This was originally an unremarkable day, but for the people of the South Asian subcontinent, it was a day that would decide their future destiny.
Today, all seven countries of the South Asia Alliance were holding a referendum.
Decisions were to be made on two matters.
The first was whether to dissolve the South Asia Alliance; the second was whether each country would join the Asia-Pacific Community family.
The answers seemed obvious, as public opinion and the people’s sentiments in the seven countries had a clear direction.
Only the Indi Kingdom posed some variables.
The attention of the entire Earth was drawn here. To demonstrate transparency, even before the referendum started, the seven countries had invited global journalists to stay and livestream the conditions in each country, city, and locality on the internet.
In the Asia-Pacific Community, people were also constantly watching.
Ji Xinghuo was not cultivating today. Instead, he was at the villa with his family and Zhao Manying to watch the referendum process and await the results.
Last night, he had already implanted the second Magnetic Star Seed and begun to condense its shell.
With experience gained and due to the Magnetic Star Seed’s effect of increasing cultivation speed by 10%, the efficiency of forming the second star seed’s shell was much faster.
It was expected to be completed within a month.
As the number of Magnetic Star Seeds increases, subsequent construction of Elemental Magnetic Array nodes would be faster.
"If every node were like electromagnetic polarization, transplanted with abilities, I would immediately reach the star seed limit, and at most, it would only take me three years to reach the Sixth Rank Peak and then challenge the Shepherd Star Saint."
"But that’s impossible."
"The effects of other abilities don’t match electromagnetic polarization; even the Ancestor Dragon Vein might be lacking."
"However, even so, with the quality and level of my abilities, it shouldn’t take long to cultivate."
Ji Xinghuo was lost in thought.
Zhao Manying noticed his state of mind and asked with concern, "Xinghuo, what are you thinking about?"
Everyone turned their heads to him upon hearing this.
Ji Xinghuo replied honestly.
"Such a major news event, and you can still get distracted, Third Brother?" Liangqiu Feiyan pouted. "No wonder I said several things to you, and you didn’t respond." Since deciding to pursue a career in music, she had become busy, often away from home, but no matter how far she was, she would return for family gatherings if Ji Xinghuo was present.
Ji Xinghuo glanced at the voting data on the screen, "What major event? The result is destined."
"Huh?" Wang Zizhen was somewhat surprised, "Aren’t you afraid of unexpected events?"
"You have to trust the leader’s capability."
Ji Xinghuo said meaningfully.
Today’s South Asian seven nations’ referendum was the result of years of planning by the leader, and now it was just following a process.
If he couldn’t even handle this, the leader wouldn’t have achieved his current accomplishments and status.
"Among the South Asian seven countries, six are not problematic." Ye Dongyun interjected, "The only uncertainty is the Indi Kingdom, as too many of their citizens have been deeply indoctrinated by the Brahma King’s religious brainwashing, and hatred education for years, which can’t be resolved in a short time."
If it were in the past, this indeed would be an unsolvable problem, requiring two generations or even more time to influence and then correct.
But now it’s the 23rd century.
This is a world ruled by superpowers, where the mind’s power is no longer elusive, but genuinely capable of interfering with human thoughts.
Coupled with the ubiquitous, pervasive internet, information bombardment, public opinion control, and intense propaganda, even the most obstinate minds can be pried open, minds shaped like a dough kneaded as needed.
What superpower rulers can achieve with high-tech support is beyond common imagination.
Here’s a straightforward example.
On the day of the Brahma King’s death, when the Indi Kingdom was under the Asia-Pacific Community’s real control, they immediately cut off the national internet, requiring that every Indian, to regain network access from that evening, must watch a video exposing the Brahma King’s crimes.
Skipping or fast-forwarding was not allowed, and artificial intelligence confirmed viewers were present for it to count as effective viewing time.
After watching, they had to take an exam, and only those passing were allowed network access.
On the following day, to use the internet again, they had to continue watching videos, with different content that not only exposed the Brahma King’s crimes but also included national future development plans and commitments that could even sway the most steadfast individuals.
The internet had long infiltrated every corner of human life; in cities, it’s nearly impossible to live without it.
Even if some stubbornly refused to go online, reality was filled with the same propaganda.
And that was only one method.
There were also more governance policies, influencing all aspects of human activities, combining reward and punishment. The most stubborn diehards, if found guilty, would be tried and physically eliminated, while the innocent would be dealt with by Mind Hackers.
In the end, the effect was significant.
The most crucial aspect was that the Brahma King indeed committed unspeakable atrocities, and any sane person, once aware of the truth, would change their views.
The people of the Indi Kingdom had been oppressed for far too long!
In the 23rd century, the Asia-Pacific Community was the beacon of hope for all humankind, even during the Brahma King’s rule. Many of the lower-class people in the Indi Kingdom and other South Asian countries longed for freedom from their regime.
No one could prevent people from longing for a better life, and the people would cast their votes with their actual actions.
Of course, when mentioning the Indi Kingdom domestically within the Asia-Pacific Community, only the positive side was mentioned, and the methods used to reform the minds of the Indians were not necessary for everyone to know about.