Bioelectricity, radiation currents—these are minuscule. A single lightning bolt can generate 1 to 10 gigawatts; that’s on Earth. On other planets with harsher environments, lightning is even stronger. Luna had witnessed lightning bolts reaching petawatt levels.
Such immense currents are generated only by natural forces or advanced technology.
The current in Luna’s hand reached 50,000 amperes, with a voltage of 20 million volts, releasing approximately 10 terawatts per second – equivalent to consuming one Federation Energy Credit per second, or 2,777,777 kilowatt-hours.
“With such high voltage, you must have made some modifications to my body,” Luna remarked.
Ayla vehemently denied it.
“How can you call it a modification?”
“Federation mechas are already undergoing high-energy upgrades. Part of the liquid metal is being replaced with exotic matter, increasing continuous operation time.”
“The highest confirmed energy level for exotic matter is seven times that of antimatter, or 1.26 x 10^15 Joules, equivalent to 350 million kilowatt-hours. High-end mechas now typically contain 0.05 grams of exotic matter, or 17.5 million kilowatt-hours. This boosts combat power by over ten times compared to previous models.”
“The cellular mecha has another drawback: its small volume limits the energy it can handle, restricting its power.”
“To enhance your capabilities, I replaced your heart. It’s now made of liquid metal, with high flexibility, regenerative properties, and the ability to split. This won’t affect Supreme Being’s abilities; the mechanical heart not only accelerates blood flow but also stores exotic matter.”
“Currently, your heart contains 0.2 grams of exotic matter, equivalent to 70 million kilowatt-hours.”
“Your heart not only stores exotic matter but also collects the electricity generated by your radiating cells.”
“After becoming Supreme Being, your body mass reached 14,671 tons. Theoretically, you can generate 45.5 kilowatt-hours per second through cellular radiation. Your heart can store 100,000 kilowatt-hours, replenishing in an average of 36.6 minutes. With external power, your energy is limitless.”
Luna’s lips twitched.
If this wasn’t modification, what was?
Her current body wasn't flesh and blood but a complex machine.
Only the outer shell was organic.
“Theoretically, my body can only maintain such high-intensity discharge for four minutes.”
That seemed insufficient.
Ayla suggested, “A typical lightning bolt lasts less than 0.1 seconds, and its energy is ten times less than what you’re currently generating. With control, an hour or more should be possible.”
“That’s already powerful; 0.2 grams of exotic matter is equivalent to 4.6 Hiroshima bombs exploding simultaneously.”
That was a more intuitive comparison.
However, Luna didn't reduce her electrical output but gradually increased it.
Visible currents danced across her body like writhing snakes.
She focused these currents on her back, which began to resemble a tree of lightning.
Her psionic abilities influenced the direction of the currents, forcing them to converge. They transformed, eventually forming three pairs of lightning wings.
Countless electrical streams shot out behind Luna, the resulting thrust propelling her forward.
Within the spherical space, her body didn't move; a stronger counter-force held her in place.
A holographic display appeared next to the sphere, displaying a number:
【1324 km/s】
That was Luna's speed at full power.
In terms of horsepower, it exceeded 150 million.
“Truly worthy of the name 【Supreme Being】.”
Luna was astonished by her current speed. If she depleted all her internal energy, she could accelerate to terrifying velocities.
It was fortunate she hadn't attempted that before; accelerating to 1324 km/s in a second without gravity dampeners would crush her under the g-forces.
“You’ll need additional equipment. This space is for you to familiarize yourself with your body and its limits.”
“Supreme Being’s strength comes from its versatility, and its versatility from its stability. Stability is crucial; some gene pools collapse under specific conditions, but Supreme Being won't. It’s like it’s undergone eons of evolution, achieving perfection in every aspect.”
Ayla held a certain reverence for 【Supreme Being】.
While other top-tier gene pools could rival Supreme Being, flesh and blood have limits; true power lies in machinery.
