At present, this city floating in the sky is once again crowded.
In various hotels, pubs, squares and shops, you can see them gathering together to chat, brag, sell or buy weapons and equipment.
Ever since the first echelon of elites were recruited by Shane VII, everyone knew that a whole new world would soon open up to them.
Therefore, everyone is in high spirits, looking forward to a more tense, exciting and wonderful adventure.
After all, in the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, they have tasted power and the power over the lives and deaths of others, and have personally experienced the pleasure of being able to change the world at will and reshape social structures, laws, and rules.
In reality, this is almost impossible to achieve unless the entire country collapses.
The most important thing is that for the first time, these ordinary people have the opportunity to control their own and others' destiny, and are no longer the objects manipulated by fate.
As we all know, human happiness is built on the suffering of others, and happiness is the sense of superiority gained by comparing with those who are worse off than oneself.
Although these so-called "players" are just tools created by Zuo Si to serve certain plans.
But they themselves don't know this.
Instead, they believe that they are completely superior to the natives in terms of both status and power.
Compared to those fragile natives, players have unlimited abilities to revive and become stronger, as well as a large amount of modern knowledge and technology.
As long as we unite, we can be omnipotent like God.
Coupled with the constant psychological suggestion and strong sense of superiority that create an addictive feeling, they will eventually devote almost all their time and energy to it.
Coupled with the rich reward mechanism and sense of achievement, Zuo Si has always believed that the player group will one day grow into his trump card for unexpected victory when encountering strong enemies.
At this moment, he was standing in the brain pool of the conch shell ship inside the floating city, holding a spark of the planeswalker in his hand, and asked the main brain in the pool, which had expanded countless times, "How is it, are you ready?"
"Yes, I have been ready for this day for a long time."
The mastermind gave a straightforward affirmative answer.
As an absolutely rational and super-intelligent creature, she was not as excited and thrilled as Shane VII about obtaining the spark and becoming a planeswalker. Instead, she was very calm.
The reason is simple! From the moment the promise was made, the mastermind knew that Zuo Si would not lie to him, so he started making preparations long ago.
At present, she has transformed the entire spiral shell ship into a part of her body by building a series of tentacles and psychic energy conduction systems.
The transformed and upgraded mind flayers around them are more like cells, parasites or beneficial bacteria in the body.
As long as you lie in a special cabin and merge mentally with the main brain, you can use the power of sparks to complete the cross-time and space transmission.
Of course, in addition to the Mind Flayer, the Snail Shell can also carry the player's soul and clone cultivation equipment, and set off the Fourth Disaster in any time and space or even the universe.
"In that case, let's get started."
After saying that, Zuo Si decisively activated the Planeswalker Spark in his hand through resonance, slowly controlling it to enter the central nervous system of the main brain, and then tightly bound it to the soul inside.
Because he had previous experience, he was now very familiar with the process and completed the "transplantation" of the sparks in a short while.
The reason for using this word is that unlike natural born planeswalkers, this type of planeswalkers who acquire the spark later in life seem to have some kind of defects.
It may not be noticeable at normal times, but after entering the dark void, the sparks will become very unstable.
In other words, artificially created planeswalkers cannot stay in the dark void for a period of time with the protection of sparks like natural planeswalkers.
Zuo Si hasn't figured out what's going on yet. Maybe Karn, who lost the spark given to him by Urza before his death while repairing the time rift, knows something.
After all, this Silver Golem is the most well-known acquired planeswalker.
The main brain waved its tentacles to feel the power of the sparks, and continuously converted psychic energy and magic power into corresponding mana.
During this process, one can clearly see the pipes on the ground used for conduction constantly emitting silver or blue light.
There was no doubt that she had been drawing on the huge amount of energy that had been stored before.
As the hub connecting hundreds of thousands of players, the main brain would normally intercept and store about half of the magic, life, and spiritual energy obtained from killing players.
On the one hand, they are indeed cutting leeks and using players to strengthen themselves; on the other hand, it is also a reserve for extraordinary times to prevent players from dying one after another in a short period of time once a large-scale war breaks out.
After all, every time a cloned body dies and energy is transferred, some losses are inevitable.
Although this part of the loss was converted into a game rule called "Death Penalty".
