Lu Shengshou was visibly excited—Dwarves have a particular obsession with craftsmanship and engineering.
The citizens of the Huaxia Empire, watching through the Soul Vision Machines, smiled at the sight of Lu Shengshou's enthusiasm.
However, inside the grand hall of the palace, no one was smiling. Instead, their expressions were serious as they pondered over everything they had just witnessed. They were well aware of the significant changes happening within the territories controlled by the Huaxia Empire.
Once the transportation systems that the emperor mentioned were fully established, the entire empire would undergo a qualitative leap.
To them, if the Huaxia Empire had been slowly progressing before, it was now equipped with four strong legs and poised to sprint rapidly into the future.
As the benefits of these innovations became increasingly apparent, other forces in the world might try to imitate them.
However, the methods for crafting the soul cars, soul trains, soul ships, and soul cloudships were all controlled by the Ministry of Fireworks.
Other forces or regions that wanted to emulate the Huaxia Empire's transportation systems would need these four giant soul tools.
But crafting them wasn't an easy task. Even the Huaxia Empire's Ministry of Engineering on Fantasy Star, working under Lin Qian's orders and in collaboration with the Ministry of Fireworks, had expended enormous effort to develop these tools.
It could be said that all the resources of both the Ministry of Engineering and the Ministry of Fireworks had been devoted to this project for over a year.
Even so, they encountered countless failures before succeeding.
What seemed simple on the surface was, in reality, extremely complex. Hundreds of formations had to work in perfect harmony, which was no easy feat.
Moreover, the materials used in crafting these tools had to be compatible with the formations, and the routes they traveled on needed to be covered with corresponding formations.
Only the Huaxia Empire's Huaxia Realm Formation, which enveloped all its territories, could achieve this. Most other forces relied on tangible formations, which required immense soul power consumption to maintain their protective barriers.
The Huaxia Realm Formation, on the other hand, was intangible and didn't rely on a protective barrier. Instead, it enhanced the strength of all Huaxia citizens, including the Imperial Army, and supported the soul cannons deployed throughout the empire.
As a result, the Huaxia Realm Formation could draw upon the surrounding spiritual energy to sustain itself, reducing consumption and allowing it to cover the entire empire.
Without the ability to do this, other forces would struggle to control soul cars, soul trains, soul cloudships, and soul ships effectively. Imitation would be limited to form, without capturing the essence.
"Aside from that, there is another crucial matter—the establishment of the academies," Lin Qian announced.
"The academies will be divided into five levels: preschool, primary, middle, high, and university. Attendance at preschool, primary, and middle school will be mandatory for all school-age children of the Huaxia Empire."
When Lin Qian spoke about the academies, his tone was very stern.
For the Huaxia Empire to achieve overall advancement and universal evolution, it was essential to implement universal education, ensuring that every child received an education.
This way, no promising talent would be overlooked, and even ordinary children would acquire the skills they needed for a better future.
"Knowledge changes fate"—this saying held true in this world, and Lin Qian believed in its validity.
As he looked at the prominent officials from the sixty-one provinces of the Huaxia Empire, deep in thought and absorbing his words, Lin Qian felt a deep sense of pride.
His subordinates were no fools, and Lin Qian was beginning to truly love this world.
Being an emperor in a different world was incredibly fulfilling, satisfying every aspect of his desire for development and nurturing.
In his previous life, he was just a gamer, despite the open-ended nature of the game he played, there were still limitations—at least, he didn't have them now.
He was also very different from emperors in his past life's history because this was a different world, allowing him to build his empire as he pleased.
At least he didn't have to worry about his officials rebelling, as they had all sworn inner demon oaths. Combined with his Emperor's Dominance talent, any thoughts of rebellion would lead to sudden death.
Moreover, this world was filled with various races, each with their unique talents. If he could harness these talents, it would only raise the ceiling of the Huaxia Empire's potential, making the empire stronger.
Everything was aimed at greater strength—this was Lin Qian's pursuit.
After Lin Qian finished issuing his orders, it was time for the officials in the Huaxia Palace to report on the events of the past year.
"Your Majesty, during the past year, Bright Silver Province has been peaceful, and the output of Bright Silver spiritual ore has tripled," reported the governor of Bright Silver Province, the first to stand and inform Lin Qian of the recent developments.
"Following the recommendations from the Ministry of Engineering, the division of labor and shift policies, combined with improved treatment, have significantly enhanced efficiency."
"The production of spiritual herbs in Fertile Soil Province has also quadrupled. The pesticides developed by the Ministry of Engineering and the Department of Medicine have been highly effective."
Nearly every province brought good news, even the Southern Nine Provinces of the Southern Region, where the recovery of spiritual energy over the past six months had been remarkably fast.
Due to its vast size, the governance of the Ancient Spirit Continent was shared among Wang Qiongxing, Redhorn Clan's Bade, Blackhorn Clan's Shen Qi, Dwarf Clan's Lu Shengshou, and Lingti Clan's Ling Jiu.
Encouraged by Lin Qian's approving gaze, the five of them rose one by one and reported the successes of the Ancient Spirit Continent.
Rather than reporting to Lin Qian, it was more like reporting to the entire Huaxia Empire, informing all Huaxia citizens.
This allowed every Huaxia citizen to understand what had transpired in the empire over the past year and what changes to expect in the future.
Only by keeping them informed could the people remain confident, ensuring that their lives would continue to improve.
After discussing the state of the Huaxia Empire, Lin Qian's eyes began to show a chilling intent. "Now, let's return to the matter of Yuheng Jiang Kingdom."
As soon as Yuheng Jiang Kingdom was mentioned, the atmosphere in the Huaxia Palace grew much tenser, especially for the governor of Qingshui Province, whose expression darkened considerably.
After all, Yuheng Jiang Kingdom had targeted the province under his jurisdiction.
At that moment, the formations within the Huaxia Palace activated, projecting a map of the entire Southern Region.
On the map, the territories of the Huaxia Empire, Yuheng Jiang Kingdom, Kuanglang Sect, and Guiyuan Valley were highlighted, along with the other forces that lay between them.
As they gazed at the map, everyone knew that Lin Qian was preparing to take action against Yuheng Jiang Kingdom.
However, they were unsure how their Emperor Ren Wu would approach dealing with their enemies.
After all, it wasn't just Yuheng Jiang Kingdom that had their eyes on the Huaxia Empire; Kuanglang Sect, Guiyuan Valley, and three elders from Double Extremes Hall, Carefree Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley were also missing.
Could the Huaxia Empire handle it?