After completing the Solar System project, Luna focused her attention on the Galactic Federation.
Although the construction process spanned nearly 2000 years, this is a relatively short time in the universe. In reality, the Federation is only just beginning; citizens who were formerly part of the Olive Branch Civilization haven't yet completed the full transformation from mechanical to biological life forms.
Some individuals have rejected the transformation, while others, already transformed, now want to revert.
This is no trifling matter; Luna wouldn't allow such arbitrary reversals, especially during the Federation's rebuilding phase.
"With this revised plan, we can avoid past mistakes," Luna told Ayla.
Ayla and Luna were together in a simulated world, where the current Galactic Federation territories were fully simulated. They needed to develop a plan.
"Good. This time, I'm reducing investment in Star Cities, minimizing their recreational aspects. Using the Olive Branch Civilization's modular construction methods will significantly increase construction speed; building a Star City from scratch will only take three hundred years."
"This time, Star Cities will be meticulously categorized: micro-Star Cities with populations around 100 million; small Star Cities with populations of 200-500 million; medium Star Cities with populations of 500 million to 1 billion; large Star Cities with populations of 1-2 billion; very large Star Cities with populations of 2-5 billion; super-large Star Cities with populations of 5-10 billion; Sector-level Star Cities with populations over 10 billion; and the Capital-level Star City."
"Each star system will have at least six and a maximum of twelve Star Ports, distributed across the six cardinal directions of the star system for comprehensive coverage."
"Each spaceport will be at least the size of a micro-Star City and no larger than a small Star City, capable of accommodating at least 100,000 ten-thousand-meter-class starships and 100 ten-thousand-meter-class starship acceleration devices."
"Each star system will have at least five dedicated warship spaceports for strategic purposes. Each must have at least one warship-grade super-antimatter displacement device and at least five tachyon communication devices. High-speed inter-Star City transport vehicles must be built within the star system; each vehicle's speed must not be less than 100 km/s, carrying at least 100,000 people. Synchronized inter-Star City transportation lanes must be built within the system; these lanes will have unidirectional magnetic fields, allowing starships and cargo within the system to move with minimal or no energy consumption."
Ayla displayed the inter-Star City transportation lanes. They weren't like 21st-century train tracks but large-diameter, ten-thousand-meter-wide ring structures. Starships passing through these rings would accelerate. These structures will be installed every 5 million kilometers between Star Cities within a star system.
"The Federation's administrative structure also needs revision. The highest rank is the Federation Prime Minister, managing all Federation affairs. Below this are the Federation Chief Secretary, the Federation Chief Justice, the Federation Governor-General, and the Federation Head of Academics—all second-rank positions managing civilian affairs, law, military, and academic affairs, respectively."
"At the second rank, we'll also add the Federation Sector Governors, managing all affairs within their respective sectors."
"Below this, we establish departments for healthcare, education, taxation, and public security. The highest-ranking officials in these departments will be third-rank."
"Fourth-rank are star system governors, Sector-level and Capital-level Star City Administrators, and all Legion Commanders. They manage all affairs within their respective star systems, Sector-level and Capital-level Star Cities. Star system governors have the authority to directly communicate with the Boundary God and can propose amendments to star system laws, but these require unanimous approval from the Federation Prime Minister, the Federation Sector Governor, and the Boundary God, or a public ruling by the Federation Chief Justice to take effect."
"Legion Commanders manage an Legion, consisting of one planet-class warship and 1,000 ten-thousand-meter-class warships."
"Fifth-rank will be Administrators of very large and super-large Star Cities, with Star City-level administrative units established within each city; the highest-ranking official within these units will be sixth-rank at most."
"Administrators of medium and large Star Cities will be sixth-rank, with Star City-level administrative units established within each city; the highest-ranking official within these units will be seventh-rank at most."
"Administrators of micro and small Star Cities will be seventh-rank, with Star City-level administrative units established within each city; the highest-ranking official within these units will be eighth-rank at most."
"Ninth-rank will be the lowest official rank within all Star Cities; tenth-rank will be the rank of ordinary civil servants."
