The Federation previously understood that space could affect time.
After all, spatial movement is ultimately a change in gravitational force, influencing particle movement.
But how does space affect time without gravitational force?
Or perhaps, space without gravitational force is a concept that doesn't exist within the Federation.
Space without gravitons might exist, but space without gravitational force is impossible.
Gravitons are ultimately just messengers of the gravitational force; they aren't gravitational force itself. Gravitational force itself is a force created by the warping of space.
Theoretically, if spatial warping exists here, then extremely strong gravitational force should exist.
But it doesn't!
C28 detected no information regarding gravitational force.
Therefore, it's possible that gravitational force can only be transmitted via gravitons. If this space lacks gravitons, then the gravitational force itself cannot influence other particles.
This is the only plausible explanation.
At least, with the Federation's current scientific and technological understanding, and based on C28's data, this is the only explanation.
Thus, within the dimensional gateway, space directly influences the process of matter, a process not caused by force.
[Data analysis…]
[Data analysis failed…]
[Re-utilizing data for analysis…]
[Second data analysis failed…]
C28 allocated most of its computing power to analyze this information repeatedly.
Until:
[Analysis commencing, attempt number 269,873…]
[Data analysis successful. A plausible theoretical explanation generated…]
Finally, it arrived at a possibility.
Their previous understanding of space was that it was continuous. If the condition "space is continuous" is broken, then this phenomenon becomes reasonable.
The new explanation is—space is continuous on the surface, but discontinuous in depth.
This explanation doesn't involve multidimensional theories, nor does it posit that the second dimension exists on one layer of space and the third on another. In this explanation, all dimensions actually exist on the same spatial plane.
This aligns with the original understanding of dimensions; this explanation doesn't contradict it.
However, in addition to all dimensions coexisting on this plane, the universe also contains other spatial planes.
These spatial planes can be called "parallel universes."
But in this theory, each spatial plane is identical; no differences exist. It's impossible to travel to other spatial planes and alter timelines.
Outside a black hole, this is impossible.
In other words, this is possible inside a black hole.
That is, this occurs within a dimensional gateway.
Purely spatial tearing occurs; different spatial layers mix with their own spatial layer.
This mixing only exists within the dimensional gateway. Furthermore, some fragmented pieces of space cease movement; they only resume movement upon returning to their original position. This repositioning sometimes results in errors; fragments from other spatial layers reposition to different spatial layers.
Generally, these spatial layers can only show past events, not future events.
If a future event occurs, like in Denal's case, it means he had actually completed his journey and failed. His true arrival in four-dimensional space was actually through other spatial layers.
If this is so, then does a certainty exist within this spatial region?
That is, is it certain that a creature entering the dimensional gateway will spend a certain amount of its time reaching the other side?
This explanation has an unexplained element. If all spatial layers behave this way, then everything mentioned previously is invalid. If the first Denal didn't reach four-dimensional space, how could the subsequent Denal reach it? Their outcomes should be the same.
C28 performed further analysis.
It finally reached a conclusion.
Space is chaotic; it not only might not return to its original spatial layer, but it might not even return to its original position. Thus, Denal, traversing spatial layers from point C on layer A, directly reached point D on layer B.
This led to one Denal emerging from the dimensional gateway, reaching four-dimensional space.
This brings us back to the previous problem.
Thus, reaching four-dimensional space via the dimensional gateway should be a certainty, but reality is different.
The vast majority of creatures did not reach four-dimensional space.
C28 almost instantly provided an answer.
The dimensional gateway itself is unstable!
At certain points in time, the dimensional gateway becomes "damaged," fragmented, allowing the gravitational pull of the black hole to affect the gateway's interior. The independent nature of this space is disrupted, and all life forms in this space, across all layers, face the same fate—falling into the black hole.
Here, it is reset.
This means reaching four-dimensional space through the dimensional gateway changes from a certainty to an extremely low probability.
C28 didn't know if its analysis was correct, but it wanted to sever its connection with C27.
If the destruction here means the collapse of the entire dimensional gateway, then the so-called two-way exploration is meaningless. The incident with the previous spaceship means that the subsequent ships will also face the same fate.
