Those who face the wall, but are in the Nascent Soul stage.

Chapter 475 The situation in the solar system is too complicated (5k)

After celebrating the birthday of the Po River civilization.

"How long will you stay on Epsilon Eridani?" the three lightships asked excitedly, circling Gagarin.

Gagarin pondered for a moment: "As is customary, I will stay on Epsilon Eridani for one hundred planetary revolutions. If the abortion festival is born prematurely, I will leave—as you know, only one of the birth festival and the abortion festival can exist."

In this short time, the lightships had completed a scan of the entire planet Eridanus, learning about the characteristics and culture of this newly emerging Class 5B civilization.

Lightship A said to Gagarin, "But Gagarin, the Pomeranian civilization is a typical example of 'shared thinking.' Such a civilization has a strong resistance to the virtual world. The Lightships don't believe that the Pomeranian civilization will have a 'miscarriage festival.' They have a strong desire to explore the universe."

Gagarin shook his head: "The Abortion Festival can take many forms. Virtual world endings, cyberpunk endings, extreme capitalist endings, resource depletion endings, internal strife and decline endings, environmental collapse endings, aging endings, ideological cancer endings—all can lead to the Abortion Festival… There are countless civilizations, and countless Great Filters. Most civilizations will fall before some filter. The Pojang civilization is too young…"

Gagarin looked down at the discus planet beneath his feet: "Because of the Devourers, the resources of the Pojang civilization are actually very weak. If it cannot acquire the ability to travel to other star systems before its resources are exhausted, the Pojang civilization will easily face natural decline after ecological collapse."

The Epsilon Eridani star system consists of one star and one planet, thus eliminating the possibility for the Eridan civilization to obtain resources from other planets.

For a star system as diverse as our solar system, this start is considered an incredibly lucky start in the universe.

The spirits noticed that Gagarin mentioned the Devourer.

The Lamp Spirit asked, "We scanned the history of Eridanus, and the information about the Devourers seems quite complex... Is it a Black Forest civilization?"

Logically, if the Hessian civilization launched the Dark Forest Attack, it would have been heading towards national annihilation and extinction. How could it have allowed the Po River civilization to revive with its remaining resources?
Gagarin shook his head: "Oh, no, I was there when the Dragon-Ant Symbiotic Civilization, the predecessor of the Devourer Civilization, hatched. That hatching was very interesting. The first person from that planet to go into space was an ant."

As he spoke, Gagarin transformed into the shape of an ant, wearing a white spacesuit the size of a grain of rice.

Jiajia Ant said, "Although the symbiotic relationship broke down later, I have been paying attention to the Devourer Civilization that emerged from it. It is a nomadic civilization. In its 6000 million-year history of wandering, it has never launched a Dark Forest attack. It repeats the cycle of eating, wandering, eating, and wandering. Moreover, it usually does not eat everything. It will deliberately leave some residue and a little seed of life. Although the Devourer Civilization has also destroyed a lot of life, it does not fit the characteristics of a Dark Forest civilization. Instead, it is a refugee in the Dark Forest, using wandering to avoid Dark Forest attacks targeting the star system."

The Gaga Ant turned into the Gaga Dragon, and then into Gagarin.

"I see..." the lamp spirits realized.

The law of the jungle and the dark forest are two different things. If one civilization devours other planets for the purpose of 'eating,' such behavior will not provoke the obstruction and retaliation of the Light Sea Civilization under the Carbon-based Federation.

There's no way around it; the ecosystems of civilizations in the universe are incredibly diverse.

A carbon-based federation cannot be implemented with a one-size-fits-all approach.

Just as humans cannot legislate to prohibit lions and tigers from hunting in the wild.

“You seem to know a lot about the Devourer Civilization,” the Lightship added.

Gagarin nodded. “I visit the Great Ring approximately every 1000 galactic years (ten million years). This is also required by the Federation. Not only me, but many advanced civilizations have visited the Great Ring. After all, this Ring is favored by the ‘gods’... Alas, even a powerful carbon-based Federation has to maintain good relations with god-level civilizations.”

gods.

This term is still too far removed from the spirits.

The lamp spirits had never seen God, but they could hear the helplessness in Gagarin's voice.

Lightship A asked, "Then... Gagarin, do you know where the Devourer Civilization is? We want to find them and make them return some resources to the Eridanus Civilization."