"Let's also add a special privilege for fourth-rank star system governors: they can control a maximum of one administrative star system and ten non-administrative star systems. A star system under a governor's control must have a permanent population exceeding 100 billion. Star system governors serve a maximum of 100 cycles (years), with no possibility of re-election. Exceptional circumstances may warrant early dismissal of a star system governor."
"Federation officials' salaries are as follows: first-rank, 10,000 Energy Credits annually; second-rank, 5,000 Energy Credits; third-rank, 2,000 Energy Credits; fourth-rank, 1,000 Energy Credits; fifth-rank, 500 Energy Credits; sixth-rank, 200 Energy Credits; seventh-rank, 100 Energy Credits; eighth-rank, 30 Energy Credits; ninth-rank, 15 Energy Credits; tenth-rank, guaranteed an annual salary no less than the median annual salary in that Star City."
"The Federation's scholar system is revised. All scholars must pass a professional scholar examination to receive a scholar certificate. Scholar certificates are ranked from one-star to four-star. One-star scholars receive 1 Energy Credit annually; two-star, 5 Energy Credits; three-star, 30 Energy Credits; and four-star, 200 Energy Credits."
"Any star-level scholar can participate in the scholar rankings, with 10,000 slots in each field. Annual stipends for the scholar rankings are progressive. The 10,000th-ranked scholar receives 10 Energy Credits annually; the stipend increases by 1 Credit for each higher ranking, reaching 10,0010 Credits annually for the top-ranked scholar. This is much lower than before, but I think this is more reasonable; the previous amounts were excessive."
Many scholars remained in the Galactic Federation because of the high scholar ranking rewards. However, the vast disparity in scholar ranking rewards caused a sense of imbalance among many scholars.
This time, Ayla planned to allocate more resources to scholars who didn't make it into the scholar rankings. After all, this is a stipend. Scholar-ranking scholars already have high salaries and shouldn't be subsidized by the Federation; they should experience market competition.
Ayla's outline included many details, such as explorers.
The Galactic Federation had de-emphasized explorers in the later stages, as their contributions were limited, and their development constrained.
Ayla proposed a new explorer initiative.
"Since we're building a star nation, perhaps we can be bolder and allow explorers to acquire their own territories. This will significantly accelerate our expansion rate."
"The Federation doesn't need to expand further; it needs to consolidate during this growth period, digesting everything within its sectors and beginning to harvest energy from high-density celestial bodies like black holes, rather than relying on starlight and thermal energy as primary sources."
This decision from Ayla surprised Luna; Ayla had always been a staunch conservative. Now, she seemed much more progressive.
Time changes people, and even AIs.
"Exactly. We had this developmental trajectory before, but it was disrupted by the Olive Branch Civilization. To progress, the Federation must embrace more possibilities, not just one path."
"We've reached this point; the next step requires a technological leap, not stable development."
Luna agreed with Ayla's decision to "privatize" exploration.
The Federation would later forcibly acquire resources from these territory-holding explorers.
However, Luna believed that most sectors would still be controlled by large corporations, and some might even secede from the Federation, evolving into star nations.
The Federation couldn't control everything; this was the conclusion reached by both Luna and Ayla.
The most important aspect of the Galactic Federation is its future development. The Galactic Federation was previously a coalition of civilizations; now, Luna and Ayla aimed to transform it into a federation within a civilization, rather than a concept above civilization.
This is a crucial decision, impacting the future of the Galactic Federation.
"What about the simulated worlds?" Luna asked.
She had previously planned for birth, life, death, and rebirth in the Federation, jokingly referred to by Federation citizens as the "Three Lives Doctrine."
After death in their first life, individuals could request entry into a simulated world to continue living. After death in the simulated world, they could request memory erasure and rebirth. A being could experience three lifetimes, greatly extending the lifespans of Federation citizens and resolving population issues.
This was Luna's best solution.
Therefore, simulated worlds also need management regulations.
"I already have a plan for managing simulated worlds. Previously, simulated worlds were under the direct control of the Federation; other companies could only build upon this foundation. Now, I'm delegating authority."
