138: Library construction

At daybreak, Shen Xiaochuan sat at the desk in the Main Hall, reviewing documents.

On the table lay three battle reports and one population file, their edges worn thin.

He held a pen in his left hand, pressed his right hand to his temple, and stared at the "average combat power" column.

783.

He looked at this number twice, but it remained unchanged.

Outside, the sounds of walls being knocked and steel bars being pulled echoed; house construction had already begun in the eastern suburbs.

He looked up at the sand table on the wall, which was dotted with many small red points representing Believers.

Most were gray, indicating they were ordinary people with a combat power of less than a thousand.

There were very few who could fight, barely enough to count on one's fingers.

He stood up, walked to the Faith Mall interface, swiped his fingers in the air a few times, and opened the skill book category.

The C-rank section had many titles: "Fireball," "Gale Step," "Iron Bone Technique"... all were cheap, basic skills that could be copied infinitely.

He chose three books: "Dragon Fist" for attacking, suitable for close combat; "Armor Technique" for defense, capable of withstanding damage; and "Shadowless Step" for evasion, suitable for guerrilla soldiers.

Each cost one thousand faith points, totaling three thousand, leaving over twenty thousand in his account.

"That's enough," he said.

After clicking confirm, three beams of light descended from the sky, landing in the central city square.

Semitransparent stone tablets rose up, inscribed with the book titles and introductions.

The System prompted: "Skydome City has released three shared skill books; all Believers may learn them for free."

Within ten minutes, people had gathered around.

A burly man who looked like a veteran tried to strike the opening stance of "Dragon Fist," his movements clumsy but earnest; several teenagers crouched in front of the "Shadowless Step" tablet, copying the content; a woman in old clothes stood before "Armor Technique" for a long time, finally reaching out to touch the tablet as if afraid it might be hot.

Shen Xiaochuan watched from above, saying nothing.

At two in the afternoon, the sun was scorching.

On the open ground east of the New City Square, the construction team had set up warning lines, and cement piles were being driven into the ground one by one.

This had originally been a temporary living area, but now a library was to be built here.

He walked over and stepped on the white line on the ground.

"Six stories, ten thousand square meters. The first floor is for skill training, the second and third for reading, the fourth for technical exchange, the fifth for instructor training, and the sixth for archiving materials," he said to the project manager.

"Use anti-seismic alloy plates for the exterior walls, make the windows large, and ensure good lighting."

The project manager took notes: "And the books? We don't have a single one right now."

"We will soon."

He opened the trading market interface and listed the items captured from previous battles: thirty tons of rare metal ore, five hundred units of energy crystals, and two boxes of divine rune fragments.

The asking price was: exchange for physical or electronic books; any kind of book, the more the better.

Within five minutes, the news had spread.

The Northern Territory School arrived first, delivering five hundred thousand ancient books, all handwritten copies and rubbings; the Nanyang Chamber of Commerce shipped one hundred thousand comics and popular novels, saying young people liked to read them; the Western Wasteland Artifact Refining Association directly gave thirty thousand craft blueprints, complete with instruction manuals.

Within ten minutes, the transaction was complete.

Transport trucks entered the city one after another, stopping by the open ground.

Workers began unloading, and the books were piled as high as a mountain.

Someone opened a box, and inside was "Diagrams of Mechanical Principles," its cover worn; another box contained "Introduction to Celestial Observation," with yellowed pages that rustled when flipped.

The adjutant ran over to report: "It's over five hundred thousand volumes. The majority are comics, followed by popular science and craft categories, and there are quite a few children's books as well."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded: "Sort them and find a place to store them temporarily."

As he was speaking, someone walked over from the distance.

Lilivian was wearing a light gold dress and a tulle cloak, carrying a cloth bag in her hand as she slowly walked up to the piles of books.

She lowered her head and opened a comic; the cover featured a mecha warrior wearing a helmet.

"You used so many good things to trade for these books? You didn't buy weapons or recruit people, just traded for books?"

"Weapons can only ensure temporary safety," he said.

"Books are different; they can be passed down for three generations. Every book you see now might one day help someone learn a trade, understand a blueprint, or even create something new."

She closed the comic and looked at the piles of books around them.

"You once said that everyone should be able to stand tall," she looked at him.

"And now you want everyone to be able to read?"

"But that's not how the world is," her voice lowered.

"The strong teach the weak how to survive, but it often ends up becoming a way to control them. Aren't you worried that others will call you a hypocrite?"

"The hardest part isn't building the building, or finding the books," she said with a serious look in her eyes.

"It's making people believe they are worth learning."

"I know," he said.

"That's why I'm going to build the library even larger than the Main Hall."

The corners of her mouth twitched; she didn't smile, nor did she argue.

The two stood in the middle of the book piles.

A breeze blew, and a page drifted down from the pile, landing at her feet.

She bent down to pick it up; it was an "Illustrated Guide to Plant Cultivation," depicting several types of vegetables.

"These comics..." she asked suddenly, "does anyone actually read them?"

"Of course," he said.

"When you're tired, who doesn't want something lighthearted to read? A laugh or two gives you the energy to work the next day."

She put the book into her cloth bag: "I saw Xiao Lan yesterday, teaching people how to sew buttons at the cafeteria entrance."

"She registered for a position; she's in the tailor group."

"You still remember her?"

"Thirty-five thousand people; I don't necessarily remember all their names," he said.

"But I've seen all their faces. When they were crying and shouting under the high platform back then, I was standing right there watching. I remember what everyone looks like."

She didn't say anything else and walked out of the city, clutching her cloth bag.

"Are you not staying in the city?" he asked.

"Not for now," she said.

"But I will come every day."

He nodded: "I'll notify you the day the library construction begins."

She didn't look back, waved her hand, and left.

The sun slanted to the west, and the last truck departed.

The driver wiped his sweat and said, "Brother, I've been running the black market for three years, and your order is the weirdest—trading refined gold for books."

"It's not weird," Shen Xiaochuan said.

"These books will be worth more than refined gold in the future."

The driver smiled, shook his head, and left.

The construction team began leveling the foundation, and the bulldozers hummed incessantly.

In front of the temporary warehouse, the administrator was registering the first batch of books being shelved.

Shen Xiaochuan stood beside the piles of books, watching the sunset turn the paper mountains a deep orange-red.

A young man ran over, holding up a book: "My Lord! I found this at the bottom of a box!"

He took it and saw that it was "Guide to combat power Improvement in the Age of Universal Deities," with the cover reading: Detailed Explanation of Breakthrough Methods for Day 42.

He flipped through two pages, tore out the first three chapters, and stuffed them into his own bag.

"Archive the rest," he said.

"Put them in the fourth-floor technical exchange area; anyone can read them."

The man ran off.

He looked up at the construction site.

The cement foundation was already laid, and the steel framework stood up, rising like a giant skeleton in the twilight.

Lights turned on in the distant city, children ran in the streets, and their laughter carried far.

A child in old clothes ran past the edge of the construction site, holding a piece of paper in hand, reading aloud: "...Armor... Technique... can... improve... surface... defense..."

It was read very slowly, but very earnestly.

Shen Xiaochuan stood there without moving.

The wind blew his work clothes, and the copper gear on his cuff swayed gently.