NOVGO.NET Chapter 639 - Chapter 639: Chapter 398: Federation
Chapter 639: Chapter 398: Federation
Law, land, companions, and wealth are the four fundamental pillars of cultivation.
Although Xu Yang now had a Mana Point, he was without land, a companion, or wealth, making any endeavor extremely difficult.
Therefore, he needed to make money, by any means necessary!
But how should he go about making this money?
Feeling the alcohol in his system and a stench that was hard to bear, Xu Yang shook his head and headed towards the staircase.
First, take a shower.
After leaving the rooftop, he returned to his dormitory to find it unsurprisingly empty.
This was normal. The previous night was Christmas Eve, coinciding with the once-in-six-hundred-years Red Moon. How could the restless university students spend the night in their dorm rooms? Even if they didn’t have a significant other, they would indulge themselves outdoors. Rather than spending the night in an internet cafe, they wouldn’t choose to be lonely old people in their dorms.
Xu Yang took off his clothes and entered the bathroom, first examining himself in the mirror.
In the mirror was the reflection of a young man with a lean figure and a rather sullen air about him.
With ordinary looks and average height, his lean body and somber temperament were the fruits of a life of irregular sleep, chaotic daily routines, poor diet, and malnutrition. Although long hours of physical labor had developed some muscle definition on his arms, it was all at the expense of his life’s potential.
Such a body, possessing little more than brute strength, could be said to have nothing else.
Xu Yang shook his head, entered the bathroom, quickly freshened up, changed into a clean and comfortable set of clothes, and then sat on his bed, scrolling through his phone.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one’s tools!
To act, one must have direction, purpose, and a plan. One cannot be ignorant, bumbling around like a headless fly, doing whatever comes to mind.
Hence, he needed to understand this world, this extraordinary world.
What about the memories of the original soul?
You expect a simp to have any memories?
Aside from things related to Lu Xuemei and the hardships of working part-time jobs, that guy’s head had nothing left—world affairs or regional situations had nothing to do with his love-obsessed brain.
So, Xu Yang could only learn for himself.
However…
Looking at the slow-loading, and even freezing, browser, and this cell phone that was several versions behind the market, Xu Yang was helpless but to patiently wait for it to respond.
Just then, footsteps approached, and the door was pushed open, and a young man carrying a variety of cameras walked in.
As the young man entered the dorm, he was surprised to see Xu Yang, “Qianjin, why are you back so early? Didn’t you go on a date with your girlfriend yesterday? Why did you return so soon?”
“There was an accident.”
Xu Yang gave a nonchalant reply before looking at the cameras in the young man’s hands, “How was your haul last night?”
The young man, named Zhou Xuan, was an enthusiastic amateur astronomer. While everyone else was busy dating last night, he alone carried his camera to the outskirts to capture the scenery of the Red Moon.
“Well, of course!”
Zhou Xuan was quite excited when Xu Yang asked about it and said while holding up his camera, “Indeed, it was a historic moment. My overnight mosquito feeding was not in vain. This work is more than enough to win awards.”
“Really?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Yang also showed interest, “Can I take a look?”
“You’re interested in this, too?”
Zhou Xuan was a bit surprised but still handed the camera over, “Be careful not to expose the film.”
“Got it.”
Xu Yang took the camera, opened the record, and began to view it, quickly seeing the scenes of the Red Moon captured by Zhou Xuan.
However…
Xu Yang’s brow furrowed slightly, his expression changing.
The usual moon scenery, though tinged with blood red, lacked the enchanting feel from his memory.
Was there a loss of authenticity after the photography, or was the Red Moon he saw last night truly extraordinary?
It was hard to determine at the moment.
Xu Yang handed the camera back to Zhou Xuan and looked at his laptop bag, “Can I borrow your computer?”
“This… yes, you can.”
Zhou Xuan looked at Xu Yang, feeling something odd, but still lent him the computer.
“Thanks.”
Xu Yang nodded, connected the power, turned on the computer and started browsing the web right away.
Zhou Xuan sat down and tinkered with his camera while glancing over at Xu Yang’s actions.
Very strange!
As a notorious simp, Qianjin’s social relations weren’t good, and he had a superficial relationship with his roommates. He was even often ridiculed and despised.
While Zhou Xuan was not among them, he was not optimistic about Qianjin either. His path as a simp was too deep, beyond redemption. Aside from things related to Lu Xuemei, nothing could pique his interest, and he had no desire to participate.
But now…
Why did he suddenly take an interest in the Red Moon?
Could it be that Lu Xuemei liked it too?
He hadn’t heard of any woman interested in astronomy.
Zhou Xuan was completely befuddled, full of confusion.
Xu Yang didn’t mind, and searched the internet for pictures and videos of the Red Moon. The results were the same as those Zhou Xuan had captured; aside from the color difference, nothing else was abnormal, and there was none of the enchanting and bizarre atmosphere from the original owner’s memory.
He then researched the origin of the Red Moon and various related events, only to find a multitude of different opinions.
According to historical records, the Red Moon first appeared during the ancient Xia period 6,700 years ago and has since appeared at a frequency of once every 600 years. This was the eleventh occurrence of the Red Moon.
