Chapter 72: Chapter 69: Each Civilization Displays Its Marvelous Skills!
Human Civilization Third Branch, Old Deli City.
Akshadam Temple, a temple that can accommodate 100,000 devotees daily, saw its numbers swell to millions in these few days.
Countless devotees were prostrated on the ground, resembling a dense swarm of ants.
They recited scriptures and listened to the prayers of the High Priest.
The drastic changes in the external environment had the panicked populace urgently in need of spiritual solace.
In this moment, religion exerted a powerful force.
Local officials, tycoons, and religious powers quickly banded together, providing stable food supplies to calm the devotees.
Old Deli isn't a kind of industrially developed supercity, but it has plenty of good farmland, and the local rulers aren't foolish—only stability ensures a future.
Even the statue of Mahatma Gandhi was placed inside the temple...
After all, anything that could provide a stable anchor of faith was good.
"High Priest, there's new information... new information from the university!" From a distance, a young man hastily approached on a roaring motorcycle, his anxious expression evident.
Until now, Old Deli had not yet restored basic communication, only able to stay connected through telegrams and city broadcasts...
But there were few telegram machines around in this era; they were mostly owned by the military, and even the army didn't have enough to go around.
So, they had to rely on motorcycles for information transmission.
There was no helping it, compared to infrastructure, few cities could match Yunhai City.
"Don't be in such a hurry, speak slowly," said the High Priest, his gray hair flowing, clothed in a white robe, his rough and dense beard like a dense tapestry.
As a Brahmin of distinguished birth, his saintly and wise appearance was indeed excellent.
"Professor Amir Khan from the university asks us to find an ability called the Extraordinary Spark! It's very important, extremely important! This Extraordinary Spark is roughly like this..." The young man stumbled through his description.
"I see... that is indeed quite important."
The High Priest stepped in front of the crowd, singing and dancing.
"I am a poet, my father a doctor, my mother toils at the mill, we all work hard for happiness like oxen! Oh, Soma Wine! Flow forth for Indra."
"May horses draw easy carts, joyful people laugh and shout, men wish for women to be near, and frogs long for great waters. Oh, Soma Wine! Flow forth for Indra."
Having attracted the attention of all the devotees, he suddenly changed his tune, loudly proclaiming, "Extraordinary Spark... Indra's blessing! It is a wondrous flame, hidden in our hearts, yet can ignite a blazing inferno, casting bright sparks!"
"Children of the divine, hide no longer... Oh, Soma Wine! Flow forth for Indra!"
"Children of the divine, do not be afraid; work for happiness alongside the divine buffalo, and light the path ahead."
Behind the High Priest followed a mutated buffalo, majestic and extraordinary in appearance.
It was more than twice the size of a regular water buffalo.
Even mutated, the buffalo remained docile, its tail swishing back and forth, shooing away nearby flies.
Its ability was: its blood could detoxify!
Furthermore, its gall could counter a hundred poisons!
This was indeed a powerful ability. A single drop of its blood was comparable to the best antibiotics, providing significant convenience for the temple to pacify the poor.
The dense crowd of people prostrated themselves, unaware of what the High Priest was saying.
Yet, a gaunt child stood up from the ground with a blank expression; he was the possessor of the Extraordinary Fire.
...
New York City, the Sixth Branch of humanity.
The divide between the slums and the affluent areas could not be more stark.
While the affluent areas had largely stabilized, the slums remained in turmoil, the end of gunfights unknown.
An urgent phone call was made to Professor Edward at the Supernatural Laboratory.
The two spoke closely with each other.
The old professor conveyed the matter's importance with a sincere tone.
"The Extraordinary Spark... can it extend life?"
"Professor, find the person with the Extraordinary Spark as quickly as possible!"
Edward did not dare delay, for he was dealing with the city's largest tycoon, the controller of the military, and the real ruler of the city...
But he was also greatly troubled, "Sir, how should we go about finding him? With the current chaos outside, what can I do?"
The voice on the other end of the phone was slightly somber, "Broadcast the news, offer the best treatment, and he will come out on his own."
Edward furrowed his brow, "In these circumstances, no matter the treatment offered, it's very unlikely he'll emerge... Why would the possessor of the Extraordinary Spark trust us? Sir, you must consider this objectively."
After a pause, the voice on the phone said, "We will deploy the military to stabilize the city as soon as possible and ensure the poor have food to eat."
"But that's not enough, far from enough," Edward sighed.
The voice continued, "Then, make him into a true city hero... Right now, New York City needs a superhero! Yes, a superhero project, what do you think?"
