Chapter 21: The Starfall Era - Current State of Mycroft Civilization (Settings and Information)
Starfall 841, April 16th, 7:35 PM, the void surrounding the Mycroft World.
Within the Holy Mountain Fortress, Pope Israel of the Seven Gods stood at the observation window, silently watching the ‘Dauntless-class’ Void Battlecruiser slowly pass through the fortress’s observation range, heading towards the direction of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground.
Now, having replaced the temporary elemental lifeforms shaped by Baniel, the Dauntless-class Battlecruiser, carrying five thousand elite crew members and over five hundred Transcendent Beings, sailed steadily. Its mission was to travel to the vicinity of the Myriad Realms Sacrificial Ground and conduct a long-distance teleportation experiment.
All crew members and accompanying Transcendent Beings were immensely excited about this, because this was the first time in the history of the Starfall Era Mycroft Civilization that they were piloting a massive warship specifically designed for void warfare, conducting a drill for an expedition to a distant location. Anyone who could be part of this historic moment would feel their blood boil with excitement.
“Truly a group of energetic children.”
The old Pope smiled as he watched the warship gradually depart, leaving the range of his conventional sensory organs. The old man nodded slightly, turned around, and sat back down behind his desk.
On the desk, made of polished red hardwood, lay several reports with different fonts and printing materials. Pope Israel picked them up and began to leaf through them.
“Northern Helgamos Empire, Starfall 826 Census Report… Excluding the northern regions, the central and southern parts of the empire, which possess almost all the habitable zones, have a total population of approximately one hundred and ten million. The population growth rate in 826 was close to 10%, a full 9.7%.”
The old man squinted, scanning every line of the report. The population growth in the Northern Empire was rapid, likely due to policy-related reasons. At that time, the empire was still at war with the Orcs. If they hadn’t encouraged childbirth, they would probably have been overwhelmed by the more prolific Orcs long ago. And even with continuous bloody wars against the Orcs, by now, 41 years later, the empire’s total population has more than doubled, reaching an astonishing two hundred and fifty million.
This two hundred and fifty million represents the total population of the empire’s central and southern regions. There is also a portion of ordinary people in the empire who are not registered in the household registry, and the four northern territories are not counted either. The population in these places is not large, but it is certainly not insignificant.
After finishing this report, the old Pope quickly picked up the next one, which was the census for the Eastern Plains.
“Eastern Plains Starfall 819 Census Report… Total population two hundred and seventy million. The specific population growth rate cannot be calculated clearly because of the Sky-Piercing White Tower, the Seven Luminaries Council, and the city circles around the Sea Dragon City. The three factions do not share data with each other.”
Even so, it can be seen from the most recent data that the population of the Eastern Plains has more than doubled in twenty-two years, now totaling over six hundred million. Naturally, there are still some areas in this region that haven’t been surveyed, but the impact is not significant.
Without paying too much attention, Israel continued reading the population report in his hand, this time for the Western Mountains: “Western Mountains Region, Starfall 823 Census Report… Two hundred and ten million. The number is decent, but the population growth rate is only a little over 4%.”
The Western Mountains region is inherently a mountainous area, not very suitable for human habitation. However, due to its ancient history, the total population is not bad. Neither the Dragon Calamity nor the cults have caused real harm to the Western Mountains. However, wars between the various kingdoms are a common drain on the population, coupled with insufficient arable land. So, until now, the total population of the Western Mountains is only four hundred and forty million.
Finally, there was the Far South.
The old Pope looked up, focusing on the Far South region, which is most suitable for human habitation. Twenty-one years ago, in Starfall 820, the census for the Far South had already been completed.
Except for the Eternal Forest and the Commercial Alliance, the entire Far South is basically fertile plains. Although this terrain makes it difficult to withstand the beast tides from the Black Forest, the lush grains that grow abundantly on the fertile land are the strongest foundation for population growth. The census twenty-one years ago showed that the population of the Far South was already considerable. Excluding the Elves within the Eternal Forest and the Commercial Alliance, the total population of the Far South was two hundred and fifty million.
If it weren’t for the Dragon Calamity killing millions and displacing tens of millions, causing great upheaval throughout the southern region, the Far South could support far more than its current four hundred million people. According to predictions by professional scholars at that time, the Far South would become the center of the world in the future, with a total population exceeding seven hundred million.
The above data are solely for the human population. Including intelligent races like Elves, Dwarves, and their branches—Half-Elves, Gnomes, Goblins, etc.—over twenty years ago, the total population of the Mycroft World was around one billion. Now, the total world population is just over two billion, having doubled. This is despite experiencing several natural disasters, the Fishman War, the annual Black Forest Purges, the Orc War, and the Dragon Calamity. It can be seen that even suffering many hardships, Mycroft humanity continues to thrive and multiply on this world.
“But this is not much.”
