An invasion from the Abyss? I, a demonic cultivator, laughed.

Chapter 148 The Power of Civilization

Chu Xiu was able to confirm that the person who added him was from the government because the other party's name was very simple and straightforward: "[An Unknown Investigation Bureau Agent]".

"As expected of the Investigation Bureau, they acted so quickly." Chu Xiu sighed, he had thought he would have to wait at least another two or three hours.

Without hesitation, he accepted the friend request, and soon a tall man in a suit appeared in front of him.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, I am Qin Xiang, an A-level agent from the China Investigation Bureau."

Perhaps to express their sincerity, or perhaps out of confidence from the authorities, the visitors openly revealed their identities without any intention of concealing them.

This surprised Chu Xiu slightly. He had heard about the Investigation Bureau when he was collecting information. Every agent there was a powerful Awakened who had gone through many selections.

Rank A operators are usually King-level Awakeners, and even the best among King-level! Their status and power are extremely high, and even conglomerates with total assets of tens of billions dare not offend them.

The fact that such a high-ranking agent came to see him shows how much the Investigation Bureau values ​​him.

Being addressed as "Your Excellency the Dark Night King" by such a powerful figure caused Chu Xiu's lips to twitch slightly, and he felt inexplicably ashamed: "Just call me Chen Ce."

“So it’s Chen,” Qin Xiang extended his hand. “I’ve heard about your battle with the Corpse King from the other students. To have such combat power at the Warrior rank is truly extraordinary. Even in the history of China, you are a rare talent!”

"It is truly a blessing for China to have such a prodigy emerge!"

Qin Xiang immediately showered Chu Xiu with praise, but Chu Xiu remained completely unmoved, simply shaking hands and saying, "Agent Qin, let's get straight to the point."

"Why is the Investigation Bureau going to such lengths to find me?"

Seeing that he showed no signs of youthful naiveté or panic, Qin Xiang understood the situation and cut to the chase, saying, "Student Chen, you should have seen the post, right? I've come here today for the matter of 'the old days'."

"But before that, I'd like to confirm whether you obtained an item called 'Proof of the Past' when you cleared the game, Chen?"

Chu Xiu nodded, which made Qin Xiang breathe a sigh of relief, and his joy was transmitted as data.

Next, he gave Chu Xiu a detailed explanation of the relationship between civilization and the abyss, including the ancient past, the civilization messengers, isolated civilizations, and the blue planet gradually penetrating the abyss.

These secrets shocked Chu Xiu, completely exceeding his expectations before he came.

After pondering for a while, he finally digested the information: "Simply put, the abyss is devouring the blue planet, and to fight against the abyss, we must rekindle some civilizations that have not yet been completely extinguished and connect them into a flame of civilization."

“And only those civilization envoys who possess the ‘Proof of the Past’ can do this,” Chu Xiu confirmed.

“That’s right,” Qin Xiang nodded, “and there are only six civilization envoys on Blue Star at present, which is why we are so eager to find you.”

Chu Xiu didn't speak again, but instead stroked his chin thoughtfully.

To be honest, he felt that Qin Xiang's explanation was a bit far-fetched. In Chu Xiu's view, the battle with the Abyss was clearly a matter of physics, so what was that mess of civilization fire?
When the abyss monsters attack, instead of using heavy force to blast them apart, should we dance for them and sing for them?

This was hard for him to believe.

Chu Xiu didn't dwell on it and directly voiced his doubts.

Qin Xiang also gave an answer: "Regarding this matter, what we know is not complete at present. We have only summarized some patterns from the remnants of those worlds swallowed by the abyss during long-term exploration."

"In short, the abyss's devouring can be divided into three stages. First, it uses monsters or pollution from the abyss to physically exterminate most civilizations. Then, it isolates a small number of civilizations that are difficult to eradicate. Finally, it can devour worlds where no civilizations exist."

