Culture and civilization are indeed a complex thing.

As a veteran mercenary who has been on missions in many places such as Whale Song Cliff, the City of Knowledge and the Empire, and finally chose to settle in the Empire for a long time, Qingchao is actually quite familiar with these concepts.

If nothing else, just the eating habits can clearly distinguish people from all over the world.

There is no shortage of salt or seasoning on the side of the Whale Song Cliff, but there has been a lack of high-quality sugar since ancient times, coupled with the fact that the sea descendants often go to sea to fight, they need to supplement a large amount of food that can quickly provide physical strength at critical moments, and fructose is always the most common physical fuel, so they have developed the habit of eating sweets.

The internal climate of the Flying Flame Land is obviously different, divided into desert and coastal rainforest, but because of the abundance of all kinds of spices, no matter what food will put a lot of spices, the taste is mixed and heavy, fragrant and thick, and because of the development of flour products, there are also many special breads and baked cakes, which is a must for Terra.

As an island country in the inland sea, the Capital of Knowledge has a lot of seafood, similar to the Whale Song Cliff, but it prefers to boil porridge and boil it, and at most add some local specialty sauces - and the sauces of the Capital of Knowledge are extremely developed, basically each small gathering place has its own unique sauce recipe, and the taste is different and never the same, which is a major feature of the region.

There was a joke that the reason why there are more alchemists in the capital of knowledge than in other places is precisely because they need to learn the proportions of various sauces from an early age, which lays a good foundation for children to learn alchemy.

If you use the wrong sauce ratio, you will be expelled from your hometown!

Although it sounds interesting, Qingchao is also very clear that this can at best distinguish the place of birth, but not the real culture and civilization.

Empire, for example.

It is so vast that the food customs of each region are different.

The Northeast Plains of the Empire also have a penchant for sugar, and even have very similar dishes, which make the people of Whalesong Cliff call themselves "the other me in the world", but other than that, all their other living customs are different from Whalesong Cliff...... They are very different.

So...... What is the real point of civilization?

Is it clothing? Is it the tone? Is it a ballad?

Or is it some social custom, some conventional moral code?

The more he reads, the more confused Qingchao becomes.

So, he used this question to ask the lord in his heart who was "almost omniscient."

Ask him "what civilization is."

And the white people, who were far younger than him, but were so knowledgeable that they didn't talk like words, glanced at him, and after thinking for a moment, he announced that a meeting would be held.

Ian was going to give a lesson to a group of young people who were taking up their posts as leaders for the first time and presiding over officials in one place.

This is actually the norm, and Ian often takes some time out to brush up some ideas and knowledge for his core team in the name of meetings.

"It's an interesting question."

At the meeting, Ian, the youngest in the room, pointed to the words on the blackboard and said, "What is civilization? It's a complex concept, but the essence is simple."

"Civilization is not about wearing fancy clothes and speaking different tones, nor is it about singing different styles of songs and drinking different kinds of wine made from different grains."

"The people of the Bloodline of the Flame Land are martial and righteous, and they will take revenge and return kindness, and they would rather die than let their enemies benefit. The seaborns of the Whale Song Cliff are impassioned, disdainful of life and death, committed to a momentary whim, and must accomplish their goals even if they die—are their customs similar or even the same?"

"It's not the same, the warriors of the Flame Lands are silent and decisive, and the sea-born warriors are hearty and optimistic, and you can tell at a glance."

"Both the Far Shore and the Capital of Learning are island nations, both are dominated by university lords, governed by learning and sublimation skills, both have academy councils and minaret high courts, and their alchemists even like to wear pointed hats—but can anyone mistakenly confuse the two?"

"Of course not, the gloomy and hierarchical, hierarchical temperament of the Far Shore Island and the enlightened to chaotic, acknowledging the twenty-seven self-aware intellectual capitals are two extremes at all."

"The whole country of the Seven Cities Alliance believes in the Huaiguang Doctrine, but who is the real guest of the Holy Mountain, even if it is Qingchao, you can get a share, right?"

- What do you mean that even I have a share, you can see it at a glance!

Hearing this, the swordsman couldn't help but complain.

Qing Chao didn't mind the lord using himself as an example, after all, he was the one who came to ask questions, and he was indeed confused by these things that were obviously similar, but could be distinguished.

However, the other party's description of the whale song cliff made him very recognized.

