The Martial Unity

”In contrast…” Her attention returned to Rui. ”The species and civilizations that my faction has come across have been preserved and integrated to varying degrees. Even though we of the Pluralist Faction could easily dominate them, we allow them to maintain their survival, dignity, and some degree of autonomy, depending on how intelligent and sophisticated they are. If we want something, we don’t just try to rob it. We offer trade, or we use more subtle methods of getting what we want. And we are more successful than any other faction in that regard.”

Rui raised an eyebrow. ”So you have gained access to treasures that would have otherwise been lost in war?”

She nodded. ”The prothanite that your people have faced great difficulty with, for example, is actually an Arakai-improved version of a much less stable, much more volatile product developed by a lesser species that still exists. The cell I led offered them basic advanced technologies in deals that weren’t too unfair to these lesser civilizations, and we managed to obtain their full cooperation. Our scientists improved the unstable, radioactive proto-prothanite into a stable substance. We replaced the primitive binding electromagnetic fields and gravity with our vastly more advanced hyperdimensional Gluonic Web Technology. That same prothanite is now the reason our ships are nigh invincible.”

Rui looked impressed at the Divine Mother’s tale. It was the first time that he actually saw the merit of her perspective. In truth, human civilization had encountered lesser civilizations before. Most of them were planetary. On very rare occasions, a type-two civilization was found.

They were whittled down and either partially or completely destroyed. Most of them became research subjects and were under the complete control of human civilization. Others had become tourist destinations, especially less advanced creatures like the crystal striders that had been discovered shortly before the Era of Exploration.

He didn’t understand the point of trying to develop mutually beneficial relationships with lesser civilizations. If he was an arakai, he would probably be firmly in the War Faction.

Divine Mother ooo—o- seemed satisfied that she had managed to compel him to accept her vision with a concrete example that resonated with his recent experiences with the arakai.

”So, what you’re essentially saying is that you’re more confident that you can get your hands on the secret to avoiding the consequences of the Verse through mutually beneficial agreements rather than by attacking me?” He raised an eyebrow.

”That is correct, Emperor Rui.” She nodded. ”I think we have many things that would be of great interest to less advanced civilizations like yours. And if you share with us the method, then I’m confident we could improve it.”

Rui resisted the urge to scoff. He could understand where her arrogance came from, since it was undeniable that the arakai were more advanced than the humans. But he highly doubted that she was capable of it.

He shook his head. ”I have no intention of giving up the secret right now. It’s too valuable.”

”I would advise you to reconsider that posture,” she replied with a calm but composed expression. ”It is only a matter of time before the other advanced civilizations of the Orion Star Strand find out about your ability. When that happens. They will not be as restrained as we have been. The arakai are already facing a two-way war, and your elimination of three Divine Mothers has caused other Divine Mothers to be exceedingly cautious. But that will not translate to other civilizations being restrained either. For instance, when the Hellion Clans find out, they will direct their attention towards you, and they will not hold back. Your civilization will suffer greatly because of your desire to monopolize this great power.”

Rui’s expression grew more serious at those words.

It was true. The arakai were more restrained because of circumstances, though even he could figure that the Divine Mothers were simply waiting for an opportunity to jump him and extract his secret. He was certain that if the other advanced civilizations found out, then he would become target number one.

How many invasions or ambushes would he be inviting?

Right now, the other civilizations had yet to find out simply because information didn’t travel across billions of stars as quickly. There was no centralized interstellar society between species and civilizations the way there was within humanity.

But it was only a matter of time before they discovered the truth.

When that happened. His presence in Gaian Civilization would invite great harm to it.

”We have also noticed that you have shared this secret with the second Administrator of your civilization,” she remarked. ”Even if you can defend yourself well enough. What about him?”

Dwight was a non-combatant, though he likely could arrange defenses and protection for himself even against Transcendents, if the Armor of Flowing Wisdom was any indication of his abilities in that regard. But it was true that the likelihood of this knowledge leaking had risen greatly with the appearance of yet another Transcendent.

Rui himself didn’t mind the pressure. In fact, it was a tad bit thrilling.

It reminded him of the Great East Panamic War, when all the nations were trying to get their hands on him or kill him because he could generate mass breakthroughs. He had endured an extraordinary amount of pressure back then, and it had stimulated his growth.

He hadn’t endured anything even remotely comparable in the past thirteen years. The last time he experienced that kind of pressure was shortly before he broke through to the Transcendent Realm.

His battles with the Divine Mothers, as far as he was concerned, didn’t fall into the category of extreme pressure. They were just regular high-intensity battles. They used to be the norm.

But while he could handle the pressure, it would bring about tremendous harm to human civilization. That made him consider something that he had considered for perhaps the first time since he sat on the throne and donned the crown.

’Maybe the leash of civilization is holding me back at this point.’