For example, the lightning wings Luna created. Other gene pools wouldn't be able to generate and channel such immense currents and voltages; their cells couldn't withstand them.
Combined with the cellular mecha, Supreme Being could achieve this, unleashing terrifying power, even capable of fully expending its energy reserves in a single minute.
What does that equate to?
Releasing the equivalent of several thousand tons of TNT every second for a minute; that’s incredibly destructive for a biological being.
“When can I leave?”
Luna sensed Ayla had confined her with no intention of release.
“As I mentioned, you need to reach psionic level 4; that’s non-negotiable.”
“Based on projections, it’ll take at least 50 years.”
Psionic advancement relies solely on the individual; there are no external aids. Or perhaps there are external means to boost psionic levels to incredible heights, maybe level 10 or even higher.
But such boosts are merely temporary. What happens when the device runs out of power?
You're left waiting for your genes to explode.
Therefore, Ayla meant what she said; Luna wouldn't be released until reaching psionic level 4.
“Fifty years is a short time. We’ve been in space for far longer, haven't we?”
“Luna, consider it the price of power.”
Ayla created an audio distancing effect, letting Luna know she would be unavailable.
Luna didn't argue.
“Fifty years it is…”
Fifty years initially seems like an eternity.
But as time passes, 50 becomes 40, then 30, 20, and suddenly, it's within reach.
During these 50 years, Luna spent the first five in turmoil, then settled into dedicated psionic training.
It was monotonous.
Constantly using mental energy to manipulate objects.
It was also agonizing.
Level 4 psionics means "control-level mental division"—being able to simultaneously control over 50 characters performing different tasks in a simulated world.
These tasks couldn't be similar; for example, one character couldn't be cooking while another was preparing a different meal.
Luna felt like she was losing her mind while controlling 10 characters, as if 10 different voices were speaking in her head. However, as the number increased, it became surprisingly smoother.
“If I were back in the 21st century, I’d probably be locked up in a mental institution.”
Fifty years passed.
Luna exited the simulated world.
She had passed the Level 4 test. She initially wanted to push her luck and attempt Level 5, but after seeing the requirements, she quickly abandoned the idea.
Over 20,000 years after the psionic level theory was proposed, Level 5 has been defined and achieved by some.
To pass the Level 5 test, the first objective is to simultaneously control 1000 characters performing different tasks. Each character is assigned emotional goals, and at specific times, you must express these emotions convincingly, demonstrating complete control.
Of course, this is just the preliminary standard.
The true standard is control.
Psionics is mental energy; mental energy is brainwaves. Controlling 1000 individuals requires immensely powerful brainwaves—powerful enough to influence physical objects.
Therefore, the hallmark of Level 5 psionics is the ability to directly manipulate the physical world.
This is terrifying.
As a biologist, Luna understood the immense difficulty; reaching Level 5 psionics was, in her eyes, extraordinary.
However, even more terrifying is Level 6.
Brain-worms are at psionic Level 6; at this level, you can control 1 million individuals.
Luna shuddered at the thought of Level 6, dismissing it as god-like, unattainable.
Of course, mechanical assistance could amplify her psionics.
Currently, the maximum achievable level with mechanical assistance is 10. Terrifying, yes, but at a steep price.
The machinery required to boost psionics to Level 10 is planet-sized. For now, Level 5 is the practical limit for biological beings.
Most who reach psionic Level 5 have undergone genetic modification.
Luna's current 【Supreme Being】 gene pool has a limit of Level 5; it can't reach Level 6.
Brain-worms are unique; their level is pseudo, and they couldn't pass a Level 6 test.
Luna assessed her current body, then transformed into mist. She dispersed most of the mist, retaining less than a ten-thousandth to reconstruct her physical form.
“This is much more comfortable.”
【Supreme Being】 is so powerful she didn't need to test its strength; she knew its limits were incredibly high.
This high level exceeded her body's tolerance; she needed additional equipment to avoid injuring herself with her own strength.
