Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 274 Pangu Conference: The Strategic Shift of the World Tree in Eastern Xia (Part Two)
During the meeting, there was a short break to allow everyone to process what they had just heard and calm their racing hearts.

Of course, Gu Liyang wasn't idle during this time either; he talked about another expert team's informal conjectures.

It can also be understood as the Eight Trigrams.

This stuff works perfectly when used with cigarettes!

The topic is—why elves show such an extraordinary fascination with art.

"Let me emphasize again, leaders and seniors, this is just a conjecture, don't take it seriously! Don't take it seriously!" Gu Liyang raised his hands to declare in advance.

That's what they say, but everyone knows in their hearts that if this was brought up, it wasn't just a baseless rumor.

A group of distinguished middle-aged and elderly comrades naturally gathered around, with the teasing attitude unique to elders, surrounding Gu Liyang, who was just a "little guy" compared to them.

The commander-in-chief personally stepped in: "Stop keeping us in suspense. You're young and can wait for the Tree of Life to slowly stand up, but we old folks might kick the bucket any day now. You can afford to wait, but we old bones can't!"

Gu Liyang scratched his head awkwardly and said, "It's like this, our experts have always had a question: the elves are a bit too obsessed with art! It's not that liking art is abnormal, but this whole group of them taking the art student route is very abstract!"

"From the contact between the Vast Ocean Territory and the Elves, no such tendency was found. In other words, the Elves turned to the artistic path in a concentrated and explosive manner at a certain stage of history."

"This time, our expert team extracted this sentence from the Silver Moon Scroll: Civilization is the best nourishment for the World Tree!"

"Judging from the previous poems and documents of the elves, the growth rate of the Tree of Life is actually very slow, often described as 'the long river of time' or 'the long years.' This secret scroll of the elves reveals a possible truth to us: it takes at least thirty years for the Tree of Life to grow from seed to the first stage!"

"How long did it take for our seeds to germinate and take root? Less than two months!"

"This was only because it was hiding and running around until it met our researcher Zhang, otherwise it could have gone even faster!"

"Therefore, based on these scattered but mutually corroborating pieces of information, the expert group put forward a bold conjecture."

"The elven race may have realized, or even verified, a positive correlation between their overall 'level of civilization' and 'cultural heritage' and the growth rate of the Tree of Life during the long process of cultivating the World Tree. That's why they are so eager, even somewhat distorted, to pursue improving their 'level' in this regard!"

"However, true civilization and culture require a long history of accumulation, continuous inheritance, and the continuous shaping and accumulation of generations. It is by no means something that can be accomplished overnight."

"Perhaps it is precisely because the elves lack the innate 'foundation' in this area, yet are eager for quick success, that they have taken a... well, a shortcut of 'quick and easy gains'."

No sooner had he finished speaking than an elderly man with gray hair next to him slapped his thigh with a sharp "smack," exclaiming in sudden realization, "So that's why they're so dedicated to art, right!"

"Yes, art is part of culture, and it's also a relatively easy part to produce results from."

Gu Liyang nodded heavily and said, "Scientific research requires a long-term accumulation of knowledge and continuous experimental exploration, but poetry, music, and painting have relatively low prerequisite knowledge thresholds, and it is possible to achieve significant breakthroughs by relying on individual talent and a flash of inspiration!"

"To give a perhaps imperfect example, a child who has received basic education can write novels, make music, and possibly even achieve good results, as long as they can read. But to ask them to study high-energy physics or derive mathematical models is a joke."

"At least in general, this is an objective law governing the development of civilization!"

"We still have no way of knowing what form this abstract 'civilization' and 'culture' takes within this world, or how the Tree of Life perceives and absorbs it. But the expert group's core conjecture is that because our ancient land of Dongxia possesses a sufficiently profound 'cultural heritage,' our 'budding' has been able to grow at a speed that defies common sense!"

When the topic of cultural heritage came up, it really struck a chord with everyone. The high-ranking officials present either suddenly realized something or were filled with pride, their faces beaming as they enthusiastically began a lively discussion.

The leader in charge of the Ziyun Nature Reserve clapped his hands and laughed, "Well, I was wondering why Mengya loves watching TV so much, especially shows like 'Glorious Eastern Xia' and 'National Treasure'! Turns out she's a cultural tree!"

"That's easy. Play poems for it, starting with the Book of Songs. Read all the poems we have recorded to it, 24 hours a day, that should keep it entertained for years!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Another composed official quickly waved his hand. "Criticism-style education is unacceptable. Don't make the children sick! We need to be mindful of our methods, select truly high-quality content, and play it intermittently and selectively, combining education with entertainment."

"If we're talking about true cultural heritage, then it has to be our history, the Twenty-Four Histories!"

"Um, what do you guys think... should we include modern history?"

The commander shook his head: "Let's not do this for now. Don't turn the child into a radical. We'll handle the revenge. Let it grow up in peace first!"

