Ho One was over one million kiloters away from that planet. If ordinary radio wave communication were used, the signal delay between the two locations would reach as much as six seconds. However, thanks to superluminal communication technology, communication between them was entirely real-ti, with almost no perceptible delay.
Indeed, Xiao Yu had established a complete communication channel between Ho One and the planet, and there was a deeper aning behind this arrangent. After all, no matter how he promoted it himself, there would always be people who harbored doubts about the environnt inside a starship. But if the testimony ca from mbers of their own race, it carried much greater credibility.
This communication exchange would continue until the six-month trial residence period ended. The inhabitants aboard Ho One could engage in 3D video calls with those on the planet at any ti. And relying on a certain inherent psychological desire to show off, without any effort on Xiao Yu’s part, this population of ten million would naturally help him promote the wonders of this place to the rest of their race.
Any social species tends to have the impulse to elevate themselves. Generally speaking, by comparing their living environnt, the resources at their disposal, or their outward attractiveness with others, and proving themselves superior, they satisfy this psychological need. There was no doubt that Ho One’s environnt was the best and its living conditions the most comfortable. Thus, without question, they would use these advantages to raise their own standing. This behavior was not much different from how, during Earth’s era, humans felt compelled to take photos of lavish als or trips and post them online.
While they were boosting their own status, they also quietly and indirectly elevated the prestige of Ho One itself. This would create an even greater sense of anticipation among the vast population of the Dwarf Race.
At the sa ti, there was another deeper motive behind Xiao Yu’s actions. That so-called technological competition had not rely been for amusent. Through that contest, Xiao Yu had selected the ten million most genetically exceptional, most promising elites. One could say that the ten million inhabitants currently residing aboard Ho One were now forming their own elite circle, which would play a critical role in shaping the Dwarf Race’s future social structure.
In this context, nurous so-called ‘elite forums’ were created. Access to these forums required extrely strict identity verification, only Dwarves living aboard Ho One were qualified to join. To further cultivate a sense of superiority, each elite forum also had a much larger peripheral forum open to everyone. Every day, countless Dwarves who had not obtained the right to live on Ho One gathered there to discuss matters. Whenever an ‘elite’ who did possess residency privileges appeared in the peripheral forum, they were imdiately surrounded by throngs of admiring Dwarves, like celebrities suddenly showing up in the street.
“Ah! The food made by the household robot is simply too delicious. What will I do if I get fat and can’t find a husband in the future?”
One day, a female ‘elite’ Dwarf posted this ssage in a peripheral forum. The post included several photos. In them, a Dwarf woman who looked extrely pure and innocent was sitting before a table covered in delicious food, her lips pursed into a soft little pout, radiating an air of endearing charm. Beside her stood a household robot who, by Dwarf standards, was strikingly handso. At that mont, he was wearing an apron and smiling gently at her.
Within less than ten minutes of being posted, the ssage had already received hundreds of replies. Countless Dwarves who had not yet earned the right to live aboard Ho One poured out their envy in droves:
“Little fool, you’d be just as beautiful even if you got fat,”
“Is that your household robot? He’s so handso!”
“When will it finally be my turn to live on the Ho starship?”
“Beautiful lady, the mont I saw your picture, I fell in love with you.”
Such replies flooded the page.
And that ‘elite’ Dwarf woman was like a bird flashing through the sky in a single, breathtaking mont, leaving a field full of ardent followers behind her while she herself haughtily refused to appear again to reply.
Across countless forums, so people chose to post photos of themselves hunting under the protection of their household robots. Others shared pictures of going on wilderness picnics together with their household robots. Even more posted images capturing everyday monts. But no matter what the photos depicted, there was always a feeling called ‘sense of superiority’ emanating from them, fiercely agitating the hearts of all the Dwarves who could not live aboard Ho One.