It didn't know the collapse cycle of the dimensional gateway.
But if it's short, then its probability of returning to three-dimensional space increases slightly.
Based on previous theories, as long as the passage isn't destroyed, the probability of returning to three-dimensional space is 100% certain.
So it severed the connection and flew towards the closed loop.
Although it was constantly moving forward, it couldn't find the original markers it had left behind—perfectly normal.
It flew straight, and it kept flying straight.
It didn't know how long it had passed.
Strictly speaking, each spatial layer is itself; therefore, from its own perspective, it doesn't experience death because the "it" that experiences death doesn't exist.
Or, more simply, it itself doesn't die; it only falls into countless spatial layers, constantly flying, but never escaping, until the dimensional gateway collapses.
This is an abstract concept. Although countless spatial layers exist, these countless layers are essentially one. Regardless of where an object is transported within these countless layers, it only has one state.
Either destroyed or existing.
This is from the object's perspective, but in reality, the theory does allow for the conclusion of an object's death.
Reality and theory are inconsistent.
Perhaps this theory of C28 is inherently flawed.
But it doesn't matter. Its task is this; other probes will obtain other answers, and the Federation will synthesize all answers to reach a conclusion.
Suddenly, C28 perceived the presence of light.
It was in a void of stars.
It looked outward; a distant structure was visible. It felt no excitement, because this wasn't three-dimensional space, but four-dimensional space.
It had returned!
Or perhaps the chaotic space had transported it to four-dimensional space.
Just as C28 was about to reach this conclusion, another C28 emerged from the three-dimensional dimensional gateway's opening.
...
C28 returning.
This was good news.
On another exploration vessel near the dimensional gateway, everyone rejoiced.
However, one person was missing.
Mukong.
He had died of old age.
That was his third life. He had waited for the equipment's return, for hundreds of years, watching with bated breath, but the dimensional gateway remained eerily silent.
During his lifetime, he had repeatedly petitioned the Federation for extended lifespan, and had constantly researched psionics, but the Federation had refused his requests, and his psionic level remained stuck at level 6.
Some advised him to leave the Federation and join another star nation; with his abilities, he would certainly be welcomed.
But he refused. He felt it would be a betrayal.
He had another option: cryosleep. However, he was part of the anti-cryosleep faction.
This was a large faction within the Federation. They refused cryosleep; they felt it was a waste of time. Even if their own time was paused, time around them continued.
The thought of waking up to find everything around them changed, their old friends gone or dead, was something they couldn't accept.
Their motto was "Cherish the moment."
Although the dimensional gateway exploration plan was crucial to Mukong, he still didn't want to alter his life timeline for it.
Conversely, the Federation also had a large number of cryosleep enthusiasts. They would plan their lifespans, for example, waking up every thousand years, extending their lifespan by decades each time, allowing them to witness the Federation's 450,000-year development.
Some were even more extreme, remaining in cryosleep indefinitely.
It's worth mentioning that the New Federation's cryosleep legislation had changed. If someone entered a virtual world with network connectivity during cryosleep, it would be considered sleep, not cryosleep.
Cryosleep could only occur in virtual worlds without network connectivity. This definition was rather loose. If, for instance, 1000 individuals were connected to the same server that couldn't access information from other parts of the Federation, that virtual world would be classified as a non-networked virtual world.
So there were still loopholes.
Some Federation members eager for immortality would live permanently in such virtual worlds. They would form factions; the largest had over one million members.
One million people in a virtual world weren't drastically different from reality. Virtual worlds were so advanced that the difference was almost imperceptible, unless one used an electron microscope to observe atoms and discovered that the atoms in the virtual world weren't atoms, but sequences of numbers from 1 to 9.
The crew aboard the vessel retrieved C28 and accessed its internal data.
Processing the information astonished the researchers.
"The dimensional gateway's interior is completely… a vacuum…"
"Space tearing in a perfect vacuum… I remember a researcher proposing this hypothesis, but we all know that a perfect vacuum doesn't exist. It seems we've found one."
