Chapter 372: The History of the Mind

The Exploration Fleet continued onward, resolutely crossing the "firewall" boundary of the Da Ling Five Star System, venturing deep into its core.

Thanks to the achievements of the Divine Vessel Civilization in warship technology, even stepping into the convection layer of a star was no longer an insurmountable forbidden zone for the Exploration Fleet. Of course, this didn't mean they could freely traverse the star's radiation layer or even its core regions, which still were places even the most advanced technology had to shy away from.

For months, they had meticulously examined every inch of this star system, and now, it was time to consider the return journey. Indeed, the study of the three stars of Da Ling Five could perfectly be conducted using advanced computer simulation technologies, which nearly seamlessly matched reality, with perhaps just a bit more sampling needed.

However, inexplicably, they had yet to start their journey back, as if drawn by an invisible force, lingering in this vast starfield.

It seemed a perpetual flame of exploration burned within their hearts, desiring to discover something in this unknown domain. Sadly, no matter how deeply they delved, the anticipated significant discovery always remained like a mirage—visible yet unreachable.

This persistence and pursuit seemed to gradually transform into an indescribable obsession and perplexity, intertwining in the heart of each individual.

This seemed somewhat fantastical, and in today's world, the boundary between science and fantasy was also hard to define. In physics, there's a logical proposition that a reality that occurs only once is conceptually the same as an illusion. Conversely, a repeatable illusion is also reality.

Beyond cosmic sociology and the study of the future history of the universe, mental history science also holds a pivotal place in current human research—(not Asimov's psychohistory, which might be better translated as social psychohistory).

Mental history science is a newly emerged discipline based on the principle that the thoughts of intelligent life are projections of high-dimensional consciousness.

Its study includes the resonant entanglement of thoughts, the synergy between individual and collective thinking, the evolutionary mechanisms of collective thought…, which in terms of the Common Era could also be referred to as telepathy, the Gaia consciousness of civilizations, and the social psychological development.

Telepathy is not a pseudoscientific fantasy, but a real phenomenon of resonant quantum thinking in high-dimensional space.

The Gaia consciousness of civilizations exists too; the thoughts of civilization individuals are projections of high-dimensional consciousness, and behind this high-dimensional consciousness lies an even more primal form of consciousness, which we might call the primal form of civilization consciousness.

Civilization consciousness is like a meandering river, continuously flowing and changing with the evolution and development of civilization. It's not just a static existence but a dynamic force, constantly interacting with the overall mental structure of civilization, shaping its unique appearance and direction.

The most important mission of mental history science is to uncover the developmental laws of civilization consciousness, with investments each year almost reaching one percent of fiscal revenue.

Of course, there are theories that question the value of mental history science, arguing that even if humanity could discover the laws of civilization consciousness development, these laws would ultimately change. Because once such laws are revealed, they themselves might change, meaning that these laws are unverifiable.

Once again, a reality that occurs only once is the same as an illusion.

Let's set aside these debates for now, as mental history science has many other applications.

There's a widely circulated saying, "When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you," which belongs not only in the realms of philosophy or psychology but includes profound scientific implications too.

Mental history science is the science of studying civilization consciousness, which holds that once a civilization consciousness is "noticed" by another civilization's consciousness, a complex, unspoken connection is already established between them. This connection isn't one-way, but rather a complex relationship of mutual influence and interaction.

The relations between civilizations are like a complicated web, where most inevitably sink into the darkness of absolute rationality. Under this mutual influence, darkness, like the abyss, pulls civilizations deeper, until every corner of the universe falls into the state of the Dark Forest.

The Knowledge Reversibility Law is not merely about if you discover a lower entropy world, that world will eventually discover you. Rather, once you become aware of the other's existence, the mutual influence between you quietly begins, as if strands of fate bind you tightly together.

This is an unbreakable connection, predestined from the beginning. Thus, no civilization wishes to explore this vast universe; they can only silently hide themselves.

