amaotonovel Chapter 4167 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (7)
Chapter 4167 is about the Supreme Sorcerer (7)
Chapter 4167 is, The Supreme Mage (Part 7)
“I apologize, sir, but I must point out that if everyone fails to use their official titles, it will inevitably cause some confusion regarding identity. In the Interstellar Council family, we should value our official titles more than our racial identities; otherwise, it would be suspected of racial discrimination…”
A discordant voice suddenly rang out. Strange turned his head and saw that the robot serving tea and water standing next to him had actually offered a rebuttal at this moment. This robot was none other than the Executive Secretary controlled by the Supreme Intelligence.
"Doesn't the Interstellar Council allow racial discrimination?" Strange asked.
"Uh……"
This rhetorical question left the Supreme Intelligence momentarily bewildered, while the other employees immediately sat up straight, exchanging glances at a speed far exceeding the speed of light, their brains racing as they pondered the speaker's meaning.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Strange pressed on, "So you mean I have to treat every being in the universe as an equal? Including robots like you and demons?"
"...Don't you want to do this?" The Supreme Wisdom could only ask him in return.
“What reason would I have to do this?” Strange said. “Let me tell you the truth, in the eyes of humans, purely logical beings are not considered life, nor do they have human rights. As for demons, they are simply food. You can’t expect me to shake hands with the food on my plate; that’s impossible.”
His words caused several employees to gasp. It's important to understand that racial equality had been a major issue during the terms of previous speakers, even though two of the three great empires were mechanical civilizations, they had consistently opposed racial discrimination.
Or rather, it is precisely because they are a mechanical civilization that they oppose racial discrimination. This is because most mechanical civilizations are children of the original civilizations, belonging to secondary civilizations that developed later. Sometimes they are hostile to the original civilizations created by God, and even if they are not hostile, they are still weaker than these carbon-based life forms because they developed later.
The mechanical civilization is the one that the two great empires control most tightly. In fact, they have completely controlled the vast majority of mechanical civilizations in the universe. Therefore, proposing the idea of anti-racism is to elevate the status of mechanical civilization, which in turn elevates the status of the two empires.
After years of effort, this has become a kind of interstellar political correctness. Whether they are carbon-based or silicon-based life forms, whether they are original races created by God or secondary races, whether they are logical or emotional beings, they must be treated equally, at least on the surface.
The members of the Interstellar Council must also be diverse; they cannot consist only of carbon-based life forms or only of emotional beings. They cannot all come from the same region, and their opinions cannot be too similar.
On the surface, it appears to be a thriving and egalitarian society, but it is clear that the newly appointed speaker does not seem to want to maintain this harmonious situation.
“Such rhetoric is appalling,” the Supreme Intelligence emphasized. “We need racial equality to maintain harmony in interstellar society.”
"When has interstellar society ever been harmonious?" Strange scoffed. "You and I both know that interstellar society can never be harmonious. You think interstellar society is peaceful now only because the three great empires occupy most of the resources and control most civilizations. You are all dogs raised by the three great empires, so naturally you can't fight back."
“But it’s obvious that things won’t be like that anymore,” Strange said. “The three great empires are visibly weakening and may one day fall apart. Then the dogs will revert to the wolves, and every civilization will have to find a way to get the most meat. If you don’t get enough, or if you eat slower than others, you’ll never have a chance. This isn’t an era of equality. There’s a word for humans called ‘the law of the jungle,’ and I think it applies perfectly here.”
Strange didn't use any sophisticated vocabulary or pedantic language; he simply used a brutal approach to reveal a bloody truth: interstellar society can never be harmonious, nor does it need to be.
"Furthermore, you should have already witnessed the multiverse war that humanity waged before. Ask yourselves honestly, if one day humans from other multiverses were to invade, what would you do?"
"Yes, I know there are three great empires, and they're the ones who can hold up the sky if it falls, but what if they can't?"
"To be honest, although we won, our universe's performance in this war was far from satisfactory. I won't even mention the three great empires' dragging-down actions; other civilizations couldn't even get involved. If a multiverse-level all-out war were to break out in the future, are you planning to just sit at home and wait to die?"
"If you ask me, the reason for such a poor performance is that the three great empires have too much control over the universe. You have been peaceful for too long, without fighting or war among yourselves. How can you evolve? The reason why humanity is so powerful is because we have an endless desire to surpass and fight. The false prosperity and superficial peace that you pursue will only make you slower than others on the road to evolution, and then you will become a stepping stone for other civilizations."
After he finished speaking, the entire meeting room fell silent.
In fact, all three great empires were militaristic, meaning they were civilizations primarily driven by the military and warfare. The Kree and Skrull empires, for example, fought each other for a thousand years.