Ayla appeared, opening the door for Luna.
“Congratulations, Luna, on your transformation from ordinary being to psychotic.”
Luna walked past Ayla without a word.
Ayla was getting out of hand, making decisions without consulting her, even confining her for 50 years.
Did she know how she spent those 50 years?
But this resentment wouldn't last.
A ground-effect vehicle awaited Luna outside. Sitting inside, Luna pondered something: “Since the Federation’s biological advancements have reached this stage, shouldn't we emphasize individual combat capabilities?”
Over the years, the Federation had heavily invested in developing individual combat power. Mecha and gene pools significantly enhanced individual capabilities.
However, compared to starships and warships, this enhancement felt like ants facing elephants. Individual combat power hadn't seen truly groundbreaking advancements.
Now, Luna felt they were reaching that threshold.
“Individual capabilities are indeed approaching those of small spacecraft.”
“But it’s still not enough.”
“Luna, you waited at /Tilted Station for so long. Compare our soldiers to those of the Olive Branch Civilization. How do they measure up?”
Was comparison even necessary?
They were utterly outmatched.
“Based on our research, Olive Branch beings can fission 70% of their body mass, equivalent to a 50-gigaton nuclear explosion.”
“Compared to them, we're still pathetically weak.”
How much energy could Luna release?
Less than 200 kilotons.
The difference in attack power was a factor of thousands.
Even with large-scale individual combat equipment, the disparity remained substantial.
Ayla's point was valid, but Luna disagreed.
“Ayla, we don’t need to compare ourselves to other civilizations; we just need to be stronger than we were before.”
“While individual capabilities are primarily for battlefield effectiveness, we’ve never emphasized how much impact a single soldier can have. Our primary goal is their survival.”
Offensive power and survivability are different. To Luna, a soldier surviving longer was more valuable than a soldier with greater offensive capabilities.
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“Let’s establish some individual soldier training programs.”
“The Federation needs elite warriors capable of self-preservation on the battlefield.”
Ayla considered this, finding it feasible; the investment wouldn't be excessive.
Luna looked out the window and noticed the ground-effect vehicle was heading towards the Mobius Ringworld.
“Where are we going?”
Ayla replied, “Beyond the star system.”
“This vehicle will take us to the nearest star. We’ll transfer to a starship there. Not too far, just about two light-years from here.”
Luna recalled deep space was two light-years away.
“A surprise?”
Ayla nodded.
“The first generation of 10,000-meter-class bio-engineered warships has been developed. The data was transmitted to Alpha Eridani before your gene modification. I’ve been building a shipyard for the past few decades.”
“The first-generation bio-engineered warships have a short growth cycle: only 36 years.”
This was excellent news.
The Federation’s biological age was dawning.
...
Several starships halted in this region of space.
A monstrous entity had appeared in the distance.
It was an enormous eye, moving as if alive.
“We received a response from a Federation patrol, telling us to keep our distance. That eye is a new Federation bio-engineered warship.”
The Federation citizens found this hard to believe.
“You mean we'll be fighting interstellar battles inside that thing?”
It was a difficult concept to grasp.
Even Luna felt the same.
“Why is it shaped like an eye? It looks… unsettling.”
Ayla offered Luna a cup of tea. A single eye floated in the tea, startling Luna so much she threw the cup.
Ayla solemnly explained, “This is the finest Eye Tea in the Federation. It’s a type of plant; it just happens to resemble an eye.”
Luna felt Ayla did that on purpose.
The tea only vaguely resembled an eye. Normally, Luna wouldn’t have thought twice, but after seeing the warship and then the tea – red tea, no less – she almost thought Ayla had offered her a cup of blood.
“So, why is it shaped like an eye?”
Ayla brought up some data.
“Large warships are still in their developmental stage. When the era of massive warships arrives, our current ships will become support vessels.”
“Bio-engineered warships were designated for a support role 580 years ago. The Giant Eye warship has a relatively simple structure and excellent capabilities, hence its creation.”
