You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

"Do you know anything else?"

"Knowledge is poisonous; I can't remember any more, or I'll die. Let's stop here."

The blind old shaman stopped talking and hummed a little tune to herself, enjoying herself.

Forget it.

Xia He resisted the urge to press further, even though she felt the other person might still know something. It was quite strange that the villagers had shared their knowledge of subspace, even if their knowledge was far less than her own.

Both men agreed that pollution would actually increase gradually over time.

There's nothing noteworthy about the Arctic Circle anymore.

Finally, she manipulated the hunters to hand over the relics of the Great Qian No. 1 Expedition to a merchant, paying the shipping fee in advance and making promises:

"Find the officials of the Great Qian Dynasty and give them benefits."

"I see."

The well-traveled merchant immediately recognized the tokens. Combining this with the news of a missing expedition team from the Great Qian Dynasty, he could guess most of the reasoning and knew what to do. He was assured of a reward for returning them, and might even gain friendship in return.

After giving her instructions, Xia He was freed from control.

It's springtime, and Daqian's Arctic adventure team should have recently passed through the border region. It would be best to check the places they visited.

After all, ordinary branch cities are not as stable as Xiayi.

Let's also take a look at their preparations for the 50th annual Heavenly Ritual.

In a flash, Xia He switched to first-person perspective, moving to the valleys of the Western Regions, and finally anchored her in Kang Guo.

In the past, I would have definitely been dizzy.

I'm afraid I might be experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia, but my current physical condition is perfectly capable of withstanding large-scale, high-frequency holographic immersive switching.

This has been the case ever since I started feeling a slight surge of energy.

It doesn't matter.

Her busy work schedule has made her too lazy to care anymore. As long as nothing's wrong, that's fine. Her recent physical exam results were also very good, and they even said she was "unbelievably healthy," so she can stay up even longer in the future.

Xia He focused on the examination after regaining her composure.

From the perspective of a passing caravan, the city of Kangguo was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, seemingly preparing for a grand sacrificial ceremony.

In earlier years, it was a traditional festival limited to a few core city-states of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Now it's spread all over the country.

Even in Kangguo, preparations were being made with great fanfare. Various offerings, treasures, and exquisite handicrafts were arranged around the temple, as if a ritual was being performed. All preparations were complete, and the work was entirely the responsibility of the priests, who handled everything in an orderly manner.

Behind this lies the remote support from the headquarters in Xiayi.

The great prophet put in the effort, and with everyone's perception of divine intervention, even the most remote areas began to worship devoutly.

According to Xia He's observations, the current Daqian Dynasty has a "triple influence circle" effect.

The first layer is the broadest "cultural sphere".

Within this area, most people could understand the Mandarin of the Great Qian Dynasty to some extent, used Chinese characters, and shared common sayings, weights, and measures. For example, the southern regions had already been deeply influenced and were considered part of the cultural sphere. Its influence extended far beyond national borders, reaching even the barbarian tribes in the Arctic region.

The second aspect is that the "religious circle" is appropriate.

Even some barbarian tribes further north revered the Heavenly Dao Sect, thanks to Gegentana's tireless missionary work.

The third layer is the smallest yet most tightly controlled "sphere of influence".

For example, some city-states in the south have actually become closely connected with the Great Qian Dynasty, almost like one entity.

What Xia He was seeing now was the influence of the Heavenly Dao Sect. However, the person in question was somewhat embarrassed upon witnessing the statues depicting him in various poses, and his face flushed.

Weird.

Although the statues of deities do not have specific facial features and their clothing and postures are all different, they can be recognized at a glance from their temperament and characteristics.

Xia He dares to say she will definitely recognize the person in question.

It was as if some invisible and intangible spiritual energy had anchored the image, making it unalterable and uniquely designated.

After all, there is a world of extraordinary beings.

The merchant, possessed by the spirit, was heading to the workshop, where various exquisite sculptures were being fired, mostly related to the Dao of Heaven. Besides these, there were also statues of Guan Yu and the like, which should be considered "cultural and creative products" for the Great Qian Dynasty, since that history was mythology to them.

Most of the statues were sold, with the best ones being transported to the temple area.

It was only then that Xia He realized that this small workshop was actually established by the Kang Guo government, bringing together the city's top craftsmen, ensuring the production of exquisite works.

"Could this be lead-glazed pottery?"

“You’re in this line of work, so what’s so surprising? But we have indeed upgraded our technology.” A craftsman resting in the workshop fanned himself with a fan and said, “According to the High Priest, handicrafts also need industrial upgrading.”

"It needs a kiln temperature of 1000℃, I never thought that Daqian's technology has developed to this level."

"It's really quite luck-based; we can't guarantee success every time. Of course, scarcity drives up value, and we'll pay high prices for anything exquisite."

Xia He glanced at the abandoned area next door and saw that there were indeed many failed works.