But the reality is much more complicated.
For example, if the body is eroded by negative energy and a "negative level" appears, then if the player dies at this time, the main brain can only recycle and transfer a small part of the life energy into the new body, which is far below the scope of "death penalty".
At this moment, it is necessary to call on reserve energy to make up for the losses in the middle.
Otherwise, players may become psychologically unbalanced due to losing too much at once, or even give up on themselves and lose the motivation to work hard.
The interior of the entire Snail Shell is actually a huge biological energy storage device based on psychic technology.
Now, the mastermind undoubtedly wants to extract a portion of it to strengthen the spark it just obtained.
About ten minutes later, when she had achieved her intended goal, she said in a slightly fluctuating voice, "So this is the source of the planeswalker's power - the spark. It feels like being connected to the infinite space and time and the universe through a layer of sticky gelatin."
Zuo Si sighed slightly and said, "Yes! That sticky colloid is the dark void, a fault that separates different worlds in space and time.
It acts like an impenetrable physical wall to most people.
Only with the planeswalker's spark will the wall turn into a sticky gelatinous substance that is barely traversable.
To me, the spark is like a key.
It may not bring god-like power all at once, but it can open up a future of infinite possibilities for the planeswalker.
And this infinite possibility is what matters most.”
"I totally agree. But what I don't quite understand is... why do you want to give the power of the spark to others? Isn't it better for one person to have it all to himself?"
There was a strong sense of uncertainty in the Mastermind's tone.
Because in her opinion, giving sparks to others would greatly increase all kinds of dangers.
Especially Shane VII. Although he is a good ally now, there is no guarantee that he will not have his own ideas as he visits more time and space and his horizons become broader.
Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, you are wrong.
No matter what it is, the prerequisite for monopoly is that you are strong enough to defeat all snoopers.
But the problem is that I obviously don’t have such power yet, and I urgently need a lot of allies.
After all, all I paid for was a few sparks of the planeswalker.
This was nothing compared to taking Nicol Bolas' place in the War of the Spark and gaining the power of the Ancient Planeswalkers.
You must understand that our greatest enemy today is Nicol Bolas.
He is also the most powerful of all the existing planeswalkers, possessing the power to control, brainwash and transform gods, and can destroy ancient dragons like Niv-Mizzet like crushing an ant.
In front of this guy, the only thing I can do is to win over as many allies as possible and prepare trump cards that may pose a threat to him.
As long as I can achieve my goal, I am willing to cooperate with even a suspicious guy like the Spirit Dragon Wu Jin, not to mention other people.
Whether it's Shining Oil and New Phyrexia in Mirrodin, or the demon army in the ninth layer of Baator, or the player community cultivated in the floating city world, and the cooperation with the gods of Faerun...
All of this preparation is ultimately aimed at replacing Nicol Bolas and completing the War of the Spark.
In fact, if your significant other, Isadora, wasn't so crazy, I would even give her a spark to become a planeswalker as well."
"Is Nicol Bolas really as powerful as you say?"
The mastermind was obviously a little unconvinced.
Zuo Si patiently explained: "Believe me, he is a thousand or ten thousand times more terrifying than you think.
So far, I know of no fewer than two or three hundred planes that have been destroyed or damaged to the brink of collapse by Nicol Bolas.
There are many worlds that gave birth to powerful gods.
If we were to compare it to the universe where Toril is located, I think that except for a very small number of gods above gods and the will of the abyss that cannot be described in specific words, perhaps only the most powerful divine power can be compared with it.
At least in Faerun, I have not seen any god who can brainwash and control other gods for a long time, and transform them into a mummified undead form after their death.
Combined with more than twenty-four thousand years of accumulated knowledge, power, and experience, as well as the innate power of an elder dragon and the spark of the first planeswalkers, Nicol Bolas is definitely the most dangerous enemy.
Why else do you think I made so many plans to explore and invade other time and space? Just for fun?
No! All of these worlds on the list have things that could threaten the old dragon, or could greatly increase my power.
Take the time and space where Shane VII is currently located. The so-called origin magic is most likely some kind of authority and key to control the core power of this world.
