139: Chapter 49 Great Achievement Rewards

He had moved the mountain of documents on the desk to a corner, clearing a space.

The night outside was deep, and only one lamp was lit in the Imperial Study, casting a dim yellow light that illuminated half of his face while the other half remained hidden in shadows.

"System, tell me, was it easy for me to come this far?" he asked in his heart, his tone carrying a hint of pride and an undeniable trace of exhaustion. "From the first volume starting with suppressing bandits, to the second volume unifying the whole country, how many battles have I fought? How many people died? How much blood was shed?"

The voice in his mind was blunt: [Host, if you want to claim credit, just say so. No need to beat around the bush.]

"I'm just sharing my feelings with you."

[The system does not need feelings.]

"You system, why are you becoming less and less human?"

[The system was never human to begin with. Besides, the host becomes particularly long-winded whenever he wants to claim credit; the system has already identified this pattern.]

Li Ling was choked up by the retort. He set down his teacup, stood up, and paced the study for a few steps. "Fine, fine, I won't waste words with you. Let me ask you, with me fighting from the beginning to the end of this volume, does it count as completing the dual mission of 'Unification War + Anti-Intervention War'?"

[According to the evaluation standards of the system database, the host has completed the following core indicators: First, through the Northern Expedition, you annihilated all separatist forces of the Northern Warlords and achieved national political unification; Second, through the anti-intervention naval battles and suppressing the rebellion in the south, you defeated the armed intervention and proxy wars of the powers, protecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the new regime. Based on a comprehensive assessment, the 'dual mission' achievement has been reached.]

"That's good." Li Ling rubbed his hands together and sat back down on the dragon throne, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. "According to tradition, a major achievement should come with a major reward, right?"

[The host is overthinking it.]

"What do you mean I'm overthinking it?!" Li Ling sat up straight, his voice rising by an octave. "You said before that the system has a lottery mechanism, and major achievements grant a high-level lottery! How many major battles did I fight this volume? Destroyed the United Fleet, pacified the Northern Warlords, cleared out the remnants in the Northeast, and swept away the southern rebellion—if this doesn't count as a major achievement, then what does? Are you trying to fool me again?"

The system was silent for a few seconds, then said: [Host, you are correct. Based on the data, these do indeed constitute a major achievement.]

"Then what are you waiting for? Draw!" Li Ling slapped the armrest of the dragon throne, making the teacup on the table jump.

[However, the host needs to know that the result of the major achievement lottery is uncertain. It could be very good, or it could be mediocre. The host should not have expectations that are too high.]

"I don't care! Anyway, you can't fool me with a pile of junk like you did before!" Li Ling began to throw a tantrum, leaning back on the dragon throne and kicking his legs, acting like a three-year-old child. "Was my journey easy? Was it easy? If I weren't a transmigrator, I would have died eight hundred times over! What's wrong with giving me a grand prize? What's wrong with that?!"

[Host, you are already an emperor; can you please pay attention to your image?]

"Can image be eaten? Can it be used as an aircraft carrier? No! So don't talk to me about image! I want to draw! Now! Immediately! Right now!"

The system fell silent again. This silence lasted even longer, so long that Li Ling thought it had run off to play with that singing and dancing system again. Just as he was about to throw another tantrum and had even rolled up his sleeves, the system's voice finally sounded, carrying a hint of resignation.

[Fine, host. The system determines that you have completed a major achievement and grants one high-level lottery opportunity. Do you wish to draw now?]

"Draw! Draw right now!"

Li Ling closed his eyes, pressed his palms together, and muttered, "Aircraft carrier, Battleship, airplane, missile, atomic bomb... any one of them will do..."

[Lottery in progress...]

The golden wheel spun rapidly in Li Ling's mind, emitting a buzzing sound like gears running at high speed. He held his breath, his heart beating like a drum, as if he had returned to the tense moment of his first lottery in the first volume. His palms were covered in sweat, and he could even feel his pulse thumping at his temples.

[Lottery finished. Congratulations to the host for obtaining—Penicillin production technology (pre-1945 technological level).]

Li Ling was stunned.

He opened his eyes, blinked, and blinked again.

"What?"

[Penicillin production technology. Can mass-produce Penicillin for treating bacterial infections. This technology belongs to the pre-1945 technological level and has an overwhelming advantage in the current era.]

Li Ling's mouth slowly opened wide, and his eyes grew brighter and brighter, shining like two little suns in the darkness. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and then he suddenly jumped up from the dragon throne.

"System... what did you say? Say it again?"

[Penicillin production technology. Host, your ears need to be checked.]

"Holy shit—!"

Li Ling's shout was earth-shattering, startling the birds on the trees outside the window into flight. He jumped up from the dragon throne, leaping so high he nearly knocked over a Ming Dynasty vase nearby. He danced around the study, spinning like a cat that had had its tail stepped on, hopping frantically and emitting meaningless cheers.

"Penicillin! Penicillin! Penicillin! Hahaha! It's actually Penicillin!"

[Host, calm down.]