"Anyone can create a simulated world, regardless of size, but each simulated world must be developed based on a base code. Worlds not developed using this base code will be classified as 'shadow worlds' and subject to legal restrictions."
"Each individual can access different worlds. World creators cannot delete information from their worlds, as this information might include data essential to the survival of individuals within the simulated world; doing so is equivalent to murder."
"Simulated worlds are under the jurisdiction of the Boundary God. There's no need to establish any positions for managing simulated worlds. The specific management authority of a simulated world is granted by its creator. Each star system must have at least one main simulated world managed by the Boundary God. This main simulated world must remain stable, with a minimum size of 1 cubic light-year and capable of supporting 1 quintillion life forms."
"Furthermore, I can have each star system build small simulated universes. Simulated universe technology is now mature enough for widespread use. The number of scholars and the quality of academic research in each star system will determine its ranking. Higher-ranked star systems will receive priority support from the Federation."
Ayla had clearly developed a comprehensive set of detailed Federation regulations. Luna, as an individual, didn't have this capability. Establishing positions is simple—a high school student could do it—but maintaining absolute fairness, preventing conflicts between positions, having strict promotion regulations, and strict legal provisions all require careful consideration.
Luna and Ayla spent 700 hours discussing this before concluding. Luna gained much from this.
In the end, however, Luna still felt a sense of regret.
"Do star systems have to be independent entities? Can't they be interconnected?"
The universe is vast; the distances between stars are measured in light-years. 2-3 light-years is considered close; most are around 5 light-years, and some are even more than 10 light-years apart.
A one-second communication delay is unacceptable for many; what about a delay of several years?
The only solution is tachyon communication devices, but these still can't transmit large amounts of data. Even with tachyon communication, there will still be delays.
"Then we need comprehensive bidirectional exchange. With sufficient interaction between two star systems, the movement of people between them will increase, forming a connection," Ayla explained.
This interaction isn't just communication but also logistics and passenger flow, especially information.
"We also need to build Star Cities between the two star systems. These independent Star Cities can develop tourism, shortening the distance and facilitating population exchange."
This was a novel decision.
Luna thought the method was excellent: "Let's conduct some pilot programs. We need a多元化Federation, but there are too many star systems in the Federation. If they remain isolated islands, internal conflict will arise. We need to encourage interaction between star systems to facilitate cultural exchange."
Luna and Ayla's discussion shaped the future of the Galactic Federation. All of this is still in its early stages, to be achieved through gradual development.
With each such step, the Galactic Federation moves forward another ten thousand years.
Time truly flies.
...
After completing the Solar System project, Luna boarded the Potato Chip and left the Solar System.
She didn't know when she would return, but it would likely be another hundred thousand years.
Luna didn't even stay on Terra; she saw no point.
The Potato Chip continued its journey through space; its ultimate destination was Rigel A. But first, Luna needed to visit various sectors.
"According to reports, a cosmic jungle has been discovered in the Cosmic Silk Road Sector. Luna, you might be interested."
Ayla received information from the Federation. They had passed several star systems, some with only one or two Star Cities, far from stable.
The Cosmic Silk Road was initially a straight line connecting a series of stars. Over time, it expanded laterally, eventually encompassing 218 star systems. From then on, it was called a sector.
These 218 star systems were usable; this doesn't mean the Cosmic Silk Road Sector contained only these systems. In fact, many unexploited red dwarfs—approximately 189—weren't included. Most were single-star systems; even red dwarfs in binary or ternary systems have value.
"What are the coordinates?"
Ayla transformed the Federation's map into a three-dimensional grid with x, y, and z axes. Each large coordinate unit represents one light-year; each small unit represents one astronomical unit.
"293, 19, 481"
Imagine the entire map as a box; divide the length, width, and height. The first number is the x-axis (usually length), counting 293 light-years from the front of the box to the right. The second number is the y-axis (usually height), counting 19 light-years upwards from the initial x-axis point. The third number is the z-axis (usually width), counting 481 light-years inwards from the initial point to reach the destination.
