Chapter 133: The Lord's University

Chapter 133: Lord Universities

Upon hearing Brother Hao’s question, Li Hongshen pondered for a moment before responding, “I do. I am quite interested in Central Lord University, or rather, I am certain I will apply there. I have already done some rough research on it; as far as I know, it is currently ranked among the top three universities in our civilization.”

“Ambitious, determined, and promising. Not bad, not bad at all. Central Lord University is indeed one of the top three in our civilization—you could even say it’s in a league of its own. Honestly, Muhai Lord University, Central Lord University, and Civilization Military University all claim to be the number one university in the civilization, and no one can refute them, nor would anyone dare to. However, applying to these three is quite troublesome, especially if you want to secure a special admission quota early from the Endless Wilderness—that’s even harder. Are you prepared for that?”

“Let me ask first and see how things stand. I have time, and besides, if you didn’t think highly of my potential, you would have walked away the moment I asked my first question. Brother Hao, just be straight with me: how do I apply to Central Lord University?”

“Don’t be so impatient. Let me analyze the differences between these three universities first, then you can decide whether you still want to pursue Central Lord University. You should know the future path for us Lords. Once we reach a certain level and want to strengthen our power, expand our territories, and acquire more resources, we need Civilization Merits. As of now, there are two fundamental ways to earn these merits: first, by exploring the World Sea and conquering other realms; second, by garrisoning the front-line battlefields to defend the boundaries of our civilization.”

“Most Lords pursue both paths in parallel. They acquire resources, civilization systems, and various technologies from the World Sea, submit them to the civilization, and then garrison on the front lines. While defending, they absorb these findings and integrate them into their own systems. This way, they can refine their own structures while gaining Source Points and Merits—a balanced approach of offense and defense. However, every Lord has a different focus. Some prefer offense, enjoying the exploration of the World Sea and traversing various civilizations to seize resources. Others prefer defense, spending most of their time stationed on the front lines, exchanging merits with other Lords for what they need.”

“This difference leads to distinct development paths. Lords who favor World Sea exploration tend to focus on spatial technology, navigation techniques, and building Void Fleets. Those who prefer garrisoning favor fortress-related technologies—crafting various war bastions, filling them with all sorts of bio-mechanical constructs and lethal weaponry, making themselves as prickly as a hedgehog.”

Although neither path is strictly superior—as garrison-focused Lords will still maintain their own Void Fleets, and explorers will eventually build their cities to be as formidable as hedgehogs—there is still a difference in focus. After all, a Lord’s energy is limited. It is somewhat difficult to push both paths forward simultaneously, especially for new Lords. Most choose one path to climb first, then use the resources gained to supplement the second path until they reach a relative equilibrium. Do you understand what I’ve said so far?”

Li Hongshen nodded after hearing this, but then asked, “I understand, but what does this have to do with choosing a Lord University? Don’t they teach all of this in every university?”

Brother Hao smiled, “Correct. Every subject in a Lord University corresponds to these two paths. You could say they teach both, but each university has its own focus. The first year of university is fine; it’s mainly for us to learn the basics and experience both paths. By the second year, we are asked to choose our professors. This is when you need to consider your primary path. Every professor specializes in different things. For instance, exploring the World Sea—even the simplest act of traversal can be divided into physical projection, soul projection, reincarnation projection, and so on. Further along, there’s void docking, territory deployment, bridge construction, and Void Fleet assembly. On the defensive side, there’s energy shielding, bio-construct manufacturing, mechanical construct manufacturing, energy circuit design, and the configuration of energy cannons. You need to decide beforehand which path you want to take, what technology you want to learn, and what systems you want to master. Finally, it also depends on whether the professor you want is willing to take you on. Do you understand?”

Li Hongshen continued to nod, “I understand. And then?”

“Pfft—hahahahaha!”

Hearing the conversation between Li Hongshen and the “little king,” Li Fugui burst into unrefined laughter nearby. “I can’t take it anymore, you two are hilarious! One stubbornly refuses to name the specific university and talks about everything else, and the other keeps pressing for the answer. Hahahaha, I’m dying, I can’t stop laughing.”

Seeing Li Fugui clutching his sides in laughter, Brother Hao looked annoyed. He leaned back and rolled his eyes. “This kid is as sharp as a whip. He’s wasted half a day of my breath and refuses to take the hint. Fine, I’ll be blunt. You can tell from the names of the three universities. ‘Muhai’ implies ‘herding the World Sea,’ so it focuses heavily on exploration. Sixty or seventy percent of their professors are of that type; they are the main force of World Sea exploration in our civilization. Joining Muhai gives you easy access to prestigious exploration teams. As far as I know, many of the top thousand exploration teams in the civilization are made up of Muhai alumni—joining them gives you natural connections.”

“As for the Civilization Military University, it is essentially the civilization’s army. And as you know, the army focuses on protecting the security of the civilization’s borders. Therefore, most are garrison-type Lords; eighty percent of their faculty focus on stationing and defense. As for your preferred Central Lord University, it grabs both ends and is solid in both, but its exploration doesn’t quite match Muhai, and its garrisoning doesn’t quite match the Military University. In regular inter-university competitions, Muhai usually takes first in exploration, with Central second and Military third. In garrisoning, Military usually takes first, with Central second and Muhai third.”

“There are so many novel worlds in the World Sea, so many diverse energy-based professional systems. The World Sea is so vast—don’t you want to go and see it? So, do you understand what I mean now?”