Faced with Zhang Fei's question, Liu Bei pondered for a long time before finally answering in a vague yet solemn tone:
"Imperial secret."
After habitually giving approval, a new line of text slowly appeared on the light screen:
[The next video will be released in three months.]
The interval had changed, yet no one found it strange. Something like this auspicious screen was never under their control.
Next, Huang Zhong brought forward the prepared gift.
Jiang Wan stretched his neck to take a look and saw a clay figurine of an unfamiliar beast, black and white in color, with an oddly endearing appearance.
Huang Zhong placed it directly beneath where the screen appeared and pressed down a note of greeting. Liu Bei cupped his hands as usual.
"Liu Xuande of the Han offers thanks for the care of later generations."
The light screen unfolded once more, and with a flash, the clay figurine vanished.
Zhuge Liang explained to Huang Yueying and Jiang Wan, "After receiving the offering, the screen will return a response shortly."
Both nodded in understanding.
Liu Bei picked up the drawings they had copied and examined them carefully. "What exactly is this 'promotion' the descendants speak of?"
Mi Zhu, who had been studying it for a while, spoke up: "It seems commerce thrives in the future. Merchants use the screen to announce and sell their wares. As for those 'price cuts,' I wouldn't trust them. It's a standard merchant's trick, inflate the price then 'reduce' it!"
"A method of promotion," everyone concluded.
"I wonder if we could purchase such things," Liu Bei said with longing. Zhuge Liang had already calculated the value of future currency against their present one. These items were, by comparison, extremely cheap.
"Certainly not," Zhuge Liang shook his head, mercilessly crushing the thought. "Even when offering gifts, we are forbidden from asking questions. Trade is even more impossible."
Huang Yueying's eyes were fixed with intense interest on the three sketches: The Forged Steel Han Sword, The Lego-style Eight-Ox Ballista, and the Replica of 'Tiangong Kaiwu'.
Kongming shared his insight: "'Forged Steel' (Guan Gang) likely refers to a method of refining fine iron. Ancient texts mention 'pouring and folding' multiple times; that must be the origin of the name.
The descendants seem to call refined iron 'Steel.' The Liezi says refined steel with a red blade can cut jade like mud."
Huang Yueying added, "The 'blower' mentioned likely refers to the water-powered bellows constructed by the Administrator Du of Nanyang."
She had begun to notice that although terminology differed in later ages, the descriptions were straightforward enough to infer.
"But this 'small blast furnace'…" she hesitated. "A taller furnace?"
"Perhaps raising the furnace height yields unexpected results. It can be tested later," Zhuge Liang said with interest. "More importantly, this ballista design is ingenious. If mounted on city walls, it would be an unmatched weapon."
Huang Yueying disagreed. "From its structure, this ballista surpasses the repeating crossbow. Its mechanical power is self-contained. Why not mount it on a carriage for field use?"
"It could be used both for breaking enemy lines and for sieges."
"What my lady says is reasonable." Zhuge Liang's gaze shifted to the book. "This Tiangong Kaiwu, I do not know its author, yet I long to see the original. These few pages on rice cultivation alone are already clear and thorough."
Huang Yueying nodded in admiration. "The name itself is grand. 'The works of man rival the works of Heaven.' The one who wrote this must be a great sage."
The others were lost.
What were they even talking about?
Zhang Fei cupped his hands politely toward Jiang Wan. "Sir Gongyan, do you know what these 'Germanic barbarians' and this 'Rome' are?"
Jiang Wan was flustered but tried his best. "Since the text speaks of the 'Scourge of God' campaigning westward, these places must lie beyond our Western Regions."
"The Book of Han records thirty-six states in the Western Regions, but those worthy of conquest… perhaps Persia or Da Shi. 'Rome' may be another name for them, or perhaps lies even further west."
"As for the Germanic barbarians, they may be the people under Rome. With such a ruler, no wonder they are mocked by later generations."
As he spoke, Jiang Wan glanced at the string of outrageous titles and felt nothing but disgust.
Compared to this, even Emperor Ling of Han seemed worthy of praise.
If such a man were his lord, the thought alone was terrifying.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong, however, showed a different reaction.
Campaigning against such distant lands… how many times would that qualify one for the Martial Temple?
Mi Zhu silently studied the methods of "promotion," already considering how to imitate them.
As for Liu Bei, he had been staring at the place where the screen appeared, lost in thought.
Zhang Fei, having finished imagining himself ranked among the Martial Temple, walked over curiously.
"Big brother, what are you thinking?"
"Ah, Yide." Liu Bei snapped back to reality. "I was thinking… if those merchants of later ages could sell me their goods, restoring the Han would not be difficult at all."
"Buy the high-speed rail first?" Zhang Fei asked.
"Buy the high-speed rail first," Liu Bei said firmly.
Zhang Fei shook his head. This was bad. His elder brother had lost his senses.
Just then, the light screen lit up again, breaking Liu Bei's fixation.
Jiang Wan immediately understood. The response had arrived.
The first thing shown was the clay figurine, reproduced on the screen with astonishing precision.
Jiang Wan's eyes widened. Such craftsmanship!
Mi Zhu looked at him with mild disdain. "Sir Gongyan, the methods of the screen are beyond comprehension. This is but a trivial display."
Privately, he thought: if you saw those moving territories and peak human feats, your eyes might fall out just like our lord's.
---
[Lightscreen]
[Thank you so much for the panda clay figurine! It's incredibly cute!!!!
And the texture feels slightly matte to the touch, which is amazing! If it were porcelain, it probably wouldn't have this effect. I'll definitely put more effort into the next video! Much love!]
---
Liu Bei let out a breath of relief. Good that it was liked.
The affection shown earlier toward the "white bear" had practically overflowed from the screen, so after discussing with Zhuge Liang, he had commissioned artisans to make this.
Sincerity above all.
As long as it was appreciated, that was enough.
It had nothing to do with being reluctant to part with gold.
Lowering his gaze, he saw the comments:
---
[Server Chat Log]
[ Merchant_Simp: "So thoughtful! I want one too! Does the Boss have an online shop?" ]
[ Texture_Snob: "Pottery really suits this better than porcelain. That matte texture must feel great to touch." ]
[ Eco_Warrior: "It's a treasure of China! But speaking of pottery, it reminds me that soil erosion in the Han Dynasty was pretty bad." ]
[ Tech_Tree_Analyst: "Yeah, my teacher said the Han hadn't unlocked the coal technology tree yet. Smelting, pottery, and heating all used charcoal. Too many trees were cut down!" ]
[ Professional_Hater: "The Han Dynasty is 'guilty'! They cut so many trees that the Tang and Song had nothing left to burn and were forced to research coal." ]
[ Logic_Guitarist: "You can't really blame them. Coal has a high entry barrier; the Han technology level just wasn't there yet." ]
---
Liu Bei's face fell as he read: What do you mean 'guilty'? What do you mean 'severe soil erosion'?
AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TECHNOLOGY LEVEL WASN'T THERE'??