From this angle, a spire she had not noticed before looked like a sharp sword thrust straight into the heavens.
And now she seemed to be gripping that sword, as though she could cleave the heavens in two with a single stroke.
The scene was shown on Douluo Continent as well. Though it was only an illusion created by the viewing angle, it was no less breathtaking.
"The person who built this sword designed it that way on purpose, so that everyone who came here could try to grasp that sharp sword piercing the heavens.
Swords are everywhere, and those who wield them are everywhere. A sword has never been bound by form; in the hand of a swordsman, all things can be swords...
Hahaha, I understand now, but I can't do it. I can't!"
Sword Douluo laughed with tears in his eyes, looking like a man possessed and leaving Ning Fengzhi deeply worried.
"Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian..."
"Leave him be. He has to figure it out for himself. No one else can help him."
Meanwhile, Tang Fan looked at Bibi Dong and smiled. "Well? How does this sword feel? Does it match what you had in mind before?"
"Mhm! Tang Fan, you really understand me so well. Was this sword designed like this from the beginning? Why was it built this way?"
"Because this is a military exhibition hall! An army is a nation's sharp sword, and that sword needs to be held in the hands of the people. That's what this sword means."
Bibi Dong glanced again at the sharp sword that seemed to be held in her hand.
"The sword that is the army isn't held by the emperor, but by the most ordinary common people?
If you said that on Douluo Continent, not only would the nobles laugh at you, but I'm afraid the armies of the two empires would also scoff."
"Don't put the empire's old armies on the same level as our people's soldiers. That's an insult to them.
What the army protects has never been the privileges held by nobles and emperors, but the peace and livelihoods of the countless people on this land."
Without even thinking about it, he knew the nobles back on Douluo Continent had started cursing again.
"We pay to maintain the army. Why should it protect those lowly commoners? Ridiculous!"
"What's worth protecting about the lives of those lowly commoners? The army exists to serve us nobles. Otherwise, why would we pay to maintain it?"
"As long as you have money, you can throw an army together whenever you like. Those lowly commoners are so easy to control."
On Douluo Continent, what these nobles said really was true. The armies of the two empires were the same: they pledged loyalty to whoever paid them, with no army soul at all.
With no one to enlighten the army, no one to forge its soul, and no one to show its soldiers why they fought, an army could never be anything but a vassal of the noble class.
Qian Daoliu of Spirit Hall and Bo Saixi of Sea God Island would likewise never agree with the ideals of a modern army.
They upheld religious theocracy, and in the eyes of modern society, they too were remnants of an old era that belonged on the rubbish heap.
Tang Fan had only said it in passing and did not care whether Bibi Dong took it to heart.
"Come on, we're done looking around the military exhibition hall. It's still early, so I'll take you to see a modern school. Like I said before, there are elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities. Which level would you like to see?"
"Huh? They're divided up that finely?"
"Yeah. Ages six to twelve are elementary school, twelve to fifteen are middle school, fifteen to eighteen are high school, and eighteen to twenty-two are university. That's generally how it works, though a year or two either way is normal."
"Six to twenty-two! That's sixteen years of school! Does everyone have to go for all sixteen years?"
"The six years of elementary school and three years of middle school are mandatory. They're called compulsory education, and everyone has to attend.
High school and university depend on your ability. Students who do well can continue their studies, while those who don't are naturally filtered out.
Have you made up your mind? Which one do you want to see?"
"Um... can I see more than one?"
"Hmm... there probably isn't enough time. How about this? I'll take you to an elementary school first. If we go now, we'll arrive just in time to see the pupils getting out.
Middle school and elementary school aren't all that different. After dinner, I'll take you to see evening self-study at a high school.
As for tomorrow, I'll take you around a university. How does that sound?"
"Mm, I'll leave it to you."
"All right, let's go."
As for Tang Fan's claim that everyone in modern society could attend school, although he had spoken with absolute certainty, many people on Douluo Continent still did not believe him.
The nobles in particular were waiting to find a flaw so they could mock and ridicule the heavenly screen and undermine its credibility, protecting what little pitiful dignity they had.
The leaders of the major factions, such as Qian Daoliu, Bo Saixi, and Ning Fengzhi, wanted to see it with their own eyes, even if they believed Tang Fan.
They wanted to see how an education system that allowed everyone to attend school was put into practice.
They truly could not imagine the manpower and resources it would take to send everyone to school.
Tang Fan drove Bibi Dong to a nearby elementary school.
There were always vendors near elementary schools selling snacks that children liked.
School had not let out yet, but some parents had already come to pick up their children. Elementary school pupils in the city still needed their parents to take them to and from school.
"There are so many people here!"
"They're all parents here to pick up their children. A lot of them are grandparents, since the mothers and fathers all have jobs and haven't gotten off work yet. Come on, I'll buy you some snacks."
Tang Fan bought a little of all sorts of snacks for Bibi Dong to try something new and take the edge off her hunger.
"Young man, you two look so young. Are you here to pick up a child too?"
The vendor asked the question casually, and Bibi Dong's face turned red again.
"No, we were just passing through."
"I see. Your girlfriend is really beautiful. Your children will definitely be beautiful too."
Tang Fan smiled without explaining. Just then, the bell rang, and the elementary school pupils were let out.
Tang Fan took Bibi Dong to a spot with a clear view of the main gate.
"Watch. They're about to come out..."
No sooner had Tang Fan finished speaking than groups of pupils began filing out of the school gates.
The gates were wide open, but a crowd inevitably formed at the entrance all the same.
"This... there are so many people!"
"This elementary school isn't even that big. There are many, many more elementary schools like it in this city... Do you believe it now? In modern society, everyone can go to school, and everyone has to."
Just then, a child noticed Bibi Dong and came over to ask curiously, "Are you cosplaying Bibi Dong?"
"I... I suppose so. You know Bibi Dong too?"
"Of course. She's the villainous Pope in Douluo Continent."
"Do you think Spirit Hall and Bibi Dong really are the villains?"
"Yeah. Weren't they villains to begin with?"
When Bibi Dong heard that, she forced a smile. The child also seemed to feel he had said something wrong and slipped away.
"Don't take it to heart. Children's thinking is still fairly simple. When they're a little older, they'll think about the question again."