Light Speed ​​War

Chapter 155: Aya's 4th Level

Aya seemed somewhat disappointed that Zhou Yuan hadn't answered the fifth question. The Southern King glanced at Aya and Zhou Yuan sitting below her, then at Wei Shan, Lai Feiya, and Chu Xiaolu sitting below Zhou Yuan, and gently shook his head, seemingly helpless. The Southern King, of course, knew his beloved daughter Aya's thoughts.

"Everyone, Liu Qinglong answered the fifth question very well. Are there any other brothers willing to answer?" The Southern King paused, his gaze slowly sweeping across everyone's faces. Although the Southern King was asking the crowd, he was actually somewhat expecting Zhou Yuan to appear, but Zhou Yuan did not appear as he had hoped.

"In the fifth round, Liu Qinglong has won. Currently, Zhou Yuan and Liu Qinglong are in the lead. Zhou Yuan has won the first, third, and fourth rounds, while Liu Qinglong has won the second, third, and fifth rounds. The names of the others who have passed the rounds will not be listed one by one." The Southern King pointed to Aya, who was sitting at the head of the table on his right. "Next, my daughter Aya will give four questions. Aya, you will give the questions."

“Yes, Father.” Aya first looked at Zhou Yuan, then got up from her seat and stood roughly in the middle of the two rows of tables. Her graceful figure looked even more charming in the candlelight.

"Everyone, I'll get straight to the point. The sixth question is: Why is the night sky black?"

Aya's question startled many people for a moment, then a young man stood up and said, "Miss, that's because the sun has set." Many people nodded.

"Young Master Guan, there are so many stars in the sky, why can't they illuminate the night sky?"

“Miss, those stars are too far away to shine here. Just like the candlelight here can’t reach our mansion.”

“Young Master Guan, the candles in your mansion illuminate your mansion, the candles here illuminate here, the candles in the next house illuminate the house next door, and so on. There are so many stars in the sky. If each one illuminates its own place, then the whole night sky should be bright.”

Guan Gongzi was speechless after being refuted by Aya. The others also seemed stumped by Aya's reasoning.

Although Wei Shan and Lefia felt that Aya was arguing vehemently, they didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with her reasoning. Chu Xiaolu, knowing even less, had no idea why the night sky was black.

Everyone turned their attention to Zhou Yuan and Liu Qinglong, hoping the two could provide a satisfactory answer. Even the Southern King kept glancing between Liu Qinglong and Zhou Yuan.

Liu Qinglong frowned, seemingly thinking that Aya's reasoning was sound, but if Aya's reasoning was sound, it would contradict the obvious facts.

Zhou Yuan knew that if he were to provide a scientific explanation for the question of "why the night sky is black," it would probably take a considerable amount of time for the people on this planet, and even then, they might not be able to understand it.

"Miss, it's like this." Zhou Yuan finally stood up. Aya's eyes lit up when she saw him stand up, her face beaming with joy. Everyone turned their attention to Zhou Yuan, even Liu Qinglong was watching him.

“Miss, let me answer this question. See if I'm right. I personally think there are two important factors that contribute to why the night sky is black: distance and pace (speed).” Zhou Yuan originally wanted to say “speed,” but guessing they wouldn’t understand, he said “pace” instead.

"Young Master Zhou, distance and pace? Hmm, could you elaborate?"

"Those stars do indeed shine in their own places, but the distance between the stars is too great. There are many places between these stars that are not illuminated. In other words, the range of space illuminated by all the stars is limited. Most importantly, the light emitted by the stars is too far away from us and moves too slowly, so we cannot see it yet."

Aya nodded, and the others seemed to understand but not quite. If it were explained by the universe's accelerating expansion and the fact that the universe's energy was still small, they wouldn't understand either, so Zhou Yuan's answer was also ambiguous.

"Okay. Aya, let's move on to the seventh question."

The seventh question is: If you could all stay young and never grow old, what would be the thing you most want to do right now?

Aya's question, though seemingly simple, is actually a probing question.

"The thing I want to do most is, of course, to have more children." Among the many heroes, a few people shouted. The Southern King smiled slightly, and Aya did the same. Wei Shan and Lefia were deep in thought, while Chu Xiaolu looked at Zhou Yuan with deep affection.

"What I want to do most is, of course, for the sake of the country and its people. If I don't grow old, I will definitely make amends to my loved one." Liu Qinglong's answer this time made up for the flaw in his answer to the fifth question. The Southern Heavenly King stroked his beard and nodded.

Many people offered other answers, such as going home to be more filial to one's parents, traveling the world with one's partner, or studying hard to pass the imperial examinations.

Aya turned to face Zhou Yuan, "Young Master Zhou, and you?"

"Right now, the thing I want to do most is take a nap." As soon as Zhou Yuan finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter. Aya blushed, while the Southern King, far from being angry, was delighted, his face beaming. Chu Xiaolu also blushed.

"Everyone, I think you've misunderstood." Zhou Yuan wanted to explain, but then realized that the more he explained, the more confusing it would become. "Miss Aya, I didn't mean to offend you just now, please forgive me." Only Wei Shan and Lefia knew that Zhou Yuan needed to rest.

Aya, quick-witted as ever, said, "It is indeed getting late, Brother Zhou. You're just being chivalrous and thinking of these three beauties, aren't you?" Aya winked mischievously at Wei Shan, Lai Feiya, and Chu Xiaolu. This time, it drew another burst of laughter.