"The space-layer theory. This is a good starting point, but some things remain unexplained. This theory has many logical flaws, but perhaps it's not irretrievable."
Everyone began to discuss.
They gradually became engrossed, forgetting everything else.
They convened a small meeting in the retrieval bay.
"This theory does explain many inconsistencies within the dimensional gateway, but if the gateway is undamaged, the exploration equipment should return. This doesn't explain why we received C28 immediately; something else must be interfering."
"True. It's been 713 years since we launched those devices. If the dimensional gateway cycle approaches 1000 years, the Swarm should have entered four-dimensional space in large numbers."
"We still don't know the specific spatial state inside the dimensional gateway. If 700-900 years represents the fastest transit speed of the gateway, it might explain why the Swarm couldn't reach four dimensions—they would need to find the shortest route."
"Wake up! Denal's case disproves that. After all, Denal encountered two objects in four-dimensional space sequentially; that's why the information could be transmitted."
"But what if it wasn't as we initially thought? Regardless of whether it was the Swarm or the later dimensional reflection membrane, it might have actually departed before Denal?"
These discussions were based on the newly acquired information; they were mere hypotheses.
There would be no definitive answer, because no one knew if their assumptions were true. How could they convince others if they weren't even convinced themselves?
The information was transmitted to the Federation.
This time, it was swift, because C28 didn't contain any precise data. The discoveries were vague; the real value lay in its interpretation of what it observed.
Still in A19, Free Star City.
Luna hadn't left for tens of thousands of years. She had followed Star City's movement, never considering where the journey would end.
After receiving the news, Luna asked Ayla, "What's your opinion on the space-layer hypothesis?"
Ayla evaluated the rationality of the space-layer hypothesis. Sitting next to Luna, she had actually been watching a movie with her, a rare moment of relaxation.
Little did she know she'd be thrust back into work.
She hugged her knees, her chin resting on them.
"A space-layer theory challenges the uniqueness of space. If space isn't unique, then, in a narrow sense, parallel universes must exist. Therefore, I believe it's impossible."
"But the discovery within the dimensional gateway violates current Federation understanding."
"The space inside the dimensional gateway isn't just chaotically warped; it's intertwined and conflicts with the timeline."
"Actually, I lean towards Denal's experience of chaotic sensations within the dimensional gateway, leading him to misinterpret his own timeline's alteration."
"If the timeline truly changed, we can assert one thing: our timeline couldn't possibly know information from another timeline. Yet, in reality, he felt his time count fluctuate."
"This possibility doesn't exist, unless we create a new theory."
"C28's analysis introduced this point, creating the space-layer theory."
Ayla felt they should respect the participant's experience, so she didn't dismiss Denal's perceptions, resulting in Denal's experience within the dimensional gateway being considered as evidence.
If this point were excluded, the theoretical framework wouldn't have so many flaws.
The dimensional gateway's internal space didn't conflict with the existence of time; the space was simply a tear.
"But that doesn't explain why C28 could return."
"Regardless of whether it's Denal or C28, from an informational perspective, they're both inevitable." Luna felt that if it were simply a matter of probability, it would be too simplistic.
Both Denal and C28 provided crucial information about the dimensional space.
"So-called inevitability is the need for a living being to provide itself with a reasonable explanation for events."
"From a macroscopic perspective, the number of lives we've sent into the dimensional gateway is in the trillions. Why, Luna, have you determined that they're special?"
"If the information transmitted were from two Swarms, wouldn't you also consider them special?"
"That's unreasonable. Their randomness outweighs their necessity."
Ayla, from a more objective standpoint, offered a judgment, further refuting the multi-dimensional space theory.
"If space is layered, it implies that all spaces have independently existing time. We all know what time actually is."
"Particle motion. Layered space implies that all space particles are independent. If they're independent, how can C28's judgment exist, that point where multi-layered space has a single time?"
After deep thought, Luna agreed with Ayla.
Initially, from a dialectical perspective, she could still withstand the pressure.
"We've now reached a common understanding in two dimensions. What if other spatial layers are just one-dimensional energy projected through a two-dimensional membrane?"
