Chapter 507: Education is a tool of domination (10,000-word chapter, please subscribe)
As the final battle in another world has entered its final stage, tens of thousands of players have ended their battles in the far north. After hunting in the land, they returned to Plantia Floating City one after another with all the valuable things they could bring.
Right now, this city floating in the sky is once again overcrowded.
You can see them gathering together in various hotels, taverns, squares, and shops to chat, brag, sell or buy weapons and equipment.
Ever since the elites of the first echelon were recruited by Shane VII, everyone knew that a brand new world would soon be opened to them.
Therefore, everyone is in high spirits and looking forward to a more intense, exciting and exciting adventure.
After all, in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, they have already tasted power and control over the lives and deaths of others, and experienced the joy of being able to change the world at will and reshape social structures, laws, and rules.
In reality, this is almost impossible to achieve unless the entire country collapses.
The most important thing is that for the first time, they, who were originally ordinary, got the opportunity to control their own destiny and that of others, and they were no longer the objects of fate.
As we all know, human happiness is based on the pain of others, and happiness is the sense of superiority obtained by comparing with those who are worse than oneself.
Although these so-called "players" are just tools created by Zuo Si to serve certain plans.
But they themselves don’t know this.
On the contrary, he believed that he was completely superior to the natives in terms of status and strength.
Compared with those fragile natives, players have the ability to infinitely resurrect and become stronger and a large amount of modern knowledge and technology.
As long as we unite, we are as powerful as gods.
Coupled with the continuous psychological suggestions and strong sense of superiority that create an addiction that can't be stopped, they will eventually invest almost all their time and energy in it.
Coupled with the rich reward mechanism and sense of achievement, Zuo Si has always believed that the player group can one day grow into a trump card that can surprise and win when encountering powerful enemies.
At this moment, he was standing in the brain pool of the shell ship inside the floating city, holding a planeswalker's spark in his hand, and asked the mastermind in the pool who had expanded countless times: " How about it, are you ready?"
"Yes, I have been ready for this day"
The mastermind gave a straightforward answer.
As an absolutely rational super-intelligent creature, she was far less excited and excited than Shane VII about getting a spark and becoming a planeswalker. On the contrary, she was very calm.
The reason is simple!
From the moment he got the promise, the mastermind knew very well that Zuo Si would not lie to him, so he started making preparations long ago.
Right now, she has transformed the entire shell ship into a part of her body by building a series of tentacles and psychic transmission systems.
The modified and upgraded mind flayers around them are more like cells, parasites or beneficial bacteria in the body.
As long as you lie down in a special cabin and mentally integrate with the master brain, you can use the power of sparks to complete the teleportation across time and space.
Of course, in addition to the mind flayers, the shell ship can also carry the player's soul and clone body training device, causing the fourth natural disaster in any time, space and even the universe.
"In that case, let's get started."
After saying that, Zuo Si decisively activated the planeswalker spark in his hand through resonance, and slowly controlled it to enter the central nervous system of the main brain. Then it is tightly bound to the soul within.
Because he had an experience before, he can be said to be familiar with the road now, and he completed the "transplantation" of the spark in a short time.
The reason why this word is used is because unlike the born planeswalkers, these planeswalkers who acquire the spark later in life seem to have some kind of flaw.
You may not be able to see it at ordinary times, but after entering the dark void, the sparks will become very unstable.
In other words, the man-made planeswalkers cannot stay in the dark void for a period of time with the protection of sparks like the natural planeswalkers.
Zuo Si still doesn't understand what is going on. Maybe Kahn, who once lost the spark that Urza gave him before his death during the process of repairing the time rift, will know something.
After all, this Silver Golem is the most well-known Acquired Planeswalker.
The mastermind waves its tentacles to feel the power of the sparks, and continuously converts spiritual energy and magic power into corresponding mana.
During this process, you can clearly see that the pipelines on the ground used for conduction are constantly emitting a silver or blue light.
There is no doubt that she is extracting the huge energy that was stored before.
As a hub connecting hundreds of thousands of players, the mastermind usually intercepts and stores about half of the magic, life, and spiritual energy obtained from player killings.