"We can start by making other superpower users into superheroes, give them superior treatment, and claim they have the Extraordinary Spark... Anyone with the Extraordinary Spark will be granted special privileges."
"Then, like fishing, lure out the true possessor of the Extraordinary Spark."
Edward fell silent; this plan seemed to have a chance of working.
Politics, indeed, was a dark drama.
...
Human Civilization Fourth Branch, Rome.
"Dear Abba Father, dear God, the living God, Yahweh, dear Lord . . . "
The power of religion soothes people's hearts.
It must be acknowledged that in many cities with a strong religious atmosphere, the pace of stability tends to be quicker . . .
The gods of the Pangu Continent are merciless and gender-neutral.
But the multitude of creatures do not contemplate such things; they simply believe that they have witnessed a miracle and have unwavering faith in it.
In one church after another, red-clothed archbishops listen to the edicts of the Pope, while the squares are packed with faithful devotees . . . Well, because more people are educated, they're not as devout as those in Old Deli City, but it still has some use.
After all, faith is a way of life.
"I shall cry out to God, may He bless you all!"
"Extraordinary Spark, this is a gift from God."
"May the grace of Lord Jesus equally flood into you like river waters, amen!"
. . .
Each city's culture is different, fundamentals are different, states are different.
But faced with the immense benefits of the "Extraordinary Fire," they still acted with the greatest speed.
Human Civilization Fourteenth Branch, Cape Town.
Once the wealthiest civilization on the African land, in recent years it has been fraught with controversy. With industrial decline and economic downturn, the days of Cape Town have been tough.
Gang culture is even more prevalent.
And this time, the severe environmental turmoil naturally plunged Cape Town into serious chaos, with crimes like vandalism, looting, and arson becoming rampant.
At this moment, several military leaders in the city were sitting in a conference room for a meeting.
Alongside the round table were professors from universities and former heads of government.
"Find him, and I will marry my daughter to him," the biggest military leader declared, puffing on his cigar and gently shaking the ash, "He is very important, regarding the future of us all."
"What if that person is a female . . . "
"If it's a girl, I'll take her as my daughter and give her everything. In any case, find the person as quickly as possible."
The professors from the universities were trembling with fear, "Your excellency, even if you say so, it's still hard to find . . . We currently have no way to identify a superpower user."
"We must have a stable city environment for the owner of the Extraordinary Fire to possibly trust us."
"Otherwise, even if you shot me . . . I truly have no solution."
All the military leaders fell silent, the problem had become serious.
. . .
It is this diversity of civilizations, some can find the owner of the Extraordinary Fire by "luck," while some civilizations can find the owner through strong organizational capabilities.
And there are many more civilizations that, even knowing the existence of the "Extraordinary Fire," cannot find the person.
Of course, there are civilizations with good fortune and those with extremely bad luck.
When they discovered the truth, they found that the owner of the Extraordinary Fire . . . had died!
"Dammit! How did the Extraordinary Spark die?!!"
Human Civilization, Eleventh Branch.
Dongjin City.
A group of military personnel and a horde of suited leaders were facing the body of a student, all simultaneously questioning life.
It was more distressing than if they had lost their own lives!
Honestly, compared to Western cities, the social unrest in Dongjin City was not as great.
Influenced by Confucian culture, people in the Three Kingdoms of East Asia tend to be conservative, obedient to authority, and less prone to collective doomsday revelry as Westerners are.
But their Extraordinary Spark . . . suddenly died?
Died?!
The large globe screen showed: [Number of Extraordinary Sparks: 0]
Yes, just a while ago it was "1," but in the last hour, it suddenly became "0"!
"How did he die? Tell me!" The officer, emotionally charged, grabbed his subordinate by the collar and hoisted him up.
The subordinate hurriedly reported, "This student . . . due to long-term school violence . . .
"
"He was bullied by delinquents just now and committed suicide by jumping off a building!"
"Some saw something like a small flame burst out from his body. The small flame burned on the surface of his skin for a minute, then disappeared."
The air was filled with silence and rage.
"Those delinquents, they're beasts!"
"Arrest them! A bunch of scoundrels!"
Whether military officers or government leaders, their faces were ashen, crestfallen, but no matter how much they cursed, the dead could not be brought back to life, and their Extraordinary Fire . . . was gone!
. . .
The sun still rose in the east and set in the west, the clouds in the sky remained tranquil, the mountains stood tall, and the lakes were still. The Pangu Continent was never short of civilizations, just as this land had witnessed countless civilizations rise and fall.
It, and they, never cared.