Lightship B: "Or shall we go and dig some water ourselves and send it to Eridanus?"
Lightship C: "That won't do. The Federation has explicitly prohibited interference with the development of lower civilizations, but it wouldn't be considered a violation if the Devourers returned it themselves."

The three lightships asked in unison, "So, where is the Devourer?"

Gagarin glanced discreetly in the direction of Earth and said, "Don't ask anymore. You're just a bunch of immature little lamps, naive and childish. Knowing too much won't do you any good."

The lamp spirits were very dissatisfied.

But there was no use in being unconvinced. In front of Gagarin, these glowing little things were no different from the cats and dogs that humans kept.

...

The thoughts of the lamp spirits actually reflect a problem.

The Carbon-Based Federation stipulates that if a civilization naturally perishes during its development without external interference, the Carbon-Based Federation will not provide assistance, and even the Lamp Spirits dare not violate this prohibition.

Excessive interference in the development of any civilization, even if it manages to grow, will only result in a deformed civilization with inherent deficiencies.

Only civilizations that can develop to 6A level through their own efforts can accept the almost unlimited supply of resources and technology from the Carbon-Based Federation, thus achieving instant success.

Under normal circumstances, the Carbon-Based Federation would not even let civilizations below level 6A know of its existence.

If a civilization were to perish due to various 'Great Filters' before it reached 6A, the Carbon-Based Federation would simply watch silently.

The Dark Forest War was banned, but normal interstellar warfare was not completely eliminated. If two low-level civilizations were fighting for resources, the Carbon-Based Federation would not interfere too much.

Of course, many low-level civilizations in the Milky Way have come to understand the Dark Forest Theory, but when they broadcast the location of hostile star systems, they were met not with attacks, but with the attention of their nearby advanced neighbors.

If a civilization cannot survive its own calamity under such circumstances, then it can only be attributed to fate.

—In fact, once a civilization develops to stage 1A and possesses the technology to travel at the speed of light, it is very difficult for it to self-destruct.

But there are exceptions.

For example, some civilizations of type 1A suddenly realized the 'Dark Forest Theory' and, in a state of extreme panic, implemented a slow-matter blockade of their star systems, forming a dark zone, in order to fulfill their security declaration.

In this scenario, the civilization would be considered "extinct" by the carbon-based federation.

Some civilizations, when they develop to 2a or 3a, will pack their entire civilization into a light-speed spaceship and use the time dilation effect of relativism to fly towards the end of time in the universe.

This civilization, named the "Doomsday Race," will also be considered "extinct" by the Carbon-Based Federation.

Civilizations of this level, unable to find meaning in their existence, are ensnared by nihilism and attempt to die in the ultimate apocalypse of the universe, thus failing to cross the threshold of a 6A-level civilization. Naturally, they are not the "fellow travelers" that the Carbon-Based Federation seeks.

Reaching level 6A indicates that a civilization has overcome its own philosophical challenges and has not fallen into the illusions of the virtual world or the trap of technological stagnation, demonstrating extremely strong civilizational development capabilities, which is why it was accepted by the Carbon-Based Federation.

Achieving 6A is not easy for a civilization.

According to statistics from the Carbon-Based Federation, the probability of a Type B civilization developing into a Type 6A civilization is about one in a million, while the probability of a Type C civilization developing into a Type 6A civilization is as low as one in a hundred million.

...

With their backs to Gagarin, the three lightships huddled together, secretly discussing something.

Gagarin was too lazy to eavesdrop.

Lightship A: "The Festival Tribe is generally only responsible for recording festivals. They don't even participate in the war on the front lines, so we can't expect Gagarin to move Eridanus. He's only one person, and he can't move a star. In other words, we still have to ask the adults in our family to come and move the star."

Lightship B: "We're too close to the battlefield here. News from the front lines says that the Silicon Empire's fleet is moving along the isolation zone toward the Orion Arm and could cross the gap between the arms at any time, bringing the war here."

Lightship C: "Wait a moment, I'll send a message to the Federation and see what the adults say."

3C, 5B, and 6A are the dividing lines between low, medium, and advanced civilizations in the carbon-based federation.

