Chapter 52: An Achievement of National Significance

Chapter 52: National-Fortune-Level Achievements

"Everyone, I have called you here today to announce two pieces of news."

"The first piece of news, you already know."

"The Institute has been upgraded to the Academy, and the Management Division has become the Management Department. What this actually means, you all certainly understand, so I won't go into the details."

"The second piece of news: the secret base located somewhere in the Great Northwest has been officially completed. This base can currently accommodate three hundred thousand people living normally. The second phase of the project is under intense construction and is expected to be completed in one month, at which point it will be able to accommodate one million people for normal living."

"It can be foreseen that in the future, this secret base—or rather, this city—will become the most important transcendent land in the country, without exception."

"As members of the Institute, you can bring your parents, wives, and daughters to live and study in this secret base together."

"Among them, assistant researchers may only bring direct relatives such as parents, wives, and children. Official researchers may bring friends and lovers. Senior researchers have a larger quota, and as for chief researchers, the benefits far exceed imagination. Those who want to know can ask Jiang Ju, our newly appointed chief researcher; I won't elaborate further here."

"To become a chief researcher, one must possess a national-fortune-level achievement. Jiang Ju relied on the large-scale, low-cost seawater desalination technology, a technology that can transform the entire Great Northwest into a picturesque region reminiscent of the south of the Yangtze River, or at the very least, into the likeness of a major central plain."

And just how vast is the Great Northwest?
It is well over three million square kilometers!
And how many people live in the Great Northwest?
Not even a single small target!

Look at the population density of the Central Plains Province, look at the population density of the southern regions of the Yangtze River, and then look at the population densities of the Capital and the Modu. The impression given by the population density of the Great Northwest is simply: this place is sparsely populated, as if it has never been developed.

The most direct reason is the lack of water!

"Actually, with your capabilities, inventions at the national-fortune level are not completely out of reach. Artificial intelligence technology, even of the first generation—the most foundational artificial intelligence technology—can also be considered national-fortune level." Saying this, Xiong Yan glanced briefly at Guan Ming.

"The artificial sun—that is, controllable nuclear fusion technology. Once resolved, it means endless energy, which is naturally without a doubt a national-fortune-level technology." At this instant, Xiong Yan looked toward Lu Zhou and Ji Zhen, those two great mathematicians.

"As for the medical field, low-cost rejuvenation technology is actually an important national-fortune-level achievement. Once realized, those aged forty, sixty, or even eighty can possess twenty-year-old bodies and continue high-intensity work. The impact of this on the entire society cannot be overstated no matter how it is described."

Hearing this, everyone subconsciously looked toward Bai Mo, who was zoning out nearby. Feeling the gazes of the crowd, Bai Mo maintained a blank expression and continued zoning out.

"In addition, large-scale, low-cost, universally accessible spiritual rice, virtual reality technology, artificial blessed land creation technology, and so on, can all be considered national-fortune-level achievements."

Hearing this, Peng Bing helplessly knitted his brows.

At the very beginning, he had thought that the resurgence of spiritual energy meant the arrival of an era of individual heroism!
He had assumed that such an era would be the most friendly to someone like him who had foundations, achievements, and talent!
He had supposed that in such a transcendent era, transcendent beings like him would be the most dazzling figures in the entire country!

However, his recent experiences had clearly told him: even with the resurgence of spiritual energy, the most dazzling figure is not you, but that group of immensely talented and hardworking great scientists!

That group of great scientists provides the brains, and the Great Xia provides the muscle. With the two cooperating, what single transcendent individual could ever compare to them alone?

Of course, if you could acquire treasures like the Chaos Bell, the River Chart and Luo Book, or the Twelfth-Grade Goodness Green Lotus right at the dawn of the spiritual energy resurgence, then you would undoubtedly be the boss and call the shots!

"Director, I have a question!" Peng Bing finally could not help himself, directly raising his right hand, and after seeing Xiong Yan nod, he stood up.

"Speak."

"These national-fortune-level achievements—aside from scientists, it's impossible for anyone else to attain them!"

"Take me, for example. My personal martial prowess used to be ranked first globally. Although I also study hard, asking me to rely on scientific research to produce achievements that affect the nation's fortune is simply far, far too difficult."

"Even if I were to write ten explanatory papers every day, produce a massive amount of popular science videos on transcendence, or even create new cultivation techniques, it would still be difficult for me to become a chief researcher. I'd probably cap out as a senior researcher."

At this instant, Daoist Changkong, Lin Er, Wang Zongchao, and others all nodded in unison.

Seeing this, Xiong Yan simply shook his head: "Scientists can continuously produce results through researching science, technology, and transcendence, and you naturally have the path that suits you best."

"And that is the Void Realm!"

"We have all been to Ping'an Town before. The area of Ping'an Town is one hundred square kilometers, which is one hundred and fifty thousand acres of land. Ultimately, after transitioning from the void into reality, it was reduced to only fifteen acres of land, a few kilograms of seeds, the cultivation bases of twenty-something people, and a small number of spiritual energy crystals."

"What if the size of a certain Void Realm were exactly identical to Earth? What if a certain Void Realm were even larger than Earth? You all understand the value of land, so I won't go into the details."

"And that is just the land. Apart from land, there are many other products when a Void Realm transitions from void to reality, such as spiritual treasures and spiritual roots with special functions..."

Spiritual rice that, when consumed, subtly improves the innate aptitude of an entire generation—is that valuable?
Combining spiritual treasures with technology to directly forge true artificial intelligence—is that valuable?
Thoroughly researching the principles of a certain treasure to conduct industrial production and mass-produce treasures—does that count as valuable?

"Furthermore, there is the cultural aspect, such as philosophical classics. We must acknowledge that certain philosophical classics themselves possess immense value. For instance, the I Ching; for instance, Das Kapital."

The value of Das Kapital is known to virtually anyone who has attended school. Even viewed globally, across the past and the present, the value of Das Kapital remains of the absolute highest tier.

To exaggerate slightly, the development of modern Western civilization as a whole has been profoundly influenced by this book.

"And the I Ching is also divided into the Lian Shan Yi, the Gui Cang Yi, and the Zhou Yi. When we usually speak of the I Ching, we are referring to the Zhou Yi. It is said that the Lian Shan Yi was the I Ching of the Xia Dynasty, and the Gui Cang Yi was the I Ching of the Shang Dynasty. If you were to find the lost Lian Shan and Gui Cang versions within the Void Realm, that would undoubtedly start you off as a senior researcher."

"And the I Ching is merely the work of King Wen; what about the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams created by our primordial ancestor Fuxi? If you were to crack the truth behind the River Chart and Luo Book, would you still have to worry about not securing a position as a chief researcher?"