Federation sectors aren't flat but have depth. Although the Milky Way's thickness is insignificant compared to its diameter, the Federation hasn't considered this yet because its territory isn't large enough to warrant such considerations.
The entire Federation is an irregular shape 1489 light-years long, 819 light-years wide, and 1014 light-years high. This would result in a volume of 123.6 billion cubic light-years. However, the Federation's actual occupied volume is less than 1/60th of this, only 20.27 million cubic light-years.
Within this area, the Federation includes as many as 39,000 stars, but only 16,118 are currently exploited. This number includes stars exploited by the Olive Branch Civilization.
Although the Olive Branch Civilization was highly centralized, they expanded many star systems to build Star Cities—15,417 stars. The Federation itself only controls 701 stars, of which 214 are habitable and the rest are resource stars.
Therefore, the next phase requires the Federation to fully exploit approximately 8,500 red dwarf stars and 11,400 red dwarfs within multiple-star systems among the 39,000 stars in the Federation.
Although the Federation intends to pursue gravitational energy in the future, this doesn't mean abandoning easily accessible stellar energy sources and the vast sectors.
What if the Federation only had a few star systems? High centralization would make it easier for powerful enemies to target and destroy the civilization with star-level superweapons. Therefore, controlling vast sectors and distributing life across many star systems is crucial.
Life doesn't need to be concentrated in massive populations; that's too cumbersome.
The maximum population Luna could accept is a Ringworld supporting hundreds of trillions of people.
While traveling to the target star system, the Potato Chip passed through various sectors of the Federation. Luna exclaimed, "20.27 million cubic light-years! Consider this: if one cubic light-year contains one trillion cubic kilometers—10,000 km x 10,000 km x 10,000 km—a space only slightly smaller than Earth, only one person could live there. One square kilometer could house 84.67 septillion people."
Written as a number, that's 84,678,666,462,376,886,920,815,737,900.
Ayla simplified Luna's statement: "In other words, we could fit tens of septillions of Earths."
Luna was silent for a while, then said, "Exactly."
"And we now control 20.27 million such spaces. But this is just a tiny fraction of the Milky Way—perhaps a few millionth, or even a few tens of millionth."
"The universe is truly vast!"
How large is the Milky Way compared to the entire universe? The universe contains hundreds of billions of galaxies like the Milky Way, each potentially teeming with civilizations.
Even after surviving in the universe for over 100,000 years and traveling thousands of light-years, Luna still felt a sense of awe.
This voyage lasted 2300 years. Luna finally reached her destination star system.
This star system had miraculously survived the Annihilation Bloom due to its isolation; there was virtually no life activity.
However, according to information obtained by Ayla, after the Federation's surrender, some Federation citizens fled and settled here, establishing a new star nation with hundreds of millions of individuals called the "Cosmic Jungle Star Nation."
The term "Cosmic Jungle" originated from this.
This cosmic jungle wasn't located outside the star system but within it.
When Ayla projected an image of this cosmic jungle, Luna was captivated by its beauty. Countless World Trees grew in the void, enveloping a blazing red dwarf star. They were constantly killed by the star's stellar wind, but they regenerated, eventually forming a dense jungle that completely enveloped the star.
It looked like a massive thorny bush had wrapped around a star.
This is an achievement that a sentient civilization would need tens of thousands of years to accomplish, starting from scratch. Yet, these trees had achieved this feat; they resembled a gigantic cosmic organ.
"A red dwarf star system shouldn't have enough material to support the growth of so many trees," Luna, a biologist and one of the inventors of the trees, questioned.
Ayla responded, "Perhaps 70,000 or 80,000 years ago, when they arrived, it wasn't like this. They gathered resources from surrounding star systems to sustain the growth of these trees."
The Potato Chip approached the star system.
At this moment, Ayla received a warning from within the star system...
Ayla, ignoring the warning, steered the Potato Chip into the star system.
The red dwarf's mass was relatively small. The moment the Potato Chip entered, its gravity affected the red dwarf, slowing its rotation and revolution by a fraction.
This is the terrifying power of a planet-class warship.
Although a tiny fraction seems insignificant, this is purely the influence of the warship's own gravity.