If we assume that all the players who traveled through time and the world props they possessed were created by the Dragon Emperor through the origin magic, then wouldn't it be much more reasonable to assume that the two could cancel each other out? So I think that the origin magic is equivalent to the authority given to individuals to change the rules by the will of the entire world.
This is not much different from the awakened planetary will on the plane of Zendikar, where it chose to grant authority to the elven planeswalker Nissa.
Perhaps the Dragon Emperor keeps creating players in the hope that he can kill all the others who might master the original magic, monopolize this power himself, and eventually become an unrivaled god.
If I could figure out the secret, I could use the authority provided by the land cards to use the original magic to restrict and weaken Nicol Bolas in the final battle.
If all else fails, trying to devour the mana of the entire world is also a good option."
"Okay, I think I see what you mean."
After realizing the danger posed by Nicol Bolas, the Elder Brain quickly realized that it could never be too cautious when dealing with such a foe.
After all, the mere fact that a powerful divine power is not restricted by space or belief and can instantly reach any place one wants to go is already quite terrifying.
"I will be keeping an eye on the Son of Bhaal in Faerûn recently, so I'll leave the New World to you. Remember to keep a good look after the diary, and don't let him do anything too outrageous."
After saying that, Zuo Si cast a teleportation magic and disappeared from the spot.
As soon as he left, Isadora followed him, smelling the scent and standing next to the brain pool, she asked, "Has Soth been here just now?"
"Well, yes, he gave me a spark. Now, I am a planeswalker like him who can travel freely between different time and space."
The mastermind did not try to hide anything and told the truth openly.
After all, they are all different personality fragments split from one consciousness, and they still retain some kind of spiritual connection that is difficult to describe.
"What? For you! What about mine?"
Isadora pointed at her nose with an unconvinced look on her face.
In her opinion, if anyone is going to give something, it should be given to herself first. Why give it to the main brain, a guy who doesn't even look like a human?
Could it be that Zuo Si has some unknown XP that makes him like these strange-looking, alternative, non-human creatures? That's not right? According to the previous attempts, Zuo Si should be a Furui control who likes the combination of humans and animals.
The girl frowned and fell into deep thought.
As the absolutely rational side, the main brain ignored Isadora's nonsense and jealousy, and replied in an emotionless tone: "Because in Soth's opinion, I, who inherited the rational part, am much more reliable than you who act completely based on emotion.
He can't judge or predict what you will do after getting the spark, so naturally he won't choose you.
If you want to have your own spark, you need to learn to control yourself from now on.
Especially those crazy thoughts in the mind that are completely opposite to those of normal people.
If you maintain your mental stability over a period of time, he will naturally consider you.”
"Damn it! Don't tell me you chose to become the Mastermind just for this day."
Isadora glared at the other person indignantly.
She is even jealous of her own separated personality fragments. I guess only someone with abnormal brain circuits and mental state like her can do that.
The main brain responded nonchalantly: "I said that I would be the most useful tool for Soth and provide him with help until the end of his life. This is also what you thought in your mind at the beginning. Now I have done it, you should be happy."
moment!
Isadora was speechless, a look of annoyance appeared on her face, and she immediately turned around and left without looking back.
Because she knew that with the loss of her absolutely rational personality, it would be almost impossible for her to maintain self-restraint.
In other words, her self-control had long since disappeared along with the stripping away of her rational personality.
Now, whenever I have any thoughts or ideas in my mind, my first reaction is to put them into action and I can’t control myself at all.
When the girl returned to her own room, the first thing that caught her eye was the dozens of dolls and pillows of all sizes that filled the entire room, created with psychic powers.
Of course, not surprisingly, these dolls and pillows all have portraits or cartoon patterns of Zuo Si.
Isadora leaped directly into the dolls and pillows on the bed, rubbing against them, acting coquettishly, and mumbling something in a language that no one could understand, as if she was venting her emotions.
But soon, she got rid of her previous state, stood up, stared at herself in the huge mirror, and began to talk to herself like a madman and a psychopath.
If someone who didn't know the inside story happened to pass by and saw it, he would definitely be scared to death.
But for a psychic, this obviously means nothing. He is simply debating with the new fragments of his personality, so as to better tap the spiritual power contained in his self-consciousness.
