Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

”Why?” Eris tilted her head.

”Why what?” Tina asked back.

”Why is that normal? I don’t think anything I was taught was some big important secret, right?” Eris mused aloud.

”Oh, that’s because... because...” Christina began, then stopped when she found herself unable to explain.

Commoners weren’t taught about cultivation because they weren’t taught about it... that was just how life was in the Rockwell Kingdom.

It would be one thing if this was about teaching ordinary civilians advanced Cultivation Techniques like the Balfour Family’s Flowing Flame Art or the Rockwell Family’s Grand Mountain Record. Such Arts were not only extremely precious, but they were also the foundation of a noble house’s power.

Sharing that freely with the masses wasn’t just foolish, it was dangerous.

Sure, there might be an element of selfishness in hording such valuable knowledge, it might even be the primary reason for doing so, but not wanting to create total chaos by allowing anyone and everyone to empower themselves without limit was definitely a consideration as well.

However, Eris wasn’t talking about anything remotely like that. What she was talking about was just the most basic of basics; the information that would allow someone to go from total ignorance about cultivation, to a simple understanding of the subject.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Christina wasn’t truly ignorant of this reality, but she wasn’t cognisant of it either. This wasn’t the result of a superiority complex or a loathing for the lower-class, it was simply that she was an extremely talented princess, so questions like this had simply never come up in her life before.

Unable to come up with a good response to her Senior Sister’s question, and also feeling some curiosity now, Christina turned to the one person among them who might have the answer and silently asked him to explain.

Lucas, of course, had the answer.

His inherited memories gave him a much broader view of society and a deeper understanding of its inherent inequalities, so it all seemed quite simple to him, actually.

However, when both his Junior Sisters turned their expectant eyes towards him, he hesitated to respond.

Eris had a very strong sense of righteousness, so she would no doubt be furious and disheartened to learn the truth.

Christina was more pragmatic, but Lucas doubted she would take his honest answer to this question any better than Eris would.

And so, the boy pursed his lips and kept his mouth shut, unsure of what he should do.

He didn’t want to lie to them, nor did he think sheltering them from the truth was the right thing to do, but Lucas also didn’t want to disappoint them with the cold, harsh reality either.

Knowing his big sisters and how they would react, Lucas also didn’t want to get his ass kicked for saying something so upsetting.

Ultimately, though, Lucas couldn’t withstand the pleading looks and let out a long sigh, ”The common people of the kingdom, of all kingdoms really, are only taught the bare minimum about cultivation because it’s easier for those in power to rule over them that way.”

””Wha...”” Both Eris and Christina gawked, neither of them quite sure they had heard Lucas right.

It took them a while, but Christina eventually managed to find her voice, ”A-Are you tell me that... that my family, that all the big families and forces don’t teach people even the simplest of knowledge that may be the difference between them reaching the Core Formation Realm in their lifetime or dying in the Body Tempering Realm, simply because... it’s... it’s easier to control them that way?”

”Pretty much,” Lucas nodded, ”Ignorant, unorganized masses are the most obedient. It’s also helpful if they don’t have any real strength or means to challenge the existing power structure.”

Silence fell over the trio for a few seconds as the girls absorbed Lucas’ words, before Christina shook her head and tried to argue, ”No, that can’t be it! If that was really the case, then why teach people about cultivation at all? Everyone in the kingdom is at least taught the Focused Breathing Art, aren’t they? Doesn’t that contradict what you were just saying, Lucas?”

It was a reasonable question, one that Christina was desperately hoping would change Lucas’ previous answer, but unfortunately, it didn’t.

Lucas could see the pleading look in his Junior Sister’s eyes, probably the result of her not wanting to believe that her family was, in her opinion, doing something ’evil’, but having come this far already, there was no going back.

He could have told her what she wanted to hear right now, that he was wrong and that things weren’t really that simple, but that would be a lie, and given how smart and determined Tina was, it wouldn’t be long before she figured that out.

Since that was the case, Lucas knew that the best thing he could do right no was press forward. So, shaking his head, he continued, ”While those in power don’t want those at the bottom of society rising up against them, they also want them to be able to... contribute as much labour and value to society as possible.”

”In other words, they’ve made the calculation that allowing commoners to strengthen themselves with the Focused Breathing Art so they can generate more wealth is an acceptable risk, so long as they aren’t properly taught or trained so they don’t grow too strong.”

Having everything laid bare before her like this, Christina was shocked into silence. Essentially, she had just been told that everyone she knew and cared for was part of a vast conspiracy to keep the overwhelming majority of people in the Rockwell Kingdom weak so they could be exploited.

Eris, on the other hand, had a much more visceral reaction.

”That’s...” She started, then stopped, then grit her teeth and clenched her fists before shouting, ”That’s wrong!”

”Yes, it is,” Lucas nodded, then smiled wryly, ”but it’s also how our current world works.”

There really wasn’t much else for him to do or say.

Both Eris and Christina very much wanted to say that it wasn’t true, that it wasn’t possible, but the more they thought about it, the more they realized how much sense it all made.

It was brutal, ruthless, cold, and calculated, but it was also perfectly logical and fit with both of their lived experiences, so no matter how much the girls tried to deny it, they were forced to accept Lucas’ explanation.

The fact that Lucas seemed to know more about the world and how it worked than anyone else they had ever met, and that he had never tried to deceive them about anything important like this before, also lent credibility to his answer.

How their Senior Brother now all this, neither of them knew, but experience had proven Lucas right practically every time they asked him about big picture issues.

Of course, that didn’t make Lucas’ answer any easier for them to swallow.

It was in this half-dazed state that the trio arrived back at their residence, only to discover that many of the lights still on despite the late hour.

Walking inside, Lucas, Christina, and Eris found a number of the residence’s staff busy packing up boxes and chests with the Carlson Family Crest on them.

Only then did they remember that, since the issues with the new farm machines had been resolved, Audrey and Supreme Elder Elizabeth would soon be leaving.

After greeting the staff, all of whom paused and bowed politely in return, Lucas, Eris, and Tina made their way to the kitchen, where they heard several familiar voices talking and laughing.