The first lesson ended.
When Lin Tuo turned and entered the academy, closing its gates behind him, the students covering the mountains and fields finally pulled themselves, briefly, from their absorbed state.
Yet no one dared waste time.
There were still six shichen until the second lesson. It was not short, but once sleep was deducted, there was little left.
They had to seize every moment.
The Imperial Court's recorders forced themselves to stay alert and began sorting the snowdrift-like piles of paper covered in writing from their desks. They packed them into boxes, which designated personnel escorted down the mountain.
Dozens of hours of intense study had left even the young ruler unable to endure much longer.
He hurriedly left his seat and went down the mountain to catch up on sleep. Only after seeing the ruler depart did those elderly senior ministers finally let out a collective breath.
"Rustle, rustle."
On South Mountain, bright as day, people rose one after another, clutching their notes as they headed toward the county town or the camps arranged beforehand. The procession was vast and magnificent.
Some younger scholars simply took off their outer robes and lay down right there on the mountainside, or slumped over their desks and drifted into sleep.
Others had already rested and arrived as replacements for the lecture. They gathered in small groups, holding manuscripts as they excitedly discussed what had been taught.
That night, Tao County was bustling with traffic, and scarcely anyone slept.
Meanwhile, Lin Tuo had tossed his body onto the bed in the academy and assumed the appearance of sleep, while in truth switching his consciousness back to his main body.
Lishan Martial Arts School.
"Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug."
Lin Tuo took a bottle of purified water from the refrigerator and drained it in one go. Only then did he wipe his mouth and belatedly press a hand to his throat with a bitter smile.
"Why didn't I feel it while teaching? Now that it's over, I'm thirsty as hell."
Shaking his head helplessly, he stretched his body and glanced at his phone.
Well, a 1:1 flow of time did not mean the hours inside and outside the Sandbox were identical. Still, outside the Sandbox, it was already past midnight.
Considering that few delivery places in the small town would still be open at this hour, Lin Tuo simply boiled water and made instant noodles. He ate while sitting at the computer, preparing materials for the second lesson.
Well, he had to prepare properly.
The next day, noon.
The weather was cloudy, with a light breeze.
When Lin Tuo switched consciousness again and rose from the bed through his Avatar, he heard the low, buzzing murmur of voices outside the academy.
"Creak." He pushed open the door and stepped out into the courtyard. Sure enough, the number of students on South Mountain seemed to have grown even larger.
Quite a few people must have arrived during those six shichen.
Fortunately, each lesson lasted a long time, allowing people to rotate in and out. Otherwise, Lin Tuo truly suspected that many would not even have the chance to enter.
Shaking his head and putting those thoughts aside, Lin Tuo adjusted his robes and picked up a piece of chalk. The previous clamor immediately receded like a tide.
A mountain breeze swept past. Clouds drifted through the sky, while emerald bamboo swayed on the mountain.
"Master Lin, what exactly are you teaching today? Are you really not teaching science anymore?" The ruler seated in the very front raised his hand and asked, his eyes seeming to gleam.
"For the second lesson, we will not discuss scientific theory. We will discuss the creations of science."
Lin Tuo gave an almost imperceptible nod, then swept his gaze over the students covering the mountain. After a brief pause, he turned and sketched a mind map on the blackboard.
Agriculture, industry, commerce, education, medicine...
After writing that, he circled "industry," drew a branch from it, and wrote four subcategories in order: "Steam Engine," "coal," "steel," and "iron."
Only then did he turn back and explain with a smile.
"I said that the second lesson would contain more, be richer, and be more varied. The core of this lesson is what I call the 'Industrial Revolution'...
"However, before discussing the Industrial Revolution, we must first discuss agriculture... Specifically, the first question of this lesson is: how do we increase food production?"
At those words, most of the students visibly froze. They clearly had not expected the knowledge in the second lesson to be so practical.
If the "science" of the first lesson had still been something somewhat ethereal and intangible,
then this lesson was far more down-to-earth.
In contrast, the Chi Kingdom Ruler and the senior ministers of the court seated near the front had visibly pricked up their ears, their eyes lighting up.
They keenly realized that what Lin Tuo would teach today was true learning for ordering the world and aiding the people.
Just as Lin Tuo had said, the second lesson was both varied and extensive. If the first lesson had merely been meant to forcibly open the door of science in the minds of Chi Kingdom's elite,
then the second lesson was the practical means of rapidly advancing society.
Lin Tuo had previously consulted a great deal of material on the First Industrial Revolution. Combining it with his investigations of Chi Kingdom society over recent days, he assembled a package of teaching materials.
He brought over successful historical experience from fields such as agriculture, industry, and commerce.
Of course, to avoid pulling up seedlings to help them grow, Lin Tuo had also localized the material to a certain degree. He still taught only technologies from the "elementary stage."
For example, new agricultural tools suited to this era, "fertilizer," the Large-scale Farming Model, New Steel Smelting Technology, Movable Type Printing, and so on.
A whole series of technical processes that could be mastered at the current level of society.
Among these many technologies, stimulating agricultural development was undoubtedly the first priority.
According to the materials he had consulted, agricultural transformation was the prerequisite for industrial transformation. The series of changes caused by historical movements like the Enclosure Movement, the development of handicrafts...
Only in the end could entirely new things such as "factories" evolve.
And through his investigations, perhaps because the Sandbox's evolution was based on reality, many plants and animals on this continent were highly similar to, even overlapping with, those of Earth.
That also made it easier for Lin Tuo to transplant technology.
As he began categorizing and explaining this knowledge concerning the national economy and people's livelihood,
the gazes of countless students on South Mountain gradually changed once more.
