You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

Missionaries were also affected, and it was frightening that over the years more and more of the psionicists among them began to repeat "Praise the Way of Heaven," as if the more they came into contact with the warp, the more they became like this.

That doesn't seem right.

Isn't the warp teeming with demons?

Please try to be normal. Even if you develop characteristics of a clan member, that would be fine. At least you could be cured with purification methods.

Those who repeat the same old formulas are hopeless and doomed.

However, psychics often possess a certain social standing, making it difficult for them to be subjected to widespread judgment.

Besides, the law does not punish the masses.

There are too many people; something must have happened in the subspace over the years. But we can only tolerate it. Since we can't compete in the New World, we'll continue our expansion in Southeast Asia. Fortunately, the Great Qian doesn't interfere much there.

However, Southeast Asia is not without its own indigenous civilizations.

Although it cannot compare to the flourishing civilizations of Middle-earth and the Western Continent, it should not be underestimated, unlike the New World which is almost unclaimed territory.

There were even powerful adversaries of immense size that thwarted their expansion efforts, leading to friction between the two sides and repeated conflicts and wars in Southeast Asia... becoming one of the decisive factors in the global conflict landscape.

A world of Terra that is more interconnected through transportation and communication has not become more peaceful.

On the contrary.

The interests behind colonial expansion sparked more potential disputes.

But it has nothing to do with the empire itself.

Feng Tianyin, while stationed in Daqian, continued to promote the concept of building a technologically advanced nation in the inner sea. In the past few years, internal combustion engines and power plants have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, becoming new elements in the urban landscape.

She changed the Spring Festival ceremony from the evening to the night, and held it under the neon lights.

The high priest's adjustment of commemorative activities is a strong signal.

Farewell, night.

Humanity has officially entered a world without darkness, from eating raw meat and drinking blood to practicing slash-and-burn agriculture, from hiding in caves at night to avoid wild beasts to building cities that never sleep...

The empire was gradually illuminated according to the "National Power Plant Planning Map" designed by Feng Tianyin.

In the eyes of the Western Continent, this place is already a land that "never sleeps".

Electricity not only provides light, but also ensures abundant energy for the Great Qian Dynasty, boosting productivity and causing steel, grain, and rubber production to soar.

They then became new building materials to open up new land.

For example, colonies.

Originally, the construction of the colony's power grid was supposed to begin at the end of this round in the Phoenix Sound Project.

But it was faster than her calculations, and by the end of the round, it had basically completed its deployment.

It's important to know that Xia He didn't specifically select "national policies related to electricity." It was all thanks to Feng Tianyin constantly executing "Leader's Agenda: Establishing a Power Grid." Of course, its power was not as great as the full player privileges, but it still operated efficiently.

It is the result of the hard work of the people of Daqian.

Over the course of a decade, a grand empire spanning both sides of the ocean was formed. This energy source naturally propelled power innovation, leading to the continuous miniaturization, modification, and iteration of internal combustion engines.

The sluggish steam engine was gradually replaced, and trains and ships driven by internal combustion engines became the main engines.

Their speed and transport capacity have taken Daqian's commodity economy to a new level.

With domestic production unable to handle the sheer volume of goods, businesses have stepped in to export canned goods, agricultural products, steel, textiles, and more. Other countries are also willing to send orders here, given the high efficiency.

Even seemingly trivial matters like "paper products" were handed over to Daqian, for no other reason than that the factory was highly efficient and could deliver the equivalent of a 10,000-ton ship's worth of goods in a single day.

It all relies on mechanization.

Once electrification and internal combustion engine technology are gradually completed, it will be the next thing to be introduced.

Feng Tianyin always had a clear plan for doing things, and by the end of the 12th round, the empire had already begun a vigorous mechanization.

As a result, a large number of goods swept the world.

Just as Finance Minister Fang Shu had fueled this trend, in addition to the state-owned pillar industries, grain giants, textile giants, financial giants, and others rose up one after another, becoming super business empires with their tentacles reaching all over the world, with funds amounting to tens of billions.

In an era that has not yet experienced large-scale inflation, such a size is extremely valuable.

In fact, they became the tools for Daqian to exert its economic influence abroad.

Complement each other.

The merchant guilds and associations of yesteryear have gradually become enterprises, and now they have become veritable super conglomerates.

In the eyes of ordinary people overseas, they are actually the ones who truly control their own lives. Although there are many political systems in the continental and sea regions, in the vast world of Terra, calling many political entities "political entities" is an understatement; they are essentially small tribes.

On average, the city-states were all advanced.

Therefore, the management style of conglomerates can effectively tame grassroots society, and as a result, these giants are fed and grow larger and larger.

Ambitions expand with resources.

They have attempted to exert political influence more than once.

Chapter 184 The Era of the Second Industrial Revolution (6K)

Feng Tianyin had noticed the conglomerate's restlessness long ago, but she didn't take the initiative to deal with it. Instead, she waited to see how the Temple Group would react.