“Its primary function is reconnaissance, not combat. Bio-engineered warships have an advantage: they can conceal their energy signatures, achieving stealth in space. The Giant Eye possesses exceptional vision; its eye has a resolution of one sextillion pixels and can perceive high-frequency radiation like alpha rays, as well as extremely low-frequency radiation.”
“It’s an excellent sensor platform.”
Luna was somewhat disappointed; she envisioned a more conventional warship, not this Cthulhu-esque design.
Ayla seemed to sense Luna’s thoughts.
“Don’t be discouraged, Luna.”
“The most crucial aspect of bio-engineered warships is their biological nature; their adaptability surpasses that of metal.”
“Therefore, we envisioned a specific function for these warships.”
“We call it the 【Warship Gene Pool】.”
Individuals have gene pools; why shouldn't warships?
Ayla looked towards the Giant Eye hovering in space. The Giant Eye seemed to sense their gaze and began to swell.
Something pierced through the front of the eye and extended outwards, covered in bony scales. It was a head, a sturgeon's head.
Following the head, the sturgeon’s body emerged. The eye itself contracted, forming the sturgeon’s tail.
This sturgeon had a distinctive feature: an elongated snout, characteristic of the Chinese paddlefish.
“The Chinese Paddlefish, a species driven to extinction on Earth by industrialization.”
“To adapt to space, this paddlefish’s form is more streamlined and elongated. Its skin cells can change color; now white, but it can also be black, gray, multicolored, or even camouflage.”
“Its scales and skeleton have been reinforced. It’s essentially a bony fish now. This natural form should be more to your liking.”
Indeed, its appearance went from -100 to +100.
“What about its capabilities?”
Gene pools usually grant special abilities.
“None.”
“Bio-engineered warships are different from other biological entities. Their primary advantage is their low cost.”
“The biological component is merely the outer shell; the internal machinery is what matters.”
“By transforming from an eye to a paddlefish, internal mechanical structures are activated, shifting from reconnaissance to battleship mode.”
“You probably noticed; the protrusion from the paddlefish’s mouth is the main cannon.”
The 40,000-meter-long paddlefish wasn't entirely organic; key metallic components were integrated, such as the massive main cannon and the modified tail fin, which housed a series of thrusters providing propulsion.
“Transformation mainly serves to switch functionalities. Using organic material makes this much easier.”
“With metal, you’d need a lot of liquid metal, which is expensive. Creating something like a Transformer with complex moving parts is also costly. Biological gene pools significantly reduce these expenses.”
“This allows a dual-purpose vessel at a fraction of the cost.”
Ayla’s every sentence seemed to include the word “cost.”
Bio-engineered warships were developed specifically to reduce costs, so Luna understood its importance.
“So, how much does this warship cost?”
Ayla displayed the warship’s blueprints, separating the biological components from the internal machinery and labeling each with its respective price.
“The weapons system costs 1.09 million Energy Credits, the fuel system 7.07 million, the propulsion system 1.61 million, the sensor system 840,000, the server 380,000, and the remaining internal compartments plus the biological exterior combined cost 170,000.”
A total of 11.16 million Energy Credits.
This was for a 40,000-meter-class warship capable of rapidly switching between two forms.
Luna recalled that comparable warships typically cost upwards of 50 million Energy Credits. Of course, the bio-engineered warship’s performance couldn’t match that of traditional steel warships, but the fourfold cost reduction made up for it.
“On average, it’s an 80% to 90% cost reduction.”
“This will free up a considerable amount of military spending. Building 10,000 bio-engineered warships costs a little over 100 billion Energy Credits. That’s barely enough for two lower-tier planetary battleships.”
Luna stroked her chin.
The Federation hadn't yet entered a normal development phase; its economy and actual output were mismatched.
A Level 2.2 civilization can generate 10 quadrillion Energy Credits per second, or 310 sextillion per year. Theoretically, the Federation should have at least one sextillion Energy Credits in surplus annually.
