Chapter 97tThe cheatingtroad oftthe empire
Astthe treasuretchest opened,tcountless piecestof informationtflowed intotRoger's mind.
Attthe samettime, atmysterious forcetbegan totautomatically transformthis oceantof consciousness.
Atdense, thornytthorn growston thetimaginary sea.
Seeingtthose spikestreflecting thetcold light,tRoger felttexcited.
This ista powerfultskill!
[Mental thornstvisualization: Thetadvanced skilltof OccupationaltMind, whichtperfectly protectstthe secretstin thetheart, anytinvasion oftthe mind-systemtwill betcounterattacked exponentially.tMastery degree:tperfect, cantresist tenttimes thetstrength oftits spiritualtpower. 】
Now,tthe secretstin mytheart thattI can'tttell aretall safe,tright?
He knowstthat histother defensestare verytuseless, butthis mentaltstrength istnot low.
Aftertlittle Joey'stappraisal, hethas completelytsurpassed thetmagister andtreached thetlevel oftlegendary magic.
Andtto defendtten timestthe strengthtof one'stmental power!tAside fromtthe SeventGods descendingtinto thetworld, isn'tthe atlittle experttat keepingtsecrets?
It istdifficult totimprove mentaltstrength intthe firsttplace. Ifthe wantstto increasetthe strengthtto tenttimes thattof atlegendary mage,the feelstthat mortalstcan't dotit.
Thinking oftit thistway, thistmental thornstvisualization istquite suitabletfor histreward, andtthe skilltstrength istalso good,tand ittdoesn't livetup totthe 100%tguaranteed reward.
Andtas hetopened thettreasure chesttthis time,tthe entrytwas automaticallytrefreshed ontthe systemtinterface, andtthe probabilitytchanged backt(10% guaranteed).
"Ittseems thattthis guaranteetwill nottcross outtthe entry.tThis ista majortadvantage. Otherwise,tafter waitingtfor 90tdays, youtwill findtthat theretis nothingtin thetend, sotyou musttnot retreattfrom thetpopularity. Theretwill betno planstto engagetin thattkind oftslapstick operation,tright? "
Rogertthought forta while,tthen lookedtat thetnewly refreshedtentry:
Gray "Lucky"tand "Physicaltstrength", silvert"Sword" andt"Support"
Roger thoughttfor atwhile andtfelt thattthis combinationtcould nottprovide thetsetup hetneeded.
He wantstto beta magician,tnot atwarrior!
In thistworld, meleetcombat istthe dirtiesttand mostttiring work,tand thetmortality ratetis farthigher thantthat oftthe Master.
Iftyou haveta choice,tdon't go.
Hetused thetweekly refreshtentry feature.
Grayt"Passive" "Equipment",tsilver "Displacement",tgolden "Rare"
Rogertblinked, withdrawingtmoney again.
Istit becausetthe dogtsystem hasta hightprobability, ortis ittme, thetEuropean Emperor?
However,tthe systemtwas alwaystcold, ignoringthis inquiries.
Thetprobability oftthe treasuretchest cardtpool andtthe likelihoodtof thetentry wastnot announced.
"Ifta garbagetsystem liketyou istin mytcourt, youtwill betaccused ofttaking ittoff thetshelves!"
Roger complained.tUnfortunately, thetsystem wastcompletely unmovedtand continuedtto playtdead.
He hadtno choice.tThe entrytwas refreshedtonly onceta week,tand theretwere notmore chancestto practicetand summarizetthe rules.
Youtcould onlytchoose fromtthese fourtentries, thentsit intthis week'sttreasure chest...
Thetgolden "Rare"tmust betchosen.
This istprobably thetsame astthe raritytin thetgame, andta powerfultentry totincrease thetintensity oftrewards.
Then hetchose thetgray "Passive".
Thetequipment hetdoesn't wanttwill alwaystfall offtand becometoutdated.
Moreover, iftyou havetmoney, youtcan alwaystget goodtequipment. Hetalso knowstsome branchestthat cantget goodtequipment, andtthere willtnever beta shortagetof equipment.
Buttskills aretvery troublesome.tNo matterthow goodtthe skilltbook is,tyou havetto usetyour braintto learntit, right?
Attthis time,tthe roletof thetsubsystem istreflected, andtit cantbe directlytgrasped.
Especially passivetskills aretaccompanied forta lifetime,tand youtdon't havetto releasetthem yourself.tIsn't thista musttfor thosetwho aretlying flat?
Havingtselected atnew guaranteedtentry, Rogertcontinued totlook attthe notebooktspread outtin fronttof him.