If it's so easy for government and business to collude and conspire, then it's time to take action.

The High Priest is now more focused on politics and the Warp.

It's not that I can't lift the knife anymore.

Therefore, she, Gegentana, Zhuang Qing, and even the two leaders of the outer and inner palaces, Jiang Bai and Song Xuyun, acted as if they hadn't seen the conglomerate's little tricks and didn't take it seriously at all. This was not carelessness, but observation.

We've worked together for many years and have developed a tacit understanding within the team. Whether others understand it or not is your own problem.

The conglomerates gradually began to bribe, buy off, or simply purchase, initially targeting one thing:

newspaper.

Moreover, they were very careful. They wanted to start the "New Continent Daily" first, but it was stopped by the diocese head, Dai Qingshuang, who used her influence in the inner sanctuary to make the matter fall through.

Without needing their superiors Song Jingyun and Zhuang Qing to intervene, they blocked it.

If that doesn't work, let's try a different approach.

Conglomerates began infiltrating the engineering sector, given the inevitable collusion between government and business, which offered enormous potential for profit. However, they could only ensure orders benefited themselves, evade scrutiny, or falsify losses… If the profits were too small, why not simply purchase the entire industry?

Indeed, it's not possible.

The temple has long since legislated to regulate the scope of state-owned industries, and any rash infiltration would definitely be investigated by Zhuang Qing.

They dared not directly confront a boss-like figure like the one who had been promoted.

However, after this initial foray, the conglomerate pressed on, using the engineering department as cover to gradually dilute the influence of the power plant and steel plant ownership layer by layer. Through outsourcing and share transfer, they operated with precision, and many businessmen benefited from it.

A massive corruption case is taking shape, with a deeply entrenched network of vested interests.

Of course, the top executives of the conglomerate still restrained themselves.

They only scratched the surface, not daring to infiltrate further. Who didn't know how formidable the High Priest was? He usually didn't care about power struggles, but if he did, even several lives wouldn't be enough.

Know when to stop.

However, many mid-level employees and clerks involved in the case did not think so, and even took the initiative to show off their achievements.

Even though it was only corruption that their level of expertise could access, the tax issues still caught Fang Shu's attention and piqued her interest.

"Investigate further, what exactly is this 'extremely large-scale tax evasion' that these guys are talking about?"

Little did the Chancellor of the Exchequer know that his investigation would set off a major incident.

She quickly found a series of relevant documents and followed the clues to uncover the entire network of relationships. The more she dug, the more alarming it became, even shocking the permanent senior clerk who had held power for many years.

"That's really awful."

"My lord, further investigation will only cause trouble, and His Majesty is preparing for the Heavenly Dao Festival..."

"The investigation will be completed through departmental coordination."

After Fang Shu figured out the general outline of the matter, she concluded that Feng Tianyin already knew.

The high priest didn't take action for two reasons: firstly, this Heavenly Ritual was supposedly a busy one, involving a generational transition; secondly, it was probably a test of the bureaucratic machine's capabilities.

She won't let her boss down.

However, due to procedures and responsibilities, the Chancellor of the Exchequer still brought this "major tax evasion case" to the forefront during the court meeting. The detailed report he prepared made everyone present frown. It was really a bit too arrogant. The conglomerate itself probably didn't expect it.

They know how to lie low after embezzling some public assets, but how easy is it to tame a wild beast once it's been unleashed? They're sorely mistaken.

"I'll leave this to you to handle as soon as possible. Zhuang Qing, your judicial authorities will also be busy for a while."

Yes, sir.

As expected, Feng Tianyin showed little interest.

But no one dared to underestimate her importance, after all, she had caused considerable trouble for the powerful and wealthy families of the Great Qian Dynasty in the past, and they would definitely not let her off easily.

A storm is brewing.

The high priest's order brought the matter of the court discussion to the public's attention.

Temples usually publish their agendas, which many people don't pay attention to, at most glancing at them but not really remembering. However, today is different; this tax case has been openly placed in the headlines.

The media apparatus controlled by the inner palace began to create momentum; it's clear that a mere conglomerate dares to provoke them, showing a complete lack of understanding of the political landscape of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Fang Shu immediately launched an anti-monopoly investigation, revised the risk assessment, and investigated tax matters...

She used the resources of more than one department.

Upon receiving the signal, banks immediately downgraded their credit ratings and froze assets. Subsequently, a series of actions, including investigations by supervisory departments and the Ministry of Justice, were launched, making the situation unstoppable.

You've annoyed me.

Fang Shu did not foresee this when she supported the conglomerate, and her colleagues and superiors also had a premonition.

But it's really unlucky that it happened on the eve of the Heavenly Ritual.

She showed no mercy to this cursed thing, and the conglomerate immediately felt the oppressive aura of the temple.

A whole system is exerting suppression.

From beginning to end, the temple was kept relatively isolated from the influence of the enterprise under Feng Tianyin's control, preventing the other party from hijacking her interests. She didn't even need to take action herself; departmental cooperation was enough.