Chapter 165

Lin Ze had an even better suggestion from YuanBao.

"City Lord, if you're not in a hurry, you could wait a little. Our industrial system will soon be advanced enough to produce an Electromagnetic Railgun. Its projectiles can reach an initial velocity of twenty times the speed of sound, and the tail end of the projectile can exceed thirty times the speed of sound. Its effective range is over four hundred kilometers."

"In a vacuum, its firing speed and effective range will double."

"The Electromagnetic Railgun fires faster than conventional artillery. Its purely kinetic impact concentrates its destructive force, making it more effective against heavily armored targets."

"The cannon and projectiles, along with the power supply, weigh 92 tons in total. Your current Mental Power isn't strong enough to control it. But factoring in your rate of growth, your Mental Power should reach the required strength by the time the Electromagnetic Railgun is finished."

As Lin Ze listened to YuanBao's suggestion, he found the corresponding weapon data in the database.

After completing his research into Immortality Technology, Chu Ge had wanted to purge human civilization and secure a world for himself.

Once that was done, Chu Ge had established his own military-industrial system and turned his attention to interstellar travel. He had miniaturized and adapted the Electromagnetic Railgun for practical use, making it part of his arsenal for interstellar voyages.

Next, he planned to tackle the most important energy problem: controlled nuclear fusion. But before he could get started, he had encountered Lin Ze.

The railgun YuanBao was showing Lin Ze now was a weapon intended for installation on an interstellar battleship.

As YuanBao had said, the Electromagnetic Railgun had a high firing rate, tremendous power, and a wide range. Its only drawback was its weight, which made it unsuitable as an individual weapon—but that wasn't a drawback at all for Lin Ze.

After looking over the specifications, Lin Ze decided he had no reason to turn down the railgun.

"YuanBao, report on the progress of the industrial system."

Lin Ze crossed through the Gates to Heavens and left the wilderness where he had tested his Combat Power, returning to the headquarters in World No. 03.

East River City had changed enormously since his last visit. Factories blanketed the surrounding area for more than a thousand kilometers. Automated vehicles carrying supplies streamed along the roads, and production and construction continued around the clock.

Yet all that bustle had nothing to do with humanity. Every Gates to Heavens Mall employee was at school, working hard to learn and improve their quality of life.

"Construction of the industrial system is progressing smoothly. Production has recovered to 78 percent of the former human civilization's level. We're currently building several nuclear power plants to stockpile energy. We expect to be able to produce the Electromagnetic Railgun in a month, with the finished product ready in 32 days."

"We expect to reach 100 percent of the former human civilization's production capacity and complete the entire industrial system in two and a half months. In eight years, we should have the full production capacity of a planetary civilization."

YuanBao reported the figures.

Over the past stretch of time, Lin Ze had been busy with his cultivation.

First, he had gone to Fallen Flower Valley, then to Bright Moon Pavilion, where he had consumed a wealth of Heavenly Material Earthly Treasures and accumulated enough vital essence to condense Aura and undergo Rebirth and Transformation.

After that, he had worried that Immortality Technology might not work on Peerless Experts who had undergone Rebirth and Transformation, so he had conducted comparative research. Then he had personally tested the breakthrough. Before he knew it, more than half a year had passed, and now the industrial system was nearly complete.

"Already this fast, huh."

Lin Ze listened to YuanBao's report, a thought passing through his mind.

At first, the entire industrial system had been expected to take two and a half years to build. But over the past stretch of time, Lin Ze had poured more than forty thousand tons of gold into the Main World, spending a full two trillion to buy all kinds of supplies.

That hard currency had given the manufacturing industries of the entire world a shot in the arm.

It had sent the economy of World No. 1 soaring, while also helping Lin Ze shorten the time needed to build his industrial system to one year and three months.

Meanwhile, factories had been springing up on a massive scale in World No. 2 as well. The warriors of the Great Zhou Dynasty had ridden the industrial-age vehicles Lin Ze provided all over the world, rounding up people and sending them to copper, iron, coal, and other resource sites to work alongside assembly lines.

The many provisions Lin Ze had purchased in World No. 1 had played a vital role in that production.

Millions of laborers, equipped with all kinds of mining assembly lines, had successfully extracted vast quantities of resources. They had boosted employment and production in World No. 2 while providing the materials Lin Ze needed, cutting three months off construction time.

