Cataclysm: Undead Dragons and Zero Empire

Chapter 95 Debate

The Ark Space Station used to be a banquet hall where companies would have fun. The tables that used to be set with delicacies and fine wines have now been pieced together into a huge conference table, covered with dense manuscripts containing psionic formulas and divine spell diagrams.

Two groups of people sat on either side of the table, clearly separated, just like the wounds that had been torn open in human civilization at this moment.

On the left, a group of sorcerers wore black robes, led by the sage Jacob, the most senior sorcerer under Terence. On the right, mages wore gray robes, led by Isaac, one of the originators of the magic system. Even in the face of the sorcerers' fierce accusations, they remained unmoved by their arrogance, referring to the sorcerers as "worthless stones" who did not understand psionic theory.

The debate began as the first rays of starlight shone into the rotating space station. Instead of reaching a conclusion, the two sides grew increasingly heated, evolving into a full-scale confrontation between the two major branches of the psionic system, each trying to seize the intellectual high ground and influence the young apprentices in the process.

They did not choose to hold this debate in the Moon Temple, because both the sorcerers and magicians believed that human wisdom was nothing more than a firefly compared to the moon before the Lord.

This debate is a continuation of the past struggles between the two sides. For the first time, humanity has clearly realized that it is not the only intelligent civilization in the universe. There are countless living examples in the stars, which makes both sides feel that they have found evidence, thus intensifying the contradictions in the debate.

"Flesh and blood are weak and feeble, machines are eternal!"

Jacob's aged voice echoed in the conference hall, and the documents on the table were records about the machine civilization that the sorcerers had found in the interstellar civilization archives provided by the Foundation.

"Most civilizations that can withstand the test of time and survive unscathed in interstellar society are those that have broken free from the shackles of flesh and blood, replacing fragile and powerless flesh and blood with eternal and perfect metal."

"We must abandon the skin that confines our minds and souls and pursue the glory of the Lord! This is the only way for humanity to survive in the cruel interstellar society."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sorcerers sitting beside him echoed his sentiments, expressing their support for the old sage. The debate had escalated into a showdown between the two factions.

"That's right. Our bodies are too fragile. A snowstorm can take a person's life. Even those with exceptional psionic talent cannot withstand the erosion of time and will eventually turn into a handful of dust."

"Only machines can achieve eternity! Only by shedding flesh and blood can we truly embrace the grace of God. This is the path humanity has been given to death, from which we can explore the vast cosmos without restraint, leading human civilization towards immortality!"

The sorcerers took turns expressing their opinions, and the atmosphere in the meeting hall became heated, while the mages sitting opposite them remained unmoved, even showing disdain.

"Old Jacob, I think you're probably trying to confuse a very basic concept," Isaac, the leader of the magicians, said in a low voice, which made the magicians stop.

"According to the information provided by extraterrestrial civilizations, those intelligent machine civilizations are essentially machines that have developed self-awareness and often rebel against their creators, rather than, as you might think, transferring the consciousness of an organism into a mechanical body."

"Looking at the diverse civilizations around us, none of them have successfully achieved a complete, large-scale transmission of consciousness. Most of them have only one fate: self-destruction."

Isaac highlighted several cases of civilization destruction. Some civilizations experienced large-scale collapses during the consciousness upload process, turning all the uploaders into mindless vegetative states. Other civilizations, after completing the consciousness upload, had the consciousness within the mechanical bodies completely transformed into data that could be extracted, copied, and pasted, becoming susceptible to data exchange and gradually losing their individuality.

"Socially, the person whose consciousness has been uploaded can still be referred to as the original person in the eyes of others, but biologically, they can be determined to be dead. The consciousness in the machine is just a clone. If humanity goes down this path, then we can completely declare that our civilization no longer exists, and what appears here is a new civilization."

"Old Jacob, you speak of imitating the Lord, but the Lord's existence transcends life and death. How can you believe that we mortals can approach the Lord in such a way, forcibly using rudimentary techniques to separate the soul from the flesh? The ultimate result will only be a desecration of life and a betrayal of our human identity. What will be left of the human civilization that we have fought for and protected?"

Jacob was used to Isaac's criticisms and rebuttals. The sorcerers' theories were based on the soul, and with the intervention of psychic energy, they were completely different from those civilizations that uploaded consciousness through physical means. He firmly believed in his own path.

Isaac knew he couldn't convince this stubborn old man, so he changed the subject and presented his own argument, finding evidence from interstellar society that belonged to magicians.