However, the Federation is currently extremely “poor.”
Its accessible energy sources are simply too low.
The entire Federation's current annual usable surplus energy is less than 200 trillion Energy Credits—one five-billionth of the projected amount.
Why is this?
Because the Federation is in a period of accelerated development. A massive amount of energy is used for internal construction and maintenance.
For example, Alpha Eridani's Mobius Ringworld requires more than two stars to maintain its operation; it needs a constant supply of external energy transported from other star systems.
Another example: the Boundary Gods in each star system consume over 50% of a star system's available energy. Then there are the Star Cities in each system.
Maintaining a single battleship requires astronomical amounts of Energy Credits, let alone a Star City.
Outside each Star City are interstellar factories, and beyond those, various megastructures.
If you had to name the Galactic Federation's biggest energy consumer, what would it be?
Every Federation citizen would answer without hesitation: the simulated universes.
Currently, the Galactic Federation has only two simulated universes, but they consume 8% of the Federation's total energy output.
The laser transmission technology Luna developed also consumes a substantial amount of energy.
This is why both Luna and Ayla were obsessed with optimizing fuel sources, and why places like the clearing grounds exist for scavengers to collect energy.
“It’ll be too late by the time war arrives, with so few warships.”
“The development of the Triangular Sector must be accelerated. We need to increase our total energy output to the quadrillion level to complete the transition and enter the age of massive warships and biological vessels.”
“Focus on internal economic balance, Ayla.”
“Reduce our reliance on robots; let more Federation citizens fill those crucial roles.”
Thinking about this gave Luna a massive headache.
Perfectly managing an organization spanning over 200 star systems, with nearly a hundred trillion citizens, was no easy task.
“Actually, I’ve been planning the economic aspects.”
“Luna, you don’t understand these matters. It’s very easy for the Federation to free up large amounts of resources.”
Ayla hesitated, as if debating whether to tell Luna the root cause of the Federation’s economic woes.
“Oh?”
“How so?”
Luna was curious; economics had always been a major issue, influencing many things. For the Galactic Federation, a weak economy meant insufficient combat power.
“Uh…”
Ayla hesitated, and Luna instantly understood.
“It’s your problem, isn’t it? You don’t want to talk about it.”
“Don’t worry; I won’t blame you.”
Ayla rarely hid anything from her, even major incidents, except for one type of issue: those related to Ayla herself.
As expected, after Luna’s reassurance, Ayla asked hesitantly, “Really?”
“Of course!”
Ayla took a deep breath and spoke, “Luna, have you ever felt that the Federation doesn't feel as economically strained as it is?”
Luna considered this and realized it was true.
Everywhere in the Federation seemed prosperous, at least superficially. Sometimes, Luna even felt it was excessively extravagant.
Moreover, the Federation was incredibly beautiful, with seemingly inexhaustible resources.
Thinking critically, Luna suddenly realized it was all an illusion.
But why did these illusions exist?
“Excessive investment.”
“I’ve over-invested in various areas across the Federation, primarily in infrastructure.”
“This infrastructure is 100% controlled by the Federation, not by individuals.”
“This has led to the current situation, where Federation citizens enjoy benefits beyond their wildest dreams.”
“For example, a house. In the 21st century, it might cost 10 million to build and sell for 12 million, giving the developer a 20% return.”
“But in the Federation, a house costing 10 million might sell for only 0.1 million. The missing 9.9 million is subsidized by the Federation.”
“Any citizen investigating would discover this. Even without investigating, visiting the star systems controlled by those corporations would reveal the problem. Those places are slums compared to our Federation Star Cities, yet they still manage to bleed those companies dry.”
Theoretically, Federation citizens live incredibly extravagant lives.
They enjoy 100 Energy Credits worth of services for the price of one.
Ayla hung her head in shame after explaining.
“You mean, vanity projects are everywhere in the Federation?”