On the one hand, it is indeed cutting leeks and using players to strengthen itself;
On the other hand, it is also used as a reserve for extraordinary times to prevent a large-scale war from causing players to die one after another in a short period of time.
After all, every time a cloned body dies and energy is transferred, there will inevitably be some loss.
Although this part of the loss was converted into a game rule called "Death Punishment".
But the real situation is much more complicated.
For example, if the body is eroded by negative energy and appears "negative level", then if the player dies at this time, the master brain can only recycle and transfer a small part of the life energy into the new body, which is far lower than " "Death Punishment" category.
At this moment, it is necessary to call on reserve energy to make up for the intermediate losses.
Otherwise, players may suffer from psychological imbalance due to losing too much at once, or even give up on themselves and lose the motivation to work hard.
The entire interior of the shell ship is actually a huge biological energy storage based on psychic technology.
Now, the mastermind undoubtedly wants to extract part of it to strengthen the spark it just obtained.
About ten minutes later, after she achieved her intended goal, she said in a slightly undulating voice: "It turns out that this is the source of the planeswalker's power - the spark. It feels like Connected to infinite time, space and the universe through a layer of sticky gel. ”
Zuo Si sighed slightly: "Yes!
That layer of sticky gel is the dark void, the fault that separates different worlds in space and time.
For most people, it is Words are like impenetrable physical walls.
Only with the spark of the planeswalker, the wall will become a viscous substance that is barely traversable.
In my opinion, A spark is like a key.
It may not bring power as powerful as a god at once, but it can open up a future to infinite possibilities for the planeswalkers.
And this infinite possibility is the most important. ”
“Totally agree. But what I don't quite understand is...why would you give the power of sparks to others? Isn’t it good for one person to have it all to himself? ”
The mastermind’s tone was filled with strong uncertainty.
Because in her opinion, giving sparks to others will greatly increase various dangers.
< br>
Especially Xia En VII, although he is a good ally now, there is no guarantee that as he visits more and more time and space and his horizons become wider and wider, he will not have his own ideas.
Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, you are wrong.
No matter what, the premise of exclusivity is that you are strong enough to defeat all snoopers.
The problem is that I obviously don’t have such power yet, and I also urgently need many allies.
After all, what I paid was just a few planeswalker sparks.
That's nothing compared to gaining the power of an ancient planeswalker by replacing Nicol Bolas and winning the War of the Spark.
You must understand that our greatest enemy today is Nicol Bolas.
And he is the most powerful among all existing planeswalkers. He has the power to control, brainwash and transform gods. He can destroy ancient giants like Niv-Mizzet like crushing an ant. dragon.
In front of this guy, the only thing I can do is to win over as many allies as possible and prepare trump cards that may threaten him.
As long as the goal can be achieved, I am willing to cooperate with even suspicious guys like Spirit Dragon Wujin, let alone other people.
Whether it’s Shining Oil and Mirrodin’s New Phyrexia, or the demon army in the ninth level of Baator Hell, or the player group cultivated in the floating city world, and the cooperation with the gods of Faerûn...
All these preparations are ultimately aimed at replacing Nicol Bolas and completing the War of the Spark.
In fact, if your other half, Isadora, wasn't so crazy, I would even give her a spark to become a planeswalker too. "
"Is Nicol Bolas really as powerful as you say? ”
The mastermind obviously doesn’t believe it.
Zuo Si explained patiently: "Believe me, he is a thousand or ten thousand times more terrifying than you think.
So far, I know that he was destroyed by Nicol Bolas. There are no less than two to three hundred times and spaces that have been destroyed to the point of collapse.
There are many worlds that have given birth to powerful gods.
If you want to compare it with the universe where Toril lives. I think that except for a few gods who cannot be described in specific words and the will of the abyss, there may be only the most powerful divine power that can compare with it.
At least in Faerûn, I have not seen any gods who can. Brainwash and control other gods for a long time, and transform them into mummy undead forms after death.
Coupled with more than 24,000 years of accumulation of knowledge, power, and experience, as well as the innate power of the elder dragons and the spark of the first generation of planeswalkers, Nicol Bolas is definitely the most dangerous enemy.