Facing such a colossal warship, would the Cosmic Jungle Star Nation dare to act?
Of course not.
The so-called warning was as if it had never happened. A new message arrived from the star nation: "Esteemed guests, what are your needs? We will do our best to accommodate you."
Luna communicated directly with them.
"Don't play games. You should know what a planet-class warship means; we are the Federation military."
Explorers have at most a few starships; those ten-thousand-meter-class starships are powerful enough. Only the original star nations had warship units; planet-class warships belong solely to the Federation.
The one speaking to Luna was a Lightwing. Due to their mathematical talent, Lightwings quickly rose to prominence within the Federation, becoming human and forming the fifth largest race alongside the Kate, Multi-eyed, and Lelera.
Their innate logical abilities led to outstanding achievements in many analytical positions. Lightwings often held managerial positions in smaller groups.
Faced with Luna's firm stance, the Lightwing paled, sensing malice.
Over the past few millennia, they had repelled several explorers who had come here. They knew the Federation had been rebuilt, and the arrival of the warship confirmed this.
Now that the Federation military was here, was it to subdue them?
Or perhaps to seize the Cosmic Jungle?
They knew the Cosmic Jungle's value; it was inevitable that outsiders would covet it.
But Luna's attitude was merely a show of force; she had no intention of interfering with a power already under her control, as long as it didn't rebel.
"Have your supreme leader come to meet me."
Luna cut the communication and boarded a starship provided by Ayla, heading towards the Cosmic Jungle.
The closer she got, the more Luna realized the scale of this terrifying jungle.
The total circumference of the circular structure was 487 million kilometers; each colossal trunk was tens of kilometers wide, easily forming a continent.
After the starship landed, Luna stepped out, and a Warbeast approached.
"I'm Rainbow. Welcome, Ship Commander, to our humble star nation."
This Warbeast had likely served in the military. Ordinary citizens weren't very familiar with the Federation's military structure; the Federation is vast, with hundreds of high and low-ranking positions. During the late Federation era, those commanding planet-class warships were known as Ship Commanders.
"We have a population of 724 million—not small; it's about the size of a large medium Star City in the Federation."
"This jungle is magnificent; it's an ideal resting place for interstellar travelers."
Luna's small figure walked in front of Rainbow, proceeding onward. All the Cosmic Jungle Star Nation's high-ranking officials instinctively followed behind Luna.
After a while, they realized with a start that Luna's every move influenced them, placing these long-entrenched leaders at an unconscious disadvantage.
Simply terrifying.
"But I'm curious: are humans the masters of this place, or are the trees?"
Luna's question caused everyone to tremble.
"That's not hard to see. Your actions demonstrate incredible synchronicity, something individual life forms can't achieve."
She noticed the same astonishing synchronicity in the movements of the life forms here. From the moment she saw it, Luna understood that, in a certain sense, these life forms had become a single entity.
This was different from the Olive Branch Civilization; their thoughts remained independent; only their actions were synchronized.
As a biologist, Luna was certain that this synchronicity wasn't from technology but from a parasitic life form. Technological synchronicity would be perfectly uniform, with virtually no delay. Here, however, there were some discrepancies.
If it was a life form, what was the ruling life form here?
It's the trees.
When Luna created these World Trees, she not only infused them with a specific type of biological gene but also combined them with many easily mutated genes. Therefore, Luna believed that under special conditions, the World Trees themselves could become rudimentary life forms.
This question was both a confirmation and a search.
And the results of the search were far more profound than Luna had anticipated.
The colossal World Trees had developed a rudimentary form of independent consciousness—not the intelligence of humans or other sentient species but something akin to insect collective intelligence.
Luna categorized consciousness into several stages: the first is microbial consciousness; the second, plant consciousness; the third, insect consciousness; the fourth, animal consciousness; the fifth, sapient consciousness; and the sixth, dimensional consciousness.
The World Trees had advanced from plant consciousness to insect consciousness—a significant leap.
After hearing Luna's words, all the Cosmic Jungle Star Nation's high-ranking officials dared not breathe; they waited for Luna to continue, but she fell silent.
