Thinking this way, Fang Ze couldn't help but rub his face, trying to clear his mind a bit before beginning to analyze this matter that had given him goosebumps upon hearing it.
Firstly, are the nobles even human?
Whether it was from his interactions with Bai Zhi, Lady Jin, or Jiang Cheng, Fang Ze was almost certain they were human.
Furthermore, based on the official history of this world that Fang Ze had specifically researched, and some internal documents from the Security Bureau, he wasn't sure about nobles from other states, but the three first-generation nobles from Xida State were definitely human.
Before they became nobles, they were originally humans of Xida Country—the Queen from the Jiang Family, the Prime Minister from the Bai Family, and... an obscure soldier from the Si Family.
Had there been only the Jiang and Bai Families, one could speculate that the ruling class of the country wasn't human and that humans were being ruled by an alien race, all part of a conspiracy. However, the emergence of the Si Family proved that these first-generation nobles were most likely human before they became nobles.
In that case, this contradicted what Jiang Cheng had said: "Nobles are not human."
If both conditions held true, then there was only one possibility: these 102 first-generation nobles were no longer considered human after they had become demigods!
Moreover, it's highly probable that once one reached enlightenment, their entire lineage ascended, their descendants all transcending their species to become a different "identity" from humans.
This "identity" could be a literal elevation in terms of "species", defined by the World Origin, or possibly a "status" given by "enemies"—or both.
Even more so, Fang Ze had recently ventured a bold guess: could "demigods" refer not merely to a realm but to an "evolved" species?
No matter the race, upon reaching this realm, they would become a completely new species. So in fact... compared to humans, the Human Race's demigods might be closer to those Outer Realm demigods!
Next, how exactly were the Human Race demigods born!
This matter also terrified Fang Ze deeply when he pondered it!
If the Human Race demigods were born one by one, over time, one might say it was a realm achievable by everyone. But there were no Human Race demigods before the federation was established, and there were none after, either—the 102 nobles were all born collectively right in the few years the federation was established!
Add to that, the nobles had bloodlines of Outer Realm demigods.
And the federation has always been secretive about the events during the time it was established.
Fang Ze suspected... the birth of the Human Race demigods might be a massive conspiracy, likely a disastrous one with no winners!
With this in mind, Fang Ze poured himself a glass of water, quietly analyzing,
"The nobles were born during the federation's establishment, and since the nobles are connected to the demigods, it's likely that the disaster fifty years ago was a collective invasion by the demigods."
"From what I've seen of the nobles in Xida State, those who became nobles were certainly the most distinguished and powerful people of that time."
"Could it be that although the Human Race had no demigods at the time, they managed to barely fend off the demigods' invasion with the help of Spirit Realm Mountain? Frustrated by their prolonged unsuccessful assault, the demigods decided to either bribe the most distinguished humans or laid down a conspiracy to assimilate them: for instance... secretly releasing the method to ascend to demigod status and convincing humans that to defeat the demigods, they needed to have their own demigods!"
"Thus, the Human Race's decision-makers were either bought off or duped by this plan, and those 102 individuals ultimately became demigods!"
"After becoming demigods, however, they were shocked to find they were no longer considered human, having become Outer Realm demigods, either mutated or assimilated."
Thinking this, Fang Ze frowned slightly in contemplation.
Given that the federation was established and has continuously been under the control of the Commoner Faction, and considering the faction's contentious attitude towards the Nobility Faction, he felt it more likely they were "deceived" rather than "bought."
That is to say, the situation for the Human Race back then was likely terribly dire. After discovering the trap, though suspicious, they eventually decided to take a risk and try it.
So, some people from the leadership stepped forward to take the risk of the experiment and fell into the trap. That was where the Human Race had miscalculated.
But why did Fang Ze feel that the demigods also miscalculated? Because... as it turned out, none of those 102 individuals had ended up as insiders for the Outer Realm demigods, as the latter had hoped.
The 102 Human Race demigods ultimately chose to "betray their own kind," supporting the Human Race and fighting for them.
This might be because they were exceptionally noble, or perhaps because, despite becoming demigods, they still had hearts of humans, or possibly because... even though they had transcended, their descendants and families were still in the federation's hands...
In the end, the demigods failed in their plan and were even less able to invade the human world shortly after.
But humans didn't win either because a seed of trouble was planted, the explosion of which nobody could predict!
After all, a people not of our kind surely have different hearts.
Having become demigods, the Human Race demigods and their descendants wouldn't be affected even if the Outer Realm demigods invaded the Real World; no one knows how long their original loyalty could last.