Otherwise, why do you think I have made so many plans to explore and invade other time and space?
Just for fun?
No!
All the worlds on these lists may pose a threat to the old dragon, or they may greatly increase my power.
Taking the time and space that Shane VII currently lives in, the so-called origin magic is most likely some kind of authority and key to control the core power of the world.
If we assume that all players who have traveled through time and the world props they possess were created by the Dragon Emperor through Origin Magic, then does it become much more reasonable that the two can cancel each other out?
So I think that Origin Magic is equivalent to the authority given to individuals by the will of the entire world to change the rules.
This is not much different from the time and space of Zendikar, where the awakened will of the planet chose to grant authority to the elf planeswalker Nissa.
Perhaps the Dragon Emperor keeps creating players because he hopes to kill all other similar people who may have mastery of the original magic, so that he can monopolize this power and eventually become an unrivaled god.
If I can figure out the secret, I can use the authority brought by the land card to use Origin Magic to restrict and weaken Nicol Bolas in the final battle.
If that doesn't work, trying to swallow the entire world's mana is also a good choice. "
"Okay, I think I understand what you mean. ”
After understanding the danger of Nicol Bolas, the mastermind quickly realized that no one can be too cautious in dealing with such an enemy.
After all, light is a person who is not affected by space and The powerful divine power of being able to reach wherever you want to go instantly is quite terrifying despite the limitations of belief.
"I will be keeping an eye on the Son of Baal's movements in Faerûn recently, and I'll leave it to you in the New World. Remember to keep your diary and don't let him do anything too outrageous."
After that, Zuo Si used teleportation magic and disappeared.
As soon as he walked away with his front legs, Isadora caught the scent and chased after him. She stood next to the brain pool and asked, "Has Soth been here just now?"
"Well, yes. , he gave me a spark. Now, like him, I am a planeswalker who can travel in different time and space at will."
The mastermind did not try to hide anything, and told the truth openly.
After all, they are all different personality fragments split from one consciousness, and they still retain some kind of indescribable spiritual connection with each other.
"What? Give it to you! What about mine?"
Isadora pointed to her nose with an unconvinced look.
In her opinion, if you want to give something, you should give it to yourself first. How can you give it to the mastermind, a guy who doesn't even have a "human appearance"?
Could it be that Zuo Si has some unknown XP and likes this kind of weird-looking alternative non-human creature?
Isn’t that right?
Based on several previous tests, Zuo Siming should be Furikong who likes the combination of humans and animals.
The girl frowned and fell into deep thought.
As the absolutely rational side, the mastermind ignored Isadora's nonsense and jealousy, and replied in a tone without any emotion: "Because in Soth's view, I inherited the rational part, It is much more reliable than you who act purely on emotion
He cannot judge and predict what you will do after getting the spark, so he will naturally not choose you.
If you also want to get your own spark, you must learn self-restraint from now on.
Especially those crazy thoughts in my mind that are completely opposite to normal people.
If you maintain a stable mental state for a period of time, then he will naturally take you into consideration. "
"Damn! Don't tell me you chose to become the Mastermind just for this day. ”
Isadora glared at the other party angrily.
She can even be jealous of the fragments of her separated personality. It is estimated that only someone with an abnormal brain circuit and mental state like her can do it.
The mastermind responded casually: "I said that I would become the most useful tool around Soth and help him until the end of his life. This was also what you had in mind at the time. Now I have done it. , you should be happy.”
Instantly!
Isadora was speechless, with an annoyed expression on her face, and immediately turned around and left without looking back.
Because she knew that with the loss of her absolutely rational personality, it was almost impossible for her to maintain self-restraint.
In other words, her self-control has long since completely disappeared as her rational personality was stripped away.
Now whenever I have any thoughts or ideas in my mind, my first reaction is to put them into practical action, and I can't control myself at all.
When the girl returned to her room, the first thing she saw was dozens of dolls and pillows of various sizes that filled the entire room and were created with psychic powers.
Of course, as expected, these dolls and pillows all have portraits or cartoon-like patterns of Zuo Si.