Luna's silence was due to her pondering a previous topic:
Humans and machines, a subject of perspective.
From a machine's perspective, humans are auxiliary equipment. Could it be that humans and plants have a symbiotic relationship, a mutually opposing yet dependent one?
Humans use technology to establish a home in space; plants use humans to expand their reach.
"Fascinating."
Luna decided to stay here for a while to study this relationship.
Research was her primary reason for coming here.
Luna decided to give these World Trees a new name—"Jungle Spirits."
After a long pause, she noticed the tense atmosphere and calmly said, "There's no need to be so nervous. This may be a momentous occasion for you, but it's nothing special for me."
"Also, I'm not a commander but a scholar from the Federation."
"I'm fond of plants, and I'll be staying here. Do you have any objections?"
They looked at the colossal warship in space and nodded in unison: "Of course not."
Of course not; they'd been here for hundreds of years!
...
After building her laboratory, Luna began carefully studying the current World Trees.
After analysis, Luna discovered that these World Trees were no longer World Trees, or perhaps they were no longer plants.
Earth's life forms are classified into three domains and nine kingdoms: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. This isn't different from the non-cellular, protoctist, and eukarya classifications. The names differ, but the classifications are the same.
Humans, mammals, fish, plants, and fungi are all within the Eukarya domain, further divided into four kingdoms: Protista, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia.
Protists are single-celled organisms, like plankton, forming the base of Earth's food chain.
Fungi are easily recognizable: mushrooms, molds that grow on old food, and cultivated mushrooms.
Plantae and Animalia require no explanation.
The World Trees were no longer plants but a type of plant-fungus hybrid.
Parasitic plants are rare in the Plantae kingdom, but many fungi are parasitic. Their spores enter insects, absorbing nutrients to grow. The most famous example is Cordyceps.
"We shouldn't have brought any fungi with us when we left Earth," Luna mused. She hadn't included fungal genes in the World Trees.
Ayla, wearing a white lab coat and transformed into a tall, white-haired woman of roughly the same height as Luna, spoke in a clear, cold voice: "Actually, there were. We carried some Earth soil on the ship, and that soil contained fungal spores."
"But I didn't preserve those spores at the time because the path ahead was uncertain."
"However, we didn't add fungal genes to the World Trees. It's possible that there was a mutation in the plant's genes, causing it to acquire fungal characteristics. This could be a coincidence, or it could be a stimulation from the base genes."
"On Earth, plants also engaged in territorial wars. At certain times, a forest could only support one type of plant. They become the absolute rulers of the area, using shade to eliminate competitors."
"Fungi form a communication network for plants. Plants can communicate simply through fungi, similar to animals. Fungi and plants are symbiotic and belong to the Eukarya domain. There might have been some level of genetic exchange."
This explanation is somewhat forced, but it's possible. Even a one-in-a-million chance still exists.
Because the World Tree project was so large and long-term.
Luna determined that the World Trees could undergo continuous mutation over hundreds of thousands of years, experiencing tens or hundreds of mutations annually. With the sheer number of individuals and mutations—tens or hundreds of billions of mutations—it wasn't surprising that a fungus-like organism emerged.
But Luna had another suspicion.
"Could some life form be intentionally cultivating the World Trees to achieve this effect?"
Luna injected a hypha into an experimental soft-bodied invertebrate. This invertebrate was about the size of a sea cucumber, looking quite disgusting. However, it's a common organism in the Federation's modern laboratories, containing the genes of all sentient life in the Federation, which remain dormant unless activated for experiments.
After the hypha entered the invertebrate, it began to slowly move, eventually rooting in the gut and using the internal organs as nutrients to spread throughout the body. It extended billions of branches, connecting every part of the invertebrate.
"See? This hypha doesn't excessively absorb the organism's energy; it consciously regulates itself."
It only absorbs energy when the host has excess; it stops when the host's energy is depleted.
Luna carefully observed the invertebrate. After several days, when the invertebrate died, she confirmed her hypothesis.
"It seems it was indeed an intentional result."
