Chapter 247: Silver appears

The people from Honglu Temple have arrived.

Li Qi turned to look at the roc, which was only as tall as a man: "Senior, let's part ways here. You can go back and report to the teacher."

The roc seemed particularly uncomfortable staying in Tang Nation, so she immediately nodded: "Then Young Master, take care. Oh, take this, Young Master. Grand Invoker left it for you."

Saying that, she flapped her wings and waddled back to the parking spot.

Li Qi took the item the other party gave him.

A… talisman? Made of bamboo?

It must be some Spiritual Artifact; I'll keep it for now.

Looking up again, the roc had walked far away.

She didn't even dare to take off from where she was, but had to return to her original position to take off and then leave along the flight path.

Thinking carefully, she hadn't taken the Outer Heavens route the entire way, probably fearing detection.

She quickly left Li Qi's sight and went back to report.

The world cannot be casually explored, but the Outer Heavens are very likely to be detected by the Ordained Invoker.

After watching her leave, Li Qi stepped forward, not cupping his hands, but walking straight ahead.

He couldn't help it; he was holding a rabbit curled into a ball.

He looked at the two officials in front of him.

Honglu Temple Order Secretary, from the eighth rank, lower grade.

Honglu Temple Regular Guest, from the ninth rank, upper grade.

Hmm... it really was quite a shabby welcoming party.

But it was also normal.

It wasn't Grand Invoker himself coming, so there was no need for a grand display.

An eighth-rank official coming to greet him was nothing; their main purpose was to ensure that the Celestial Pole Golden Elixir Method in his mind could remain in Tang Nation.

After Li Qi walked out, he held the rabbit and said: "Thank you all for coming to greet me. Please lead the way."

"Young Master, this way, please. We have already prepared the carriages and horses, waiting only for your arrival to depart," said the Order Secretary, Chen Wei, with a businesslike expression, neither humble nor arrogant.

However, on the other side, the Regular Guest named Fang Yuanzheng was all smiles: "Young Master, please follow us. We can admire the scenery of Chang'an while discussing the itinerary ahead."

Li Qi nodded and followed this group of people forward.

After only two steps, about a li, Li Qi got into the Honglu Temple's vehicle.

This seemed to be a public carriage, taking up quite a bit of space, pulled by two savage beasts that Li Qi didn't recognize, looking extremely ferocious and domineering.

The carriage was three zhang high and four zhang wide and long, like a small house.

The carriage had four colors, and its decoration was not luxurious but also not simple, possessing a rustic grandeur.

After boarding the carriage, the other ordinary Honglu Temple employees drove the carriage and busied themselves, leaving only Li Qi, Chen Wei, and Fang Yuanzheng sitting in the largest room of the carriage compartment.

Yes, this carriage compartment actually had different sizes, with one large and two small rooms inside. The smaller rooms at the back were probably for logistics and defense, not for passengers.

These Honglu Temple personnel each performed their duties, with only the two leaders, one big and one small, sitting with Li Qi.

Fang Yuanzheng seemed to be in charge of making conversation. As soon as he sat down, he took out a small square plate, similar to some kind of token: "Young Master, this is your first time in the Central Plains, isn't it?"

Li Qi placed Shen Shuibi on his lap, using the table to block the rabbit, and then nodded: "Yes, it's my first time."

"Our Central Plains is as prosperous as brocade, Young Master should really experience it. By the way, Young Master, have you purchased a terminal before coming?" Fang Yuanzheng asked again.

"No, I haven't. What is that?" Li Qi hadn't heard of this thing, nor had it been mentioned in books, so he asked.

"If not, then we will give you one, Young Master. You'll know what it is once you try it. In today's Central Plains, it's virtually impossible to move an inch without a terminal," Fang Yuanzheng said with a smile, then handed the token-like object he had earlier to Li Qi.

Li Qi took it and felt that the object was trying to transmit a stream of 'book Qi' to him.

Book Qi can carry information, and the amount was not small.

Li Qi curiously accepted this book Qi, thinking it was an instruction manual.

However, he was wrong...

The moment he chose to accept it, he felt that he had gained some kind of 'authority'.

The world before his eyes had changed... No, it hadn't changed, but Li Qi could now see these things.

Ordinary users might not see them; they could only see the superficial appearance.

But through the True Knowledge Dao Resonance, Li Qi saw that this terminal was connected to a Great Dao.

A grand and magnificent Great Dao that ran through the entire world!

