Mythology: Ragnarok

Chapter 361 Water Bear Clan

Out of curiosity, Xuanyuan Muze interrupted by asking, "Since humans were the first intelligent species to appear, what was the last intelligent species to appear?"

Gulasga patted Brickkin on the shoulder and said, "My lover's race, the Trisolarans, is the last race to appear in the universe, and we have no dispute about this last intelligent race."

Upon hearing this, Brick immediately shouted indignantly, "Don't call us the Trisolarans! We're clearly called the Water Bears! I'm really fed up with why we're named after environmental characteristics instead of species type. I strongly protest this double standard."

"Water Bear Clan? What kind of race is that?" Xuan Yuan Mu Ze asked, puzzled.

Gulasga then explained, “It’s very similar to a species called tardigrade in your hometown. You could say that tardigrades are genetically the ancestors of the water bear race. So, before my partner was genetically modified, she probably looked like an eyeless creature with huge mouthparts and large, flexible six-legged tentacles. From your perspective, the water bear race looks like a bizarre, fleshy worm, and its appearance is indeed not flattering…”

At this point, Brickqin angrily punched Gulasga in the chest and complained, "Who's the worm? Your whole family are the worms! You're the only one who's good-looking. You used to be an ugly burrowing worm. You're shameless! The pot calling the kettle black!"

Seeing this, Gulasga quickly apologized to his lover, and after much persuasion, he managed to calm Brick down. Then, Gulasga continued to explain to Xuanyuan Muze: "Although the Water Bear Clan doesn't have strong combat abilities, they are born with organs that allow them to communicate directly through brainwaves. This allows their thoughts to communicate transparently. At the same time, their well-developed tentacles allow them to perform precise manual operations and help them sense ground vibrations to detect the situation on the distant surface. Moreover, although the Water Bear Insect Clan has good eyesight, their field of vision is actually quite narrow due to their physical structure, which is a very fatal weakness for them."

The most unique skill of the tardigrade is that their body structure allows them to enter a state of hibernation through dehydration, enabling them to survive harsh environments and even for extended periods in space. They can be considered the most resilient race in the universe.

Overall, the water bear race actually had many innate advantages in developing technology, but due to their unique characteristics, they could only be the last intelligent race to appear.

"What does this mean? They're so suited to developing technology, so why are they the last race to get started?"

"Although the tardigrades are a race with extremely high tolerance to the environment, they are at an absolute disadvantage in the food chain and in the competition for species in nature. Think about it, the tardigrades have no ability to hunt, and even if they eat plants, they cannot compete with those herbivores. If the tardigrades are too big and have no ability to protect themselves, they will become free lunch for other animals. Although the tardigrades have extremely high tolerance to the environment, they are not invincible. In fact, if they become too big, you can crush them as easily as stepping on an insect. This has led to the tardigrades being passively evolved into tiny creatures that are not much larger than microorganisms in order to survive on habitable planets."

Xuanyuan Muze pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Then wouldn't the Water Bear Clan have no chance to develop?!"

Gulasga shook his head and explained, "Actually, it's possible, but the planet that can support the development of the Water Bear Clan must meet three conditions. First, the planet must have the basic conditions for life to reproduce. Second, the environment on the planet must be complex and changeable, even to the point that catastrophic disasters can occur frequently, making it impossible for other races besides the Water Bear Clan to survive in such an environment. Third, the planet must also have a certain period of relatively regular stable time so that the Water Bear Clan has the opportunity to develop."

Initially, we genuinely didn't know how to name the Water Bear Clan. Naming them using animal classification methods felt somewhat inaccurate. Fortunately, we found a suitable name for them in the work of a human outsider, 'The Great Achievements of the Empire.' In fact, the most suitable and likely environment for the Water Bear Clan to develop an intelligent civilization would be a three-body system composed of three stars in the universe. However, we were conceptually focused on this and hadn't noticed it. 'The Great Achievements of the Empire' named the Water Bear Clan the 'Trisolaran Clan,' which instantly enlightened us. So we simply adopted that name and named the Water Bear Clan the 'Trisolaran Clan.'"

Xuanyuan Muze looked at Brickqin and asked suspiciously, "Then why does Your Excellency Brickqin seem to have a lot of resentment towards this name? Is there anything wrong with this name?"

At this point, Brickqin suddenly roared in anger: "Because the book 'The Great Empire' is not a proper scientific book at all, but more like a novel. What's even more infuriating is that the Trisolarans are the villains who invaded the human empire in that book, and we were beaten so badly by humans that we had to run away and eventually surrender."

I'm truly speechless. The author of this book is utterly shameless. It was a foregone conclusion that the Pioneers would defeat the Trisolarans. Under ideal conditions, the Trisolarans would have appeared at least a million years after humanity. You were a million years ahead of me, so how could I possibly invade you? I could have invaded you, but I was utterly humiliated and repeatedly beaten like a clown!

I was so angry after reading this book that my head almost exploded. It was so shameless! There's a limit to insulting people, especially since it's a fictional story! That's why I've always been averse to the name "Trisolarans." It's like seeing someone write a villain called "Pioneers" in a novel, and then they think it's a good name and apply it to humans. Wouldn't you be angry if that happened to you? I'd rather be called the Water Bear Clan.

Seeing this, Gulasga held Brick's hand and comforted him, "Alright, it's just a name. Besides, it's just a fictional story. Why do you care so much about such things?"

After listening, Xuanyuan Muze asked, "Hey! So, if the Trisolarans catch up with or even defeat human civilization, what level would that be?"

When Brickqin heard this, she couldn't help but laugh. Then, as if she had heard a joke, she waved her hand and said, "How is that possible? They are pioneers, a race that is a million years ahead of the Trisolarans. If they can be caught up with or even surpassed in technology, that would be a joke on a cosmic scale. If this were to spread, the entire multiverse would laugh for three days and three nights."

Let me put it this way: the seriousness of this situation is like someone who repeated kindergarten for forty years, and then, at the prime age of forty-six, being bullied by a new Trisolaran 'kid' in kindergarten! Hahaha, oh my god, this is really hilarious, my friend. If this were really the case, humanity should just find a place to dig a grave and bury itself. What's the point of all this fuss? Humanity's real advantage lies in its time advantage—at least a million years ahead! What does that mean?! The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Races only took five thousand years to conquer the entire multiverse. If they were caught up, it means there are at least ten thousand or eight thousand civilizations in the universe stronger than humanity.

Before genetic modification, the intellectual limit of humans is lower than that of all other races. If they lose even this one advantage, they are truly useless. Forget about winning or losing; if any race catches up with them, humans should feel ashamed and disgraced. It would be a disgrace to the universe. Even if they were to defeat the technologically superior Trisolarans, there would be nothing to be happy about. If it really came to that, wouldn't human civilization be nothing more than pure waste? If that were the case, humans would become even more disgusting pests than the machine race, wasting resources while alive and polluting the land when dead.

Hahaha, I can't stop laughing, I'm dying of laughter! If that day ever comes, I'll truly be able to hold my head high!