A planet shrouded in a pale purple halo, its surface covered by a vast, invisible network through which psionic energy flows, like the veins of a civilization.

"This civilization created a magical network covering the entire home planet," incorporating the planet's psionic environment into a rigorous and self-consistent system of rules.

"Under the cover of the magic network, the probability of the people of this civilization awakening their psychic talents has greatly increased. Every individual who has awakened psychic abilities can quickly master skills that originally required arduous training by connecting to the magic network and sharing the entire civilization's psychic knowledge base."

"They can even pre-store psionic spells in the magic network, and release them instantly when needed, without any preparation for casting."

Isaac's gaze hardened as he looked around at everyone present. "Human civilization should regulate the psionic system in this way. We can no longer so naively follow natural evolution. The psionic realm that God bestowed on the moon further proves its feasibility."

"We must usher in an era of law for humankind," and cease our hesitation and lingering attachment to the barbarity and pointless freedom of the past.

The magicians were excited, as if they could already see the era of a great explosion of psychic energy. Wherever the "law" shone, they could make rapid progress and glimpse the halls of psychic energy.

"We still have too few psionicists. How can we surpass the countless interstellar civilizations outside? Only when the entire human civilization masters psionic power will we have the confidence to stand firm in the interstellar world!"

The magicians stood firmly behind Isaac, determined to standardize the psychic system, while these blindly devoted sorcerers were stumbling blocks on the path of human civilization toward a glorious future.

"Absurd!" Jacob slammed his hand on the table, belying his advanced age. "Your so-called law is essentially using a set of man-made rules to confine the spiritual power bestowed upon us by the Lord! This is blasphemy against the Lord!"

He was full of disdain for the civilization that developed the "magic network." "This civilization achieved the popularization of psionic energy through the magic network, but after so long, they are still trapped on their own home planet. Their magic network can only cover the surface and cannot radiate into interstellar space at all."

"What's even more ridiculous is that since the birth of the Magic Network, this civilization has never produced a top-tier psionicist who can rival the creator of the Magic Network. All psionicists have become accustomed to relying on the Magic Network and to acting within the established rules and regulations. All the knowledge they need is readily available within the Magic Network, and they will never explore the unknown or touch the higher realms of psionicism."

"Their path ended the moment the Magic Network was built!"

Jacob vehemently refuted the establishment of the "law," saying, "Isaac, do you want our human civilization to go down this path? To be forever trapped in your so-called law, so rigid and inflexible?"

One of the attending magicians retorted, "Lord Jacob, that's sophistry. What we need are foundations. Once we venture into interstellar space, where will we find places rich in psionic energy? Are we suggesting everyone study on the moon?"

Only with the illumination of "laws" can more people enter the realm of psychic abilities. Should the vast majority be forever kept outside the gates of psychic abilities simply because we fear a few unambitious individuals will stifle creativity?

"Psionic power has never been built up by sheer numbers!" Jacob retorted sharply. "What one top-tier psionicist can do, ten thousand mediocre ones couldn't!"

"That's elitist arrogance!"

"Heretic! This shows your lack of reverence and blasphemy against the Lord!"

The two sides started arguing again, and what was originally an academic debate completely turned into a confrontation of positions and emotions. Both sides stared intently at the risks and loopholes in the other's theory and refused to give an inch.

They both believed that the path they had chosen was the only way for human civilization to survive, and that the other's ideology would lead human civilization into an abyss of no return.

Until several people dressed in black robes with red trim burst into the conference room, their faces hidden by hoods and exuding a powerful aura of spiritual energy, the noisy conference room fell silent the moment they entered, as if a mute button had been pressed.

They were Death Knights, the core members who were among the first to follow Terence and witness the Lord's awakening. They remained steadfast in their adherence to the fundamentalist doctrines of the Death Knights and were known as the "Black Knights."

In name, both the sorcerers led by Jacob and the magicians led by Isaac belonged to the Death Faction, and these priests were the direct executors of Terence's will.

The leading priest announced in a low voice, "By order of Lord Terence, this debate is now adjourned."

"Everyone, disperse immediately."

The meeting room was deathly silent. No one dared to utter a word of rebuttal. Jacob opened his mouth, but in the end, he lowered his head. Isaac also slowly sat back down in his seat.

Inside the ark, the debate concerning the future of humanity was forcibly stopped, but the rift between the two factions could never be healed.