And so, after just a year, the entire industrial system was about to be completed. Nine and a half months had already passed.

"My Fortune's reached five million."

Lin Ze looked at the Fortune balance displayed on his Gates to Heavens. That was what he had accumulated over the past half year.

But his cultivation had just broken through to Peerless Expert, and his strength was growing rapidly. It wasn't a good time to spend Fortune on upgrades.

Lin Ze glanced at his Fortune, then turned his attention elsewhere.

"Since my industrial system is about to be completed, it's time to reveal Gates to Heavens Mall to the world."

Lin Ze looked outside at the smoothly operating industrial system.

People would be indispensable to future development.

Countless scholars would need to join in developing new technologies. Only then could Gates to Heavens Mall's enterprise keep advancing, step by step.

But World No. 03 had few people, while the populous World No. 1 and World No. 2 weren't part of Gates to Heavens Mall.

If Lin Ze wanted to make great strides from here on, he had to bring them into the fold.

But asking people to join with nothing but empty words was wishful thinking. He would have to find an opportunity to show off his strength.

Before that, though, Lin Ze needed to shore up a weakness of his.

World No. 03, the Ethereal Realm, its most beautiful vacation destination.

Among pavilions and towers perfectly blended into the landscape, a door opened, and a group of people stepped through.

"All right, Mom and Dad, we're here."

Covering Lin Zheng and Zhang Xiu's eyes, Lin Ze had brought them from their home in Qianyun Manor in World No. 1 to the Ethereal Realm.

"W-what is this?"

Lin Zheng and Zhang Xiu stared around them with their mouths agape. The Ethereal Realm looked like a fairyland, yet they had never heard so much as a whisper about it. Then they looked back at the still-open Gates to Heavens, their thoughts in such a jumble that they didn't know what to say.

"As you can see, this is an Other World. It belongs to me. From now on, for your safety, you'll need to live in this new world."

Lin Ze smiled as he explained.

The Gates to Heavens closed, and Lin Ze led his parents toward Spirit Show Manor in the Ethereal Realm.

A drone controlled by YuanBao introduced the situation to them through its loudspeaker.

If Lin Ze had explained everything to his parents back in World No. 1, they would have had their doubts. But with the situation unfolding right before their eyes, even though they found it utterly unbelievable, they still took in everything they were told.

They learned that their son had made something of himself, that he was now the ruler of a world, more esteemed than even an emperor of old, and that they had risen with him, too. They had gone from ordinary schoolteachers to important figures others looked up to.

When Lin Ze led his parents into the main hall of Spirit Show Manor, YuanBao had just finished explaining everything.

His wife Li Yunhua and concubine Li Lihua were already waiting in the hall, along with Xiang Xue, Bao Qin, and several other maids who had shared an intimate relationship with Lin Ze.

As soon as the women saw Lin Zheng and Zhang Xiu enter, they prostrated themselves in a full bow and said in unison, "We greet Father and Mother."

The couple were at a loss, unsure what to do with the group kneeling before them. Just then, a projector nearby began playing footage of the wedding Lin Ze had recorded earlier.

"Back then, my work was still in its early stages, so I couldn't invite you to the wedding."

Lin Ze explained from the side.

Zhang Xiu glared at her son. Seeing the wedding footage at last helped her settle into her role as a mother-in-law. Taking her cue from the way Lin Ze's grandparents had treated her, she smiled warmly and helped everyone up. "There's no need for all this ceremony. You're all good girls."

Seeing that everything was fine here, Lin Ze smiled and left, appearing in another hall.

Ji Shuqing's family had just learned the whole story and were still reeling from shock.

Lin Ze took Ji Shuqing into the courtyard. Across the garden, they watched his many wives and concubines talking with his parents. He said nothing to the woman beside him, and yet it felt as if he had said everything.

Ji Shuqing knew Lin Ze wanted to understand how she felt about everything now: his other wives and concubines, his wealth, and the glory he would enjoy in the future.

"When will our wedding be?"

Ji Shuqing accepted it all very calmly. She had been the one to fall in love first, after all, and she was the one in the weaker position.

Especially now, when the gap between their status and position was as vast as the heavens and earth. It was already more than enough that Lin Ze was willing to accept her.

Lin Ze took Ji Shuqing's hand and headed over to meet his wives and concubines from World No. 2, introducing them to her.