In this atmosphere, Ho One was once again elevated to a nearly terrifying level of prestige. Nurous forums dedicated solely to Ho One were established, and countless Dwarves filled them with declarations of their longing for the starship. There were even extremists who ran to Xiao Yu’s computer terminal workspace, fell to their knees sobbing uncontrollably, and even threatened suicide in desperation, begging Xiao Yu to let them live aboard Ho One for even a single day, willing to pay any price for it. Xiao Yu sent them all away with the sa response. “This kind of event will be held again in the future. Go back and study hard, and strive to achieve a good ranking in the next competition. Then you too will have the chance to live aboard Ho One.”
Models of Ho One began to be produced in large quantities and sold briskly, becoming wildly popular among the Dwarves. Livestreams of all kinds of activities held aboard Ho One, along with docuntary programs introducing the starship, beca the most-watched television shows.
In these docuntaries, the Dwarves used the most extravagant words to describe the splendor of Ho One. For example, a docuntary showcasing the wild landscapes of Ho One featured these shots and narration.
“This is the outskirts of City Number Twenty Five on the Ho One starship, considered the most ordinary place inside Ho One. But even such an ordinary place surpasses the limits of our imagination in its beauty. The grass is so green, so vibrant with life. The air is so fresh. The sunlight is so gentle. The animals are so adorable… Look, there’s a little river here. Wow! I recognize that kind of fish, it exists on our planet too, but it’s nowhere near as delicious. The last ti I ate this grilled fish, I nearly swallowed my own tongue in delight. Nana, I’ll do the filming. You go catch a few of these fish!”
Then the cara shook briefly. A household robot with an extraordinarily beautiful female appearance responded obediently and walked to the riverbank. She deftly caught several fish, skillfully cleaned and gutted them, and lit a campfire.
At that mont, among the viewers watching the live broadcast, no one could say how many were shouting furiously. “That bastard! How can he bear to make such an adorable girl do this kind of work! She’s a robot? So what if she’s a robot!”
Then the voice of the docuntary’s narrator ca again. “Nana is my exclusive household robot. She has extraordinary culinary talent. In just these two short months together, I’ve beco completely dependent on her. I don’t even dare to imagine how I’ll live when I leave Ho in four months and have to part with her.”
At that mont, the robot turned her head with a sweet smile and said to the cara. “I’ll be here on Ho, waiting for you, always waiting for you.”
That sentence, and that expression, killed who knew how many Dwarves with envy who could never set foot on Ho One.
“The fish is done. I can already sll the aroma… Mmm, wonderful, Nana’s cooking is as excellent as ever. Co on, Nana, you have so too.”
“The Great God used his unimaginable advanced technology to build this paradise-like place for us Dwarves. Thank you, Great God…”
—
During these short six months, countless videos like this docuntary were produced and spread to every corner of the planet. In Dwarf society, information about Ho One flooded everything and even beca the mainstream of public discourse.
In this situation, the longing for Ho One rose once again to its peak. At just the right mont, Xiao Yu announced that a second technological competition would be held in three months. The top ten million participants would be regarded as winners and would likewise be granted six months of residence aboard Ho One.
As soon as this news was announced, it nearly set off an explosion in Dwarf society. Countless ambitious young Dwarves began studying day and night without rest. There were even nurous incidents where individuals pushed themselves so hard that their bodies could no longer endure.
When the first group of Dwarves to earn the right to live aboard Ho One was finally withdrawn, the entire starship was shrouded in an atmosphere of deep gloom. The Dwarves pleaded insistently not to be removed, begging to stay there forever. Many resorted to irrational actions, resisting the robots sent to organize their departure or simply running away to hide in so remote mountain corner. But the entire Ho starship had been built by Xiao Yu; this was his domain. Where could they possibly hide?
In the end, he still found them all and used certain coercive asures to force them onto the ships. Even then, they wept and wailed, hugging their household robots one last ti or taking one more photo to commorate the beautiful half-year of their lives…
Eventually, they were removed from Ho One, and the next batch, ten million Dwarves brimming with excitent and determination, arrived aboard the Ho starship to continue repeating the story of their predecessors…
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