There was an unusual silence in the lecture hall.

More advanced civilizations have emerged in sight.

The lawmakers in the room looked at each other, exchanging surprises and disbelief in each other's eyes.

This is a tricky question, because there has never been a situation like this in the history of the Empire, and the only intelligent alien creatures they have found are a bunch of uncivilized bipedal lizards on the border planets that can't even make fire, but only use some natural tools.

The Jialan Empire has no interest in establishing diplomatic relations with the alien race, let alone communicating with the alien race, and they are able to produce and meet all the consumer goods needed by the people. And once diplomatic relations are established with mutually confirmed coordinates, it means that they must redevelop the armaments that have been obsolete for many years, guard against possible threats, and face the risk of ideological collisions.

And what is certain is that backward civilizations must be at a disadvantage in the clash of ideologies.

The other party doesn't even need to do anything extra, relying solely on the passive output of values can bring great uncertainty to their society.

Just look at the trouble caused by the widely spread "oracle" so far.

There were sounds of panic everywhere.

The sensitivity to information is not only the virtue of Jialan people's civilization, but also a flaw that is difficult for them to remove.

Two fingers pressed to his forehead, and the archon fell into deep thought.

This is a common habit of the Jialan people when thinking about problems, which will make them feel that their consciousness is infinitely close to the great spirit of the universe. However, even the spirit of the universe could not answer the question in his heart.

The silence lasted about ten minutes.

He spoke.

"You say, he reached out to us."

"Yes," Dr. Ryan said in a serious tone as he nodded to the archon who asked the question, "at first we thought that Strange Drop was some kind of probe, or some kind of weapon capable of destroying planets, but after careful study, it turned out to be beyond all of our expectations. ”

"As I said, he left a string of soap bubble-like discontinuities on our gravitational-wave detectors, and the information contained in each bubble is highly coherent."

"It obviously can't be a detector, because there's no information in theory – at least what we know about the way it travels, and it's impossible to keep up with it."

"At the same time, it can't be a weapon, no weapon would tell you with such fanfare that I'm on my way. Even if the hyperspace passage is lengthened, it can increase its secrecy countless times. ”

"So we deduced that it might be something like broadcasting, with the help of some kind of hyperspace medium that constantly releases fixed gravitational wave signals into the surroundings."

There was silence in the chamber.

Everyone frowned.

While complex physical theorems may be difficult for them, Dr. Lane has made them easy to understand.

And according to the general logic of war, it is indeed the case, if it is a weapon, it will definitely do everything possible to conceal its existence, and there is no need for such a high-profile at all.

The Minister of Science and Technology frowned and asked.

"You say it's broadcasting...... But how do you understand their language? ”

Dr. Ryan looked at him and replied in a calm tone.

"Physics is the universal law of the universe, and mathematics is the universal language of the universe, and all we need is a right triangle and a simple line of formulas like 'a+b=c' to let the other party know that there is a civilization here. And we only need to connect a mathematical proposition that we have just solved or have not yet solved on the basis of these two pieces of information, so that the other party can roughly know our civilization level...... To a large extent, the level of mathematics is positively correlated with the development of the latter. ”

Consul: "...... So? ”

Ryan: "They did something similar. ”

"By parsing the information transmitted in the gravitational waves, we came up with a series of complex mathematical expressions, something like a cipher table. It took a lot of work, but we finally figured them out......"

The fist resting on the table clenched, and the Minister of Defense immediately said.

"What do those messages say? Is it a diplomatic request? Or a declaration of war? Or—"

"Neither," Ryan shook his head, "they openly and honestly showed us their level of civility and then conveyed it to us...... That 'oracle'. ”

Pale blue particles of light slowly floated up in the air, converging into an image made of special operators. The images linger in the air for a moment, then quickly disperse into countless particles of light and reassemble again, replaced by three short lines of text that are impossible to ignore.

['Natural disaster' is approaching. 】

Our universe is facing an unprecedented crisis. 】

[Stay vigilant! 】

Compared with the concise declaration of war, this kind of unexplained warning is, in a sense, more chilling to the bottom of the heart.

What exactly is a natural disaster?

What is the unprecedented crisis?

What do you need to be wary of?

Only the most crucial part was not left with a single word.

Glancing around the silent council chamber, Dr. Ryan said in an affirmative tone.

"Gentlemen, this is what I call an oracle."

"Although the message we can translate from it is only three lines...... But I believe that its content is enough to attract our attention. ”

"Now, do you still think that the rumors about the Oracle are just a rumor?"

No one answered.

Even the parliamentarians who had watched him "perform" with playful eyes before now showed panicked expressions on their faces, and they couldn't even look at him.

