139: Forty-second day

Shen Xiaochuan stood at the entrance of the warehouse; day had just broken.

The wind blew from the east, carrying the scent of earth and paper.

The books delivered last night had not yet been fully unloaded; the vehicles were lined up, and workers were moving the boxes.

He glanced at his watch—six seventeen.

"Has the sorting team arrived?" he asked the young man in overalls standing nearby.

"They have. One hundred and three people are waiting in the back," the young man said, checking the list. "Just as you instructed, they've been divided into four groups: Skills, Popular Science, Literature, and Crafts."

"Has the moisture-proof barrier been activated?"

"Two layers are active, but the corners are still a bit damp, so we're adding a third layer."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and walked into the warehouse.

The floor was covered with open cardboard boxes, and books were scattered everywhere.

Some people were crouching down to flip through books, while others were taking notes and assigning catalog numbers.

The air was a bit stuffy, but no one was speaking.

He walked over to a pile of books and pulled out a copy of "Basic Circuit Principles"; the cover was a bit wrinkled, but the inside was fine.

After flipping through a few pages, he said, "Catalog these skill books first, especially the ones with diagrams, and put them in the skill training area on the first floor."

The person in charge said, "Understood. But we're short on manpower right now, so the sorting is too slow."

"Then set up shifts. All books must be cataloged today; none can be left outside overnight."

Just as he was speaking, someone shouted from a distance, "Sir! There's a box of metal-cased items down here; they look like electronic storage devices!"

Shen Xiaochuan walked over and opened the box himself.

Inside were dozens of black cubes, labeled "Federal Bureau of Education Standard Textbook Library."

"They're readable," he said. "Get the technical team here to convert them into projection format as soon as possible and place them in the communication area on the fourth floor."

At that moment, the sun rose.

Sunlight streamed into the warehouse, and dust motes danced in the light.

A woman carrying a stack of books walked by, accidentally bumped into a shelf, and dropped a few books.

She quickly bent down to pick them up, and Shen Xiaochuan instinctively helped her pick up a comic book.

"Don't be nervous," he said. "These books belong to you all now."

The woman looked up at him, her eyes shining, and her voice trembled slightly as she said, "Thank you." She then walked away quickly.

By noon, all five million books had been cataloged.

The warehouse had been converted into four sections, each with someone in charge.

Shen Xiaochuan signed the registration form and then went to the kitchen.

The two sisters had already prepared a meal.

Canglan Tiger lean meat was stewing in the pot; the broth was golden and smelled delicious.

"Eat up, you've been busy all morning," the older sister said, handing him a bowl.

He took the bowl and ate three servings in a row.

The meat melted as soon as it touched his tongue, and a warm current rushed down his throat, warming his entire body.

The combat power monitor beeped, and the numbers changed: 789 → 836 → 872 → 915.

He set down the bowl and let out a breath.

"This meat is really effective," the younger sister said with a smile. "We stewed it for an extra half hour, so all the medicinal properties have been absorbed."

"Construction continues this afternoon," he said. "The library foundation is ready; we need to move the alloy plates in today."

At two in the afternoon, the construction team started work.

Cranes hoisted the shock-resistant alloy plates up one by one.

People ran back and forth between the scaffolding, carrying tools and Materials.

Shen Xiaochuan stood in the middle of the construction site, pointing at the blueprints as he told the project manager, "The first-floor skill training area must be finished first; it needs to be usable by the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"We're missing a batch of Materials; we might have to wait until tomorrow."

"Use the faith points in my account and exchange them at the mall."

"That will cost three thousand points."

"Exchange them."

The project manager hesitated for a moment, "You just spent two thousand on electronic textbooks yesterday..."

"I said exchange them." He looked at the other person, his eyes cold.

The project manager immediately went to take care of it.

By evening, the first group of people began signing up to learn skills.

Quite a few people stood in front of the stone tablet, while three teaching assistants were demonstrating the moves for "Dragon Fist."

A middle-aged man practiced a few times and then shook his head, "This is too difficult; it would be better if they just handed out blades."

A young man nearby said, "If everyone knew 'Hardened Armor Technique,' fewer people would die in battle."

The two began to argue.

Shen Xiaochuan heard them, walked over, and said, "It's your choice whether to learn or not. But starting today, a learning leaderboard will be posted every day, and the top one hundred will receive nutritional supplements and items to help them Cultivate."

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

"Really?"

"When has the City Lord ever gone back on his word?" an old soldier stepped forward. "Sign me up first!"

Soon, the number of sign-ups exceeded three hundred.

On the morning of the fourth day, the average combat power rose from 783 to 890.

Shen Xiaochuan's personal combat power experienced a Breakthrough, surpassing 1,400 to reach 1,415.

He stood on the second-floor platform of the library, watching the busy people below, and tapped his fingers against the railing.

Footsteps came from the stairs.

It was a girl wearing ordinary cloth clothes, holding a piece of paper filled with formulas.

"Lord... Lord Shen." She stopped, her voice not very loud, "My name is Lolia, and I'm a trainee at the West District training center."

