I once asked Norton about the variety of alien species in the universe.
Norton replied, "The universe appears as the center of an endlessly vast space, housing a considerable but finite number of planets. This has been our long-standing belief and the diagrams of the universe we have drawn reflect this view. Moreover, many intelligent species on various planets throughout the universe share this perspective. However, as our scientific technology and observational methods improved, one day we made a groundbreaking discovery of new planets trillions of light-years away, shattering our steadfast views of the universe. Now, we must acknowledge that the universe is layered, much like an onion on your Earth. Through discoveries in other fields, we can conclude that the universe's space is infinite. Whether the number of planets is also infinite remains undetermined, as this answer depends on the level of our observational capabilities. But we already know from other sources that it is indeed infinite.
In the universe, there are many planets with life, yet the vast majority are barren and devoid of life. Among those with life, planets harboring intelligent beings like those on Earth are exceedingly rare, roughly one in tens of thousands. Most life-bearing planets are in primitive stages of evolution. For instance, our planet Guoker, which has developed the technology to build lightspeed spaceships capable of traveling across the universe, is among the rarest, approximately one in a hundred million. There are even more advanced planets than ours.
However, from what we understand, the number of planets in the universe is astoundingly vast, so much so that it is terrifying. There are a significant number of planets with civilizations far more advanced than ours, not just one or two. When a civilization develops the capability to build lightspeed spaceships, it can undertake large-scale interstellar travel. The presence of a lightspeed spaceship is a crucial hallmark of a universe civilization.
Therefore, habitable planets in the universe can be broadly categorized into two types. One includes those that have deciphered the fundamental cosmic questions of time, space, field, mass, electric charge, energy, and force—without which the construction of a lightspeed spaceship would be impossible. These advanced civilizations possess the knowledge to build and operate lightspeed spaceships, enabling extensive interstellar travel. The other type comprises those without lightspeed spaceships, marking them as less advanced civilizations."
A planet with inhabitants that has developed lightspeed spacecraft undergoes thousands of years of further technological development, earning the designation of a thousand-year civilization. Our planet falls into this category. A planet that continues to develop for over ten thousand years after inventing lightspeed spacecraft is termed a ten-thousand-year civilization. A planet that evolves technologically for over a billion years following such an invention is classified as a billion-year civilization. This level is exceedingly rare in the universe.
Another criterion we use to gauge advancement is the degree of virtualization. On a planet, the greater the proportion of virtual products utilized by its inhabitants, the more developed it is considered. A planet where everything, including computers for processing information, human bodies, buildings, transportation vehicles, and industrial manufacturing, is virtualized to nearly 100% represents an extremely advanced civilization. A civilization achieving 50% virtualization is also considered highly advanced. Compared to most inhabited planets in the universe, which have lower technological levels than Earth, you Earthlings are still relatively backward."
Suldair added: "In the universe, there is an unwritten natural rule: any backward planet incapable of interstellar travel is covertly overseen and monitored by one or several advanced civilizations. This serves two purposes: to prevent other advanced civilizations from excessively meddling in the affairs of the backward planet, and to avert internal conflicts on the planet, especially catastrophic wars like nuclear wars, which could completely destroy it.
Such interference generally involves remotely altering the thought processes of key individuals on the backward planet, rather than deploying physical resources or personnel. For instance, during World War II, although Germany initially mastered the technology to develop atomic bombs, they were thwarted by extraterrestrial intervention. According to the standards mentioned earlier, Earth is considered technologically backward because you have not developed lightspeed flying saucers and are restricted to travel within your own Solar System. The principle of motion on Earth is governed by the conservation of momentum, where momentum equals mass times velocity. Our lightspeed spaceships also adhere to the conservation of momentum, but our momentum formula incorporates the vector of lightspeed minus the object's velocity, multiplied by mass.
Aliens with technology developed over millions or billions of years have already surpassed these conventional principles of movement. They can overcome the limitations of space and time without any accidents. For us, finding a third type of natural motion beyond the two known forms of momentum conservation is not an easy task. We are certain that at least a third and possibly even a fourth type of motion exists in nature, and one of our primary objectives is to discover this third type."
"Indeed, the universe encompasses endless possibilities. Anything you can conceive of can be realized, and even the inconceivable may come to fruition. However, what you truly need to do is find a pathway to make these possibilities a reality. You require a tangible stepping stone; otherwise, you'll find yourself back at the starting point, having gained nothing," said Norton. "Civilizations that have existed for millions of years have had limited contact with us and do not share their scientific and technological knowledge. They are also highly virtualized, even more so than us. Their scientific and technological prowess, especially in mathematics, is so advanced it could figuratively suffocate us.
They have engineered a metallic liquid that can control and modify human consciousness. Similarly, we have developed this metallic substance, which can infiltrate the bodies of humans on Earth and quickly alter or erase their consciousness. The physical appearance of the person remains unchanged, yet their consciousness is replaced with that of a Guoker, effectively transforming the Earthling into one of us. This metallic liquid is programmed in advance to be controlled by a set of mathematical codes, which we are unable to decipher. Even if they were to provide us with these codes, we would remain perplexed for an extended period. However, if we were to share our simplest codes with you Earthlings, you would not understand them for hundreds of years.
Despite our efforts to gather all the top mathematical minds globally to craft sophisticated codes, they can easily break them, highlighting the vast gap in capabilities between us. Advanced civilizations engage in a silent mathematical contest, which may seem alien to you since Earthlings typically engage in more physical forms of warfare.
For example, your struggle against viruses involves exhaustive efforts with minimal success. We approach the problem differently, using mathematics to predict and calculate all viruses, including those not yet present on Earth. This demonstrates the power of mathematics. The issue with Earth's approach is a failure to recognize that a virus is fundamentally an information problem, with information being a form of matter and space movement. Without this understanding, you won't consider mathematical solutions.
In our development and manufacturing of human bodies, we also rely heavily on mathematical calculations, requiring advanced mathematical tools. We use these tools to scan hidden information in space, creating forecasts for the future.
As for the few civilizations that have existed for billions of years, they avoid direct contact and do not share their technology with us. We know very little about them and would not dare provoke them. We maintain a dedicated monitoring system for Earth, and should any beings from a billion-year-old civilization visit, we would swiftly intervene. We suspect that the 'floating person' you encountered as a child herding geese belonged to a highly advanced civilization, potentially one that has existed for billions of years. In that moment of contact, you may have been infused with their consciousness, gaining access to memories not your own. Our primary reason for bringing you to our planet is to gain a different perspective on the universe through you. Hierarchically, we fear those from million-year civilizations just as they fear those from billion-year civilizations. For us, a being from a billion-year civilization is akin to a deity standing before you," explained Suldair.
"We abduct beings from across the universe. For those from civilizations as advanced as ours, we ensure they are returned to avoid retaliation. However, with less advanced planets like Earth, sometimes we're too lazy to send people back. Yes, I can be quite lazy," Suldair chuckled unnaturally.