After finding the little rhinoceros, Li Er went mad.

The sea breeze is salty, and the sunshine is warm.

The little ox was stunned when it saw such a vast expanse of water for the first time.

Her little hands gripped Jiang He's clothes tightly, hiding behind his legs, only peeking out half her head, her clear big eyes looking at everything in front of her with curiosity and timidity.

Huge waves surged onto the beach with a crashing sound, then slowly receded, leaving a wet, mirror-like surface in front of her, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

"Bubbles..." Xiao Sizi whispered, referring to the fine foam left on the beach when the waves receded.

Do you like it?

Jiang He asked softly, not rushing her, but patiently staying with her.

Little Si hesitated for a moment, but in the end, curiosity overcame his fear.

She loosened Jianghe's trouser leg, carefully took a small step forward, and stepped onto the wet sand, leaving a cute little footprint.

The cool, soft touch made her gasp, then she quickly pulled back, and then giggled, as if she had discovered a new and exciting game.

Jiang He looked at her with an incredibly gentle smile.

This is probably what they mean by a peaceful and tranquil life.

He took out a small bucket and shovel from the car, one set of normal-sized ones for himself and one set of pink mini ones for Xiao Sizi.

"Come on, let's dig for treasure."

"Digging...a baby?"

Little Sizi, though her speech was unclear, took the small tool, her little face full of seriousness.

It was low tide, exposing large areas of mudflats. Jiang He quickly found a clam spitting out water next to a small sand hole.

He gently dug with a shovel, and the round little thing was revealed.

"Look, the first treasure." He put the clam into the little ox's bucket, making a soft "thump" sound.

The little ox curiously leaned closer, poked the clam's hard shell with its tiny finger, and clapped its hands happily: "Baby!"

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

Jianghe didn't deliberately search for rare seafood; he simply strolled along the shallows with Xiao Sizi, enjoying the fun of treasure hunting.

They dug up a large, sideways-walking cricket, found a shyly hidden ring of meat under the rocks, and even discovered a dark, spiky ball covered in sharp spikes.

At first, the little ox was very afraid of that "spiky ball" and kept its distance.

Jiang He put on gloves, scooped it up, and patiently told her, "Don't be afraid. It just looks fierce. If we don't provoke it, it won't sting us."

Little Sizi nodded as if she understood, stretched out her little hand, and carefully touched the not-so-sharp spines of the sea urchin. Then she pulled back as if she had been electrocuted, and giggled.

[Ding! The quest "Observations on the Vast Ocean" has been completed!]

[Seafood collected: crabs, clams, sea urchins. Quantity met.]

[Task rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: Basic Salt Production Technology Blueprints (Sea Salt Edition) and Introductory Manual for Marine Aquaculture (Tidal Flat Edition).]

The system notification sounded in his mind, and Jiang He smiled slightly, deciding to put the matter aside for the time being.

At this moment, nothing is more important than Sizi's smile.

When they got tired of playing, Jianghe would set up a portable grill, clean his "trophies," and put them on the fire to roast.

He specially selected a few plump clams, grilled them until the shells popped open with a "pop," revealing the tender juices inside.

He used a small spoon to feed the little ox the warm clam meat to its mouth.

The little ox gulped it down in one go, its little mouth chewing rapidly, its eyes squinting happily into slits.

"Hmm...good seven!"

She cheered indistinctly, a little bit of meat juice still stuck to the corner of her mouth.

Jiang He took out a tissue and gently wiped her clean. He then pried open an oyster, sprinkled some salt on it, and took a sip.

The unique freshness of the sea instantly blossoms on the taste buds.

As the sun sets, it dyes the sea a vibrant orange-red.

Jiang He packed his things, picked up Xiao Sizi, who was already a little sleepy but still tightly clutching her little bucket, and headed home.

Little Sizi nestled in his arms, inhaling the faint scent of sunshine and sea breeze emanating from him, and fell asleep contentedly.

In her dream, she was still on that golden beach, digging up one "baby" after another.

Meanwhile, in the Great Tang Dynasty, at the Taiji Palace.

