I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early-Chapter 709 - 527: True Dreams - Unleashed!

“What about fiscal issues? Under the constraints of limited production space, output will decrease, so how should we address public welfare expenditures?” asked Lu Yuan while raising his hand.

For any government, the key issue is always fiscal expenditure.

Stable finances mean a stable society.

Once fiscal collapse sets in, society collapses alongside it.

While a windfall of inheritance was obtained, most of it consists of material resources. This vast grassland, evidently barren, makes replenishing idealist resources quite unrealistic.

“Considering the current emergency, we must enforce militarized management. I trust the citizens can understand living a slightly impoverished life.”

“Didn’t we acquire some idealist resources from Blue Peng Civilization? I believe… utilizing those, we may buy ourselves some time.”

Everyone voiced differing opinions.

Old Cat spoke with a solemn tone: “Citizens must also take responsibility for themselves. As part of humanity, they bear collective societal accountability.”

“We cannot raise them like oversized infants. With external dangers looming large, expecting their previous living conditions is nothing short of unrealistic.”

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

Indeed.

One way or another, times of austerity are inevitable.

Old Cat added, “Population growth can press pause for a bit. Before we leave, the number of children will be restricted to 500 annually.”

Even in difficult economic times, children must still be born because an age gap within society would lead to significant societal issues in the coming decades.

Just then, Professor Lu Tiantian from the Great Academy of Sciences spoke up: “I don’t think there’s any need to reduce the number of new generations. Population growth should follow natural development patterns.”

“The hibernation shift plan is actually quite ordinary, effectively wasting half of the population.”

“Since we are developing a dreamscape spiritual network system for Blue Peng Civilization that can host self-consciousness…”

“Why don’t we use it ourselves? This is clearly a groundbreaking idealist technology. It can help us overcome difficulties in this constrained environment without wasting precious time.”

“So, my suggestion is for total population awakening.”

“But half of the population should enter the dreamscape network, rotating annually.”

Hiss.

The group was shocked by his ingenious proposal.

It seemed… plausible!

The “True Paradise” within Green Grass Paradise has always been taboo.

After all, the lessons of Green Grass Civilization serve as a glaring warning to humanity.

Yet it’s undeniably a promising technology. Can humanity dare to use it?

Confronted with this question, the group engaged in heated debate.

Eventually, one perspective gradually gained dominance: “If humanity succumbs to collective degradation in the dreamscape, it signifies this species deserves extinction!”

“Even if it leads to annihilation, the blame lies with humanity as a collective.”

“Thus, this feature must indeed be activated!”

Lu Yuan was dumbfounded by their argument. You are true social Darwinists!

Naturally, the settings for “True Dreams” have to be recalibrated to prevent any incident where joy thresholds exceed human tolerance limits.

Some experts even proposed lowering joy levels below those of the real world, preventing people from becoming addicted to the dreamscape.

However, this suggestion was vetoed by the Dream Research Institute because the human body, as an integrated organism with mobility, relies heavily on the adjustment of neuroendocrine systems. Joy, as an incentivizing mechanism, is a critical component.

Reducing joy levels might instead lead to issues like depression.

Thus, making the “True Dreams” nearly identical to reality remains the optimal approach.

“Since all of you believe humanity is ready for a new journey,”

“I hereby announce that ‘True Dreams’ technology is officially unlocked starting today! May we master it and create a brighter future.”

This decision took a full week, leaving Lu Yuan mentally drained.

How exactly work in the dreamscape would be organized remains a major challenge.

Because the processing power of Opium Poppy Trees is insufficient, activating “True Dreams” drastically increases the consumption of Spirit Essence, which humanity’s frail bodies cannot withstand in the long term!

This prompted scientists to brainstorm solutions, such as tapping into purely physical computing systems, like Blue Peng Civilization’s supercomputers, by integrating them into the True Dreams environment—there are plenty of supercomputing humans now!

For example: one scientist wanted to design power armor within the dreamscape.

