Three Hundred Years From Now

The first class ended.

When Lin Tuo turned and entered the academy, closing the courtyard door behind him, the students covering the mountainside finally snapped out of their immersion for a brief moment.

Yet no one dared waste time.

There were still six hours until the second class—not short, but after accounting for sleep, little else remained.

They had to hurry.

The imperial recorders forced themselves to stay alert, beginning to organize the snow-drift piles of paper covered in writing on their desks, placing them in chests to be escorted down the mountain by designated personnel.

Decades of high-intensity study had left even the young ruler unable to hold on.

He quickly rose from his seat and descended the mountain to catch up on sleep. Seeing the ruler leave, the elderly ministers finally let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Rustle, rustle."

On the brightly lit South Mountain, people rose one after another, clutching their notes as they headed toward the county town or the camps that had been arranged earlier—a vast and spectacular procession.

Some of the younger scholars simply took off their outer robes, lying down on the mountainside or sprawling across their desks, falling into a deep sleep right where they were.

Others, who had rested well and rotated in to listen, gathered in small groups, clutching manuscripts, excitedly discussing and exchanging ideas about the content of the lecture.

That night, Tao County was bustling with traffic, and hardly anyone slept.

At the same time, Lin Tuo threw his body onto the bed in the academy, pretending to sleep while switching his consciousness back to his main body.

Lishan Martial Arts School.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp."

Pulling a bottle of purified water from the fridge, Lin Tuo downed it in one go, then wiped the corner of his mouth and belatedly smiled wryly as he pressed his throat:

"How come I didn't feel it while lecturing, but now that it's over, I'm dying of thirst?"

Shaking his head helplessly, he stretched his body and glanced at his phone.

Right, a 1:1 time flow didn't mean the hours inside and outside the sandbox were synchronized, but at this moment, outside the sandbox, it was already past midnight.

Considering that so late at night, few delivery places in the small town would still be open, Lin Tuo simply boiled water for instant noodles, then sat in front of the computer, eating while preparing materials for the second class.

Right, he had to prepare the lesson well.

The next day, noon.

Weather: cloudy, light breeze.

When Lin Tuo switched his consciousness again, using his Avatar as a vessel, and rose from the bed, he heard the low, humming murmur of voices outside the academy.

"Creak." Pushing open the door and stepping out of the courtyard, sure enough, he saw that the crowd of students on South Mountain seemed to have grown even larger.

It seemed that in these six hours, quite a few more people had arrived.

Fortunately, each class was long enough to allow for rotation; otherwise, Lin Tuo really doubted many would even have a chance to get in.

Shaking his head, he put these thoughts aside, straightened his robes, and picked up a piece of chalk. Instantly, the noise receded like a tide.

A mountain breeze blew, clouds drifted across the sky, and green bamboo swayed on the slope.

"Master Lin, what exactly are we learning today? Are we really not covering science anymore?" The ruler, seated at the very front, raised his hand to ask, a glint of light in his eyes.

"In the second class, we won't be discussing scientific theory, but rather the creations of science."

Lin Tuo gave an almost imperceptible nod, then swept his gaze across the students covering the mountain, paused briefly, and turned to sketch a mind map on the blackboard:

Agriculture, Industry, Commerce, Education, Healthcare...

After writing it out, he circled "Industry," drew a branch line, and wrote down four sub-items in order: "Steam Engine," "Coal," "Steel," "Iron."

Only then did he turn back, smiling as he explained:

"I said before that the second class would have more content—richer, more varied, more complex. And the core of this class, I call it the 'Industrial Revolution'...

But before we talk about the Industrial Revolution, we first need to discuss agriculture... Specifically, the first question of this class is: how do we increase food production?"

Hearing this, most of the students were visibly taken aback, as if they had never expected the knowledge of the second class to be so practical.

If the "science" of the first class was still something somewhat intangible and abstract, Then this class was clearly much more grounded.

Correspondingly, the Chi Kingdom Ruler and the group of high-ranking ministers seated in the front rows perked up their ears, their eyes brightening.

They keenly realized that what Lin Tuo was about to teach today would be true "statecraft for the ages."

As Lin Tuo had said, the content of the second class was both varied and extensive. If the first class had been merely about forcibly opening the door of science in the minds of Chi Kingdom's elite, Then the second class was the real, practical means to rapidly advance societal development.

Lin Tuo had previously consulted a large volume of materials on the First Industrial Revolution and, combining this with his recent research into the social conditions of Chi Kingdom, compiled a set of information packages.

He drew from the fields of agriculture, industry, and commerce, transplanting successful historical experiences.

Of course, to avoid overreaching, Lin Tuo also carried out a degree of "localization" and still only imparted "introductory-level" techniques.

For example, "New Agricultural Tools," "Fertilizer," "Large-scale Farming Model," "New Steel Smelting Technology," "Movable Type Printing," and so on, suited to this era.

A series of technical processes that could be mastered within the current societal level.

Among these many technologies, stimulating agricultural development was undoubtedly the top priority.

According to the materials he had consulted, the prerequisite for industrial transformation was agricultural transformation—such as the series of changes triggered by the historical "Enclosure Movement," the development of handicrafts...

Only then could a completely new entity like the "factory" eventually emerge.

And after his research, it was largely due to the foundation that the sandbox evolution was based on reality—many of the flora and fauna on this continent were highly similar or identical to those on Earth.

This also made it convenient for Lin Tuo to transfer technologies.

And as he began to systematically explain this knowledge concerning national welfare and people's livelihood.

Unbeknownst to him, the gazes of countless scholars on South Mountain toward Lin Tuo shifted once again.