"The lifespan of a normal experimental invertebrate is 17 hours and 16 minutes, but this one survived for 52 hours and 18 minutes."
"The life forms here are using this parasitic method to extend their lifespans. They've abandoned their internal quark robots but haven't migrated to other star nations; therefore, their natural lifespans are challenged."
"If I'm not mistaken, few of the people here are original Federation citizens; most are new Cosmic Jungle Star Nation citizens."
Those born after the Federation's surrender.
"Very interesting. Why didn't I discover this symbiotic relationship that could enhance lifespan before?" Luna expressed interest.
She had wanted to enhance biological organisms to surpass starships. As the definition of starships changed, this became impractical. The goal shifted to planetary-class starships, but even with the [Supreme Being] gene pool at the time of the Federation's surrender, she couldn't challenge an advanced starship.
This was an inherent biological limitation.
But Luna now saw another possibility.
Organisms could merge with machines, transforming themselves into formidable creatures. Why not continue adding? Keep merging, keep merging!
"Such enhanced Federation citizens might become Cthulhu-like monsters," Ayla warned, noting the danger of this idea.
Luna understood her concerns.
"Then let's implement a [Bag] system. When the bag is opened, the organism receives mixed genes. When the bag is closed, all foreign genes perish, leaving only the original genes. With careful application of addition and subtraction, what's impossible?"
This is gene pool plus.
"This is a huge undertaking. The gene pool is already enormous; this might be even larger."
"By then, we shouldn't call it the Galactic Federation, but the Monster Federation," Ayla mocked.
Luna declined to comment. For her, becoming stronger was more important than maintaining a bloodline.
Technological advancement and biological enhancement are both essential; biological enhancement is much slower, each step tiny, with little hope. But Luna decided to pursue this path.
The Federation needed more possibilities, not a single path. This is why Luna wanted to develop the resource theory of imagination; more paths offer more choices.
Those who follow only one path will be stagnant or destroyed when confronted with a dead end.
"I suspect the person who guided the World Trees toward the fungal still alive. I want to meet them."
Luna acted quickly. She soon met them.
...
"You could be considered a Federation botanist just for extracting some of the World Tree's genetic traits, yet you actually modified them. It seems you must have been highly ranked in the Federation," Luna said to the Stonecolor human before her.
The Stonecolor race is named for the colorful stones covering their bodies. These stones are present from birth and can be considered analogous to bones, but they're primarily composed of silicon, not calcium.
The Stonecolor diet includes a large number of stones. Their highly acidic bodies dissolve these stones, absorbing and accumulating the materials to form the Stonecolor covering.
Their Stonecolor isn't jade or precious stones; it's more like a variegated green and red beryl. Hence, the name Stonecolor.
In terms of human aesthetics, they don't fit the definition of "beautiful." Luna's first impression was:
"They look like giant hairless mole rats, with compound eyes like insects, and centipede-like legs with more than ten pairs. Their backs are covered with gemstone-like, multicolored crystalline armor, allowing them to curl up like hedgehogs to protect their vulnerable underbellies."
The Stonecolor were one of six civilizations controlled by the Purple Thorns Civilization. Luna's "clone" had even participated in their conquest.
The Stonecolor said, "No, I wasn't involved. I'm just an insignificant nobody. Inducing the World Tree trait mutation was easy; it was pure luck."
Easy?
The World Tree genome is extremely complex; inducing mutations often leads to genetic collapse, which is why Luna considered it difficult.
Ayla whispered to Luna, "I found a record of him in the previous scholar rankings; his name is Crishimimo. He was ranked 2983rd."
Not bad.
"Let's re-acquaint ourselves, Scholar Crishimimo."
Hearing Luna address him by name, Crishimimo instinctively took a step back, his heart pounding. Tens of thousands of years had passed since the Federation's collapse; he couldn't believe someone could still access his data, and so quickly.
This individual was definitely not ordinary.
"What do you want from me? If it's purely academic exchange, I'll tell you what I know," Crishimimo thought it best to get rid of this mysterious person quickly.
"No, I don't need any exchange. I just hope you don't die of old age so soon. You can survive by transferring nutrients through fungi, but your cells are still aging."
