The Brilliant Conference concluded successfully. After the event, Ethan specifically called Guang Song to his office.
"Dean Guang, please have a seat!"
"Leader, this…"
"No worries, sit down. I called you here because I wanted to discuss something important with you."
"Yes, Leader!"
Hearing this, Guang Song no longer hesitated and sat down. Ethan smiled and began.
"Here's the situation. After this war, Nova's population has drastically decreased to less than ten million. Every citizen of Nova is now extremely valuable."
"Dean Guang, what are your thoughts on this?"
Guang Song's mind raced upon hearing this. What does the Holy Leader mean by this? Nova's population is less than ten million? Every citizen is valuable?
He thought for a moment but couldn't grasp the deeper meaning, so he spoke cautiously.
"Leader, with our population now under ten million, Nova is on the brink of extinction as a civilization."
"According to the Academy of Sciences' recent speculations on various interstellar civilizations, they all have enormous populations. With a large population base, the emergence of talent increases significantly, accelerating scientific progress."
"This is a normal developmental model for an interstellar civilization as per the Academy's speculation."
"But we, Nova, inherently lack this advantage."
"I remember, before you unified Nova, our population peaked at only 1.5 billion."
"Nova's gravity, while giving us strong physical abilities and longevity, also limits our reproductive capabilities. At our peak of 1.5 billion, annual births were only around one to two million. Of course, that time can't be compared to now, as there were many factors limiting birth rates then. However, the birth rate was still very low."
"After you unified Nova, both living standards and your strong encouragement of childbirth policies significantly increased the birth rate, bringing our post-war population from seventy million back to one hundred million."
"But relatively speaking, the birth rate is still too low!"
"Now, with less than ten million people, it will be hard to restore our population in my lifetime. Moreover, a small population greatly limits scientific development!"
Guang Song expressed his thoughts in one breath, something he had held back for a long time without any solution. Today, Ethan's question gave him a chance to voice it all.
Ethan smiled and replied calmly.
"Exactly, Dean Guang. This is why I called you here. This issue is significantly hindering Nova's development, and I called you here to solve it."
Guang Song felt a moment of joy but then his expression changed. He quickly asked.
"Leader, do you have a solution?"
"Are you thinking of using cloning technology to replace the population?"
Guang Song's suggestion was not unfounded. Cloning technology was previously researched by the Academy of Sciences and tested on other life forms on Nova. However, human experimentation was halted by Ethan.
If they wanted to quickly restore the population, cloning technology was the only feasible solution. It could be ready for human trials with a bit of research and could quickly restore the population in a short time.
Ethan was taken aback by Guang Song's suggestion, thinking this old guy always comes up with crazy ideas. Shaking his head, he replied.
"No, Dean Guang, you're overthinking it. Not cloning. This violates Nova's ethics and morals. As long as I'm here, I will never allow cloning technology to be used on Nova citizens!"
Hearing this, Guang Song sighed in relief. He also opposed using cloning technology for population restoration. As a scientist, he had his principles and wouldn't consider unethical solutions.
Guang Song then asked curiously.
"If not cloning, what other method can restore the population?"
Ethan smiled.
"Dean Guang, I never said I had a way to restore the population!"
"Huh?"
Guang Song was stunned by Ethan's answer. Was the Holy Leader joking with him?
"Dean Guang, don't look so surprised. Let me explain slowly."
"First, what is the purpose of restoring the population?"
"The current goal for Nova is to enhance our technological prowess. Population restoration increases our potential, creating more talent and accelerating scientific progress with a large population base."
"Additionally, a large population makes our civilization more prosperous."
"But currently, Nova can't achieve this!"
Ethan spoke with a mysterious smile.
"Without using cloning technology, Nova can't restore its population quickly. So, I thought of another way!"
"If we can't increase it quickly, let's stop it from decreasing!"
"Dean Guang, you're almost six hundred years old, right?"
Guang Song was puzzled by Ethan's words, but soon a flash of understanding crossed his mind. If we can't increase, then stop decreasing? Could it be?
With a hint of disbelief, Guang Song asked.
"Leader, are you thinking of researching…?"
"Dean Guang, you're right. My plan is to research genetic technology to extend our lifespan! This is just the current objective."
"Currently, out of our remaining population, hundreds of thousands are over five hundred years old, most of whom are researchers from the Academy of Sciences. If we don't research genetic technology, they will naturally die in two to three hundred years, which would be a massive blow to Nova's scientific development!"
"Nova can't afford such losses!"
Ethan shared his thoughts while Guang Song was still in shock.
"Dean Guang, I know your expertise isn't in genetics, so you don't have to research it yourself!"
"I want you to select the top experts in biological genetics from the Academy of Sciences to form a Genetic Research Task Force, focusing solely on this project!"
"And you'll supervise it. Besides, Dean Guang, I believe genetic technology doesn't exist in isolation. It integrates various scientific fields. You might also provide key insights for this project!"
Ethan glanced to the side, and Aiden appeared.
"Dean Guang, Aiden will provide you with the low-end genetic technology data of the Divine River and Angels once the task force is established. You can then hand it over to them!"
"Aiden will also assist you in the research!"
"Sorry, I can't give you too much. The Angels' genetic technology is too advanced, and I'm afraid you'd get lost in it, mimicking their techniques. I want Nova's own genetic technology!"
"This genetic research project is temporarily named the Nova Genetic Engineering!"
"I hope it won't take too long. Some people can't wait much longer!"
"Do you understand, Dean Guang?"