"No wonder history recorded that after Spirit Hall announced the founding of its empire, the principalities and kingdoms outside the two great empires declared independence and joined the Spirit Hall Empire one after another. Spirit Hall had already won the people's hearts."
After marveling for a moment, Sima Lanxiao turned his attention to another matter: Bishop He Mian had invited the Divine Realm Empire's delegation to visit Spirit City first, before traveling to the capitals of the two great empires.
As a career bureaucrat, Sima Lanxiao had to consider politics in everything he did. He keenly recognized the political statement implicit in this arrangement.
If the imperial delegation went to Spirit City first, it would be tantamount to the Divine Realm Empire recognizing Spirit Hall as the foremost "power" on the Douluo Continent. It would signal that they valued Spirit Hall more highly, relegating both the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire to subordinate positions.
Spirit Hall was indeed the strongest force on the Douluo Continent. There was no disputing that.
But in actual diplomatic practice, imperial officials simply could not act that way.
Before the city had crossed over, Sima Lanxiao had also visited the Sun Moon Federation as foreign minister.
At the time, Shrek Academy's standing in the federation had been no different from Spirit Hall's current standing.
Yet the empire had still chosen to land at Skysea City first, take a Soul Guidance Train straight to the federal capital of Mingdu, and only afterward visit the other cities, including Shrek City.
"His Majesty's decree instructed us to visit Heaven Dou City first."
Sima Lanxiao took out the map of the Douluo Continent provided by Spirit Hall's staff. Heaven Dou City lay in the north, Star Luo City in the south, and Spirit City stood right in the center of the Douluo Continent.
"From north to south..."
They would depart from the Heaven Frost Principality, pass through Longxing City, then head north across the Spirit Dou Plain to reach Heaven Dou City.
Afterward, they would travel south through Jialing Pass in the Heavenly Spirit Mountains-the site of the battle of gods recorded in history-and cross the entire Haagen-Dazs Kingdom to reach Spirit City.
As for their diplomatic visit to the Star Luo Empire... that could wait until the delegation reached Spirit City.
Sima Lanxiao let out a soft sigh, then another. Emperor Dai Tianling's assignment was not merely to establish diplomatic relations. It also included a whole pile of trade agreements he hoped to conclude with the various powers on the Douluo Continent.
Being an imperial minister truly was no easy task.
Long Yue and Joander left through Skyfrost City's gates. The broad, level bluestone road gradually disappeared, replaced by a winding dirt track.
As a member of the diplomatic department, Administrative Officer Joander actually also handled work for the intelligence service.
In other words, he was a spy gathering intelligence on the Douluo Continent.
As luck would have it, Joander had encountered some Spirit Hall personnel heading out that day to awaken the martial souls of children on the Douluo Continent. After asking to accompany them and observe their work, he had easily managed to join their party.
Long Yue had come to ask Sima Lanxiao about something. Seeing Joander and a Spirit Hall deacon about to leave the city, he had changed his mind on the spot and tagged along with Joander.
All three were Soul Masters. They used no transportation such as carriages or sedan chairs, simply traveling on foot.
"Skyfrost City administers twelve villages. Every year on Awakening Day, our main hall sends people into the countryside to awaken the children's martial souls."
Traveling with Long Yue and Joander was Spirit Hall Deacon Grandmaster Liu, a man in his fifties and a two-ring Soul Grandmaster. His sun-darkened face wore a simple, honest smile like a farmer's.
Spirit Hall personnel's ranks could be distinguished by the colors of their clothing. Grandmaster Liu wore formal white work attire, with a fist-sized character for "soul" in the center of his chest, as well as a badge depicting three crossed longswords.
He was merely an ordinary grassroots deacon.
"You have to cover twelve villages all by yourself? Is working for Spirit Hall really that grueling?" Long Yue started the conversation. He did not know Joander also worked as a spy; he was simply curious and liked to chatter.
Joander wore a polite smile, but his hand quietly slipped out an Eavesdropping Soul Tool.
All of this would be firsthand information about Spirit Hall.
"I only have to visit four villages. My colleagues cover the other places," Grandmaster Liu said with an honest smile. "As for awakening the children's martial souls... it's no hardship. I came up the same way myself."
