Just as the room was deeply divided over whether to evacuate, Jason suddenly realized something. He looked directly at Cole, the alien diplomat sitting in the corner.
"I have a question for you. In the grand scale of the universe, are Gaia entities that have developed true self-awareness extremely rare? Can they be artificially cultivated in a lab?"
Cole was stunned. He was still trembling from the rising panic, but wasn't Jason's question completely obvious? If a Gaia entity could be mass-produced, it wouldn't be infinitely valuable. It would just be a standard resource for any advanced alien civilization.
Forcing himself to speak, he stammered, "Yes... yes. A self-aware Gaia entity is entirely the product of cosmic coincidence. It is exceptionally difficult to replicate naturally, let alone artificially..."
How humiliating! My voice is shaking! Cole pinched his own thigh hard, making himself flinch. The sharp pain grounded him, and his speech became much more fluent.
