Star Gate

Chapter 706: Turning Into a Fatty With One Bite (I)

After helping Yun Yuqi settle down, Li Hao utilized Night Watcher resources to investigate Yun Haoran. He didn’t go to anyone else because he was worried that the intelligence network might be infiltrated by others. He went straight to Yao Si.

The Night Watcher director readily cooperated this time. He had Little Ye send over a large sheaf of papers. The affair of the Yun family hadn’t been a minor matter; it simply looked like the death of just one family on the surface. Even entire cities were razed to the ground these days. Nothing had come of the death of one of the founding ministers two days ago.

However, Li Hao still exercised caution. This was a target that the royal family and nine ministries had worked to jointly take down. He might give rise to no end of trouble if he didn’t handle this well.

These people plainly didn’t want the Yun affair to be mentioned again and didn’t wish for those technologies to be once more disseminated across the land. Some things were hard to keep contained after they began.

......

Li Hao carefully read everything as he sat in a rundown room. He gained an overall understanding of Yun Haoran’s identity and status when he was done. The headmaster of the Skystar Ancient Academy had devoted himself to popularizing ancient technology a few decades ago. He’d received support from the nine ministries and royal family at first as Yun Haoran supplied them with many advancements.

He was the progenitor of their military arms such as guns, bombs, missiles, and the like. These types of technology were of use to the nine ministries and royal family controlling the dynasty.

After that, Yun Haoran began to diffuse the electrical system and the industrial revolution. Producing military armaments was difficult without a complete industrial system. Therefore, the innovation of the electric grid was the logical next step.

One had to say, Yun Haoran was no bookworm lacking knowledge in the workings of the world. He had certain strategies in mind. Those in charge would taste a hint of the sweet rewards before he sought to advance his agenda.

However, he gradually ran into severe restrictions.

Many facets were neutered when he sought to implement the communication system. Communication could only take place within the same city. Objects recorded in ancient records such as televisions were completely eliminated. Smooth communication was permitted within a narrow range, but not permitted over a wide range.

Yun Haoran had grown dissatisfied with the status quo five years ago and proposed the idea of educational reform. He’d posited the Skystar Ancient Academy as the foundation and received support from a wide range of other academies. He was prepared to establish more schools and accept large sums of age-eligible students. Ten million students was his starting point.

This idea scared the wits out of all sides and his entire family died not long thereafter.

“He took too big a step...” Li Hao murmured, finding that Yun Haoran seemed to have been in a hurry at the end of his file. His path had been plain sailing when he had support from the royal family and nine ministries. Why had he suddenly accelerated his plans five years ago?

The Skystar Academy hadn’t been in a hurry after several decades of operation. It was strange that it’d suddenly agitated for action at the end. They’d suddenly wanted to expand to ten thousand more schools and matriculate ten million students. It was no wonder that the nine ministries and royal family would kill those responsible for the idea.

Did Yun Haoran still not know what these people wanted after so many years of partnership? Teaching so many new students in one year alone and wanting to establish that as regular operating conditions... The nine ministries and royal family would be pushed out of their positions of power after a decade!

Not to mention that he’d lacked sufficient capital, labor, and resources. He also didn’t have enough teachers. If ten teachers were assigned to each school, that would still require at least one hundred thousand teachers. Where would so many teachers come from...

Not to mention, there might be resistance from other locales to this proposed plan of action. What had been going through Yun Haoran’s mind in these final moments?

Li Hao’s thoughts turned to Hong Yitang. Hong Yitang had constantly mentioned the problem of education. Was education really that important?

Li Hao could read and had been educated at the Veteris Institute, so he didn’t have many thoughts regarding this matter. What he did know was that graduating from the Veteris Institute would change one’s life. Alumni would start at a high rank in the Inspectorate.

Therefore, Li Hao didn’t have a clear understanding of how crucial education was. Silver Moon didn’t forbid its people from attending school either. On the contrary, the province even showed support. Li Hao had received government funding when he attended school. There was a provincial government fund for those from impoverished backgrounds. It wasn’t much, but it was there.

That both Yun Haoran and Hong Yitang raise the issue of education, that means it is indeed the first step to awakening the minds of the people. The royal family and nine ministries are also very clear on this, so they do not permit it to happen. They monopolize technology, wealth, martial might, and educational resources...

Exercising complete control over these areas meant that those beneath the upper echelon had no capability to do anything else.

Inducting energy into the body to become supernatural is also under their control. Only the large factions or Night Watchers have the right to do so...

Li Hao sealed away the information in his hands. He had his own thoughts in mind—now was not a good time to erupt in open hostilities with both sides at the same time. On the contrary, he could not display any enmity toward the royal family, even if he doesn’t accept their olive branch.

