Chapter 268 The Greatest Wealth
Rong Yuan shook his head and said, "Why should it be made public? Those who don't even have the vision to discover wealth are not qualified to own it."
——So don’t always project your own level onto others!
Jin Yang felt that Rong Yuan was really good in everything, except for this one shortcoming that often made people speechless. He always felt that others should have the same level of intelligence, observation, judgment and knowledge as himself, but if they didn't, although he rarely said anything, his expression of "This is so simple, you can't do it?", "This is common sense, how could you not know it?" was really annoying.
"Moreover..." Rong Yuan's expression became serious, and his gentle smile inexplicably became a little more sarcastic and cold. "What do you think will happen if it is really made public? Will people really realize the value of the knowledge contained in the Ark?"
Jin Yang thought for a moment and remained silent.
Rong Yuan concluded: "No, they will start a war! At that time, the Ark will be filled with smoke and flames inside and outside. Especially the Tang Kingdom, which owns the Ark, will be the first to be destroyed by the combined forces of other countries. This is the most direct consequence."
If one is not so determined as to kill all those who stand on the opposing side, then no one can fight against the whole world, not Rong Yuan, and not Tang Guo.
Moreover, the things in [Ark] actually challenge everyone's common sense and their worldview. Jin Yang had guessed Rong Yuan's secret a long time ago, and because of his own personality, he could easily and calmly accept all of this. But for ordinary people, the shock of the truth in front of them is likely to destroy them.
So they need a slow, gradual process to slowly discover and accept this fact. But when they dig out the truth bit by bit, what they feel is not the fear of the world being shattered, but the joy of gradually unearthing a treasure.
Rong Yuan also hoped that his Ark would be a world that people could accept willingly and happily, where people could enjoy joy, exploration, and the feeling of having true freedom and control over their own lives. However, if the secrets hidden in it were made public, even if the most serious and tragic consequences he had imagined would not occur, at least those in power would force citizens to enter it, frantically plunder resources from it, and try to prevent others from obtaining resources from it by any means necessary.
They would regard the 100 million planets as a stepping stone to obtain resources, and the library that Rong Yuan was proud of as their own property, a forbidden place that the weak could not touch. They would not use a relaxed attitude to appreciate and understand the more than 90 million planets and various intelligent races outside the earth, nor would they open their eyes to see the colorful world in the vast universe. Instead, they would do their best to turn [Ark] into a dark place full of killing, competition, conspiracy, entrapment, and intrigue. When the conflict escalates, it is entirely possible that this competitive relationship will be extended to the real world, which would completely go against Rong Yuan's original intention.
Moreover, the Earth has a thousand years to develop independently and freely. Humans do not need to rush to the sky and have the power to fight against alien planets now. They can develop slowly and calmly. If they try to force things to grow, the most likely outcome is that they will grow into a strange creature.
"Then, is it only the government that can understand the situation and then consciously guide the players to make choices?" The "government" that Jin Yang mentioned naturally only refers to the one in Sugar Country.
Rong Yuan raised his lips coldly and said, "The government is just a symbol, a nickname. It cannot guarantee absolute fairness and strictness. It is just an organization composed of many ordinary people who have selfish desires and positions. Sometimes it is even just the embodiment of a certain person's will. Others cannot see clearly because they are far away. Can't you and I see this clearly? Therefore, I may be able to give trust temporarily, but I cannot give such power to an organization forever."
"Then who is the 'absolutely fair and strict' trustee you chose?" Jin Yang asked.
"You've seen it."
"I have seen him?" Jin Yang subconsciously recalled someone that both he and Rong Yuan knew and was qualified.
Jin Nan? No, he was too busy to manage a huge virtual game world. The same goes for all the elders of the Jin family. Emilida? That girl was really smart, but too simple, and didn't have the qualities needed to manage the Ark. Rong Yuan himself? He was an unparalleled pioneer. He could make rules, but he definitely didn't have the patience to spend a long time managing and continuing them.
Could it be that...
A flash of inspiration came to Jin Yang, and he asked, "Who is that person in the library?"
Rong Yuan chuckled. Jin Yang didn't know why he suddenly thought of the NPC he had only met once, but when he saw Rong Yuan's expression, he knew he was right.
"Is it really him?" Jin Yang himself was a little surprised.
"Well, its name is Hongjun. It is a high-level AI and the true manager of the [Ark] world."
