I Came to See the Mortal World

Once that thought arose, it was hard to put down.

Looking to real history for reference, if no outside force catalyzed it, a Unified Dynasty would likely remain ossified for a long time. Even if one dynasty replaced another, it would only mean a different group took power—nothing more.

Society would undergo no fundamental transformation.

In the luckiest case, it might encounter a few wise rulers and enjoy a brief spell of prosperity and peace for several decades, only to decline again afterward, repeating the cycle time and time again.

But what if Lin Tuo gave it a gentle push at this moment? Could he catalyze the progress of Civilization?

"It can be attempted... The question is how to do it. Given the state of the Dachi Dynasty, it would be far too difficult to awaken the lower classes from the bottom up. That was not something an outside force could forcibly drive.

"By comparison, reform from the top down has greater feasibility..."

"Then how do I bestow knowledge upon the Dachi Dynasty?" Lin Tuo sank into thought.

Knowledge was not some tangible object that could simply be bestowed. It could only be relayed and taught, and that process required communication between both sides. It could not be a one-sided lecture.

In a real ancient era, it would be immensely difficult for an ordinary person to make his ideas heard by the ruler. Lin Tuo, however, did not have that problem.

So long as he wished it, he could shout within the Sandbox, and every living being on the entire continent would hear him.

But that would not achieve his goal.

First, a method akin to a "Deity manifesting itself" could not allow for refined communication. It would only make the transmission of knowledge more difficult and awkward.

Besides.

He was not sure what consequences such a method might bring. Would what he taught be treated as "forbidden knowledge" or "divine whispers" and suppressed?

Would mortal emperors be too frightened to put it into practice?

"I still need to think of a more 'people-friendly' method... Something that does not go too far beyond the Sandbox humans' understanding, yet makes them study it with reverence and develop proactively..."

As he pondered, the sky gradually brightened, and Lin Tuo began to form some ideas.

"Before that, I should go in and take a look."

Having made up his mind, Lin Tuo summoned the Virtual Panel, returned to the "main page," entered the "Store," and fixed his gaze on a new item.

It was a new item that had quietly appeared after humans were born within the Sandbox.

Tongyu Technique: 100 points

Description: An ability that allows one to quickly master unfamiliar languages.

Clearly, this function had appeared to facilitate communication between him and the Sandbox humans.

It was just that Lin Tuo had been unable to afford it before.

"Purchase!" Clutching his chest, he painfully spat out those two words. A brief emptiness swept through him, and the Aether points within his body fell from 124 to 24.

Purchase successful

Seeing the notification, Lin Tuo returned to the "Creation Mode" page and adjusted the Sandbox's time flow to 1:1.

In an instant, the racing images within the entire Sandbox seemed to "freeze."

At that moment, the Sandbox and reality were completely synchronized.

Then Lin Tuo raised his right hand. After a brief hesitation, he lowered his palm over the largest and most prosperous city on the continent.

It was the capital of the Dachi Dynasty.

Lin Tuo planned to have his Avatar descend into the mortal dynasty and see with his own eyes what this world truly looked like.

Meanwhile, in northwestern Huaxia, inside the Great Wall and above the former Takk Desert, dawn had just arrived. The sky was still dark, and stars dotted the night overhead.

Across this vast continent, cities, villages, and towns lay scattered like stars across a chessboard, slowly awakening.

And at that moment, an invisible giant hand silently descended from the universe, without disturbing a single soul.

It was the 561st year since the founding of the Dachi Dynasty.

An utterly ordinary night.

On an official road outside the Capital, a figure dressed in strange clothing appeared without a sound.

In the North of the Tako Continent, endless Mountain Ranges stretched as far as the eye could see. South of them lay the plains.

The city where the Dachi Dynasty had established its realm was located there.

It was early spring. The chill had faded, the weather had warmed, and peach blossoms were in full bloom throughout the Capital, breathtakingly beautiful.

At that moment, the morning sun slowly rose from beneath the horizon, its warm crimson light illuminating the city that was neither fully asleep nor fully awake.

South Gate.

The gates remained tightly shut, yet a long line had already formed outside the city—the people waiting to enter.

"Stay sharp! Today is the ceremony. If anything goes wrong, none of you will get away with it!"

The City Guard Commander appeared quietly atop the gate tower.

