"On the edge of the Milky Way, there is a solitary star, designated Orange Star. Within a ten-light-year radius of Orange Star, there is almost nothing: no planets, no asteroids, no white dwarfs, no comets, no nebulae, and even very few cosmic rays," Li Nannan said. "Therefore, Orange Star is very easy to observe. It's like a light bulb illuminating an empty room."
"And then?" Jiang Ye asked.
"The goal of the experiment is to use the pan-consciousness field to create a planet near Orange Star," Li Nannan said. "If a planet suddenly pops into existence near Orange Star, or if anything else appears, it would prove the theory correct."
"Holy crap?" Jiang Ye exclaimed. "Creating a planet with the pan-consciousness field? How exactly do you operate this pan-consciousness field?"
"Imagine," Li Nannan replied. "Have as many people as possible believe that there is a planet orbiting Orange Star. The more people imagine this planet, the stronger the pan-consciousness field will be, and the greater the possibility of condensing matter."
"Creating a planet with the collective imagination of a group of people?" Jiang Ye found it preposterous.
"Yes, that's all we know so far. But how to implement it effectively still needs further experimentation," Li Nannan said. "It's called the Virtual Planet Project because it uses virtual imagination to create real planets. Oh, my superior is here, I have to go!"
The call ended.
Jiang Ye stood in place, dazed.
Cen Yemeng and Isabella sat on the sofa, staring at him curiously.
It took Jiang Ye several minutes to recover. He sat down on the sofa and explained the concept of the Virtual Planet Project in detail.
Isabella, having overheard snippets in the tea room, wasn't overly surprised but was still extremely shocked.
Cen Yemeng's face lost all color after hearing the explanation, and she looked terrified.
Most people's first reaction to this news was fear.
The idea that illusory imagination could alter the real world was a significant challenge to their worldview, akin to devout believers suddenly hearing that "there is no God in this world."
The Virtual Planet Project seemed to have a high level of secrecy and had not been announced to the public. The three of them searched online for a long time but found no mention of it. So, they agreed to go to the tea room the next morning to try and extract some information from the planetary leaders there.
The next morning, Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng washed up and went to the restaurant for breakfast.
The restaurant was as empty as usual, but at a table by the window, Isabella was sitting with a couple, chatting animatedly.
Seeing Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng, Isabella quickly stood up and waved, signaling the couple to join them.
"Let me introduce you. This is Commander Tong Jianbai of Wanli Star, and this is his wife, Shi Shasha," Isabella introduced them warmly. "And this is Commander Jiang Ye of Jiang Ye Star, and Planet Governor Cen Yemeng of Birong Planet, who are also a couple."
Jiang Ye quickly shook hands with them, saying, "I've heard so much about you."
Tong Jianbai appeared to be a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly overweight, wearing a bathrobe. He smiled kindly, but there was a hidden sharpness in his eyes, the kind that only seasoned individuals who had weathered great storms possessed.
Shi Shasha, however, was exceptionally young, wearing a beautiful white dress, looking like a recently adult girl. Her expression carried a hint of timidity, and she became even more flustered upon hearing that the two in front of her were planetary leaders. Jiang Ye couldn't sense her aura, perhaps she was just a mere decorative figure. The subsequent conversation confirmed Jiang Ye's suspicion; Shi Shasha remained silent the entire time, occasionally getting up to pour tea and water.
"Brother Jiang, you said you've heard of us, but I suspect it's just politeness. Our Wanli Star is a small planet, and I'm an unknown figure," Tong Jianbai said. "But I have truly heard much about you two. My son visited Jiang Ye Star and went to the planetary exchange. He returned empty-handed. The planets on the market are too expensive; we still can't afford them."
"This is indeed our lack of hospitality. If your son visits again, please let me know in advance, and I will ensure he is well taken care of. The planetary exchange has a lot of inflated prices. If you're interested in a particular planet, I can speak to the exchange and get the best possible discount, which can save quite a bit," Jiang Ye said.
Tong Jianbai was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He immediately took out his phone and exchanged contact information with Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng.
"Brother Tong was just about to discuss the Virtual Planet Project with me," Isabella interjected, guiding the conversation. "Jiang Ye is quite curious about this matter. We haven't figured it out yet, could you explain it?"
"You don't know about this?" Tong Jianbai looked visibly surprised. "That's strange. Even small planets like mine know about it. Why wouldn't Brother Jiang know?"
"I've been busy with the war recently. The higher-ups thought I was too occupied and didn't inform me, saying the plan was unprofitable," Jiang Ye chuckled. "Now that the war is over and I'm free, I just heard about it."
"No wonder. Brother Jiang, don't worry about it. This Virtual Planet Project is just for fun. The real important thing is to expand our territory. I'm only participating because I'm bored," Tong Jianbai said.
Jiang Ye quickly shared the information he knew, and Tong Jianbai, after understanding it, began to explain what Jiang Ye didn't know.
"The theory of the pan-consciousness field is quite new, and various planets are still speculating. There are a few mainstream explanations," Tong Jianbai said.
"First, relying on fantasy to create physical objects is very inefficient. Why? For example, if we want to get a sweet potato, and we use the pan-consciousness field to generate it, it might require billions of people to think frantically for years, and it might not even condense into a sweet potato. In terms of cost, it's too uneconomical and has no practical value."
Jiang Ye nodded. He understood this. If one could conjure physical objects with a mere thought, then no one would need to work. Everyone would lie in bed dreaming of getting rich, and tons of cash would pour down from the ceiling. Such a thing was simply unrealistic.
"Second, the pan-consciousness field is very unstable. It's a higher-dimensional field, and we are lower-dimensional beings. Therefore, the experimental results are hard to predict. We might intend to condense a sweet potato, but end up with a potato, or half a sweet potato, or a cooked sweet potato, or a poisonous sweet potato, or even a sweet potato goblin that can speak human language. All are possible. This is because human consciousness itself is chaotic, and when chaotic thoughts converge on the pan-consciousness field, the resulting product is also easily chaotic."
"Third, belief is very important," Tong Jianbai paused. "For example, if a person believes that thoughts can condense into a sweet potato, then their pan-consciousness field is strong. But if a person inwardly disbelieves this and hopes for the experiment to fail, it's almost impossible to form a pan-consciousness field."