"Don't come up with any bad ideas. As I've already said, the cultural heritage is right here on this land. Nobody knows how the 'budding' process will be felt. Why don't we prepare more books and videos and let it choose for itself?"

Just as everyone was talking at once, the chief consultant of the Cihang Engineering Department, who had been listening silently, said slowly: "The fact that this 'sprout' can grow is thanks to the legacy of our ancestors. The predecessors planted the trees, and the successors enjoy the shade. Thinking about it, how ashamed we are!"

"We still need to work harder!"

The second-in-command spoke, and everyone quickly ended the discussion, returned to their seats, and began the second half of the meeting.

"The previous section discussed the Tree of Life. Now, I would like to report to you, leaders, on the capabilities of the growing World Tree."

Gu Liyang had a rather imposing air about him at this moment, his upper body standing as straight as a military posture in a ceremonial guard.

"The description of the World Tree that begins in the third stage of the Silver Moon Scroll has started to include a lot of obscure rhetoric and metaphors. I don't know if it's because those elves who write poetry every day have started to take power, or if the elves are still intentionally hiding the core information."

"However, after combining the previously deciphered scattered data and conducting multiple verifications and cross-comparisons, we believe that the World Tree possesses at least the following identifiable abilities at different stages of its growth."

"First, it has the ability to influence and even control the weather on a large scale. We cannot describe it precisely with existing scientific terms, but perhaps we can understand it this way—within the influence range of the World Tree, it is equivalent to solidifying a super-large-scale supernatural realm of 'favorable weather' and 'disaster avoidance'."

"This is a part of the Starry Sky's historical record. Although it is not complete, it shows that during the existence of the World Tree, the north and south sides of the Silver Moon Forest were among the most stable areas in terms of natural climate on the Starry Sky Continent. The entire region had stable and sufficient rainfall, with no dry season or rainy season."

"More importantly, this region is bordered by major rivers such as the Crystal River and the Northern Foothills River, along with numerous tributaries, to the north and south, and by the ocean to the east. However, according to elven records, the earthquakes and floods common in the north, and the hurricanes and tsunamis that frequently occur in the south, all bypass this region!"

"During the thousands of years that the elves ruled this land, their core region was almost never affected by any major natural disasters."

“We have also indirectly confirmed this from the records we have collected from the human nations. The historical documents of Emerald and Stream Moon both mention this point. The reason why Qiyue and Wuyue betrayed the elves was largely to compete for this ‘chosen land’ and ‘paradise without disaster’!”

Gu Liyang raised his head and revealed a slightly teasing smile.

"However, just one year after the human alliance successfully drove the main elf force out of the plains, a historically devastating flood struck simultaneously along the Crystal River and the Northern Slope River basins, both in the north and south..."

Gu Liyang paused and looked through the documents in his hand: "Well, according to the information we have, it took the various human nations that suffered heavy losses over a hundred years to barely build dikes that could withstand regular floods."

The somewhat outspoken military leader, the second advisor of the [Compassionate Voyage] Engineering Department, couldn't help but ask, "You mean, before that, these two great rivers didn't have dams?"

"Yes! According to the records, there isn't!"

"..." This impact is a bit too strong. Dongxia is a people who have been beaten by great rivers for many years. In the past, the first choice for the succession of the three ancient emperors was even the old man who was good at water control and construction. This shows Dongxia's persistence in fighting natural disasters.

Another participant asked, "Don't the humans know the power of the World Tree? Why are they destroying it like this?"

"We couldn't find any information on this, but the expert team speculated that the ancestors of the human race, at least the higher-ups, should have known part of the truth."

"But this isn't their World Tree. The more they know, the more they want to destroy it!"

This makes perfect sense.

This is actually why today's meeting is so highly classified. If other countries knew about this, given the way those thugs operate, it would be almost inevitable that if they couldn't seize it, they would destroy it.

"However, according to common sense, the World Tree should not have been destroyed!"

"The elves have also recorded some other abilities of the World Tree here."

"For example, [rule compilation]."

"This part is too profound for us to fully understand yet. The expert group's interpretation is that it is another kind of power, comparable to a rewriting of the physical laws of nature. For example, in the Silver Moon Forest, also known as the Dark Forest, there is still a law from that time that remains—flames will be annihilated upon contact with natural energy!"

"We still don't quite understand the specific mechanism of this law. Because within the forest area, elves themselves also need to make fire to cook food and keep warm, and small flames exist."

"But strangely, that vast forest has never experienced a single large-scale natural or man-made fire throughout its long history. This seems to explain why the human alliance did not resort to the simplest and most brutal method of 'burning down the camps' to the ground and destroy the elves' last habitat."

"It's clearly not because they're kind-hearted or environmentally conscious!"

"Regarding this research, we need to wait for [Youzi] to provide more data and experimental verification!"

