As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 245 The Cycle of Civilization

"Ultimately, even before the Black Dream Organization was born, the 'doomsday theory' had a large market in the Alliance. It wasn't just the ignorant men and women in the streets and all the elites in the intellectual class who believed that the end of the world was coming."

Long Jianhuan told Xu Yan that humans living in the Heroic Spirit Era have been deeply entangled in the fear of the inevitable apocalypse since hundreds or even thousands of years ago, not from now.

The reason is simple.

Humanity in this era obtained irrefutable evidence from countless remnants of the past, proving that four once brilliant and glorious ancient civilizations all met with extremely fierce and cruel demise after their period of glory.

Ancient civilizations once pushed human courage and wisdom to their limits in the fields of energy, genetics, mechanics, and human science, allowing mortals to touch the brilliant stars.

Those who safeguard these civilizations include many passionate, resourceful, and selfless heroes and martyrs.

However, when the end of the world came, they were still powerless to fight back.

If that's the case, why is it that the fifth civilization—the Heroic Spirit Civilization—which developed on the graves of the four ancient civilizations, can become a lucky one and escape the test of the apocalypse?
The catastrophe a century ago had already sounded an alarm for the terrified survivors.

On the path of evolution, fraught with thorns and flames, they are neither special nor chosen by heaven.

Tragedy can repeat itself at any time, and a new apocalypse could arrive in the next second.

For this reason, the "Doomsday School" has always operated semi-publicly within the Heroic Spirit Alliance.

Many experts, scholars, and even high-ranking spirit masters who wield immense power believe, or at least do not deny, the possibility of the apocalypse.

These people may oppose the methods of the Black Dream organization.

However, they do not oppose the ideology of the Black Dream organization.

They might not want to see the Black Dream Organization completely overthrow the Heroic Spirit Alliance.

However, at the critical moment when the Black Dream organization was falling apart, they adhered to the idea that "there is always an opposition" and provided the Black Dream organization with various support through various channels, including resources, intelligence, weapons, and sealing cards. As a result, the Black Dream organization in the "post-Knox era" was never eradicated. Instead, it has grown stronger and stronger.

"After the death of its first leader, Knox, the newly formed Black Dream organization changed its style of operation, reducing its large-scale destruction but strengthening its infiltration of the Heroic Spirit Alliance."

Long Jianhuan said, "Especially in recent years, many highly respected scholars and powerful figures within the alliance have become sympathizers of the Black Dream organization, risking their reputations to provide them with various forms of assistance."

"The reason is simple: decades have passed since Knox woke up from his nightmare, and now is the time when 'the nightmare ends and the end is near.' If his prediction is correct, the end could come at any moment."

"Many of the Alliance's elites possess noble sentiments and impeccable character. They did not join the Black Dream Organization for trivial reasons such as money, power, or being caught red-handed. Instead, they genuinely believed in the so-called 'last words of Knox' and believed that their actions could potentially save the entire civilization."

Long Jianhuan hesitated for a moment after saying this.

But then I felt that Xu Yan came from the depths of the wilderness and had long been accustomed to the cruel truth. He was not an innocent lamb, so it was okay to speak the truth.

In Long Jianhuan's view, the resurgence of the Black Dream organization is also closely related to the problems existing within the alliance.

In studying the rise and fall of ancient civilizations, historians have discovered that although the four ancient civilizations all encountered various tangible and seemingly insurmountable enemies and problems on the eve of their destruction, these problems, at their root, all stemmed from internal, unavoidable chronic issues within the civilizations themselves.

Therefore, historians have proposed the concept of the "cycle of civilizations," arguing that civilizations, like life, are subject to birth, aging, illness, and death.

It's like the League of Heroes.

Having just emerged from the ravages of three major natural disasters, the Alliance of Heroes, with its mission of "uniting all survivors and rekindling the flame of civilization," is so vibrant, so enterprising, and so righteous.

At that time, countless Spirit Masters united under the Alliance's battle flag, declared war on natural disasters, and marched into the wilderness. They were willing to be shattered to pieces, so that they could use their blood to cultivate a better future for all their compatriots.

However, more than half a century has passed.

The alliance is riddled with problems.

From bloated organizations to rigid social hierarchies, from the rampant tyranny of large corporations to severely blocked upward mobility channels, from everyone possessing crystal-clear ideals and being willing to dedicate everything to their fellow countrymen living in the same world, to everyone losing their fighting spirit and ideals in fierce competition and falling into endless and meaningless vicious competition.

Take Dawn City as an example.

Decades ago, this place was rich in underground resources.

At that time, countless miners toiled here, even sacrificing their lives, to extract ore and smelt alloys, which were continuously transported to the heart of the Alliance, laying a solid foundation for the Alliance's development.

But now, the mineral veins here are depleted and unsustainable, yet the Alliance has not offered any help or tried to revive this city that is gradually heading towards its end. Instead, they want to get rid of this "burden".

The same goes for the big shots who have amassed enormous wealth by relying on this city. Instead of actively trying to save themselves, they use the underground money laundering industry chain to secretly transfer the wealth accumulated by all the citizens over decades.

As for refugees like Xu Yan, needless to say.

When the alliance was first established, countless wilderness refugees eagerly awaited its banner and were even willing to sacrifice everything for its expansion.

By now, even the most naive wilderness refugees have realized that the Alliance citizens do not consider them as their own people.

They are nothing but ants, burdens, fuel, and consumables.

"To be frank, if an underground money laundering chain really exists and remains undetected until the other party has transferred most of Dawn City's wealth out of the city, causing the worst possible impact, then even if all the citizens of Dawn City were to join the Black Dream organization in a fit of rage, I think it wouldn't be entirely incomprehensible."

Long Jianhuan sighed deeply. Clearly, the investigation over the past few days had left her physically and mentally exhausted. "Perhaps, the Black Dream Organization is merely a symptom, not the cause. Even without the Black Dream Organization, there would be 'White Dream, Purple Dream, Blue Dream'!"

As she said this, she took a deep breath, and a stubborn light shone in her eyes once again.

"That's precisely why we must expose this damned underground money laundering network!"

She brandished her fist and declared resolutely, "We must rely on our own strength to save Dawn City, and we must not give the Black Dream Organization even the slightest opportunity to take advantage of us!"

(End of this chapter)