"Is something the matter?"

"I have a question," she said, looking down at her paper. "About electricity. The class says the power grid uses direct current (DC), but I read in a book that alternating current (AC) transmits further and has less loss. Which one is correct?"

Shen Xiaochuan took the paper and glanced at it; a simple power transmission diagram was drawn on it.

"You've read that book?"

"I read half of it, 'Basic Physics and Energy Transmission.' I don't understand why the two types of electricity are different."

"It's simple," he said, pointing to the paper. "Direct current is like a water flow, moving straight forward; it's suitable for short-distance power supply, like for a single building."

He paused, "Alternating current changes direction; it can be stepped up for transmission and then stepped down for use once it reaches its destination. It saves Materials over long distances and is more efficient."

Lolia blinked, "Then will our Divine Kingdom use alternating current in the future?"

"It's being planned," he said. "Next month, we'll start laying the first high-voltage line, from the East Suburb Power Station to the South District residential area."

"Then... won't it be dangerous?"

"It will be. That's why you need to learn." He looked at her, "Are you willing to join the electrician training class? We're only accepting twenty people in the first batch."

She was stunned for a moment, "I can?"

"The fact that you can identify problems shows that you're thinking. You're better than those who only know how to memorize."

She smiled, "I want to try."

"Report to the first-floor skill training area tomorrow morning at eight. No late arrivals."

"I'll be there!"

She didn't leave after saying that, but pointed around, "Is this building... really for everyone to read books in?"

"Yes. The first floor is for learning skills, the second and third are for reading, the fourth is for technical exchange, the fifth is for training instructors, and the sixth is for storing important documents."

"It's bigger than any school I've ever seen."

"We're building more than just a school," he said, leaning against the railing. "It's a place where everyone can make a living using their brains."

She listened quietly and suddenly asked, "Can I see the inside? It's still under construction, but I... I just want to see it."

Shen Xiaochuan looked into her eyes, smiled slightly, turned, and walked toward the stairs, "Follow me."

They went to the first floor first; the floor had just been laid, and several projectors were testing the instructional video for "Shadowless Steps."

"There will be teachers giving lectures here next week," he said. "First we'll teach literacy, then we'll teach skills."

Then they went up to the second floor. The bookshelves were being installed, and workers were using electric drills to secure them.

"This batch of lumber was traded from the Northern Territory; it's insect-proof and moisture-proof." He patted a pillar, "It's very sturdy."

The third floor was empty, with sections marked on the walls: History, Geography, Mathematics, Biology.

"There will be people specifically assigned to organize the books later," he said. "Whoever brings good books will be rewarded."

Going up to the fourth floor, the floor was metal, with ports left in place.

"This place can connect to projection equipment and also link to the database." He pointed to the corner, "In the future, we'll set up a discussion corner, open once a week; anyone with ideas can come and share them."

Lolia walked to the window, from where she could see the entire construction site. People were running back and forth pushing carts and carrying things, and in the distance, children were running on the street.

"Will they... also come here to read?"

"Yes," he said. "I've already issued an order that children over the age of ten must attend basic literacy classes. Parents who don't send them will have points deducted."

She looked at him worriedly, "Aren't you worried that some people will oppose it?"

"They can oppose it, but the roads must be built and books must be read; there's no room for negotiation on this."

She said softly, "I think... this place is going to become very different."

He glanced at his watch, "It was meant to be different. Let's go, I'll take you to see the sixth floor."

The top floor hadn't been roofed yet, and the wind was a bit cold. Metal cabinets had already been set up, with labels reading "Confidential Archives," "Original Blueprints," and "Foreign Literature."

"There are some things in here that can't be made public yet," he said. "But one day, everyone will be able to understand them."

She stood at the doorway without going in, just looking at the cabinets.

"Lord Shen, can I ask one thing?"

"Go ahead."

"Why are you so insistent? You could have just seized resources, or just trained warriors... yet you chose the hardest path."

He paused for a few seconds, touching the copper gear on his cuff.

"Because my father once said something," his voice was low, "No matter how powerful a machine is, it was designed by a person. If people don't know how to think, no amount of blades or guns will be of any use."

She didn't say anything, just nodded gently.

The sound of pile driving came from the distance, one thud after another.

"Let's go," he said. "Downstairs."

They walked down the stairs one after the other, the wind blowing a few pieces of paper that spun in the air.

Shen Xiaochuan walked to the construction site exit and stopped.

"Remember to come to class tomorrow."

"I will," she said, standing where she was, watching his back. "Thank you for letting me in."

He waved his hand without turning back.

The sun was dipping in the west, and the alloy walls began to reflect light.

A group of children ran past the outside of the construction site; one of them held up a piece of paper and read aloud, "...al...ter...na...ting... cur...rent... can... change... vol...tage... suit...able... for... long... dis...tance... trans...mis...sion..."

The reading was slow, but very earnest.

Shen Xiaochuan stopped and listened for a moment.

Then he continued walking forward.