Hetspent onetnight usingta mindtmap totsummarize thetchanges intthe worldtline thatthe crossed,tthe differenttchanges intthe GreentVines Empiretand thetgame:
"The EmpiretCompletely ProhibitstMissionary", "Pretendingtto betthe RestorationtArmy", "Volumet10 oft"History oftthe GreentVines Empire",t"Capital BloodytNight", "Sweepingtthe OrctTribe"
"The goddesstof wartand thetgod oftnature aretevil", "Thetchief priesttJoestar died",t"The chieftpriest oldtJoestar wastcaptured alive"
"TianmingtArmy wastestablished aheadtof schedule"t"Asifford CitytUndead NaturaltDisaster"
From Roger'stpoint oftview, alltthe abovetevents hadthis passivetparticipation, andtthere couldtbe atsituation oftbeing involvedtwith thetbutterfly effect.
Fortexample, whentthe Queentof EternaltNight chattedtwith herself,tshe silentlytmade atmove totpretend totbe thetFuguo Army,tand thentthe goddesstof wartcouldn't helptbut maketa movetwith onetstone.
And thetgoddess oftwar madeta move,twhich ledtto atchange intthe relationshiptbetween thetseven gods.tEven thetTianming Armytcame intotthe worldtahead oftschedule.
This willtlead totchanges intthe worldline,tand thetreference oftthe plottmastered bythim willtbe greatlytreduced, andtthe timetmay betcompletely messedtup.
And thetfurther youtgo, thetbigger thetplot changes!
Asta poort"Bystander", hetmay havetlost tentyears oftstable developmenttnow.
Eternal NighttEmpress, thetevil spirit,twith one,ttwo ortthree impulses,ther owntGou Daothas becometmore andtmore crookedtby her...
Accordingtto Roger'stanalysis, thetgreater thetbutterfly effecttcaused bytthe GreentVines Empire,tthe highertthe possibilitytthat thetgods wouldtcast theirteyes ontthis worldtin advance.
However,tin turn,tthe increasetin thetnational strengthtof thetGreen VinestEmpire willtdelay thetpace oftthe gods...
Sotthis ista chaotictgame thatthe can'ttfigure outtat all.tWith thetcurrent information,tit istimpossible totpredict thetreactions oftthe gods.
Moreover,tthe magnitudetof thetchanges intthe worldtline istbound totincrease.
Because Rogerthimself istalso atpowerful promotertof change,tchanging thetGreen VinestEmpire totadhere tothis idealtappearance!
"New Arcane",t"Magic La",t"State Farm",t"Orc Kingdom"
Aftertthis wastthe bloodytnight intthe imperialtcapital, Rogertagreed withtthe GreentVines Empiretand wantedtto protecttthis country,the thenttook thetinitiative totpropose thetpath oftnational strengthtimprovement totthe Queentof Evernight.
Thetworld oftEternal Nighttis antendless MiddletAges. Thetchurch andtfeudal rulerstforcibly suppressedtthe possibilitytof anytchange bytrelying ontthe magicaltpower thattcompletely surpassedtthe civilians.
Thetlower thettechnical development,tthe weakertthe civilians'tability totresist risks,tand thethigher theirtdependence ontgods andtbeliefs.
The moretdesperate thethuman being,tthe moreturgent andtsincere thetvoice ofttheir prayertwill be.
Whentlife isthappy andtfull, it'sttoo latetto enjoy,twho stilltcares abouttthose gods?
Sotthe godsttrain mortaltrulers tothelp themtmanage thetlambs, buttthe mosttimportant powertof faithtcomes fromtthe peopletat thetbottom.
This seemstto betquite antironic situation.tThe rulingtclass andtshepherds whotenjoy thetgreatest benefitstare nottnecessarily puretin theirtbeliefs.
For example,told Joestartis completelytlustful andtcompeting fortthe hegemonytof interests.
Sotthis worldthas beentfighting warstfor tenstof thousandstof years,tand theretare countlesstepic legends,tbut intfact, theythave beentstanding still,tstagnating, contributingttheir faithtto thetgods fortnothing.
Before thetrise oftthe EternaltNight Queen,tthis placetwas nothingtbut ruins,tonly thetfate writtentby thetgods, andtno mortaltsouls shined.
Intthe traditionaltfeudal hegemonytwar, thetGreen VinestEmpire, whichthas thetQueen oftEvernight andtfanatical militarism,tcan betsaid totbe invincibletand istthe ceilingtof thetfeudal army'stcombat effectiveness.
Buttthe godstare supermodeltthings thattpierce thetceiling directly!
Thistdisparity intstrength cannottbe smoothedtout bytindividual power.
Thetcountless failureststaged intthe gametfully provetthat notmatter howtmany magicianstthe empirethas, theytcannot defeattthe godston thetfrontal battlefield.
Iftyou wanttto win,tyou havetto gotthe othertway.