He had to pretend to be amiable and agreeable with them in order to jointly restrain the nine ministries. If not, he would be beset on two battlefronts.

I can break the monopoly that the nobles have on status, but I cannot shatter their foundations to become the Human King. They have their bottom line too—someone must unite the world and become the Human King in a critical moment. With such a foundation...

Li Hao fully understood what both sides needed in this moment. If that was the case... he could not push sweeping educational reforms. He would be attacked by both sides if he did.

To the royal family, abandoning a few nobles in crucial moments means they can actually win over the people’s hearts. Me killing a few nobles is actually a good thing. It doesn’t affect their fundamental interests and I’m actually killing more of the nine ministries at the moment...

The young man quickly saw through the royal family’s reasoning. He suddenly smiled. Yun Haoran’s matter had helped him see certain things clearly. Combined with Hong Yitang’s words, Li Hao was more certain of how he should maintain the current balance.

He suddenly rose to his feet and walked outside. Panther was hot on his heels. The dog’s fur was even more lustrous after devouring a drop of a major monster spirit’s blood. Li Hao didn’t know what its strength was now as Panth was harder to read than martial masters.

......

The Avenue of the Nine Ministries.

Powerful presences overshadowed him as soon as Li Hao walked down the street. He furrowed his brows and looked in the four directions. “What? Can I not come here? Do you have a problem with me taking lunch at the Nine Dragons Pagoda?”

No one answered him, but the presences remained. Li Hao ignored them and continued toward his destination. He didn’t care that the presences followed him to the doors of the Nine Dragons Pagoda. The female manager was quite surprised to see him cross the threshold. She quickly came up in welcome, beaming from ear to ear. “The commander’s here!”

This smile was much more radiant than all the ones she’d displayed before.

Li Hao smiled back at her. See, this was the benefit of killing people. Killing people in sufficient numbers meant that these haughty royal agents grew more polite each time they saw him.

“Let’s go to the usual... Forget it, let’s go to the Ministry of the Judiciary’s room. I killed Ole Hu, so I’ll use his room in the future!”

Strange expressions crossed faces in the great hall when people heard him. Some immediately left. Those who had been conversing softly all fell quiet. There were even those who ran off as soon as they saw Li Hao. These days, the young man ran rampant in cocky glory. Who dared antagonize him?

Of course, there were also those who admired his arrogance! One had to know that the nine ministries surrounded this place. Was he not afraid of being mobbed? He was so bold! Most of the Silver Moon martial masters had left and very few were in the city. Was he not afraid?

And yet, the nine ministries seemed to be giving way. They didn’t make a move. The more confident Li Hao was, the more prudent they were. Having taken a few defeats and lost many Arcanus, who dared start another battle? What if Li Hao had more trump cards up his sleeve, wouldn’t they lose a ton more people in another fight?

Thus, no one dared make a move before absolute victory was guaranteed.

The female manager didn’t say anything before rushing Li Hao upstairs. “The commander lives in the northern quadrant of the city, which is quite far away from here. If you would like to dine at the Nine Dragons Pavilion next time, you can send a message to us. We will deliver to you and save a trip for the commander.”

It was indeed not that safe for Li Hao to be here, but the young man thought the manager was looking down her nose at him. “What, do I not have any money? Can I not afford to patronize this establishment? Do I eat and drink for free? Can I possibly not have any money after I killed so many powerhouses?”

Fine, he had indeed eaten for free the first two times. It might be the case this time as well. It was normal that others looked down on him.

The manager smiled in lieu of a response. She didn’t need to say anything since Li Hao was so confident. They reached the ninth floor—it was as quiet as could be. Several ministers were usually in attendance for a meal, but not a single one could be found today. They either kept a much lower profile or were preoccupied with the royal family.

Li Hao entered the private room and cut straight to the chase. “Have your pavilion master come out for a chat.”

“You may be unaware, commander,” the female manager responded with some difficulty. “The pavilion master is a royal...”

“Is he more royal than the Steppe Prince?”

“Um...” The manager was confused. What did Li Hao want with the pavilion master? He seemed to be here for this. The manager wracked her mind—was he here to partner with the royal family?

But the royal family was no benevolent entity. As their secret agent out in the open, she knew a great deal about them. The royal family might be thornier than the nine ministries and Li Hao might be ushering the wolf into the house if he struck up a partnership with them.

However, she couldn’t turn him down.

“Then... I shall make my report!”

“Go on!” Li Hao sat down with a flourish. Dishes were quickly served in plentitude.