Upon hearing this, the second advisor almost reflexively stood up from his seat, leaning forward with a piercing gaze: "Wait! You just mentioned 'experimental verification'? What do you mean? Is your project team planning to encourage [Wanderer] to conduct arson experiments in the Silvermoon Forest?"

Faced with the wide-eyed stares of the room, Gu Liyang broke out in a cold sweat and quickly explained, "No, no, the project team is preparing to give the data back to Youzi and ask him to communicate with the elves..."

Without pausing, Deputy Commander Gu quickly changed the subject: "Also, it exists in the records of the elves, but their World Tree never reached that level. Therefore, we cannot determine whether these special abilities are information obtained after the elves fully communicated with the World Tree, or just the elves' subjective conjecture."

"For example, the legendary ability to transform reality into illusion, which is comparable to that of gods, is similar to the ability of the Seven-Eyed God to create things from nothingness that the Wanderer once witnessed."

"For example, some poems suggest that after the World Tree grows to a certain stage, it may become the representative or coordinate of this world, and have the ability to open spacetime passages to other worlds."

Because the subsequent content contained a lot of speculation and conjecture, the atmosphere in the room became relatively relaxed, and the participants engaged in a relatively free and enthusiastic discussion.

"Good heavens, if we can really reach the point of [real-virtual transformation], wouldn't we be practically invincible? When enemy missiles or nuclear bombs fly over, we can just transform them directly, or even more ruthlessly, send them directly to the enemy's capital?"

"That's a bit too mystical. Transformation also has to follow the laws of physics!"

"You old-fashioned thing, you're already so fantastical, why are you talking about physical laws? I think this kind of [transformation between reality and illusion] is more likely to consume the World Tree's power, or life force, or some other consumable. In short, there should be a corresponding price to pay!"

“I have a fundamental question,” someone else raised their hand to speak, “Since the World Tree was powerful enough to write its own laws, how come it was ultimately destroyed? In my humble opinion, if it had compiled a law that could ‘nullify magic attacks’ or ‘completely evade physical attacks’ to cover itself, who could have touched it?”

“There are definitely conditions and limitations to its use.” Someone immediately chimed in, “It’s impossible to compile laws completely without any restrictions or costs. Perhaps the more powerful the compiled law is and the wider its influence, the greater the consumption and the more limited its duration.”

"Yes, that's my opinion too. Fantasy may be fantasy, but a certain form of 'energy conservation' or 'cost balance' principle may still exist. To gain greater power, one must pay an equivalent price."

"What's the point of talking about the conservation of energy at this point?"

Gu Liyang coughed lightly, instantly drawing everyone's attention. The deputy commander quickly waved his hand to explain, "Um, let me add something. The expert group speculates—just a speculation—that the World Tree itself should be able to withstand attacks from humans, at least for a very long time."

"However, in the many poems about the destruction of the World Tree, in addition to the anger towards the human race, there are also vicious curses against the dwarves. It is possible that the dwarves played a special role in it."

At this point, a military commander raised a whimsical topic.

“Hey, do you think it’s possible that the ‘Jianmu’ tree in our ancient Eastern Xia legends, which connects heaven, earth, and the gods, was once a World Tree that later fell? Some fragments of its rules are still protecting this land in the dark, allowing us to be reborn from the ashes despite repeated hardships!”

"You know what, you really do know, so we have a tradition of the World Tree, right!"

The expert group was, after all, too much of an expert. Combining such completely ethereal myths and legends with reality is something only someone who isn't professional enough could do.

Gu Liyang's eyes suddenly lit up, and he immediately opened a thick volume.

"Oh, right, there's one more record!"

"Elf Darkmoon Epic Song Chapter 122"

"When the last vestiges of glory fade in the flames of blood and fire, a king wielding the flame will still be born from the scorched earth; the beacon of the World Tree will guide the way, and the surging starlight will once again gather!"

"This indirectly confirms a World Tree ability that is suspected to be the [Beacon of Fate]. The World Tree will protect the heroes who save their people in times of crisis and lead them to regain their glory..."

"Xiao Gu, just how much power does the World Tree have? Can you tell me all at once?"

"Boss, these are all guesses, purely based on the interpretation of the poem's content. There's no empirical evidence for these guesses. You know, you can interpret more than a dozen meanings from each verse. How can I explain this..."

In short, this meeting, which concerned the fate of the entire planet, ended in a warm and jubilant atmosphere.

During the voting phase, everyone raised their hands in unison.

"Then, it's passed unanimously!"

The chief commander of the [Compassionate Voyage] project issued the final instructions in a gentle yet forceful tone.

"Any factor that might interfere with the growth of 'Sprout' must be eliminated! Any tentacles that dare to pry into the secrets of 'Sprout' must be severed!"

"We must adopt a more aggressive strategy, divert attention, demonstrate resolve, flex our muscles, and destroy any wishful thinking that anyone might try to test the waters."

"I hereby announce the official commencement of the first phase of Operation Pangu!"

(End of this chapter)