Luke answered him with well-founded reasoning: “Reptiles have a very long history. Because they are ancient and mysterious, many gods and demons imagined by human civilizations since the beginning of the Earth era were based on reptiles. Look, it’s very quiet, but its constantly changing body temperature and circulating life magnetic field are dazzling. It’s a contradictory and peculiar creature, as charming as a living antique.”

The romantic sentiments of artificial intelligence left Benjamin Foster completely lost.

Fourth Brother perfunctorily added from the side, “He means this thing is good for set decoration and photo ops.”

Benjamin Foster suddenly understood, accepted this explanation, and instantly agreed with the cuteness of reptiles.

Fourth Brother tapped his fingers twice on the bar counter, pulling Benjamin Foster’s attention back: “You just mentioned ‘Eden’. How much do you know about it?”

Benjamin Foster boasted shamelessly, “If I had enough funding and manpower, I could build one in the Eighth Star System myself!”

Fourth Brother patiently listened to his bragging, feeling that the vast crust of Beijing Star could easily contain Young Master Foster’s hot air.

“‘Eden’ is the first lesson in the Information Technology Department. I even compiled the science textbook myself,” Benjamin Foster finished his soft drink in one gulp, moistening his throat and preparing for a long speech. “Classmates, do you know where the dividing line is between the New Star Calendar era and the Old Star Calendar era?”

Fourth Brother couldn’t be bothered to respond.

But Luke cooperatively answered, “In terms of political systems, it’s the founding of the Alliance. In terms of technology, it’s the establishment of ‘Eden’.”

“Exactly right,” Benjamin Foster snapped his fingers and lowered his voice. “Now, I ask you to close your eyes, let your imagination fly, and come with me to the capital star of our Alliance—suppose you’re an ordinary person living on Woto. Your standard of living on Woto is about the same as on Beijing Star, and you also live in a pencil-like apartment building, a one-bedroom unit.”

Luke couldn’t help but interject, “But…”

There’s no such thing as ‘apartment buildings’ on Woto.

“Shh—” Benjamin Foster interrupted him, pretending to be mysterious. “Don’t interrupt.”

“Under the coverage of ‘Eden’, your home should be like this: In the morning, you open your eyes and find yourself lying on soft grass, the scent of plants condensed around you, and your favorite animals running nearby. Of course, they’re all fresh and cute, and absolutely don’t have any bad habits like relieving themselves anywhere. Or maybe you like the ocean, then your home would be like the seabed, with coral and colorful fish swimming around you. You can feel the seawater cradling you like a cradle, but as a mammal, you won’t have any problems with breathing or pressure.” Benjamin Foster’s voice was perfect for cult propaganda, naturally captivating. At this point, he smiled. “This is just a glimpse of the beauty of Eden.”

Luke was still fixated on the previous issue: “Your explanation is wonderful, but there are no apart—”

“Enough,” Fourth Brother cut them off. “Stop rambling, get to the point.”

Principal Foster’s passionate midnight lecture was doused with cold water, so he could only say dryly, “Oh, fine. ‘Eden’ is actually a large-scale ‘mental network’ connecting humans and machines in parallel, highly overlapping with the real world, and able to serve people to the greatest extent.”

Fourth Brother said, hard to please, “No one asked you to recite the textbook.”

After spending so much time with increasingly unruly students, Benjamin Foster had developed patience and immediately switched to another explanation: “In places covered by Eden, your brain can connect to any device and AI at any time. For example—like you’re sitting at the bar now, if Eden existed, the moment you thought of a drink, the bar would immediately bring out what you wanted and deliver it to your hand. At the same time, Eden connects to your brain and can also affect your senses. Take this drink, for example: if someone wants a milkshake but happens to be dieting, Eden recognizes this conflicting need, and the bar provides a glass of plain water, while the Eden network stimulates your taste buds so you taste the milkshake you crave—without any calories.”

Fourth Brother immediately asked, “Have you seen Eden?”

Benjamin Foster shrugged: “If I had the chance, I’d love to take an interstellar trip, but unfortunately my passport was confiscated by my dad. I’ve heard that in all seven major star systems of the Alliance, every newborn is included in Eden after legal registration. From birth to death, this legal citizen receives the best care. The real world is infinitely extended by the mental network. Loneliness, depression, anxiety… these are impossible, because as soon as Eden senses you have such tendencies, it will stimulate your senses and adjust your hormone levels to eliminate these negative feelings. In ancient Earth times, many religions had this concept—the ultimate ideal place free from worries. They called it the ‘Land of Bliss’, ‘Heaven’, or ‘Eden’. Legend has it that the gods drove humans out of Eden, but now mortals have made a new one themselves—of course, this has nothing to do with the Eighth Star System. Maybe it’s because someone has to go to hell.”

Fourth Brother had no intention of discussing national affairs with him, not even a punctuation mark off topic: “Why do you think the tool this human trafficker used is related to ‘Eden’?”