"Memory medicine is very sensitive on the interstellar market now, with heavy taxes imposed by all planets. They're considering classifying it as a narcotic," Li Nannan said.
"The function of this medicine is simple: it allows you to enter a period of deep recall. Deep recall, as it's called, feels akin to time travel, immersing you completely in a past memory fragment. It also allows for subtle modifications by the subconscious."
"For example, consider that beautiful female deskmate from your middle school days, whom you secretly admired for years, but it never amounted to anything. After taking the memory medicine, you can return to your youthful summer, sit back in the classroom, see her face up close, down to every strand of hair. You can confess your feelings to her, and she will accept. When you wake from this grand dream, you might not even be able to distinguish whether this experience was real or not, your memory becoming muddled."
"Generally, medicines classified as narcotics severely damage a person's physiological functions and cause strong physical addiction. But memory medicine is different; its addiction is psychological, and its harm is considerable. At best, it can make people lose their will to fight and destroy their lives. At worst, it can induce mental problems and psychological illnesses, triggering uncontrollable behaviors."
Jiang Ye fell into thought.
This was the first time he had heard of such a thing, a time drug.
A moment's reflection was enough to realize it was a fatal temptation.
Everyone has inner demons, and memory medicine could amplify them infinitely.
"Are these lacquer trees harvested for their sap to ultimately make memory medicine, for the purpose of selling it?" Jiang Ye asked.
"Selling it is only part of it; it also serves to maintain the supreme authority of the Church of Hal Star," the High Priest said with a meaningful smile. "Devout followers can receive divine gifts and return to sweet pasts. In devout followers will also receive salvation, returning to the fervor of their initial conversion."
Jiang Ye suddenly understood.
The waters of Hal Star ran quite deep.
He felt this practice was not the right way, but it was their territory, and it wasn't his place to dictate. He was here as a guest.
"High Priest, I haven't asked your name yet," Jiang Ye remembered something.
"My name?" The High Priest blinked. "I haven't used a name in decades. Since I became High Priest, I no longer need such a thing as a name. Because I am unique on this planet. Just call me High Priest; my name isn't very pleasant."
The forest disappeared.
A vast plain stretched out, dotted with hundreds, even thousands, of small lakes, their waters shimmering with multicolored light, like giant disco balls embedded in the earth.
"This area is the Fungus Plains. Beautiful, aren't they? These luminous lakes are all Fungus Lakes, filled with various types of fungi. The light emanates from them," the High Priest explained.
"Are they poisonous?" Cen Yemeng asked.
"Not at all, and they even have benefits. In the past, when soldiers were injured in battle, they would jump into the Fungus Lakes, and their wounds would heal quickly. That's why this area was strategically vital. However, there hasn't been a war for over a century, so you won't see any traces of battlefields," the High Priest paused, then added, "If you like them, you can come and soak in the hot springs; they're very good for the body."
"Don't go into the purple lakes; they're creepy," Li Nannan suddenly interjected.
"Oh, right! See those grape-colored lakes? The fungi in them have sound-recording functions and are quite long-lived, most of them over three hundred years old. Occasionally, you'll hear the shouts and gunfire from ancient battlefields. When all the fungi call out together, it's quite a racket. Two years ago, Li Nannan was bathing here, and in the middle of the night, for some unknown reason, the fungi started their war cries, scaring her half to death," the High Priest chuckled, covering his mouth.
"At the welcome banquet later, you'll get to eat fish caught from these lakes," Li Nannan said. "They prolong life; a single fish scale is worth an ounce of gold."
The spaceship finally arrived above the Divine Palace.
Jiang Ye had expected a complex of buildings similar to the Forbidden City, grand and solemn.
Instead, it was a small, resplendent golden city, about the size of a town, entirely composed of uniquely shaped gilded buildings with a strong artistic flair.
"So much gold!" Cen Yemeng exclaimed, surprised. "It's my first time seeing golden houses; they're so beautiful!"
"Hal Star has gold mines everywhere, with an annual output of over fifty thousand tons, and that doesn't even count the gold secretly mined by ordinary people in their villages. Some remote and impoverished villages have no pigs in their households, but they build large pigpens, which are actually mine shafts. At night, they take lamps and robots down to mine. The entire village survives on a bit of low-grade gold ore," the High Priest said. "We're aware of it, but we don't interfere. After all, we need to let people live and make a living! We turn a blind eye."
"Speaking of which, I've come this time hoping to learn some advanced experiences. My planet has just begun its development, and I'm managing an entire planet for the first time. I'm young and inexperienced. Hal Star is prosperous and thriving; I'd like to learn from you."
"Prosperous and thriving? What kind of prosperity are you talking about? You flatter me. My husband is still suppressing a rebellion in the Southern Hemisphere," the High Priest said, stretching out a slender hand to rub her temples, seemingly troubled by this matter. "This suppression alone will cost at least tens of trillions, and the Southern Hemisphere's economy will be set back by more than a decade. The number of casualties is yet to be calculated."
"How could it be so serious?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled.
"Excessive concentration of power," the High Priest sighed. "Military power must be decentralized, and those who manage finances must also be decentralized. Otherwise, when military and financial power are combined, ambition will grow wildly. It would be strange if they didn't rebel. This isn't advanced experience; it's a humiliating and bloody lesson."
Jiang Ye fell silent, three names surfacing in his mind:
Che Zhen, Shao Wan, Feng Zhi Shuang
The spaceship landed slowly.
The dazzling Divine Palace had surprisingly good landscaping, with exotic flowers and plants blooming everywhere, as well as giant trees.
Many servants were already waiting, all middle-aged or elderly, with increasingly kind expressions.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng were led to a separate palace to stay.
The room was filled with high-tech gadgets. As soon as they entered, small, insect-shaped robots attached themselves to their feet, helping them take off their shoes and sterilizing their feet with light beams to kill foot odor and sweat.
All the furniture was brand new, evident by the fact that the protective film hadn't even been peeled off.
After Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng entered the room, the old servants came in to busy themselves, removing all the packaging films and activating the electronic devices that needed to be turned on.
"You all go out first," Li Nannan said, entering with her hands in her pockets.
The servants immediately bowed and left, closing the door behind them.
"Jiang Ye, I want to understand your situation on the garbage planet. You were in the hospital before, and I was busy, so I didn't have time to ask in detail," Li Nannan said, sitting down on the sofa, which automatically adjusted to her form.
"Alright, what would you like to know?" Jiang Ye sat down.
"You encountered terrorists? How many were there? What was the situation?" Li Nannan narrowed her eyes.