I alone have my own laws; I start by fabricating myths and legends of mountains and seas.

Chapter 146 Investigation

Feedback poured in like a tidal wave, starting with a few scattered points, then becoming more and more frequent and dense.

Su Fan took a deep breath and marked it. He could afford to use this much of his ability!

One, ten, fifty, one hundred —

On the star map, against the deep blue background, hundreds of points of light, each with a different color, brightness, and flickering frequency, began to emerge! Some were as bright as torches right next to you, some as faint as candles in the wind, some were stable and regular, some were jumping wildly, some had pure colors, and some were mixed and difficult to discern.

Su Fan's heartbeat quickened with each increasing number of marked dots. It wasn't excitement, but a growing sense of heaviness mixed with immense opportunity and a hint of bewilderment.

Based on the ability of the [Civilization Star Map] to determine the authenticity of these activities, they are at most suspected to be activities of intelligent life! They may not actually represent a civilization.

But aren't there a lot of markers? If nothing unexpected happens, Su Fan most likely won't suffer the first consequence of becoming a [Civilization Believer]. With so many suspected points, he should at least encounter one by now!

Finally, the energy of the [Tracking] receded like a tide, and the scanning range reached its limit. On the star map, a total of 371 points of light were marked!

Three hundred and seventy-one places—even with the worst precision, there should be civilizations there! I never imagined there would be so many areas within ten thousand light-years that could harbor intelligent life!

May they grow strong! A powerful civilization means a more advanced technology tree, a more unique philosophical understanding, and a more powerful form of emotion or energy. That will be the richest fuel and catalyst for the evolution of the Mountain and Sea Realm and for him to transform the false into the real.

Ruguofu is weak, Wenmeng Yongping is a human Yongping from the Cold Weapon Era, then Brother is really disappointing.

But I'm also afraid they're too powerful! What if there's a dragon among them whose technology surpasses human civilization and who might even be able to see through parts of the true nature of the Mountain and Sea Realm?

He, Su Fan, could remain behind the scenes and take sides, but the foundation of human civilization was too fragile. Once a powerful civilization truly set its sights on the solar system, even if only one of its creations or expeditions happened to arrive, it could bring devastating damage. In that case, could he truly preserve the flame of human civilization? Or could he only watch helplessly as the stage he had cultivated was overturned by a more domineering force?

This contradictory state of mind was like ice and fire intertwining in his consciousness. Each time he marked a bright, highly active point, a burning anticipation would rise in his heart, only to be immediately covered by a cold anxiety. Marking a faint, ancient point brought a slight sense of relief, yet also a touch of regret for its perceived lack of value.

Ideally, it should be a "not too weak but still strong" civilization. Su Fan silently hoped, or rather, greedily planned. The civilization should be unique enough, rich enough to provide the different rules and nourishment we need; but not so strong as to ignore human civilization and the current defenses of the Mountain and Sea Realm, so strong that they could easily see through my plans. Ideally, it should be in some kind of bottleneck or predicament, with an opportunity to exploit, a gap to be found—

"The invitations to the grand feast have been sent out, and the guest list is beyond our expectations," Tiandao's voice rang out. "The next step is to decide which guest to reserve a seat for first, and what kind of tableware to prepare in our restaurant."

"The Way of Heaven," Su Fan began, his voice clear and steady, "These points of light are classified as 'suspected' according to the [True/False] rule. In other words, they could be the remnants of a civilization's flames, or they could be a cruel joke played by the universe, a natural phenomenon simulating some characteristics of intelligent activity. They might even be tombstones left by a vanished civilization!"

"The possibility exists." The voice of Heaven seamlessly followed, "Immense size means both risk and opportunity."

"Human civilization is still a fledgling infant in the cradle of its home planet," Su Fan said. "On the technological side, we haven't been able to effectively utilize the resources within the solar system, establish a space industrial system, or even break through the theoretical barrier of the speed of light. On the extraordinary side, internal energy martial arts have only just begun to achieve the union of spirit and qi, ghost cultivators rely on emotions and the souls of the dead, and the system of faith and divine arts has only just begun to take root. Using human civilization itself as a medium for effective interstellar contact is like me buying a lottery ticket and winning ten million."

Su Fan gave a soft "heh," his tone ambiguous, whether it was helplessness or complete understanding. "So, this task of bridging the gap and testing the waters ultimately falls back on my shoulders. The burden of human civilization rests on my shoulders, and inviting other civilizations to participate or serve as new fuel requires me, the behind-the-scenes boss, to personally deliver the invitations."

The voice of Heaven was clearly audible: "Your leadership in the initial contact will ensure the highest efficiency, the greatest controllability, and will also minimize the risk of uncontrollable disasters caused by human civilization's ignorance or fragility."

Su Fan and Chen Yang began to discuss the use of these coordinates.

The final result was that Su Fan used the [Shaping] ability of the [Godhood Mask] to create a body using pure water as the material, which was then controlled by the Heavenly Dao.

Then, using the material delivery function of the gourd-shaped porcelain pillow, this body was transported to the coordinates of a suspected civilization!

Then, remotely control and observe the environment of any suspected civilization. If intelligent life is discovered, directly bring it into the Mountain and Sea Realm. This also serves as a way to fill in the gap in the fact that the Mountain and Sea Realm is the center of all realms!

Once drawn into the Mountain and Sea Realm, Su Fan can manipulate the other party however he wants. After all, the fact that the [Gourd Porcelain Pillow] is a world unto itself is not untrue. Human civilization is now essentially at Su Fan's mercy.

Moreover, even if they are discovered, the opposing civilization may not be able to detect Su Fan as the mastermind.

They would only discover that they were being watched by a civilization whose observation devices were made of pure water! Surely no other civilization could be powerful enough to lock onto the will of a world!

This is a method that Su Fan and Tiandao believe to be relatively reliable after discussion.

"Let's begin," Su Fan said in a deep voice. "After deployment, immediately enter complete silent observation mode, unless a clear indication is found..."

A safe opportunity for contact is required; otherwise, no signals will be sent proactively.

As a stream of pure water was created, the detection unit controlled by the Heavenly Dao was launched, and a live broadcast screen appeared in front of Su Fan!

In the center of the image is the planet. Dark red, like dried, congealed blood. A probe made of pure water is skimming the surface at an extremely low altitude, transmitting back the information it captures without reservation.

The first thing that strikes the senses is the gravity parameter. The voice of the Heavenly Dao calmly explains: "Based on the inverse calculations of orbital dynamics and the model of microscopic particle sedimentation on the Earth's surface, the standard gravity on the surface of this planet is approximately 3.02 times that of Earth."

Three times the gravity. A series of images flashed through Su Fan's mind in an instant: more robust possible biological structures, slower macroscopic motion, and the gravitational wells, far deeper than Earth's, that any spacecraft attempting to leave this planet would have to overcome. This was a heavy world.