Many who lived through that era recall the scenes of that time. Although the entire universe was in chaos then, it is undeniable that the era saw the emergence of the most advanced civilizations. It can be said that in this era, apart from the three great empires, the advanced civilizations that can shoulder the burden are all "ruins" who have struggled and survived from that era.
Even the three great empires themselves were at their most powerful during that era. Wars are fought with logistics, and space wars place even greater emphasis on resources. In order to plunder more resources, they had to constantly expand, and to expand, they needed more military support. In this way, the conflict snowballed, and they eventually controlled most of the universe.
Looking back at the years since the truce, although the universe has been quite peaceful, the repeated defeats suffered by Asgard and humanity have shown that they have indeed been at peace for too long and their weapons have become dulled.
In peacetime, to gain political advantage, one naturally needs to have their own principles and methods to stabilize public sentiment. The three great empires adopted the approach of promoting racial equality. However, after engaging in politics for too long, they were instead met with a barrage of attacks from the barbarians emerging from the nine great kingdoms, leaving them reeling for a long time.
Strange's unadorned words struck a chord with a certain unspoken emotion in everyone present.
Is stability the answer to all problems?
They didn't dare to think about it or ask about it before, because stability was what the three great empires needed, and no one could stand against them.
But things are different now. Nine powerful nations have emerged, defeating the three great empires several times and now showing signs of becoming equals. Clearly, stability is not what these madmen want.
Is stability what civilizations outside the three great empires and nine kingdoms desire?
Some people's minds have already begun to stir. Stability is good; weaker civilizations have ample time to develop. However, none of you here come from those indigenous civilizations on the surface. Your races at least possess faster-than-light engines and the ability to colonize space, and are even among the stronger civilizations capable of interstellar travel. Because only if the civilization behind you is strong enough can your career path be smooth, allowing you to sit here and discuss matters with the high-ranking figures of the three great empires.
For these civilizations, the path to advancement has been virtually blocked, and in a state of harmony and stability, they have no way to expand themselves. But who wouldn't want to go further?
Without the exceptional skills of the warriors from the nine kingdoms, and without the means to break free from the constraints of the larger environment, the only hope is for a change in that environment. Before, there was no hope, but things are different now.
“I don’t think we need to get too hung up on the form of address. The Interstellar Council is a big family. It is precisely because we are so close that we should consider each other’s needs. Using a form of address that the other person finds pleasant is also a way of showing care. What do you think, Secretary-General?” said a young man dressed in a blue imperial uniform.
The Supreme Intelligence clearly had nothing more to say. The initial attempt to steer the conversation to racism was intended to put Strange in a difficult position, but Strange's bluntness backfired, stirring things up. Continuing the topic would then be Strange's turn. The young man skillfully smoothed things over, steer the conversation back to the topic of address. Since that's the case, call him whatever you want.
But Strange clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook. He turned to the robot and said, "What did he call you? Secretary General? What's that?"
“Please allow me to introduce myself,” said the young man in blue who had just spoken. “The Interstellar Council is divided into functional positions and permanent positions. Functional positions are for politicians like yourself, who are usually appointed through elections or by forming a government. Permanent positions, on the other hand, do not require elections but are selected through examinations and promoted annually. I am the Permanent Secretary of the Administration Department, from Spartacus. His Majesty Emperor Spartacus I greets you.”
“Oh, I see,” Strange said after thinking for a moment. “How are you doing on Star-Lord’s home planet, Sparta?”
"Thanks to you, things are going well, everything is proceeding smoothly." The young man smiled, then pointed to the robot controlled by the Supreme Intelligence and said, "As the Speaker, you will naturally have a permanent secretary to help you with your work. This is your permanent secretary, from Kree."
Strange glanced back at the robot; one eyebrow was higher than the other. He first squinted, then frowned.
"Can I not have a permanent secretary?" Strange asked. "Can I fire him?"
“Well… I’m afraid that won’t work,” the young man said with some difficulty. “We have never had a precedent for dismissing a permanent position, and if you fire your permanent secretary, then a lot of complicated work will be left unattended, and your decrees will not be effectively communicated, so it’s best not to.”
"Can I choose someone else?" Strange asked again. "Didn't you say that civil servants are selected through exams? Can't I find someone else to take the exam myself?"
"Yes, but if you only pass the exam, you'll be a junior civil servant. You'll have to be promoted step by step to become the permanent secretary to a minister or speaker. It's very difficult, so all the permanent secretaries are excellent. You don't need to worry too much about it."
Strange pursed his lips, clearly dissatisfied. He was no longer in the mood for the meeting and waved his hand, saying, "The new minister will be decided tonight, and they'll report for duty tomorrow morning. Meeting adjourned!"
"Yes, Your Holiness."