The sky gradually darkened as the "Immortal" carried the princess back to the "Immortal Palace".

The "Oracle Live Broadcast," which lasted for several hours, has finally come to an end.

The entire hall was deathly silent; you could hear a pin drop.

All the ministers were still immersed in the shock they had just witnessed, their minds replaying the vast blue sea, the easily obtained seafood, and the rising flames.

After a long while, Li Shimin finally spoke slowly. His voice was slightly hoarse, yet it contained the power of thunder.

"My esteemed ministers, speak your minds." He surveyed the civil and military officials in the hall. "What have you all discerned from the Immortal's actions today?"

The hall remained silent, not because there was no one to speak, but because the amount of information was too great, and everyone was afraid that they had not understood it thoroughly enough and would say the wrong thing.

In the end, Fang Xuanling stepped forward, took a deep breath, as if to calm the turmoil in his heart.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the immortal's actions were a silent enlightenment, and they have three meanings."

All eyes immediately focused on him.

"Firstly, it was to 'show us the way,'" Fang Xuanling said in a deep voice. "The immortal saw that the Tang army's rations were poor and knew that we were trapped by the land's fertility. Therefore, he personally came to the seashore to show us that the vast ocean, which we regarded as barren land, was actually an inexhaustible granary!"

Those crabs, snails, and even ugly rocks are all excellent sources of meat!

This is the immortal pointing out a new path for our Great Tang Dynasty: to use the sea as farmland!

"Using the sea as fields..." Li Shimin murmured to himself, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

"Secondly, it is the method of instruction," Fang Xuanling continued. "The immortal not only pointed out the clear path, but also personally demonstrated the method of acquisition. There is no need to venture out to sea and risk danger; one can simply pick them up after the tide recedes."

Furthermore, it was roasted with celestial fire, transforming the raw into the cooked.

This is the method of fishing, hunting, and cooking!

Du Ruhui then realized what was happening and stepped forward to add, "Xuanling is absolutely right! But I believe there is a third crucial point... the finishing touch!"

He said excitedly, "Does Your Majesty remember that when the immortal was roasting that stone, he sprinkled white powder on it?"

The powder was crystal clear and white, it was top-quality refined salt!

The immortal's actions are clearly telling us that the ocean... can produce not only grain, but also salt!

The ills of the salt administration in our Great Tang Dynasty, and the suffering of the border troops from salt shortages, the solution... lies in these seawater!

"boom!"

These words struck Li Shimin and all his ministers like a thunderclap!

Yup!

Salt!

That's the most crucial thing!

Changsun Wuji trembled with excitement. He stepped forward, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty! The path of Prime Minister Fang and the insight of Prime Minister Du, when combined, constitute the strategy bestowed upon our Great Tang by the Immortals to strengthen our race and our nation!"

Cultivating the sea as farmland will yield meat, thus strengthening the people and making the soldiers strong!

Boiling seawater for salt would yield substantial profits, enough to fill the national treasury!

Both of these are the cornerstones of the nation and a great undertaking for all generations!

"We second that proposal!"

In an instant, all the ministers knelt down, and shouts of admiration echoed throughout the hall.

Li Shimin slowly stood up, walked to the entrance of the main hall, and looked eastward, towards the sea.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the barriers of time and space, seeing countless Tang Dynasty citizens working by the sea and countless armies becoming vigorous and powerful due to the abundant salt.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes burning with an unprecedented fervor.

"Issue my decree!"

"Order all coastal prefectures to immediately select individuals familiar with hydrology and tides to form surveying teams, draw detailed nautical charts, and ascertain where the seas are abundant!"

"I hereby order the Ministry of Works to gather the most skilled craftsmen in the land to study the immortals' method of boiling seawater! I give you three months; you must produce pure white salt for me!"

"I order the Ministry of Revenue to conduct an audit, and immediately establish 'Cultivating the Sea Offices' in Dengzhou, Laizhou, and other places to manage this matter! I want to turn this boundless sea into my Great Tang... a second Guanzhong!"