Chapter 587: Chapter 571: 3 Years of Changes

Inside the newly completed Continent Supervision Council headquarters building in the First Administrative District.

Reyno stared at the "Phase One Civilization Engineering Guidelines" on his personal terminal. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and even his breathing grew heavy.

Noticing something was amiss, several core council members quickly gathered around.

"Speaker, has Lord Divine Envoy issued a new Oracle? Are we increasing the mining quotas again?" a former Baron lowered his voice, his tone tense.

Reyno took a deep breath. His eyes revealed an unconcealable sense of shock and awe.

"No," he said, his voice dry. "Lord Divine Envoy said that roads are to be built for all cities across the entire Divine Kingdom of Ten Thousand Machines."

"Building roads?" The former Baron was taken aback.

"Not just building roads." Reyno’s Adam’s apple bobbed. "Lord Divine Envoy also wants to build schools. Not just night schools that only teach basic literacy, but schools that teach advanced technology. Furthermore, starting this year, enrollment is mandatory for all school-age children. Tuition is completely free, and they’ll even provide a subsidized lunch."

You could hear a pin drop in the conference room.

In the era of the old aristocracy, knowledge was a strictly monopolized privilege. Commoners learning to read? That was an overstepping of boundaries, a felony! Now, the god was actually going to subsidize meals to teach people how to read?

"There’s more..." Reyno swallowed hard. "In fifteen years, the Divine Kingdom plans to establish an ’Extraordinary Academy’. As long as they pass the assessment, commoners... can also learn Witchcraft and become beings like Lord Divine Envoy."

CRASH.

The teacup in the former Baron’s hand fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.

His knees gave way, and he fell to the floor in a slump of awe. Old tears streamed down his face. "Shattering class barriers, passing on the extraordinary... The god does not treat mortals as mere expendables. Oh, God... This is a true miracle!"

The other dozen or so council members knelt down one after another. Facing the direction of the Cybertron Fortress, they pressed their foreheads firmly against the cold floor.

Reyno closed his eyes, and the stern face of that black-haired young man surfaced in his mind. He didn’t know what Lord Divine Envoy was plotting, but he knew that from this day forward, the six hundred million people on this continent would willingly die at their posts for the Divine Kingdom, if it ever came to that.

RUMBLE—

With the Oracle issued, the entire G-771 Plane was instantly transformed into a massive construction site.

Tens of thousands of Engineering Golems leveled hills and filled ravines. Broad magic energy tracks spread across the land like blood vessels. Communication base stations, upgraded from Spirit Communication Towers, sprang up from the ground, piercing straight into the clouds.

Looking at the generous Contribution Points in their personal terminals, countless native laborers erupted with an astonishing enthusiasm for construction. Sweating on the sites by day and fiercely grinding away at the common language in night schools by night, everyone’s eyes shone with a fanatical zeal for the future.

Allen would sometimes stand at the highest point of the Celestial Throne, overlooking this rapidly changing continent. Throwing four billion down might not have made a sound, but he could see a civilization sprouting and growing right before his eyes.

Winter, Year Four of Truth. In the former Alden Royal Capital.

A towering Civilian Earth Vein Magic Furnace stood right in the center of the city. Countless slender energy-conducting pipelines extended from the furnace, plunging underground to connect the entire city’s energy network.

At six o’clock in the evening, the sky darkened.

HUMM—

A low hum resonated as the Rune Arrays on the surface of the Magic Furnace lit up layer by layer, instantly diffusing a faint blue halo. At the same time, one hundred and twenty thousand street Magic Lamps across the city lit up in unison, driving away the night.

Old Hans pushed open the door to his home. It was a standard Divine Kingdom Type-II apartment: eighty square meters, two bedrooms, and a living room. He took off his oil-stained overalls, hung them on the hook behind the door, and walked to the washroom. Turning the metal faucet, clear hot water instantly gushed out.

After washing his hands, Hans walked into the kitchen and pulled open the door of a metal cabinet that stood half a person high. It was a new product just stocked in stores: the Rune Preservation Cabinet.

Cold air spilled out. He took out a bright red steak and placed it into the Magic Energy Heating Furnace.

In the living room, fourteen-year-old Little Hans sat at his desk. The Eye-Protecting Magic Lamp on the desk emitted a soft glow. The boy was using a vernier caliper to measure a gear model, quickly writing out formulas on a piece of scratch paper.

"Grandpa, if I get an A on my mechanical drawing test tomorrow, I can apply for an internship at Factory No. 2," Little Hans said without looking up.

Old Hans walked out holding the sizzling steak. He rested his callused, heavy hand on his grandson’s shoulder, his eyes full of emotion. "Study hard. Praise the great God of Steel and Truth. It’s just a pity that your poor father died five years too early and couldn’t live to see these dream-like good days."

Three years. Over a thousand days and nights. From the initial panic and resistance to today’s fanatical support, the citizens of the Divine Kingdom of Ten Thousand Machines had thoroughly grown accustomed to this life.

There were no Lords inventing excuses to collect taxes, and no Knights slaughtering indiscriminately. As long as they put in the labor, they could earn Contribution Points. And Contribution Points could be exchanged for piping hot bread, clean drinking water, bright lights, and the knowledge to change their destinies.

It wasn’t just the original Royal Capital; over the past three years, Earth Vein Magic Furnaces had been built in all the major cities across the continent. The immense energy drove tens of thousands of Alchemy Workshops day and night without rest. Cheap industrial goods flooded the entire realm. Luxuries that even the nobles couldn’t buy in the past were now standard items in commoner households.

At the same time, in the government affairs hall of the Third Administrative District.

