Mythological origin

A subtle silence fell around the round table.

All that remained was the waterfall-like stream of data displayed on the light screen shown by Vinnie.

The True Immortals present were not too surprised by the "secret" she revealed about how the Holy Terra Empire was able to survive and develop despite the almost harmless harassment of the Black Tide. This was clearly information that the higher-ups had already grasped and utilized.

As for the Black Tide's destructive main force, specifically which unfortunate "bad boy" worlds or civilizations in the depths of the universe it was directed to, the Empire, or rather the Terran decision-makers present, did not really care much.

People die every day, as long as it's not your own family that dies.

It was precisely because of the statistical fact that the closer one is to the White Land, the smaller the threat of the Black Tide, that Terra changed its previous cautious attitude of keeping the White Land a secret and began to promote a comprehensive policy of contact, exchange and cooperation.

After decades of continuous interaction and mutual influence, they have now even shown a deep integration where "you are in me and I am in you".

This is also easy to understand.

After all, although the Holy Terra Empire is called an empire, its actual political system is closer to a huge and complex mega-organization.

Internally, it is composed of numerous member states with considerable autonomy, city-state alliances, interstellar merchant guilds, academic holy sites, and powerful individual True Immortal forces. Its structure is loose and flexible, and it is held together by a shared network of interests, ancient covenants, and the instinct to band together when facing external threats.

Its operating model is less like a centralized empire and more like an enlarged version of an aristocratic republican federation that follows certain unspoken rules.

Within this framework, accepting a new member like White Earth—a self-contained system, substantial in size, and capable of bringing immense strategic value—doesn't seem like an unacceptable thing.

It's simply adding another piece with unique rules to the already complex Alliance Star Map.

As long as core interests are not fundamentally challenged, the alliance will remain an "unbreakable alliance".

However, this seemingly harmonious and mutually beneficial integration process had an important prerequisite, or rather, an underlying condition tacitly understood by Terra's top management, for its smooth progress:
The White Earth, and the order it represents, is not present in its source and symbol—White Ink himself.

The system of the White Earth, as a rule-based manifestation of the will of the White Ink Good Corpse, has a highly predictable behavior pattern.

It operates solely according to its own rigorous and rigid logic, indifferent to interpersonal relationships, political maneuvering, or historical grievances outside the rules, like a precise but ruthless scale.

Anyone can "trade" with the system as long as they don't break the rules.

It's simply that peripheral members only trade goods and information, while core members, through free trade, accept full system management in exchange for a worry-free life.

……

Those little white rabbits who "graduated" from the White Earth system and entered a wider world, while not exactly innocent, certainly lacked experience in causing trouble due to the system's long-term regulation.

In negotiations and collaborations, they often appear straightforward and even somewhat naive.

Their demands are clear, their bottom line is well-defined, they neither understand nor deign to engage in complex political maneuvering, and they are as honest and transparent as the Trisolarans.

In the eyes of Terra's top management, who are used to backstabbing and intrigue, this is naturally a high-quality partner that is particularly easy to manipulate.

All these factors—the certainty of the rules, the simplicity of the collaborators, and the tangible security benefits—formed the basis for the widespread welcome of the White Land, a new member of Terra, from the powerful immortals to the emerging aristocracy. This was especially true for the new generation of Terra who had not experienced the distant Earth era, had not witnessed firsthand how the being known as "White Ink" could single-handedly stir up storms and bring about unspeakable changes and upheavals.

Their understanding of Bai Mo comes more from dusty archives, vague epics, and the complex expressions occasionally revealed by their elders.

Their lack of personal reverence and awe makes them more likely to view their cooperation with the White Earth with a purely utilitarian mindset.

After all, who wouldn't like dealing with an honest, straightforward, rule-abiding force that can bring huge benefits?
It's worry-free, effortless, and profitable.

Therefore, for the Holy Terra Empire, or rather, for the vast majority of its vested interests and decision-makers, the best White Ink would be to become a silent idol, hanging high on the backdrop of civilization, in the abstract form of a system, just as it has been in the past few decades.

It possesses immense power and potential deterrence to protect all living beings, providing civilization with a protective umbrella against the dark tide of ultimate destruction, yet it lacks any subjective and elusive individual consciousness to intervene in real-world power struggles and the distribution of interests.

If he remains in this state of being, yet silent, and never returns with a tangible will, that would be for the best.

That means the status quo can continue, the existing strategic advantages can be consolidated, and the internal power balance will not tip out of control due to the sudden intervention of an absolutely transcendent force.

Unfortunately, there are often no "what ifs" in life.

……

"So... what brings you back this time?"

Vinnies's voice broke the brief silence caused by Bai Mo.

She asked the most pressing and core question in the minds of everyone at the round table at that moment.

Even the air seemed to become thicker at that moment.

All the True Immortals focused their gazes on Bai Mo, either directly or subtly.

The fragmented and uncertain historical memories of the past are being recalled and recorded once again.

Countless facts have proven that Bai Mo's very existence is the biggest uncontrollable variable.

Every major action or choice he made, regardless of his initial intentions, led human civilization down an unimaginable path.

If one is not careful, this person may lead everyone into a new ditch in some unexpected way.

Of course, if we trace it back to its source, it's not actually that Bai Mo's uncontrollability is particularly strong.

In essence, the absolute power gap between different cultivation levels is so vast that it has reached the critical point where quantitative change leads to qualitative change.

When an individual's power exceeds the threshold that the civilization as a whole can control, regardless of who that individual is, their very existence and will naturally become the greatest destabilizing factor.

If it were any other being, the first to break through to the True Immortal level, or even a higher, unknown realm, it would similarly cause turmoil and a reshaping of the entire world due to the absolute imbalance of power. (End of Chapter)