Looking directly at the scholar in the audience, the archon was silent for a long time.

Finally, in a serious tone, he asked slowly.

"One last question, did you answer them?"

"No," Dr. Ryan shrugged slightly, "and even if we wanted to, there was no way for our sluggish signal to catch up with it. ”

Hearing this, the consul breathed a sigh of relief.

Not just the consuls, almost the vast majority of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Thinking about it, tens of thousands of light-years away, even if they have mastered the secret of faster-than-light communication, they can't transmit the information to such a long distance in a short time.

Not to mention, that "strange drop" is moving towards the center of the entire galaxy at a faster speed.

His expression was visibly much more relaxed, and the archon leaned back in his chair slightly, looked at the scholars in the audience, and continued to speak.

"Whether it's true or not, you don't have the right to make it public."

As if expecting the Archon to say this, Dr. Lane nodded with a heavy expression.

"I know, it's my problem, but it's also a choice I have to make. Because I know very well how weak our civilization is under the shell of strength. In order for things not to get the worst, someone has to come out and do something. ”

Raising his chin slightly, as if dissatisfied with the scholar's words, the archon raised his voice and spoke.

"So what do you think we should do? Believe a broadcast of unknown origin? Believing in the good intentions of those ugly alien species? And then destroy the peace that has been solid for thousands of years? Who can guarantee that this is not a trap? What's more, if they are faced with unprecedented trouble, why not solve it themselves? And pinning their hopes on a civilization weaker than them? ”

"If they really have good intentions, they should at least tell us what the 'natural disaster' really is!"

Dr. Lane shrugged noncommittally.

"This possibility is not ruled out, but IMHO the probability is not high. If it was just for the sake of pure persecution, as far as I can think of, they had at least a hundred more efficient ways to do it, such as having that strange drop fly directly at us. ”

Speaker: "Maybe they don't know we're here. ”

Dr. Ryan smiled.

"Don't make a fuss, such a big ring world, around the stars for a whole circle, even a blind person knows what is here."

"Enough!" The archon stared at the scholars standing in the audience and said word by word, "You have been arrested on charges of sedition and subversion, your academic title will be withdrawn, and the prison of the Eternal Night Star will be your final destination." ”

Dr. Lane: "When did the trial start?" ”

The archon said with a blank face, "Before you came here. ”

The Jialan Empire has long since abolished the death penalty, and the upper limit of punishment is banishment to a prison on the outskirts of the empire's territory, where he will spend the rest of his life.

In a sense, this is a more painful punishment than death. After all, for the vast majority of Jialan, death is nothing more than a return to the bosom of the spirit of the universe, but permanent exile means enduring at least a hundred years of suffering.

With his shoulders slightly relaxed, Ryan was silent for a moment before speaking.

"It's the worst-case scenario, but it doesn't hurt."

Bowing slightly towards the archon, he calmly held out his hands to the guards who walked aside.

"Put it on me, my mission is over."

Once again, the voice of commotion rang out from the table.

Pretending not to hear, the archon's gaze was full of gloom, staring at the man in the audience who was calmly handcuffed, not knowing what he was thinking.

Before being escorted away, Dr. Lane, who was standing in the audience, suddenly raised his head, glanced nonchalantly to the side, and then looked at the Archon who was sitting at the head of the council.

"I have a request before sending me to the Eternal Night Star."

Consul: "Say it." ”

"On the issue of the disposition of my property," after a pause, Ryan continued, "I have no heirs, and no other living immediate family, and I wish to dispose of my property until I am imprisoned." ”

The laws of the empire protected private property.

As long as it is not illegal gains, even if it is a heinous crime, it will not be confiscated.

The Consul exchanged glances with the Minister of Justice, and when the latter nodded, he looked at Dr. Lane.

"According to the laws of the Empire, your request is justified, and you can identify the successor before being sent to the Eternal Night Star."

Raising his already cuffed hands, Dr. Lane pointed to Lu Zhou, who was standing on the side of the main hall, without any hesitation.

"I wish to give him my entire possessions."

"At least, he got me here safely."

Glancing at the inconspicuous little figure standing on the side of the main hall, the archon nonchalantly raised his finger and scratched it in the air.

Two dark green holographic identity cards popped up, and as his index finger moved, a stream of data quickly passed from one of the holographic panels to the other.

"Reinhardt, yes? From now on, you inherit all of Dr. Lane's fortune. ”

Before leaving, Dr. Lane glanced at Lu Zhou in surprise, as if surprised that he hadn't told him his "real name".

But he didn't say anything, and obediently followed the sentry away.

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