Chapter 512 — Chance Encounter

"Jubilee—a pleasure to meet you again," Jubilee said, lightly clasping the other's hand. "I'm terribly sorry—I was lying to you back then. I was very hungry."

"I know," Corde said, releasing her hand and politely stepping back. "I could tell. You didn't know the first thing about fortune-telling."

Jubilee smiled: "But I've known ever since that day."

They passed each other by. The great merchant walked toward the gates of the lord's manor, while the Witch walked toward the carriage parked by the roadside—but before climbing in, Jubilee suddenly stopped, turned back, and called out loudly: "Mr. Corde—Xuanyao City is paved with gold."

Codd turned back in surprise and saw the witch give him a little wave. "This time it's real."

The great merchant laughed. "I know."

The carriage at the roadside drove off, and Codd and Parr stepped through the gates of the lord's manor.

"Father," young Parr finally could not hold back once they were inside, "you know that witch?"

"Met her once, when I was young—she was only a girl then," the great merchant said casually. "She gave me my first lesson."

"Your first lesson?"

"That's right. The subject was 'never trust a roadside fortune-teller.'"

……

Two documents lay before Gao Yang.

One was from Rebecca: an analysis report on the "universal traction chassis." It contained a detailed breakdown of the entire system of the first-generation magic-powered vehicle, and, building on that, a plan for manufacturing a universal traction chassis using the technical experience of the arcane vehicle as a starting point.

The arcane vehicle had been built successfully. Using magical technology and this world's unique resources, the researchers here had weathered a difficult development process and at last solved most of the technical problems they encountered, putting a magic-driven conveyance operable by ordinary people onto the road. It was still far from perfect and suffered from this or that flaw, but this first step was unquestionably a success.

Here was a conveyance stronger than ox or horse, faster, tireless, needing no fodder. With it, the transport difficulties plaguing Cecil's large-scale construction would no doubt be greatly eased. And to draw the fullest value from this technology, it was necessary to build, on the principles of the arcane vehicle, all manner of specialized engineering vehicles with differing functions.

Under Gao Yang's long tutelage, Rebecca had already grasped the concepts of modular design and general-purpose technology, and had reaped considerable benefit from them. So this time, once the arcane vehicle was completed, the girl worked out a "universal chassis" plan on her own before Gao Yang even asked.

In this plan, Rebecca argued that the chassis of the first-generation "Type 475" arcane vehicle should be made into a modular chassis that could be conveniently coupled to other shells and traction loads; on that basis, a great many derivative vehicles could then be built—freight trucks, passenger coaches, agricultural machinery, engineering machines. At the end of the report she had even sketched a crude diagram of a war chariot—its basic structure being a light arcane cannon welded onto a Type 475 chassis, with a ring of steel plate wrapped around the outer shell…

The front of the thing even sported a ram of thoroughly unclassifiable design.

Crude, rough, its logic simple and brutal—and utterly astonishing.

To be honest, Gao Yang had been startled for quite a while after reading this report, because he had not yet even had the chance to put forward any such concept himself…

And beside this report lay a second document—a plan Gao Yang himself was in the middle of drafting:

"On the Potential Value of Developing New Media."

Newspapers had already gradually spread through the Southern Region, their coverage reaching essentially every town-level unit, while the new magic-net broadcasts, centered on the cross-axis, were covering more and more cities. The people of the Southern Region were growing familiar with these novelties; on the other side, the men and women who produced the newspapers and broadcasts were also growing accustomed to this new work.

The role of the new media in disseminating information was already becoming apparent. In the Darkwall City incident especially, the power displayed by public opinion and propaganda had left a deep impression on everyone in the Administrative Hall. Hetty too had remarked with a sigh that those newspapers and programs were no less potent than a fully armed army.

But as Gao Yang saw it, the value of these new media was far from being developed—they remained tools of narrow application, confined to the Administrative Hall's announcements of official business.

Monotonous in content, meager in variety, devoid of commercial return—they were less a new media than an enlarged notice board.

This fell far short of Gao Yang's original goal.

He picked up his pen and set down in the plan the next stage of promotion—ways must be found to teach the territory's people to take an active part in these novelties, to make them understand more deeply that what the lord created was not for the lord alone but for ordinary people as well; ways must be found to open up more civilian markets, to bring these novelties "alive," to maximize their value…

The benefits of doing so were obvious. Take merely the opening of commercial sections in the newspapers: on one hand, it could more swiftly awaken the people's minds, spur ordinary folk to think and to act, accelerating Cecil's cultural development; on the other hand, it could generate economic returns to ease the ever-growing financial pressure on Cecil's Administrative Hall. Too many construction projects were squeezing the economy of the Duchy of Cecil. Many of the novelties Cecil had created were outright "official projects," wholly dependent on duchy finances while barely recovering their costs (or recovering only the upfront cost without producing follow-on returns). They were one hundred percent "Administrative Hall industries," almost entirely disconnected from any private body.

At present there was no harm in it, but sooner or later this would become an enormous problem.

Of course, how to exercise effective control in the process, to keep these novelties from slipping beyond the Administrative Hall's grasp—that too required serious consideration…

Gao Yang mused, his pen moving and pausing. He had to weigh the future direction of the new media and the corresponding regulatory system, and also how to guide the territory's people, taking into account how the people of this era thought. Drafting the plan was no easy task.

Just then, Betty's voice came suddenly from beyond the door, interrupting Gao Yang's thoughts.

"My lord! Mr. Codd and Mr. Parr of Callor are here!"

Gao Yang was taken aback for a moment, then recalled who these two rather unfamiliar names belonged to.

They were the merchant father and son recommended by Padrick, Minister of Commerce.

"Let them in."

The door opened, and Codd and Parr stepped into the lord's study with a trace of nervousness.

At last they saw with their own eyes the ruler of the Southern Region.

He sat behind a broad writing desk, a pen in his hand, and behind him stood a great floor-to-ceiling window. Sunlight poured through it into the room and fell upon the shoulders of the founding duke like a cloak of pale gold.

He was even taller than Codd had imagined.

"Your Grace," the great merchant said, recovering quickly from his brief astonishment and giving his son a tug, then bowing with the utmost respect, "we are honored beyond words—your radiance shines upon this land."

(Oh my god!!)

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