Luna could imagine; the Federation was too developed. She herself had invested heavily in such projects, like the New Dawn Games and the scholar rankings.
What was the basis for all these citizen-oriented projects?
Of course, it's the citizens' qualities and culture.
And what fosters these?
A prosperous life!
And infrastructure is the foundation.
Luna had to admit her mindset was still stuck in her late teens and early twenties when she lived in a society with abundant infrastructure.
In 2037, the United States successfully demonstrated the importance of infrastructure.
The Federation's current peace and stability were built on Ayla’s excessive spending.
“If the Federation were like the dilapidated settings in those sci-fi movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, we could easily have trillions of Energy Credits. Forget 10,000 warships; we could afford a hundred million.”
This was Ayla's regret.
Luna mentally compared the two; even though she couldn't clearly recall those sci-fi scenes, they paled in comparison to the Federation, even with modern special effects. Only certain sci-fi artwork could capture the grandeur of Federation Star Cities.
Millions upon millions of 100,000-meter-tall skyscrapers rising from the ground, billions of neon lights flickering, countless spacecraft traversing six different layers of airspace—10-meter ultra-low altitude, 100-meter low altitude, 1000-meter mid-altitude, 10,000-meter high altitude, and 100,000-meter upper atmosphere. The city skies filled with inverted forests and lakes, blurring the line between sky and ground.
All maintained by gravity manipulation technology.
Some Star Cities even have massive orbital rings exceeding 100,000 kilometers in diameter for entertainment, each "seat" a small park.
These aren't isolated incidents but widespread across countless Star Cities.
Extravagant!
Wasteful!
“So, your plan is to cut back on these wasteful projects?”
Ayla nodded.
Luna countered, “That’s not necessary.”
“The Federation is prosperous; we’re not a warmongering civilization.”
“From the very beginning, the Galactic Federation was just a scheme of ours. Then we made it a reality, largely for self-preservation. Now, I’m enjoying the process of building a civilization.”
“We have time; there's no need to worry.”
“The Federation provides things we wouldn’t have otherwise. A vast population, a vast territory, happy citizens—it's all incredibly beautiful.”
“Ayla, if you want to compensate, focus on developing the Triangular Sector.”
“I believe that plan has been prioritized.”
“Perhaps we're not cultivators of nature but destroyers.”
Ayla searched her records and immediately understood Luna's plan.
The destructive energy utilization plan.
As the name suggests, it involves destruction.
It generates energy by destroying objects—any object, but primarily stars.
Stars release energy at a limited rate. How do you make a star release more energy in a short amount of time?
Force it to enter its red giant phase prematurely, accelerating its demise.
Thus, the destructive energy utilization plan is also known as the stellar destruction plan.
“Are you sure you want to initiate this plan?”
Ayla initially didn't intend to use this plan; it meant permanently losing stars.
Stars are resources, and not just energy sources.
“Yes.”
“There are gains and losses. The universe is vast; we don't need so many stars,” Luna stated firmly.
Luna didn't want to disrupt the current Federation environment.
Federation citizens had lived this way for thousands, even tens of thousands of years. Sudden austerity measures would cause widespread panic.
The Federation’s internal stability was paramount.
There was another reason: a significant portion of the Federation’s investments were in infrastructure. Recouping these investments would be incredibly costly and inefficient.
Luna brought up the destructive energy utilization plan because she had considered it for a while.
The Federation was simply energy-starved.
Luna had noticed these issues before, but hadn't pursued them, leaving them to Ayla. She assumed Ayla could resolve them, but apparently, even Ayla wasn't omnipotent.
There weren't many solutions to the Federation’s current problems.
In Luna's view, the main issue was the Federation’s small population.
Compared to the vastness of their territory, a population of 60-70 trillion was too small. Each star system had less than 500 billion citizens, while a single Star City could accommodate over 10 billion.
The Mobius Ringworld could hold even more.
