Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 62: Omens of Destruction

Time flies, another year has passed.

The ideal community has been established for six years.

This year was very unusual.

At this point, the ideal community had completely covered the three directions of the world: east, west, and north. Only the capital city in the center and the great rift south of the capital city had not yet been conquered.

But they were forced to stop because the capital city had actually taken action against the Great Rift in the south.

Their actions implicated the ideal community, specifically causing changes in the entire subterranean insectoid race.

These insects gradually became agitated.

The insects that had been kept in enclosures for breeding were doing well, remaining as docile as they were a year ago.

But wild insects are becoming increasingly difficult to approach.

Until recently, they have stopped remaining neutral and cautious when they see humans and animals, and instead launch direct and aggressive attacks.

Moreover, this situation is not an isolated case.

Scouts in the capital have learned that all the southern territories are reportedly retreating northward on a large scale, away from the Great Rift Valley.

The entire southern continent was abandoned by the empire, and countless people flocked to the area around the imperial capital and the territory of the ideal community.

There was considerable chaos for a time.

At the same time, a large number of people set off from the capital to the north.

They were met head-on by an endless wall of despair, and the territories ruled by various ideal communities.

These people were unable to return, but some people in the capital noticed something amiss and intensified their investigations into the territories outside the capital.

They should have gained nothing, but due to the swarm's restlessness, a large number of refugees and even lords were left homeless, and most of these people flocked to the territory of the ideal community.

That's a massive population from the entire south. Under such a sudden onslaught, even with the efficiency of an ideal community, it was impossible to manage and absorb it all in a short time.

Some of them fled in panic after learning about the system here.

Most of these are either privileged individuals or thugs and bandits trying to take advantage of the chaos.

An ideal community can be a paradise for everyone, but it cannot be theirs alone.

As chaos continued to erupt, the news could no longer be concealed.

That year, the existence of the ideal community was fully exposed.

Its existence and system spread, and for a time, this new power was being discussed throughout the remaining territories of the empire.

Many people were drawn by its beauty and tried to move there with their families.

This has been noticed by some people.

Inside the palace in the capital city.

Giovanni was so anxious he was practically balding.

"Where did this enormous creature come from?!"

It's like an elephant suddenly appearing in the room—why didn't anyone notice before?!

"My God, Archmage, please bless me..."

He muttered to himself as he compiled the relevant information about the ideal community, and ordered many copies to be made. Then he hurriedly ran to the Imperial Conference Hall and handed the information to the Emperor and various high-ranking officials for review.

This time, finally no one ignored his report.

"A community without nobles and emperors, whose administrators are all descendants of commoners. Only the creator is a natural talent for manipulating blocks, and he is somewhat acceptable."

At first, some of the people participating in the meeting in the hall tried to remain calm and gave such comments, but as they continued to watch, they became a little restless.

The sudden emergence of the ideal community has caused widespread anxiety within the empire.

But many people are not afraid of this newly emerging hostile force; on the contrary, they are thinking about rushing to the territory of the ideal community.

The empire is already showing signs of population decline.

"What? So many lowly people have betrayed the country?"

"This is no ordinary rebel force; we must strike hard!"

When the emperor and his ministers carefully examined everything about the ideal community, they realized the seriousness of the matter.

The people's hearts are not with the empire.

Some people shouted and accused the common people of being ungrateful and having no sense of honor.

Some people are estimating the power of an ideal community and considering military countermeasures.

Some people, however, realized something deeper.

Even in the worst of empires, there are always some truly intelligent people.

For example, a clerk sitting in a corner of the hall.

The hall was very noisy, with various groups offering countermeasures or putting on a show, reciting lengthy poems of condemnation and declarations of war.

But Giovanni didn't listen to any of them; he just sat there taking deep breaths.

No matter how I try to adjust, I can't calm my chaotic mind.

These people didn't even notice...

He looked at the group of people in the magnificent hall and felt a headache coming on.

Something's not right. Although these people realize the seriousness of the matter, they don't seem to have grasped the key issue.

This is no longer a matter between countries.

Given the current situation, if the opponent is a new country or a rebellious force, it is not difficult to deal with. The Empire has rich experience and absolute confidence in its strength.

But it's different; the other party isn't an empire, or even a country.

It was a new idea, a new way of life, a completely different existence from any other power that had ever existed in the empire or even the world.

In the past, there was also a formidable power—the church. However, the god of the church was fictitious, and its ideology could be easily found to have loopholes and be dismantled. When the church disappeared, its ideology also disappeared.

But everything in the ideal community is real.

Even if a force like the church is successfully used to suppress a crime, the consequences will be dire.

Its existence will be remembered and cherished, and its ideas will be passed down, haunting the empire like a leech, causing enormous damage to the empire in terms of both its system and its very existence.

This is no longer a dispute between empires, but a battle between the new and the old.

At this moment, it's a matter of life and death; there's no possibility of coexistence whatsoever.

Thinking of this, Giovanni couldn't help but stand up and express his opinion:
"The ideal community—haven't you noticed yet? They are not a nation, not just a single country, but a general term encompassing everything. Their ambitions are not merely about rebellion or establishing a new kingdom..."