Especially the officials among them, whose expressions were particularly agitated. Compared to the scholars present, they understood far better the terrifying power contained in the technologies Lin Tuo spoke of.

"That is the power to reshape heaven and earth," the young monarch murmured to himself.

"It's starting again... I wonder how long it'll last this time..."

"I'm afraid it won't end in a single day. Didn't they say there's even more to teach this time?"

"Speaking of which, what is Sage Lin teaching this time?"

"I heard he's teaching the court officials how to farm and forge iron," said someone in the know.

Upon hearing this, the tea house in Tao County fell silent, then a group of people shook their heads vigorously and laughed, "How is that possible? Is that all a Sage teaches?"

"That is all the Sage teaches."

Tao County grew livelier by the day, yet the common folk gathered in its tea houses became increasingly puzzled.

They found themselves unable to understand.

More and more news indicated that the young Sage indeed seemed to be teaching exactly that—not only through oral instruction and written notes, but even drawing so-called "blueprints" on the massive wall of the academy.

Yet the court ministers, far from being disappointed, grew even more enthusiastic.

And this second lesson was exceptionally long.

Before they knew it, night had fallen, and with the help of the "Heaven and Earth Phenomenon," the teaching continued.

One day and night passed.

"Sage Lin" did not stop.

Another day and night passed.

"Sage Lin" still did not stop.

The listeners on South Mountain changed in waves, but "Sage Lin" seemed tireless, never pausing except for the occasional "break between classes."

Outside the sandbox, Lin Tuo was giving it his all this time. With his current physical stamina, supplemented by coffee and tea, he simply cut out sleep altogether.

After all, he was young, and his liver function was strong.

His main concern was that once he stopped, the flow of thought would break... Since he was well-prepared anyway, it felt more reassuring to finish everything in one go before resting.

But this was hard on the court officials. Fortunately, Chi Kingdom had plenty of people, and the recorders took turns copying down the notes, managing to hold on.

When another morning arrived, Lin Tuo finally put down the chalk, looked at the blackboard covered in writing that had been erased countless times, and announced the end of the second lesson. The scholars covering the mountains and fields nearly collapsed.

Yet, despite their physical exhaustion, their gazes toward Lin Tuo were even more reverent than a few days ago, as if looking upon a deity.

After all, in their eyes, Lin Tuo had spoken continuously for three days and two nights without eating a single meal or drinking a sip of water, yet he remained perfectly composed.

The notes filling several large chests were all delivered entirely without a script.

Such physical and mental prowess left no room for even a shred of jealousy—only reverence remained.

Lin Tuo was not entirely aware of their thoughts. He simply organized the board writing before saying:

"That should be about all for the content of the second lesson. If there are any omissions in the records, you can ask me during the next lesson."

He paused, then continued:

"Still, six hours from now, I will be here for the third lesson, which will also be the last.

Heh, don't worry—it won't be as long as this one, and there will be very little to record.

It should take only an hour or two to finish. The rest will be Q&A time. Everyone can prepare their questions, and I'll answer them all then."

Having said that, Lin Tuo forcibly suppressed the urge to yawn, turned around, and returned to the academy. He switched back to his original body, climbed onto the bed without any dignity, and fell into a deep sleep.

Only Nanshan Academy remained, with tens of thousands of students exchanging bewildered glances.

"The last class? It's ending this soon?"

This thought arose in many minds, only to be quickly replaced by curiosity.

After these two sessions, anyone who had stayed and persisted was already completely won over by Lin Tuo.

Thus, they looked forward all the more to this so-called "last class."

After several consecutive days of teaching, the crowds arriving from across the kingdom finally began to thin. Yet those who had already come—whether they truly understood or were merely joining the excitement—did not leave.

Especially after hearing that "Lin Sheng's" class had only one lecture left, no one wanted to miss it.

In fact, it was precisely this "last class" gimmick that drew them in.

When, six hours later, a well-rested and well-fed Lin Tuo once again pushed open the academy's door and looked toward the hillside, he was somewhat stunned to find that the mountains and fields were packed with people.

Because the crowd was so vast, aside from those with seats, everyone else had to stand.

A rough estimate suggested the total number here might even exceed the sum of the previous two sessions.

If Lin Tuo were to switch back to his original body at this moment, he would discover that the entire Tao County had nearly become a ghost town!

A city emptied of its people—that was what this was!

"What happened?" Lin Tuo wanted to shout out loud, but mindful of the role he was playing, he ultimately said nothing, forcing himself to appear calm.

Under the gaze of tens of thousands of eyes, he walked to the foot of the courtyard wall.

"Master Lin, what will you teach today?" the young monarch seated in the first row asked with reverence in his eyes.

Lin Tuo took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and did not answer immediately. Instead, he paused for a moment, then slowly pulled out a piece of chalk, yet did not write a single word on the Blackboard.

He simply snapped the chalk in two, tossed it on the ground, gave a faint smile, and then looked at the monarch and the crowd with a seemingly casual and relaxed expression, speaking calmly:

"Today is the last class, so I want to chat with everyone about something light, not too brain-draining, perhaps very interesting, but exceptionally important."

"What is it?" the monarch couldn't help pressing.

Then, at that same moment, the tens of thousands of listeners on and around Nanshan—men and women, old and young—heard the sound amplified many times over, coming down from the mountain:

"Today, I'm going to talk about the next three hundred years of Chi Kingdom."

The words fell.

The crowd fell silent for a brief moment.

Then, Nanshan erupted into a roaring uproar!!!

--

ps: I thought this chapter would finish this segment, but well... I overestimated myself. It's a few minutes until Monday, so I'm asking for tomorrow's recommendation tickets in advance~