Chapter 2978: Differing Philosophies, Immense Pressure

The gentleness and order of the Golden Dragons do not mean that civilization aligns with Xia Duo's philosophy; in fact, while experiencing Saville's memories, Xia Duo had already discovered the aspects of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire that he resisted.

Even though they had already managed to smooth over the differences between various races—effectively achieving racial equality on a technical level—in the actual process of governance, the Golden Dragons were always supreme.

The "Holy" in the Empire's name is proof of this; only the Golden Dragons are holy, and all other non-Golden Dragon races, including other dragon clans, must align themselves with the Golden Dragons and take pride in becoming Golden Dragons.

In Xia Duo's view, even without the technology for racial equality, could there not be equality between various races?

This does not mean that races with vast differences must be made exactly the same in every aspect, but at the very least, one could strive for equality in personality and even political status!

If there is no such pursuit and inequality is directly accepted as the default—or even artificially and deliberately shaped for the sake of governance—then Xia Duo truly cannot accept it.

Besides this, as Xia Duo had previously judged, the Holy Golden Dragon Empire is already a near-modern state, so other aspects would not be too bad either.

If Xia Duo had just transmigrated, he would actually have been more willing to accept the Holy Golden Dragon Empire compared to Netheril!

But now, he has already fallen behind in the Main Plane, and has even begun to create his own civilization based on his own philosophy.

Having already achieved certain results, how could he possibly abandon everything he has now to throw himself into the embrace of another, unfamiliar civilization?

And looking at the internal situation of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire in Saville's memories, even vassal races did not suffer the kind of oppression found at the bottom of classical societies.

The speed at which a near-modern civilization conquers and assimilates a classical civilization is unimaginable to ordinary people.

It is not just the sense of stagnation similar to information overload syndrome brought about by a large amount of conscious information flooding in over a short time, but also the immense psychological pressure after learning the reality of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire.

Just like that famous saying on Earth, "Why climb the mountain? Because the mountain is there," when applied to the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, it becomes—

Although he had just experienced Saville's memories, on one hand, the memories were not complete or continuous, and ultimately they were not as good as the personal experience of someone who had lived through it; even though Saville's perspective might be very one-sided, it was still very worth referencing.

"Let's stop for a moment, let me take a breather."

Although Xia Duo stands in the position of an ordinary person, he believes more in his ability to give ordinary people a better future, rather than the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, which has a higher rate of exploitation and only leaves more for the exploited in terms of quantity.

Even if he could develop slowly, the acquisition of resources and space would be an incomparably long process, and he did not believe the Holy Golden Dragon Empire would truly let go of such a small force that refused to accept their rule.

"It's not too late to worry after confirming that the dragon clan is from the Holy Golden Dragon Empire; worrying now is truly just worrying needlessly. Besides, even if the other party really comes, worrying is useless!"

Even though he comforted himself this way, the trace of trepidation in Xia Duo's heart could never be completely erased; but regardless, from the moment the Tower discovered that dragon clan, this world was no longer the same as before.

Xia Duo had only just caught a glimpse of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire in Saville's memories and already felt such immense pressure; after relaxing his mind slightly, he couldn't help but mock himself—

In the Elf Kingdom, the upper-class Elves generally have the opportunity to learn Magic, but it is too difficult for the middle and lower classes, especially the bottom-tier Elves; talent and luck are both indispensable for them to have even the slightest chance.

And in other places outside of Xia Ling, in the various territories of Netheril, the opportunity for ordinary people to learn Magic depends entirely on the enlightenment of the Lord; but even the most enlightened traditional Netheril Lord cannot allow everyone to receive Magic Education, let alone organize compulsory education (mandatory education) within their Territory.

If the Holy Golden Dragon Empire harbors malice toward the Main Plane, it would almost be a world-ending disaster.

Furthermore, there is the opposition to the act of aggression itself, which dictates that Xia Duo will stand on the opposite side of the conquerors, even if they are more advanced than the current Main Plane.

If he were a local, traditional Netheril Lord, he might be able to choose to accept the Holy Golden Dragon Empire without any obstacles, but he is not, which is why he is even more worried about this more advanced civilization.

"Conquest! If the Holy Golden Dragon Empire discovers the Main Plane, they will definitely launch a conquest!"

A classical civilization might not even have formed the concept of a nation; being conquered is nothing more than changing a ruler, and perhaps they might even live better!

To this, Saville's answer is—

Having lost the foundation of the Main Plane, the civilization he created would lack sufficient nourishment, and it would likely wither halfway before it could mature.

In the Detection Room, Xia Duo suddenly called a halt to the memory sharing with Saville; the Library had not finished sharing, but Xia Duo truly wanted to take a breather first.

Xia Duo was silent, because this was the same as his own judgment: that kingdom views governance as a matter of course, and having discovered a new place that can be conquered and ruled, it is only natural to conquer it and then establish rule.

Even if the Holy Golden Dragon Empire has no subjective malice, its very existence could destroy the order of the Main Plane; Xia Duo knows all too well the assimilation capability of an advanced civilization toward a backward Plane.

But in the future, Magic will indeed be opened to all official residents of the Territory.

The Holy Golden Dragon Empire of the Other Plane has not yet come to the Main Plane! Whether the dragon clan discovered by the Tower actually comes from the Holy Empire has not been determined either.

Why conquer, why rule? Because the new world is there.

……

How are the ordinary living beings of the Main Plane to resist such a civilization? And on what grounds can they resist? I fear that once the Holy Golden Dragon Empire's army arrives, the ordinary living beings of the Main Plane will be welcoming the royal army with joy.

……

During the break, Xia Duo asked Saville: "Based on your understanding of the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, if they discovered the Plane we are in, what do you think they would do?"

Being able to learn Magic freely and having the opportunity to become a true ruler—these two points alone are almost impossible to achieve in the Main Plane, the only exception being Xia Duo's Xia Ling.

But even in Xia Ling, the current progress of Magic popularization has not reached the level where everyone can learn freely; only school-age children must receive Magic Education, and adults who have passed that age still need to wait.

If the Holy Golden Dragon Empire really came to conquer the Main Plane, would the various nations resist? They probably would at first, but as they learned more and more about the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, the resistance would also weaken, even if the other party was there to conquer.

And in the Holy Golden Dragon Empire, even vassal races and vassal kingdoms can learn true Magic with almost no threshold; although there is no compulsory education, it is already countless times stronger than the Main Plane.