Age of Cosmic Exploration

Chapter 325: The Start of Mutation

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Cursed planet? What was a cursed planet?

This question was on the minds of many space civilizations, be it space civilizations under level 3 or level 4 to level 6 space civilizations, or civilizations with even higher level.

From a time which no one could pinpoint, rumors about the existence of the demon race started to circulate throughout the cosmos...

What was the demon race? Surprisingly enough, there was no verifiable news about it among the low-tier and middle-tier space civilizations. In fact, many space civilizations labelled the rumors about this demon race and its accompanying idea, the cursed planet, as the biggest lie in all of the cosmos.

The public enemy of space civilizations, the destroyer of many civilizations, but a necessity among almost every low-tier and middle-tier space civilization, AIs that had achieved Singularity. A mechanical fleet that did not possess any creative power and could only hungrily consume technology from other civilizations. The AIs were only the third greediest race in space.

Known as the space epidemic, the zerg that swallowed any civilization and material was only the second greediest race in space?

Then, just what kind of creatures were the demon race to be called the greediest race in space? What else could they hunger for that was more than civilization, technology, and materials?

According to the legends... the answer was soul. This element that maintained the balance in space, the key that supported the law of conservation of soul!

However, what did it mean by hungering after soul? Almost every space civilization that knew about soul hungered after it, so what was so unique about the demon race?

The answer lied in the core of the cursed planet, the location where the demon race was rumored to be born. What kind of terror was hiding there? And what exactly was the demon race? Why would a small planet be a threat to one or several suns, multiple planets, a system, or galaxies? This was simply too unscientific.

These were thoughts shared by many space civilizations. Of course, this was not all space civilizations, because for the few high-tier space civilizations that knew about the truth behind the rumors, they felt a spine-chilling fear whenever they talked about any cursed planet. They treated them with utmost seriousness, and not a thing of rumors.

At this moment, among all of the space civilizations around the cursed planet, an intelligence lifeform was going through this sensation...

He was the cosmic adapter for a peak level 2 space civilization and he was a rare S grade Time Watcher. Even though he was old, it did not affect the utilization of his Time Watcher power. If anything, due to his thousands of years of experience, even though he was only a level 1 Time Watcher, he could predict the danger that was far ahead. This allowed him to save his race many times, and he had led his race to the peak of level 2 space civilization and the fringe of level 3 space civilization. He was instrumental to his civilization.

Like other space civilizations, his civilization had happened upon this set of space-warped messages accidentally and had arrived at this solar system by tracing its origin. To his consternation, it landed them around a cursed planet. Thinking about the numerous rumors, everyone in his civilization feared for their safety, but they were ultimately compelled to stay due to the allure of space warp technology from a level 5 space civilization. Furthermore, there were many space civilizations around who chose to stay as well.

Actually, the common reason to why all the space civilizations stayed despite the obvious danger was only one: profit.

What was a level 5 space civilization?

To put it simply, perhaps there were one hundred level 1 space civilizations, or civilizations that had managed to evolve into technology mature enough to ensure colonization within its home planet’s solar system.

A level 2 space civilization, at its most basic, could travel a limited distance into the cosmos and had a large amount of space fleets and a main mothership that could support a population of several billion people. The evolution from level 1 space civilization to level 2 space civilization had its difficulties around the destruction of the environment and exhaustion of resources. Not to be forgotten was the possible betrayal of AI systems.

Evolution from level 2 space civilization to level 3 space civilization required plasmatic system technology and the means to surpass the limitation of light speed. In other words, the warp drive technology. This would allow the civilization to survive and explore the vast cosmos.

To borrow a simple analogy, without warp drive technology, going from one solar system to another would require at least a thousand years, and during that time, the civilization’s survival depended fully on the mothership. If there was an accident, then the civilization would be gone. From this, one could see the importance of warp drive. For any space civilization, it was an unimaginable leap in technology. One could say that with the advent of warp drive, the space civilization had the basic ability to survive in the cosmos.

It was because of this that while maybe one out of 100 level 1 space civilizations managed to enter level 2, from perhaps one million level 2 space civilizations, there would only be one that would manage to become a level 3 space civilization. This was the difference between level 2 space civilizations and level 3 space civilizations!

Since level 3 space civilizations were already so rare, then what about level 4 space civilizations? The gap was no longer describable; it could be seen as a change in essence itself! This was because level 4 space civilizations were the beginning of middle-tier space civilizations, and they had distanced itself from low-tier space civilizations in every single aspect.

Simply put, level 1 space civilizations, level 2 space civilizations, and level 3 space civilizations, their technology trees are linear and connected. Given enough time, population, resources, and safety, almost all space civilizations eventually reach the limit of a level 3 space civilization, the difference being the time taken.

However, the barrier to become a level 4 space civilization was not something that could be broken with enough time. This was because it depended on one key element... the catalyst!

Just like how a level 2 space civilization’s catalyst is electromagnetic technology and a level 3 space civilization’s is plasma, then what is the key technology to break through to become a level 4 space civilization?

This was the key question that no one had an answer to. Many level 3 space civilizations perished due to getting stuck at this juncture for thousands or millions of years.

A level 4 space civilization was only the beginning of middle-tier space civilizations, and the message these civilazations received was sent with space-warp technology from a level 5 space civilization, and that was even stronger... For these level 2 and level 3 space civilizations, it was a technology that was powerful enough to ensure the glory of their civilizations for millions of years!

Therefore, which space civilization was willing to give up on this once in a lifetime opportunity?

This was the attitude held by this Time Watcher as well. Even though he was the ruler of his civilization and held authority in his hands, at the same time, he had to be responsible for his civilization. It was because of this that he ordered his civilization’s space fleet to stop, but as the time passed, the sense of danger within him increased. The sense of danger that permeated was ubiquitous, it covered him like a layer of slime. With the passing of time, it got thicker and stickier; it made him want to crawl away from that area and run.

"Why? Why is there such a sense of danger? Where does this danger come from? Is it because there are too many space civilizations gathered here? Or is it because of the presence of the irrational Parlei Race? Threat of a space war? What is it? This danger..."

This Time Watcher was sitting on the throne of his fleet and was massaging his head as he thought about this. At this time, his ministers came to inform him that several cosmic adapters from other space civilizations were requesting for communication.

This Time Watcher did not hesitate. Very soon, the line of communication was formed between all the cosmic adapters. However, unfortunately, other than him, all the other cosmic adapters were only grade B or C, so they were completely no match for him. However, during the communication, he did spot something weird.

This group of low level cosmic adapters all felt the presence of danger. How was that possible? None of them were Time Watchers, they were not even S grade cosmic adapter, but since even they also sensed danger... then was this danger very real? And would it come any time soon?

"These space civilizations have formed their own alliances, and they are each very powerful. Small squabbles are unavoidable, but it is unlikely a real space war will break out unless the source of the space warp technology is suddenly exposed. Then what kind of danger could be this scary?"

Just as this Time Watcher ordered his fleet to retreat far away from the rest, until they were at the fringe of the solar system, suddenly, before their naked eyes, one of the planets that revolved around the cursed planet, it had a dark red surface, broke out in flesh-like pustules. The pustule number increased dramatically until eventually, the planet was covered in a layer of flesh!

What was happening?!