Honkai Archives: Old, Short, but Gold

 [After the Herrscher of Dominance incident, the turmoil within the Human Federation did not end. On the contrary, with the complete elimination of the Herrscher of Dominance, the technological revolution of humanity was once again injected with a powerful stimulant. After entering a state of rapid and vigorous development, the Human Federation fell into a very strange state.]

[Excitement, tension, and an undercurrent that even you could sense spread throughout the Human Federation, like the eve of a storm.]

[Yuhao did not interfere with this situation, nor did he give any instructions. He simply continued to plan the big picture while taking time to drink tea, play with his bird, and go to the pleasure district to watch performances, like a semi-retired old man.]

[Finally, at sunrise on the first day of the second month after the end of the Seventh Honkai Eruption, a teacup was smashed. The turbulent undercurrent within the Human Federation instantly turned into a monstrous wave. Tens of thousands of young Human Federation officials united, announcing to the public the illegitimacy and vileness of the various factions within the federation. At the same time, they launched an all-out attack on various factions under the banner of "there are evil people around the great leader, we must share the worries of the leader and let the leader become the true sovereign of humanity."]

[The internal cadres of these factions, which had once been national governments or large organizations, also stood up, condemning the illegitimacy and uselessness of these factions. They threw themselves into the ranks of the radical young Human Federation officials and carried out righteous backstabs against the various factions.]

["Old geezers, your occupation of these positions is the greatest contempt for the federation, and the greatest obstacle to humanity's fight against the Honkai!"]

["The supreme leader is kind and tolerant enough to put up with you, but we won't… Old geezers, it's time to drop the loot!"]

[The various factions, which were already weakened by the loss of their backing groups, rapidly disintegrated under the fierce attacks of the new and progressive forces that had naturally emerged within the Human Federation. All the power within the Human Federation was consolidated by Yuhao's supporters and followers, becoming a power that Yuhao could freely wield.]

[The Human Federation and humanity achieved true unification, and all factions except for Yuhao's camp were swept away.]

[Yuhao finally made a move, but the reason for his move was to protect those old politicians from other factions, preventing them from being physically eliminated by the young officials of the main Human Federation faction under various pretexts.]

["My old friends, I deeply apologize for the offense caused by those young people acting under my banner. But the world, after all, belongs to the young."]

["You are all old and should retire and rest. If there are young people in your families with lofty ambitions, you might as well hand over your careers to them."]

[You were puzzled by Yuhao's actions.]

[During the Fire Moth era of the First and Second Honkai Eruptions, you had witnessed how vile these old politicians' methods could be. Saving their lives was understandable, but to praise their achievements in history books and allow their descendants to inherit their political resources and continue in politics? It was like being afraid there weren't enough landmines under your feet.]

["Thank you, leader. We old bones are indeed incapable and unworthy of the task!"]

[The politicians who had failed in the factional struggles politely declined while silently accepting the gifts that Yuhao had given them. At the same time, they were filled with gratitude for Yuhao.]

["Because they are human."]

["The sociological development of humanity itself also requires the support of more ideologies. Each faction they represent is a different ideology."]

["The future that humanity will face is not internal problems, but the changing cosmic environment and the hostile races that need to be purged in the sea of stars. Diverse ideologies are one of the important forces for humanity to deal with them."]

["Whether they pose a threat to me is not important. What's important is whether they contribute to humanity."]

[Faced with your questions, Yuhao still just spoke gently.]

["Humanity is the noblest, most sacred, most tenacious, and most magnificent race in the entire multi-dimensional world. Its very essence is an inexhaustible treasure trove."]

["Humans should help each other. Wars and crimes that pit people against each other should be avoided as much as possible. The slaughter of one's own kind is nothing but a tragedy for humanity."]

["Weapons should be used to declare manifest destiny to the outside world, not to kill our own compatriots."]

[As he spoke, Yuhao looked at you again, or more accurately, at Mobius. Mobius also looked at Yuhao with a disdainful gaze.]

[Her human experimentation project was still ongoing, and it had been approved by Yuhao. Yuhao had even actively provided a large number of test subjects. Those test subjects were all living people, the compatriots that Yuhao had just spoken of.]

["Of course, there are extraordinary measures for extraordinary circumstances."]

["If the slaughter of one's own kind can ensure the continuation of human civilization, and if there is no other option, then sacrifice will be necessary."]

[Yuhao said calmly.]

["I have looked at your previous plans. The Stigmata Project, which sacrifices more than 99% of the entire human population to ensure that less than 0.1% of them can survive."]

["It's just like some of the young people I've known before. These young people are full of youthful vigor. In their view, a disaster that will endanger the entire continuation of humanity is about to descend. Most human compatriots are completely unaware of this. Therefore, the best and most straightforward strategy is to forcibly concentrate human power through tyrannical means such as force and mass purges to resist this disaster."]

["There's nothing wrong with this in itself. But seemingly efficient actions often have the greatest drawbacks and are the most time-consuming and laborious. Unless it's done thoroughly, the simpler and cruder it is, the greater the potential for future problems."]

["At least for a simple social structure on a single habitable planet with only a billion people, if I were to use this method, all of humanity's past efforts would be in vain."]

["Politics is an art, and military affairs and war are the continuation of politics."]

[You still didn't quite understand, but you did discover something.]

[In the face of combating the Honkai, establishing the Human Federation, integrating human civilization, promoting the technological revolution… a series of complex historical events that seemed incredibly complex and decisive to ordinary people, with each step being crucial and destined to be recorded in history, Yuhao was like a gracefully dancing artist.]

[Quickly, efficiently, elegantly, and effortlessly, he handled every matter appropriately, reaching what you perceived to be the best possible outcome.]

[In his hands, politics became an art, the development of civilization became an art, interpersonal relations and the exchange of benefits became an art… Everything was like art! No! To be precise, everything that passed through his hands was like a work of art.]

[And it seemed that he had not taken it seriously from the beginning.]

[Or rather, he had taken it seriously, but the way he had treated it was not with the seriousness that a civilization might have, but with the seriousness of a sculptor treating a work of art.]

[You also discovered that Yuhao seemed to be able to do everything, and do everything to the best of his ability.]

["Is he even human?"]

["If he is… then what does a person have to go through to reach this level?"]