…
At the same time, Zuo Si, who had just returned to the Royal Palace in Port Kalin, happened to hear several cabinet members arguing about universal basic education.
As chancellor, Shaud Tarovin had no opinions of his own and was just a ruthless execution machine.
No matter what order the emperor of the empire gave, he would execute it without hesitation.
In contrast, Vera, who was appointed as the Minister of Finance, believed that universal basic education was a complete waste of money, time and energy.
Rich people will naturally send their children to receive education, but even if poor people without money receive basic education, it will not be of much use, and it will be difficult for them to achieve class advancement with that little knowledge.
Instead of spending this time, it would be better to build more water conservancy and irrigation facilities and repair a few roads.
Most importantly, this thing is too expensive.
The free teaching materials, lunches and salaries paid to teachers alone made Vera feel extremely painful.
The Minister of Culture and Education, who graduated from the local college in Port Calin, held a completely opposite attitude and believed that providing free compulsory education would definitely bring more benefits than disadvantages to the entire empire.
Although you may not see any results in the short term, as long as you persist, sooner or later the quantitative change will lead to qualitative change.
Several other ministers who were qualified to attend the meeting also took sides and expressed their opinions.
If you observe carefully, you will find that this kind of political stance is actually very interesting.
Most of the senior bureaucrats from Amn in the north chose to support Vera, while those from the civil service system of Calinshan in the south all supported the Minister of Culture and Education.
The former represents the typical way of thinking of capital and business groups, which is to pursue short-term and fast investment returns.
In their eyes, a program like education, which makes a lot of money but has no visible benefits, is a pure money-losing thing and is not worth throwing a single gold coin into.
The latter represents the typical way of thinking of professional scholars, who do not care about the benefits but analyze the pros and cons from the perspective of whether it is beneficial to the development of the entire country.
As long as the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, they will choose to support it no matter how much it costs.
There is no doubt that although the West Coast Empire was established not long ago, it already has two political factions.