Isadora jumped directly and jumped into the dolls and pillows placed on the bed. She kept rubbing them here and there, acting coquettishly, and mumbling in a language that no one else could understand, as if she was venting her anger. mood.
But soon, she got rid of her previous state, stood up and stared at herself in the huge mirror, and started talking to herself like a madman and a psychopath.
It is estimated that if someone who doesn’t know the inside story happens to pass by and see it, they will be scared to death.
But for a psychic, this is obviously nothing at all. He is just debating with the new personality fragments that he split off, so as to better explore the spiritual power contained in his self-awareness.
......
At the same time, Zuo Si, who had just returned to the Calimport Palace, happened to hear several cabinet members arguing about universal basic education.
As Chancellor, Shaud Tarovan has no point of view of his own and is just a ruthless execution machine.
No matter what order the emperor gives, he will execute it without hesitation.
In contrast, Vera, who was appointed as Finance Minister, believes that universal basic education is a complete waste of money, time and energy.
Rich people will naturally send their children to receive education. Even if poor people without money receive basic education, it will be of little use. It will be difficult for them to complete a class jump with that little knowledge.
With this effort, it would be better to build more water conservancy and irrigation facilities and build a few roads.
The most important thing is that this thing is too expensive.
Just the free textbooks, lunch and salary paid to the teachers made Vera feel extremely painful.
On the opposite side is the Minister of Culture and Education, who was born in a local college in Calimport. He feels that free compulsory education will definitely bring more benefits than disadvantages to the entire empire.
Although you won’t see any results in a short period of time, as long as you persist, sooner or later, quantitative changes will lead to qualitative changes.
The remaining ministers who were qualified to attend also stood in line to express their views.
If you look closely, you will find that this kind of political alignment is actually very interesting.
Most of the senior bureaucrats from Amn in the north chose to support Vera, while those from the Kalingshan civil service system in the south supported the Minister of Culture and Education.
The former represents the way of thinking of typical capital and business groups, which is the pursuit of short-term and quick investment returns.
In their eyes, a plan like education that attracts crazy money but has no benefits is a pure money-losing product, and it is not worth throwing a gold coin into it.
The latter represents the typical way of thinking of professional scholars. They do not care about the benefits, but analyze the pros and cons from the perspective of whether it will contribute to the development of the entire country.
As long as the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then they will choose to support it, no matter how much money they spend.
There is no doubt that although the West Coast Empire has only been established recently, it already has two political factions.
As for the generation from Baldur's Gate to Dragon Coast, because it was too fragmented and purged before, it was impossible to form any political force in a short period of time.
The nobles of the Tethyr Kingdom also suffered a devastating disaster and had no political voice.
As for the military, it is not qualified to participate in internal affairs discussions.
As a modern man, Zuo Si had a very clear understanding of the fact that the army was not allowed to do business or interfere in politics.
When he walked into the conference hall from the outside, the two groups of people arguing fiercely finally stopped. Shaud Talovan immediately took the lead and stood up, bowed, and said with a slightly wry smile: "Your Majesty, you came just in time. Just now, the cabinet members were arguing over whether to popularize basic education on a large scale. Please come and get it in person. An idea.”
“What’s so controversial about this? Don’t you understand why I want to popularize basic education?”
< br>Zuo Si glanced at everyone present calmly.
"Um... Isn't it to give those poor people who cannot afford to study a chance to receive education, and at the same time open up access to the middle and upper class society?" Vera asked cautiously.
Zuo Si nodded first, then shook his head: "Yes, and no.
Don't you think that I would be so kind just to let the poor have a better life? In the future, just throw in millions of gold coins every year for no reason?
Education is actually a tool of governance, and it is also the glue that condenses social consensus, values and identity.
< br>In my opinion, all the people in this world are like a tree
If you don't take care of it under normal circumstances, it will grow freely and wildly.
It may be lush and leafy, or it may be thin and yellow due to insufficient water and soil fertility, and it may be infested by diseases and insect pests.
Just like a person may become a serf, a herdsman, a hunter, a lumberjack, a criminal, a cultist, or simply die suddenly.
Many accidental factors will play an important role in this.
