Chapter 737

Chapter 737: A Silent Partnership

In the year 6266 of the Xia calendar, on Curtis Island.

Curtis Island used to be a beautiful tourist destination with a small country of hundreds of thousands of people living on it, peaceful and prosperous, making a lot of money from tourism.

Now it has become one of the habitats of monsters, with the once-standing buildings now reduced to concrete frames. Perhaps in a few more years, there will be no traces of human life left.

Lin Jiang and Cao Ying arrived at Curtis Island, standing at the highest point of the island, overlooking the entire landmass.

"Big Shadiao is still clueless, not understanding the ways of the world, and has been fed a lot of information by the Demon Queen."

"It’s okay, Big Shadiao was never aware of many secrets in the first place."

Lin Jiang calmly remarked that Big Shadiao had stayed as a guest with Demon Queen Lin Fanghua for two months before returning, so he probably had been fed all sorts of information.

However, Lin Jiang and his friends kept Big Shadiao as a pet, it doesn’t know many secrets, what’s in its mind doesn’t matter much to the Demon Queen.

"No wonder you didn’t let Small Shadiao go."

"I didn’t think that much, I just didn’t want Small Shadiao to be in trouble."

"You can’t use human emotions to understand the situation of the demon clan, and Small Shadiao has already chosen you."

"It’s because it chose me that I don’t want it to be in trouble. Okay, let’s not talk about this anymore, Demon Queen is here."

Lin Jiang shook his head, discussing this issue didn’t make much sense. Since Small Shadiao chose Lin Jiang, Lin Jiang naturally wouldn’t let it be in trouble, he must consider his brother.

The Demon Queen quickly appeared, taking on human form, standing in front of Lin Jiang and Cao Ying.

"I’m here now, what do you want to say?"

"Fanghua, I came with sincerity, didn’t I? Otherwise, I could have brought soldiers to capture and interrogate you, don’t be so hostile towards me."

"Hehe"

"What did Feng Jiu tell you? He said becoming an Immortal is a scam that has been around since ancient times, what does that mean exactly?"

"I don’t know either, Feng Jiu didn’t tell me."

"Fang Hua, if what Feng Jiu said is true, then we have a common interest. You are at the seventh stage, equivalent to Tao Achieving in the human tribe. The next realm is the tribulation crossing. After crossing the tribulation, it will be the great enlightenment ascension, which involves our common interests."

Lin Jiang couldn’t help but say, "If one becomes an Immortal, many people will have to cut off their desires and emotions. For the human tribe, Lin Jiang, and for the Demon Queen of the demon tribe, perhaps they won’t be as important anymore."

"Although we are enemies, I agree with what you said. But I really don’t know. On the day I fell from space, I entered a place similar to a spatial crevice. Feng Jiu only said a few words to me before leaving."

"Is that so?"

"I, as a royal, disdain lying."

The Demon Queen said coldly, Lin Jiang frowned, looking at Lin Fanghua’s expression, it didn’t seem like she was lying, what should he do?

"Uncle, I’ll take care of it, you go and play on the side."

Cao Ying saw this and said to Lin Jiang, who nodded and obediently walked to the side.

Cao Ying and Lin Fanghua have an advantage in chatting, not only because they are both females, but also because they both have achieved the Tao Achieving level, with similar realms and many common topics.

Lin Jiang wandered to the side, gazing at the vast sea, deep in thought. If they couldn’t guess Feng Jiu’s intentions now, then someone would have to take action. Who should be the one to truly step into the Disaster Crossing Period for comprehension?

Three hours later, the Demon Queen flew away. Lin Jiang walked over to Cao Ying and asked, "How did the conversation go?"

"It went well."

"Did Fanghua provide any useful clues?"

"What Feng Jiu told her is similar to what she told us, nothing valuable. But Demon Queen is Feng Jiu’s wife and the current ruler of the demon clan. Feng Jiu can sacrifice herself for the demon clan. It’s almost certain that Feng Jiu is not lying or fooling us."

"I would rather Feng Jiu deceive us. Then we could act freely. As it is now, feeling stuck in the middle, it makes me feel uneasy."

"That’s how it is, but it’s already happened, there’s nothing we can do."

"I don’t know what to do next, it’s very difficult for me."

Lin Jiang said. Now is the time to be indecisive again. Lin Jiang doesn’t dare to make a wrong move, otherwise it may be irreparable.

"I have hinted to the Demon Queen that the human race will not destroy the demon race, at least not in the short term. The demon race should also not start another major war, maintain the current situation, and wait quietly for the situation to change."

"You…"

"This is the best solution at the moment, it can be used for attack and defense, and it is suitable for both advancing and retreating."

