Why had the ancient Aldnoah civilization perished?
Now, the shocking truth had finally been uncovered.
A civilization capable of traveling freely between Earth and Mars obviously could not have died out simply because Mars lacked water and possessed a harsh environment.
Mars might have lacked resources, but Earth's environment thirty thousand years ago was not drastically different from the present day.
It was thirty thousand years ago, not thirty million or three hundred million years ago. Earth's environment had not been so different that humans could no longer survive here.
The true cause of Aldnoah civilization's downfall was a problem that emerged within the bodies of its people thirty thousand years ago.
Their bodies had seemingly become unstable under certain gravitational conditions. Their genes could collapse at any moment.
Seeking a solution, they turned their attention to Earth, the ancient homeland their ancestors had abandoned long ago. They returned and constructed an experimental city called Atlantis.
According to surviving records, their ancestors had originally left Earth because they had suffered from a similar problem. They had been forced to migrate to Mars, where the weaker gravity stabilized their bodies.
After settling on Mars, however, Aldnoah civilization underwent several major upheavals. A devastating civil war nearly wiped it out, forcing the survivors to rebuild their civilization from something resembling the Stone Age.
The floating city of Atlantis had been constructed more than thirty thousand years ago, around 960 years after that new era began.
After a small group migrated back to Earth, they discovered that the planet's environment could stabilize their bodies to some extent, but it could not completely solve the problem.
Their attention then shifted to the primitive humans living on Earth at the time. After all, both groups ultimately shared the same origins.
Those ancient humans might have looked like savages to the people of Aldnoah civilization, but their bodies were perfectly healthy and genetically stable.
Aldnoah civilization began studying them in hopes of identifying the difference.
The researchers eventually discovered the true cause of their condition: the excessive use of Aldnoah power.
Aldnoah power was deeply connected to the human mind. As a result, the mental abilities of Aldnoah civilization's people far surpassed those of modern humans.
To gain ever greater control over Aldnoah power, they implanted more and more activation-factor codes into their own genes, continuously enhancing themselves.
In the end, their minds and bodies both became unstable. The effects of gravity only worsened the condition.
Once they discovered the problem, they searched for a way to preserve their civilization and ensure the continuation of their species.
They ultimately reached a single conclusion.
They needed to have children with the primitive humans of Earth.
But if modern humans were told to reproduce with people they regarded as prehistoric savages from thirty thousand years ago, how many would agree?
The people of Aldnoah civilization were extraordinarily proud. Most of them could not accept such an outcome, even if refusing meant extinction.
Still, an extremely small number of them made a different choice and passed their bloodlines down among Earth's population.
That was why, when Asseylum's grandfather, Dr. Rayregalia Vers Rayvers, discovered the ruins of Aldnoah civilization on the Moon and Mars during the previous century, the ancient systems recognized him as an heir.
His body contained an activation factor inherited from the people of ancient Aldnoah civilization.
Other humans probably carried traces of the same bloodline, but the concentration was too low to meet the minimum threshold for activating an Aldnoah Drive.
"So if we continue using Aldnoah power, could we eventually repeat the same mistake?"
Yuki Kaizuka frowned after learning the truth.
She had hoped humanity could use Aldnoah power to rebuild Earth, repair the damage caused by the war, and eventually advance even further.
"Not necessarily," Kain replied. "Given Earth's current technological level, it would take at least several centuries to reach the same level of dependence and abuse as Aldnoah civilization. Besides, using a filter when accessing Aldnoah power can suppress those side effects."
Kain brought up another piece of technology developed by Aldnoah civilization: a suppressor.
Ordinarily, using Aldnoah power was equivalent to connecting the user's body and mind directly to an Aldnoah Drive. There was no firewall between them.
When someone wore a suppressor, however, their mental signals would first pass through the device before connecting to the Aldnoah Drive. That prevented Aldnoah power from affecting the user's mind in return.
The difference between the two methods was not limited to safety.
A direct connection had an extremely high transmission speed, while a filtered connection suffered from a certain amount of latency.
The difference would be almost imperceptible in ordinary civilian applications, but it would become apparent in certain specialized fields.
"Do the records explain how ordinary people can acquire the ability to activate Aldnoah technology?" Koichiro Marito asked.
Even the most optimistic estimate suggested it would take several centuries before humanity could abuse Aldnoah power to the same extent as the ancient civilization. Now that they knew about the danger in advance, they could keep its use within safe limits.
Humanity would also have plenty of time to conduct further research into proper safety measures.
"Yes," Kain replied. "Marry a Martian."
Marito's expression froze.
The Martians had already been wiped out, so how were they supposed to...
Wait.
"You mean marrying someone from the present-day Vers Empire could produce children with the activation-factor code needed to operate an Aldnoah Drive?"
That was what Marito assumed Kain meant.
As far as he knew, however, very few people in the Vers Empire could activate Aldnoah Drives. Only the imperial family and the thirty-seven noble houses of the Orbital Knights possessed that ability.
Ordinary citizens could only enjoy the products created by Aldnoah technology.
A few fortunate individuals favored by the imperial family might be granted activation privileges, but those privileges were not hereditary. Once the royal family member who had bestowed them died, their authorization would disappear.
Kain certainly could not be suggesting that Earth rely on the imperial family. Only two princesses remained, and they alone could hardly spread the activation factor throughout humanity.
That left the Martian nobility.
Unfortunately, those nobles were all insufferably arrogant and regarded the people of Earth with open contempt.
"Yes. The noble bloodlines will work," Kain confirmed. "Ideally, they should marry third-generation descendants. Their children should inherit activation privileges."
"But that would still require us to wait for the next generation," Marito pressed. "Is there no way for people alive today to gain access?"
"There is. They can obtain authorization from Asseylum, the administrator."
Marito fell silent and stopped asking questions.
If another method existed, Kain clearly had no intention of revealing it.
Having Princess Asseylum personally grant activation privileges was certainly feasible. She was kindhearted enough that she would probably have no objection to authorizing a portion of Earth's population to operate Aldnoah Drives.
That would allow Earth to begin rebuilding with Aldnoah power.
At the same time, every person on Earth who benefited from that power would become tied to the princess.
They would naturally do everything possible to ensure her safety. If she died, Earth would lose access to Aldnoah technology once again.
As for anyone who coveted the princess and hoped to obtain her bloodline for themselves, they would first have to get past the man standing before them.
Kain had personally participated in eliminating two-thirds of the remaining rebellious Orbital Knights.
Earth's forces had witnessed his strength firsthand.
He was practically inhuman.
Kain would now formally reveal his origins to the world.
He was the rightful heir to Aldnoah civilization.
(End of Chapter)
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