Mythological origin

The social welfare system is high enough that people won't starve or freeze, and their basic medical and entertainment needs can be met.

If you want to experience murder and arson, go to the virtual world—it's legal, compliant, and harmless. Crimes that could actually occur in reality are naturally much rarer. Because the motive...is mostly gone.

"I don't necessarily believe that crimes committed in the virtual world are also unjust," Hou Zi said helplessly.

……

"Hehehehehehe..." Teach, who had been silently waiting in the corner like a shadow, let out his signature strange laugh, breaking the dull atmosphere in the room.

His massive body nestled inside a newly created floating throne, almost completely filling the seat, his rough skin gleaming like rock under the screen light.

“The world of ordinary people is indeed a blind spot for us.” He grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, his eyes gleaming with undisguised indifference towards the weak.

In his eyes, only the strong are considered human, the extraordinary are at most half a human, and ordinary people are... similar to insects. Who has time to pay attention to how a group of ants on the roadside are doing?

He turned his enormous head, his gaze passing over Hou Zi and landing on Bai Mo, with a hint of mockery and understanding: "It seems these ants have to thank you."

Teach's voice boomed, making the air tremble slightly.

"If it weren't for the White Land you left behind, given the nature of those guys in Terra, they'd be... hahahahahaha!!!"

Although Teach had no interest in the life or death of ants, his mind was sharp enough to see through the power struggles behind the seemingly peaceful social facade.

He doesn't need to know the details; he only needs to know the key names and relationships.

Autumn Chrysanthemum City, a city founded by the so-called "White-Walkers"—those who chose to leave the White Land in pursuit of a life with fewer constraints—despite its nominal claim to independence, still maintains an inextricable connection to the distant and vast White Land itself.

One of the most direct manifestations of this connection is the "system" that is still retained in some people within the city.

Of course, this is not the complete system used by the core members of White Earth, which covers all aspects of life from birth to death.

This is the "pure" version, a system exclusively for outsiders.

It has no mandatory welfare distribution, nor ubiquitous moral and behavioral regulations; it only has one core and most powerful function—a pure knowledge and resource trading platform.

Users can exchange real-world resources or unique knowledge and skills that the system has not yet adopted for "contribution points." Conversely, they can also spend their precious contribution points to exchange for almost anything in the system's database.

From cutting-edge technological blueprints and lost ancient techniques to gene-enhancing drugs that can improve physical constitution, and even... profound techniques that point directly to immortality and physical ascension to godhood.

There are at least seven or eight such cultivation methods for achieving immortality that are openly priced and available for exchange within the system.

Of course, the vast majority of people are not capable of providing cultivation knowledge that even the "system" does not understand. They want to gain contribution points, and most of the time they do so by completing tasks.

Therefore, this "pure" system, which removes management functions and retains only the core of equivalent exchange, has spread widely.

It not only circulates in this community of "white-collar workers," but its influence has also transcended geographical and factional boundaries, quietly infiltrating the Terra Empire. Many Terran superhumans with connections may have secretly registered an account.

The reason is simple: although the contribution points listed in the system are ridiculously expensive, the items inside are truly abundant, including many treasures that cannot be found outside no matter how much money is spent.

……

The true relationship between those who have shed their white skin and the White Land is far from the irreconcilable conflict that outsiders imagine.

More often than not, it's just a difference in ideas.

Many people who have left the white world do not hate the white earth itself; they simply do not want to be constantly constrained by the omnipresent "rules and regulations" and yearn for more personal freedom and the right to choose without judgment.

However, at the same time, they cannot completely relinquish the immense convenience and potential pathways to higher levels that the system offers.

Thus, in a tacit way, they became peripheral organizations or collaborators of the vast White Land system.

They maintain their independence and lifestyle, but still keep in touch with the White Lands regarding key technologies, resources, and even certain unspoken rules.

It is precisely because of the White Land system, which serves as a potential "benchmark" and "competitor" that organizations like Qiuju City, which are "white-collar workers," have no choice but to provide extremely generous welfare and a relatively relaxed living environment to the ordinary people at the bottom of the social ladder under their rule.

It's not because they're all saints, but because of a very realistic consideration—if we don't do this, if ordinary people feel that survival is difficult and hopeless, then the population that holds the final choice will not hesitate and will frantically flow back to the White Land.

After all, that place is known for its almost limitless inclusivity and stable livelihood, and it almost never refuses anyone who meets the basic requirements to join.

……

The same pressure also inevitably reached the Terra Empire, which borders Qiuju City, or rather, which has made formal contact with the outer forces of the White Land.

As the boundaries between the two vast entities become clearer and exchanges increase, the Terra Empire will inevitably face institutional competition pressure from the White Lands.

In recent decades, in particular, as some ancient historical archives that had been sealed away have been gradually declassified due to the loosening of political restrictions, the ordinary people of the empire have become more aware that on the other side of the empire’s long and vast border, there exists a neighboring country called the “White Land”.

According to records, the group that established that kingdom hundreds of years ago was of the same ancestry as the mainstream ethnic group of the empire.

"Since they are all nations established by humans..." Such thoughts began to quietly grow in the minds of some ordinary Terrans who were frustrated and dissatisfied with the status quo, and even some low-level superhumans.

They learned more about the White Land through various channels.

I know that although there are strict rules there, it is not the kind of isolated place that is completely closed off and keeps people away.

If life in Terra becomes unbearable, and things just get too tough, then... well, that might not be a bad option. (End of Chapter)