《Messages from Inner Earth》(EN)

"Finally, there's technology. You humans categorize future technologies into seven civilization levels, which is somewhat different from the Alliance's system, but not by much. Once humanity elevates its spirit and mindset to a place of openness and integrity and advances its technology to the level of a Type I civilization as you've envisioned, we'll officially make contact with you." This time, it was the fifth, and final alien species speaking to me.

She was a girl, with some resemblance to a human—about 50-60% alike. The most striking difference was the pair of insect-like wings on her back that glowed, along with antennae on her head that emitted light. By my standards, her face wasn't exactly pretty, but it wasn't unattractive or frightening either.

Seeing me looking at her, she continued, "Hello, little brother Ji Wufan, I come from the Pleiades star cluster. Your ancient Chinese ancestors discovered the Pleiades constellation early on and were quite fond of its 7-stars. Eventually, they classified it as one of the 28-mansions, while ancient Western cultures and early Greek mythology referred to it as the 'Seven Sisters' cluster.

"Similar to Orion, Pleiades is home to many planets with different life forms. Some of them are just beginning, while 6 other races have advanced beyond human civilization. We joined the Alliance a long time ago, and as your civilization began to emerge, we were occasionally spotted by your ancient Chinese ancestors, who called us 'fairies'. Later, literature began portraying us in a negative light, and ancient Westerners started calling us the 'Mothman'."

At this moment, I stood there, a bit stunned, and if I hadn't been so mentally alert, I would have thought I was dreaming.

The Pleiadian girl smiled at me and continued, "That concludes the brief introduction to our five species. If you want to know more, you can consult Buweiro. I also hope you enjoy yourself over the next few days and feel completely at ease. Don't be shy; otherwise, if we don't take good enough care of you, you humans might poke fun at us.

Meanwhile, there are also some alien species on Earth who, valuing freedom or for other reasons, have not joined the Alliance. However, with the Alliance's oversight, they dare not cause trouble and won't interfere with humanity's normal development. If those guys found out we didn't uphold proper hospitality, they'd be more than happy to laugh at us. While intelligent species may abandon their previous ways as they advance technologically, kind and righteous species never abandon their civilization and manners."

"Hearing 'kind and righteous species never abandon their civilization and manners' ,I felt a jolt in my heart, as if I had realized something profound. In fact, at that moment, I wanted to say something meaningful or write a poem to express my insight, but after thinking it over, I sighed. My cultural knowledge is limited, and I'm truly at a loss for words—I even don't know how to write poetry."

It struck me that humanity often claims to be an advanced, powerful civilization. If we had even a fraction of the awareness of the Alliance, perhaps our civilization would have progressed rapidly, earning recognition and respect from extraterrestrial beings. At the very least, our world might be a peaceful place, instead of one plagued by wars and disease — a chaotic mess.

Coming to my senses, I quickly thanked them, "Thank you all for your introductions and hospitality. I really appreciate your sincerity; I've learned so much from each of you, and I'll share my experiences honestly when I return.”

These species are far more advanced than humans; it's truly humbling that they think so highly of me. I felt deeply moved, but at the same time, worried that I may not be up to the task. "It's an honor that you've chosen me as a spokesperson, but I must admit that my knowledge and perspective are limited. Especially regarding your legends and technological theories — I barely understand the basics."

"You should really find someone with strong cultural abilities, like a renowned writer, who could write it excellently; or perhaps a major media outlet, collaborating with them would be twice as effective, spreading the news worldwide in no time; or maybe even an expert or a prominent statesperson, whose authority would make the message more credible and widely believed. But as for me, I have no special status, my writing ability is limited, and even if I publish it, there's no guarantee it'll make any impact at all." I voiced my concerns again.

"You're mistaken if you think that way, little brother Ji Wufan," replied the girl, Ariani. "No one would be better than you, especially compared to those figures you just mentioned. Think about it carefully: if the Alliance were to find a professional writer, especially one with high cultural influence and popularity, and ask them to organize and publish the information, humans would instinctively assume it's a fictional story, a novel. Even if the writer wasn't originally from the science fiction genre, people would think, 'Well, of course, writers need to have some imagination', or that this writer had simply ventured into sci-fi and made it up... So, using a professional writer to convey the message would only have the opposite effect."