"To use a more realistic analogy, if a nuclear war breaks out, the nuclear bombs of various countries could wipe out more than 90 percent of humanity. The remaining humans would also find it difficult to survive in a nuclear winter. Only those who have taken refuge in shelters in advance can barely survive. This is the first part of the abyss swallowing them up."

"Afterwards, civilization was almost wiped out, but dropping a nuclear bomb is simple, just press a button and it's done. But eradicating all those shelters whose exact locations are unknown and deep underground is much more complicated." "So the Abyss's approach was to simply lock those shelters again, ensuring that the humans inside could only develop within the shelters and could not spread their civilization to the outside world. This way, no matter how much the civilization in the shelters developed again, it would not affect the outside world."

"After that, the world without civilization will be easily swallowed up."

At this point, Qin Xiang paused, then smiled and said, "Of course, this is just a pattern summarized from the current level. As Blue Star delves deeper into the abyss, it is unknown whether we will encounter any unexpected situations."

"However, it is still very clear that we must resist the abyss in the first stage of the devouring. If we wait until the devouring enters the second stage, it will be basically too late to turn the tide."

Faced with Qin Xiang's explanation, Chu Xiu nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, if 99.99% of humanity were wiped out, even if some powerful figures survived, they would only be able to drift in the abyss as individuals, making it almost impossible to rebuild civilization.

Qin Xiang continued, "So our battle with the Abyss is indeed, as you said, mainly focused on the physical level, but that doesn't mean civilization is useless."

"First, the enhancement of civilization can increase the ability to resist 'pollution'."

"Take the Shiki world you experienced, Chen, as an example. In the beginning, humans were able to resist pollution and even build refuge cities. But as civilization gradually dissipated, the remaining people became more and more susceptible to pollution, which then formed an irreversible vicious cycle."

Chu Xiu understood Qin Xiang's words somewhat.

The human spirit is both powerful and fragile. It is powerful enough that even a delicate woman would risk her life to fight wild beasts to protect her children, but it is also fragile enough that prolonged exposure to high-pressure environments can lead to various strange mental illnesses such as depression, mania, schizophrenia, and hallucinations.
At this point, Chu Xiu suddenly realized that recently he had been seeing news reports of mentally ill people killing and causing trouble, and the crime rate was also increasing year by year.

He initially thought it was due to accumulated social pressure, but now it seems that the pollution of the abyss may have already begun.

"Even setting aside pollution, the ignition of the flame of civilization will enhance humanity's overall strength," Qin Xiang continued.

"Let me give you an example. Do you know about the 'Super Evolution' world?"

Chu Xiu nodded.

Although he hadn't studied this world in detail, he could sense that it had permeated every aspect of the Blue Star world.

For example, news reports on TV from time to time have revealed how many longevity elixirs have been discovered in this world. For instance, when completing the mission in the Corpse Demon World, other awakened individuals carried a large number of items from the transcendent world, such as vines that grow when thrown, plants that attack automatically, and so on. Some of these items caused Chu Xiu considerable trouble.

"First, you need to understand one thing: the development of civilization is limited by resources," Qin Xiang began to explain.

"Many people have the misconception that technology can develop indefinitely, but this is actually wrong. The underlying physical laws will lock technology in place, and once it reaches a certain level, it will be impossible to break through."

"Before the abyss descended, human technology advanced by leaps and bounds, and various fantasies of colonizing the galaxy appeared in science fiction novels. But looking back from today's perspective, we will find that without the abyss, even if humanity developed for another 10,000 years, it might not have been able to break out of the solar system! Both the exaggerated scale of the universe and the high temperature wall on the outer edge of the solar system are huge obstacles."

"Science and technology have limits, which are determined by the fundamental laws of physics."

"It's not just technology, it's also about population. Earth's resources are limited. Although we can accommodate more people through agricultural technology development and resource allocation optimization, there is ultimately a limit to the number of people who can survive."

"However, by exploring other worlds, we can break this limitation. For example, special crops discovered in the world of super-evolution have a yield per unit area that is ten to twenty times that of ordinary crops!"

