Chapter 93: The Ninety-Third Day of Being a Salted Fish

Lu Yuan tilted his head, giving him a brief look.

In truth, Goudan didn’t need to be quite so cautious.

To put it simply, in terms of combat power, this specific area currently far surpassed any other region on the planet.

Lu Yuan’s Mental Power could easily blanket the entire world.

In fact, this wasn’t even his strongest state. In a state that even he himself didn’t fully understand now, he could use his Mental Power to directly cross the vast distances between star systems, reaching deep into other galaxies and nations.

Therefore, no one understood the current situation of the Desolate Planet better than Lu Yuan.

The average combat strength on the Desolate Planet was actually not weak.

Yes, although the people here were impoverished, hungry, and lived in constant uncertainty, their raw physical combat ability was stronger than those on other planets.

For one, the people here grew up fighting.

The area where Lu Yuan currently resided might seem calm and free of conflict, but other parts of the Desolate Planet, and even this place before his arrival, were nothing like this.

This rare tranquility was merely the result of suppression by overwhelming force. In the vast majority of cases, the Desolate Planet was chaotic and lawless, where people lived by the most primitive laws of the jungle.

Only the strong had the right to survive. The people here spent their entire lives in conflict.

This was also why the average lifespan on the Desolate Planet was barely half of that in the outside world. As one aged, physical strength inevitably declined. Children still had parents to raise them and the Desolate Planet to shield them, but the elderly were seen as nothing but burdens whom no one was willing to care for.

Thus, when a person entered old age, death followed closely behind.

By comparison, the outside world was far too peaceful.

Schools did teach basic combat techniques, starting as early as primary school. After all, learning how to fight was essential for self-protection when necessary. For a primary education system that valued survival skills, combat training was an indispensable link.

However, the moves learned in school were ultimately standardized and formulaic. Furthermore, children in the cities were pampered and soft, unable to endure the necessary hardships. Consequently, most only learned flashy forms without achieving any real fluidity or flexibility.

In contrast, while the people of the Desolate Planet had no formal teachers, every strike and stance was forged in the crucible of life and death. Each person had their own style, one perfectly suited to themselves.

The other factor was the high proportion of Mental Power Awakeners here.

Mental Power awakening was not a common occurrence. On most Habitable Planets, there might only be a few dozen Awakeners in the entire population.

But on the Desolate Planet, a significant number of Mental Power Awakeners were gathered around Lu Yuan alone. And this was actually the norm. On the Desolate Planet, the ratio of Mental Power awakening reached nearly one in a thousand.

This ratio was excessively high.

Lu Yuan didn’t know if Emperor Nan Hui was aware of this. But he knew very well that before coming to the Desolate Planet, he hadn’t known. Before their falling out, Geshu Ming hadn’t known either.

This meant that the entire military, the vast majority of the great noble families, and the high-ranking government officials were all in the dark.

If they had known, it would have been impossible for the Desolate Planet to be so utterly neglected.

Mental Power Awakeners were an invaluable resource. If there were a method to increase the ratio of Mental Power Awakeners, the entire world would go mad for it.

However, even if the average combat power on the Desolate Planet wasn’t weak, the forces under Goudan’s command were currently even stronger.

First of all, he, the ultimate weapon, was still hunkered down here.

Mental Power possessed offensive capabilities. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to use it to easily knock people unconscious or kill the Zerg Broodmother.

In fact, as long as his Mental Power could reach a location, he could launch an attack there. And Lu Yuan’s Mental Power was strong enough that his attacks… were almost impossible to withstand. At least, not on the Desolate Planet.

What this meant was that if Lu Yuan wished, he could destroy the entire Desolate Planet in an instant. No one would have the power to resist.

Not that he would ever do such a thing.

Despite having the power, he had always done his best not to harm the citizens of the Empire. As an Imperial soldier, his duty had always been to protect.

But even if he didn’t lift a finger, the strength of Goudan’s subordinates was not poor.

The combat effectiveness of a well-fed man was entirely different from one who was starving. Although the people here weren’t exactly eating gourmet meals, they were finally able to eat their fill.

Furthermore, the combat power of an organized group was vastly different from a disorganized one.

Since Lu Yuan’s arrival, the relationships between the people here had undergone a massive transformation. From their initial state of constant infighting, rules had gradually been established. By the time Siming arrived, everyone had become accustomed to following regulations. Although their relationships weren’t particularly close, they at least lived in peace.

By now, the mutual support through the long winter and the shared learning since early spring had thoroughly bound everyone together.

In Lu Yuan’s eyes, a few thousand people, heavily comprised of the old, weak, and disabled, and possessing almost no cold weapons, were still insignificant no matter how united or disciplined they were. But on the Desolate Planet, this was already a formidable force.

Even counting all of Siming’s subordinates, the numbers weren’t much higher. However, Siming’s group had more outsiders and Mental Power Awakeners.

Therefore, in terms of raw force, they had enough.

The bigger problem was how to establish rules, how to make them obey, and how to build a civilization.

It had taken Goudan a year and a half to “tame” these few thousand people. There were over a hundred thousand similar sectors on the Desolate Planet; at this rate, Goudan would never unify the planet in his lifetime.

More importantly, the Garbage Ships still circled the skies of this planet frequently. The development of civilization would certainly attract their attention, and how they would protect themselves then remained an issue.

In the short term and within a small area, Lu Yuan still had the ability to protect them. But what about later? They couldn’t live under Lu Yuan’s wing forever.

Goudan seemed to read Lu Yuan’s mind and gave a bitter smile. “I don’t have much of a choice either. But I figure we should take it one step at a time. My thought is that we don’t need to teach them reading, writing, or knowledge right now—that would make it too easy to draw a bombing run from the Garbage Ships.

“We’ll start with conquest and lead them through expansion. The Garbage Ships shouldn’t care about normal armed conflict. We’ll bring the Desolate Planet under our control first, then change the system and provide education from the top down.”

“That works,” Lu Yuan nodded. He didn’t intend to stop Goudan. He didn’t feel he had the right to stop him, either. Goudan could do whatever he wanted, as long as he had the capability. Moreover, Lu Yuan didn’t think Goudan’s choice was wrong.

In fact, if it were his choice, he might have done the same.

He was a man who loved a gamble and had always been very confident. As long as there was a possibility of success, he wasn’t afraid to try.

In this regard, Goudan seemed very much like him.

An opportunist.

“Where do you plan to head first?” Lu Yuan asked.

“North. Over the mountains, about a few hundred li away, there’s a group of people living there,” Goudan said.

He had specifically observed the surrounding conditions while traveling around the Desolate Planet on a Garbage Ship before. Combined with the information brought by Siming’s subordinates, his initial plan was quite clear.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment.

“Hmm…” He clicked his tongue. “Hurry it up.”

“Huh?” Goudan was stunned.

“It’s much drier over there,” Lu Yuan said. “Finish up quickly so I can move over. Staying here is making me feel like I’m going to sprout mushrooms.”