Twenty-two-year-old Arthur stood straight. Three years ago, he was just a coolie carrying ore in the southern mines, completely illiterate. After the Code of Truth was enacted, he worked as an auxiliary laborer in the automated mines during the day and frantically ground away at the common language and basic math in night school at night, forcibly carving out his own path as a self-made underdog fighting his way up through relentless studying.

A holographic projection hovered in front of him. Jarvis’s voice, embodying the Supreme Will System, echoed in the hall. Though still devoid of emotion or inflection, it exuded absolute authority.

"Citizen ID: C-449212, Arthur.

"Accumulated Social Contribution Points over the past three years: 4,210 points. Rating: Excellent.

"Night school graduation exam comprehensive score: A+. Logic: Perfect score.

"Daily behavior monitoring record: No cutting in line, no fighting, no operational violations. Moral rating: A.

"According to Chapter Three, Article Seven of the ’Divine Kingdom Civil Affairs Official Selection Regulations,’ the comprehensive big data evaluation is complete. Your capability model match rate is 92%, surpassing all other competitors."

The data stream on the screen rapidly reorganized, revealing an electronic letter of appointment stamped with a scale seal, which then turned into a streak of light and flew into Arthur’s terminal.

"You are hereby appointed as the Civil Affairs Executor of the Seventh District within the Third Administrative District. Effective immediately."

Arthur took a deep breath and dropped to one knee. He did not look at anyone, instead staring straight at the red-and-blue statue of the god at the very front of the hall.

"I, Arthur, do hereby swear." His voice trembled with excitement, but his enunciation was exceptionally clear. "I will absolutely obey the guidance of Truth and maintain the order of the Divine Kingdom. My abilities and knowledge come from diligence; my body is dedicated to the people and the Divine Kingdom. No favoritism, no blind conformity. For the God of Steel and Truth!"

There was no red tape, no trading of money for power. In the Divine Kingdom of Ten Thousand Machines, Jarvis’s big data surveillance covered every corner, and everything spoke through data. Commoners from the bottom like Arthur, as long as they were willing to grind and were smart enough, could leap across social classes to become administrators.

This absolute fairness inspired an unprecedented inner drive among the six hundred million people. Coupled with Allen’s massive investments and the highly efficient construction by the Engineering Golems, the entire continent underwent earth-shattering changes in just three years. Even some Alien Tribes hiding in deep mountains and old forests packed up their bedrolls and rushed over overnight to pledge allegiance after hearing the news.

Zooming out to overlook the entire continent.

The once-muddy dirt roads had disappeared. In their place were crisscrossing, hardened grayish-white cement highways that tightly connected thousands of towns and cities like blood vessels.

Five heavy-haul railway mainlines ran north to south. Massive Magic Energy Trains, towing hundreds of cars fully loaded with refined ores, grain, and industrial equipment, roared across the tracks, emitting deafening rumbles.

The architectural style of the cities had also changed. Only a few spire churches and intricate castles were preserved; they were mostly replaced by square, practical, and towering reinforced concrete buildings. Everything was designed to allow cities to accommodate larger populations, and everything was for a higher space utilization rate.

Walking on the streets, one could see a qualitative transformation in the social atmosphere.

Pedestrians walked briskly with focused eyes, mostly clutching books or textbooks in their hands. No one made loud noises on the streets, and certainly, no one dared to spit on the ground. This was because, on both sides of the street, cold security Golems stood guard every few hundred meters.

Any behavior violating the Code of Truth would be instantly recorded and result in docked Contribution Points. Deductions meant a loss of credit, which translated to losing various priority qualifications.

Under the dual pressure of "Golem violence" and "data fairness," the entire society became highly efficient. Businesslike, rational, and championing knowledge and hard work. The vast majority of worldly networking and favoritism had been eradicated by data. The channel for upward mobility was now open, and erudition and progress were the mainstream ideologies.

In the central control room of the Cybertron Fortress.

On the giant screen, tens of thousands of real-time data points from the G-771 Plane were constantly ticking away.

"Commander, the total population of the plane has surpassed 625 million. The overall literacy rate has broken through 30%, and the literacy rate among those under twenty-five has exceeded 80%.

"Schools at all levels are operating normally. The first batch of 42,000 locally trained junior Alchemy Engineers has been fully deployed into major factories to assist in production."

Allen nodded slightly.

In three years’ time, by throwing in massive amounts of Magic Stones, he had forcibly elevated this medieval plane to the level of a near-modern industrial society. The first batch of high-quality "wage earners" who had received systematic education was finally online, freeing up quite a few Golems and computational power for him.

"What is the overall computational power usage status?" Allen asked.

"The current main system computational power usage rate is 94.7%. It can no longer handle unexpected warfare," Jarvis reported, pulling up a red alert chart. "With the increasing complexity of the social structure and the rise in population mobility, the volume of data processing has risen exponentially. It is estimated that in three months, the Supreme Will System will experience computational lag, affecting administrative efficiency."

"I understand."

Allen stood up and walked over to the holographic sandbox. "The social framework of the natives has taken shape. Moving forward, it just needs to operate methodically. As the core hub, you can no longer waste computational power on trivial domestic matters and basic civil affairs.

"The administrative mastermind dedicated exclusively to the G-771 Plane is nearing completion, codenamed ’Grand Governor.’ Prepare to initiate the ’Mind-Brain Separation’ project. Summarize and package all civil affairs data and processing experience. Once completed, delegate all authority over livelihood, security, and the economy to it."

"Understood. The exclusive civil affairs skill package for the ’Grand Governor’ has begun generating. Estimated time: fifteen days."

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