Rebirth of the Super Battleship-Chapter 628: Ideals
Xiao Yu sat here quietly, watching the two successive generations of leaders of the Pegasus Civilization converse.
Somewhat to Xiao Yu’s surprise, the current leader’s first sentence was actually to ask Ares such a question. And Ares’s answer was even more straightforward, just two simple words, “Yes.”
A gentle smile remained on Xiao Yu’s face. He only watched and did not speak.
The three people before him had utterly different appearances, yet as they sat here there was an inexplicable harmony in the air. Compared to thought, appearance was not much of an obstacle.
Hearing Ares’s answer, the current leader’s expression gradually grew agitated. “I know that the Divine Ark Civilization definitely would not allow a talent like you to suffer even a little abuse. The Divine Ark Civilization’s treatment of you must be extremely good. You need not worry about the future, need not think about safety. You need not consider what kind of scene it is when sometimes there is no food to eat, no clothes to wear, when even the most basic guarantee of survival cannot be supplied. You live here at your ease. The Divine Ark Civilization provides you with everything you need. But have you considered this. Have you considered our Pegasus Civilization. You fled so irresponsibly, carried off the elite of our civilization, and evaded the disasters that our civilization went on to encounter. Our capital planet was destroyed by the Arboreal Race Alien Beast. In the course of our flight we encountered a black hole. We suffered an attack from a Level 6 Civilization. Our civilization almost became extinct. Our civilization’s population has already fallen to fewer than ten billion. The beginning of all the suffering that has plunged our civilization into its present state was because of you. Back then, why did you not choose to coexist peacefully with the Divine Ark Civilization. Why did you choose war. It was your choice that dragged our civilization into the abyss of misery. And then, under the protection of the Divine Ark Civilization, you could still obtain an easy life.”
“You are not a qualified leader. A leader should not be so emotional. In the position of leading a civilization forward, you must make the choices among all the pros and cons that are most beneficial to your own civilization. In this respect, you are still far from sufficient.” Ares’s expression was extremely indifferent. He gave the current leader a faint glance and spoke faintly.
“I cannot do as you did. Several hundred million, several billion lives, to cast them aside the moment you say so.” The current leader spoke with a slight tremor in his voice. “If the development of a civilization is at the cost of sacrificing the populace within the civilization, then I do not believe such development has any meaning.”
“The victor and the bandit, that is all. If the Divine Ark Civilization had not had so many hidden trump cards, I would already have succeeded. Our Pegasus Civilization might by now already have reached the level of a Level 6 Civilization. Of course, I have now failed. There is nothing more to say about that.” Ares glanced at Xiao Yu and still spoke faintly.
Xiao Yu smiled and nodded. “Yes, I acknowledge that point. In the realm of the arts of war and power and in the sense of the overall situation, I am not Ares’s match. That I was able to obtain final victory in the war was because of some other reasons.”
“No.” The current leader shook his head firmly. “Things are not as you think. Even if you ultimately won, what does that have to do with those innocent civilians and soldiers you abandoned to die. They should not have to pay the price for a civilization’s development. They have no obligation or duty to just die like that and let another part of the people gain benefit. That does not accord with the spirit of our civilization.”
“If you have always been persisting in your view, then you have no need to come looking for me today.” Ares said faintly. “As a leader, you are still green. You still have a long road to walk. Tell me, have you recently been confused about some questions and so want to seek answers from me.”
The current leader, however, did not answer this question directly. Instead, in a certain faint and distant tone, he replied, “In the course of our civilization’s flight, we once encountered a wandering black hole. This black hole drew in most of our civilization’s spaceships, and they could not escape. In this situation our scientists gave me a statistical figure. They told me that the success rate of using one spaceship to rescue one trapped spaceship was thirty percent, but if the rescue failed, then the spaceship that went to carry out the rescue would also be trapped by the black hole. I want to know, in such a situation, how would you choose.”
“That is simple. There is no need for us to risk a seventy percent chance of destruction for a thirty percent success rate.” Ares answered. “Since losses have already been suffered, we must think of a way to minimize the losses. If you cannot understand even so simple a question, then I can only say that you are a fool.”