I really didn't expect that my lord had never been to the Whale Song Cliff, but he was very insightful about their sea descendants.

"I can, boss."

At this moment, Qingchao replied and continued to ask, "But why? The two kingdoms are so similar, but the core is completely ...... It's weird."

"Because these are not the most important characteristics of civilization."

The white-haired lord shook his head and said, "Civilization is the sum total of the social morals and habitual behaviors of a group, from family values to habitual utensils, from accents and specific local vocabulary, from urban and rural architectural styles to local religious preferences...... These, including all of the above, are only part of it."

"But in essence, it's very simple."

"How all the intelligent life in this region exists and continues in this land."

"Is it farming or nomadism? Is it hunting or fishing? To put it bluntly, the essence of a civilization is how a group of people obtain resources and how they distribute resources so that the group can survive and continue to develop."

"Different regions have different ways of obtaining and distributing resources, which catalyze different customs, evolve different styles of action, and then have different cultures, and finally different civilizations......

Saying this, Qing Chao saw that Ian was staring at him tightly, he subconsciously became nervous, and then the young lord asked, "Qing Chao, what do you think are the few civilizations on the Terra continent?"

"Uh......"

Qingchao thought about it, but he really couldn't figure it out, so he hesitated a little and said, "Dozen? It feels like every country is completely different...... But! Every big country has a few similar small countries around it!"

Thinking of this, the swordsman felt that he had grasped the key, he slapped his leg and said excitedly, "I understand! There are a few great powers, there are a few civilizations!"

"Just like a big sword *** derives more than a dozen small sword techniques, civilization will spread!"

"There are so many small countries around Yanjiang, and they are essentially members of the Yanjiang civilization circle! And the khanates around the Heavenly Court are all the same, they are all carved out of a mold!"

"There are also many knightly principalities around the empire, and even the Ridge Castle is counted...... That's it!"

"Oh? That's right, Qingchao, you can think of this layer!"

Qingchao saw that there was an obvious look of surprise on Ian's face, and the other party laughed, looking very kind and good-looking, but the final conclusion was cruel: "But the answer is wrong."

"Scott, you say. How many civilizations are there on the continent of Terra?"

One

Scott, who had been listening quietly, was sitting at the table, and he put down his note-taking hand very seriously and replied seriously, "There is only one. Terra sublimates civilization with the sublimators as the mainstay."

"There is only one main civilization on the Terra continent, and with different fifth-level sublimators as branches, more than a dozen secondary sublimator civilizations with slightly different structures have been derived."

Ever since he became an Ascendant, Adjutant Iron has been reading books with the high thinking speed brought by the "Thundercaller", thinking about and summarizing the knowledge contained in it.

It can be said that thunder is meaningless in Scott's hands, and the speed of thinking comparable to lightning is the true pricelessness of this heritage.

And the results of his learning began to show: Scott was always able to follow Ian's train of thought and understand what the lord meant.

Sometimes, Qingchao is envious of this kind of person who can quickly grasp what Ian means.

He's not really stupid, Ian can understand what he did wrong before, but the person who can know without saying it is obviously a step higher.

"Good. Scott answered well."

Ian was satisfied, he motioned for Qingchao to take notes, and the swordsman hurriedly put pen to paper.

His handwriting is actually very good-looking, although Qingchao has not been learning calligraphy for a long time, but as long as he regards calligraphy as swordsmanship, it is easy to write his own style, upright and sharp.

Watching this scene, Ian continued, "As I said before, the primary definition of civilization is "the method by which the collective produces and distributes resources so that the group can exist and perpetuate"...... The empire mainly farmed, with the structure of the emperor's noble knights for resource distribution, the whale song cliff mainly relied on fishing, the major castle lords and the big alliance lords were loose alliances for resource distribution, and the heavenly royal court mainly relied on grazing...... These are secondary."

"The most important thing is that all civilizations need high-level powerhouses to ensure the stability and long-term continuation of the social community in which they belong."

"Without high-level sublimators, natural disasters and mutations would have been destroyed long ago."

"So, no matter what the specific differences are, in the entire Terra continent, there is only one Sublimator civilization, and we are among them."

"And what are the most critical operating principles and points within civilization?" Ian continued to ask.

This time it was the old shadow who raised his hand, and the researcher was also listening attentively, and immediately replied, "Access to resources and allocation of resources, and their efficiency. Essentially, it's about getting funding and allocating funds, but it's a little bigger, and the purpose has changed from R&D to making everyone alive, or even better, and maintaining overall stability."