"Instead, we aim to unify everything, even those we haven't covered before!" "The people of the Empire will be drawn to this ideology—no, they've already been drawn to it—"

Just then, a voice suddenly cut short Giovanni's passionate speech.

“Some lowly people, if they rebel, just kill them.”

Giovanni's throat tightened, his mouth froze, and he stared at the speaker, the emperor of the country, unable to continue speaking.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, others quickly echoed:

"His Majesty has spoken the truth. We have absolute power and have nothing to fear. On the other hand, that so-called ideal community is nothing but a cult-like thing that can be easily suppressed."

"Just like the old Church of the True God, if we can destroy it once, we can destroy it twice."

“That’s absolutely right. This organization doesn’t understand the absolute power of the empire at all, yet they still dare to dream of rebellion.”

"We should show the world why an empire can unify the world..."

The hall became lively.

Giovanni lowered his head, closed his eyes, and said nothing. He simply sat down silently and let out a long breath.

The heaving of his chest was no longer as intense as before.

One of the strings broke.

After the meeting, Giovanni walked back to his residence in a daze, not dealing with any business, but just slumped in a chair, sitting there in a daze.

He would sit from dawn till dusk, without eating, and go straight to bed and close his eyes.

midnight.

Giovanni suddenly sat up, unable to hold back any longer, and for the first time in the palace, he swore:
"Holy shit, this bunch of idiots! I can't stand it anymore!!!"

Why is it so humiliating to stay in this palace? Why are all the powerful people in positions of authority a bunch of stupid, incompetent idiots?

He was grabbing his hair in frustration, then suddenly stopped, as if he had thought of something.

He jumped out of bed, went to his desk, and carefully arranged the messy documents, reorganizing them.

But this time it wasn't for others to see, but for myself.

"Ideal community".

He kept repeating the name and began to seriously relearn about the place, leaving no detail overlooked.

This is a new system.

It is said that there is no hunger or suffering there, no privileges or nobility, and everyone is equal, but those who are truly capable are often highly respected, even revered by the people.

Based on abundant material wealth, people have the capacity to learn, which has fostered a different atmosphere from that of the empire. There, from commoners to administrators, people generally admire wise men and those who make real contributions, rather than those who consider themselves inherently noble and privileged.

The Sage brought laws different from those of the current world. The Sage was wise and generous in sharing his abilities with everyone. This is the fundamental reason for the prosperity of the ideal community, upon which a fertile ground of wisdom and harmony has grown.

It is said that the natural disaster that occurred some time ago did not cause any damage to the territory of the ideal community, and was completely resolved by the unique laws marked by blocks.

Such a nation, or rather, such a collective, could probably maintain its prosperity for a long time even without the sage and his laws; their governance methods are truly impressive.

In contrast, the Empire, once it leaves the Archmage…

Tsk.

Let's look at the capital city right now. So much time has passed, and there's not much progress in post-disaster recovery. Plus, there's an epidemic.

No one even mentioned it at the meeting!

Ugh--

Amidst sighs, the sky gradually brightened.

Giovanni rubbed his temples and closed his slightly sore eyes.

With a large amount of information fully organized in his mind, he had now pieced together a preliminary understanding of the operating model of the ideal community and gained some new insights into this behemoth.

Giovanni pondered for a long time, reflecting on the events since entering the court.

Suddenly, a disrespectful thought popped into my head.

Why should I stay in this stupid place?

Once the thought arises, it becomes difficult to suppress.

If everything in the ideal community is true, then perhaps contributing there would be far more comfortable than being a high-ranking nobleman in the Empire, a place that only hinders talented individuals from realizing their potential.

or…

Should we try contacting them?
Thinking of this, Giovanni's eyes lit up, and he felt his mind suddenly broaden, and even the room in front of him seemed much brighter.

However many ideas one has, the matter at hand cannot be delayed.

Life goes on.

Giovanni calmed himself down and began to handle his affairs as usual.

But my heart always keeps wandering away.

at the same time.

Inside the palace, the intelligence officer met with the emperor and began to recount some new information, his words tinged with personal emotion:

"The Ideal Community rejected all the demands and conditions put forward by our special envoy and declared that it would refuse to conduct any further negotiations. This disorganized organization completely disregards us."

“A new insect has emerged from the Southern Great Rift. It is as big as an entire carriage, and the insect-catching army has suffered heavy losses.”

“Our legion has retreated, but these mindless insects are not only unsatisfied, they continue to spread towards the capital. They are launching organized and proactive attacks on our encampments. This action is clearly premeditated, not driven by instinct; it is absolutely intentional…”

If a clerk were here, he would surely criticize the intelligence officer's linguistic inconsistencies.

First it says there's no wisdom, then it says there's organization and premeditation. It's like the left and right brains are fighting each other, there's no logic at all, and the language is completely unprofessional.

But the emperor didn't care.

He is very angry now.

"What!?"

The emperor slapped his thigh and roared, "This so-called community is one thing, but now even insects dare to disregard the dignity of the empire!"

"Summon the marshal here, take my seal, and then summon all the high-ranking sorcerers you can!"

"Announcement: The ruler of the empire hereby formally declares—"

"War on the insects!"

"War on the ideal community!"

"Let them feel the wrath of the empire!"

(End of this chapter)