This magical artifact has been initially completed. At this point, it is not yet complete; it is at most a prototype.
For this magical artifact to be truly perfected, it needs to be used in a real-world setting. However, Li Xingkong doesn't have any opportunities to use it, so it seems he'll have to hand it over to Old Tang. As for how they'll use it afterward, Li Xingkong has no idea.
He only knew one thing: if he wanted to build a more efficient political system, the use of the Luo Shu would definitely be helpful. But if it wasn't used due to personal reasons, he naturally wouldn't force it. However, if that were the case, Li Xingkong might consider widening the technological gap between him and Divine Land even further.
On the very day that Li Xingkong finished crafting his magical artifact, Tang Cheng also returned from the Imperial Capital.
I went alone, and I came back alone.
It seems that Tang Cheng's trip to the Imperial Capital was not very pleasant.
When Li Xingkong brought Luo Shu out, they ran into Tang Cheng, who was heading back to his office. Tang Cheng looked somewhat dejected and had lost all his previous spirit.
"What happened? I just went back to the Imperial Capital, and you've gotten yourself into this state?"
Li Xingkong walked up to Tang Cheng and said.
"Sigh, I just feel like my previous ideas were a bit naive; I didn't see enough."
Tang Cheng sighed, opened the office door, and the two went inside.
"My original intention in returning to the Imperial Capital was to find Zhang Ren and inquire about the situation, but things didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped."
"What, you didn't see this person?"
Li Xingkong asked.
"I did see him, but I didn't get anything out of him. He wasn't under the jurisdiction of the Inspection Department over there, so I could only question him, but if he didn't want to talk, there was no way to get him to open up."
Tang Cheng leaned back in his chair; the past few days of activities had left him feeling unusually tired.
"Then I remembered what Zhang Ru had said before, to see if those functional departments were really as exaggerated as he described..."
"The result was beyond my expectations; it was indeed much as he said. Many people in the department came from prominent families, and in some departments, half the staff were practically members of certain families..."
Tang Cheng's eyes were somewhat vacant.
"Then let's investigate. We can't just Divine Land by and watch them do this kind of thing."
Li Xingkong hadn't paid much attention to this kind of thing before. This time, Tang Cheng brought back solid information, and he was just as surprised as Tang Cheng.
"I have indeed investigated this matter. If they were really up to something, I would have taken action long ago."
Tang Cheng shook his head.
"That's the problem. Most of them entered the workforce through legal and compliant assessments, strictly adhering to current standards. Legally speaking, there's nothing wrong with that."
"How is that possible? If it were fair competition, this shouldn't happen!"
Li Xingkong somewhat surprised. He had originally thought that these people had grown up through some kind of connection, but he didn't expect that they hadn't done that.
"It's competition, but it's absolutely unfair."
Tang Cheng said.
"From childhood to university graduation, and even after starting work, we may still not know what we want or what we want to do. This is true for 90% of ordinary families. Only when we realize what we want do we begin to put in the effort."
"But they're different. From the time they were old enough to understand, they already knew what they wanted to do, which industry they wanted to work in, and even which company they wanted to work for. How can three years of hard study compare to twenty years of effort?"
"It's not that connections don't exist, but as you know, the situation in Divine Land is currently dire. Spiritual Qi is reviving, and the wave of cultivation hasn't subsided yet. At this time, even those with connections can only take a backseat. Holding a key position without ability will only harm the interests of their own families."
After all that talk, although the situation Zhang Ru described was indeed happening, everyone else's methods were all legal and compliant, and there was nothing wrong with them. No wonder Tang Cheng felt somewhat powerless.
"If you ask me, it doesn't matter who we use, as long as they are capable enough, isn't that fine?"
Li Xingkong and concluded that since he had entered the company through his own abilities, his competence in handling affairs was definitely sufficient for the current situation.
"But the question is, can this situation last?"
Tang Cheng countered with a question.
"They are still able to work diligently and stay true to themselves now only because the department hasn't become a one-man show. Once the entire department is dominated by only one person, there will be no way to counter it."
There's no denying this, and Tang Cheng's concerns aren't entirely unfounded.
"After all that, isn't this the worst-case scenario you've been hoping for, which hasn't even happened yet?"
Li Xingkong instead began to comfort Tang Cheng, saying that even if such a thing were to happen, it would probably be decades or even centuries later, and by then, the entire territory of Divine Land might have expanded to a extent unimaginable today.
As long as the territory continues to expand and new blood continues to flow into Divine Land, the bombshell Tang Cheng was thinking of won't explode.
After all, we're not stupid. Instead of fighting amongst ourselves and scrambling for profits, it's better to expand outwards. The universe is vast, and wealth is limitless.
"So, what are your plans for dealing with the aftermath of this matter concerning the Zhang Family?"
The conversation had drifted to various families, clearly getting a bit off-topic. Li Xingkong then inquired about the Zhang Family's current situation.
"Up to now, all our leads have run out. Although they cut their losses and left behind a large list of names, these people are not the core members. Many of them were just people who had dealings with them, and some had never even been exposed to the evil arts."
"It will take a lot of time to identify and arrest all of these people, and I'm afraid their influence might resurface by then."
So you're going to give up?
Li Xingkong asked deliberately.
"How could that be? Of course I won't give up. I'm determined to dig out all of these people."
Tang Cheng clearly wouldn't let them off so easily.
"That's good. Oh, by the way, give this to your father for me."
Li Xingkong placed the Luo Shu in his hand on the table and handed it to Tang Cheng.
"What's this?"
Tang Cheng took the strange book, touched the cover, and found it was made of metal.
"Consider it a small magical artifact I've crafted. As for its usage, I've already inscribed it on; try to sense it."
Upon hearing Li Xingkong's words, Tang Cheng looked at the pattern on the book cover, and a large segment of memories was forcibly implanted into his mind.
Before long, Tang Cheng had digested what he had learned, and his eyes lit up with delight.
"This is a divine artifact, Brother Li! If used properly, it could be incredibly beneficial to Divine Land."
I initially thought this thing looked rather strange, but now it seems like a real treasure.
"No, then I'll send this back to him immediately. Or should I just go to the Imperial Capital again?"
Tang Cheng had barely sat down, and before he could even get comfortable, he was already thinking about going back.