Chapter 1244
Chapter 1244 - 1230: Patrol
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"Indeed, unwilling to leave, huh..."
Lu Ping’an’s Messenger (Cat: Meow, so tiring!), brought back the message from the fishermen.
Lu Ping’an urged them to relocate to medium or large cities as soon as possible, but as expected, they refused. Lu Ping’an did not insist... He didn’t know whether big cities or small villages were safer.
When the entire world was enveloped in the flames of war, "safety" itself became a false proposition. Big cities could become the focus of enemy attacks, while small villages might turn into a human purgatory due to fleeing Stray Soldiers.
As far as Lu Ping’an knew and had seen, countless large gathering points had been destroyed, and those "empty" ruined villages were as numerous as stars.
In some sense, the previous actions of the World Consciousness might have been the most "rational" and the most "natural"... when the environment deteriorates to the point where it’s hard for Life to survive, it would increase the reproduction rate and the maturation speed, forcibly exchanging numbers for the survival of individuals.
"...Although it’s correct and many Life forms in nature do this, laying thousands or even tens of thousands of eggs to ensure a few survive to continue the species, it’s still too cruel for Intelligent creatures."
The World made a cold and rational choice for the most cost-effective method, while the Mortals’ method of "everyone gathering together to form an impregnable fortress" seemed even more foolish and shortsighted...
"Once Quasi-Gods enter the fray, these creatures that completely defy reason, the so-called ’impregnable cities’ become a joke; even if intercepted by allied Quasi-Gods, they could still easily take away the city."
This seemingly fantastical reality, when compared to a World War era where "Nuclear Weapons" are used without restraint, is quite easy to understand.
The more people you have, the more industry you have, the higher your GDP, the more likely a "Nuclear Bomb" will target you; your strength, paradoxically, leads to faster demise.
And the surface had been fully invaded too. It’s possible that a small squad might attack isolated villages, whether for supplies, wealth and slaves, or simply to vent their spite.
At this point, whether you hide in the countryside or in the city, who survives longer, it’s really hard to say.
Even for Lu Ping’an, if he truly encountered a Quasi-God blocking his path... he wasn’t sure he could escape.
"I understand somewhat why Xia Qin would join the Salvation Army... It seems inevitable."
𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
From Lu Ping’an’s understanding of Xia Qin, constantly witnessing such situations, the mentality of "wanting to do something" would eventually torment her, and getting really involved was probably just a matter of time.
But in the face of this world-class battle, even Quasi-Gods might be powerless... Nuclear Bombs indeed have a deterrent effect, but they could only lead to mutual destruction.
The vast world and its countless Life forms were caught in a torrent, consuming and tormenting each other, likely leaving no one a true victor in the short term.
"Not just Quasi-Gods... Perhaps even if some True Gods appeared, even if Quasi-Gods successfully ascended, they’d be powerless to change anything."
So-called "world-class invasion" might just be like the current situation, with Evil Gods and invaders from the Foreign Domain inflicting wounds upon the world, struggling and draining each other, hoping for their opponents’ gradual demise.
Lu Ping’an shook his head, driving away the unrest and helplessness in his heart... He also knew he was still just a "Mortal," and thinking too much was meaningless, perhaps only adding to his frustration due to powerlessness.
"Take it slowly, do as much as you can, there’s always a pinnacle to reach..."
It’s worth mentioning that while Lu Ping’an was patrolling nearby, a fishing boat found him.
"Can we also become warriors?"
"Sailors are fine too, do you need sailors for your ship? We can still fish."
A group of young people from the fishing village found him; unlike the elders who were accustomed to village life, they yearned for more.
And that large ship, as well as that incredible warrior and Magician, might just be the opportunity to change their lives.
Lu Ping’an, upon confirming that they had the village’s approval to venture into the world, didn’t refuse... after all, following him was safer than wandering out on their own.
"I see, you have this custom..."
During their casual conversation, Lu Ping’an also realized that even if he had refused these young people, they probably wouldn’t have gone back.
This was not only because they were determined to change their lives, but also because it was a rule of "village life".
In this era, being part of a weaker ethnic group, too large a population was not a good thing, as it could attract more greedy predators. An increase in the labor force could easily lead to the collapse of the surrounding stable ecological chain, thus bringing disaster.
The local fishermen might not even recognize a single character, but long years and experience had taught them that there were certain things that truly couldn’t be done... like attempting to build a city or a nation without the guarantee of sufficient military power.
Over these years, the local residents, especially the Long Hand Clan, grew quickly and reproduced abundantly, accelerating the rate of "splitting"... They might have to send the excess population away every few years.
The departing groups would either establish new villages or migrate further away, but most would die on the journey.
Perhaps, this was the helpless wisdom of survival employed by the weaker.
In the Chaos Times, intelligent creatures lived much like animals.
The fisherman boys also felt that, perhaps following Lu Ping’an would enable them to live longer than if they ventured out on their own.
Having said this, the "ship" naturally acquired some young sailors.
Ocean patrol was time-consuming and, overall, it could even be deemed a losing investment. After clearing the surrounding area of Octopus Aliens, Lu Ping’an proceeded to his next target.
A legendary location where a meteorite had fallen.
The good news was that the meteorite was not hard to find; with just a little money, Lu Ping’an obtained specific information and directions from various scattered tribes and villages.
The bad news was that more than just Lu Ping’an were searching for this meteorite, and some were even days ahead of him...
"Tch, Dwarfs, Fish Heads, and Long Hand warriors, what a gathering."
Clearly, understanding the value of "meteorites" and prioritizing them zealously in their search wasn’t exclusive to humans.
Perhaps those Evil Gods and invaders from the Foreign Domain had also adjusted their priorities... Territory could wait, as these fragile World Authorities could truly miss their chance if overlooked.
After readjusting the direction of the ship, Lu Ping’an looked ahead.
"Boys, get ready for battle."
This time, it was clear that Lu Ping’an alone couldn’t handle it... nor was choosing to do it alone a good option for him and his team.
The deck re-populated with crew and warriors, and Lu Ping’an, having nothing else to do, spent time deepening his practice of his new abilities and training the new recruits.
Worth mentioning, Lu Ping’an was surprised by the fact that these fisherman boys learned combat skills and abilities much faster than his previous students had.
This was the result without using Awakening for "screening"... Lu Ping’an hadn’t planned on definitely taking them in. Perhaps giving them a bit of training and then leaving them in a local city as mercenaries was a better option for all involved.
But when Lu Ping’an actually sent them to experts for evaluation, he abandoned that idea.
— End of Chapter 1244 —