Qingque's question made Noldrei feel a subtle sense of strangeness.
It prompted him to stop discussing the topic of long life and instead start asking why the Xianzhou people were so secretive about it.
It wasn't a particularly unusual question. The Xianzhou's deeds were known throughout the galaxy, and many were familiar with their history. The Xianzhou themselves even sold history books recording the relevant events.
Aside from critical questions about how to obtain long life and the source of that longevity, the Xianzhou people didn't mind letting others know most of their history.
Qingque also realized that this outsider was a bit too friendly for his own good, constantly dancing on the edge of the Xianzhou people's taboos without any awareness.
She recounted the Xianzhou's past history truthfully.
Simply put, in the past, there were some incredibly powerful beings in the sea of stars. On their initial quest for long life, the Xianzhou people encountered one of these beings: "Abundance."
This great being, "Abundance," had a good personality and was basically the type to grant any wish.
The Xianzhou people immediately begged for long life, and from there, things began to spiral out of control.
It was fine at first, but then the Xianzhou people encountered the troubles that came with long life.
This problem was a condition known as Mara-struck. It was an affliction that would inevitably befall any Xianzhou person once they reached a certain age, causing them to ultimately lose their minds and transform into irrational monsters.
That was the gist of how the Xianzhou people fell to the Mara-struck state.
And no matter how many times the Xianzhou people tried to change this fate, they couldn't. The great being's blessing was "long life," which meant their bodies were fixed at a certain "standard." Any attempt to deviate from or change this "standard" would only cause the Mara-struck state to arrive sooner.
This was why the Xianzhou people were so taboo about anything related to long life.
What was supposed to be a nice game of mahjong had turned into a history lesson, with Qingque educating Noldrei about the Mara-struck affliction.
'No wonder she was so wary of what I said. She thought I was a villain trying to lure the Xianzhou people into becoming Mara-struck.'
Noldrei quickly understood why he had crossed their line.
"I never imagined there was such a backstory! I was indeed mistaken. I thought you had achieved longer lifespans through your own power and modifications."
The thought that most Xianzhou people could only live for a few hundred years before inevitably turning into monsters filled Noldrei's heart with sympathy for them.
Seeking long life was an inherently blameless act.
What living being wouldn't want to live a little longer? After all, it was a very beneficial thing for oneself.
But this "Abundance" person was more than a little unethical.
When Noldrei explained the development of civilization to Earth, he had truthfully disclosed the painful parts of future civilizations and had always been guided by the principle of balancing interests. He told them the good parts, and he told them the bad.
Sometimes, to make things easier to understand, Noldrei even went out of his way to adapt certain terms to local customs so the natives could accept them more readily.
He was a man supremely confident in the development of his own civilization. Even if he told these people about the problems, they would still embark on the path of Proliferationism out of their own needs.
Facts had proven that Noldrei was indeed an excellent leader of civilization.
The unethical part about "Abundance" was that it had exploited an information gap, leading to extremely dire consequences.
Noldrei put down his jade tile and sighed, "The Xianzhou people back then were too naive. How could they so easily trust these ancient, powerful beings? Even in our little solar system, we know that 'all gifts of fate have already been secretly marked with a price.'"
Taken on its own, this matter wasn't much to talk about. It was simply the result of human greed, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.
"I can't believe you Xianzhou people have lost the right to modify your own bodies. If I were your leader, I would also be furious with 'Abundance.' To use a paltry few hundred years of life to buy out a species' right to research itself—is there anything more malicious than that?!"
Noldrei was furious. The new civilization he created, though based on Proliferationism, was more about trusting in humanity's practical abilities and its own wisdom.
Most of the productivity developed through human wisdom was fed back into the free-for-all environment of human society, preparing it for the next great leap in civilization.
But this act by "Abundance" was simply too much. What was the difference between this and destroying the very soil from which geneticism could have been born?!
Qingque watched as Noldrei suddenly began to empathize with the Xianzhou people, not quite understanding what he meant for a moment.
What did he mean by losing 'the right to research oneself'?
How did this have anything to do with the right to research?
She asked, confused, "We loathe the Plague Author of Abundance because long life has brought us suffering. What does that have to do with any... rights?"
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with it? You're only a hundred or two, still very young! You don't understand the insidious part of all this!" Noldrei said indignantly. "Think about it. That 'Abundance,' the Plague Author, has lived for a very long time, right? Far longer than a mere few hundred years? You could even say for an unknown number of years?"
"Yes," Qingque nodded naturally, finding this perfectly understandable.
"That means that so-called 'long life' doesn't necessarily lead to becoming Mara-struck. There must be better ways to achieve long life in this world, right? And this 'Abundance' definitely understands what kind of long life you truly want, right?"
"So there's no way 'Abundance' misunderstood your request, is there?"
Noldrei's question stumped Qingque. She thought back to the various heroic legends of the galaxy and had to admit that he was right.
"Think about it. Put yourself in the shoes of a Xianzhou leader."
He continued to express his feelings, gaining a deeper understanding of the Xianzhou people's misfortune.
"As the leader of the Xianzhou, I'm leading my people in search of the path to long life. Then, a great being suddenly appears and tells me this is the way. I'm incredibly grateful and even begin to worship him."
"But he didn't tell me that this long life came with such a huge problem. As the leader, I'm upset that I've brought such a big trouble to my people, so I think about whether I can get a refund and try a different path to long life."
"Here's the problem. While I'm roaming the universe searching, I discover that many people have their own methods for long life, whether it's mechanical ascension, psychic memories, or even genetic modification, all of which can grant harmless lifespans far exceeding a few hundred or a thousand years."
"And now, when you want to change course, you're horrified to discover that the moment you try to do anything to your own body, you'll become Mara-struck and turn into an irrational monster!"
Noldrei looked at Qingque and asked in a low voice, "You roamed the universe and had the chance to find better ways to achieve long life. But the very first person who offered to help you used an information gap to screw you over like this. You could have safely obtained more methods for longevity, but because of this one incident, you are now completely incompatible with any other path to long life."
"As a leader, wouldn't you be filled with hatred?!"
It hardened! Qingque's fist hardened on the spot!
She almost jumped up right then and there to shout her intention to join the Cloud Knights!