After reading the four reports in his hand, the old Pope couldn’t help but mutter to himself. Two billion people might seem vast, but in reality, this number is somewhat small, especially relative to the rapid progress of Mycroft Civilization. The fact is indeed so.
Because population is the resource of civilization.
Thinking this, Israel couldn’t help but recall the ‘Dauntless-class Void Battlecruiser’ that had passed by not long ago.
A ‘Dauntless-class Void Battlecruiser’, built with the full effort of civilization and its intelligent system optimized by Legendary Mages, requires at least five thousand trained professionals to operate just to get it moving. To give this warship sufficient combat capability, it needs around four hundred Silver-rank conventional weapon operators.
Furthermore, the standard configuration for a battlecruiser includes fifty Gold-rank Transcendent Beings and three Ultimate-rank experts. If possible, a Legendary could even be stationed aboard.
It sounds like the warship doesn’t need many people, just five or six thousand.
But this idea is completely wrong.
In reality, just to support these professionals and Transcendent Beings for shipboard operations, the logistics alone require hundreds of thousands of people to sustain such a war machine. And this number is actually quite small. Without the vast, high-quality metal ores from other worlds, which save on mining difficulties and simplify smelting, such a war machine would require at least two to three million people for logistical support just to run properly.
Even now, this can be considered a militaristic overreach. In ancient times, such a personnel configuration would have been impossible.
After all, just for the fifty Gold-rank experts, based on data from over twenty years ago, it would require a population close to six million. For the three Ultimate-rank experts, a population base of nearly twenty-five million is needed for them to possibly exist.
A Legendary… haha, one might not even appear in an entire empire of one or two hundred million people; it’s entirely a matter of luck.
This was the ‘Fifty Rule’ regarding the number of Transcendent Beings a few decades ago.
Humans are a Black Iron race that reaches the Black Iron rank upon adulthood. But only one in ‘fifty adults’ might be able to embark on the path of Transcendence, becoming a Black Iron High-rank who has just touched Transcendent power.
And among ‘fifty Transcendent Beings’, only one might become Silver-rank. Of course, this number isn’t precise. In areas with a higher degree of civilization, perhaps four or five out of fifty Transcendent Beings can advance to Silver-rank, and this number is rising now. But over twenty years ago, the global average was like this.
Next, among ‘fifty Silver-ranks’, only ten can become Silver High-ranks who truly master Transcendent power. And among these ten Silver High-ranks, only one might become Gold-rank, and even that is not guaranteed.
Finally, among ‘fifty Gold-ranks’, only one might touch the realm of Ultimate Essence. Just ‘might’, not guaranteed, because the gap between Gold and Ultimate Essence is truly heaven and earth.
As for Ultimate Essence to Legendary, there is truly no rule; it mainly depends on luck. With good luck, out of ten Ultimate-rank experts in the Western Mountains back then, two Legendary experts like Baniel and William could emerge. With bad luck, like the royal families of some Western Mountain kingdoms, they might wait centuries without getting one.
And all of the above are purely theoretical. In reality, due to the closure of traditions and the concealment of Transcendent power techniques by major forces, the ratio from Silver-rank to Gold-rank is not one in fifty, but one in a hundred or two hundred. In some barbaric regions with weak traditions, this ratio could be even more insane.
This is an extremely terrifying pyramid structure. Only one Gold-rank exists among hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of people. Of course, this is just an average. In places with high-level traditions, even in a territory of only a hundred thousand or so people, at least the major nobles can have quite a few Silver High-rank knights and a Gold-rank head of the family. But saying that, it’s not strange for there to be no Gold-rank in a million people, because having potential doesn’t mean receiving a professional education, leading to wasted talent.
Just like the berserker maid of the Radcliffe Family. She clearly had the potential to advance to Gold High-rank, but if Joshua hadn’t recognized her talent, her future would have been nothing more than a short, ordinary maid.
“But now, it is vastly different.”
The old Pope Israel looked up, gazing out the window. He stared at the silver light mist drifting in the void. This energy frenzy, known as the Great Magic Tide, swept across the entire Multiverse, filling the World Star River with high-density free energy.
The arrival of the Great Magic Tide, the abundant resources gained from exploring other worlds, the establishment of professional academies and the popularization of the Transcendent path, and the diffusion of Transcendent traditions centered around Joshua, have greatly increased the possibility for ordinary people in the Mycroft World to become Transcendent Beings.
And this is the most important thing!
Leaving aside the issue of advancement, if the ratio changes from one Transcendent Being out of fifty people to one out of ten, then the Transcendent potential of the Mycroft World would increase fivefold! If the entire population could cultivate Transcendent power, the increase would be fiftyfold!
This kind of fundamental growth is extremely terrifying, but even more terrifying is the current state of the Mycroft World.
“Now, the ratio of ordinary people to Transcendent Beings is close to this number.”
Muttering to himself, Israel lowered his head again, looking at another document in his hand.