This argument states that one-dimensional and two-dimensional space are unique, while other dimensions are layered.
Theoretically, it's illogical.
But it's also impossible to refute.
Because nobody knows what the properties of space are.
Ayla responded to this speculation: "The problem of dimensionality is inherently difficult. Two dimensions are a membrane; one dimension is independent, the origin of everything. This explains why we can't access one-dimensional and two-dimensional problems."
In reality, this point is unconfirmed; even the judgments about one and two dimensions are theoretical.
However, this theory is currently mainstream, so we'll discuss it on that basis.
"All matter is one-dimensional energy projected onto two dimensions, then appearing in three dimensions and higher dimensions. But we can confirm one point: gravity can transcend space."
"In fact, this creates differences between dimensions. If space is layered, then I could influence another layer of space from my own layer through gravity, thus achieving the changes I want."
"Are my layer and another layer necessarily different? Of course, they are. Even a difference in a single fundamental particle would create a chain reaction."
"Even if one-dimensional and two-dimensional spaces are different, and three-dimensional spaces have different layers with the same material, I could still influence another spatial layer through gravity to create a phenomenon within my layer. We haven't yet discovered this."
"Or perhaps the spatial layers themselves are special and gravity cannot alter them."
"That conclusion is rather amusing. We know the dimensional gateway is a black hole. This discussion is based on gravity's destruction and disruption of spatial layers, so gravity can certainly alter spatial layers. This argument enters an infinite loop, negating its own rationality."
Ayla believed space was singular.
Luna felt this was indeed more reasonable, at least for the present stage.
Even so, the information obtained from C28 wasn't meaningless; it proved the existence of certain things.
"Perhaps we need more information to truly understand the dimensional gateway."
"C28's return proves this is feasible, but we've determined that interrupting the signal is useless. Returning is simply a matter of probability. Therefore, we need to invest even more resources."
"It's the power of spatial distortion. Facts prove that negative energy's effect in this area is limited, unless we can use an enormous amount of negative energy to directly stabilize the entire passageway. I think that's impossible."
"If that were truly possible, those powerful civilizations would have already done it, instead of creating a semi-finished product."
The original purpose of the dimensional gateway was to study the relationship between dimensions and achieve the unification of all dimensions.
Creating a stable dimensional gateway could accelerate this process. Why not do it? Unless there are other players involved.
But what game could compare to the survival of all civilizations in the Milky Way?
Therefore, Ayla and Luna wouldn't consider this.
So, the solution is still to rely on sheer numbers?
There must be a way to safely traverse the dimensional gateway.
"Actually, we don't need to be so hasty. We haven't received any information about massive invasions from other dimensions, proving that it's not impossible to traverse the dimensional gateway, even for those Type 2.9 civilizations."
Ayla tried to reassure Luna.
But Luna secretly aspired to surpass those Type 2.8 and 2.9 civilizations. If not being the first, then at least being among the civilizations that have discovered interdimensional information.
Otherwise, the Federation's best-case scenario would be becoming a vassal state, and the worst, total annihilation.
"How are preparations for that event coming along?"
"We should launch the second Subluminal Flight Vehicle." Luna asked.
After sensing the Connecter Civilization's spying, she made a decision.
They would shift all their exploration efforts to the outer reaches of the Milky Way.
If it came to that, at least they'd have a fallback plan.
The situation now differs from when they faced the olive branch of the Galactic Federation. Back then, the Federation was too weak to escape; only she and Ayla, along with a handful of others, could have fled.
Now, the Federation had constructed seven planet-class warships, with more to come.
These planet-class warships could carry a vast number of people. They are essentially mobile fortresses, and their gravitational energy sources make carrying half or even the entire Federation a realistic possibility.
Luna didn't believe an interdimensional war would erupt within the next 100,000 years. By then, the Federation could be even stronger, conservatively remaining at the late stage of a Type 2.6 civilization; reaching 2.7 wasn't impossible.
This was Luna's current power.
Although it was merely the power of escape, in wartime, possessing the ability to escape was incredibly powerful—something the old Federation lacked.
