Chapter 317: Legacy and Martian Dreams

Ding Shaoqiu’s eyes sparkled. Although Du Qiu claimed to know little about the society of the Pleiades residents, surely the legacy he inherited must contain some clues?

For instance, the programming language that Du Qiu ‘invented’—since it resembles that of the Pleiades residents, it implies he mastered their language.

Only then could he absorb and integrate their technological knowledge.

“Hehe, boss, since you’ve received the legacy of the Pleiades residents, shouldn’t you teach our research team their language?”

Du Qiu asked in surprise, “Aren’t there several software engineers in your team who can read material in the Pleiades language?”

“I added them to your group precisely so they could serve as translators and instructors for you. How is it that none of you have learned from them yet?”

Ding Shaoqiu almost coughed up blood. Could he really tell Du Qiu that he’d always silently resisted the idea of stuffing his team with software engineers?

He believed that studying alien civilizations and societies was the domain of biologists and sociologists; software engineers should stick to their own field.

It wasn’t until he read a scathing article by one of the software engineers that he discovered the so-called ‘Du language’ they used was astonishingly similar to the Pleiades tongue.

In that article, the engineer had lambasted the team’s sociologists and linguists for mistranslating a document from Heavenly Garden.

That was the first time he heard of the Du language invented by Du Qiu, leading him to deduce that Boss Du Qiu must have inherited something from the Pleiades residents.

Ding Shaoqiu blushed before saying, “Oh, they haven’t quite mastered the Du language. With your guidance, our research could progress much faster.”

Wu Xinghuo seemed to catch on and remarked, “No way—I recall one of the software engineers was named Fang Weiming.”

“He was among the first to learn the Du language back in university. His command of it far surpasses mine, making him the perfect candidate to be your translator and teacher.”

Ding Shaoqiu felt deeply embarrassed; the critic who penned that article was none other than Fang Weiming.

“Oh, I’ve really overlooked that. I’ll gather the team and have them learn from him immediately.”

Du Qiu noticed Ding Shaoqiu’s discomfort and understood that the biologist likely had a preconceived bias.

Nonetheless, with his profound expertise in alien biology, Ding Shaoqiu remained the right choice to lead the research group.

“Dr. Ding, could you bring part of your team over here? Wu Xinghuo will swiftly set up a temporary camp. Once that cube is unearthed, your research can begin.”

“By the way, Wu, you weren’t wrong—Fang Weiming was indeed one of the best at mastering the Du language back then. You must make good use of him.”

Hearing Du Qiu’s instructions, Ding Shaoqiu nodded repeatedly and said, “Alright, I’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible.”

Du Qiu then said to Wu Xinghuo, “It’s your job to excavate that cube underground.”

Wu Xinghuo patted his chest confidently, “Don’t worry, this is my specialty. I’ll have it out in no more than two or three days.”

“Alright, then you arrange everything while I head out to inspect the production base in the asteroid belt.”

Du Qiu sent them back to the nearest Mars base, then directed Star Ocean to have the special plane circle Mars to monitor Martian Real Estate developments and various mining production bases.

Currently, propelled by Liu Yaofeng’s new promotional campaign for Martian Real Estate—especially following the Yellowstone eruption—world leaders are beginning to take Dream Technology’s predictions of a new ice age seriously.

Under these multiple influences, Martian Real Estate sales have been booming.

At present, 500 standard Mars cities for 300,000 people have been sold; 800 customized Mars cities for 500,000 people have been snapped up, while only 60 of the 1,000,000-capacity ones have found buyers.

Combined, these can accommodate over 600 million people—but compared to Earth’s entire population, it’s just a drop in the bucket.

Individual sales by Dream Technology have so far yielded only three 500,000-capacity Mars cities, and they aren’t even fully subscribed.

For individuals, a Martian property costs 10,000 Gene Coins, which, at Unified Bank’s official exchange rate, amounts to 200,000 euros.

That price is quite reasonable—in fact, cheaper than real estate in some major cities.

However, even though natural disasters frequently occur on Earth, most people remain unaffected, merely watching the events unfold.

So, expecting these people to risk their money on hazardous Mars properties is unrealistic.

The key issue is that these properties are presold and won’t be delivered for another year.

Furthermore, the vast majority of the over one million buyers are disaster victims—people who have lost their homelands.

All in all, personal purchases of Martian Real Estate remain rather sluggish.

Fortunately, the world is never short of risk-takers. Some have caught wind of doomsday rumors through various channels and decided to secure a safe escape route.

Among them is Han Song, a gift-recycling entrepreneur from China. At 36, Han Song has spent a decade in the gift-recycling business.

There was a time when government policies made his business extremely challenging.

Later, he transitioned his gift-recycling venture online, and as his reach expanded, he inadvertently broke into international markets.

In fact, in some countries, the practice of gift-giving even surpasses that in China, and Han Song’s business began thriving once more.

During communications with clients, he picked up doomsday rumors from customers across various nations.

Yet when he pressed for details, these clients either dodged the question or admitted they had only heard secondhand.

Just then, Dream Technology announced the sale of Martian properties to individuals. After some thought, Han Song decided to sell his suburban home in the Imperial Capital.

He then headed to the Dream Real Estate office in Imperial Capital. Gazing at the sparsely occupied office, Han Song felt as if he’d been doused with ice water.

While hesitating at the entrance, a voice called out.

“Sir, are you here to purchase a Martian property? Please come in and take a look.”

The glass door slid open to reveal a young woman clad in a smart red uniform, smiling warmly at him.

Not overthinking it, Han Song decided that since he was already there, he might as well step inside.

Inside, he found a lobby reminiscent of many real estate offices, complete with a property model.

However, what set it apart was an adjacent vacant lot projecting a holographic image of Mars. Instead of barren sand, Mars now showcased enormous hemispherical structures crowned with seemingly transparent tops.

Looking back at the property model, Han Song noticed it was divided into two sections—one resembling a miniature city, and the other a typical residential complex.

“Sir, please follow me. This holographic projection represents Mars. We’re currently selling property in Mars City No. 10003, located 50 kilometers north of Mars’ equator. The external temperature here is relatively warm by Martian standards, making it perfectly habitable for humans…”

The girl, clearly well-versed in the business, quickly briefed Han Song on the geographical details and basic facts about Mars City.

“Miss, may I ask—has Earth been hit by doomsday?”

Han Song avoided using ‘Miss’—the term had fallen out of favor. Nowadays, one had to be cautious not to offend.

The girl smiled and replied, “I don’t know, but last year there were so many natural disasters that our company factored it in when launching the Mars properties.”

She continued, “And besides, these properties aren’t expensive—a standard suite, 120 square meters with three rooms and a living area, costs only 10,000 Gene Coins.”

“Although payment is exclusively in Gene Coins, you can exchange them at Unified Bank. Plus, if you contribute your genes, you can deduct an extra 500 Gene Coins.”

March is nearly over. For those with monthly tickets, don’t forget to vote.