His stern voice was like hailstones, smashing through the drowsiness of the soldiers guarding the city.

"Yes!"

Only after seeing the soldiers straighten and answer loudly did the South City Guard Commander's expression ease slightly.

Though he could be considered an officer of some rank, in a place like the Capital, he was still only at the bottom.

Under the feet of the Son of Heaven, one had to tread as if walking on thin ice. And with him responsible for guarding the city gates, any mistake would become a major matter.

Especially... today.

Turning to look outside the city, he saw the sky rapidly brightening. The officer narrowed his eyes and began counting the number of carriages and horses outside based on experience.

Mm, more than three times the usual number.

It was no surprise. Today was the annual Sacrifice to the Gods Ceremony.

Every early spring, when the peach blossoms were at their fullest, His Majesty the Emperor would lead the assembled officials in holding a ritual to worship the Deity at the Western Garden. This tradition had existed since hundreds of years ago, when the dynasty had still been merely a feudal state.

It had been held countless times since then.

The Western Garden, where the Sacrifice to the Gods Ceremony took place, was home to the Royal Garden and was opened to the people of the Capital on only a handful of days each year.

This ceremony was the grandest of them all, with no restrictions on spectators. Thus, whenever this time of year came around, not only people from the Capital but citizens from other prefectures, commanderies, and counties would also rush here to watch.

For one thing, they came to observe the ceremony. For another, they came to the Capital to admire the flowers.

With so many people arriving, the pressure on the city gate guards naturally surged. After all... if they let some troublemakers into such a grand celebration...

The responsibility would be too great.

Today was the final day. The number of people entering the city had already decreased somewhat; more had arrived in the Capital several days in advance. As far as he knew, nearly every inn in the city was now full.

Music and dancing echoed through Rouge Alley without rest through the night.

Pleasure boats gathered upon the Taohua River, and river lanterns blanketed both banks.

To outsiders, this naturally embodied the Capital's bustle and prosperity. Yet as someone born and raised in the Capital, he found it unbearably dull.

The same scenery, cycling over and over, had been stamped from almost the same mold for decades. What could possibly feel fresh about it?

New singers and dancers? Or some new tunes?

How could that count as anything novel? It was merely a change of skin. As a city gate officer, he should not have been thinking such things, but he had always liked letting his thoughts run wild. He could not control it.

In his view, though the Dachi Dynasty had been founded for more than five hundred years, the superficial prosperity could no longer conceal the rot and rigidity beneath.

It was hardly surprising. Looking across the entire continent, the dynasty stood unified, while the small forces at the borders were utterly insignificant. With no enemies left, even the strongest and most vigorous Empire would inevitably grow old.

Mm, the current ruler was indeed an enlightened sovereign who worked diligently to strengthen the realm. But what could it change, no matter how tirelessly His Majesty labored?

This world... in the end, has nothing new to offer. The officer silently thought, then heard the tolling of bells behind him.

He immediately sniffed and shouted, "Open the city gates!"

"Rumble..."

At that moment, the hinges turned, and the gates of the Capital opened together. The people waiting outside waved their whips, drove their carriages, and slowly wriggled forward.

"What's in the carriage?"

"Stop for inspection."

"Present your documents. Mm, go in." To prevent accidents, the officer simply went down beneath the gate himself to inspect and verify identities.

"Next!"

Wiping away his sweat, the officer called out.

Then a young man appeared before him, dressed in a long robe with short hair, unusually bright eyes, and an expression both curious and carefree.

He seemed to have arrived on foot. His bearing was entirely unlike the others'—like a scholar, yet with an added liveliness and sharpness. Like a martial man? But what martial man could be so refined and clean?

"You're from Mingzhou Prefecture?" The officer froze for a moment, then glanced at the identity document the other man handed over and asked instinctively.

"Yes." The young man smiled and nodded.

"Your identity is fine..." There were no photographs on the document, so naturally the inspection could not be very precise. The officer flipped through it and handed it back, then hesitated before asking further:

"Is this your first time in the Capital?"

"It is indeed my first time."

"What did you come here for?" The officer could not help asking another question.

Then he saw Lin Tuo look at him with keen interest. The corners of his mouth slowly lifted as he said something utterly baffling:

"I came... to see the mortal world."