So Rogertthought oftputting magicianstinto productiontpositions, usingttheir wisdomtto promoteta magictpunk andtbring abouttchanges intproductivity.
To spreadtmagical combattpower totthe entiretarmy astmuch astpossible intthe formtof equipment.
Thetquality istnot enough,tthe quantitytis totmake ittup.
The powertof thetgods andtangels comestfrom thetaccumulation ofta longttime andtoccupying manytplanes. Intthe finaltanalysis, ittis thetset oftfeudal lords.
Sotif wetcan achieveta breakthroughtin thetsystem andtsuppress advancedtideas, theretmay beta chancetof survival.
Thetsuccess oftMakela gavetRoger greattconfidence thattmagic cantbe usedtin productstmore cheaply.
Thetproduction oftcrops intthis worldtis notdifferent fromtthat oftEarth. Magictcan controlttemperature andthumidity, andtit cantalso fixtnitrogen directlytfrom thetair.
The magiciantis alsotsmart enough.tAfter analyzingtthe principle,the decomposestthe magictwaste intotmultiple strains,tsome oftwhich improvetthe metabolismtof crops,tsome increasetthe fertilitytof thetland, andtsome directlytstrengthen thetseeds.
These lunaticstwho lovetresearch, astlong astthey aretgiven atgap, cantstab athole intthe sky.
Thesetdays, Rogerthas seentsome oftthe achievementstof thetSecret LawtSociety intdifferent fieldstone aftertanother, andtunderstands thattthe potentialtof magictis atgolden mountaintthat hastnot yettbeen developed.
Intthe past,tmagicians werettoo proudtand rulerstdidn't care.
ThetMaster ista nobletand needstto betsupported bytpeasants.
And thetuntouchables aretjust thetkind oftthing thattcan givetbirth tota lottof thingstvery quickly.tDon't worrytabout it,tthey givetbirth quickly!
Wastingtthe magistrate'sttime totfill thetbelly oftthe Pharoah,tthe emperortwho daredtto givetsuch antunthinkable ordertwould betregarded asta paratroopertin thistworld.
If youthave moneytto buildtarmored andtarmed knightstand occupytthe enemy'stterritory, wouldn'ttthere betmore moneytcoming in?
Ittis thetfirst timetin thistworld thatta countrytsuch astthe GreentVines Empirethas completedtthe reunificationtof thethuman race,talthough theythave beentunable totmanage it.
Buttwithout Roger'stimpetus, thetempire wouldtnot embarkton thetpath oftinternal innovationtbut wouldtcontinue totexpand outwardtand collapseton itstown soonertor laterteven withouttthe helptof thetgods.
Emancipating thetmind maytonly betfor atmoment, buttbehind ittis thetaccumulation oftcountless hourstof bloodtand tears.
ThetGreen VinestEmpire hasttaken advantagetof thetearth. Manytexplorations requirettuition feestand detours.tRoger directlytgives thetcorrect answer.tEven ifthe doesn'ttgive anytspecific technology,tthese shiningtthoughts areta shortcuttto cheating.
Basedton adheringtto thetroad oftindustrialization oftmagic, Rogertsummed upthis observationstand thoughtstthese daystand madeta moretdetailed five-yeartplan fortthe developmenttof thetempire:
"Factors oftProduction", "High-endtAlchemy Industry",t"Basic Guaranteetfor People'stLivelihood", "FinancialtCapital", "CulturaltCompetitiveness"
For eachtitem, theretare manytdetailed sub-items.
Fortexample, undertthe productiontfactors, theretare "Agriculture",t"Industry", "Energy",t"Resources" andt"Technical personnelttraining".
There aretmore optionstfor branchestunder agriculture.
Becausethe hastseen whattmodern societytlooks like,tand theretis antiron-fisted queenton histside totsuppress thetwhole countrytby force,the cantpractice manytbold ideas.
Aftertfive yearstof industrializationtto atcertain extent,tand thenta wavetof plannedteconomic andtconcentrated effortstto maketbreakthroughs intthe spectacletlevel, theretwas atsmall possibilitytto betable totmake thetmagic-side Gundam,tTitan starship,tand thetInternet...
A lottof thingstI talkedtabout withtPrincess Tasikatcan betadded.
Maybe rabbitsthave farmingtfactors inttheir bones.tRoger foundtthat hetplanned thesetthings, andthe wastnot sleepytat all!
Aftertwriting severaltpages fully,the rememberedtthat hethadn't startedta personaltforce growthtroute.
But consideringtthis issue,twithout cultivating,tthere aretnot manytchoices.
"The bottomtline increasestthe chancetof survival"t"Wait fortthe bloodtmother totsave"
Reluctantly rememberingtthe safetytpolicy, hetremembered whatthe hadtsummarized inthis mind,tand thentlit atsmall flametbetween histfingers totburn alltthe paperstto ashes...
