§. technology and culture

On the surface of Mars, in a mountainous region, a helicopter-like device moved silently at the speed of a fighter jet. It was heading towards the imposing Olympus Mons, carrying a team of twenty people on board. Half of them, dressed in work suits, looked like scientists, while the other half formed a more eclectic group, including people in suits, military uniforms, and others.

As the helicopter approached the mountain, it began to gain altitude, clearly determined to reach the summit. Noting that the goal was near, a man in a casual shirt spoke up. Conversations stopped immediately, and the passengers' faces became suddenly serious and attentive.

"Yesterday, I finally acquired Olympus Mons. As you all know, Salvatori project members can place a portal at a location of their choice, allowing them to come and go as they please. The goal in acquiring the mountain is to set up a permanent base centered around the portal leading to my Soul World. I brought you all with me today to take you into the Immortal World and to start establishing future plans for the base on Olympus."

"To begin, although immortals almost look like us, know that their physiology is completely different from ours. Therefore, the initial research will focus on improving their power methods and adapting them to human physiology. Among other projects, there will be the construction of various laboratories, schools, and other facilities. These will be managed by Mr. Mathieu Decroix, who will be assisted by Ivan Petrov."

At these words, two of the men in suits stood up to greet the other occupants. The first, Mathieu Decroix, was a tall European-looking man with a welcoming face and a confident gaze. The man who stood up with him, Ivan Petrov, had been his assistant for many years, and the two of them had been responsible for many similar installations.

After a brief greeting, the two men sat back down to let Alex speak.

"In addition to the scientific team and these two gentlemen, we have with us Zhi Bo, who will head the Electi Institute, Amara Tano and Ethan Miller, who will handle agriculture and the site's capacity to become self-sufficient, and finally Olivia Parker, who will lead the security forces. We will discuss your budgets, staffing, and detailed action plans once we are in the Soul World. That will be all for now."

After introducing the people responsible for the various projects, Alex sat back down, and the serious expression on his face gave way to a slight smile and thoughtful eyes gazing at the Martian ground.

The men and women present began to talk again, but the discussions shifted towards the future and what awaited them.

An hour later, they arrived near the caldera (summit of Olympus Mons). The helicopter slowed down and began descending towards one of the summit plateaus. After landing, they put on their suits, disembarked from the helicopter, and gathered a little further away. Alex then turned to a group of scientists and addressed one of them.

"Joseph, I'm counting on you now to determine the best location to set up the site."

Among the group, a tall and imposing man stepped forward. With a large brown beard and an impressive physique, he would have looked more at home in a defense group than among scientists. His gaze, however, matched his profession, exuding intelligence and insight.

"You can count on me, sir. I'd better be worth my salary," he said, being the only one to laugh at his joke.

Joseph was a renowned scientist specializing in Martian geology, brought together by Alex to find suitable ground for building a base and to analyze the soil of the Soul World. He quickly joined Alex, Mathieu, Ivan, Olivia, and two of the guards. Once ready, they took the analysis equipment and set out to examine the surroundings.

They only found a suitable spot several hours later, after visiting and analyzing various sites near the summit. The helicopter had landed at the center of the crater, and the team had just finished analyzing the area when Joseph announced to the others with a surprised look:

"This must be a stroke of luck. The center of the crater is perfect for establishing a base. It meets the highest requirements for site installation. Moreover, with the high rims surrounding it and the vast flat surfaces, further development will pose no problem."

After Joseph's input, they finalized the last tests before regrouping with the others. They unanimously decided to establish the base here. Alex then considered where to place the portal. Deciding to take a short walk to find the perfect spot, he distanced himself from the others. After 30 minutes of walking in the area, he found a slight hill overlooking the surroundings and deemed it perfect for placing the portal.

Decisively, he took out the miniature version of the portal and placed it on top of the hill. After waiting a bit, a faint light blue energy seemed to come out of nowhere. A mini light blue vortex briefly formed above the portal, and the energy was drawn into it. The portal then began to grow rapidly and reached the size of its counterpart within seconds.

As soon as it was formed, Alex saw the team he had brought rushing towards him, looking worried. The unusual signs must have caught their attention.

Leading the group was Olivia, who rushed towards him, her usually stern face showing signs of anxiety and fear.