Countless Spiritual Artifacts, and these terminals, were connected as one through that Great Dao.

The surrounding Spiritual Artifacts, including the floor tiles, walls, and some functions on this carriage, all displayed visualized operation screens, requiring only a mental selection.

Through this authority, he could summon vehicles to pick him up, turn on and off faucets, heat bathwater, and so on.

It was like smart home technology, but... expanded to the entire society.

All public facilities in Chang'an could be called upon!

Whether public toilets had vacancies, whether a bus should stop for you, where mail delivery should go, it encompassed medical hygiene, cultural entertainment, and transportation. As long as you had a need, you could control these public Spiritual Artifacts through this terminal.

Moreover, there was also information; not only could he publish information to communicate with others.

This... is a super-enhanced version of the internet?

The internet? No, it's the Internet of Things, with no delay and no signal loss, formed by relying on that grand Great Dao!

All terminals and Spiritual Artifacts were linked to that Great Dao.

And that Great Dao could even traverse space and reach other worlds.

Through this terminal, he could directly browse countless pieces of information on it, such as a news item that just popped up today.

A certain author's book was very successful.

A new discovery by a Dao of Reason Great Power had achieved great success and would soon be put into use.

A wise person proposed a method to solve redundant funds, which, if applied in practice, could greatly improve efficiency.

There were also news of good plays being staged, and concerts by famous performers, those renowned opera singers and vocalists.

News of major movements being fully implemented.

New styles of equipment, and continuous good news from the East Sea battlefield.

Li Qi even saw himself, in the terminal's news push, a notification about the Young Master of Shaman God Mountain coming to Chang'an to study, with a few comments below, though not many.

All were news directly pushed to the terminal, readable anytime, anywhere.

An information aggregation terminal.

In addition to these information centralization functions, individuals could also, through this, directly apply to utilize certain social resources by paying a certain price.

From basic takeout to commercial financial services, reporting emergency repairs, etc., different people would receive different tasks, and at the same time, they would be called upon by others according to their profession.

Everyone became a part of the vast machine that was Tang Nation.

This was an ultimate and complete Internet of Things, monitoring countless places, but also providing convenience to everyone.

A part of freedom was given up, and then extreme convenience was gained.

Through this terminal, he could even see that this Great Dao also granted the two Honglu Temple officials before him some special permissions, allowing them to directly invoke certain powers of this Great Dao.

Li Qi now understood.

This was the essence of 'official position'.

This Great Dao drew upon the power of all humanity... No, it might even be humanity itself!

In the areas it covered, the power of all existences that voluntarily connected to it was integrated and organized, and then distributed for use.

This was a Great Dao that traversed countless worlds and also gathered the power of countless worlds.

Moreover, Li Qi felt that...

When he used the terminal to connect to this Great Dao, he was also integrated into it.

It wasn't forced conscription, but if he wanted to use the functions of this Great Dao, he would inevitably provide his own power to it.

When you ask others to deliver takeout or use public Spiritual Artifacts, you need to pay a price.

Li Qi was an outsider, but he still needed to pay a price, seemingly a kind of currency.

And this currency required completing tasks for others.

There were no middlemen, no bosses or anyone else to exploit from the middle; it was purely an exchange of labor.

If I provide services for others, such as selling my Medicinal Pills or helping others with Artifact Refining, I can accumulate a certain currency within these rules.

Through this currency, I can pay it out and have others provide services for me.

Through the True Knowledge Dao Resonance, Li Qi could perceive that...

Everyone who used this terminal, while demanding services from others, also had to provide services to others.

Everyone for me, and I for everyone?

Under the regulation of that Great Dao, this seemed to have truly been achieved.

There was absolutely no redundant communication in the middle, greatly reducing communication costs. No one would collect 'management fees', nor would 'profits' be generated.

Fang Yuanzheng seemed to notice Li Qi's surprised expression and immediately explained: "I've heard that Young Master is very knowledgeable, so I assume you already understand the function of this item."

"Within Tang Nation, everyone has this terminal. It was created by the great Dao of Reason Grandmaster Modun in the past, forming a channel that connects all worlds based on our Tang Nation's Dragon Vein, allowing for mutual exchange. Under the rules, everyone is connected, utilizing an information processing mechanism formed by the Daoist sect's Qimen Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. Your Majesty calls it a contemporary marvel and personally bestowed the name 'The Axis of All Realms'," Fang Yuanzheng explained the origin of this item to Li Qi.

Dragon Vein?