In the last ten years, the entire Mycroft World has undergone earth-shattering changes, and the biggest change is that Transcendent Beings appear far more frequently than before.
According to the current ratio, one Transcendent Being can emerge from every ten people. Due to the Great Magic Tide and the diffusion of traditions, at least one of these ten Transcendent Beings can advance to Silver-rank.
And among these twenty-five Silver-ranks, it is entirely possible for one Gold-rank to appear!
In Starfall 841, one Gold-rank expert can emerge from every two thousand five hundred ordinary people. This ratio is fifty times greater than the number of Gold-rank experts in the era of the ‘Fifty Rule’ decades ago!
Of course, this is theoretical calculation. There are still many places in the world without professional academies. Even where they are established, most Transcendent Beings will enter the new Mana Factories, becoming factory workers rather than combat-oriented Transcendent Beings. But roughly calculated, the number of possible Gold-rank experts in the future is about thirty times the original.
The number of Gold-rank experts across the world has instantly expanded from a few thousand to nearly a hundred thousand—a rate of expansion faster than blowing up a balloon.
This huge change can also be seen from Winterfell Academy. Excellent graduates can basically achieve Gold-rank. If they don’t, there’s no need to panic. As long as their talent isn’t too poor, working in a position for a few years and accumulating resources might allow them to break through to Gold-rank.
Although the Ultimate Essence realm is not affected by energy density, the base number of Gold-rank experts has changed, so its quantity will naturally change. This change means that decades ago, there were no more than a hundred Ultimate-rank experts worldwide, while decades later, there are about seven hundred Ultimate-rank experts worldwide.
One Ultimate-rank expert per three hundred thousand people is far more than the one per several million, or even ten million, that existed initially.
“It could even be said that this population quality is beginning to approach the Era of Radiance.”
The Unified Grand Database contains records of the Era of Radiance. What most shocks these Starfall Era Legendary experts is the norm of that era: ‘Gold-ranks are as common as dogs, Ultimate-ranks are everywhere.’ In the Starfall Era, the noble and powerful Gold-rank and Ultimate-rank experts were merely neighborhood bullies or city lords in that glorious era.
Putting down all the reports in his hand, the old Pope Israel couldn’t help but sigh. “But approaching doesn’t mean meeting the standard… Even though the population quality of Mycroft Civilization has leaped an unknown number of times compared to a dozen years ago, the population is still insufficient.”
Roughly calculating, including the logistics requiring hundreds of thousands of people, plus subsequent subsidiary factories, resource extraction, personnel training, various weapon designs and selections… including all these miscellaneous things, the Mycroft Civilization needs about one million people to maintain the perfect operation of one Dauntless-class Void Battlecruiser.
Thus, even counting the entire world’s population, they could at most maintain just over two thousand Dauntless-class warships.
But is that possible? For the entire civilization to exist solely for the void fleet? Except for civilizations that have migrated their entire civilization to void fleets, roaming the World Star River—like nomadic void civilizations such as the Star Shepherds—no civilization would do this. War is not everything for a civilization; they need services in other fields to maintain social stability.
Allocating one-tenth of the population is already an extreme case of militarism. And this would immediately reduce the number of maintainable Dauntless-class battlecruisers to two hundred. If the resources for building two hundred void battlecruisers were turned into a mixed fleet, the number would be around five thousand.
Five thousand void warships of various sizes… Is this number really enough for a civilization determined to march towards other World Star Rivers?
Don’t be ridiculous. Just thinking about this matter gave Israel a headache, and he rubbed his head.
During the Era of Radiance, a single Legendary expert would command several hundred, even a thousand, mixed fleets. In the current Starfall Era, even with the full effort of civilization, they could at most fight a small-scale battle from that era. Furthermore, the current Starfall Era simply cannot produce that many warship commanders and trained crew members.
“But now, we don’t have time to accumulate and birth a population.”
As one of the leaders of civilization, Pope Israel sat in his seat and sighed deeply. He looked up somewhat melancholically at the 3D World Star River star chart made of Holy Light, hanging in front of his desk.
If that’s the case, then they have only one choice.
Thinking this, the old Pope reached out and lightly tapped three points on the World Star River star chart.
The Star Shepherds, the Shalt World, the Sixth Abyss.
The Eight-Legged Fungi, the Shalt People, and the Abyss Demons.
“Since our population is insufficient, we can only rely on the populations of other races and civilizations… It sounds like the slave traders from a few hundred years ago, but there is no other way. Even if it sounds unjust in hindsight… the establishment of auxiliary forces, or foreign mercenary corps, is imperative.”
Israel stared at the star chart.
Joshua stared at the star chart.
All Legendary experts, leaders of major forces, and even the gods, were staring at the star charts before them.
When a civilization completely leaves its home world and steps into the void, their vision broadens, and their needs increase rapidly. This is an inevitable cost that comes with the unavoidable ascension.
And now, it is time for the Starfall Mycroft Civilization to make its choice.