"..."
Silence.
A silence akin to deathly stillness.
Villard's mouth was agape, eyes bulging, with a lingering look of bewilderment.
What was he doing? What had he heard? Wasn't there a huge chunk of dialogue missing in between?
How could such a civilization, which developed a powerful cosmic fleet, be annihilated just like that?
"This planet's real name is called Darcy." Shen Shi pointed at the life planet before them, which seemed even more prosperous and vibrant than Blue Star, "It indeed did not develop an indigenous civilization, yet it already belongs to an interstellar society."
With just this statement, the others had already grasped Shen Shi's meaning.
They gazed at this beautiful, healthy planet, extremely suitable for life, with eyes that had now changed.
No longer filled with the same yearning as before.
But instead, mingled with threads of fear and shiver!
It already had an owner, and just being discovered led to the destruction of a civilization that had stepped out of its mother star to become an interstellar civilization!
And the scene shifted.
Once again, it returned to the mother star of the Worren.
This time, what people saw was a scene of deathly silence.
No longer were there ships flying to and fro, not even the immensely developed-looking space stations were functioning, and the grand and magnificent space cities no longer emitted light.
People didn't know what exactly happened within the Worren Civilization, it didn't even seem to have much destruction.
But they could imagine.
In Shen Shi's light, almost insignificant words, like the death of a trivial small animal, how much despair was truly contained!
In the cosmos, a gigantic civilization, countless lives, could be so easily dismissed at such a level?
"Sir." Tao De suddenly sharply noticed a significant point in Shen Shi's words, and couldn't help but ask, "Interstellar society... isn't it just one?"
"Of course not." Shen Shi nodded.
Earlier in his words, the phrase "an interstellar society" was used as a descriptor.
This naturally wasn't a slip of the tongue.
"In human civilization, society refers to the collective formed by certain classes or groups within defined boundaries, with interrelated components working together to achieve certain goals." Shen Shi recited an explanation like reciting from memory, then said, "An interstellar society is much the same, the 'components' within being individual races, individual civilizations."
Tao De and the others seemed to have achieved some understanding.
Shen Shi had already spoken at the outset.
The so-called interstellar society refers to the increasing number of civilizations stepping into the cosmos and encountering each other interstellar, gradually forming a society through constant probing, cooperation, even warfare.
It is very apparent.
The Worren Civilization was just such an unfortunate civilization that barged headlong into this interstellar society consisting of unknown how many civilizations.
And what they encountered was war!
Tao De had realized something, he slightly inhaled and couldn't help but ask:
"Isn't the civilization wanting to invade ours also from this interstellar society?"
"Exactly." Shen Shi gently nodded.
The interstellar society he referred to was, in fact, the Mude system, with the Pasture Master at its apex.
That which occupied the Darcy planet, conquered the Worren Civilization, belonged to a third level within the Mude system, a C-level civilization.
Even in the cosmos three thousand years later, even when part of the same system, this civilization still bestowed immense terror upon human civilization, as clearly seen in the database.
After all, it is the closest to Blue Star!
Shen Shi's affirmation undoubtedly stirred up another intense upheaval in everyone's hearts, bringing with it increasingly heavy despair.
Just as Shen Shi initially said, sometimes, the more you know, the more hopeless it feels!
In their hearts, they already had a rough concept of an "interstellar society."
That's a colossal entity comprised of unknown how many civilizations!
Even the Worren Civilization, which developed several centuries ahead of humanity, perished so lightly.
What does humanity have to resist?
What reliance does humanity have to resist?
Some people had already shown despair on their faces, even beginning to tear up, faces pale.
Unless they were completely without ties, already having given up on the world, there's no one who wouldn't fear the arrival of the end, who wouldn't be afraid to lose everything before them!
But Tao De retained a sliver of rationale.
Supporting him now was still Shen Shi's words.
—Give humanity a chance to win!
"So, we still have a chance, right? Sir!" Tao De stared tightly at Shen Shi.
Once this question was posed, everyone, including Villard, focused intently on Shen Shi.
And Shen Shi, after a brief silence.
Then, nodded affirmatively.
"Yes, there is a chance!"
If there was no chance at all, he wouldn't appear.
This opportunity was a judgment he made after understanding more about the future!
"Phew—"
Even Tao De, at this moment, exhaled as if letting out a breath, taking a long breath, feeling his limbs slightly weak.
It's good to have a chance!
He could already envisage the chaos these words and news would create once returned home.
But as long as there's a chance, he believed! Despair would not dominate!
"If the invader of Blue Star was the civilization that destroyed the Worren Civilization, I wouldn't appear before you." Shen Shi stated plainly, "I would take away everything and everyone I care about, maybe take some memorabilia, take some humanity as the Fire, then leave promptly and decisively, because staying would have no meaning."
Tao De slightly lowered his gaze; he understood, this was the other party showing their stance.
The other party could assist them, but if it became infeasible, they wouldn't stay to perish alongside humanity.
However, Tao De didn't feel anything wrong with this.
Because the other party said, they would take the human Fire!
If it truly reached such a point, to the extent humanity had to perish, then the Fire is hope!
Villard, born in the Western Alliance, was even less likely to find it wrong.
He even murmured softly: "When God wanted to destroy the world, He commanded Noah to build the Ark..."
His eyes grew brighter and even faintly excited!
Even though Villard was not a devout believer, at this moment, Shen Shi's emergence seemed strikingly similar to Noah building the Ark!
Shen Shi glanced at him.
He naturally also heard that whisper.
However—
If only to be a "Noah," he wouldn't need to appear right now.
Sufficient despair has been given, it's time to provide some hope!
"The things I just told you occurred seven hundred years ago." Shen Shi spoke again, lifting his head, gazing at the planet before him, "The Worren Civilization is gone, but the Worren have not become extinct."