I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

Chapter 565: Chapter 414: I Am Civilization!

Lu Yuan continued to explain: “To experience life’s myriad facets, to feel joy, bitterness, sorrow, and happiness…”

“Sometimes you must also get involved in other work, delving deep into the foundations of civilization. The more experiences one has, the more well-rounded the individual becomes.”

This was a belief that came from his heart, and one that he put into practice.

“Is individual luck more important? Isn’t it a waste of time to go deep into the grassroots?”

Furnace Wheel couldn’t help casting a doubtful gaze.

“How is it a waste of time… If you don’t delve deep, how can you understand the flaws of civilization?”

Furnace Wheel replied: “The history of the Dark Steel Civilization is long and storied, and dynasties change frequently. I am fully aware that there are many flaws. But how can trivial matters of daily life compare to the major issues of civilization?”

“If there is no spirit of Sacrificial Dao, how can one leverage the destiny of civilization?”

He devoted himself wholeheartedly to Forging Science… Little else did he do.

At most, he only taught apprentices.

Only in the self-forgetful realm of “Sacrificial Dao” could he feel the “Civilization’s Fate” as vast as the Yangtze River!

“To cultivate oneself, to put one’s family in order, to govern the state, and to bring peace to the world, self-cultivation is the first step. If you can’t even handle self-cultivation, desiring to bring peace to the world is nothing but empty talk,” said Lu Yuan. “Manage yourself well, and you’ll gain more.”

Furnace Wheel retorted: “Without the belief in bringing peace to the world, what is the rationale behind self-cultivation?”

Thus began a debate akin to “which came first, the chicken or the egg.”

The two went back and forth, their tones gradually becoming more intense.

Furnace Wheel’s life was a pursuit of the elusive “Civilization’s Fate,” he loved the abstract notion of civilization, the civilization as he perceived it.

He integrated himself completely into it, leveraging civilization luck to create better Extraordinary Items.

But the answer Lu Yuan gave was bewildering; Lu Yuan loved “tangible civilization,” the tangible collective.

Pursuing personal development, feeling personal emotions, experiencing life in all its diversity.

To Furnace Wheel, this was completely contradictory, unimaginable, beyond principles!

To the uninformed, one might think they were casually conversing, and yet the chat escalated to the point of almost producing gunfire, which was quite the shock.

But in reality, they were competing in forging ideology!

The so-called “experts lead the way,” Extraordinary Forging is a very ideational matter with no true standard answer.

The contention of ideologies is of utmost importance!

Even surpassing traditional techniques!

Debating the scriptures is something every civilization does; Human craftsmen and Rat Artisans often engage in such debates.

“If you’re caught up in civilization, you’ll only erase yourself and find it difficult to transcend civilization itself… This is not the correct path,” Lu Yuan said.

Furnace Wheel sneered: “The so-called transcending of civilization, are you capable of becoming a god on your own?”

“Why can’t I?” Lu Yuan countered.

Furnace Wheel believed the other party was being sophistical, and said word by word emphatically: “How can you achieve that? Without the collective, you’d be devoured by insects in the blink of an eye, reduced to a pile of insect dung, and never to exist again!”

Lu Yuan sneered: “A mere Anomaly [insect], you think it can kill me?”

Furnace Wheel likewise said: “Even if you are incredibly powerful, it has nothing to do with Extraordinary Forging.”

“There are a hundred thousand forging methods, Slaughter Weapons, Production Devices, Protection Devices, Function Devices — none can be separated from Civilization’s Qi Fortune; how can you transcend it alone?”

“I ask you once again, how will you become a god?”

Lu Yuan fell silent for a moment, then responded: “I am civilization!”

“One person is a civilization! The insects can also become a part of my civilization, and I am willing to accept them!”

As he gave this answer, Lu Yuan’s eyes seemed to flash through countless experiences, this was the path he had tread himself, his gaze was as sharp and piercing as thunder.

“Absurd!” Furnace Wheel shouted, slamming his hammer down hard on the forging table.

He felt… this man must be mad!

Lu Yuan took a deep breath, gradually calming down: “Let’s see the truth in action then.”

…

Such a debate, for humans, is extremely agreeable.

In the traditional ideology of Human Civilization, “I” exist first, and then civilization follows.

This doesn’t mean civilization isn’t important, it’s just a matter of sequence.

Lu Yuan allows all common folks, when faced with tough decisions, to choose to preserve their own lives.

As long as you are not a lackey of an Evil God, as long as you are not a traitor, even if it brings minor harm to humans, you could be exonerated by the law!

The utilization of Qi Fortune also puts “I” first.

After the outburst of Inspiration, whatever I want to create, I create!

“Civilization’s Fate” is just a tool to be used, not the core. You mustn’t allow the “Luck” to influence you in return, or else your own limits are confined.

The philosophy of the Underground Alliance appears to be the complete opposite.

With “Sacrificial Dao” as its core, it is about merging oneself entirely into the collective of civilization.