Education is like a gardener, who will prune off excess branches, fertilize and water regularly to eliminate diseases and insect pests, so that all trees tend to be close to each other.
Simply put, it is to minimize the role of accidental factors.
If you still don’t understand, please stand up and look out the window at the neat and pleasing gardens in the palace garden.
That is for the purpose of popularizing basic education.
As a powerful empire that will cover the entire west coast of Faerûn in the future, our rule will inevitably accommodate different races, cultures, thoughts, and values.
These are all potential sources of division, unrest and hatred.
In order to eliminate these effects, education becomes the only means.
Think about it, when the next generation of the entire country has received free and compulsory education and established common values, thoughts and identity in the learning process, who else can shake the foundation of the empire?
In addition, we can also list in the textbook some places where the empire is better than other countries, such as its huge territory, developed transportation system and the most prosperous business, as well as its clean and efficient bureaucracy. .
In this way, after the students graduate, they will be proud of their identity as citizens of the empire and proud of their achievements for the empire.
They will spread it around subconsciously and influence more people.
This spiritual aspect creates powerful cohesion over time.
After everyone within the territory accepts this value, the entire West Coast will be completely condensed into a complete entity.
Even if the empire is destroyed hundreds or even thousands of years later, countless people will still stand up and try to restore its glory.
And we who have established this education system and consensus will surely be remembered by history and future generations.
So investing in education is not just to make more people literate, know simple mathematical calculations, and learn various professional knowledge by themselves when needed.
Its true intention is to create a soul that is different from any other city-state or even country in Faerûn.
What's more, we can also set up professional education on the basis of basic education to provide scarce talents for all walks of life. ”
As these words blurted out, everyone present opened their eyes in shock.
Especially Vera, who had been strongly opposed before, her eyes were full of admiration and fanatical worship. .
Because she understands that if she can do this by investing several million gold coins every year, then this investment will definitely be a big profit.
The Minister of Culture and Education, who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, even bent down and bowed deeply, and said in an excited voice: "Your Majesty, the Supreme Emperor!"
Please allow me to transcend the times for you. Applaud for your vision and planning!
You are undoubtedly the best ruler in the world!
Under your leadership, the West Coast Empire will usher in unprecedented prosperity and glory! !
I am willing to devote the rest of my life to education, hoping to see a little dawn before I die. ”
"Thanks for the compliment, I also hope that this day can come soon."
Zuo Si patted the old man's shoulder encouragingly.
He has always liked this kind of pure scholar who has no interests and only wants to realize his own self-worth.
In today’s bureaucracy, the proportion of such people is not low.
Vera also came back to her senses at this moment, with a look of shame on her face, and she lowered her head proactively: "Sorry, Your Majesty, I am too superficial and stupid to understand your investment in education. ”
Zuo Si smiled and waved his hand: "No, you don't have to apologize.
As the finance minister, it is your duty to resist every unnecessary expenditure.
I don't think you have anything to do with it. Wrong, I think you are quite conscientious.
Well, the debate about universal basic education is over.
If there is nothing else, you can continue your work. .”
Watching Zuo Si's figure disappear at the end of the corridor leading to the depths of the palace, Shawde Tarovin relaxed his tense nerves and joked in a half-joking tone: "Everyone, I believe you all should know by now that we are loyal. What a great monarch, right?
If you don’t want to lose your current position, you’d better be serious about your work and don’t play tricks.
After all, you are here. There are countless people behind me staring at every available chair in the Cabinet.
Now, let's discuss the plan to build public schools in various towns.
This is not an easy job.
Although we have established one or two schools in many cities. "
"In terms of finance, based on the current tax scale, we can allocate a special fund of almost 3.6 million gold coins. "
Vera glanced at the account book in her hand and quickly gave an accurate number.
The Minister of Culture and Education hurriedly checked the number of towns and immediately nodded with a smile: "Thank you very much. ! As a first-stage start-up capital, I think this money is enough. "
" The ugly thing is, I have to send someone to verify the whereabouts of every copper coin of this money. You'd better watch the people under you closely. If there is corruption or you don't know where the money is spent, you should know the consequences best. ”
Vera raised her head and issued a serious warning.
