Chapter 4041  Venturing Civilization

And indeed, that was one of the plans that Rui had had in mind when wanting to expand Gaian Civilization to the stars. Simply spawning limitless Martial Sages and confining them to Panama would become a recipe for disaster.

At the same time, he didn't want to use his military force to conquer the other six continents. Thus, Project Interstellar wasn't just a way for him to explore other civilizations, but it was also a way for him to open the pressure valve and allow large numbers of Martial Sages to explore and colonize other planets in the cosmos.

Thus, Project Interstellar had been important for the stability of Gaian Civilization even before the information of the threats they faced had been conveyed to them by the Laminar Civilization. Now, it was important for their very survival.

That was why Rui personally addressed the entire nation, the entire continent, and the entire world on the day of the launch.

"Citizens of Kandria." His voice boomed without the need for a microphone. "Citizens of Panama. Citizens of the Gaia…"

His ethereal eyes sharpened. "Today, we embark on a historic voyage, one greater than any other ever undertaken in the history of our civilization."

His words evoked a large number of click sounds from the press, causing flashes of light shutter and off. The press gathered before him, as well as the large number of citizens of Kandria gathered in the seating arrangements before the stage he stood at, were silent. The bright light of the morning sky made for a positive, encouraging, and uplifting atmosphere that cut sharply against the upheaval that human civilization had experienced in the previous month.

Rui himself had been groomed immaculately, having donned the ostentatious attire of the Emperor with the crown resting on his head. He had grown into it in the past six years, if before he looked uncomfortable in his own skin. He had truly become the Emperor in everybody's eyes.

"For eons, Gaia and Sol have been our sole homes," he continued with a serious tone of voice. "They have been the limit of the extent of our reach. The limit of our power as a civilization. The limit of the universe that stretches beyond its borders. The vast expanses between stars have made reaching our destinations within a short amount of time and maintaining contact with them an impossibility… until recently, that is."

His words ended on a higher note after dampening, contrasting the impossibilities of the past with the realities of the present.

"Today, we have the power," he declared boldly. "We have the power to traverse the cosmos. With the miracles of negatron matter, there is no star beyond our reach!"

That was hyperbolic, of course, but the impact of the sentiment was powerful. Indeed, with the negatron matter mined in the past six years continuously, human civilization had obtained the power to traverse titanic distances in just the blink of an eye.

Of course, it wasn't easy by any means. One of the reasons that the missions had waited six months was that it took time to gather the sheer amount of energy that would be needed to open a wormhole to such a distant destination, especially one that was large enough to pass a massive omni-ship through.

"And yet, not only do we have great power to expand into the cosmos," Rui continued with a more solemn tone of voice. "We also have a great need to do so in light of recent events."

The shuttering sounds of the camera grew louder as the press grew more charged and alert, eager to grasp at any piece of additional information that Rui was willing to share with them. The Gaian Alliance, even as it was rapidly taking shape, had already created an information portal where carefully curated and declassified information was available, but naturally, people were never satisfied with what they got. They clamored for more of the 'Laminar Files' and the 'Nebular Files' as they had come to call them. "As the entire world is undoubtedly aware of by now," Rui began. "We have been contacted with and even conflicted with extraterrestrial civilizations that have been alerted to our presence in this solar system. Right now, we have managed to establish peace with one of them while largely neutralizing the other, but that doesn't mean all is well forever."

His eyes sharpened.

"We must grow stronger as a civilization. The stronger we are, the more we can protect the people we love."

His words resonated with many. Indeed, they had managed to defend themselves, which was the only reason that they could even be there today to get excited for Project Interstellar.

But what if they had been defeated?

It would have an apocalyptic climax to their story. The very thought of it sent chills down their entire body. "That is why Project Intestellar is important," Rui continued. "That is why we will take our first step into the cosmos today."

The screens behind him lit up, featuring a stream of the Panamic Space Station. It was a colossal modular structure that stretched many kilometers in space, hosting massive amounts of volume within it. "Behold, Pioneer I." Rui's voice was solemn.

A hatch opened up in space, featuring a giant omni-ship that slowly emerged from within the space station. The ship was structured like a spiral column, very different from the normal design of spaceships that resembled marine terrestrial ships in water. Its body was largely a neutral gray, along with lines and elements of blue and green, capturing the colors that were most prominent in Gaia thanks to the oceans, Genora, Kiriket, and even the Panama Continent.

It was clearly meant to be a moment that all of Gaia could appreciate, even if it was a mission from the Panamic Space Organization. Even as the ship slowly emerged from the space station, weighed down by all the mini-singularities it had to carefully push from within it, Rui could feel the wave of positivity and hope from the minds of people. Not a single person felt negatively about it.

In that moment, they achieved just a moment of Phenomenological Uniformity.