Chapter 898 — A Thread Across Time

Since midsummer, everything had been falling into place, and this vast nation had begun to accelerate its development along the course Gao Yang had charted for it.

In the study, its floor covered with a velvet carpet, a cool breeze drifted steadily from the vents in the corners of the room. The sunlight before noon was bright, lending even the timeworn bookshelves and the decorative weapon racks a greater brilliance than usual. Gao Yang sat in the chair he always used, listening to the report, while Hetty stood on the other side of his desk.

The desk was new, though its style was much the same as before.

"This is the report on diplomatic and economic activity from the Western Region," Hetty said, placing the organized documents before Gao Yang while briefly summarizing their contents. "On the whole, our contacts with the remaining tribes of Augurey have all gone smoothly—including the spiritfolk, whose stance had always been unclear. To date, the gray elves and the human tribes, who were the first to make contact with us, have established stable commercial exchange with the Empire and agreed to introduce the magic net and the railway system within their territory. The remaining races have agreed to open commercial channels; as for the magic net and the railways... they will wait to see the 'results' in the gray elf and human lands before considering the matter."

Gao Yang nodded in satisfaction. "The Augurey Tribal States are a loose confederation, and they themselves are accustomed to being that way. This is the only way to deal with them—one step at a time. At present, at least the Council of Five Kings has shown a friendly disposition, and that is the greatest progress. Has any word come from the dwarven kingdom on the western coast of the continent?"

"The dwarves are very interested in our machines, and with the gray elves bridging things for us, the negotiations have gone smoothly throughout. The only trouble is that overland transport between us and the dwarves is inconvenient—we would have to cross the entire Augurey Tribal States, and there are vast stretches of forest and mountain in between. So formal trade will have to wait until Northport is in service—by way of the western coastal route. Until then, the dwarves, for reasons of cost, will probably not purchase our heavy machinery on any large scale."

"It shouldn't be too long now... Progress at Northport has gone very well, and the siren technical team we agreed upon earlier should reach the northern coast within a couple of days, which will be just in time to speed up the shipbuilding there," Gao Yang said. "Is there anything else to report?"

"One more thing," Hetty said with a nod. "Lady Wenna Baizhi, chieftain of the gray elves, wishes to further expand the export quota for alchemical raw materials. She seems to be planning to create a new economic 'signboard' for Mosswood—to make the alchemical raw materials in the gray elves' command an important pillar of the Augurey Tribal States' economy."

"The gray elves... As I recall, that Chief Wenna's daughter is currently studying at the Imperial Academy?"

Hetty thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes—Merry Baizhi. She is a new student this year, admitted to the Magitech Division through the standard foreign-student procedure, with alchemy and social administration as her minor fields."

"All three divisions at once?" Gao Yang could not help raising an eyebrow. "A diligent child... Wait. A gray elf freshman in the Magitech Division? Don't tell me the one who jumped out the window the last time Kamael went to lecture was..."

"It was her," Hetty said, the corner of her mouth seeming to twitch. "The Imperial Academy has already begun strengthening classroom management and the security guarantees around the teaching facilities..."

"...The gray elves were the first foreign race to establish good relations with the Empire, and in the Ansul era they were a power that consistently maintained good relations with the Morne dynasty," Gao Yang said, steering the topic stiffly back on course after two seconds of silence. "They are a race very skilled at doing business, with footprints across the entire western continent—gray elf traders are even called 'the bonds of the western continent.' It is necessary for us to cultivate good relations with such a people. Moreover, their interest in new things will help us spread new machines and industrial products to the west of the continent. We can agree to Lady Wenna's request—but the specific quota will need to be decided jointly by the economic and industrial departments."

"I understand," Hetty said with a nod. "After I return, I will organize an internal meeting and give the gray elves an answer as soon as possible."

Gao Yang murmured an acknowledgment. He was just about to ask something more when a knock suddenly came from beyond the study door.

After Gao Song's response, the door of the study was opened, and an old man entered—one whose bearing seemed refined and steady, whose gaze was deep and calm: Godwin Orlando, head of the cultural department.

Gao Yang looked up at the old scholar who had joined Cecil in its earliest days and rendered great service to this nation, and upon noticing the man's attire, he raised his eyebrows in some surprise. Today Orlando wore a brand-new black formal suit and black trousers; a golden watch chain hung from the pocket on his chest; his graying hair was combed immaculately; and he wore a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles that lent him a distinctly scholarly air. All of this was quite different from what the old scholar usually wore.

"Your Majesty," Godwin said, first paying his respects to Gao Yang. Then, seeing that Hetty was also present, he nodded to her as well. "Good day, Grand Chancellor Hetty."

"So you've taken to wearing the new formal suits too?" Gao Yang asked casually, with considerable interest.

"Ah... yes, a sort of experiment," Godwin said. He had been about to give his report, but the question caught him off guard for a moment; then he looked down at his own clothes, and a slightly constrained smile appeared on his face. "After all, the government hall is mostly young people now, and even the old have begun to gradually change their attire—the old-fashioned scholar's robes are only worn on ceremonial occasions these days... Last week even Pi Yun ordered a formal suit, so I thought I would give it a try as well."

Then the old scholar asked, still a little uneasy: "This outfit doesn't look strange on me, does it?"

"It suits you very well," Gao Yang said. "You look much more vigorous—and keeping up with the times is no bad thing."

"That's good to hear—I felt awkward the whole way here when I wore it out today," the old gentleman said, turning his neck left and right. "It is actually quite comfortable, but I always had the feeling of being imprisoned by the fabric... Fortunately, I've grown a little more used to it now."

As he spoke, he came to Gao Song's desk and casually drew a report from his document folder and handed it over. "Your Majesty, the 'Cultural Knowledge Preservation' project has recently made some progress. I have compiled it into a report."

The "Cultural Knowledge Preservation" he spoke of was the nationwide project Gao You had launched to conduct a large-scale survey, protection, and cataloguing of all manner of archives and materials—classics, legends, knowledge, histories, and the like. It was the abbreviated name of the "National Emergency Preservation Project for Cultural Relics, Books, and Intellectual Heritage," and Godwin Orlando was one of its principal directors.

Gao Yang took the report and began to skim its contents, while Godwin supplied some details on the side:

"We have successfully compiled the noble genealogies of the entire western region from the First Dynasty to the Second Dynasty, and cross-referenced and registered them against the surviving noble rolls...