"This kind of crop can only be produced in the special environment of the super-evolution world. Without the super-evolution world, no matter how long the agricultural scientists on Earth cultivate it, they will never be able to achieve this yield."

Qin Xiang's words made Chu Xiu stroke his chin with a sense of understanding. It seemed to make sense. The resources of the various worlds in the Abyss could complement each other. Perhaps a resource that was ordinary and commonplace in one world could be of great use when transported back to Blue Star.

Qin Xiang continued, "But exploring the world isn't so easy. To contribute to the development of Blue Star, we need to reach a certain scale. Think about it, even if a thousand Awakened survive in a trial world, and all of them are willing to stay, and then we add fifty more at various anchor points, increasing by six people every year, even after a hundred years, we'll only have less than two thousand! Even if more anchor points emerge elsewhere, the total number will hardly exceed three thousand!"

"And this is still an estimate of the best theoretical scenario. In reality, at most only half of the initial Awakened will choose to continue taking risks. The annual mortality rate is frighteningly high, and the number of people replenishing the ranks cannot keep up with the number of those who die! Furthermore, after the opportunities have been explored to the point that the Awakened will leave on their own, most of the worlds will become deserted after a dozen years."

"We have tried various methods such as in vitro fertilization, cloning, and intelligent robots, but all of them have failed."

“In this situation, the Awakened are just passersby. They can only use the world’s resources to strengthen themselves, but they are unable to develop civilization, let alone give back to Earth.”

"In the world of transcendent evolution, a civilization envoy rescued a race of millions of people from the past. After arriving in an environment with abundant resources, they began to multiply rapidly. As the flame of civilization grew stronger, the world gradually emerged from the abyss."

"Once we are completely separated, we can build a large-scale teleportation device to transfer people and supplies between the two worlds!"

"Currently, the population of the super-limited evolution world has exceeded 100 million! And it is still growing rapidly! It has alien beast breeding farms, spiritual plant plantations, large-scale scientific research bases, etc., all over the world. Every day, millions of tons of materials are transferred between the two worlds. This world can be said to have become humanity's second home."

"Only in this way can we enhance the foundation of humanity as a whole!"

Qin Xiang's words greatly shocked Chu Xiu, who was truly unaware of this period of history.

Thinking about it this way, civilization is indeed of paramount importance!
After a moment's thought, Chu Xiu cut to the chase and asked two key questions: "What do I need to do? What benefits can you offer?"

"It's very simple. You just need to activate the Proof of the Ancients next time you advance in the trial, and your trial will automatically be anchored to the Ancients."

"Compared to ordinary advancement trials, the drop rate of the Old Days Trials is greatly increased, and they are filled with all kinds of rare resources. Perfect equipment and items are almost everywhere, and there are quite a few legendary items! You might even get a mythical item! In addition, every monster will drop a lot of karma points! It can be said to be a huge opportunity that far surpasses any secret realm!"

"but."

Qin Xiang's expression turned serious, and he changed the subject: "However, the difficulty has naturally increased significantly as well."

"You should have noticed that a major characteristic of the Abyss is the 'balance of Yin and Yang.' Just as it is devouring you, it is also helping you develop. This is all part of the 'balance.'"

"So the combination of an extremely high drop rate and no penalty for failure results in a difficulty level that is so insane it's almost impossible to complete!"

"To pass the Ancient Trials of the Ferocious Rank, one must at least possess the strength of a King Rank! And a high-level King Rank at that!"

"So it means we have to jump two whole major steps?" Chu Xiu's expression tightened slightly.

“That’s right, and this is just the minimum requirement!” Qin Xiang seemed to have thought of something and shook his head with regret. “Since the invasion of the Abyss, the eight Heavenly Kings around the world have trained a total of twenty-seven Civilization Envoys, but now only six remain.”

However, after saying that, perhaps worried that Chu Xiu might back down, Qin Xiang immediately added, "But you don't need to be afraid. Even if you fail the trial, there will be no punishment. Even if you die in the trial, you can be resurrected without any damage. It's just that the Proof of the Past will shatter."