As for the generation from Baldur's Gate to Dragon Coast, due to the fact that they were too fragmented and had been purged before, they could not form any political force in a short period of time.
The nobles of the Kingdom of Tethyr also suffered a devastating disaster, and were left with no political voice.
As for the military, it has no right to participate in internal affairs discussions.
As a modern man, Zuo Si had a very clear understanding of the two points that the military is not allowed to do business or interfere in politics.
When he walked into the conference hall from outside, the two groups of people who were arguing fiercely finally stopped.
“这有什么好争论的？难道你们不明白我为何要普及基础教育吗？或者说你们认为教育是什么？”
左思不动声色的扫了在场所有人一眼。
“额……难道不是为了给那些读不起书的穷人一个接受教育的机会，同时开放前往中上层社会的通道吗？”薇拉小心翼翼的询问道。
左思先是点了点头，紧跟着又摇了摇头：“是，也不是。
你该不会以为我会好心到仅仅为了让穷人有一个更好的未来，就平白无故每年扔进去几百万金币的花费吧？
教育其实是一种统治的工具，更是凝结社会共识、价值观和认同感的粘合剂。
在我看来，这个世界上所有的人就像一棵树。
如果正常情况下你不去管它，它就会自由自在的野蛮生长。
可能会枝繁叶茂，也有可能会因为水分和土壤肥力人的不足而瘦弱枯黄，还有可能遭受病虫害的侵扰。
就好像一个人有可能成为农奴、牧民、猎人、伐木工，也有可能成为罪犯、邪教徒或是干脆突然死掉。
很多偶然因素会在其中起到重要的作用。
而教育就像是园丁，会把那些多余的枝杈修剪掉，会定期施肥浇水祛除病虫害，让所有的树木都趋向于彼此接近。
简单来说就是尽量降低偶然因素在其中产生的作用。
如果还不理解，那就请站起身看看窗外皇宫花园内整齐且赏心悦目的花园。
那就是为了普及基础教育的目的。
作为一个未来将会覆盖整个费伦大陆西海岸的强盛帝国，我们的统治范围必然会吸纳包容不同的种族、文化、思想、价值观。
这些东西都是潜在制造分裂、动荡和仇恨的因素。
为了消除这些影响，教育就成为了唯一的手段。
想想看，当整个国家的下一代都接受了免费的义务教育，并在学习过程中建立共同的价值观、思想和身份认同，还有谁能够动摇帝国的根基呢？ 除此之外，我们还可以在教材中列出一些帝国比其他国家优秀的地方，比如说庞大的领土、发达的交通体系和最繁荣的商业，以及廉洁高效的官僚体制。
如此一来等学生们毕业之后，就会以帝国子民的身份为荣、为帝国取得成绩而感到骄傲自豪。
他们会下意识的四处传播影响更多的人。
这种精神层面的东西会随着时间的推移产生强大凝聚力。
等到境内所有的人接受这种价值观之后，整个西海岸也就彻底凝结成为了一个完整的实体。
哪怕几百年乃至几千年之后帝国灭亡了，也依旧会有无数人站出来试图重新重新恢复它的荣光。
而建立了这套教育系统和共识的我们，也必将被历史和后世子孙所铭记。
所以投资教育并不仅仅只是为了让更多的人识字、会简单的数学计算，可以在需要的时候自学各种专业知识。
它真正的意图是打造一个有别于费伦大陆上其他任何一个城邦乃至国家的灵魂。
更何况我们还可以再基础教育的基础之上开设专业教育，为各行各业输送紧缺的人才。”
伴随着这句话脱口而出，在场所有的人都震惊的瞪大了眼睛。
尤其是之前强烈反对的薇拉，眼神中充满了敬佩跟狂热的崇拜。
因为她明白，如果每年投入几百万金币就能做到这一点，那么这笔投资绝对是赚大了。
看上去有六七十岁的文化与教育大臣更是弯下腰深深的鞠了一躬，用激动不已的声音说道：“至高无上的皇帝陛下！
请允许我为您超越时代的眼光与规划而喝彩！ 您毫无疑问是这个世界上最优秀的统治者！ 在您的带领下，西海岸帝国必将迎来前所未有的繁荣与辉煌！
我愿意把自己的余生都奉献给教育事业，希望能在临死前看到一点黎明的曙光。”
“感谢夸奖，我也希望这一天可以早点到来。”
左思鼓励的拍了拍老人的肩膀。
对于这种没什么利益诉求、只想要实现自我价值的纯粹学者，他向来是非常喜欢的。
在现如今的官僚体系内，这类人占的比例并不低。
薇拉这会儿也回过神来，满脸都是羞愧之色，主动低下了头：“抱歉，陛下，我太过于肤浅且愚蠢，根本没能领会到您投资教育的深意。”
左思笑着摆了摆手：“不，你不必道歉。
作为财政大臣，抵制每一份不必要的开支是你的职责。
我并不觉得你有什么错，反而认为你相当的尽职尽责。
好了，关于普及基础教育的争论就到此为止。
如果没有什么别的事情，你们就继续各自的工作吧。”
目送左思的身影消失在通往皇宫深处的走廊尽头，肖德·塔罗文绷紧的神经这才放松下来，用半开玩笑的语气调侃道：“诸位，相信你们现在都应该知道我们在效忠一位多么伟大的君主了，对吗？
如果不想失去现在的位置，那最好工作的时候认真一点，千万不要耍小花招。
毕竟在你们的身后还有无数的人盯着内阁中每一张可能会空出来的椅子。
现在，让我们来具体讨论一下在各个城镇建公立学校的计划吧。
这可不是个轻松的活。
虽然我们已经在很多城市建立了一两座学校。”
“财政方面，根据目前的税收规模，我们可以拨款差不多三百六十万金币的专项基金。”
薇拉扫了一眼手里的账本迅速给出一个准确数字。
文化与教育大臣赶忙核实了一下城镇数量，立刻笑着点了点头：“万分感谢！作为第一阶段的启动资金，我想这些钱足够了。”
“丑话说在前头，这笔钱每一个铜板的去向我可是都要派人核实的。你最好看紧手下的人，如果有贪污或是不知道花在了什么地方，后果你应该最清楚。”
薇拉抬起头郑重其事的发出警告。
“放心！如果有人敢乱伸手，我第一个饶不了他。”
……
就在内阁高官们通过会议决定整个帝国大大小小的事情时，左思早已通过传送门回到了位于阿斯卡特拉的法师塔。