The items to be transported by the host are all exquisite pieces. The sculptures are decorated with yellow, green, and white glazes on their pigmented bases to represent color and suit the celebration. The birds, animals, flowers, and figures are decorated using techniques such as carving, incising, and appliqué, making them absolutely exquisite.

call!

As they spoke, the distant furnace reignited, radiating intense heat. After all, the glaze was made from minerals containing various coloring elements such as iron, copper, cobalt, and iron. Under high temperatures, the various coloring metal oxides melted into the lead glaze, flowing out textures that were truly exquisite.

To avoid the sweltering heat, the transport caravans set off early.

Their convoy headed towards the temple district, with Xia He carefully observing for potential pollution along the way.

Fortunately, everything is safe and sound.

It can be further affirmed that in the current era, regions where civilization is thriving are relatively safe as they can effectively dispel the potential risks of pollution.

Those guys tend to operate in the jungle.

Conversely, it also means that barbarians would suffer greatly and be driven to the civilized world, bringing with them their pollution.

While they were pondering, the convoy had already entered the temple district. Kang Guo's center was naturally not as magnificent as Xia Yi's, but it was still quite large, resembling a small palace complex.

The city lord must have spent a considerable amount of money, but he was still quite restrained, and the scale was moderate.

The clerks at the gate greeted the group, gave them a cursory inspection, and praised them repeatedly.

"Products from official kilns are always of the highest quality."

It would definitely be considered a cultural relic by future generations, worth a fortune.

At the same time, she heard the neighing of horses, which seemed to indicate that a large number of fine steeds were gathering. So Xia He took the initiative to step out of the view and look down.

In fact.

The Kangguo Temple area was built on the edge of the city wall, with the vast northwestern desert on the other side, which also made it suitable as a horse ranch. Sure enough, thousands of horses galloped here, dust filled the sky, and loud neighing echoed.

The horse administration is one of the major strategies of the Great Qian Dynasty, and it is equipped with the best support resources.

Its size is second only to the northern grasslands.

Feng Tianyin understood the principle of not putting all your eggs in one basket, so she readily supported Kang Guo's application for a horse farm. In just five years, it has grown to its current enormous size, enough to support a large cavalry army.

[Facilities: Horse farm]

[Background: The vast horse farms operated by the Great Qian Dynasty, centered around Kang Guo and connecting various important towns in the Northwest, were used for breeding and selection of horses, serving as a military strategic resource.]

[Effect: Warhorse resources +10%, Cavalry experience production +5%]

In the game, it's not something you can just build on a whim; you need at least warhorse resources and careful planning.

Feng Tianyin's plan was scientific and detailed.

The number of warhorses she had begun to stockpile had reached a terrifying figure.

"This Akhal-Teke horse is properly tackled. Ke Rong, it would be great if you could ride it all the way from Loulan to Xiayi as a gift."

A group of well-dressed clerks at the edge of the horse farm beamed with delight, quite satisfied with the Akhal-Teke horses and other fine steeds, which were perfect as a gift for the 50th anniversary of the Enlightenment Ceremony.

perfect.

“Lord of the city, if you do not report on your duties, you may be criticized by your colleagues.”

“Actually, I wrote to the High Priest a long time ago to resign and return to my hometown. I am in a semi-retired state. You will return to Xiayi with the new city lord who is taking office.”

"...Take care."

Thinking back on his years of working with Lord Kang Guo, Ke Rong couldn't help but feel emotional.

He was still relatively young, so he witnessed many of his colleagues retire.

This person was a native of the area, and back then, he voluntarily surrendered the city to Feng Tianyin through a humiliating treaty, making a pivotal historical decision. The city lord made the right choice; Kang Guo has developed rapidly since then, living up to the expectations of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Loulan, where he was born, prospered because of trade, and the two cities can be called the two most distant pearls in the valley of the Western Regions.

When they return next time, local officials dispatched from the capital will take charge.

"Don't linger."

The city lord stroked his white hair and sighed, "An era has ended. Not only us, but many of the clerks in Xia Yi must be retiring by now. I am fortunate to have witnessed the conquest of the grasslands; it is a blessing from heaven. You should set off soon." Upon hearing this, Ke Rong and his entourage set off with their caravan.

They really need to hurry; they should be able to catch the Heavenly Ritual.

Xia He looked around and confirmed that there was no danger.

Although merchants from the northwest occasionally traded with barbarian outposts further north, everything was peaceful.

Moreover, the information regarding the main city showed promising development, so without suspicion, I withdrew my gaze. The map quickly shifted north, the scenery fading away rapidly—that was where the key lay.

How do these newcomers view this grand event?

...........

The northern desert is in the season when grass grows and birds fly.

Linchun, a volcanic city, is particularly blessed with warm geothermal energy, making it evergreen year-round with a pleasant temperature. Its high latitude means it remains cool during the sweltering summer.

Given time, it's not impossible for this place to become a summer resort outside the Great Wall.

Xia He surveyed the entire city, retrieving information:

Loyalty level maxed out.

[Current Mainstream Culture: Nomadic]