The wrinkles on Furnace Wheel’s face trembled a few times.

He didn’t want to deal with this madman anymore.

“It’s pointless to say more; if I defeat you in the competition, then it’s settled.”

Furnace Wheel, more familiar with the Alliance’s forging tools, took the lead, picking up the hammer to start forging.

He wanted to forge a Slaughter Weapon, but most of the materials at hand were of Inferior Grade, and without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook. To forge high-quality tools, he could only rely on the power of “Luck.”

The sound of the wind, the sound of rain, the sound of thunder…

Magma, gunfire, howling!

All of it echoed in his mind.

It was a terrifying night of slaughter.

The city he was in had fallen, buildings collapsed, countless Insect Race broke through the army’s defenses, the city fell, and every second someone was dying.

“The Genov Shuttle can only carry a small number of people!! You possess Divine Skills… you are also the foundation of our future, run! Run! Head to other cities!”

A young soldier shouted, “Don’t die here!”

“Don’t worry about us… we will win! We will hold on! (*bitter laugh)”

“Hurry up and leave!”

In the midst of these memories, gradually, the focus in Furnace Wheel’s pupils faded, his eyes becoming vacant.

The past had influenced him.

Whether it be the future or the present, it is all part of “Fate,” he felt as though he plunged into the river of history, returning to that distant past, that era of bustling war.

A mysterious force was dominating his body, guiding his hammer to strike precisely on each part of the “Slaughter Weapon”.

If only, back then, they had this weapon.

If only… they could have been stronger!

Let our warriors take up better weapons and kill all the enemies.

“Clang! Clang Clang!!”

Every strike was transforming this weapon.

And the Extraordinary Spark within Furnace Wheel also started to subtly interact with the Slaughter Weapon, sorting through its Extraordinary Veins.

You could vaguely see that it was the rudimentary form of an axe, even unfinished, one could tell that it greatly surpassed the standards of “Inferior Grade”!

It might have surpassed “Ordinary Level,” reaching “Rare Level”!

It was born through the Fate of the Underground Alliance, leaping across two levels.

“If time could be reversed, with this Slaughter Weapon, perhaps we could win the war… no… at most, just a few less would have died. I need to become stronger!”

Furnace Wheel exuded a solemn and tragic aura.

This scene was astonishing!

Even his ideological struggles during this session of forging made him perform extraordinarily!

…

The scene seemed somewhat quiet, only the heavy strikes could be heard.

Clang, clang!

Each strike resonated in people’s hearts!

Lu Yuan squinted his eyes, it was his first time seeing such a technique…

It looked a bit strange but was unlearnable.

He watched with great interest for a while.

“So this is the way of the Sacrificial Dao, fully integrating ‘self’ into the Fate of civilization… seems like a rather nice gain.”

“However… what’s the limit of this method? Wanting to forge ‘Mythical Equipment’ is nearly impossible.”

He gently shook his head.

What is a Myth?

Myth… is the unique path!

It’s the path for pioneers at the forefront!

Unless the civilization you belong to becomes a Divine-level civilization, then with the Fate of that civilization, you can forge myths… But that’s too far, does a Divine-level civilization even lack a piece of Mythical Equipment? Whether Divine-level civilizations exist in the world is another matter!

Lu Yuan himself couldn’t possibly learn it, this involves a matter of principle.

But within the human group, if others want to learn, perhaps that wouldn’t be a bad thing… After all, the guaranteed gain is really nice, and not everyone is after forging myths…

“Great Commander, why does he look like he’s completely unconscious? Is he forging with his subconscious? This aura is extraordinary.”

The human diplomatic team communicated telepathically.

Lu Yuan explained once: “Hmm… this craftsman is quite impressive, don’t mind that he was just arguing with me. There’s indeed something worth learning from him.”

“It’s our first time seeing this method of creation, make sure to record it, we’ll study it later when back.”

“Great Commander, can we win?” Professor Lu Tiantian, who had a sly nature, asked privately, “Would losing affect your own image?”

“Didn’t you just say… losing wouldn’t matter much?” Lu Yuan replied helplessly, “Do you really think I’m invincible?”

Lu Tiantian: “We do indeed think you’re invincible… but even if you lose, we won’t tell anyone, rest assured, the Rat Artisan will never know you lost to a Dwarf from the Underground Alliance.”

Lu Yuan: …

Everyone started joking around, trying to relieve some of Lu Yuan’s pressure.

The human onlookers, whether they were soldiers or scientists, had no craftsmen among them, so they couldn’t quite discern the exquisite techniques…

But they could certainly see a significant improvement in quality.

Even during the process, they could perceive an ancient charm, imbued with tragic emotions, which seemed very remarkable.

To take “Inferior Grade” materials and elevate them to “Rare Level” by craftsmanship, what did that mean?

Very few human craftsmen could achieve this…

Even one might say that without being in an Inspiration state, almost… no one could do it?! (Lu Yuan was too busy to fuss with low-level materials)

They couldn’t help but feel worried deep inside.

…