From cannon fodder to sweeping across thousands of stars.

Chapter 831 In Our Own Way
The Technology Convergence Lab was temporarily set up in the core research and development area of ​​the Crown Fortress. It was heavily guarded and had the highest bandwidth directly connected to Lilith's data center.

However, the atmosphere inside the laboratory was not as orderly as that outside the guards.

"No! Absolutely not!"

An elven psionic craftsman named Ellos waved his arms excitedly, his handsome and refined face flushed red with anger.

His fingers, which were accustomed to sculpting psionic cores, were now clenched tightly, as if he wanted to crush something invisible.

"You are killing the soul of art!"

Standing opposite him was a human senior engineer named Mark, who looked exhausted, with sunken eyes and bluish stubble on his chin.

Mark reluctantly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, but his tone was full of unwavering determination.

“Master Ellos, please calm down. This is just a simple energy conduit structure. Using our standard ‘plasma high-pressure shaping’ technology, we can produce hundreds of finished products in two hours, with a precision error of no more than 0.01 micrometers.”

"Why do you insist on using that 'Moonlight Sculpting Method' and relying on psychic energy to 'sensitize' and 'shape' bit by bit? By the time you finish one, our entire batch of goods will be off the production line!"

Ellos was so angry that his beard trembled as he listened to the human engineer's words:

"What do you know! This is blasphemy! Every psionic pathway is like a blood vessel of life; it requires craftsmen to communicate with it using their spirit, to feel its pulse! Your crude, assembly-line production methods only create soulless empty shells! They are utterly incapable of bearing high-intensity psionic energy!"

"No soul?"

Mark pulled a high-protein nutrition bar from his pocket, tore open the packaging, and took a big bite. The sound of him chewing was particularly loud in the tense atmosphere.

"We built warships from these 'soulless' empty shells and still managed to beat the enemy to a pulp. We even rescued your king from the ruins of Eldaram. Besides, your 'soulful' conduits aren't much better than ours in terms of specifications, but they cost hundreds of times more! We're preparing for war, not putting on an art exhibition, Master."

"you……"

Ellos was speechless with choking, trembling with anger. His handsome face, though slightly aged, turned a deep purplish-red.

"This is an insult to sacred craftsmanship! It is a trampling of millennia-old traditions!"

Mark shoved the last piece of the nutrition bar into his mouth, swallowed it forcefully, and looked cold.

"This is my way of showing respect for efficiency, being responsible for the logistical supply line, and being responsible for the lives of countless soldiers who are about to die on the battlefield!"

Similar arguments rose and fell throughout the laboratory.

The fundamental conflict between the elves and humans, two races, over their technological philosophies erupted on the very first day of their cooperation.

From a human perspective, the elves' technology is more like a kind of 'magic'.

Many of their creations bear the deep imprint of their creators' psionic characteristics and artistic style, and are full of uncertainty and individuality.

Every piece they consider 'great' is unique, powerful, and difficult to replicate.

Human technology, on the other hand, is purely 'science'.

Standardization, modularity, and replicability are the cornerstones of human industrial civilization.

Their goal is to transform the data on the design drawings into thousands of identical products in the most stable and efficient way.

Getting these two groups to work together is no less challenging than having a group of classical oil painting masters guide the operation of a factory assembly line.

Salih stood in front of the control panel in the center of the laboratory, frowning as she looked at the frequent reports of conflicts, disagreements, and other issues.

She anticipated trouble, but she didn't expect it to be this big.

The elves' pride and stubbornness were beyond her imagination as a Jeram.

They cannot understand why humans would digitize and standardize everything, believing it to be a degradation and blasphemy against psionic arts.

The human engineers found the elf technicians' almost shamanistic way of working incomprehensible, considering them inefficient old fogies.

The conflict between the two sides has escalated from the initial technical differences to a hierarchy of contempt at the level of civilization.

Chief Engineer Sally

Salih's second-in-command, a technical officer from the Star Dragon Empire, cautiously approached her.
"The 'Natural Force' bio-armor cultivation project in Sector B-7 has also stalled, with the elven biologists insisting on using something called 'Morning Star Chant' to soothe the cells in the culture medium."

As the technical officer spoke, a strange expression appeared on his face, as if he wanted to laugh but dared not.

"Our people believe that as long as the temperature, humidity and nutrient solution ratio are controlled, that's enough. Now they're almost fighting over the question of whether cells have emotions."

"Sigh, how can they even start arguing like this? Never mind, I'll go handle it in a bit. You go and stop them both."

Once the technical officer had left and there was no one else in the central control area, Salih took off her helmet and rubbed her temples, a deep sense of powerlessness washing over her.

This chaotic, inefficient, and stubborn argument made her feel inexplicably irritable and anxious.

This reminded her of the ancient texts of the Jeram civilization, which recorded those civilizations that they had erased and that had declined due to internal strife.

Will humanity follow in its footsteps?

Just as she was feeling upset, Amber's holographic projection appeared beside her.

He didn't say anything immediately, but quietly watched the chaotic scene for a while using the surveillance footage in the central control area, and then walked to Salih's side.

"In trouble?"

"trouble?"

Salih gave a wry smile, pointed to the messy laboratory, and shook her head helplessly.

"This is no longer a problem, this is a disaster. The two sides are not on the same wavelength at all. The elves are pursuing 100 points. No, they are pursuing works of art that are more than 100 points, even if they can only make one a year. On the other hand, the humans want countless standard products that are 80-90 points, and they want to get them immediately. This is simply irreconcilable."

"Why do you think this is an irreconcilable problem?" Amber asked calmly. "Why not just turn the elves' 'art' into 'science' that humans can understand?"