"Is everything alright, sir? Are you hurt anywhere?" she asked urgently.

"Not at all, Olivia, thank you for your concern. It's the formation of the portal near me that triggered this reaction." As Alex finished reassuring her, the rest of the team arrived, and everyone was stunned by the imposing structure and the undulating black surface of the portal. It was the first time they had encountered such a 'magical' event.

"Damn, so it's the legendary portal that allows travel between worlds," said one of the arrivals.

"I've never seen anything so impressive in my life," added another.

After waiting a bit for the slower ones to arrive, Alex spoke:

"As you might have guessed, the portal behind me allows travel to my Soul World. I will now share information that must remain strictly confidential," he said with a serious expression.

"First, my heritage is on a level far superior to those that have appeared so far. Several levels above. It is a heritage of immortal cultivators, similar to those mentioned in Chinese mythology. It encompasses a broad range of skills and techniques."

"Second, our primary goal is to adapt these techniques to human physiology to extend human lifespan and increase human strength. And third, within less than a year, every immortal land, including mine, will be linked in one way or another to another world and will likely be compelled to wage war against it."

"I hope you understand the gravity of my words. If what you see after crossing the portal and what I've just told you were to leak in any way, death would be the most merciful exit you could hope for."

Alex looked imposingly at each member before heading towards the portal. The rest of the group followed him, each wearing an expression of excitement mixed with a hint of fear. Their faces also tightened slightly after Alex's revelations.

He quickly crossed the portal and returned to the immortal world. The others followed shortly but ended up on the ground upon arrival, with some scientists even vomiting their meals.

Joseph burst out laughing as he saw them, standing alone with the guards.

"Look at these fragile little things, they look like they've just been through a centrifuge."

"Fuck off, Joseph!" one of the scientists exclaimed aggressively before continuing to empty his stomach.

Far from offending Joseph, this only made him more amused by the situation.

Alex, for his part, silently observed the scene and waited for the rest of the group to recover.

After a brief recovery period, the group began to pay attention to their surroundings, and shock was evident on their faces. The view before them was breathtaking. The picturesque landscape of mountains and the immense, imposing buildings standing out from them made them eager to learn more about the heritage of a people capable of creating such high-caliber works.

After a moment of admiring the view, they set off. Alex led them towards the East Mountain, where he had planned to build housing and a research center.

Upon reaching the summit of the mountain, they could see the outline of a makeshift building that had been constructed by the immortals at Alex's request.

Once settled, they began to lay out the future plans for the development of Olympus Mons. After a full day establishing the foundations of the development and discussing his requirements and ideas with the others, Alex took his leave and let them finalize the plans among themselves.

After leaving the room, he headed towards the Central Mountain Palace. Upon arrival, he encountered several immortals busy with their tasks, most carrying books from the library.

Upon reaching the palace, he quickly found Feuillien and inquired about his progress with the training. Alex had requested that each immortal specialize in a field, and Feuillien had chosen the field of training.

"As you asked, I specifically researched training methods to adapt a planet's living conditions. I found several trainings at different scales, the most powerful of which can alter an entire planet's conditions and adjust various parameters at will."

"However, it would take years to reach such a level of expertise. So, I looked for more manageable training methods for you. Once you allow us to cultivate, I estimate it will take me about 3 months to set up a training that can modify gravity and air over a diameter of 5 km."

"Wonderful," Alex responded enthusiastically.

"I promise you'll be able to cultivate soon. I would like to try to improve the cultivation techniques before you begin."

"Alright, now I'd like you and everyone who excels in their fields to accompany me to meet the people of my world. Some of them are scholars, and with your cooperation, I'm confident we can elevate immortal techniques to a higher level," Alex said, hopeful about using technology to enhance immortal practices.

Alex then took the immortals to meet his people and, after ensuring everything was progressing as planned, returned to the solar system to contact various suppliers for the basic materials needed for the base construction.

Thanks to the cooperation of Alex, Mathieu, and the rest, the various projects advanced quickly, and after a week, the first state-of-the-art laboratory was completed. Over the next 3 months, they dedicated all their efforts to setting up the base near the portal and transforming East Mountain into a massive research complex.

And 100 days after the portal was placed, the base was completed, and the scientists managed to create an improved cultivation technique.

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Thank you for reading!