"I know. The Previous Era also encountered so-called 'aliens'."
"But from what I've observed, these aliens even have something resembling a family concept. It makes me wonder if this world developed along a normal path."
Noldrei started to suspect this universe might have been invaded by his predecessors.
Just like 01 and 02, they might have already modified this universe ahead of time. Otherwise, there was no reason for aliens to have human-like family structures or similar bodily aesthetics. If a lizard evolved intelligence, would it adopt human clothing and fashion?
Impossible. The world a lizard perceives is different from a human's, so the things it would create after gaining intelligence would also be different.
Welt didn't know what to say. He'd read plenty of science fiction and had never stopped fantasizing about aliens. But right now, the conversation he and Noldrei were having wasn't about that, but about how future humanity should interact with life in the cosmos.
"Given Kiana's current growth rate, she'll soon possess the Gene Tree of all humanity. Ultimately, just as you said, she'll be sitting on the moon, becoming the new emperor shrouding human civilization. All we've done now is skip a few steps. Whether this process brings humanity pain or happiness will depend on her choices."
"All I can do is summarize a social management approach that's more suitable for this new civilization." Welt admitted his own abilities were insufficient to manage all of humanity.
And to venture out and engage in trade with aliens, someone would have to emerge who controls the ultimate channels and power.
Even if one were created through compromise, such a figure would inevitably appear. Centralization of power became a natural choice.
"Extraterrestrial civilizations are often vastly different. I don't think humanity is strong enough yet to contend with the civilizations in the universe. And, from my personal feeling..."
Welt shook his head and sighed. "There must be beings out there who have mastered the power of Honkai. So, I think the universal energy source of the cosmos is most likely derived from either the Quantum or Imaginary domains. As for Honkai? If it can't even leave the solar system, it's useless."
Noldrei suspected Welt was trying to set a trap for him.
Why did this guy keep saying things like, "Humanity is too insignificant right now," "We're not good enough for anything," and "There are so many powerful figures in the universe"?
"It's just the Cocoon of Finality. We don't even have a complete understanding of our own solar system."
Welt produced a bottle of red wine from somewhere, poured himself a glass, and said while savoring it, "Not only that, we haven't even figured out Imaginary Energy. The only ones who understood its true nature were you and Otto."
"Now that Otto is gone, if you leave too, it'll be very difficult for us to study this Imaginary Energy. Sigh... I can't even imagine how far humanity will be able to develop in the future."
That rascal Welt was definitely setting a trap for Noldrei.
Noldrei thought it over again and concluded that Welt was indeed baiting him.
Because he had never actually seen so-called Imaginary Energy in his own world. The Sea of Quanta existed, yes, but it was slightly different from how people here understood it. The overall practical effects were similar, though, so it wasn't anything to be shocked about.
The more Welt knew, the more he understood the differences between Noldrei and this world.
These locals were deeply tied to the Imaginary. One could even say they were a part of it. But Noldrei was clearly abnormal; Imaginary Energy didn't seem to affect him much at all.
"Your worries are indeed valid, Welt. But the parallel world has already been handed over to me. There's no reason to just leave it there and ignore it, right? The world over there is actually developing in exactly the same way as ours."
"And as for the Honkai... I don't think the Honkai is a big deal. It can't affect me at all."
Noldrei didn't see the Honkai as a problem in the slightest. He was currently just using its own mechanisms to counter it. The Honkai was just another variation of Imaginary Energy, nothing particularly dangerous.
Listen to him talk! From the very beginning, Noldrei considered humanity's internal problems to be a far greater crisis than the one brought by the Honkai.
But Welt had to admit that Noldrei was right. If humanity stood united, they wouldn't just have a hope of defeating the Honkai; they would have a very high chance of achieving ultimate victory.
"Otto created a new parallel world where we can obtain the things we need. I did an experiment: I took a Herrscher Core to the other parallel world, and it was still able to connect to Honkai Energy through the Imaginary Space and continue to function."
"The versatility of Herrscher Cores isn't limited to the solar system. Welt... you should thank me. The Star of Eden you hold, theoretically, can still be used even after leaving the solar system."
"You don't need to worry about Honkai Energy being bound to the solar system anymore."
Noldrei had unexpectedly given Welt some good news.
Well, this is... certainly a surprise.
Welt was silent for a long time. He hadn't expected the information Noldrei provided to be so important.
Herrscher Cores could be used outside their native parallel world. The key linking them to the power of the Honkai wasn't Honkai Energy itself, but Imaginary Energy?
"So, in theory, as long as we master Imaginary Energy, we can effectively control Honkai Energy?" Welt's face lit up with delight. He never imagined Noldrei would give him such a crucial answer.
"Yes. Mastering Imaginary Energy can actually be done by utilizing the Herrscher of the Void. If you want to study it in depth, you'll just need the cooperation of the future Herrscher of Finality. There's no need to worry about being unable to control the Honkai in the future."
Noldrei didn't even know what they were so worried about. They had probably been so affected by the Honkai in the past that they were now terrified of it, afraid to make a move.
"Don't worry about humanity's future. Humanity will not stop here. Besides, you probably haven't been to the Imaginary Tree to see for yourself, have you? There are branches stronger and thicker than our world's. Would you worry about the civilization on a small island in the Pacific being wiped out? No, right? You probably wouldn't even care."
"Even after the fact, you'd just sigh and say, 'That's how it is with backward civilizations. They only need to worry about eating, drinking, and shitting. Advanced civilizations have much more to consider.'"
"The people from my place are much more civilized. At worst, they'd just say it straight: 'You stinking country bumpkins are here to beg for food again?'"
For a moment, Welt was so provoked his face turned red.
Had this rascal of a Director only learned how to be passive-aggressive since coming here?