For a Class C civilization, a simple 'escape tunnel' can be used to move the planet. The transfer process may cause secondary disasters within the planet itself, but Class 3C civilizations generally 'don't remember' such things and won't recall them even when they grow up. The suffering is only temporary.

But 5B is not an option. A civilization that has seen the stars must move the entire star system intact, and must do everything possible to prevent the 5B civilization from discovering that its star system is being "moved".

The existence of a 5B-level civilization is beyond the ability of these little kids to cope.

Lightship C: "I've already reported it. The Federation's reply is: The 'Bubble' World Fleet will be passing by Epsilon Eridani soon. They have the capability to relocate Epsilon Eridani, but whether they will actually do so depends on the specific circumstances." Lightship A: "Bubble World Civilization? Never heard of it. Is it very powerful?"

Lightship C: "10A! It's so much better than us."

Lightship B: "What does 'it depends on the specific circumstances' mean?"

Lightship C: "I don't know... Anyway, the Federal Council replied: 'The Epsilon Eridani star system has a long history, complex surrounding relationships, and a relatively rich civilization ecosystem. If a rescue operation is to be carried out, attention must be paid to interstellar influences during the process. Considering special factors, it must be handled with caution... (a lot of content omitted here). In short, the Light Spirit civilization's subordinate rescue team does not need to waste its energy at the end of the Orion Arm and can leave this star system...' What does this mean?"

The three lightships all fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, Lightship A asked with some confusion, "That's strange, why is the Federation using such cautious wording?"

Lightship B: "The Federation is even urging us to leave here immediately?"

The domineering nature of the Carbon-based Federation is deeply rooted in the core of the Lamp Spirits. They can even defeat the Silicon-based Empire with just a word. Now, the council has actually responded with such a long and tedious statement regarding whether or not to relocate the Po River Civilization.

...

After the three lightships finished their discussion, they all flew to Gagarin's side.

Lightship A: "I have a question."

Gagarin smiled and said, "Please speak."

Lightship A: "Your festival tribe only cares about whether a civilization itself perishes, but what if, during your observation period, that civilization is attacked by an external force?"

Gagarin: "You mean this?"

Three dark cosmic spaces appeared in Gagarin's palm, containing three points of mass traveling at 0.99 times the speed of light. They shot towards Eridanus in different directions, with launch distances ranging from 10 to 100 light-years, all aimed at Epsilon Eridani.

This includes the light particles emitted by the young singer.

"Light Particles!" The three light ships simultaneously emitted angry red light, especially Light Ship A, whose memory of the destruction of the Sea Mother Civilization was still vivid, and it wished it could immediately find and kill these culprits.

Gagarin clenched his fist, and all three particles of light were instantly annihilated by the suddenly appearing void antiparticles.

This round of Dark Forest attacks has now been terminated.

Gagarin said, "As you know, this is the countryside. As is customary, I will provide protection for the new civilization for 100 planetary cycles. During this period, I will deal with all attacks against the Po River civilization."

The lamp spirits exclaimed in unison, "How can there be three particles of light? That's too many!"

Gagarin sighed, "Well... there's nothing we can do. Ten planetary orbital periods ago, this civilization broadcast its location to the entire universe through stellar signal amplification... The farther the signal travels, the more Dark Forest attacks it will suffer. However, I've already taken action. I've temporarily shut down the signal amplification capability of Epsilon Eridani and weakened the stellar-mass electromagnetic waves that have already been emitted. These electromagnetic waves will become blurred and distorted after traveling at most 20 light-years. During this period, all Dark Forest attacks based on the content of these radio waves will be intercepted by me."

The three lightships looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lightship A: "This is only a temporary solution. I'm going to clean them up. It's infuriating!"

Lightship B: "I'm going too."

Lightship C: "And me."

Gagarin stopped them, "Don't go, there's no need to waste your time. I'll stay here, you should leave now."

Lightship A paused, turning to look at Gagarin: "Why are you also trying to drive us away?"

Gagarin blinked. Sure enough, the Federation was also urging the group of spirit lamps to leave.

Unlike the group of clueless little lights, only Gagarin knew how complicated the situation was.

A focal point is forming around the solar system, 10.5 light-years away from Epsilon Eridani. Within the solar system alone, there lies a cat god, an entropy-flat light-permeable, and an ideal blackbody sensor. And not far away, in the dead line, there are also trapped pentahedrons, absolute rigid bodies, and half a mirror.