The color red can signify celebration but also ominous tidings, closely associated with blood and slaughter.
Therefore, the ancient people initially regarded the Red Moon as an ill omen; it was even used by many as an excuse to cause trouble, indirectly leading to the downfall of several feudal dynasties.
However, if one disregards these lesser matters, the historical records on the internet indicate that the Red Moon hasn’t caused any substantial harm.
Despite this, doomsday theories, disaster predictions, and all sorts of conspiracy theories related to the Red Moon still run rampant.
The Federation authorities adopted a permissive attitude toward this, not banning discussions but rather releasing several cases as warnings. These cases involved exploiting the Red Moon for sensationalism, doomsday prophecies, and fraud.
Xu Yang wasn’t surprised at all.
This Red Moon, this world—it definitely had a problem, and the Blue Star Federation must have noticed it too. Such anomalies couldn’t be exposed to the public eye, as that would certainly cause panic and lead to societal breakdown.
But trying to silence the people is harder than stopping the flow of water; oppressive suppression would only confirm the suspicions. Thus, the best method is to go with the flow, using a “come closer to science” approach to eliminate the mystique and terror associated with the Red Moon to prevent societal panic.
That is why there were so many cases related to the Red Moon released, with a mix of truth and lies, to confuse the public.
After browsing for a while longer and finding no valuable information, Xu Yang decisively changed direction and began to examine the history and current structure of this world.
This world, similar to the Earth in his memory, was yet strikingly different. Firstly, the land area of this Blue Star was more than a thousand times larger than Earth as he remembered it, almost on par with the World of Dao and Law that had fused with the Yuan Spirit.
Xu Yang was unfazed by this, as the speed of time flow had already proven that this world’s dimensions were extraordinary. Although he didn’t understand why the Heavenly Earth Prime Spirit was so sparse, the land area would not be affected or diminish because of it.
Where land is vast, populations thrive. From ancient times to the present, civilizations have emerged at the four poles of heaven and earth, from the dark primitive ages to the harsh slave society periods, through feudal dynasties entering modern civilization, leading up to the present structure.
A hundred years ago, the Blue Star Federation was established, taking the place of former national systems. It divided the world into five major zones: east, west, south, north, and center, with the Federation Speaker and five principal members holding supreme power…
To be honest, this sounds somewhat absurd. How could a world of such enormous area, lacking an extraordinary organization like the Wandao School to oversee everything and enforce laws, manage to establish a federation that abolishes national concepts?
It simply doesn’t make sense. Normally, one would expect constant intrigue and conflict between nations, leading to an outright battle until one country prevails and gains absolute power to crush all others, thereby unifying the world.
Indeed, this is exactly what happened; a hundred years ago, the nations of Blue Star were still engaged in deception and infighting. Then one day, for some unfathomable reason, the Blue Star Federation was formed.
While numerous reasons have been provided, ranging from humanist history to future development, to Xu Yang, it all amounted to nonsense.
There must be deeper reasons.
What are they?
Clearly, clues won’t be found on the internet.
Xu Yang didn’t dwell on it and stood up, returning the computer to Zhou Xuan: “Thanks.”
“Um… no need.”
Zhou Xuan took back his computer, feeling even more puzzled, but it wasn’t his place to say anything.
Xu Yang didn’t say more and left the dorm room.
By chance, another roommate returned, brushing past him.
“This guy… how can he be acting like nothing’s wrong?”
The returning roommate, observing Xu Yang’s departing figure, also felt it was odd and turned to Zhou Xuan, asking, “What were you guys up to just now that’s got this sad sap looking so lively?”
Zhou Xuan’s brow furrowed slightly, puzzled, “What happened?”
“You don’t know?”
The other was surprised and explained, “Yesterday he went to the girls’ dorm building to ask Lu Xuemei out, only to encounter her coming back hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Tao. Imagine the blow he took; I was thinking I’d check on him when I got back to the dorm, just in case he was contemplating suicide. Who would have thought he’d be so spirited?”
“Lu Xuemei?”
“Jiang Tao?”
Zhou Xuan’s brow furrowed deeper: “The Jiang Tao from our astronomy club?”
“That’s him.”
The roommate nodded and gossiped, “That guy’s got money and looks, a notorious playboy at Longhai University. He might have made his move last night, leaving the sad sap pitiful!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan also found relief: “No wonder he seemed to have become another person.”
The roommate curiously asked, “Become what person?”
“I can’t really explain it.”
Zhou Xuan shook his head and looked towards the door: “It’s like he has this air of… having seen through the vanity of the world?”
…
In the time of the Red Moon, and the secrets of the Federation, a thick veil covered this world.
But these matters bore no relevance to a penniless student.
Ants have neither the right nor the need to glimpse the universe.
For now, the priority is to enhance strength. Without Spiritual Energy, one must follow the Martial Path: he would simply call on his original body for support, transferring various traits to assist Martial Arts Cultivation, such as “eating” and “training.”
Then, Xu Yang left campus, planning to find a buffet to exploit—the perfect chance for a bit of wool pulling.
However…
Before he reached the buffet, a van with a clear intent drove straight towards him and stopped right in front of him.