"Hmm. It's a bit of a problem, but it's true."

Ian nodded, and he looked at the people present: "How to allocate limited resources to the most appropriate areas and create the greatest results is what the managers, that is, what we need to do."

"And for the Terra nations today, if they want to maximize the use of resources, they need to invest resources in the sublimators. And the more talented this sublimator, the better."

"This is the core logic of the Ascendant Civilization."

Ian's words, Qingchao can understand—rather, this is the underlying logic of the Terra Continent.

Almost everyone took it for granted, so they couldn't figure out why Ian would say it in all seriousness.

And Ian obviously didn't care about the doubts of Qingchao and the others, he was just telling his thoughts and purpose: "10,000 thalers, for municipal construction, how many streets can be rebuilt? How many houses can be rebuilt? If you let ordinary people do the work, 10,000 thalers is a lot, but it can't do much."

"It costs half as much just to buy the tools that allow ordinary people to rebuild cities."

"But 10,000 thalers, in my hands, can create two first-level earth sublimators. And I can drive them to rebuild the whole of Radiance City in three months."

"Three months, ten thousand thalers, without the use of the Ascendants, will not be able to rebuild the city in any way."

"That's the most efficient use of resources."

Hearing this, Ian accentuated his tone, "At the same time, that's the problem."

"Because the technology behind the sublimator is too high, and the resource utilization rate is too high, so that many infrastructure construction, the popularization of basic knowledge are ignored, and even deliberately suppressed - this is not wrong, because if resources are wasted in places that are not as good as sublimators, it will cause the national strength to be reduced, so that the enemy has an opportunity to take advantage of it, and put their national civilization in danger."

"It's like our Xia Hui Leader - if it weren't for the fact that I am a second-level sublimator, if it weren't for the fact that we have the third-level Xi'ou behind us, the fourth-level Mountain King, and the super-giant magnetic storm coil comparable to the third-level that I have, would it make sense for us to invest so much money in town building and new agricultural development?"

"It doesn't make sense. Others can grab it if they want to, and they can destroy it if they want to. The only reason why I succeed is because I'm a genius, and all of you are very good, that's not to be

Replicas."

"But then, we need to take the road that can not be crossed by a few geniuses, we need to use all the technology from start to finish, and we can't ignore any seemingly useless basics."

"What I want to do is to try to create a new civilization that is superior to the 'Sublimator Civilization', so not only do we have to learn, but also other people in the territory must learn it, so we need to popularize education and knowledge."

"This is my core plan, only you know about it, and I need your full cooperation."

"It's called the Arcane Path, or the Civilization of the Ascetic."

"A truly great cause."

"And the first step in this business is to make everyone have the qualifications to practice...... Artificial souls and Cults are the most important and most important aspects of our next plans."

Next, it's not a lecture, it's a real core meeting.

At the meeting, Ian talked about the many prerequisites and technical requirements of the arcane path, and then Qingchao and others were surprised to learn that both artificial souls and the "meditation method" they had recently practiced were part of this path.

What a grand plan......

But to be honest, Qingchao didn't fully understand what Ian was talking about next.

He just felt a little unbelievable, and a hint of abruptness.

- I'll just say that the question I raised at the beginning doesn't need to be discussed in a meeting at all...... The emotional boss used my question as an introduction to talk about his plan!

That's a lot more reasonable!

Qingchao actually knew from the beginning that Ian was a person who wanted to do great things.

How so? Those knights, in the legends, there will always be the kind of sage who can change an era......

Most of them are the background of the story, which has caused extremely great changes to the world, and it can even be said that the world in which the protagonist adventures to live was created by those great sages.

The weapons they created can defeat the Demon King after a thousand years; The skills they create can inspire wisdom even after a long time; The civilization they created, even if it dies out in the endless years, can still be admired and even remembered by all who come after them.

Whether it is the logic of life, the background of the story, the order of the whole world, or the stage itself, it is all created by the sage.

When he was a child, Qingchao listened to these stories and legends from his father's mouth, and he always thought about it in his heart.

"Compared to these sages, can the protagonist really be considered the protagonist?"

That's what he asked his father.

