After saying that, a somewhat tired Todd leaned against the soft back of the carriage and rested for a while.
When he woke up again, the carriage was already parked at the university gate.
Looking out the car window at the 'color' outside, Todd asked Hudgens, who was standing outside, "Didn't you wake me up?"
Standing beside the carriage, Huggins smiled and said, "Your Majesty, it's always good to get some more sleep during this rare time of rest."
Todd straightened his clothes and stepped down from the carriage. The scene at the door stunned him.
Hundreds of scholars were already standing at the entrance of Muxi University, waiting for the king's arrival. Among them were the highly respected academic master Terence, as well as scholars and elites from various countries.
Todd walked over to Huggins and said in a deep voice, "You really should have woken me up sooner! How could you have kept these scholars waiting here for so long?!"
With a wry smile, Huggins said to Todd, "Your Majesty, I initially wanted to wake you up earlier, but when the scholars arrived, Master Terence specifically instructed me not to disturb you and to let you sleep a little longer."
Hearing this, Todd was deeply moved. He quickly walked to Terence, and before he could say anything, Terence spoke first: "Back in Terró, sitting at home today could mean being burned at the stake tomorrow. Some people even had their coffins prepared while they were still alive. In this age of darkness, Twilight City has become our only and last refuge. We would give our lives to protect this land without hesitation, let alone wait for the king to wake up?"
After saying this, Terence winked at Todd and burst into laughter, seemingly oblivious to everything else.
Hearing this, Todd also laughed.
Next, accompanied by a group of scholars, Todd began to tour the newly built university.
Terence walked at the front, personally acting as the king's guide, explaining the origins and structure of Muxi University to him.
"Muxi Academy was originally located near the port area, a place with a diverse and noisy population, lacking any academic atmosphere. Putting all that aside, the key problem was that the place was too cramped and simply couldn't accommodate so many teachers and students." Terence pointed to the seemingly endless expanse of land before him and said, "Therefore, we submitted a request to the royal family to relocate the school. After Your Majesty's approval, a group of scholars and I conducted a long period of investigation and finally selected this plain in the north of the city."
Terence took a deep breath, looking very satisfied with the place before him: "The campus covers a total area of over 500,000 square meters, and the planned construction includes 23 buildings, including academic buildings, residences, gardens, laboratories, and a canteen. Once completed, it will undoubtedly be the largest school in the parish."
Todd looked around. The layout of Muxi University was clearly the same as the university in his previous life. Terence must have found the blueprints and photos while browsing through computer data.
Terence pointed to the construction site still under construction in the distance and said, "After the land issue was resolved, money became the biggest problem. Building materials, equipment procurement, road greening, all of these require a lot of funds. We made an estimate that the entire university may require an investment of around 400,000 silver dollars."
Upon hearing this, Todd frowned and said, "If I remember correctly, in the construction budget proposal for Muxi University, you only wrote 'hoping for a government treasury allocation of 200,000 silver dollars per month.'"
“That’s right.” Terence nodded to Todd. “Muxi University is not just a matter for the kingdom, but also for us scholars. We can’t accept the kingdom paying for all the construction funds without feeling guilty, so in our proposal, we only requested half of the funding.”
"How was the other half of the funding raised?"
"Fundraising".
"Fundraising?!"
Terence pointed to his own nose and laughed at Todd, saying, "Your Majesty, don't underestimate us old folks. We're just as good at making money as we are at spending it!"
Terence counted on his fingers one by one: "The first method is that scholars like us who have been teachers have taught a few students from well-off families. Some of them are nobles with prominent backgrounds, and some are wealthy merchants. As long as we are willing to put aside our old faces, it is not difficult to write letters to them and ask for some money."
"The second method is that many of us own property in other kingdoms, such as mansions, vineyards, mills, and so on. I advise them to sell all their properties, donate the money to the university, and settle down in Twilight City from then on."
"The third method is to sell patents. Here, we must first thank His Majesty for promulgating the Patent Law. Without this law, there would naturally be no way to make money. Many of our inventions and theories can be applied to handicrafts and commerce. Selling these patent rights can bring in a large amount of money."
Terence chuckled and continued, "It was precisely through these three methods that we finally managed to raise the remaining 200,000 silver moons, and the university's construction proceeded as scheduled."
As they spoke, the group arrived in front of a concrete building.
Just as Todd was about to enter the gate, a tall, thin scholar rushed out and nearly bumped into the king.
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