The Lin Family lands had not changed in appearance for many years.
Rolling hills, quiet villages, worn roads, and half-abandoned workshops painted a picture of a territory that once thrived but now merely survived. Merchants still came, farmers still worked, and guards still stood watch—but ambition had faded.
That was how it had been.
Until Mei Lin decided it would not remain so.
---
A Heir Who Looked Beyond Power
At fourteen years old, Mei Lin was already recognized as the future pillar of the Lin Family. Yet unlike other heirs who focused solely on cultivation, magic, or politics, Mei Lin looked at her land with a different gaze.
She walked through villages instead of riding carriages.
She spoke to craftsmen instead of nobles.
She listened.
"Lady Mei," an elderly blacksmith said one afternoon, bowing deeply, "our tools break too easily. The metal we get from traders is poor quality."
A farmer added, "Our plows don't last through the season."
A merchant sighed. "We import everything. We produce nothing of value anymore."
Mei Lin nodded, her expression calm—but her mind raced.
Tools. Infrastructure. Resources.
This land doesn't need stronger warriors first.
It needs a foundation.
That night, she sat in her room, candlelight flickering across scrolls and old ledgers. Knowledge from her past life—fragmented yet precise—stirred within her.
Metallurgy.
Engineering basics.
Resource management.
"I don't remember my past," she whispered, "but I remember how things work."
---
Searching for the Earth's Answer
Mei Lin began with exploration.
With permission from her parents—and a contingent of guards she found unnecessary—she ventured into the hills and shallow mountains bordering Lin territory.
She knelt, pressed her palm to the ground, and closed her eyes.
Wind brushed past her. Earth responded faintly.
"…There," she murmured.
Using elemental sensitivity rather than brute magic, Mei Lin began identifying unusual rock formations. She noted colors, densities, magnetic pull—things no mage normally cared about.
Iron veins. Copper traces. A strange dark ore that resisted elemental probing.
Her guards watched in disbelief as the young lady sketched maps in a notebook.
"She's not even using magic to mine," one whispered. "She's studying the land like a scholar," another replied.
Mei Lin smiled faintly.
Magic is power, she thought.
But knowledge decides how power is used.
---
The Moment the World Changed
It happened quietly.
Mei Lin stood before a jagged stone outcrop, sunlight reflecting off crystalline flecks embedded within the rock. She focused—truly focused—imagining how the ore could be extracted, refined, and shaped.
And then—
Her vision shifted.
Lines of light appeared over the stone. Measurements formed. Layered structures unfolded in her sight like transparent blueprints.
Her breath caught.
"…What is this?"
> [Ability Unlocked: Conceptual Design Vision]
Classification: Unique / Growth-Type
Description: Allows the user to visualize construction plans, schematics, and optimization paths through direct observation.
Compatibility: Technology, Crafting, Architecture, Alchemy.
Mei Lin staggered back, heart racing.
> [System Initialized]
A calm, genderless voice echoed in her mind.
> [Welcome, User Mei Lin.]
[Primary Directive: Civilization Optimization.]
She fell to her knees.
"A… system?"
> [System is not a being. It is an assistive framework formed from latent soul-knowledge and world-law compatibility.]
Mei Lin clenched her fists.
"So I'm not imagining this…"
> [Confirmed.]
---
The Eyes That Plan
From that day on, everything changed.
When Mei Lin looked at a broken road, she saw reinforcement layers. When she looked at a forge, she saw airflow inefficiencies. When she looked at raw ore, she saw smelting temperatures and alloy ratios.
She began drawing plans late into the night.
Water-powered mills. Reinforced farming tools. Standardized measurements. Improved furnace designs.
The system guided her—not commanding, but correcting.
> [Suggestion: Increase carbon ratio by 0.8%.]
[Warning: Structural fatigue likely in humid climate.]
[Optimization available.]
Her parents watched in stunned silence as she presented her first proposal.
"A centralized workshop?" Feng Lin asked. "Using locally sourced ore," Mei Lin replied calmly. "We stop relying on imports."
Mei Lin's mother hesitated. "This isn't magic."
Mei Lin smiled. "That's why it will last."
---
Rebuilding the Lin Lands
Within months, the Lin Family lands began to change.
Blacksmiths received improved tools. Farmers used stronger plows. Roads were reinforced with layered stone and binding mortar.
Productivity increased. Trade returned. Merchants began seeking Lin-made goods.
The people whispered.
"The Lin family is rising again." "It's because of Lady Mei." "She sees things no one else does."
Mei Lin never took credit.
She walked among them, observing, adjusting, learning.
Yet the system never slept.
> [Civil Development Level: Rising.]
[Threat Probability: Increased Attention from Rival Families.]
Mei Lin's eyes hardened slightly.
"Let them watch," she said softly. "We're not doing anything wrong."
---
A Year Passes
Time moved forward like a steady river.
Mei Lin grew taller. Her features sharpened. Her presence deepened.
At fifteen years old, she stood atop a hill overlooking Lin territory—now visibly transformed.
Smoke from productive forges. Fields rich and organized. Villages alive with purpose.
Luna stood beside her, larger now, eyes intelligent and alert.
"We did well," Mei Lin whispered.
> [User has successfully completed Early Civilization Optimization Phase.]
[Next Phase: Knowledge Expansion Environment Required.]
Mei Lin knew what that meant.
The Royal Magic Academy.
She exhaled slowly.
"…I'm ready."
Yet somewhere far away, the wind stirred—uneasy, familiar.
A boy trained beneath unseen expectations. A princess lived in sheltered ignorance. And a promise waited, delayed but not forgotten.
Mei Lin clenched her notebook, her blue eyes sharp.
The academy won't just be about magic, she thought.
It will decide the future.
And this time—
She would not be powerless.