This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 234 Wealth is their God

"...Huh?" The scholars were taken aback, their expressions quickly becoming complicated, and they even revealed a variety of facial expressions.

“Please continue analyzing the document,” Nie Weiyang said to the scholars, his tone solemn, without revealing the surging emotions and doubts in their hearts: “Any fragment of information related to these three words, no matter how small, could be crucial.”

"Especially the connections between them, and... the specific content and limitations of this 'authority'."

The group looked at each other, then nodded solemnly.

As Nie Weiyang looked at the image displayed on the projector, a chilling stillness settled in his heart.

Smugglers... their sins are perhaps far older and deeper than previously known.

And cutting off this sin no longer seems to be just for revenge or justice, but more like cutting off some terrible tentacles from the distant past that are trying to continue to pollute the present.

Golden God, Golden Angel...

That was the extermination power of an alien civilization.

If the criminal traffickers are indeed involved, this matter...

Nie Weiyang's expression was calm, but the air in the conference room was stagnant, and an eerie chill permeated the atmosphere.

However, another document that had just completed its initial interpretation was pushed to the main screen. Its content did not bring a strange religious feeling, but rather a more direct and painful warning.

A scholar specializing in environmental history and paleontology cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. His expression was unusually grave.

"Gentlemen, while we were sorting through the documents of the Pingdu No. 4 Research Institute and the No. 7 and No. 25 city ruins, we obtained a relatively coherent set of records."

He operated the handheld projector, displaying pre-civilization text and its translation amidst distorted yet faintly discernible light and shadow, despite the low image quality.

"It describes a... global catastrophe. The previous civilization called it—'the sixth mass extinction'."

These words sent a jolt through almost everyone present.

Earth has experienced five mass extinctions, each of which signified dramatic changes in the ecosystem and the extinction of countless species.

“According to the literature,” the scholar continued, his voice low, “the prelude to this mass extinction was set off by the excessive exploitation and destruction of the ecosystem by pre-civilized humans. But the real trigger that led to the complete collapse of the chain was a catastrophic natural disaster event known as ‘colony exhaustion disorder’.”

The screen showed a depiction of this phenomenon: adult bees stopped working, abandoned their hives, flew aimlessly until they died of exhaustion.

Only the queen bee, young bees, and a large amount of uneaten food remained in the hive, and eventually, the entire bee colony perished.

“The description is…very accurate,” murmured an expert from the agricultural sector, his face pale.

Similar swarm collapse phenomena have occurred on Earth before...

“Yes,” the paleontologist nodded gravely, “the scale, speed, and lethality of colony failure disorder in this world far exceed anything recorded in our history.”

"It is the last straw that breaks the camel's back of the ecosystem. Plants that rely on insect pollination are reduced or even extinct on a large scale, and animals that rely on them for survival follow suit... The food chain breaks down from the bottom up, and the chain reaction eventually sweeps the globe."

He paused, switched the images, and displayed a blurry microscopic image along with some complex analysis reports.

"And the scientists of the previous civilization eventually confirmed," his voice tinged with disbelief and lingering fear, "that the culprit behind this super-hazardous event was not simply a pathogen or environmental pressure, but an extremely sophisticated parasite."

Nie Weiyang suddenly looked up. Parasites? Parasites again?
"The literature mentions that this parasite has a complex and short life cycle and an infection mechanism that is difficult to understand."

"It is not native to Earth; the most mainstream view is that it was brought by a meteorite that entered the atmosphere—"

"It's like... the universe sent a malicious 'gift'."

There was dead silence in the conference room.

The idea that meteorites bring extraterrestrial pathogens is a common theme in science fiction, but in reality, this information has been confirmed as one of the causes of the extinction of a highly advanced interstellar civilization, and its impact is enormous.

“The author of the document said,” the scholar’s ​​voice was low, “that humanity’s previous frenzied exploitation of the ecosystem has greatly weakened the Earth’s ecological resilience and recovery capacity, like making a giant weak and vulnerable.”

"This meteorite, named 'Prank,' brought with it a parasite that precisely struck the giant's vitals. It exploited and exacerbated the existing ecological collapse..."

He pointed to the cold text on the screen.

"...Ultimately, it caused that blue planet to go from being vibrant to irreversibly decaying."

"This is also one of the direct driving forces that forced previous civilizations to carry out interstellar migration."

The amount of information is enormous, and everyone needs time to digest it.

The sixth mass extinction...bee colony depletion and disorder...extraterrestrial parasites...ecological exploitation...planetary decay...

These words, pieced together, create a breathtaking historical picture.

Those pains.

Those moments of despair.

Those complex struggles, deaths, and corruptions were ultimately presented to them simply as cold words.

Nie Weiyang remained silent. He subtly understood why the natural environment of the new world sometimes gave people a morbid sense of vigor, and why the cycle of life and death presented such an almost frenzied state... No, there must be other information yet to be revealed...

Was the meteorite that brought the parasite really just a coincidence?
Golden Celestial, Golden Angel, Netherworld Crystal (Astrostone Type), and even astral stones that came with the meteorite… these things are like pathogens floating in space, some brutal and malicious pathogens. Is there some connection between that 'prank' and them? Do the traffickers of crime and this ecological disaster that led to the collapse of civilization share some dark root?
More and more questions arose, weaving together into an even larger web.

Official understanding, and indeed all of humanity's understanding of this new world, has only just begun to unfold. Hidden beneath the surface lies a bottomless abyss of darkness and a potentially even more perilous future.

Nie Weiyang took a deep breath, slowly raised his head, and asked a question:
"It is known that, at least on this planet, the previous civilization possessed the ability to rewrite reality and modify the planet's terrain."

"Is it possible that the collapse of the ecosystem was not the reason for their interstellar migration, or at least not the main reason?"

“That’s very likely,” an elderly scholar nodded in agreement.

Then, one of the military representatives spoke thoughtfully.

“When our people were in contact with criminal traffickers before, I received a report that contained a sentence that seemed insignificant at the time, but now that I think about it… it’s a bit strange.”

Addressing the attentive audience in the conference room, he said, "Wealth is their God."

The scholars were taken aback. Nie Weiyang suddenly sat up; he had realized something!
“Gold!” he said. “Gold is wealth—in pre-civilized languages, these two things share the same root word!”

(End of this chapter)