything,】 the Silver Star Council said.
They slowed their speech, and when they spoke the next part, they were solemn to the extreme.
【But—long—years—can—change—everything.】