"So, I've brought you this."
Luna produced a syringe. Crishimimo looked at the contents with both fear and longing.
Because it was a quark robot.
He had once desperately tried to escape this control, but now he desperately desired it. Only scholars like him understood how terrifying it was.
Quark robots practically achieved immortality, capable of performing countless microscopic tasks, eliminating damaged genes, and creating new ones. With a quark robot, even a broken limb could regenerate; no disease was a threat.
But the Federation imposed lifespan limits on all its citizens—an insurmountable barrier.
"Don't worry; this is an untracked quark robot, not under Federation control, as long as you don't register it with the Federation."
Crishimimo's desire overcame his apprehension. He asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Luna chuckled, calmly replying, "Just continue your research. Keep researching; maybe one day you'll bring about other changes, and that's when I'll get what I want."
"Consider this an investment."
Crishimimo wondered why Luna was doing this.
Luna was clearly a high-ranking Federation official; was she betraying the Federation?
"You're violating Federation regulations. Your every move is under the surveillance of quark robots."
In the Federation, no one, from commoners to the Prime Minister, could defy Federation law. This was absolute.
"Scholar Crishimimo, the old Federation is gone. This is the new Federation," Luna reminded him.
This didn't mean the new Federation had new regulations but that the new Federation's power structure had undergone a fundamental shift. Crishimimo, as a scholar who frequently interacted with Federation officials, understood politics and grasped the meaning behind Luna's words.
He nodded slightly: "That's right. This is the new Federation."
In fact, he didn't even know how the new Federation was established. The Federation had surrendered; the Olive Branch Civilization wouldn't have spared it, yet, after so many years, the Federation had returned.
"What happened to the Olive Branch Civilization?" Crishimimo finally asked; he had many questions.
Some were only known to high-ranking Federation officials.
"The Olive Branch Civilization? It formed a star nation; it's now called the Eternally Democratic Star Nation."
Crishimimo's eyes widened. A star nation!?
He couldn't believe it.
"Star nation" was a term used by the Federation. If the Olive Branch Civilization was now called a star nation, wasn't it subordinate to the Federation?
Before he could ask further, Luna said, "The Federation will strongly support the star nation's development; after all, the Federation owes its former citizens a great deal."
"This is compensation. Therefore, your Cosmic Jungle Star Nation can submit data and receive Federation recognition."
"A Federation-recognized star nation is inviolable; no explorer will attack you. If space pirates harass you, you can request assistance from the Federation military."
This was exhilarating news for Crishimimo.
He had been worried about the Cosmic Jungle Star Nation's safety, especially after the previous explorer incident.
Despite being a star nation, the Cosmic Jungle Star Nation had a weak military: only thirteen outdated ten-thousand-meter-class starships and some smaller vessels. Its fighting capacity was comparable to a medium-sized exploration team. If targeted by explorers or pirates, it would be destroyed.
With the Federation's re-establishment, many explorers and space pirates would undoubtedly appear.
"So we can purchase official Federation weaponry?"
Luna recalled the approach used with the Kate and thought it might work for the current Federation.
"Of course, but not with Energy Credits, but with contributions: new technologies, new discoveries—anything that benefits the Federation. The Federation will award contribution points; these points can be used to purchase Federation publications and products."
The previous regulations were perfectly applicable now; star nations and the Federation could interact in this way, eliminating the need for Ayla's constant intervention.
Luna wanted the Federation to enter a positive feedback loop, not rely on Ayla's immense computing power. This benefited both the Federation and Ayla.
"That's right."
Crishimimo didn't object; in fact, he strongly supported this. The Cosmic Jungle Star Nation was small and couldn't afford much. This approach was beneficial.
Luna said to Crishimimo, "I should go now. I'm leaving the lab to you."
Her research was complete; she had obtained what she needed. She had many more places to visit; staying here too long wasn't worthwhile.
Before Crishimimo could ask more, Luna vanished.
He sighed regretfully, heading toward the lab Luna had built. Upon entering, he was stunned.
"All this..."
Worth at least millions of Energy Credits!