"You are right, this way is also good."

Lin Jiang carefully considered that it was also good, it is impossible for the human race to openly cooperate with the demon race, the public opinion doesn’t approve, and there is also no basis of trust between the two. Lin Jiang is also unwilling to destroy the demon race, and he is worried about what Feng Jiu said.

·······

Back in Haigang City, Lin Jiang quickly arranged the development of Penglai Continent. Huaxia naturally took up most of it. Several major financial groups under Lin Jiang’s name had already moved out first. They raised a large number of cultivators, took a lot of moss to Penglai Continent, scattered seeds everywhere, and cleared demon beasts.

The nuclear radiation in some parts of Penglai Continent is relatively low. It might affect ordinary people, but cultivators will not have any problems. They can gradually develop it step by step.

After arranging things properly, Lin Jiang went to see Cao Wang again and directly told him, "I have a long-term task for you, to search for alien civilizations or find new suitable planets for living."

"Ancestor Lin, wasn’t this project already started a long time ago?"

"Yes, it’s being brought up again now. I will increase the investment. You will be in charge of it. If you need any resources, I will provide them. If you need funds, I will also give."

"Then there’s no problem."

Cao Wang said, with funds and policies, what else to worry about, let’s get it done.

"How long do you think it will take to leave the solar system?"

"It’s not difficult to leave the solar system. The current second-generation Space Mother Ship can do it. The third generation, which is still under development, can even go back and forth. But finding a suitable planet for habitation outside the solar system is very difficult. The potentially habitable planets observed by current science are all theoretical. The nearest one is roughly about eight light-years away. Ancestor Lin, do you know what an eight light-year distance means?"

"It takes light eight years to travel, I know."

"Yes, under standard atmospheric pressure, the speed of light is 880,353 times faster than the speed of sound. The design speed limit of the third-generation Space Mother Ship is 350 Mach. Even at this speed, it would take over 10,000 years to fly eight light years. Even if we use the gravitational force of celestial bodies, it would still take no less than 10,000 years, and it may deplete all our energy."

"What about the concept of black holes and space jumps?"

"The mass of black holes is too great. If the Space Mother Ship passes through a black hole, it would be squeezed into a flat sheet. Space jumping currently requires too much energy. Jumping a distance of 10,000 kilometers consumes more than flying the same distance. It’s just not feasible."

"On top of the existing budget, I will allocate an additional 300 billion Huaxia coins to you every year to specifically address this issue."

Upon hearing this, Lin Jiang immediately decided to increase the investment amount. Progress is too slow, scientific development is too slow, we need to speed up.

"Ancestor Lin, with this much funding allocated to the project each year, exceeding one trillion, it will have a significant impact. Is this really a good idea?"

"Humans need to have goals. I find the matters on this planet insignificant. In the next phase, I plan to explore the universe and outer space."

Lin Jiang lightly said that the upcoming war with the demon clan would be at a low intensity, and future military expenditures would be greatly reduced. Lin Jiang decided to put all the expenses in this area into the space project.

Lin Jiang was confused about what was going on, but he had a solution in mind. Feng Jiu said becoming an immortal was a scam since ancient times. Whether it was immortals causing trouble or fate playing tricks, leaving this planet could be a solution. So, Lin Jiang was determined to put in a lot of effort.

"Ancestor Lin has big ambitions, so I will accompany him even if it costs me my life. I may break through Void Achieving in about twenty more years. After breaking through Void Achieving, I will have thousands of extra years of life. By then, I will play with Ancestor Lin."

Cao Wang immediately showed that he was no longer interested in cultivating immortality. He found scientific research more interesting. Breaking through to higher levels of cultivation meant extending his lifespan, giving him more time for academic pursuits.

"Alright, I won’t let you down. After Void Achieving, I can’t guarantee you’ll reach Tao Achieving, but I have some good things left in my Spiritual Herb Garden. I can definitely add a few hundred years to your life. Besides that, what material enjoyments do you want? I’ll satisfy your desires."

Lin Jiang mentioned that Cao Wang had consumed life-extending treasures during the cultivation era, but Lin Jiang had something better.

"Material enjoyments are too ordinary and low-level. I’d rather learn more in other fields. I want to say goodbye to the other tech magnates and find a new mentor."

"You can choose anything. I will personally support you. You’ll have the title of Deputy Director at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute, and no other project will take precedence over yours. How does that sound?"

"Thank you, Ancestor Lin."

"Work well."

Lin Jiang nodded, chatted for a while, then left. He didn’t visit any other places at the Spiritual Energy Research Institute because he didn’t have money to invest there. Now, he was going all in on space technology.