Chapter 327 The Potential of Swallower Civilization

Shui Wa, somewhat curious, asked, "We've always been amazed by that giant ring-like structure of yours; can you tell us more about it? Why did you build it so huge?"

Big Tooth was silent for a while, seemingly recalling distant memories.

"That is our generation spaceship. Our civilization once experienced a catastrophic disaster."

"Finally, there came a day when all of us boarded ten gigantic generation spaceships, heading into the vast galaxy, in search of a new place to live.

"Ultimately, these ten ships merged into one. Every time we reached a stellar system with planets, we would expand the ship. In this way, after a long sixty million years, it finally evolved into what is now the Swallowing Empire."

Shui Wa was shocked, "You were able to leave your home star system sixty million years ago? Then your technology must have reached the level of a high-level civilization a long time ago, right?

"But why do I feel that your technology is still within my comprehension? Even if you were hiding many advanced technologies, from the outside, it doesn't seem like you have too much 'super technology'."

"Including the small spacecraft you are using right now, its propulsion system's energy mainly comes from nuclear fusion. It feels to me that your technology is mainly about scale, not about foundational theories."

Big Tooth nodded gently, a faint sadness and sorrow flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, we have been drifting for over sixty million years; I almost forgot my home planet.

"If it weren't for the fragments of records left by the elders, we would have long forgotten our past."

Big Tooth paused, then continued, "Despite such a long time, our technological level has not advanced much.

"We have achieved many results in theory, but unfortunately, many of them cannot be realized.

"This also led to our inability to further study higher levels of technology; it's as if our science has been blocked."

"We also established a set of standards for civilization technology levels. According to that system, when we left our home star, we should have been at Level 0.9 civilization; our current level should be 1.3.

"Based on the construction of your spaceship, when you set off, your civilization should have just reached Level 0.8; you've already done quite well.

"In fact, only a part of our technology has reached Level 1.3; most of it has been theoretically achieved, but our actual technological creations have not. We can't even create some of the technology that a 1.1-level civilization would have.

"Our technology completely stopped fifty million years ago!

"All that's left of our lives now is eating and dreaming! We don't know how much longer we can drift in this universe."

Next, the Swallower went on to explain the classification of civilization levels—a system Shui Wa didn't know is almost identical to humans' in many ways. Civilization levels are not categorized by energy efficiency, but energy efficiency is an important basis for categorization.

Shui Wa was shocked again,

First, he was shocked that the Swallower's technology seemed to be locked, just like how the Sophon Blockade locked human technology. Can a civilization really be locked?

Second, he wondered why the Swallower would reveal such secrets to him, even disclosing such critical information as their civilization level. Aren't humans supposed to be hostile to the Swallowers?

Shui Wa still planned to beat around the bush a bit.

"Why has your technology stopped? Is it because of external interference?"

Big Tooth shook his head, "It's not from the outside, but from within ourselves. Our brain capacity is huge, and our imagination is rich.

"But our size is too large, and we don't have flexible hands. Without achieving fine control, our theories have made some breakthroughs in micro-research, but we are stuck in applied physics and are unable to transform these theories into practical technological outcomes."

Shui Wa: "Can't these be achieved through machines? Let machines control smaller ones to execute precision operations."

Big Tooth sighed, explaining, "We initially used this method, but once the civilization reached Level 1.0 and fully entered the microscopic realm, it no longer worked. We found that we seemed to have exhausted our civilization's potential.

"The research elders of our civilization came up with a theory of civilization potential. He believes that we seem to have depleted our civilization's potential. Actually, I don't really understand what that is."

Shui Wa tentatively said, "Before I left, human civilization's research into the microscopic had already reached the proton level.

"Someone proposed a concept: to unfold the 11-dimensional protons in two dimensions, to etch circuits on the vast two-dimensional plane after the unfolding. The circuit's PN junction is formed by twisting the strong interaction force in certain areas of the proton plane, and the wires also transmit the nuclear force mesons.

"Then raise it back to the original dimension, creating a controllable supercomputer at a microscopic level, which could be called Sophon. Do you have similar technology?"

Upon hearing this idea, a hint of surprise flashed in Big Tooth's eyes.

"That's a typical creation of a Level 1.1 civilization. Did you already have such an idea at that time?

"It seems that your civilization may not be a Level 0.8, but closer to 0.9 or even approaching Level 1.0. However, even if you reach a Level 1.0 civilization, you would not be capable of making it. A 0.1 difference in civilization level is like a natural chasm, insurmountable."