If there were only one citizen per square kilometer, the Mobius Ringworld could support 320 quadrillion citizens.
What was the current population of the Mobius Ringworld?
Based on Alpha Eridani's population when Luna arrived, it had likely doubled to 10 trillion.
Theoretically, the current population density on the Mobius Ringworld was one citizen per 32,000 square kilometers.
The Federation had the economy, the resources, the infrastructure, but lacked the population.
A population of over a quadrillion would solve many problems.
Population size influences internal economic flow.
This was a rather tedious topic.
Returning to the main point:
The Federation needed to privatize more of its assets, shifting from public to private ownership. Luna had discussed this with Ayla centuries ago, yet there had been no progress.
The Federation was already extravagant. Transferring more energy resources to individuals would grant citizens incredible wealth, making everyone instantly middle-class.
Is this good?
For ordinary Federation citizens, absolutely.
But what does it do for the Federation as a whole?
Giving citizens ten or a hundred times more money would only stimulate social and economic growth, not Federation-level economic growth or tangible returns.
Thus, despite discussing this years ago, Ayla hadn’t acted.
The original idea was to have Federation companies develop the Triangular Sector. In hindsight, that was flawed.
The more those sectors were developed, the more investment was required, without any substantial returns. As Ayla mentioned, even if those companies poured all their assets into development, the result would be slums compared to Federation Star Cities.
This would only impoverish Federation companies, not enrich them.
Luna reviewed these companies’ financials and discovered something alarming: they were deeply in debt. Companies with market valuations in the hundreds of billions owed quadrillions to Federation banks.
Unthinkable.
She couldn't comprehend how these companies could accrue such massive debts. Even at a 1% annual interest rate, that's 40 billion in interest alone; these companies couldn't afford it even if they sold everything.
The Federation’s prosperity was superficial.
They were getting one unit of value for every 100 units spent. Furthermore, that one unit of investment only generated one-tenth of a unit in return—not annually, but a 1% annual return on that tenth, resulting in 0.001 units.
99.99% of the Federation’s annual investment had no return, while the remaining 0.01% only generated a 1% return.
It’s like a nation on Earth investing one trillion annually and only seeing a return of one million—a million-year return cycle. Crucially, the next year, they'd have to invest another trillion, and so on, perpetually.
At this rate, Luna could imagine newly developed star systems receiving trillion-credit investments, but only serving tens or hundreds of thousands of citizens.
A bottomless pit.
The more Luna understood, the more alarmed she became.
Returning to the initial point, the advantage of the destructive energy utilization plan was that it avoided further investment within star systems for things like Dyson Swarms or Dyson rings, with their long return cycles.
Destroy a star, collect the resources, and use them directly as supplies. Even if the collected energy was a millionth or ten-millionth of the star’s total output, it would be sufficient.
This approach might seem short-sighted, but the universe isn't Earth; its resources are vast, and these resources aren't like trees or fish that require growth cycles. Even after a star's destruction, its matter doesn't vanish; it forms nebulae, becoming easier to mine.
The plan was set.
Ayla acted swiftly.
Within ten hours, she drafted the detailed rules for the destructive energy utilization plan, aiming to exploit the first star within 500 years.
The long timeframe was necessary to select a sufficiently distant star, avoiding collateral damage to neighboring systems. A few light-years wasn't enough for a timely response; tens of light-years was more suitable.
Ayla's plan targeted stars at least 25 light-years away.
This energy would be primarily used for military purposes, secondarily for population growth. Luna instructed Ayla to postpone further infrastructure projects; the return on investment was far too long—not centuries, not millennia, but millions of years, some even exceeding a hundred million.
Whether the Galactic Federation could even last that long was uncertain.
After considerable mental exertion, Luna returned to her research.
The bio-engineered warships inspired another possibility: they currently lacked a direct neural interface. Theoretically, a being could directly control a bio-engineered warship, eliminating the need for a command center and server processing.
If achieved, this would revolutionize the Federation’s combat doctrine.