【Silly Child】

And his father, who had not yet died of an old injury, would rub his hair and reply with a smile: "How do you know that those sages are not the protagonists of the past? 】

[They will also have their own adventures and legends, but this book does not tell his story]

[How do you know that the protagonist of this book will not become a sage in the future? ] 】

These memories were once dim and gray, and Qingchao thought that he would never remember them for the rest of his life.

It wasn't until he met Ian and witnessed what he did all the way that these dusty memories in Qingchao's mind reappeared.

- He is such a sage.

There is no reason, or there are so many reasons that there is no need to look for it.

Qingchao believes that Ian will be the one who will be the one in all storybooks, the "sage" who will form the foundation of all future stories, the cornerstone of all legendary adventures, and change the entire world order.

And, unlike what is described in those stories.

Ian isn't a backdrop.

Ian is happening, the "now" in the ongoing tense!

He is a sage who exists in the present and in the future!

And himself, Qingchao, is the follower of the future sage, a member of his future legend!

That alone made him feel excited.

Even if it's just for this, Qingchao will study hard, keep up with Ian's pace, don't let himself be left behind, and witness the scenery that Ian will create in the future as much as possible.

It's not that hard.

Through the practice of the experimental version of the "Elementary Meditation Method" that Ian taught them, in recent times, the second energy level has been stabilized, and the Qingchao who has begun to gradually condense the soul has greatly strengthened their memory.

This also made him more and more efficient in his studies.

Don't look at him often ridiculed for his slow learning speed and lack of quick thinking, but you also have to see who his opponents are!

Not to mention, the mysterious top alchemist, genius researcher, and Ian Boss are at the same level, and he is born at the top of the chain of Xia Huiling's IQ contempt, and he laughs at the most that the other party is sophisticated.

Old Farr is also an old and refined character, Qingchao respects the old, don't compare with him, it's not afraid, understand but don't understand!

The rest, Roland is a professional top student, and the diploma is crushed, how can he compare with a country swordsman? It's a matter of origin, it doesn't count!

As for Scott?

A madman who can teach himself high math for Ian is inherently incomparable!

All in all, it's not that I can't do it, it's that the classmates around me are too demonic!

The only thing that Qingchao is more confused about is only one point.

"Why are you teaching us this?"

After the meeting, Qingchao, who will be a bodyguard tomorrow and follow Ian back to Port Harrison, stands by Ian's side and follows him back to the lab to sort out the equipment.

On the street heading to the laboratory, the swordsman asked, somewhat puzzled, "Boss, I don't want to lecture us badly—after you said this, I feel that my view of all the forces in the entire Terra Continent has become clearer, and my horizons have opened up a lot."

"Even, I have a deep understanding of the causes of the contradictions between the Heavenly Court and the Empire, and the fact that various local contradictions are essentially geopolitical derivatives...... But these things will be hidden by the other lords and taught only to their own children, and will not be told to us in every detail as you do, as if we are afraid that we will not learn ......

Speaking of this, Qingchao couldn't help but clench his hand.

In the continent of Terra, knowledge, especially knowledge that can open up ideas and influence the system of thinking, is far more precious than mere money.

And the knowledge, inheritance, various meditation methods and sublimation techniques that Ian has developed and taught them in recent times are worth more than hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of thalers alone.

It's so precious.

What they have learned, even if it is just a corner, if it is given to other sublimators, it is all a secret that will not be passed on.

"I'm just afraid you won't learn."

Then, Qingchao heard Ian's calm speech, "I can't wait to teach you everything I know, so that you can have the same way of thinking as me."

"But unfortunately you can't...... The good thing is that you can at least inherit some of my ideas."

"I believe that the shadows can inherit my research ideas, that Scott can understand my governance philosophy, and that they can even do better than me in this regard."

"And you, Qingchao."

Ian accentuated his tone, "Your meditation method is practiced faster than everyone else, and I guess you will be faster than all of them in the future, and you can inherit the 'new practice system' I want to develop."

"In addition, old Farr is really old, but there is a high probability that he can cultivate latecomers who also desire the stars, and Roland can understand my engineering design ideas at worst, and he will understand the importance of a complete industrial system."

"As for Isengard, who is a little further away...... My alchemical manuscripts and ideas have always been shared with him, and he has my full set of ideas and schedules. If Xia Hui Ling fails, then in the future, he may be able to restart this reform elsewhere."

"I don't know if there's enough time...... But in a complete failure

I will always believe in hope."

"Failure?!"