That is to say... the Great Dao that traversed the world, seen through the True Knowledge Dao Resonance, was not humanity itself, but merely Tang Nation's Dragon Vein?

Wait, wasn't Tang Nation's Dragon Vein destroyed?

Even Li Qi had heard that the rebellion in Tang Nation in the past directly led to the previous Human Emperor shattering his own Dragon Vein, going all-in, which allowed him to turn the tide.

It hasn't been that long, and it's already rebuilt?

While Li Qi was surprised, he also controlled this terminal, tentatively inputting some information into it.

For example, he wanted to see what records he had on it.

But as soon as he searched, a message popped up.

'User 'Li Qi (Jiaxu Qian 104 677 25)'s scheduled medical procedure has been registered. Registration for wife 'Shen Shuibi' (Yishen Zhen 414 750 760) has been approved for free medical care by the Honglu Temple Vice Minister. Please prepare and submit the application. Corresponding Medical Clinics will be arranged later. Click below to apply. If unable to attend after applying, a 10% penalty fee of four million taels of silver, plus one eighth-grade A-grade world, will be charged.'

Silver!

Li Qi was stunned.

He wasn't surprised by Shen Shuibi's successful registration, as he already knew about it. He had argued with Honglu Temple quite a bit to get it.

What truly surprised him was the silver!

Throughout the entire Shaman God Mountain territory, including the Baiyue territory, 'silver' had never been seen. Silver simply did not exist in their currency system.

Yet, he never expected to see silver in Tang Nation, and it was actually being used as currency.

In other words, the 'currency' he had previously guessed at was actually silver.

Was Tang Nation using silver for currency circulation?

Why was this? Was there some deeper meaning?

As a newcomer, Li Qi was full of questions.

Fang Yuanzheng was still chattering in his ear about the wonders of 'The Axis of All Realms'.

Li Qi, however, couldn't listen anymore. He actively interrupted the other party and asked: "Regular Guest Fang, may I ask about this silver?"

Fang Yuanzheng, who was interrupted, wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said: "Ah, Young Master is still young, I'm afraid you haven't seen this before, have you?"

"This silver, like gold, copper, iron, and tin, are all metal-element substances in the world. In the past, they were called the five metals. However, now, in the entire world, only the Central Plains has silver, because a Great Power emerged in our Central Plains, whose title is 'Money Lord'."

Fang Yuanzheng introduced: "The Money Lord is skilled in financial management, capable of handling myriad affairs daily, and adept at circulation. He submitted a memorial to His Majesty, cooperated with the Ministry of Revenue, Ministry of Works, Imperial Household Department, and Grand Secretariat, to collect all the silver in the world, using it as currency, and restricting trade with the Central Plains to only use silver. He eventually achieved Dao through this, gathering all the silver in the world as his Dao foundation. He is currently the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, holding the official rank of Zheng Fourth Grade."

"Now, with silver as the primary currency, copper coins as supplementary, and worlds as large-denomination documents, it has become one of the established rules," Fang Yuanzheng said with a smile to Li Qi.

But Li Qi couldn't smile.

He immediately realized what this was.

US dollar... No, silver hegemony!?

Four million taels of silver was a 10% penalty fee, meaning the total treatment cost was only forty million.

Forty million could exchange for specialized human Dao medical Cultivators from Tang Nation to treat a fifth-grade fatal injury.

Silver was a mundane object.

By making silver the benchmark currency for Tang Nation's productivity exchange, silver was easily promoted to all worlds, and even began to have influence throughout the world.

In this way, as long as Tang Nation controlled the minting of silver, it could levy taxes on all worlds and even the entire world, and at the same time establish silver hegemony, easily harvesting a large amount of resources from all worlds using completely mundane silver.

Just think how ridiculous it is.

Shaman God Mountain gave Yang Ning a six-grade sun for her treatment!

For Shen Shuibi's treatment, it only required forty million taels of silver plus ten eighth-grade worlds.

In other words, under the value system of silver hegemony, forty million taels of silver plus a few eighth-grade worlds could buy a sun that was at least sixth-grade, or even more expensive, because Shen Shuibi's injuries were more severe than Yang Ning's.

The 'The Axis of All Realms' that benefited all people earlier was humanity.

Now, this silver hegemony was also humanity.

Li Qi continued to listen to the Honglu Temple officials chattering at him.

Seeing a leopard through a tube, one can see a spot.

Li Qi continued to listen to the descriptions of these two officials, and then gradually outlined a three-dimensional, real Tang Nation in his mind.