“Then your choice is to abandon those spaceships that still have a thirty percent hope of being rescued and leave.”
“Yes,” Ares answered. “And at that time, how would you have chosen.”
“I had not yet had time to make a choice when we encountered the Divine Ark Civilization. The Divine Ark Civilization rescued most of our trapped spaceships.” the current leader said. “But if we had not encountered the Divine Ark Civilization, I think I would have chosen to attempt to rescue those spaceships.”
“Foolish.” Ares uttered two faint words.
“Perhaps it is only because the people trapped near the black hole were not yours.” The current leader slowly shook his head. “I only hope to create such a civilizational atmosphere. I hope that every one of our populace knows that no one will be abandoned. If you encounter danger, then the civilization will do everything in its power to rescue you and will not worry about how great a price it will pay. I do not want our populace to make an internal valuation of themselves, and as long as the price of rescue exceeds their self-valuation, to sit there quietly and wait for death. I hope every citizen can understand that every person is priceless, every person is precious, and that to save any one person the civilization will spare no cost. I believe that such a civilization is a harmonious, united civilization with development potential. Only then will the cohesion of this civilization and the populace’s sense of belonging to the civilization be strengthened. If, as with you, only cold value relations remain within the civilization and society, then even if that civilization advances to the level of a Level 6 Civilization, what meaning is there.”
“You have not felt that hot blood. You do not know how desperate those people trapped by the black hole were at the time. But when they learned that the civilization would spare no effort to rescue them, what kind of response did they have.” As the current leader spoke, his body actually had a faint tremor. “They knew their chances of being rescued were small, and that they might even drag others down, so they proactively requested that no rescue be attempted for them. Some extreme citizens, in order to stop the civilization from rescuing them, even went so far as to detonate the spaceships they were aboard. This hot blood, these feelings, have you felt them. Did they appear in the Pegasus Civilization under your leadership.”
Seemingly touched by something, Ares’s expression finally ceased to be calm. A slight tremor entered his voice as well. “Yet you still came to find me. You believe that you are the one who is right, yet you have still encountered a problem you cannot solve, so you have come to find me, attempting to find an answer from me.”
The current leader looked straight into Ares’s eyes and said calmly, “You are without question the sinner of our entire civilization. Now, in order to atone for the Pegasus Civilization, you must do something. I admit that I still have many shortcomings, so I have come to seek your instruction. Although I do not quite agree with your governing ideals, I also must admit that in your governing ideals there are parts worth my absorbing and learning. So now, tell me all the insights you have accumulated over several thousand years of governance, so as to help me lead our civilization better and make our civilization stronger.”
“I am a sinner, I am a sinner.” Ares murmured, and his face seemed to grow old in an instant. “Very well. I will tell you all of my insights. I will also entrust my hopes to you. I look forward to the day when I can receive the news that our Pegasus Civilization has become a Level 6, even a Level 7 Civilization.”
Xiao Yu kept a faint smile, sitting on the rock, watching as this former leader and this current leader conversed unceasingly, listening earnestly to their talk.
This conversation lasted a full eight hours. After eight hours, the current leader of the Pegasus Civilization politely took his leave of Xiao Yu, boarded the spaceship again, and was returned by Xiao Yu. Then Xiao Yu saw that the Pegasus Civilization was already controlling that small universe and striding into the boundless depths of the cosmos. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
“Pegasus Civilization, I wish you good fortune.” Xiao Yu said in his heart, and at the same time told Ares the news that the Pegasus Civilization had already departed.
“Perhaps I should change my way of life as well.” Ares said. “I plan to marry a female intelligent being of the Pegasus Civilization as my wife, and then raise a few children.”
“Very good. If you do not mind, I will attend your wedding.” Xiao Yu said.
“No, you had best not come.” Ares said. “Your arrival would break our peace, and as I am now, I only want to live quietly with my wife and the children who may come in the future.”
“Since you do not welcome me, then I will not go. But my wedding gift will arrive on time.” Xiao Yu said with a smile.