The aftereffects of that epic battle four years ago are still unfolding.

The news about God goes far beyond this. Recently, a large number of god-level civilizations from outside the Milky Way have arrived in the Milky Way. Gagarin alone knows of god-level individuals from the Cube Civilization and the Truth Civilization. Although they all call themselves the 'Ocean of Light,' the Carbon-Based Federation is still under tremendous pressure.

The only good news is that the old God, who disappeared for tens of thousands of galaxies, has reappeared in the Carbon-Based Federation, acting as a stabilizing force and giving the Carbon-Based Federation some confidence.

But with the appearance of the second and third Gods, the Carbon-Based Federation was a little overwhelmed. The Carbon-Based Federation did not expect that its own Gods were still alive... and it seemed that they held a high position in the god-level civilization.

These gods also brought a lot of information from beyond the observable universe to the Carbon-based Federation. More and more clues about the Thinker's slumber pointed to the [Poetic Cloud]. Since no god dared to enter the [Poetic Cloud], the gods could only settle for second best and set their sights on the place where the will of the star was killed.

That is, the central dead line between the solar system and the three-body system.

The solar system, the Trisolaran system, and the two weak civilizations above them were suddenly exposed to the eyes of the gods.

As for the gods lurking in the shadows, whose allegiance is unclear, their numbers are countless. The number of god-level individuals gathered in the Milky Way at this moment is likely to exceed everyone's imagination.

As a high-level individual of the Federation's Class 1S civilization, Gagarin was fortunate enough to learn of this intricate intelligence.

All the gods are waiting for a new 'variable' to occur.

The biggest variable, of course, is the final battle between the carbon-based federation and the silicon-based empire that is currently erupting in the Milky Way.

According to information from the front lines, the Silicon Empire's fleet, in its retreat, began to look for a breakthrough, and the battle line inexplicably began to shift towards the end of the Orion Arm along the isolation zone.

The Carbon-Based Federation intentionally diverted the core of the battlefield from the end of the Orion Arm to avoid the direction of the solar system, and even deployed a fleet specifically to intercept it, but the interception was not successful.

The silicon-based god could enter the Orion Arm at any time via stellar frog leaps, and the cryogenic artist is also prepared to intercept the silicon-based god. The two sides' ruling deities are keeping a close eye on each other.

With both sides fully mobilized, the Carbon-Based Federation is unable to control the scale and scope of the war, which is spreading uncontrollably towards the Orion Arm. The solar system is now less than 1400 light-years from the edge of the battlefield.
In addition, God's retirement spaceship is also about to arrive in the solar system.

The old God's retirement spaceship has attracted a great deal of attention from the carbon-based federation.

This gave Gagarin an absurd illusion, as if the entire universe, all forces, were being "attracted" by the tip of the Orion Arm—or more accurately, the solar system.

Gagarin even suspected that he was part of this vortex.

Even beyond the cosmic war between these god-like individuals and the carbon-silicon warring factions, the local dark forest civilizations were not quiet either.

Seemingly a chain reaction triggered by the destruction of the fringe world civilizations by the Lamp Spirit civilization, the leader of the Singer civilization, 'Eternal Song,' recklessly moved towards the deadly line near the Trisolaran planet...

The Pojiang civilization's broadcast to the outside world was like throwing a spark into this interstellar powder keg; although it didn't explode, it was still quite terrifying.

More and more Singer civilization spaceships are beginning to implement a "shrinkage" strategy, selecting settlements and issuing security declarations. It seems that one Singer civilization spaceship has even chosen a settlement near the solar system.

This bizarre shift in the situation made Gagarin completely hesitant to act, to the point that even the Black Forest cleanup ship right under his nose didn't make a move, only intercepting the light particles.

He worried that his intervention would trigger a new chain reaction.

But the lamp spirits obviously didn't know any of this.

Lightship A asked again, "Why are you also trying to get rid of us?"

Faced with the questions from the spirits, Gagarin did not offer much explanation:

"This star system is under my jurisdiction. You can go and search for other civilizations. In short, you are not allowed to approach within 50 light-years of Epsilon Eridani, or don't blame me for being impolite."

After saying that, Gagarin took off his space helmet and gave the spirits a fierce look.

(End of this chapter)