Once the initial awkwardness faded, a banquet began. Everyone chatted freely and got to know one another.

Most of the guests were relatives of Lin Ze's many wives and concubines. For example, Li He's family, Li Lihua's family, and Xu Sheng's family came to meet Lin Ze's parents, while everyone else got acquainted with each other, too. At the very least, the in-laws needed to recognize one another.

In a quiet upper room, Lin Ze was keeping Ji Qingyan company.

"So Truth Sect was a lie? Gates to Heavens Mall's City Lord?"

Lin Ze heard the beautiful woman beside him complain. She wore a moon-white palace gown.

By now, she had learned some things about Lin Ze and learned about the organization called Gates to Heavens Mall.

"Things didn't go very smoothly between us at first."

Lin Ze held Ji Qingyan close and breathed in her fragrance. He knew she wasn't angry.

"You've brought your family and friends to this new world. Are you planning to make a move against the world you came from and the world where the Great Zhou Dynasty is?"

Ji Qingyan turned to look Lin Ze in the eye and asked seriously.

"Not exactly. We're a business organization, Gates to Heavens Mall, not a hegemonic force like the Heavenly Court, where it's either us or them. In principle, we put friendly exchanges first with every individual and group."

"I brought my family and friends here in advance to prepare for what might happen if negotiations fail."

"If you don't like it here, I can send you back to World No. 2. Your own martial arts and the Great Zhou Imperial Family's power are enough to keep you safe through the upheaval ahead. You don't need me to protect you."

Lin Ze rested his brow against Ji Qingyan's and spoke softly.

"I'm happy you thought of me and brought me here."

Ji Qingyan said.

Lin Ze studied her expression and understood her choice.

"My work is in Great Zhou. Being able to get things done there and succeed, and to have so many people grateful to me, is truly wonderful. If you miss me, you can come visit me in Fufeng County."

Ji Qingyan said.

She and Lin Ze were fellow cultivators.

She wanted to shine in her own field, not become a pretty vase at Lin Ze's side, good for nothing but her looks.

"All right."

Lin Ze agreed.

As he had said, among all the people close to him, Ji Qingyan was the only one who didn't need protection. She was powerful in her own right and had strong forces backing her.

"If only I'd known earlier that you had the Longevity Method. Great Grandfather could have used the Tortoise Breath Method to enter a state of suspended death and hold on for another three to five years. Now it's too late."

Before they parted, Ji Qingyan sighed.

"Has your ancestor passed away?"

Hearing her remark, Lin Ze asked instinctively.

He had heard this bit of news before, and quite some time had passed since then.

"Not yet, but soon."

"By my estimate, your Longevity Method should be ready to use in about three months, while Great Grandfather's time will probably be up in the next few days."

Ji Qingyan answered. After a pause, she continued:

"I asked you to sell us firearms to make up for our military's weakness and suppress the border unrest because the border generals had all been secretly summoned back. After testing the waters, some of them had shown they were disloyal. Great Grandfather used a demonic art to steal the essence of those Peerless Experts and briefly restore his strength to its peak."

"During this time, he went from one secluded sect to another and visited the retreats of several Peerless Experts, taking on his opponents and growing stronger with each battle, killing them all. Not long before you brought me here, Great Grandfather went to the four Martial Arts Holy Lands."

"By now, the four Martial Arts Holy Lands should already be awash in blood. I expect half their disciples will be dead."

She had learned these closely guarded secrets only because her recent partnership with Lin Ze had helped the emperor make a great deal of money, raising her status further.

Lin Ze's first reaction was relief.

Thank goodness he had rarely gone to World No. 2 after starting to break through to the Aura Realm. Otherwise, who knew whether Ji Yu, a Land Immortal, might have secretly attacked him?

It was easy for Lin Ze to understand Ji Yu's reasoning from Ji Qingyan's words.

He was dying, but no one else in the imperial family was on his level. They might not be able to keep the great sects, reclusive experts, and unstable elements within the court in check, even if they were obedient for now. So, on the verge of death, he had decided to take them all out in one fell swoop.

That way, no one could topple the Great Zhou Dynasty after he died.

But unfortunately, Ji Yu had still missed a move. He didn't know there was a Longevity Palace Master in hiding, with a great deal of life left to him. If things continued as they were, the Longevity Palace Master would probably reveal himself the moment Ji Yu died.