Three-body: The Most Competent Wallfacer in History

Emperor Han Xian sat bored and insignificant upon the imperial throne.

Cao Cao twirled his long beard, asking Zhuge Liang to elaborate.

Zhuge Liang explained, "The biggest problem plaguing us now is being too far from the sun, leaving our entire planet too cold. Although we are in the Stable Era, the arrival of summer seems indefinitely distant.

"We should not continue to be so ambitious as to exhaust all of our energy searching for the sun's operating patterns; rather, we should focus on generating sufficient energy to dispel the severe cold.

"As long as we have enough energy, we could also cope with the intense heat that persisted for over eighty years a decade ago.

"Even if we revert to the Chaotic Era, with our ability to cool or heat indoors, we could remain vigorous throughout that tumultuous period."

Jiang Yu thought to himself, "You haven't seen what the 'Great Rip' looks like!"

Then he reflected that the two hundred-plus years of the Stable Era had made them complacent, naively believing that resolving the issue of the highly unstable climate would solve all difficulties.

However, Jiang Yu did not voice a reminder; he was here to share the experience with Yang Dong and would let her decide whether to support Zhuge Liang's ideas.

Cao Cao asked, "What kind of energy are you referring to?"

"Electric power!" declared Zhuge Liang. "Electricity is our greatest invention—it can be transformed into heat and kinetic energy, making it a versatile energy source.

"Yet at the moment, we can only generate electricity using coal and hydropower, which produce far too little electricity, and nuclear power technology is still immature. Therefore, I suggest we should vigorously develop wind power since there's no shortage of wind globally."

Yang Dong, too, said with interest, "And there's also controllable geothermal power generation, which can directly release heat and improve cold conditions in small areas."

Cao Cao inquired of Zhuge Liang, "Can it achieve the effects mentioned by Madame Curie?"

"In theory, it is possible. The agricultural produce you are eating now is grown in small areas around active volcanoes," Zhuge Liang elaborated.

"But there are many difficulties with this technology, and controllable geothermal power is currently nothing but an illusion."

"I'll design it for you!" Yang Dong said confidently.

"There's also tidal power and ocean current power, oh, I can help you modify the structure of nuclear fission power plants!"

Zhuge Liang replied with delight, "That would be really wonderful, thank you!"

After pondering for a long while with his beard in his hand, Cao Cao finally said, "You may use some resources to give it a try."

As Jiang Yu accelerated the game time appropriately, wind turbines were rapidly erected one after another, along with controllable geothermal power stations, nuclear power plants, and tidal power stations designed by Yang Dong, all springing up from the ground.

Energy in the Han Empire became so abundant that everyone who was not dehydrated could indulgently blast electric heaters or Air Conditioning.

With ample energy, productivity also soared quickly; factories resumed production, and more people were "rehydrated" and thrown into the grand construction projects.

Their production environment was as warm as spring, with no sense of the biting cold at all.

With geothermal energy being extensively harnessed, many fertile lands thawed, food production increased, and then even more people were "rehydrated."

Seeing such results, Cao Cao continuously diverted resources to build more power stations.

A rare bustling construction boom emerged across the land.

At that time, officials from the Astronomical Bureau discovered that the sun was getting bigger.

This was another piece of good news, signaling that the long and harsh cold of more than a decade was about to end, and the warm summer was coming.

Indeed, as the sun grew larger, a year-long springtime reigned first, followed by the awaited summer, and the land became scorching hot.

The global temperature exceeded the human body's normal temperature by over thirty degrees; staying outdoors for just ten minutes could cause heatstroke, and half an hour could be lethal.

Fortunately, the Han Empire had long been prepared, using a massive amount of energy to cool down certain areas.

Jiang Yu saw for the first time a "Climate Air Conditioning" unit as large as a hill; the air conditioner could affect the climate within a radius of several miles.

The cold air from the air conditioner, mixed with the heat of the atmosphere, often resulted in rainy weather for the regions with "Climate Air Conditioning."

Even such gloomy and overcast weather was more bearable than the sweltering heat of summer.

Now, nearly 30% of the population were in a normal state, and as more "Climate Air Conditioning" units were constructed, the number of people suffering from dehydration would only decrease.

All this was because of Zhuge Liang's planning and Yang Dong's technical support. Cao Cao decided to hold a grand banquet to honor the two for their achievements.

It was only then that Jiang Yu returned his game time to normal. This was Yang Dong's moment of glory.

Before the banquet began, Jiang Yu and Yang Dong stood on the terrace, admiring the sun, now as large as a truck tire, and two stars the size of ping-pong balls.

The phenomenon where stars turned into suns in a short time still existed, while the original sun would become a star; the timing of their exchange was utterly random.

Jiang Yu speculated, "Could it be that the gravitational forces of the three stars attract each other, forming a relatively stable three-body motion, with the planet orbiting around the periphery of these three stars?"

"That's a distinct possibility!" Yang Dong said. "I don't have a deep understanding of the three-body problem, but I know it's an unsolved mathematical challenge. Up to now, there are only some special computational models.

"Stable three-body motions are extremely rare, but that doesn't mean they can't occur."

She paused before adding, "Unfortunately, there is no constant gravitational source between these three stars, so this stable operating model would start to develop towards instability the moment it forms.

"A stable motion will eventually fall apart completely; it's just a question of sooner or later."

Jiang Yu looked around at the happy officials, "This wave of civilization is indeed very lucky to have such a long Stable Era."

"The moment I knew about the Chaotic Era, I've been thinking how we have always taken the sun's rise for granted," Yang Dong lamented.

"But the sun is truly magnificent! For so many years, it has been steadily providing us with light and warmth.

"We should be grateful that we have such a stable environment to develop in."

Jiang Yu said with a laugh, "We should toast to the sun later."

Yang Dong smiled along and suddenly said, "Thank you."

Jiang Yu was taken aback.

Yang Dong continued on her own, "This trip to 'Three-Body' has been very shocking for me, and it allowed me to play the role of a savior. I really like that feeling."

At that moment, Jiang Yu heard in Yang Dong's words the hope for "life"; the girl had finally stepped out of the shadows of suicide.

Still, Jiang Yu felt he needed to remind her, "Not to rain on your parade, but once the three suns atop our heads actually disintegrate, 'Climate Air Conditioning' will be utterly useless."

Yang Dong nodded, "I am prepared for that."

"Brother Zilu, you speak amiss!" Zhuge Liang had, unbeknownst to them, been listening to their conversation, "With 'Climate Air Conditioning,' even if we enter the Chaotic Era, we can still cope with the complex climate environment!

"Previous civilizations had a huge misconception, we don't have to solve the three-body problem at all. We just need to solve the problems of our own planet, after all, that's within our capability!"

Jiang Yu didn't argue with him but picked up a drink about to take a sip, when suddenly he thought, "Why do I feel the cup in my hand has become lighter, and so have I?"

Could it be, could it be the legendary alignment of the three stars?

Jiang Yu hastily looked up at the sky, and in the blink of an eye, the stable three-body operating model had already fallen apart.

But the current celestial phenomenon was not the alignment of three stars!