Salih paused for a moment: "You make it sound so easy. The core of the elves' technology is psionic energy, which is 'idealistic.' How can you turn it into 'materialistic' science? It's like you can't write a program code based on 'inspiration.'"

“It might not have worked before,” Amber said, a glint in his eyes, “but now we have the upgraded Lilith.” He turned to the central console and, using his privileges, remotely activated public communications.

"Everyone, be quiet."

Amber's voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to possess a strange magic, instantly drowning out all the arguments.

Everyone in the laboratory stopped what they were doing and stared at him in astonishment—no one expected that this 'boss,' who wasn't at the Crown Fortress, would suddenly appear at this time to supervise the work.

"I know that you two have had a lot of conflicts because of cultural differences, and you even don't like each other anymore."

Amber surveyed the crowd; though it was just a holographic image, her gaze remained sharp.

"The elves think human technology is crude and incompetent, while humans think the elves' efficiency is outrageous. You both think you are right and the other is wrong."

He paused, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"But you've all forgotten the most important thing: is this the time to be arguing about this?! We'll all be finished soon, you know!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over everyone's heads.

"Our enemies on both sides will not show mercy just because your creations are full of 'artistic' qualities, nor will they flee at the mere sight of your production lines! They will only use methods we cannot comprehend to completely erase us, along with everything we are proud of, from this universe."

"Now, I'm not asking you to cooperate, I'm ordering you to put down these pointless arguments! So I've decided to establish three project teams from this moment on."

"First, the 'translation' project team will be jointly led by the technical leaders of both parties."

Amber's gaze fell on the two people who had just been arguing the most, making them involuntarily shrink back.

"The upgraded version of the R&D support system will be available for your use. With the help of the supporting equipment, it will capture and analyze the psionic fluctuations, mental models, and even emotional changes of all the elf craftsmen and technicians while they are working, and then convert them into data and formulas that human engineers can understand. Your task is to use this translated information to turn the elves' 'craftsmanship' into a standardized 'operation manual'."

Ellos and the human engineer Mark exchanged a glance, both seeing astonishment and a hint of reluctance in each other's eyes.

"Secondly, the 'Optimization' project team is composed of elven biologists and human materials scientists! Your task is to utilize the Atlas Group's vast materials database and simulation capabilities to optimize the elven biotechnology formulas based on experience and tradition, and to find cheaper, more efficient, and more stable alternatives."

"Third, and most importantly, the 'innovation' project team."

Amber's gaze fell on Salih.

"Chief Engineer Sally will personally take charge! Your task is not simply to imitate and optimize, but to completely shatter the technological concepts of the two civilizations and then reconstruct something entirely new! I don't care what methods you use, I want to see a 'third technology' that truly belongs to us, surpassing both the elves and the current level of humanity."

He looked at everyone and said, word by word:

"I'm giving you one month! After one month, I want to see results. Anyone who fails to deliver, whether human or elf, I will personally kick them out of this lab and revoke all the privileges you have been granted as researchers!"

Amber's words were simple, blunt, and even unreasonable.

But it was surprisingly effective.

The pressure to survive, and the blatant threat of "taking back all privileges," acted like an iron clamp, forcibly binding these two groups of people who originally disliked each other together.

After all, compared to other positions, those in core R&D positions receive much better treatment in every aspect, because humans and elves are now relying on them for technological integration, so these researchers are cared for and looked after in every way.

If anything goes wrong, these researchers will surely be protected by others with their lives. If humans and elves are ever to perish, these people in the Technology Fusion Center will be among the last to die.

After Amber finished speaking, a complex mix of resentment, competitiveness, and a heightened sense of crisis filled the laboratory.

Amber didn't say anything more. After confirming that everyone understood what he meant, he turned off the communication.

He knew that the catalyst had been placed in the furnace, and now it was time to see the chemical reaction taking place inside.

“Just now,” she looked at Amber’s retreating figure, her eyes filled with complex emotions, “you looked just like Speaker Jerram giving a speech.”

“Really?” Amber stopped in her tracks. “Then they must be very efficient.”

"Yes, very efficient."

Salih recalled some past events, and her voice became somewhat cold.

"Because any Jeram who raises objections or fails to complete the task will be directly 'optimized out,' physically."

Amber fell silent.

“Amber”.

Salih approached him, her eyes revealing a hint of vulnerability and unease.

“I’m afraid. I’m afraid that in your struggle against them, you will eventually become like my people, pursuing the ultimate efficiency, erasing all individuality and difference. What’s the difference between that kind of victory and destruction?”

Her voice trembled; this deep-seated fear was her greatest inner demon.

Amber turned to look at her, and before her were a pair of eyes that, to human aesthetic standards, were still clear and beautiful, yet filled with anxiety and fear.

“Look at me, Salih.” His voice was gentle. “Did you see that? Just now in there, that elf was howling about his ridiculous ‘artistic sense,’ and that human was arguing about his stubborn ‘efficiency.’ They’re foolish, stubborn, and self-righteous.”

"But they are alive."

"Would the Jeram people allow such an argument to exist?"

Salih was stunned.

"Our greatest strength has never been unity, but our chaos, our imperfections, and our damn, incurable personality."

Amber smiled slightly: "As long as we allow arguments to exist, we will never become like them. Go, my chief scientist, go and create miracles—in our own way."

Salih stood there, watching Amber's holographic projection gradually fade away, and the ice in her heart seemed to melt away with a ray of warm sunlight.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and walked back to the still noisy laboratory, which had begun to nurture new life.

"Yes, in our own way."

(End of this chapter)