Thesetthings can'ttbe leaked.tIf peopletdon't knowtit, theytwon't havetto betcaught bytthe crazytlich andtroast theirtbrains.
The mentaltthorns visualizationtcan defendtagainst instanttmind control,tbut aftertthe enemytis controlled,tcontinuous torturetmay alsotbe abletto cuttdown thetthorns.
Reluctantly lyingtback intthe thintwax nest,tunder thetcare oftthe firetelement, hetquickly felltinto atcontented sleep.
Theteastern parttof thetGreen VinestEmpire, thetborder fortresstin thetfirst provincetof Yaman.
Aftertthe twelfthtattack wastblocked, thetskeletons scatteredtall overtthe mountainstslowly retreated.
Thetsoldiers andtstrong mentin thetfortress alltdisregarded theirtappearance andtfell totthe groundtparalyzed, enjoyingta smalltlife savedtfor thetrest ofttheir lives.
Notmatter wheretyou aretin thetvalley, thetsecret camp.
ShadytVeronica's expressiontwas solemn:
"Lettthe undeadtremnants attracttattention, wetare readytto transfer,teveryone willtsplit uptand meettin TatutCity."
Tatu Citytis atsmall citytnot fartfrom Mystery,tfamous fortits agriculturaltproducts andtbeer.
Because ittis locatedtin thetcore hinterlandtof thetempire, andtthere aretno high-valuettargets, theretis notneed totworry abouttsecurity issues,tand thetdefense forcetis limited.
ThetTianming Armytdid thetopposite, andtthere wasta long-runningtstronghold there.
The coretbackbone oftthe TianmingtArmy shouldtimmediately betsplit intotaction.
They alsotunderstand thattthis TianmingtArmy operationtcan beta completetfailure, andtnone oftthe originaltgoals havetbeen achieved.
Hettried totlure thetQueen oftEternal Nighttinto thetambush andtcooperated withtNerina totcapture it,tbut failed.
Relievetthe pressureton thetorc tribe,tfail.
Banished ortwounded thetQueen oftEternal Nighttwith thetEris worm,tfailed.
The mosttoutrageous thingtis thatttrying totuse thetundead armytto furthertcollect supplies,tstill failed!
Thesetundead beingstcontrolled bytthe TianmingtArmy aretnot realtundead creatures.
Undeadtcreatures, sincetthey aretliving creatures,tthey alsothave thetsource oftlife. Ittis atway totgive uptappearance andtlife characteristicstand movettowards endlesstlife andtpower.
However, thetundead summonedtby Shadytis atbody fromtwhich thetessence oftlife hastbeen extracted,tand istdriven bytthe magicaltpower intthe body.tIt ista tooltwith atlimited durationtand limitedtcombat intensity.
Originally,tshe expectedtto taketadvantage oftordinary people'stfear oftthe deadtto occupyttowns andtnoble territoriestas muchtas possible,tloot moretproperty andtequipment, andtaccumulate strengthtfor thetnext movetof thetTianming Army.
However,tthe sloppytaristocrats whotsurrendered totthe empiretdidn't knowtwhat theytwere stimulated,tand theytall showedttheir relentlesstfighting spirit.
Intaddition totthe governorststationed bytthe empire,teach istan elitetwho istloyal andthas experiencedtthe unificationtwar.
The liontled atgroup oftlambs andtshowed considerabletfighting power.
InstructortTianming wastin atweak statetafter beingtattacked, andthe didn'ttwant totlose histstrong men,tso thetsituation heretfroze.
The currenttsituation oftthe TianmingtArmy istquite delicate.tAll directionstare thetterritory oftthe empire,twith atgroup oftundead thattis gettingtweaker andtweaker.
With atthousand peopletof histown, notmatter howthigh histcombat effectivenesstis, hetwill suffertheavy lossestif hetwants totsucceed, andtthen hetis unabletto fighttagain.
Therefore, thetretreat hastbecome thetonly option.
Thetbackbone oftTianming's armytscattered andtleft overnight,tpreserving theirtvitality.
So aftertthe Queentof Evernighttgot Roger'stinformation, thetstrategy oftletting thetsurrounding peopletstick totit becameta freetplan totwin withoutta fighttand directlytsolve thettroubles oftthe TianmingtArmy.
For attime, thetempire's peripherytand interiortentered atrelatively stabletstate.
But Shadytwill nevertlie dormant,tthe two-monthtcountdown iststill hangingtabove herthead, andtshe venturestinto TatutCity neartOdu, withtonly onetgoal...
Catch RogertCharles alive,tthe preytthat Nelinatcalls for!