等候在这里多时的魅魔萝莉阿托娜立刻从跳起来搂住他的脖子，在脸颊上用力亲吻了一下，然后兴致勃勃的汇报道：“主人！维康尼亚刚刚从来情报，说艾瑞尼卡斯马上就要完成所有的实验了。她让我问您是否可以进入下个阶段？”
“当然！告诉维康尼亚，直接把阿伯戴尔一行人通过传送门弄到阿斯卡特拉就好。”
左思随手将怀里的小家伙放到地上，轻轻抚摸着她柔顺的长发，以及额头上弯弯的犄角。
魅魔萝莉显然十分喜欢这种亲密的互动，眯起眼睛摆出一副十分享受的表情，同时还不忘继续汇报道：“除了维康尼亚，那位炽天神侍尼米多娜前两天也回来了一趟。
她已经把帝国境内大部分森林的德鲁伊教派梳理了一遍。
凡是信奉西凡纳斯的极端教派一个都没放过，其余的基本不是选择改信就是被驱逐了出去。
现在就只剩下有精灵盘踞的维尔达斯森林不太方便动手。”
“那些自然神祇的教派有何反应？”
左思摸着下巴若有所思的问。
“暂时没有任何反应。
毕竟德鲁伊教派限制城镇和村庄发展保护自然的理念，原本就不太符合大多数人的利益。
得知这个消息之后，不少人都在拍手较好。
尤其是猎人、樵夫、伐木工之类的职业，巴不得所有德鲁伊全部死光拉倒。
因为这些德鲁伊教派的消失，很多城镇的伐木业再次变得兴盛起来。
毕竟自从螺旋桨魔法推进器发明以来，船厂的订单几乎都排到两年之后了。
所以他们迫切需要大量木材和钢铁来搭建新船。”
魅魔萝莉一股脑把自己搜集到的情报全部抖落出来。
要知道她在阿斯卡特拉这座城市可是拥有数不清的“舔狗”，可以轻而易举从对方嘴里获得各种信息。
而这这套情报网根本不需要花钱维护，并且还能反过来提供各种奢华的享受跟价值不菲的礼物。
“好吧，看来我有点高估了那些自然神祇和他们在凡间的教会力量。”
左思一脸轻松的耸了耸肩膀。
他原本还以为自己的这种行为会引发一系列的连锁反应呢。
可谁能想到，身为橡树之父的西凡纳斯居然完全不理会，任由自己的信仰在西海岸南方一带彻底消失。
既然如此，那接下来就可以大刀阔斧的对气候、自然环境和地形进行大规模的改造了。
毕竟以一个现代人的眼光看费伦大陆，这地方哪里还需要保护什么狗屁自然。
Outside of towns and villages, all you can see are endless forests, grasslands, mountains and wilderness. The monsters and beasts that can never be killed are the best proof of this.
Zuo Si's goal was simple, to first eradicate the Cloak Forest, Sharptooth Forest near Baldur's Gate, and the Serpent Forest south of the Green Wilderness.
As a result, a large, continuous fertile plain will appear north of the Cloud Mountains.
As long as we make good use of the Chongsa River and the rivers and lakes in the Anmu area, this place will become a huge granary.
Standing on the high tower, Zuo Si and the Succubus Lolita looked down at the brand new scenery of the entire Gold Coin City.
With the proposal of urban planning and renovation plans, Athkatla has now demolished its original city walls and began to expand and extend outward.
Several of the original urban areas are also under intensive construction. Old buildings are constantly being demolished and new, taller buildings are rising from the ground. At first glance, it looks like a huge construction site.
Through these demolitions and reconstructions, the originally narrow roads in the city have been significantly widened, and green belts and street lights with eternal flames have been added on both sides.
When night falls, the whole city is bathed in abundant light.
Those small vendors who used to have to pack up their stalls and go home when it gets dark now gather in groups under street lights to sell their goods and snacks to pedestrians.
Many civilians who do not have the habit of nightlife are now beginning to enjoy the changes in their lives brought about by the popularization of magic and technology.
The prosperous port has adopted a completely new management method, which is not only efficient but also can accommodate more ships.
