"Generational inheritance?" Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng exclaimed in unison, their eyes wide.
This was a terrifying ability, the shared memories of ancestors, as if one had lived for billions of years. For example, if a father spent years diligently studying calculus, his son would be able to solve problems from birth. If a grandfather had mastered blacksmithing, his grandson could become a blacksmith from the moment he was born. It was truly frightening!
Of course, there were also many extremely awkward situations. For instance, the grandson might, in his mind, recall the flirtatious exchanges between his grandparents in their youth, and be astonished at how frivolous his dignified elders were in their younger days.
Bai Xiaobai laughed heartily. "I know what you're thinking, but you're overthinking it. Not all memories are inherited, only a portion."
"Initially, Pa Pa's brain was a solid, unified whole, with only a few basic pathways for brain fluid to flow through. As they age and receive more external stimuli, bioelectricity and brain fluid will carve out more pathways within the Pa Pa's brain structure. Some pathways are large, others are very fine, forming a complex network that creates different memories," Bai Xiaobai explained. "The human brain is actually quite similar. The initial neural pathways are very simple, and as we age, neurons connect, forming increasingly complex structures."
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng nodded, finding the explanation very easy to understand.
"When each Pa Pa reproduces, it takes a small portion of its brain, about the size of a soybean, and places it inside the child's brain," Bai Xiaobai continued. "The memories in this small portion of the brain can be chosen, often being important knowledge or instincts, such as where food is, which plants are poisonous, or that there are fierce beasts by the river. Some Pa Pa also choose to pass on memories of family relationships to their offspring."
"This way, when visiting relatives during the holidays, the child can easily call all the relatives by their proper titles, right?" Xu Aoqing interjected.
Bai Xiaobai laughed heartily again.
"So, is the Pa Pa's brain like a CD?" Jiang Ye asked. "Do you know what a CD is? A CD, ever heard of it?"
The others looked blank.
"It was something that appeared in ancient times. A circular disc, with information recorded on it. When powered, it could play music," Jiang Ye explained.
"I understand what you mean, yes," Bai Xiaobai replied. "The Pa Pa's brain structure is like that. Once different pathway networks are formed, as long as bioelectricity and brain fluid flow through those pathways, some memories will be automatically awakened."
"So, the function of the consciousness interface is to delete and modify these pathways, thereby altering the Pa Pa's memories?" Jiang Ye inquired.
"Exactly," Bai Xiaobai nodded. "This technology is only semi-mature, but it's already quite functional. For instance, if a Pa Pa witnesses humans brutally slaughtering other Pa Pa and develops psychological trauma, we connect its consciousness interface to a memory modifier. We then block the pathways in its brain related to this new memory, causing it to forget everything and become friendly towards humans again, seeking their company."
"This kind of conquest... is truly the epitome of efficiency," Jiang Ye was deeply moved.
Jiang Ye recalled some invaders from history.
To cover up the hatred caused by their invasions, they used various subtle methods of brainwashing, making people gradually forget the bloodshed.
The process was essentially the same.
However, ancient methods were diverse, troublesome, and time-consuming, with poor results. Now, dealing with Pa Pa, they directly connected machines to their brains, achieving efficient and thorough results.
"The consciousness interface has a third function, which is essentially the same as the second, but its impact is so significant that it's often discussed separately," Bai Xiaobai stated. "It's to implant brain pathways that make all Pa Pa like humans."
Jiang Ye suddenly understood.
It was like dogs.
When dogs make eye contact with humans, their bodies secrete a hormone, creating a natural sense of closeness.
"Generally, when a Pa Pa reaches two years old, its body size and brain development are fixed, and this pathway is implanted," Bai Xiaobai explained. "Pa Pa that have been implanted will instinctively develop positive emotions like attachment, obedience, closeness, and adoration when they see humans. They easily listen to whatever humans say and are happy to be managed by humans. This allows the Pa Pa species to be completely enslaved by us, and they are happy about it, and we are happy too – a win-win situation."
As Bai Xiaobai spoke, he reached out and stroked the Pa Pa he had brought.
The Pa Pa was quite happy, lying comfortably on its side like a small dog, its eyes squinted.
Cen Yemeng suddenly leaned close to Jiang Ye's ear and whispered, "When I pet you, you act the same way."
Jiang Ye, not to be outdone, also leaned close to her ear and whispered back, "The moment I reach out to you, before I even touch you, you're already like this."
The couple blushed simultaneously but maintained stern expressions, remaining still.
"I plan to introduce a large number of Pa Pa to Meteorite Star, allowing them to live and work there, creating profits for Meteorite Star," Bai Xiaobai announced. "After my explanation, you should understand that this creature is completely controllable. So, is Meteorite Star willing to be populated by Pa Pa?"
As Bai Xiaobai spoke, he looked at Xu Aoqing.
Xu Aoqing shrugged and looked at Jiang Ye, implying that she didn't have the final say and that the true superior was Jiang Ye.
Bai Xiaobai then shifted his expectant gaze to Jiang Ye.
"Where do the profits from the Pa Pa come from?" Jiang Ye asked. "Meteorite Star is the vegetable garden of the Crocodile people. Will the arrival of the Pa Pa pollute this garden?"
"Pollution is definitely not an issue. Pa Pa are very clean animals, and they don't require a highly modern lifestyle. They can live like ancient people from long, long ago. They live in wooden houses, use furniture made of stone, metal, and wood, eat plants they grow themselves and animals they catch, and are pollution-free from birth to death," Bai Xiaobai explained. "The profit growth from Pa Pa comes from two sources: their labor and themselves."
"Please elaborate."
"Pa Pa possess a certain level of intelligence and have nimble hands, allowing them to perform many tasks under human direction without requiring wages, just enough food to eat," Bai Xiaobai said. "Currently, Pa Pa in the universe are mainly used for manual labor, such as carrying things. However, trained Pa Pa can even operate computers and input text. It can be said that Pa Pa can perform most human jobs."
Jiang Ye was dumbfounded.
These creatures were truly becoming sophisticated.
"Don't be so surprised. Pa Pa are citizens of the Galactic Empire, one of its many interstellar civilizations. It's just that their ranking is rather low. If humans are considered Silver tier, then Pa Pa are Bronze tier," Bai Xiaobai explained. "As I mentioned before, when the Galactic Empire first arrived at the Pa Pa homeworld, the Pa Pa already had numerous tribes and small kingdoms, living in organized societies with their own languages and cultures, and of course, a certain level of productivity."
"I recall that the civilized races of the Galactic Empire are all equal, aren't they?" Jiang Ye asked. "Why are we able to control the Pa Pa?"