The officials among them were especially excited. Compared with the scholars present, they understood even more clearly what terrifying power the technologies Lin Tuo described contained.
"That is the power to change heaven and earth." The young ruler murmured softly to himself.
"It's started again... I wonder how long it'll last this time..."
"Probably not even a whole day will be enough. Didn't they say there'd be more to cover this time?"
"Come to think of it, what is Sage Lin teaching this time?"
"I heard he's teaching the entire court how to farm and forge iron," said someone well informed.
At that, Tao County's teahouses fell silent. Then a group of people shook their heads vigorously and laughed. "How could that be? That's what a Sage teaches?"
"That is what a Sage teaches."
Tao County grew increasingly lively, but the people gathered in its teahouses became increasingly confused.
They realized that they could no longer make heads or tails of it.
More and more news indicated that the young Sage really was teaching such things. Not only did he lecture and dictate for records, he even drew so-called Blueprints upon the academy's enormous wall.
Yet the senior ministers of the entire court were not disappointed. Instead, they only became more energized.
And the second lesson was exceptionally long.
In the blink of an eye, night fell. Then, with the aid of a Heaven and Earth Phenomenon, the lecture continued.
One day and one night passed.
"Sage Lin" did not stop.
Another day and night passed.
"Sage Lin" still did not stop.
The listeners on South Mountain changed batch after batch, but "Sage Lin" seemed tireless. Aside from the breaks between lessons, he did not pause for even a moment.
Outside the Sandbox, Lin Tuo went all out this time. With his current physical stamina, plus coffee and tea to support him, he simply cut out sleep altogether.
He was young, after all. His liver was strong.
More importantly, he feared that if he stopped, the momentum of his emotions would be broken... Since he was well prepared anyway, it was more reassuring to finish everything in one breath before resting.
But that made things hard on the civil and military officials. Fortunately, Chi Kingdom had many people, and the recorders took turns copying and documenting the lesson, managing to hold on.
When another morning arrived, Lin Tuo finally set down his chalk. Looking at the blackboard filled with writing and erased who knew how many times, he announced the end of the second lesson. The students blanketing the mountains nearly collapsed.
Yet despite their physical exhaustion, the way they looked at Lin Tuo was even more reverent than in previous days, as though they were looking upon a Deity.
After all, in their eyes, Lin Tuo had spoken continuously for three days and two nights. Let alone eat, he had not even taken a sip of water, yet he still appeared calm and composed.
The notes that filled several large boxes had all been delivered without a script.
Such physical and mental prowess left people unable to summon even the slightest envy. All that remained was reverence.
Lin Tuo did not know much about their thoughts. He merely organized the writing on the board before saying,
"That is roughly the content of the second lesson. If there are omissions in the records, you may ask me during the next lesson."
After a pause, Lin Tuo continued.
"Again, six shichen from now, I will hold the third lesson here—and it will also be the final lesson.
"Heh, don't worry. It will not be as long as this one, and there will be very little to record.
"It will probably take only one or two shichen to finish. The rest will be for questions. You can prepare any questions you have, and I will answer them all together then."
After saying that, Lin Tuo forcibly suppressed the urge to yawn, turned, and returned to the academy. He switched back to his main body, then climbed onto the bed without the slightest concern for appearances and fell asleep with loud snores.
Only the tens of thousands of students at Nanshan Academy remained, staring at one another.
"The final lesson? It's ending so soon?"
Many people had such thoughts arise in their hearts, only for them to be replaced by curiosity moments later.
After these two lectures, everyone who had remained and persevered had been completely won over by Lin Tuo.
Thus, they looked forward even more eagerly to this so-called "final lesson."
After several consecutive days of lectures, the number of people arriving from all over the country finally began to dwindle. Yet no one who had already come—whether they truly understood or were merely there for the spectacle—left.
Especially after hearing that "Sage Lin" had only one final lecture remaining, even fewer people were willing to miss it.
Indeed, precisely because of the allure of this "final lesson,"
when six shichen later, the well-rested and well-fed Lin Tuo pushed open the academy gates once more and looked toward the slope, he discovered in astonishment that people filled the mountains and fields.
There were so many people that, apart from those with seats, everyone else could only stand.
By rough calculation, the total number of people here was likely even greater than the first two sessions combined.
If Lin Tuo switched back to his main body at that moment, he would discover that all of Tao County had nearly become an empty city!
This was what it meant for ten thousand people to pour into the streets, leaving every home empty!
"What happened?" Lin Tuo very much wanted to ask aloud, but mindful of the role he was playing, he ultimately said nothing. He could only try his best to appear calm.
Under the gazes of tens of thousands, he walked beneath the academy wall.
"Master Lin, what are you teaching today?" The young ruler seated in the first row asked reverently.
Lin Tuo took a deep breath and pressed his lips together. He did not answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he slowly took out a piece of chalk, yet did not write a single word on the blackboard.
Instead, he casually snapped the chalk in two and tossed it onto the ground. He chuckled softly, then looked at the ruler and the others with an expression that seemed calm and relaxed, saying evenly,
"Today is the final lesson, so I want to talk with everyone about something light. Something that does not require much thought, may be interesting, but is extraordinarily important."
"What is it?" the ruler could not help but ask.
Then, at that very moment, tens of thousands of listeners across South Mountain, young and old, men and women alike, heard the amplified voice coming down from the mountain.
"Today, I will tell you about Chi Kingdom's next three hundred years."
The words fell.
The crowd was silent for a moment.
Then South Mountain erupted into a roaring frenzy!!!
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P.S. I thought I could finish this part of the plot in this chapter. Well, I overestimated myself... There are only a few minutes until Monday, so I'm asking in advance for tomorrow's recommendation votes~
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