บท 81: Chapter 81: Brown Dwarf, Blue Algae 1
The entire fleet heading towards the Olive Branch Civilization is led by the Qiong Palace as the flagship, accompanied by four 10,000-meter-class flagships.
The remaining fleet consists of 23 7,000-meter-class battleships, 15 5,000-meter-class escort ships, 12 3,000-meter-class patrol ships, 18 2,000-meter-class destroyers, along with 20 additional 1,000-meter-class reconnaissance ships, 5 5,000-meter-class energy ships, and 36 500-meter-class vanguard ships.
This is a typical fleet configuration in the Civilization Federation.
The Civilization Federation currently has 17 such fleets, totaling 2,278 battleships.
Additionally, there are 6 reserve fleets within the Civilization Federation, each led by a flagship, accompanied by 10 battleships, 6 escort ships, 20 patrol ships, and 30 destroyers, amounting to 402 battleships in total.
These are the primary combat forces of the Civilization Federation, not including the countless 500-meter-class combat ships and fighters.
After seven light-years of travel in uncharted space, the fleet encounters its first star system.
This star system has not been named because it is too dim, earning it the title of a "failed star," known as a brown dwarf. Unlike a true star, it is more like a giant gaseous planet, so it is called a sub-star rather than a star.
Due to its low mass, possibly only 1% to 7% of the Sun's mass, it cannot complete nuclear fusion. Its surface temperature is at most 2,727 degrees Celsius.
Some types of brown dwarfs have surface temperatures close to "room temperature," which is within the range suitable for human survival.
That being said, a star is still a star, and its mass is at least several times that of Jupiter, or even several dozen times. It can emit light and heat, making it more comfortable than a giant planet with a surface temperature of -100 degrees Celsius.
In Yan Xia's field of view is a brown dwarf with a diameter of 670,000 kilometers (compared to the Sun's 1.39 million kilometers) and a mass of only 3.67% of the Sun.
"This brown dwarf has 13 satellites, the largest of which has a mass 72.54% that of Earth, and the second largest has a mass 30.11% that of Earth."
"Among the 13 planets, there are also relatively abundant water and methane resources. This sub-star system has some development value, and the largest planet is in the habitable zone, with a surface temperature of -150 degrees Celsius, which is not too bad."
Ella points out the pros and cons of this sub-star system, but for Yan Xia, it is a decent first stop.
"Let's send people to develop it as an outpost."
"This brown dwarf has abundant hydrogen resources, which can be used to develop nuclear fusion energy. We can forget about a Dyson cloud, as the brown dwarf's luminosity and heat are too low, making the efficiency of light and heat electricity too low. Even on a large scale, the development cost would not be covered by the profits."
"By the way, I heard that several star system development companies have emerged in the Civilization Federation, and some have reached a scale of one billion energy coins."
"Later, we can sell these dwarf planets directly to these companies, and they will be happy to accept them."
All star systems in the Civilization Federation belong to the Civilization Federation and are not owned by individuals.
Yan Xia is setting a new precedent by selling this low-value brown dwarf.
By doing so, he hopes to boost these companies' confidence in exploring the universe.
Currently, exploring the universe is very profitable for explorers, but for large companies, the profit margin is still too low.
Owning a star system, even a sub-star system, would be a dream come true for many companies and conglomerates.
"Let's name this brown dwarf SC-1, the first stop on the Silk Road."
"Let's continue."
Yan Xia does not plan to leave soldiers here for development.
Firstly, this place is too poor, and secondly, it is relatively close to the Civilization Federation. Once Ella sends back the information, these companies and conglomerates will rush here within a hundred days to develop it and may even transfer resources here, making it their base.
These companies or conglomerates may think that this will free them from the control of the Civilization Federation.
However, for Yan Xia, this is not a concern. As long as he includes these places within the star domain of the Civilization Federation, their ambitions will amount to nothing more than a joke.
...
The second stop is relatively close.
SC-2 is a relatively large red dwarf with a surface temperature of 4,600 degrees Celsius and a mass of 0.27 times that of the Sun, slightly more than twice the mass of Proxima Centauri.
The only drawback is that this star system has only one planet, with a mass of 1.2 times that of Earth.
The planet's position can be adjusted to be within the habitable zone, so that is not an issue.
The good news is that this planet has water.
This is not surprising, as hydrogen and oxygen are common elements in the universe, especially hydrogen, which makes up the majority of the mass of most stars. In terms of abundance in the universe, hydrogen ranks first, followed by helium, and then oxygen.
It is only natural that life on Earth depends on water and oxygen.
Currently, in the Civilization Federation, there are nine civilizations, including humans, and three of them, besides humans, also breathe oxygen.
So far, the Civilization Federation has confirmed eleven civilizations, all of which are carbon-based. Carbon ranks fourth in abundance in the universe, after hydrogen, helium, and oxygen.
Yan Xia hopes to encounter some unique silicon-based lifeforms.
However, this is extremely difficult because the probability of silicon-based life is very low. Although silicon is the eighth most abundant element in the universe, its simple structure, weak chemical bonds, inability to store energy, and slow metabolism make it nearly impossible for silicon-based life to develop high intelligence.
Furthermore, silicon is easily dissolved by various solvents in the universe, and water, which is prevalent in the universe, is like sulfuric acid to silicon-based life.
In summary, the natural occurrence of silicon-based life is extremely low, with a probability of one in a billion or even one in a trillion compared to carbon-based life. The likelihood of silicon-based life evolving into a higher civilization is even lower, approaching zero.
In comparison, boron and phosphorus are millions or tens of millions of times more likely to form life than silicon.
Of course, there are natural and non-natural states.
A Level 2 civilization has the ability to create life, including silicon-based life. Additionally, if the conditions are relaxed a bit, even robots can be considered silicon-based life.
"This star system still has some value, but it's not suitable for resource extraction."
"Ella, let's deploy some 'seeds.'"
The "seeds" are officially named Blue Algae 1, and they have strong oxygen-producing and evolutionary capabilities, essentially making them a type of virus.
They can rapidly reproduce under suitable conditions, covering an entire planet's liquid ocean within a hundred days, creating a dense atmosphere for planets that originally had no atmosphere or only a thin one.
After two hundred days, they will attempt to land and evolve into trees, covering every inch of the planet's surface with vegetation.
After a thousand generations, these algae will develop genetic defects, and their reproductive ability will decrease, returning to normal levels.
The "seeds" are a crucial part of Yan Xia's plan to transform star systems.
In addition to Blue Algae 1, there are Blue Algae 2 to 9, which can produce various gases according to the needs of different lifeforms.
"Technology truly brings convenience."
"Ella, let's initiate the 'Wooden Plan' and add some greenery to the Silk Road of the Universe."
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