"Then I won't take up any more of your time. The question for the eighth challenge is: What if—and I mean what if—the world were suddenly invaded by demons and monsters? What would you do?"

"Miss, is there even a question? Slay the demons and eliminate evil!" Many people shouted resolutely.

Aya didn't respond, but simply glanced at the people who were talking.

"Young Master Liu, and what about you?"

"Miss, this world has been invaded by demons and monsters. It is imperative to slay them."

"Young Master Zhou, and what about you?"

"If the end of the world really comes, then as everyone says, slaying demons and monsters is necessary. But someone has to be an 'investigator' to investigate what's wrong with this world, where the demons and monsters come from, how to quickly eliminate these evils, and how to effectively protect this world. Slaying demons and monsters is courage, while being an 'investigator' is strategy. Courage is an instinct from the heart, and only with both courage and strategy can we better solve problems. If we don't have enough strength to slay demons, then I will be an 'investigator,' a strategist. If we are rough around the edges, then we will be brave warriors. If we have both courage and strategy, then we should take on the great responsibility of slaying demons and monsters."

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Zhou. Is there anyone else who would like to add anything?" Aya asked, but there was no response from the lobby.

"The final challenge is: What is the meaning of human life (the meaning of existence)?" As soon as Aya posed this question, Zhou Yuan, Wei Shan, and Lefia exchanged surprised glances, none of them expecting her to ask such a question. Zhou Yuan recalled that around Earth's 2022 AD, the leader had posed a similar question, asking what the meaning of life was.

"The meaning of life is nothing more than procreation (life propagation)," someone replied.

“Young master, please forgive my intrusion, but if it is merely about procreation, then aren’t we no different from those animals?”

"Yes, fundamentally speaking, we are also animals, but we are more powerful (more advanced) than those animals."

Wei Shan winked at Zhou Yuan, who naturally understood and smiled slightly.

“Miss, I believe that living is nothing more than a process of self-affirmation, self-denial, and then back to self-affirmation.” Liu Qinglong’s words were astonishing, leaving Zhou Yuan, Wei Shan, and Leifia stunned. After all, such thoughts were beyond the comprehension of ordinary people on this planet. Aya also seemed shocked, staring at Liu Qinglong for a few seconds. The Southern King nodded slightly.

"Young Master Zhou, if I may ask, what is your opinion?"

“Miss, what Young Master Liu said just now was very good.” Zhou Yuan smiled.

"Alright. Young Master Liu wins the final round."

The Southern King then announced, "Based on the nine trials, Zhou Yuan and Liu Qinglong have advanced to the final mission stage. I will inform you both of the final mission tomorrow afternoon. Let's eat, drink, and have some fun first."

It was another ocean of joy.

After the banquet ended, Zhou Yuan had drunk quite a bit and was slightly drunk. Wei Shan and Leifia helped Zhou Yuan up, and Aya personally led the four of them to their lodgings. The lodgings were a rather large courtyard, presumably specially arranged for Zhou Yuan and his companions, and were quite elegant.

"Brother Zhou, it's getting late, you should all get some rest." Aya looked at Zhou Yuan with affection.

"Aya, you should go to sleep early too. Goodnight."

"Good night." Aya and the guards withdrew.

Once Aya and the guards had gone far away, Zhou Yuan quickly opened his ring and contacted the special forces soldiers of the three flying saucers and Park So-yeon, the fleet commander above this planet.

"Sir, the radioactive heavy element on this planet is indeed the same element as that on Planet Amos. These heavy element deposits are located on the central continent of this planet. The heavy element deposits are relatively abundant, about one-third the amount found on Planet Amos."

"Oh, a third, that's quite a lot. Were there any other discoveries? Like those caves?"

"The results of the exploration of those caves were quite unexpected. Deep inside the caves, there are things from very ancient times on this planet, or rather, artifacts. There are also many hieroglyphic symbols, many of which we have deciphered. There is something you will definitely be interested in."

"Oh, what is that?"

"This thing is actually a book of prophecy, which records the major events predicted about this planet."

"'Heavenly Book'?"

"Yes, sir. We found this 'heavenly book' in the caves of the four continents, but not in the cave on the continent where you are. It is estimated that it has been discovered and taken by someone else. Only when all five 'heavenly books' are put together can they form a complete book."

“Oh, I understand. Commander Park, tomorrow during the day, search a five-kilometer radius around this area. The ‘heavenly book’ of this continent is in this owner’s house. Take photos, copy and analyze it, and then put it back at a distance. I want to read the complete ‘heavenly book’.”

"Yes, sir."

After Zhou Yuan finished contacting them, he told Wei Shan, Leifiya, and Chu Xiaolu about the communication situation.

There are three rooms in this courtyard. Wei Shan and Lefia share one room, Zhou Yuan shares another, and Chu Xiaolu sleeps in the third.

Zhou Yuan closed the doors and windows, washed up briefly, extinguished the candles, and went to bed. Having drunk some wine that evening, he fell asleep quickly.

The night was dark, occasionally broken by the chirping of crickets.

Suddenly, a faint creak was heard, and the window of Zhou Yuan's room opened inexplicably, then creaked shut again, but no one could be seen entering through the window.