Chapter 201 – Contact (3)
Races that were prosperous enough to walk the stars were spread out across the universe.
Because the environments in which they evolved and the ways they fought to survive were different, various cultures and traits existed.
Either warlike or peaceful.
Either altruistic or selfish.
Enterprising or conservative.
Be brave or be a coward.
People who evolved from herbivores and have both eyes on the left and right.
People who evolved from carnivores and have both eyes focused at the front.
These people evolved from insects and have multiple eyes that cover a variety of areas.
There are terrestrial creatures and aquatic creatures.
There are also species where the concept of maternal love does not exist as they lay thousands of eggs at once.
There was also democracy.
There was also an empire.
They pride themselves on the fact that they are the only ones blessed by God.
Even those who turned their backs on everything and reached the extremes of communism.
When people from all different backgrounds advance into space, it is inevitable that it will be filled with conflict rather than harmony.
This is because, despite being a large universe, there are surprisingly few planets that have good conditions for colonies.
However, thanks to a certain great race, it did not lead to a great war.
Editor.
It was the name that civilizations called their great people.
The first to discover fire, the first to launch a ship on rough seas, the first to reach the industrial age, and the first to enter space.
And for the first time, I succeeded in overcoming all my desires.
History, technology, morality.
A great race that achieved all three ‘firsts’.
When they stood alone in space and observed their surroundings, there was no civilization that could compare to them.
It is the same as when Adam woke up alone in the Garden of Eden without God and found out that the only people around him were squirrels, dogs, and monkeys.
At first, I was relieved that there was no competition.
However, in infinite time, relief soon turned into loneliness, and loneliness soon turned into another desire.
That’s how editors began to get involved in the entire universe.
A race that existed in the Stone Age.
A race that existed in the Iron Age.
A race that has just entered the industrial revolution.
A race that was at a similar stage to today’s Earthlings.
A race that was once prosperous but fell into its own trap and fell into decline.
Many civilizations one day gained a teacher, a godfather, and a guide.
Editors corrected latecomers to avoid the failures and waste they had experienced.
It spans the realm of everything, including philosophy and morality, not just technology.
Numerous civilizations have reached the space age, avoiding the destruction or stagnation they were originally destined for.
At the forefront of them is the race to which Solaver belongs.
A race selected by the editors on a trial basis ahead of the great feat of nurturing civilizations.
He was the first to receive it and absorbed the teachings the best.
The editors were delighted with this amazing achievement and chose him to assist them in their task.
Solaver’s race considered this to be their greatest honor and mission.
They abandoned their original name and called themselves ‘Exos’, meaning ‘the called ones.’
In this way, the editor and Exos traveled through space and enlightened barbaric civilizations.
No matter how warlike and hungry civilizations were for conquest, they could not resist their godfathers, teachers, and saviors.
With strength and conscience.
This was the reason why the universe, which was once full of intelligent beings, was able to maintain peace.
* * *
“You came from a much greater background than I thought.”
The stories calmly told by the alien in front of me were beyond the scale I had imagined.
“We were just clerks next to a great being.”
Solaver seemed thirsty after the long explanation and drank some water. Since this part was no different from humans, I felt a sense of kinship.
“But even the brilliant sun eventually sets. The period of prosperity that everyone enjoyed together has come to an end. “There was one thing that even the editors didn’t know.”
“What is that?”
“They started out much faster than other races and were lucky, but they were not special. Among the children I took in and taught, there was potential that surpassed their teachers.”
When Solaver manipulated Toshi, a hologram was created.
In what appeared to be a huge conference hall, there were people who spoke passionately and various beings who turned away from him.
“Having corrections made by a pioneer who has already walked the path brings about surprisingly rapid progress. Those who were just children had grown up to stand shoulder to shoulder with each other.”
“You must have lost control as a leader.”
He shrugged.
“It was a natural step. A cosmic conflict broke out simultaneously. “We started projecting the power we had been blocking for a long time onto each other.”
“Didn’t the editors try to stop it?”
“I tried. But their authority, which was comparable to that of God, fell to the ground. Just like a grown son snatching a stick from his aging father.”
Solaver’s face was full of sadness. It felt like mourning more for the fall of editors than for the war of civilizations.