Rong Yuan did not name it "Noah III" this time, because Hongjun is not a copy of Noah, but the joint effort of Noah, Rong Yuan and Amirida. Compared with Noah and Noah II, its program has many changes and its personality is different. It is like a generous elder, with both the Taoist inaction and the legalist justice. It is also like a curious child, absorbing new knowledge every moment and getting to know the world in an interesting way. But no matter what time, it knows what the bottom line is and what principles it should follow. It is much better than humans who have fickle minds and short lifespans.
Hongjun AI's program has a very complex and rigorous identification and judgment system. Although only the NPC in the library is the image chosen by Hongjun for himself, and only this one shows its original personality, in fact, all the NPCs in the [Ark] world can be said to be the incarnations of Hongjun's consciousness. It has countless eyes and ears in this world. It can judge a person's character, whether he lies, his potential, how harmful he is, and whether he is trustworthy from the most subtle words and deeds. It can judge whether a person should be specially cultivated or should be guarded against.
Rong Yuan briefly introduced this manager to Jin Yang. Jin Yang looked at the NPCs around him. Some were rude, some were gentle, some were steady, some were lively, some were introverted and shy, and some were enthusiastic and free and easy. Each one had a different face. Some were similar, but not exactly the same. If Rong Yuan hadn't told him, he would never have thought that these NPCs with different personalities actually had the same AI behind them.
"But you haven't mentioned the biggest benefit of this [Ark] yet." Rong Yuan said with some mystery.
"The biggest benefit? Isn't it the library?" Seeing Rong Yuan shaking his head, Jin Yang thought for a long time - knowledge, systematic training methods, knowing oneself and the enemy, etc., and finally spread his hands and asked: "What is it? You'd better tell me directly."
Rong Yuan rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, "After talking for so long, are you hungry?"
Jin Yang was stunned, and he looked carefully at what he was saying. Suddenly he found that he was not only hungry, but also thirsty. He realized that he had been in the Ark for three or four hours. However, everything he saw and Rong Yuan's words made him not realize the passage of time at all.
"Your press conference!" Jin Yang said worriedly, "Should we go back now? You will still be needed at the end of the press conference, right?"
"Don't worry." Rong Yuan said nonchalantly. Seeing that there was a steamed buns shop nearby, he said, "Let me treat you to some steamed buns! They are pure natural and pollution-free, without any additives or spoiled meat. They are definitely a hundred times better than the steamed buns you've had before."
As the creator of the Ark world, he has unlimited backpacks and unlimited money even when all other players are penniless. Jin Yang ordered two fresh meat buns and a cup of soy milk while complaining, "Did the bun shop give you advertising fees?"
Rong Yuan raised his eyebrows: "Isn't all the money it earns mine?"
Jin Yang reacted for a moment and asked in astonishment: "Are you going to start the currency exchange system?"
According to Jin Yang, online games rarely allow game coins to be exchanged with real money. Players can buy game coins with real money, but the process cannot be reversed. First, there are often a lot of gold coins in the game. If they are all exchanged for real money, the game company may lose a lot of money. Second, as a virtual currency, game coins do not have the properties of real money, and the exchange rate cannot be calculated and adjusted based on many objective factors like real money. The two are not in the same financial system. The game official has the final say on its value. There is no unified standard for calculation. If it is not done properly, it will lead to a series of problems such as inflation, stock market collapse, and kidnapping of the value of real money. In addition, there are various trivial legal issues such as money laundering and asset transfer.
Rong Yuan knew all these problems and difficulties, but he still said with certainty: "Yes, after the official operation, [Ark] will open an exchange system with real-world currency. Players can not only trade with other players, but also sell items directly to the system store, or work for NPCs to earn wages. No matter how much game currency is obtained, it can be exchanged into real currency to maintain one's life. Of course, Hongjun will adjust the specific exchange rate according to the actual situation and the needs of [Ark]."
Jin Yang slowly chewed the bun in his mouth and swallowed it. It tasted really good, but he had no intention of tasting it. He said, "The bank manager called me before and told me that you emptied all the money in your account just to support the currency exchange of [Ark]?" Rong Yuan didn't need money in the research institute, so Jin Yang was in charge of the money in his account. Therefore, when something happened, the manager called him first. At that time, Jin Yang had doubts in his heart, wondering what Rong Yuan needed such a large sum of money for, but now he understood.
If a player wants to withdraw money from the Ark game, he must have money in his real account. One or two million is not enough, and even several hundred million may not be enough. The annual interest on the money Rong Yuan put in it is an astronomical figure.
Of course, when [Ark] is accepted by many people and more and more people invest in it, it will start to make profits, but at the beginning, Rongyuan will definitely keep losing money.