Sailors from all over the world gathered in taverns and special service places, praising loudly this port city which they considered to be the most prosperous, lively, safest and most opportunity-rich in the world.
The workers in the shipyard also worked in three shifts, striving to ensure that every ship in the dock was built at full capacity. To this end, the owner of the shipyard did not hesitate to significantly increase the workers' wages.
There is no way. There are only so many orders now. The faster we produce, the more money we make.
Not to mention raising the workers' wages, some bosses even spend a lot of money to hire wizards to help, just to dehydrate and dry the wood faster.
Although with the intervention of the Church of Gund, the God of Craftsmen, and the Guild of Inventors, several shipyards within the empire have the technology to build keels with steel frames.
But the hull will continue to use traditional wooden boards.
The only thing that made the shipyard owners feel fortunate was that the great Emperor Soth had cleared out the druids in the two forests near Baldur's Gate and opened up permission for destructive logging.
Therefore, there is no shortage of timber supply for the time being.
And since the advent of steel keel technology, the size and length of ships have also increased significantly.
In the past, ships of two or three hundred tons were considered large ships, and only a very small number of shipyards that mastered the key technologies could build them.
But now, after the expansion of the dock, we can easily build a thousand-ton sea-going vessel.
This was simply unimaginable before.
In addition to the shipyards, a large number of workshops, mills, blacksmith shops, oil presses, etc. in the city's industrial areas also use hydraulic machinery, and their output is several times higher than that of their counterparts in other places.
There is no doubt that Askatla is the first city in Faerun that is developing in the direction of Earth's modern times.
In some places, tall chimneys were even erected, with large amounts of black smoke coming out of them.
Although some of the physical and chemical rules of this world are very different from those on Earth, the fact that coal can be used to boil water to provide power is the same.
A primitive steam engine was apparently invented, inspired by Gond, the god of craftsmen and crafts.
However, due to its high cost and frequent malfunctions, it can only be used as an experimental toy for the time being and is still a long way from being put into mass production.
"Master, are you really a big devil?"
The succubus loli suddenly raised her head and asked.
Zuo Si raised his eyebrows and asked, "What makes you doubt my identity?"
Atona pointed to the prosperous scene outside and said, "Because you are making the lives of these mortals better and better, this doesn't seem like something an evil devil would do."
Hearing this, Zuo Si immediately couldn't help laughing: "Hahahaha! No, my little cutie, you seem to have misunderstood something. Why do you think I'm trying so hard to improve the quality of life of these mortals and make them have strong expectations for the future?"
"Hmm—I don't know."
The succubus Loli thought for a moment and immediately shook her head.
"Then you should know that the number of souls born in a world depends on the total population base, right?
For the devils in hell, the soul is the most important resource and source of power.
Therefore, the better the lives of mortals, the more offspring they produce, and the greater the population density of this world, the better it is for me.
Moreover, the higher the quality of life and the more rewards that can be obtained through labor, the easier it is for mortals to be tempted by instincts and desires and become depraved.
Therefore, whether it is to provide a better living environment to increase the population, or to allow mortals to obtain more rewards and continue to fall under temptation, the ultimate goal is to achieve the goal of obtaining souls.
You can understand that I'm playing the long game to catch a big fish.
In addition, population growth is also a good thing for many gods, as they can enhance their divine power through faith.
This also means that I have also won over some powerful allies through this process.
True evil is not as bloody, cruel and horrible as you imagine.
Instead, it should be like a gentle spring breeze, silently changing a person's thoughts, consciousness and cognition.
In this process, mortals should not be painful, but happy.
Only in this way can this evil penetrate into their bones and even their souls and continue to exist."
Zuo Si taught the succubus Loli a lesson in a patient and persuasive way.
"I see!"
A bright light flashed in Atona's eyes, and she seemed to have an epiphany, frantically digesting the information.
Although her essence is a demon, she gradually develops into a lawful evil devil under Zuo Si's training.
Just like that, after instilling some thoughts and ideas into the succubus Lolita, Zuo Si returned to his own room and began to prepare to welcome Aberdare and his party.
Because he knew that once this group of people escaped, they would definitely choose to find him first.
(End of this chapter)