Grandfather and grandson stood in silence for a full minute. Then Feng Rao let out a long sigh. "Haaa... So this world will disappear, huh? What a pity... I have such deep memories here."
"It's alright, Grandfather. We will create new memories in the new world. By the way, Grandfather, what stage of cultivation are you currently in?" Long Zai Tian asked.
"I haven't even begun cultivation yet, Xiao Long. I am very excited for it, as it is the only way to extend one's lifespan, but I haven't found a cultivation technique yet."
"Soon you will come to my village, Grandfather. Once there, you can cultivate the Great Qin Mantra. It is a truly powerful mantra," Long Zai Tian said.
"I am truly looking forward to the day I see the Great Qin Village, Xiao Long," Feng Rao said.
"You will see it very soon, do not worry," Long Zai Tian replied.
"Well, I must head out now, Xiao Long. You go on and attend to your business. Go ahead. Goodbye."
"I will see you soon, Grandfather."
Long Zai Tian separated from his grandfather and headed to his wing. Upon reaching his room, he opened his personal computer and began browsing the Heaven Awaken World Forum. He looked through the news and people's comments to see if there was anything interesting. He found a ranking titled [The Heaven's Pride Ranking: The Ten Most Powerful Chinese Dynasties and Their Heirs]:
1. Xia Dynasty: Heir [Si Ji]
2. Shang Dynasty: Heir [Zi Wutian]
3. Han Dynasty: Heir [Liu Yi]
4. Tang Dynasty: Heir [Li Baiqing]
5. Qin Dynasty: Heir [Ying Long Zai Tian]
6. Zhou Dynasty: Heir [Ji Xinming]
7. Ming Dynasty: Heir [Zhu Tianhui]
8. Qing Dynasty: Heir [Aisin Gioro Xuanyi]
9. Song Dynasty: Heir [Zhao Zhiyuan]
10. Sui Dynasty: Heir [Yang Wenji]
Long Zai Tian looked at the ranking and smiled when he saw himself in fifth place. 'It is fine; soon I will be the first and only,' he thought to himself. He began navigating between the heirs, reading their personal information, and then clicked on his own name out of curiosity. He read the information provided—it was general data with no personal details. This was due to the secretive nature of the previous Long Zai Tian's movements before he died.
Long Zai Tian continued browsing until he began to feel bored. He closed the computer, sat on the bed, pulled a cigarette from somewhere, and lit it….
Suddenly, he received a phone call from an unknown number. Long Zai Tian put out his cigarette and answered the phone…
"Hello."
"Hello, this is Si Ji," the caller replied.
"Oh, hello Si Ji, how are you?"
"I am fine, and I'm wondering what I should do? Everyone here is disappointed that Xia has fallen from my hands… Haaa (sighs) now what?"
Long Zai Tian replied: "So far, teleportation formations haven't been created yet, let alone continental teleportation formations; this will take some time. For now, I invite you to come to my village, you will enjoy yourself with me, what do you think?"
"Alright, I will think about it, I'm waiting for news from you about the teleportation formation…"
"Alright, Si Ji, goodbye."
"Goodbye, Your Majesty," and Long Zai Tian hung up the line…
Long Zai Tian found nothing else to do, so he entered the Heaven Awaken World. It was nighttime. Li Si greeted him, "Welcome back, Your Majesty."
"Hello, Li Si. Let us summon new residents before the day ends." He and Li Si then went to summon residents from the [Origin]. Twenty-eight people appeared: 9 able-bodied men, 8 women of various ages, 6 young children, and 5 elderly people. Long Zai Tian welcomed them, then took the men and the elderly to change their professions into soldiers and researchers. He entrusted the women and children to Li Si.
Now, the number of residents had reached 142, the number of soldiers was 64, and there were 19 researchers. Long Zai Tian continued inspecting the village's affairs until he saw Bai Qi in the distance, coming from the direction of the forest with the soldiers, and they had Outlanders with them, bound tightly with ropes…
Bai Qi approached Long Zai Tian, cupped his hands with respect, and said: "Your Majesty, we found these while we were on a scouting patrol in the forest. We found them hunting with a unique crossbow, Your Majesty. Look."
Bai Qi signaled to a soldier, who approached Long Zai Tian and handed him the crossbow. Long Zai Tian examined the weapon; it was clean and well-crafted. He didn't have a blueprint for such crossbows yet. He handed it back to the soldier and said to Bai Qi: "Bai Qi, bring those Outlanders to me."
Bai Qi gestured to the soldiers, and they stepped forward with the Outlanders, who were tightly bound. Long Zai Tian looked at them; these were Gnomes. Their skin was greyish, and they were slightly taller than Goblins. Long Zai Tian spoke to them, attempting to communicate: "Will you surrender to me?"
A system notification appeared in the ears of the three Gnomes, offering them the chance to surrender. The Gnomes refused. Long Zai Tian turned to Bai Qi and said: "Bring three soldiers and have them flogged; perhaps they will submit."
Bai Qi ordered three soldiers to whip them. The lashes were violent, tearing through their skin. They couldn't endure it for even a minute before a system notification informed Long Zai Tian that they had surrendered.
"That is better," Long Zai Tian said. These Gnomes were very important; according to the original novel, Zhao Fu had discovered the Heaven and Earth Refining Formation in the Gnomes' underground tunnels….