Long Yue asked, "You came up the same way?"
Grandmaster Liu recounted his experiences:
He was a local from a village near Skyfrost City. During an awakening ceremony conducted by a Spirit Hall grandmaster, he had been found to possess soul power. He had been fortunate enough to attend a Junior Soul Master Academy as a work-study student, then joined Spirit Hall and worked his way up from the bottom. But because of his cultivation level, he remained at the grassroots even after working there for most of his life.
A light shone in Grandmaster Liu's eyes.
"So I don't think it's a hardship. It's a legacy being passed down. Back then, a master from Spirit Hall fished me out of that little village and let me see the colorful world of Soul Masters. Now it's my turn to awaken those children's martial souls."
"You're fucking awesome, brother!"
Long Yue threw an arm around Grandmaster Liu, calling him brother despite the man being old enough to be his father.
"People like you are the ones I admire most. You're practically beacons of hope for those children. Without you, they probably wouldn't even be able to awaken their martial souls. His Grace the duke certainly wouldn't perform that sort of good deed."
The era of Douluo II was one example. Unfortunately, only Long Yue knew that.
Grandmaster Liu did not believe Long Yue at all. He was too kindhearted and assumed everyone was as kind as he was. "The Heaven Frost Grand Duke should awaken the children's martial souls too, surely. They're all his subjects."
Joander also spoke up at an opportune moment. "Even from the standpoint of self-interest, the higher the proportion of Soul Masters among the principality's people, the stronger the principality becomes. His Grace has no reason not to awaken the children's martial souls."
Joander was a native of the Spirit Ice Continent and might not have been familiar with the history of ten thousand years ago. He was merely drawing on the customary practices of the Sun Moon Federation and the empire, as well as their universal compulsory education.
The higher the proportion of Soul Masters among a nation's people, the stronger that nation became. This was the thinking twenty thousand years later. Compulsory education had become widespread because both the empire and the Sun Moon Federation wanted to nurture more cultivators.
But in the era of Douluo II... Long Yue did not pursue the topic. Even if he told them, Joander and the others would not believe him.
Grandmaster Liu had the weakest cultivation of the three. After a little over ten minutes of using soul power to travel, sweat had begun to bead on his forehead. Fortunately, they were almost at the first village.
"Grandmaster Liu, when you travel this far to awaken the children's martial souls, how much does the village have to pay Spirit Hall each year? If a child has soul power and can cultivate, how much commission do you receive per child?"
Joander suddenly asked. Compared with Long Yue's scattershot questions, he was clearly trying to uncover Spirit Hall's internal secrets.
Grandmaster Liu became unhappy. "What do you mean, the village pays Spirit Hall? What do you mean, we receive a commission for every child who can cultivate? What do you take these children for? All of this is free."
Joander's eyes widened. "So the village pays nothing? Does Spirit Hall give you subsidies, then?"
If Spirit Hall provided subsidies, that would be understandable.
In the Sun Moon Federation and the Dou Ling Empire, as well as their own empire, Spirit Transmitters from the Spirit Pagoda were invited to Junior Soul Master Academies on Awakening Day to awaken the children's martial souls.
Parents did not pay for their children's martial soul awakenings. They only needed to bring their children to a Junior Soul Master Academy to attend the awakening ceremony.
This arrangement appeared free, but in reality it was not.
The imperial government paid to invite Spirit Transmitters to awaken the children's martial souls at designated locations every year. The Spirit Transmitters received government subsidies, which meant it was still taxpayers' money being spent.
The cost was roughly three hundred Star Luo Empire Coins per child, changed to Divine Realm Credits after the crossing.
It was more expensive in the Sun Moon Federation, at five hundred Federal Credits per child. The Dou Ling Continent was much the same.
As an elite spy among diplomats, Joander had all these figures stored in his head. There was no possibility of him remembering them incorrectly.
Yet Grandmaster Liu's words rang out with resounding conviction:
"The villages don't pay Spirit Hall. Spirit Hall doesn't provide subsidies either. We only receive our salaries."
Before you continue