"Your civilization is indeed remarkable, just as one might imagine the creations of the industrial age during the Bronze Age.

"Just like us, we certainly have the theory to build it, but our technological craft level isn't up to par, which again relates to the issue of civilization potential we were just discussing.

"To use an analogy, creating a Sophon requires accelerating a proton and finding its dimensional string. But for us, building the accelerator would consume thousands of times more resources than what you would need, and the probability of capturing that dimensional string is a thousand times lower than yours.

"Altogether, the difficulty for us to create a Sophon is a million times that of humanity, and even if we exhausted a planet, we wouldn't be able to build but a few Sophons, so naturally, we wouldn't do it.

"This also limits our further research into the microcosm; this is the problem of civilization potential."

Shui Wa roughly understood now what civilization potential was, or perhaps it could be called civilization limitations.

To give an easily understood example, humans went from the Industrial Revolution to entering space in only 200 years. But for Dinosaurs, entering space would take a thousand years, and the difficulty of sending Dinosaurs to space would certainly be hundreds of times harder than for humans.

If there isn't sufficient motivation and appropriate technology, Dinosaurs wouldn't develop towards space, and ultimately they might be trapped on Earth, which is also an example of civilization limitations.

If the Dinosaur Civilization were interested in outer space, it might well be because they had an extreme pursuit of living space, much like their pursuit of food. Naturally, at this moment, Shui Wa was still unaware of the Swallower's connection with Dinosaurs.

This is just a limitation in terms of physical size; considering limitations related to resource attributes, cognitive attributes, societal attributes... there are too many potential constraints on civilization.

From Big Tooth's words, Shui Wa also made a rough inference that the Trisolarans might belong to a Level 1.1 Civilization, and although the technological theories of the Swallower Civilization had achieved Level 1.3, many of their applied technologies might only be at Level 1.1, yet nonetheless stronger than Trisolaris.

When Shui Wa departed, humanity had just entered Level 0.8. If humanity's civilization were not extinguished by the Trisolarans, then humanity, in alliance with the Trisolarans, might indeed have a chance against the Swallowers.

At the same time, Shui Wa was also puzzled about why the Swallowers were so straightforward, answering whatever he asked as if they trusted humanity. This kind of trust made Shui Wa feel somewhat uneasy because he did not know what the Swallowers' ultimate goal was.

With the conversation reaching this point, Shui Wa also needed to appropriately reveal the level of human civilization, even if it was a deception.

Shui Wa said, "Our spacecraft was modified using an old Giant Reflective Mirror, and since the government didn't support this voyage, we could only resort to modifying it with outdated technology.

"Indeed, our civilization level has reached 0.9, but there is still a considerable distance to a Level 1.0 civilization."

After hearing this, Big Tooth nodded and said, "Your government is right, your voyage is too dangerous. What surprises me is why your government doesn't send Warships to retrieve you."

That the Swallowers would believe such an explanation was surprising. Could it be they, like the Trisolarans, were not adept at lying?

So Shui Wa said helplessly, "That, we do not know."

Big Tooth replied, "Never mind, those aren't our concerns.

"We still have at least 100 years to spend together.

"The Swallowing Empire is also about to set off, and this voyage will take roughly 100 years; it is the king's will, and no one can change it.

"Although this voyage is very dangerous, we have no other choice.

"You and I will depart early, and we will arrive at the Third Planet in the Solar System in 70 years.

"I will give your civilization 30 years to leave the Third Planet, after which we will devour it.

"With your level of civilization, 30 years should be enough for you to relocate."

At that moment, all Shui Wa could do was offer a bitter smile and resignedly accept it. Was this the Swallowing Empire's form of mercy?

...

The envoy of the Swallowing Empire had set off!

Along with Shui Wa and the 20 crew members, their emotions were now in utter collapse.

Shui Wa and the crew members looked at each other, their eyes filled with helplessness and despair. They knew that no matter what, they could not change their fates. They could only silently accept this cruel reality, waiting for an unknown future to descend upon them.

They had originally hoped to find their resting place among the stars, wishing even in death not to be enslaved by an alien civilization.

Yet, fate seemed to have played a cruel joke on them, entangling them now in another civilization's invasion of the Solar System.

Whether humanity had survived the Trisolaran crisis was still unknown, and now they were faced with a new Swallower threat.

Why must humanity's fate be so fraught with hardship?