"Furthermore, you can recruit three helpers of the same level to enter the trial with you, so there's no need to fight alone."

These words made Chu Xiu understand: did the four of them combined possess the strength of a high-level King? That wasn't too outrageous.

He should be able to barely contend with creatures that have just entered the King rank. When he reaches the 9th level of the Ferocious rank, he might be able to possess the strength of a high-level King rank on his own.

Even if he fails, it will only mean that the old evidence is shattered, so he definitely has to try this old trial.

Without giving it any further thought, Chu Xiu asked directly, "What are the benefits?"

"The benefit is that the government will help you grow as much as possible, allowing you to reach the limit of your current strength before you undergo the trial."

Qin Xiang held up three fingers: "First, our people are already summarizing various information and intelligence about the Corpse Demon World. You can directly obtain the highest-rated opportunities from it. Of course, if you wish, we can also provide opportunities from other worlds."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu said calmly, "The opportunities in the Corpse Demon World are good enough."

He would naturally not risk entering other worlds, as he might be kidnapped by high-level awakened beings who covet his talent as soon as he lands.

The various pieces of information circulating in Yuancheng heightened his vigilance to a new level.

Qin Xiang seemed to have anticipated his answer, and continued, "Secondly, you can enter the core power system within our Huaxia without joining the three major powers."

"You should have noticed that the most important thing for our Awakened Ones' growth is the causal points. However, the output of causal points each year is limited, so how to allocate them is a big problem."

"Finally, under the government's leadership, the three major forces reached an agreement to divide the power levels into thirteen levels. The stronger the awakened one is and the greater their contribution, the higher their power level will be! And they will be able to exchange for more karma points!"

Qin Xiang's words made Chu Xiu's eyes light up; this was exactly what he wanted!
The three major forces are the military, the conglomerate alliance, and the labor union alliance, each backed by a powerful figure! These are arguably the true pillars of China! Only they are qualified to interfere in the distribution of cause and effect points!

Chu Xiu has a lot of equipment to sell, but converting it into Chinese Yuan is meaningless. No matter how much Chinese Yuan he has, he has no way to exchange it for Karma Points or high-level equipment. Even if he takes the risk of going to the black market, the amount he gets is far from enough to meet Chu Xiu's needs.

However, it's not possible to hide one's identity after joining one of the three major powers. Therefore, among the conditions that Chu Xiu planned to negotiate before coming here was the availability of a channel to exchange for Karma Points.

However, it now seems that civilization is far more important to humanity than he imagined, and this treatment has exceeded his expectations.

Chu Xiu was secretly pleased, but he didn't show it. He simply asked, "What about the third item?"

“The third thing is the benefits that every civilization envoy receives,” Qin Xiang said. “You can enjoy the benefits of the three major guilds at the same time, which means three times the exchange privileges and you will directly have an initial level of 4.”

"Don't think it's too little. Level 4 authority is something that basically only King-level Awakeners can achieve."

"As for the ancient trials of the fierce rank, to be honest, even if you pass them, the benefits to civilization will not be significant. Generally, you can only save a few hundred people. It can only be said to be a test of your potential."

"But once you pass the Ancient Trial, you will immediately gain a huge amount of contribution points, causing your power level in the three major forces to skyrocket! Even the Heavenly King will personally invest in you!"

Qin Xiang's words gave Chu Xiu a clear understanding of the situation.

In fact, by now, he has achieved almost all of his previous demands, and even far exceeded them.

But he wanted to be a little greedier.

"I have one last condition," Chu Xiu said.

"What conditions?"

"I want the government to act as an intermediary to auction some high-level items for me. I require the auction process to be transparent and my identity information to be kept completely confidential. After the auction is completed, the intermediary will send the proceeds to me in the Shiki world."

The treasures Chu Xiu obtained from passing the trials were of immense value. Before he possessed sufficient strength, he needed to rely on a trustworthy force to safely make a move.

And the government is undoubtedly the best candidate.

(End of this chapter)