Qing Chao couldn't help but be shocked, he quickly noticed his gaffe, and couldn't help but ask a little oversteppingly, "But boss, why do you think we will fail?!"

The white-haired lord glanced at his personal guard, and he couldn't help but sigh, "Before you think about victory, you think about defeat first. What's more, our future is more dangerous than we imagined."

"There is a small chance that I will die before you in the future, or I may leave you, but I need to be vigilant."

"And no matter what the outcome is, there are always things that need to be passed on – the view of civilization, the view of culture, the view of the world, the expectation of future development, these things need to be passed on."

"This is the tinder."

The swordsman saw his lord take a step forward, and he stood in the middle of the road crossroads, the clear moonlight shining throughout the city, and also draped him in a silver cloak.

Ian didn't look back, but his tone was calmer, "Qingchao. If you say that people's intelligence can be graded, you are not low, and you have at least the potential of the third and fourth rank."

"The stupidest people can only live the life that others want them to live, and the second-class people can live the life they want."

"The third class can imagine the existence of a better world, but they do not know how to create it; And the fourth-class people have the means to create a better world, but they can't implement it, so they can only pretend to be someone else's hand."

"Finally, the fifth-class people—they can make the world a better place."

"With their own hands."

"I consider myself fifth-class, but I would like to have more companions."

"The reason why I work so hard to teach you, teach you, and elevate you is precisely because I hope that you too can truly understand me and become my true followers, not just subordinates."

"If one day I leave, I hope that you will continue my will to continue on this path and teach more people like you and me."

"At least, at least, we must pass on this knowledge and ideas."

True understanding

The swordsman was silent.

It is indeed difficult to truly understand a sage.

The next day, Qingchao followed the convoy led by Ian and Xia Hui on the road to Port Harrison.

Until this time, he was not sure that he could truly grasp Ian's spirit and figure out what he wanted to do.

Create a new civilization where everyone can practice?

To do such a big thing, there must also be a big purpose......

Could it be that Ian wants to rule the world?!

No, not this ordinary thing......

If it were the youth of the past, I would definitely think that world domination was a big thing.

But after such a long time, as he gradually understood the logic of the operation of a regime, a country, and even a civilization, he began to feel that even world domination was not a big deal.

In the final analysis, isn't it still part of the civilization of the Ascension?

This does not bring about a fundamental change and a new era.

It's just a boring and uninteresting repetition.

What Ian wants to do is to create a more lively, vibrant, curious and welcoming world.

Qing Chao can't imagine that kind of world - he is not this material after all, let him imagine what kind of method the future cultivation system should use, he may be able to give some advice, but what will the world be like in the future...... How can he have that ability?

But he'll try.

Become a follower of this future sage.

On March 25, the year 774 of Terra, the last cold of winter had subsided, and the golden sun shone on the land of Nanling under the clear sky.

A convoy carrying a large number of alchemical potions and specialized equipment was heading south along a wide road

。

Along the way, the grass is green, and the lush trees are blooming with new shoots, showing great vitality.

"The Boss can change the world."

Qing Chao rode a horse and followed the convoy, he looked at the new territory, and couldn't help but recall the chaotic and gloomy appearance he saw when he first came to the Xiahui Territory half a year ago, and couldn't help but be more sure of this: "It's better to say, only the boss can!"

And Ian didn't know that his image in the hearts of his subordinates was becoming more and more majestic.

If he knew, Ian would definitely not be emotional, but would try to turn this majestic image into a sample of the internal propaganda of the "Cult of Souls" - the future sage? It sounds a little strange, but it should be a good name, more powerful than the prophet of thunder.

It's just that Ian is now sitting on horseback with a serious face on the surface, sitting in the center of the convoy.

But in fact, his heart has already drifted into the distant labyrinth of the South China Sea.

"Shark said that the dragon egg hatched, but there was an accident with the dragon egg, but the dragon egg is fine."

With the help of the "Great Labyrinth Authority" and perceiving information from afar, Ian frowned and fell into deep thought: "This stupid shark said a lot of nonsense, and it didn't let me see what the dragon egg was like for a long time - I saw that the top part of the eggshell was broken, but the whole thing was still intact, and it was quite alive, which proved that the little crystal dragon was not dead, and even lived very well."

"But why doesn't it come out of eggshells? House Dragon?"

"What happened to the Aether Crystal Dragon's egg?"

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