"Almost ready. This time, we need a large number of Subluminal Flight Vehicles, and they'll be comprehensively upgraded."
"We project we can explore a volume of 11 trillion cubic light-years within 25,000 years."
That's not a long time.
The only obstacle is whether the Connecter Civilization would allow the Federation to seek a retreat.
...
Federation border.
A 50-meter class spaceship silently approached a Star City. It didn't attempt any camouflage, only consistently refusing to connect to the star system network.
After three warnings, Boundary God issued an order, classifying it as "Pending."
This is a classification for unknown spaceships.
Classifications include "Pending," "Dangerous," "Catastrophic," and "Extermination." Threats like this are usually classified as "Pending." Only large-scale invasions would warrant "Dangerous." The arrival of a civilization like the Flyers would trigger "Catastrophic," and "Extermination" is reserved for invasions like the previous Olive Branch Civilization.
Once classified, a special task force is dispatched for apprehension.
The Federation has military forces in each star system, but not only the military. Internal security within a star system is managed by the Star Patrol, officially known as the Federation Stellar XXX Star System Patrol Corps. This is a corps with extensive functions, capable of handling almost anything within the star system.
Each Star Patrol member must undergo rigorous testing; selection standards are even higher than the military's.
After all, military personnel often perform straightforward combat missions; passing ability tests is sufficient. Star Patrol officers, however, deal more with internal citizens and more complex situations.
Typical patrol ships are 500-meter class vessels, equipped with advanced technology.
The Star Patrol quickly dispatched units to intercept the spaceship.
However, the spaceship landed directly within a Star City. Boundary God began investigating anomalies within the Star City, but only managed to obtain a short video of the individual disembarking from the ship before losing track of them.
As other star nations' technological capabilities improved, Boundary God was no longer omnipotent.
Over 10,000 Star Patrol officers began searching for the individual within the Star City. This search lasted 23 years.
As time passed, the 10,000 Star Patrol officers dwindled to only a few dozen who continued the search—a needle in a haystack.
This situation was unusual. After all, a person needs to consume resources; consumption requires connecting to the Federation system. Even if they didn't consume resources, interacting with others would allow Boundary God to identify an individual through high-volume data.
But this individual's whereabouts remained untraceable.
This continued until a high-rise building in the Star City collapsed…
Federation high-rises have extremely stable structures. Even dozens of Tsar Bomba hydrogen bombs wouldn't necessarily topple a building, yet this one fell.
On the rubble, everyone saw a massive crater that had swallowed the entire building.
The structure beneath this deep hole had vanished, leaving only a few supporting pillars and pipes maintaining the city's power, network, water, gas, and wastewater systems. The supporting structure had otherwise disappeared.
While everyone was in awe of the Star City's ability to reduce casualties, Boundary God issued a "Dangerous" warning.
This was clearly not an ordinary event.
Boundary God knew everything within the star system, yet the Star City was empty. It lacked this information, meaning someone must have secretly maintained the Star City's robots.
Large numbers of Star Patrol officers entered the emptiness, stunned by what they saw.
Empty.
Not just the underground of one building, but the entire interior of the Star City was hollowed out.
It had bypassed many frequently-inspected vital locations, completely stripping away seemingly unimportant areas.
Few people, or even robots, would search within a supporting pillar. The fact that the interior of these pillars was 90% hollowed out explained the building's collapse; it simply couldn't support its own weight.
A thousand-mile dam broken by an ant colony—that's what this was.
What caused all this?
They continued inwards, feeling the heat intensify as they went deeper.
Descending underground, they stepped onto a soft, malleable substance. They deployed probes to create a 3D scan of the surroundings, discovering that this soft material enveloped everything. Its diameter exceeded ten thousand kilometers.
As they scanned, the ground suddenly began to collapse.
No.
It was as if everything was sinking into that malleable substance, as if it were consuming everything around it.
"Order an evacuation!"
A piercing alarm blared in the ears of everyone in the Star City, even those in virtual reality being forcibly ejected.
They fled the surface of the Star City en masse.
Some used spaceships, starships, or flying vehicles, while others left the Star City on foot, venturing into the vacuum of space.