Indeed, even after the Doomsday War, human society harbored doubts about the Dark Forest. Whether it was suspicion chains, technological explosions, the universe being dimensionally reduced… none of these concepts seemed sufficient to make the universe so dark and silent. Perhaps the Dark Forest is only characteristic of certain starfields, not of the entire universe.

Once again, a reality that occurs only once is the same as an illusion. Without encountering other civilizations, how can one confirm their own existence?

Life, as the most splendid spark in the universe, inherently pursues exploration and development, a mark that no external force can completely erase. Whether it be cold logic or harsh reality, they might suppress this impulse temporarily, but can never extinguish it fully.

Therefore, as we gaze upon this tranquil universe, a doubt inevitably arises in our minds: Could this truly be all there is to the universe?

With the emergence of the Dinosaur Civilization, this doubt about the Dark Forest reached its peak. A civilization confined to a technological level of 1.3, yet capable of wandering interstellar space for tens of millions of years without being destroyed, was an outright challenge to the rule of the "Dark Forest."

Even the Solar System, a unique stellar system and the most perfect haven for carbon-based life within a hundred light-years. If there were entities sweeping through existence within a hundred light-years of us, they would have no reason not to come exploring.

The reality is, for billions of years, the Solar System still exists and remains that glowing pearl.

There must be deeper reasons for this, one of which is telepathic historiography. In this universe, exploration is too dangerous; even "observing" can expose oneself.

Now, in this vast universe, the detection of hidden Unknown Civilizations also subtly influenced the Divine Vessel Civilization in mysterious ways.

High-dimensional civilizational consciousness wave fluctuations, like distant starlight, are faint and elusive. They project into individual thoughts, perhaps only manifesting as a fleeting inspiration in an ordinary moment or a barely perceptible emotional flutter.

One application of telepathic historiography is to use the torrent of big data to delicately monitor the physiological and psychological states of every individual in Human Society, weaving an unprecedented map of minds.

In this era of interstellar integration with nature, Humanity is no longer purely flesh and blood but has become a symbiotic entity with Smartmachines, their bodies not only circulating blood but also hosting a variety of micro Smartmachines, and even robot armies at the nanoscale cruising through their veins.

Of course, such surveillance does not overly infringe on personal privacy; the vast majority of physiological and psychological state data is kept strictly confidential, with virtually no risk of leakage.

Through deep mining and analysis of these massive data sets, the conclusions drawn may not directly guide the paths of human decision-making, but they might also subtly enhance some ineffable perceptions in Humanity.

If the Divine Vessel Civilization were a single civilization, this perception from high dimensions would be so weak it would almost vanish at the edge of existence.

But as the number of civilizations increases to four, this perception becomes like the stars that quietly multiply in the night sky, still vague but beginning to faintly outline the shape of the unknown.

When the Exploration Fleet entered this star system, the Divine Vessel Civilization also faintly sensed a sort of "watching" from an Unknown Civilization.

This was a subtle and indescribable presence, which typically, like the most distant starlight in the night sky, appears quietly and then fades just as quietly, as if diving into deeper cosmic fog.

In the Divine Vessel Civilization, this sense was discussed several times, with only one conclusion: whether the Unknown Civilization exists or not, the Divine Vessel Civilization must confront it and even find them.

This was not a reckless boldness of the Divine Vessel Civilization but a choice based on rational argument. Among many such arguments, the most core one was: If those unknown civilizations indeed exist, they must have many concerns, and perhaps their technological level is similar to that of the Divine Vessel.

If their technology far surpassed that of the Divine Vessel, then any disguise of the Exploration Fleet would be like a thin mist, easily penetrated; perhaps, a catastrophic strike had already silently arrived, following like a shadow.

This choice of the Divine Vessel Civilization was not just about exploring the unknown but also a brave inquiry into the profound proposition of civilizational coexistence and mutual exclusion in the universe.

However, the reality before them was like a cold barrier, standing in front of the Divine Vessel Civilization.

This lonely star system, lacking the most basic conditions for life, a desolate land of utter silence without any foundation for life, how could there possibly be a civilization?

If it's an alien civilization, how are they hiding? Warships passing through the dust clouds would leave obvious trails. What purpose would they have here? There is nothing here!