"Calm down?! Screw your calm down!" Li Ling ran around the study a few times, knocked over a chair, scrambled to pick it up, and then plopped back onto the dragon throne, panting heavily, yet the smile on his face could not be stopped. "System, do you know what Penicillin is? Do you know what this means in 1899?"

[The system knows. Penicillin is the first antibiotic in human history; its invention reduced the mortality rate of bacterial infections by over eighty percent.]

"Eighty percent?!" Li Ling's voice trembled with excitement, his hands gesturing in the air. "What does this mean? It means my soldiers will never die from wound infections after being injured again! It means commoners suffering from pneumonia, dysentery, and all kinds of bacterial infections can be cured! It means... it means I can use this stuff to save countless lives! Do you know how many people in this era die just because of an infected wound? Do you know how many mothers lost their lives to puerperal fever? All of these can be saved! They can all be saved!"

[Host, you are right. However, the system reminds you that the production of Penicillin requires a certain industrial foundation, including fermentation tanks, purification equipment, and a quality control system. Although the system has provided the full set of technical data, the host still needs to invest time and resources to establish the production line. This is not something that can be completed overnight; it will take at least several months of preparation.]

"Money is not a problem! People are not a problem! And time is definitely not a problem!" Li Ling waved his hand, his movement so wide he nearly swung his sleeve into the lamp stand. "As long as I can produce Penicillin, it's worth any amount of money! Even if it drains the national treasury, I must get it produced!"

He stood up from the dragon throne, took a deep breath, and tried hard to calm himself down, but the smile at the corners of his eyes could not be suppressed. "System, tell me honestly. Was this Penicillin really drawn from the major achievement lottery? You didn't deliberately slip it to me, did you?"

[The system never cheats. The lottery results are random.]

"Cut the crap." Li Ling chuckled, his chin slightly raised. "You just saw how hard I was working and gave me this good thing on purpose. Don't pretend, I understand."

[Host, you are overthinking it. The system only executes the lottery according to established procedures; there is no subjective intent whatsoever.]

"Fine, fine, you have no subjective intent." Li Ling waved his hand, grinning from ear to ear. "Anyway, I don't care, I'm taking this Penicillin. From now on, if anyone dares to say the system is stingy, I'll be the first to object!"

[Host, the system has always been generous.]

"Yes, yes, yes, you are the most generous." Li Ling nodded perfunctorily, his mind already calculating the details of Penicillin production. Site selection, building the factory, recruiting personnel, buying equipment, training technicians... every item had to be handled urgently, the sooner the better. He walked to the desk, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote down an outline of the plan on a sheet of white paper, his handwriting messy but his ideas clear. Then he called for his adjutant and handed the plan to him: "Go do this immediately. Select twenty technicians from the Production Base to form a Penicillin R&D team. At the same time, mark out five hundred acres of land outside the city to build an experimental pharmaceutical plant. Within three months, I want to see the first batch of finished Penicillin."

Although the adjutant didn't quite understand what "Penicillin" was, seeing the emperor so excited, he knew it must be something extraordinary, so he hurriedly accepted the order and left, his pace twice as fast as usual.

Li Ling sat back down on the dragon throne and let out a long breath. The excitement in his chest gradually subsided, replaced by a heavy sense of contentment.

"System, seriously, thank you."

[No need to thank me, host. The system is just doing what it ought to do.]

"No, you don't understand." Li Ling looked at the sky gradually brightening outside the window; the eastern sky was already showing a fish-belly white. "This thing is worth more than winning a hundred battles. An aircraft carrier can defeat enemies, but Penicillin can save countless lives. Aircraft carriers are for killing; Penicillin is for saving. Although I am a schemer, I prefer saving people."

[The system was silent for a few seconds, then said: [Host, you have changed.]

"How have I changed?"

[Before, you only thought about how to defeat enemies; now you have started thinking about how to save people. This is a good thing. Only after people have attained a sense of security do they shift their focus from 'survival' to 'living'. Host, your mindset is evolving.]

Li Ling smiled, the curve of his mouth warm and soft. "Maybe it's because I've been an emperor for a long time, seen more things, and my thoughts have changed. When I first transmigrated, my mind was full of how to fight, how to kill, and how to win. Back then, I had nothing, and if I didn't fight with my life, I couldn't survive. Now I feel that true strength is not how many people you can kill, but how many people you can save."

[Host, the system is proud of you.]

"Don't be so mushy." Li Ling stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The morning breeze poured in, carrying the chill of early spring and the fragrance of soil, causing his robes to flutter gently. "However, since you have given me this good thing, I must use it well. Once the Penicillin factory is built, I will treat the illnesses of people all over the world. Whether you are a general or a commoner, whether you are rich or poor, I will treat everyone equally. Everyone is born equal, and life and death should not be determined by wealth or status."

Outside the window, the morning sun had already fully risen, golden sunlight spilling over the roofs of Jinling City, illuminating the entire city. The distant city walls were gilded with a golden edge in the morning light, the morning markets on the streets were already becoming lively, and the sounds of peddling could be faintly heard.

A new day, a new beginning.