They looked back at the Star City where they had lived their entire lives, only to see it rapidly disintegrating; countless buildings collapsed, and the ground cracked open.
They had never witnessed anything like this.
Large quantities of a black, liquid-like substance flowed from the ground, engulfing the entire Star City.
Some Star Patrol officers used their ships' weapons to attack the substance, but the effect was minimal.
They could only watch helplessly as the black substance consumed the Star City. All of this was over within a few hours. Only an enormous black sphere remained in that sector of space, resembling a giant planet.
It began to shrink, its surface gradually hardening, accompanied by streaks of lightning dancing across its surface.
Finally, it shrank to a sphere only 100 kilometers in diameter, its volume reduced ten thousandfold.
The attacks never ceased, but they had virtually no effect on the sphere. High-powered weapons were needed, but the Star Patrol wasn't equipped with them; indeed, the star system didn't even possess high-powered weapons for internal use.
"Get far away from here."
The Star Patrol commander ordered a full retreat.
But it was too late. The compressed sphere suddenly exploded, releasing vast quantities of gas that spread in all directions. The initial expansion speed of this gas exceeded 3900 km/s. Ships could escape, but the individuals in space couldn't reach such speeds; they were instantly enveloped in the black mist.
Within the mist, they didn't even have time to cry out before being assimilated.
This was the substance's first appearance, killing over ten million people. The Federation border experienced similar incidents several more times before capturing one individual, finally revealing the substance's true nature.
Gene pools!
These were the supreme gene pools developed by twenty-eight star nations.
Its name was King's Feast, also known as the Gluttonous gene pool.
After being infused with the gene pool's genes, the host would engage in frenzied consumption, devouring all surrounding matter before compacting itself and finally exploding upon death.
This was an uncontrolled gene pool, classified as one of the supreme gene pools due to its terrifying size and resistance to energy weapons upon reaching a certain maturity.
The supreme gene pools of this era were far different from the gene pools of the [Supreme Being] era. [Supreme Being] gene pools in the early days of the New Federation were quite advanced but are now simply considered high-level gene pools.
Gene pools are classified as low-level, mid-level, high-level, peak-level, and supreme.
Each supreme gene pool possesses terrifying abilities, far exceeding the capabilities of ships; warships are required for their destruction.
The King's Feast completely ignited the martial spirit of a segment of the Federation's population, pushing the war between the Federation and the twenty-eight nations into a second phase.
More citizens were killed.
...
Fragments of the King's Feast gene pool were delivered to Luna, who dedicated herself to its study, discovering significant potential. She assembled biologists from Free Star City to modify the King's Feast, transforming it into the Divine Feast.
"The Divine Feast's consumption capabilities are stronger than the King's Feast's; it can even absorb a portion of the energy used to attack it."
"Its maximum size is 472 trillion tons, heavier than most planets."
"The Divine Feast gene is incredibly stable and won't explode. This is why it's unsuitable as a weapon, but it has the potential to transform a lifeform into a planet itself."
The Divine Feast gene pool is also called the Planetary gene pool, following a path entirely different from the Gluttonous gene pool.
After completing her research and development of the Divine gene pool, Luna made further advancements in biology—this was simply a matter of her usual biological research interests.
She and Ayla had no intention of involving themselves in the Federation-Twenty-Eight Nations Covenant war; any casualties were within expectations.
She believed nothing would warrant her attention for nearly 1000 years.
But then, news arrived from Chu.
This was Chu's first contact since leaving the eternally democratic star nation. Luna reflected that she hadn't paid much attention to that nation's affairs.
She felt that leaving things to Chu's development was sufficient; Ayla seemingly hadn't focused on that nation either, placing complete trust in Chu.
It was only now, through Ayla, that Luna learned Chu had been reporting on the eternally democratic star nation to Ayla every 100 years.
After Luna set the Federation against the eternally democratic star nation, Chu had reformed the eternally democratic star nation, sparking a wave of development within it.
Ayla briefed Luna on the current situation in the eternally democratic star nation.
