The wine glasses on the table vibrated with a clinking sound.
The overhead lights began to sway, and the figures and chair shadows in the restaurant stretched and shortened in unison.
Looking out the window, it was even more apparent. The trees were shaking, not from the wind, but from an autonomous tremor, as if they had collectively transformed into tree demons.
Beneath the floor, creaking mechanical sounds accompanied rumbling roars, likely from some kind of shock absorber.
After a brief period, the vibrations weakened and disappeared.
The countdown on the wall began again:
[58:32]
[58:31]
It seemed another event would occur in an hour.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng quickly drank water to calm their nerves. It was their first time experiencing an earthquake. However, they weren't panicked. Firstly, they trusted the construction quality of the Divine Palace. Secondly, this couple had seen much of the world. Cen Yemeng had experienced war, witnessing the Mil people's frog bombs fly past her. Jiang Ye had also commanded and participated in major battles, where the continuous artillery fire was far more dangerous than this minor tremor.
"Don't worry. The Divine Palace's buildings can withstand a magnitude nine earthquake. If it reaches magnitude 6.5 or above, there will be advance notice," the High Priest said. "We're all used to it; earthquakes are commonplace now."
"Let's continue our previous discussion," Jiang Ye said. "How many Ha'er Star residents do you plan to transfer to Jiang Ye Star? In what form will the transfer be conducted?"
"That's for me to ask you," the High Priest replied. "Ha'er Star is extremely densely populated. After deducting those who plan to migrate to other planets on their own, there are approximately 108 million people who need to be relocated. That's how many there are; it's up to you how many you want."
Jiang Ye's scalp tingled. 108 million people – it was truly an astronomical number.
"You don't need to worry about the population being too large to assimilate," the High Priest added. "The people of Ha'er Star are devout believers. Their faith prohibits them from engaging in illegal or immoral activities. Our planet has an extremely low crime rate, with only 0.002 murders per 100,000 people annually. Their education levels are also very high; besides religious knowledge, the average duration of education is 17.5 years."
Cen Yemeng blinked in surprise. "That high? Are they all postgraduates on average?"
The High Priest's smile was slightly awkward. "Actually, we've included the duration of attendance at senior universities. But don't think this calculation is inflated. Our planet's average lifespan is 92 years, and people often work until they are over seventy-five. To adapt to job requirements, senior universities are very popular."
"I anticipated that population migration might be involved before I came," Jiang Ye said. "I currently have two planets: Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star. I plan to expand the population of both these planets to one billion each. Deducting the current population, reserved slots for alien immigrants, artificial human quotas, and future births, I can probably accommodate 1.6 billion people."
"Let's round it up. How about two billion?" the High Priest suggested.
"I really can't increase it further. My carrying capacity is limited. 1.6 billion is already a number that makes my heart pound," Jiang Ye said. "Of course, I'm willing to share the burden, but you can't rush things. I saw in the news that you invited leaders from other planets? Distribute some to their planets."
"Their planets may not be able to accommodate much, as those planets are already saturated. Su Star's population has reached forty billion. Their planet leader is troubled daily about reducing the population; Su Star people can get paid for traveling or immigrating elsewhere," the High Priest said. "I also want to ask about another issue: how do you plan to treat the Ha'er Star people once they arrive at your planet?"
"Of course, they will be treated equally," Jiang Ye said. "I will build well-equipped urban areas for them, provide as many supporting facilities as possible, and try to improve their employment rate. Finally, I'll offer some poverty alleviation. My duty will be fulfilled then."
"The Ha'er Star people are relatively affluent; food will certainly not be a problem. After immigrating to your planet, they will establish their own companies, and alien enterprises will also set up large-scale operations," the High Priest said. "In fact, their most urgent need and most sensitive issue is religion."
Jiang Ye fell silent.
This was indeed a difficult question to address.
Jiang Ye Star had no dominant religion. Some people privately practiced their faith, believing in Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and Jiang Ye Star did not interfere. However, it did not support them either, nor were there dedicated personnel to handle related affairs.
But the current situation was special.
Once the Ha'er Star people migrated in large numbers, they would become the majority population of Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star.
If ninety percent of the population on a planet believed in the same religion, it would become a force to be reckoned with, potentially bringing about disruptive changes.
Although wars could not be initiated between planets, each planet was highly autonomous, and civil wars could erupt. Jiang Ye had heard of many planet leaders and generals being overthrown. He did not want to be the scapegoat.
"Can we conduct a public opinion survey?" Cen Yemeng interjected. "Ask the Ha'er Star populace if they are willing to give up their religious beliefs. Then, migrate those who are most willing to Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star."
"We can do that," the High Priest nodded. "The global immigration app is already under development. The app will allow people to fill in their immigration requirements, and we can include this question."
"Then let's settle it like this," Jiang Ye said. "Those who are willing to abandon their religion. However, this will not be mandatory. When they arrive at Jiang Ye Star and Bi Rong Star, if they still wish to practice their faith, I will enact regulations allowing them to raise funds themselves to build churches and hold legal activities."
"Actually, you don't need to worry about the Ha'er Star people becoming the majority on Bi Rong Star and Jiang Ye Star. Have you heard of population explosion curves?" the High Priest asked.
Jiang Ye looked bewildered.
Cen Yemeng's eyes lit up. "I just learned about it in class a few days ago."
"I've had people calculate the population explosion curve for Jiang Ye Star. It's estimated to enter a linear rise when the population reaches about 1.5 billion, and it will continue to increase until it reaches 6 billion before slowing down. If everything goes smoothly, the Ha'er Star people will eventually only constitute about one-sixth of Jiang Ye Star's population. With the passage of time, they will be slowly assimilated and eventually become a very small group," the High Priest said. "I don't have the data for Bi Rong Star, so I haven't calculated it, but it should be better than Jiang Ye Star's situation, as Bi Rong Star's environment is more habitable."
Cen Yemeng nodded repeatedly. "That's right."
"What, what, what?" Jiang Ye asked, confused.
"Go read your textbook," Cen Yemeng scornfully looked at him as if he were a failing student.
Jiang Ye took out his phone and started searching for the electronic version of the textbook.
With a quick search of keywords, he found the definition of a population explosion curve.
Based on the patterns of various planets, when a planet's population is very small, its economic structure is primitive, and its living standards are incomplete, making it difficult to attract alien immigrants. When the population is very large, it tends to go to another extreme, with economic growth stagnating, living standards stagnant or even deteriorating, also deterring alien immigrants.
In between, there is a population range where everything is excellent and creates immense temptation for alien immigrants. This population range is the core of the population explosion curve. During this period, society will expand rapidly, the population will soar, and cities will change day by day.
The population explosion curve for each planet is different, related to factors such as geographical environment, political system, technological level, and cultural atmosphere.