"Don't worry! If anyone dares to stretch out his hand, I will not be the first to spare him."
......
Just when the senior cabinet officials decided on the size of the entire empire through a meeting When it was a small matter, Zuo Si had already returned to the mage tower in Askatra through the portal.
The succubus Loli Atona, who had been waiting here for a long time, immediately jumped up and hugged his neck, kissed him hard on the cheek, and then reported enthusiastically: "Master! Viconia I just received information that Irenekas will complete all the experiments soon. She asked me to ask you if you can enter the next stage?"
"Of course! Tell Viconia to just get Aberdare and his party to Ascatella through the portal."
Zuo Si casually put the little guy in his arms on the ground and stroked it gently. Touching her silky long hair and the curved horns on her forehead.
The succubus loli obviously liked this kind of intimate interaction very much. She squinted her eyes and put on an expression of great enjoyment. At the same time, she did not forget to continue reporting: "Except for Viconia, the blazing god The servant Midona also came back two days ago.
She has sorted out the Druid sects in most of the forests in the empire.
Everyone who believes in Silvanus. None of the extremist sects were spared, and the rest basically either chose to convert or were expelled
Now there is only the Wildas Forest, where elves are entrenched, which is not convenient to do anything about. ”
“How did the sects of nature gods react? "
Zuo Si touched his chin and asked thoughtfully.
"There is no response for the time being.
After all, the Druids' concept of restricting the development of towns and villages to protect nature is not in the interest of most people.
After learning the news, many people clapped their hands.
Especially for professions such as hunters, woodcutters, and lumberjacks, they wish that all the druids would die and be brought down.
Because of the disappearance of these Druids, the logging industry in many towns became prosperous again.
After all, since the invention of the propeller magic thruster, the shipyard's orders have been almost always scheduled for two years.
So they urgently needed a lot of wood and steel to build new ships. ”
Succubus Loli shook out all the information she had collected.
You must know that she has countless "licking dogs" in the city of Ascatla, and she can easily obtain all kinds of information from each other's mouths.
This information network does not require money to maintain at all, and in turn can provide a variety of luxurious enjoyment and valuable gifts.
"Well, it seems that I have overestimated the power of those natural gods and their churches in the mortal world."
Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders with a relaxed expression.
He originally thought that his behavior would trigger a series of chain reactions.
But who would have thought that Silvanus, the father of the oak tree, would completely ignore it and allow his faith to completely disappear in the southern part of the west coast.
In this case, we can then carry out drastic and large-scale transformation of the climate, natural environment and terrain.
After all, looking at the continent of Faerûn from a modern perspective, there is no need to protect any bullshit nature in this place.
After leaving the towns and villages, what you can see at a glance are endless forests, grasslands, mountains and wilderness. The best proof is those monsters and beasts that cannot be killed no matter what.
Zuo Si's goal is simple. First, eradicate the Cloak Forest, Sharptooth Forest near Baldur's Gate, and the Viper Forest south of the Green Fields.
In this way, a large and continuous fertile plain will appear north of the Yunwu Mountains.
As long as the Chongsa River and the rivers and lakes in the Amn region are well utilized, this place will become a huge granary.
Standing on the high tower, Zuo Si and Succubus Loli condescendingly admired the completely new scenery of the entire Gold Coin City.
With the proposal of urban planning and reconstruction plans, Ascaltra has now demolished its original city walls and begun to expand and extend outwards.
The original urban areas are also undergoing intensive construction. Old buildings are constantly being demolished, and new and taller buildings are rising from the ground. At a glance, it looks like a huge construction site.
Through these demolitions and reconstructions, the originally narrow roads in the city have been significantly widened, and there are also green belts and street lights with eternal fireworks on both sides.
When night falls, the whole city is shrouded in ample light.
Those small vendors who had to close their stalls and go home after dark now gather in groups under street lights to sell their goods and snacks to pedestrians.
Many civilians who have no nightlife habits are now beginning to enjoy the life changes brought about by the spread of magic and technology.
The prosperous terminal has adopted a new management method, which is not only efficient but can also accommodate more ships.