"To be precise, it's not all, it's 99% of my personal assets." Rong Yuan said. In fact, as the invisible richest man in the world, the remaining 1% of his assets is still a huge fortune that many people dare not imagine even if they work hard for a lifetime. As for the 99% invested in [Ark], he did not put all his eggs in one basket.
In order to make this exchange work without restrictions in all countries around the world, he split the assets into many parts and cooperated with many world-class banks or national banks. He specified in detail the management and use of accounts, the exchange rate of currencies in [Ark], annual interest rates and output, etc. Each contract was a thick stack, and the details had to be changed according to the differences in regions, countries, and customs. In the last two years of the [Ark] plan, Rong Yuan's research institute specially convened hundreds of talents who were proficient in the laws of various countries. After a long period of discussion and revision, the final version of the contract was determined. Then the leading figure in communication and negotiation with various banks was Zhou Yuan. The girl's sharp and strong voice repeatedly made the other party sweat when trying to take less responsibility and gain more benefits. When the news came back to Rong Yuan's ears, he couldn't really imagine that picture.
Jin Yang was wiping his hands with a tissue, but halfway through he forgot what he was doing. After digesting the news, he finally understood Rong Yuan's intention: "You want to turn the Ark into another world for mankind? Is that right?" If not, if it was just for the inheritance of knowledge, holographic virtual games are so interesting that people can slowly discover that there is no need to invest so much.
"Why not?"
"But...if too many people are immersed in games, enjoying themselves and making money from them, and the productivity in real life is decreasing, then how can we maintain our real lives?"
At that time, it will no longer be parents not allowing their children to play games, but parents will play games with their children - Rongyuan's [school system] can fully allow parents who dote on their children or want the best for their children to actively support their children to participate. But at that time, if everyone plays games, it will be the country with lack of productivity that will ban the circulation of [Ark].
"Does our society really need so much manpower?" Rong Yuan asked back, "If it was a hundred years ago, or fifty years ago, or even twenty years ago, the problem you mentioned might indeed occur. But now, in fact, most people are doing repetitive labor with very low value, such as farming, breeding, and factory processing, which can actually be replaced by machines. And things like artistic creation, design, computer programming, scientific research, legal consultation, education, traffic violation handling, etc., can be carried out by transferring the office location to the [Ark] world, and there are more abundant conditions for you to do better, and you can also save a lot of time spent on transportation. There are only a few jobs that [Ark] cannot replace, such as doctors, right? But such people can also take out some of their spare time to better hone their skills in this world." He paused, and then said, "And I always think that if most people stay at home to play games and there are fewer people moving around freely, it is not a bad thing for the world."
Jin Yang was about to be convinced by his previous words, but the last sentence seemed willful. He smiled helplessly and said, "But... you never do meaningless things, and you never force others to do anything. Now you put so much thought into it, as if to lure more people into this virtual world... Is there any... necessary reason?"
"Of course I do." Rong Yuan asked abruptly, "Are you still hungry now?"
Jin Yang was confused by his sudden change of mind. He was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and felt that the feeling of hunger had long disappeared.
His hunger was not like seeing the health value drop on the attribute panel and then the game reminding him "you feel hungry", but his real feeling. But after eating two buns, or more precisely, a piece of data, this feeling disappeared.
Jin Yang looked at Rong Yuan, waiting for his explanation.
Rong Yuan said, "You have to know that this hunger is not caused by the design of the game, nor is it simulated by stimulating your brain with electrodes. It is an illusion caused by your subconscious mind judging from your biological clock that you should eat now. In fact, your body does not have this need - do you understand?"
Jin Yang didn't understand at first. He lowered his head and thought for a moment before hesitatingly saying, "You just said... there is one biggest benefit in the Ark. Could it be... time?"
The brain judges it needs it , but the body doesn't. The only reason for this contradiction is that the time they spend here is inconsistent with the time in real life.
Rong Yuan raised his lips and slowly smiled. He said, "Compared to the intelligent alien races, humans are at a very obvious disadvantage - poor physique, low IQ, short lifespan, and poor learning ability. If we continue to develop like this, we won't be able to catch up in ten thousand years, let alone a thousand years! And I can't take care of the earth forever, nor can I completely transform human genes to extend the lifespan of this race."
Rong Yuan naturally put the entire earth in the position of being "looked after" and regarded himself as the one who was qualified and capable of "looking after" it. When Jin Yang discovered this, he felt terrible, but what hit him the most was that he actually felt it made sense.
"So..." Rong Yuan turned his head and looked at Jin Yang. His eyes and expression seemed to reveal great power. He said, "I have chosen to extend the time of mankind."
