Of course, Chen Kingdom has not yet reached the point where all its citizens can access the Spirit Network, but the popularization of this technology will undoubtedly accelerate social development and lead to an explosive growth in national strength.
However, a comfortable lifestyle can also lead to corruption among some people, resulting in public security and management problems.
Chen Mu's solution to this problem was artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence is absolutely rational; it only assesses whether something is beneficial to society and does not judge right or wrong based on human morality. This is both its drawback and its advantage.
Although Chen Mu longs to establish a fully democratic society, it is currently difficult to achieve. The Chen Kingdom still uses a centralized approach to governance.
The biggest drawback of centralized power is that if all problems are concentrated in the central government, the central government is prone to errors, delays, overload, and other problems.
The artificial intelligence created by Chen Mu is equipped with high-computing-power Rune Core across the country, which is more than enough to handle these massive amounts of data.
It can be said that the management of the Chen Kingdom mainly relies on artificial intelligence, which was developed by Chen Mu. Therefore, the Chen Kingdom is essentially controlled by Chen Mu.
Chen Mu's usual practice often involves thinking about how artificial intelligence judges things. He doesn't need to think things through; he only needs to provide references, and then let the artificial intelligence collect and analyze them on its own.
The advancement of artificial intelligence makes it difficult for public security issues and corruption to occur, allowing Chen Kingdom to maintain a highly efficient pace of development.
The market was bustling with people coming and going, a lively scene.
"Come quick, come quick! A third-tier demonic beast, the White-Stripe Tiger! Now available for sale at a low price!"
On a roadside stall, a runic megaphone was placed on the table, playing the same audio message repeatedly.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man wearing a robe with Five Elements Pattern patterns, clearly a talisman master.
"Boss, how much is this White-Stripe Tiger?"
At this moment, a boy who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old walked up to the stall and asked the stall owner a question.
"Fixed price: three grade four Spirit Stone."
The stall owner spoke.
The young man, a seasoned veteran, didn't fall for the stall owner's sales pitch and instead started haggling.
After some arguing, the White-Stripe Tiger was sold for 30% of the original price. The two made the transaction on the spot. The young man gave the Spirit Stone to the stall owner, while the stall owner went inside and handed the rope holding the White-Stripe Tiger to the young man.
"The restrictions on the White-Stripe Tiger will dissipate tomorrow. I reckon your cultivation level is only at the Second-Stage Martial Artist, right?"
Be careful not to get hurt by him.
The stall owner kindly offered this reminder.
A third-tier White-Stripe Tiger is already comparable in strength to Seventh-Duan Martial Artist. In theory, a Second-Stage Martial Artist should not be able to subdue it.
"Haha, boss, you've underestimated me."
As the boy spoke, he revealed his arm, which was covered with dense runes and even had a metallic sheen.
The stall owner immediately realized that the boy had undergone Rune Modification, a technology that was previously only available to the military and was specifically designed for soldiers with insufficient talent.
The Ministry of Revenue of the Chen Kingdom has only been offering paid Rune Modification to ordinary people for a little over a year. I didn't expect this young man to actually do it. No wonder he dared to buy a third-tier demon beast as a mount.
For Rune Modification, as long as they continue to expend Spirit Stone to maintain them, it is common for them to fight across a major realm. Therefore, it is also common for Second-Stage Martial Artist like the young man to subdue a third-tier demon beast.
"Tsk tsk, I was too talkative. Young master, you're very generous."
Although the stall owner was also a rune master, he was not accepted by the Rune Research Institute due to his poor talent. This was also the first time he had seen someone who had been Rune Modification.
"It's nothing. I have a cousin who has no cultivation at all, but she has a set of close-fitting battle armor. Once she puts it on, she can walk on flat ground in the air. Her strength is comparable to that of the Core Formation Realm cultivator."
In the Chen Kingdom now, judging someone's strength solely by their cultivation level will lead to a significant disadvantage.
Seeing that the stall owner was a nice person, the boy gave him a few pointers, then led the White-Stripe Tiger away.
Standing by the window in the attic, Chen Mu sipped his tea, watching the scene unfolding at the stalls below with great interest.
"Looks like Xiaohan has been doing quite well lately. Not only is Rune Modification becoming more widespread, but he's even selling smart armor to the public."
As his experience grew, Guo Xiaohan's abilities also improved. He is now a core official in the Ministry of Revenue, responsible for promoting Rune Technology products among the people.
"That's natural. Although your smart armor is only moderately powerful, the key point is that ordinary people can control it, which makes it highly sought after by noble families who lack cultivation talent."
Recently, even some former officials from the Haotian Empire asked me to purchase sets, and it took me a lot of effort to finally manage to snag a few.
Wei Shuang took a small sip of tea and smiled.
Just then, both of them sensed a powerful burst of Spiritual Power nearby, indicating that someone had made a move within the city.
"Let's go take a look."
Chen Mu took out two first-grade Spirit Stone and placed them on the table. Then, he took Wei Shuang and teleported directly to a rooftop.
Snap! Boom! Clang!...!
On the street, a middle-aged man with extraordinary cultivation was capturing a beautiful woman. The woman was clearly no match for the man and was being chased and dodging everywhere, facing constant danger.
"Stop!"
Patrol soldiers from Ten Thousand Mountains City arrived, along with two combat puppets. Seeing that the man did not stop, they immediately ordered the combat puppets to stop him.
Boom! Clang!
The AI-powered system assigned combat puppets based on city surveillance data analysis and an assessment of the cultivators' strength. Therefore, the two combat puppets quickly brought the situation under control and captured the man.
"How dare you cause trouble in our Ten Thousand Mountains City!"
The patrolling soldier stood in front of the middle-aged man and questioned him sternly.
Just then, a young man dressed in brocade robes stepped forward and stood behind the middle-aged man.
"Young Master Liang the Second."
The patrolling soldier's expression changed drastically, and he quickly knelt on one knee and saluted the young man.
"This woman just stole my belongings, which is why I ordered her arrest. Guard, you mustn't let her escape."
Liang Yinghuan gently waved his folding fan, pointed to the terrified woman behind the battle puppet, and smiled.
The patrolling soldiers immediately looked troubled. Although the woman being chased wasn't wearing gold and silver, her clothes clearly indicated that she came from a wealthy family, so she shouldn't be committing theft.
But Liang Yinghuan's father was none other than Liang Jiachi, the city lord of Ten Thousand Mountains City. Even King of Mountains Wei Shuang had to give him some face. How could a Xiaoxiao patrolman like himself dare to offend him?
Left with no other option, he turned around and walked up to the woman, asking, "Young lady, is what Young Master Liang said true?"