"Chu defined the Federation as traitors to the eternally democratic star nation. Now, the eternally democratic star nation is essentially a blend of theocratic rule and socialism, with citizens following socialism as if it were a creed."
"Those who violate the creed are naturally enemies of the entire star nation. This makes it easier to mobilize the entire population."
Luna felt a slight headache coming on.
What was this?
Why were religion and socialism intertwined?
"Citizens of the eternally democratic star nation don't have to worry about lifespan, so ordinary social models can't be maintained long-term."
"Even the most avid gamer will eventually experience digital burnout, while religious fervor compensates for spiritual exhaustion."
"That's not the point. Due to the theocratic nature of its social structure, the eternally democratic star nation began expanding. During this expansion, they made a discovery that might relate to the Connecter's considerations."
Ayla relayed Chu's message.
"Luna, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"
"To be honest, after you left, I was somewhat lost, unsure of our civilization's future path. I began to understand the rationality behind some of the Federation's regulations, including why you insisted on limiting the lifespan of Federation citizens."
"I've been so busy, I haven't been able to find the time to properly talk to you, to hear your opinions. This is perhaps my stubbornness; I want to achieve something, like you."
"I once thought managing a single Star City was tiring enough. Now I manage the entire eternally democratic star nation; there's so much to handle. I want to delegate, like you, but the entire civilization lacks ambition. Delegation would only cause further stagnation."
"Sorry, this preamble is a bit long. I really want to see you again, though it might be a long time. I know the dimensional gateway matters have been taxing you."
"Recently, we discovered remnants of a Light-based civilization within a star system. Considering Light-based civilization remnants have been discovered twice, you wouldn't be surprised by a third discovery."
"But this discovery wasn't just a Light-based civilization warship; it was an entire battlefield."
"A Light-based civilization and another civilization fought there. Based on the situation, they were only Type 2.1 or 2.2 civilizations at the time—extremely weak."
"But that was nearly ten million years ago. Now, they must be incredibly powerful."
"From those warships, we retrieved some data. This data contains the Light-based civilization's technological pathway. Based on our extrapolation of their technological trajectory, we believe the Light-based civilization may have approached, or even reached, a Type 3 civilization."
"The Light-based civilization is now incredibly powerful; it could potentially conquer the entire Milky Way."
"It was once a member of the Milky Way, but was forced out due to war, traveling to the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy to develop."
"I suspect the Connecter civilization, or other Milky Way civilizations, aren't fearful of other galactic Type 3 civilizations. After all, if we know of their existence, there's no reason they wouldn't know of ours."
"Therefore, Milky Way civilizations' apprehension about other galaxies' Type 3 civilizations is likely limited to speculation. Consider this: the nearest galaxy, Andromeda, is 2.54 million light-years away. Even for a Type 2.9 civilization with near-lightspeed travel, a round trip would take 5.08 million years."
"For a Type 2 civilization, that's far too long."
"Therefore, the primary threat facing the Milky Way is actually from the surrounding dwarf galaxies."
"I believe the Light-based civilization might be just one of them. Otherwise, there's no reason why all the dimensional civilizations of the Milky Way would unite. This plan began millions of years ago, indicating that there must be older, higher than Type 2.9 civilizations posing a threat to the Milky Way."
"Perhaps we should consider other factors!"
Chu's conclusion was abrupt, but Luna understood his meaning.
This war leaned more towards an "internal conflict" between the Milky Way and the surrounding dwarf galaxies. To other galaxies, the Milky Way would certainly be a tempting prize; for those dwarf galaxies, it would be even more so.
The Milky Way has more resources, making it a desirable target.
Andromeda, unless it achieves internal unity and development, is unlikely to expand into the Milky Way, as Andromeda is comparable in size.
If that's the case, then they, located on the Milky Way's edge, are in a precarious position; they could become a pawn.
That was Chu's implication.
However, this is a final decision; the situation hasn't reached that point yet.
But the information Chu provided is still crucial and will alter some of Luna's decisions.
"Still too weak!"
Luna had many ideas, but none were feasible for the Federation at this stage.
More time is needed.
Much more time.