“My father, who looked so scary, suddenly looked senile. Stories like that are common. Children who are sane grow up there, but there are also those who commit immoral acts.”
“Ha, listening to you, it seems like everything in the world is similar.”
The holographic image changed and a desert appeared. Unlike deserts on Earth, it is full of black sand, creating an overwhelming atmosphere.
The huge building located there was being plundered by insect-like aliens.
It stands upright on its lower four legs and holds a large gun with its upper two arms.
The building was damaged in various places and was smoking. The corpses of insect-like soldiers were seen everywhere, as if there had been a battle.
“Is this really an invasion of the editors’ planet? Probably not, right? I can’t believe I went that far…”
Looking at Solaver’s heavy face, it was the correct answer.
“Editors no longer provide their skills and knowledge. I decided that if things continued like this, the universe would become more chaotic. Then, people appeared trying to rob us by force. Some of them learned of the existence of planets that the editors had kept hidden and treated as top secret.”
The hologram showed insect-like soldiers coming out of the building carrying storage boxes made of a material similar to crystal.
Inside the storage box, something vague and black was swirling ominously.
“I ended up taking out something that should never have been touched.”
“This… Was the source of the infection.”
Solaver nodded with a stern expression.
“I told you earlier. Editors are a race of people who have achieved all things ‘first’.”
“Yes. You said that you led other civilizations through that experience.”
Editor also means editor.
It was a name that perfectly suited the work of correcting in advance the deviations and catastrophes that young civilizations experienced in the process of development.
“The first includes barbarism. When he first reached space and became aware of everything, he was driven by a desire for violent conquest. Although they could have corrected themselves through their conscience and morality. That’s why they are truly great.”
Solaver strongly expressed his respect and pride for the editors throughout his talk.
Although in some ways it can be said to be the fundamental cause of this situation.
“But it took time to reach that point, and many dangerous inventions were created in the meantime.”
Solaver pointed to the storage box in the hologram with his finger.
An insect-like alien who appears to be of general rank is running around with satisfaction as he looks at the crystal storage box in front of him.
Behind, there were soldiers lined up carrying the same storage boxes.
They probably didn’t even know what that was. Looking at their attitude, they may think of it as a shiny, expensive antique.
“That is the worst of the worst. A weapon developed during the heyday of editors’ burning ambitions for conquest. But soon I sealed it in shame and regret.”
Solaver did not bother to explain what happened afterward. Because there was no need for that.
Even with the simplest imagination, one can picture the process of the universe turning into hell in an instant.
“Then what is the hope you speak of? Isn’t this the most important thing?”
Because of that bastard’s hope, Solar Ber broke the taboo and mechanized his body to survive, and I also crossed the sea to rescue him.
“In the course of a long fight, we have finally found a means to fundamentally destroy this infectious agent.”
“…!”
This is the information I wanted to know the most.
“What is that? Is it like a powerful weapon?”
“In a sense, it is the most powerful weapon. Hasn’t it been said since ancient times that the most dangerous enemy of all is oneself?”
“You know the Earth’s proverbs very well.”
Solaver smiled. As if that wasn’t the only thing he knew.
“Just as an assassin who uses poison carries an antidote, the editors who created the source of infection also arranged a solution. Like brothers in a myth who kill each other. Would you say it is a living pesticide that chases away infectious agents and destroys them from the roots?”
A new hologram appeared. Five planets rotating around two stars. One of them has been highlighted.
There, races with various appearances were gathering and studying something.
“Active treatment. Tumors killing tumors. An infectious agent that infects an infectious agent. You can call it whatever you want. It’s insurance prepared by the editors just in case.”
“Even with all this, why did we come to this point? Instead of immediately spraying and wiping it out.”
“Unfortunately, it was unfinished. Even in their prime, editors created weapons, but they were unable to perfect the means to neutralize those weapons. So I secretly sealed it in a remote location.”
“You guys took over that baton and have been researching it.”
“I was barely able to complete it until I was on the verge of annihilation.”
I felt hope, strong hope racing from my heart like a racehorse.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“That was our last remaining stronghold, and all news was cut off immediately after the cure was completed.”
“…”
“Do you now understand why I thought it was God’s guidance when I found out you were a soldier?”
Solaver looked straight into my eyes.
I somehow noticed that things were going strangely.