Seeing me nod thoughtfully, the girl continued, "Using media would be even worse than using a writer. The Alliance doesn't interfere with your human lives but knows your situation well. Today, many media outlets will report anything that gets attention, prioritizing clicks, views, and ratings, blurring truth and fiction. Over the years, media has lost public trust, and if we collaborated with them to report on aliens, it would just seem as sensationalism, a desperate grab for ratings. Even having a person with authoritative status vouch for it wouldn't help."

Seeing my confusion, she explained, "The UN leadership holds many secrets that cannot be disclosed and, in certain special cases, goes to great lengths to keep things hidden, especially regarding aliens. During your World War II, some aliens wanted to reveal themselves and communicate with humanity, but humans were extremely wary of aliens, even viewing them as demons or monsters.

Even when evidence of aliens was later discovered, it was secretly controlled and kept from the public—anyone who disclosed it would be seen as an enemy of humanity. Even if some aliens, including UFOs, have appeared, these incidents are ultimately suppressed. In fact, some of your true experts or wise individuals have already uncovered and confirmed the existence of aliens or ancient civilizations through studying ancient ruins. However, if they attempt to make these findings public, they are obstructed, forced to sign confidentiality agreements. Compliance keeps them safe, but refusal has severe consequences."

"Ah, why don't the leaders of the human world acknowledge your existence? Why don't they want to live in peace with you and learn from each other?" I was shocked to hear this.

I'm not really interested in sci-fi or alien topics, but I do like history. I've noticed some ancient ruins, like the mysterious pyramids, which may not have been built by ordinary humans; the precisely cut Sun Gate of the ancient Incas, with its accurate calendar and mathematics, where the first ray of dawn on September 21st each year hits the center of the gate; and the Dogon tribe in Africa, a primitive tribe that somehow knows detailed information about the solar calendar and Sirius's companion star...

This evidence clearly proves that aliens do exist and even made contact with ancient people, but experts refuse to admit it, instead coming up with all kinds of evidence to cover it up. It turns out they're not allowed by those in power. Sometimes I wonder, why are obvious facts that even ordinary people can understand ignored by knowledgeable experts? I used to be puzzled, but now I understand a lot more.

"There are many reasons why humans refuse to acknowledge alien or prehistoric civilizations. If you want to know more, Buweiro can tell you. As for why UN politicians don't want peaceful relations with alien civilizations, I'll give you the main reason. Human nature is selfish —they may worry that a more advanced alien civilization could subtly replace humanity over time, becoming dominant, which would strip them of their power and status," responded the Atlantean man, who looked very human, making me feel very familiar. He continued, "All right, little brother Ji Wufan, we have to go now. If you need anything, just speak to Buweiro. If fate allows, we'll meet again."

The Atlantean man finished speaking and stood up, followed by all the other species, including Buweiro. I quickly stood up out of politeness. Without any visible movement from the five of them, a beam of light shone on them, and they vanished instantly.

"So convenient! I wonder how much energy that consumes?" I asked Buweiro, still marveling at the Alliance species' mysterious comings and goings, thinking how great it would be if humans could invent such technology — it would save both time and money.

"Energy consumption is very low, and it's free for all Alliance species," Buweiro explained. "The Alliance's universal energy field is mainly derived from converting deep Earth magnetic fields, combined with fusion power controlled by a super-intelligent computer. We can extract nuclear energy from Earth's oceans, and there are rich resources on the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune. However, we usually don't bother; extracting from the sea is enough."

"In the ocean?" I asked, a bit surprised. "I get it with the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and other gas planets—I've heard about them and seen short videos. I don't know the details, but I know they all harness nuclear energy. But the ocean is made of water, so how does it produce energy?"

"Let me give you a quick physics lesson," Buweiro explained simply. "In short, nuclear fusion happens when two atomic nuclei combine to release energy. Atomic nuclei consist of neutrons and charged protons. Seawater contains three chemical elements: deuterium (with one proton, one neutron, and one electron), protium (one proton and one electron, with two protium atoms forming a hydrogen molecule), and tritium (one proton and two neutrons). These elements can be used to extract neutrons and charged protons, which then form nuclei for nuclear fusion or fission energy."

Buweiro tried to explain it simply, but I was still completely lost. Without even glancing at my confused expression, he continued, "These elements have many uses beyond this. Humans are just at the starting point of nuclear fusion and fission. As technology advances, you'll discover new ways to harness more elements and create synthetic energy sources. Eventually, you'll solve the energy problem, and traditional resources will be obsolete."

"Material energy will be obsolete?" I felt uneasy at the thought, imagining a future where oil and coal, which are everywhere around us, might no longer be needed as energy sources. It was hard to believe.