Sailors from all over the world gathered in taverns and special service venues, loudly praising this port city, which in their opinion is the most prosperous, lively, safest and most opportunity-rich port city in the world.
The workers in the shipyard also worked in three shifts, striving to ensure that the ships in each dock were being built at full capacity. To this end, the owner of the shipyard did not hesitate to significantly increase the wages of the workers. .
No way, there are just so many orders now, the faster we build them, the more we make.
Not to mention raising wages for workers, some bosses even spend a lot of money to hire mages for help, just to dehydrate the wood and dry it faster.
Although with the intervention of the Gond Church and the Inventors' Association, several shipyards in the empire have the technology to use steel frames to build keels.
But the hull still needs to continue to use traditional wooden boards.
The only thing that makes the shipyard bosses happy is that the great Emperor Soth cleared the druids from the two forests near Baldur's Gate and also opened a permit for destructive logging.
Therefore, there is no shortage of wood supply for the time being.
And since the advent of steel frame keel technology, the size and length of ships have also increased significantly.
In the past, ships of two to three hundred tons could be considered large ships, and only a handful of shipyards that mastered key technologies could build them.
But now, after expanding the dock, one can easily build a thousand-ton shipping vessel.
This was simply unimaginable before.
In addition to the shipyards, a large number of workshops, mills, blacksmith shops, oil presses, etc. in the city's industrial areas also use hydraulic machinery, and their output can surpass their counterparts in other places by several times.
There is no doubt that Askatra is the first city in Faerûn that is developing in the modern direction of Earth.
In some places, tall chimneys were even erected, and large amounts of black smoke came out of them.
Although some of the physical and chemical rules of this world are very different from those of the earth, the fact that coal can be used to boil water to provide power is still the same.
Inspired by Gond, the god of craftsmanship and craftsmanship, the primitive steam engine has apparently been invented.
However, due to its high cost and frequent failure, it can only be used as an experimental toy for the time being and is still far from being put into mass production.
“Master, are you really a big devil?”
Succubus Loli suddenly raised her head and asked.
Zuo Si raised his eyebrows and asked: "What makes you doubt my identity?"
Atona pointed to the prosperous scene outside and said: "Because you are letting The lives of these mortals are getting better and better. This does not seem like what an evil devil should do."
Hearing this, Zuo Si couldn't help laughing immediately: "Hahahaha! No, my little cutie, you seem to have misunderstood something. Why do you think I have to work hard to improve the quality of life of these mortals and give them strong expectations for the future?"
"Hmm - I don't know. .”
Succubus Loli thought for a moment and then shook her head.
“Then you should know that the number of souls born in a world depends on the total population, right?
For hell devils, souls are the most important resources and power. Source.
So the better the mortals live, the more children they have, and the population density of this world is maximized, the better it is for me
And the higher the quality of life can be. The more rewards obtained through labor, the easier it is for mortals to be tempted by instinct and desire to fall.
Therefore, whether it is to provide a better living environment to increase the population, or to allow mortals to obtain more rewards and continue to fall under temptation, it is ultimately to achieve the goal of obtaining souls.
You can understand that I am playing the long game to catch the big fish.
In addition, population growth is also a good thing for many gods, who can enhance their divine power through faith.
This also means that I have also won some powerful allies through this process.
Real evil is not as bloody, cruel and terrifying as you imagine.
Rather, it should be like the gentle breeze of spring, quietly changing a person's thoughts, consciousness and cognition.
In this process, mortals should not be in pain, but should be happy.
Only in this way can this evil penetrate into their bone marrow and even their souls and continue to exist. "
Zuo Si taught the succubus loli a lesson in a persuasive way.
"That's it! ”
Atona's eyes burst out with bright light, and she seemed to have had an epiphany, frantically digesting the information.
Although she is essentially a demon, she gradually developed into a lawful evil demon under Zuo Si's training.
In this way, after instilling some thoughts and ideas into the succubus Loli, Zuo Si returned to his room and began to prepare to welcome Aberdare and his party.
Because he knew that once this group of people escaped, they would definitely choose to come to him as soon as possible.
(End of this chapter)