Within “True Dreams,” a simple thought movement can conjure the equipment in the dreamscape, a capability comparable to that of a creator!

But it comes at the cost of Spirit Essence.

Moreover, it risks addiction.

If the “thought movement” feature is removed and replaced by physical supercomputing, work would essentially return to being computer-based, lowering efficiency but conserving Spirit Essence.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too!”

Lu Yuan found himself overwhelmed by these detailed issues.

Fortunately, humanity is rich in talent, so Old Lu decided not to meddle further with this matter—if things go south, it’s humanity’s collective responsibility anyway.

Another major issue concerned the construction of the “Blue Peng Civilization Dream Network,” which determines when everyone can leave this deathtrap of a place. It’s impossible not to take this seriously.

“The dreamscape network differs slightly from ‘True Dreams.’ This network must possess a certain degree of intelligence, akin to a collective consciousness, to effectively contend with [Monsters].”

“The current situation is this… most Blue Peng people remain unconscious, with an almost zero probability of awakening,” Lady Conch, who was primarily responsible for this task, replied.

“As for the core of the dreamscape network, Mr. Jin Bote and the dozen or so Dream Ability Users are expected to awaken within a month.”

This constituted the Dream Laboratory’s primary focus.

“Does this mean we can leave within a month?” Lu Yuan asked skeptically.

He immediately grew somewhat anxious—after just six months here, he might still be wanted! Leaving this vast grassland space prematurely may not necessarily be a good thing.

Lady Conch shook her head: “No, no, no. Just because Jin Bote and the others will awaken doesn’t mean they can influence [Monster] behavior.”

“Based on instructions from the Strangers, only Great Spirit Rhythmers possess special influence over [Monsters].”

“Thus, if we can somehow elevate Jin Bote’s Divine Attribute to 30 points, turning him into a Great Spirit Rhythmer, and centralize him within the spiritual network, only then can we achieve our purpose.”

The group was stunned.

This… how could that be done? How many resources would it take?

One Great Spirit Rhythmer costs 531,441 Spirit Essence!

If they had that kind of money, fiscal concerns wouldn’t even exist.

A Great Spirit Rhythmer is essentially a symbol of a civilization at its peak of fortune, akin to a fully matured tree bearing splendid fruit—not something achievable through conventional resource accumulation!

Any civilization capable of cultivating a Great Spirit Rhythmer has typically resolved its Spirit Essence crisis, signifying the level of a fourth or even fifth-level civilization.

“Madam, how is this achievable?” asked one government official.

Lady Conch replied, “The Blue Peng Civilization has not yet perished; their historical tides contain abundant Civilization Points.”

“With the use of Civilization Points—an advanced form of idealist energy—it’s possible to elevate him to a Great Spirit Rhythmer.”

“What’s more, Jin Bote possesses unique encounters—being the core of the spiritual network, he commands the trust of eight million Blue Peng people. He alone is tantamount to representing eight million lives.”

The conference room fell into silence. Spending Blue Peng Civilization’s hard-earned Civilization Points to cultivate a Great Spirit Rhythmer—frankly, it felt like an outrageous waste!

Humanity itself would prefer enduring hardships rather than consuming Civilization Points, underscoring their immense value.

Then again, some individuals eye opportunities to exploit.

Ahem, Blue Peng Civilization’s assets are essentially our assets.

Simple squandering of such wealth feels extravagantly wasteful.

Lady Conch shook her head: “It seems you’re misunderstanding the core issue.”

“First and foremost, this stash of Civilization Points is controlled by [Monsters] and Jin Bote, not by us.”

“If through ‘Space-Time Tide Harmonization Conversion’ we forcibly claim these points, given [Monsters]’ timid nature, they would immediately abandon the Blue Peng people due to lack of self-interest.”

“Those eight million Blue Peng individuals could face mass fatalities.”

“If that happens, forget about leaving—forever trapped within this grassland would be our plight.”