Cataclysmic Era: I can unlock the tech tree

The expeditionary fleet slowly entered the Kepler 452 system and headed straight for Kepler 452b.

The official meeting place between the Talodan civilization and human civilization was set on the Earth near Kepler 452b.

As the Titan Mothership drew closer to Kepler 452b, the outline of the Earth gradually became clearer.

Unsurprisingly, the sheer size of humanity's flagship once again drew gasps of astonishment from the black and white figures.

……

An hour later.

【Earth】.

In the meticulously decorated reception hall, Lü Yongchang looked at the black and white dumpling in front of him with a gentle smile in his eyes.

"Ardan, welcome to the Talodan civilization to the Galactic Federation of All Humans."

Although he knew that Aldan had heard this sentence many times, Lü Yongchang still had to repeat it again.

As the leading scientist of human civilization, his words carried more weight than those of others.

Aldan's expression changed slightly, and the fur on his body became a little fluffier.

After much hesitation, it finally asked, "Respected Chief Lü, I have a question that has been lingering in my mind, and I don't know..."

"Feel free to ask," Lü Yongchang said with a smile.

"The Pan-Human Federation of the Milky Way you mentioned, currently has..." Aldan cautiously observed Lü Yongchang's expression and asked in a low voice.

Lu Yongchang's expression immediately froze.

"Ahem!"

He coughed lightly, trying to ease his inner embarrassment: "As of now, you should be the third member of the Pan-Human Federation."

"Including human civilization," Lü Yongchang added again.

Aldan's eye twitched slightly.

So, this federation only has three civilizations?!

Thank goodness... at least this federation isn't just comprised of the human and Talodan civilizations.

Aldan could only console himself with this thought.

Following up on Lü Yongchang's words, it continued, "Then may I inquire about the situation of another civilization?"

"Please rest assured, I have no other intentions. I just want to get a general understanding of my allies."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yongchang let out a sigh of despair.

It’s over.

That day was completely killed by the conversation.

Chat ended.JPG

"Cough cough!!" Lü Yongchang coughed forcefully again. "It's like this."

"Currently, the second member civilization of the Pan-Human Federation remains dormant in the biological laboratory of the Earth, primarily for..."

boom!

Aldan felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind, and he didn't hear a word that followed.

What the heck?!

Members of the Pan-Human Federation have been dragged into a biological lab?!

A series of images that would be difficult to pass censorship immediately flashed through Aldan's mind.

Swish!

Aldan's round body appeared incredibly agile at this moment—it sprang up from the chair and looked at Lü Yongchang in front of it with a wary expression.

Lu Yongchang opened his mouth, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

Got it!

It seems there was a misunderstanding.

It's not clear enough to explain with words alone, so it seems the only solution is to show footage from inside the laboratory.

Although this is somewhat against the rules, a level three civilization, let alone looking at images, would probably not be able to do anything even if you put all sorts of experimental devices in front of it.

Most importantly, as the rule-maker, it's normal to break the rules occasionally, right?

As he thought about it, Lü Yongchang raised his hand and made a sweeping motion in the air.

This scene further deepened Aldan's misunderstanding.

A look of despair flashed across its round eyes.

Sure enough, it knew there was no such thing as a free lunch!

Is the Talodan civilization destined to perish during its reign?!

"Um..." Lu Yongchang's gentle voice came from the side, "You can take a look at your ally."

The black and white dumpling, with its eyes tightly closed, trembled violently.

You want it to even look at it?!

This human civilization is utterly brutal!

Sure enough, what they had shown over the past four months was all a facade to lull the Talodan people into a false sense of security!

"Chief, what a huge tree!"

Milo's excited voice came from the side.

Tree? What kind of tree?

Shouldn't it be an extremely gory autopsy scene?

A sense of doubt immediately arose in Aldan's mind.

"Yes, this is an individual from the [Nus Civilization]. Unlike us, it's a plant civilization." The conversation between Lü Yongchang and Milo came from beside them again.

Aldan's doubts deepened.

It cautiously opened its eyes and glanced around quickly.

Holy crap! What a huge tree!!

Aldan inwardly echoed the same exclamation as Milo.

As pacifists, the Talodan civilization had an innate fondness for these trees and flowers.

"Due to the limitations of the Nus civilization's lifestyle, we have not yet found a suitable environment for their survival." Lu Yongchang shook his head helplessly. "However, the fleet has dispatched a large number of interstellar probes. If we are lucky, we will soon find a star system suitable for their habitation."

As he spoke, Lü Yongchang turned to look at Aldan, who was still standing there in a daze: "Lord Aldan, are you relieved now?"

Aldan, looking embarrassed, took small, hesitant steps, shifting his round body back into his seat: "Respected Chief Lu, I just..."

"I understand." Lu Yongchang still had a faint, gentle smile on his face. "I've seen the living environment of your civilization, and it's very similar to human civilization."

"Coincidentally, a while ago an interplanetary probe discovered a potentially habitable planet 11.3 light-years away."

"We can help you with planetary terraforming to make it a habitable place for the Talodan civilization, which is easy for human civilization to do."

Before Aldan could even rejoice, Lü Yongchang's voice rang out again: "However, to gain something, you must pay an equal price."

"This is the first principle of the Pan-Human Federation."

Aldan's heart sank, and the smile in his eyes vanished instantly.

"Considering that you do not currently have enough credits to pay for this renovation work, after discussion, we have decided to provide the Talodan civilization with a five-hundred-year interest-free loan service in credits."

"Of course, you can choose to modify the planet's environment yourself," Lü Yongchang shrugged. "However, I suggest you use this service instead."

"Human civilization will accelerate the absorption of subordinate civilizations in the future."

"The resources in this star system are limited, and the credits and contribution points that can be exchanged are also limited."

"Therefore, it is the right way to spend as much time as possible on things that are worthwhile."

P.S.: Thanks to KunYkun* for the expert certification!