VCRMM: Chapter 20

For the spiritual elementalists, those in the five main elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth were excellent talents in the life skills department. The geniuses who had 10 points of intelligence at 5 years old would naturally go to the front lines. That was their stage. However, the rest of them might not necessarily shine.

There was no absolute rubbish in the world, only resources used in the wrong place. Elementalists were already a presence that was one in a million. How could they be garbage? In addition, these people took so much money from him. How could they not create value?

Xu Sili thought about the next plan. The more he reflected on it, the more he realized it was feasible. Moreover, Dean Justin was going to rebuild the mercenary town. Maybe they could let these students participate. The mercenary town was the first test site! He could build a construction team composed of elementalists. There was no need to hurry regarding the houses. The most important thing was to let them build roads! If he wanted to get rich, build roads first.

He had personally seen the road from the inner city to the mercenary town and it wouldn’t work. It was bumpy and hard to walk. In addition, they needed to take long detours to avoid some natural hazards. Time was life. It was fine in daily life but it was fatal when it came to a war.

Looking at it from the sky down, he hadn’t seen many roads except for the main road. The mercenary town happened to be on that road and it gradually became prosperous as a place for mercenaries to rest.

However, such a big outer city was more than just this small town. There were small towns and villages scattered in other remote areas that added up to quite a large number. By combining these populations and resources, he would make a big fortune.

It was impossible to rely on the funding from the Interstellar Alliance in the long run. If the Roland Empire wanted to be strong, it had to cultivate its own talents, developing the resources on the planet as much as possible.

Xu Sili didn’t have such big ambitions yet. His foundation was too poor currently, his strength was weak and there were many crises around him. For example, the 10 million cosmic coins! In one month, no, 29 days, if he couldn’t pay the alliance fee then they might be invaded by the lizardmen! At that time, it was possible the Roland Empire might not even be his.

He still distinguished the priority. The most urgent task was to find a way to earn cosmic coins. This was also the sorrow of a weak nation. Even if your nation had a currency, it was worthless if others didn’t recognize it. Hey, wouldn’t it be great if his second brother was here? His brother would be able to make that money in a matter of minutes.

Xu Sili couldn’t help sighing.

The dean’s office was currently very quiet. His sigh was very soft but it was still heard by everyone. The ones who were the most disturbed were naturally Dean Justin and Deputy Dean Chris. They had made a big mistake in their teachings! Not only did they divide students into the wrong department, but Dean Justin even failed to detect that His Majesty had a rare sound talent!

This was the crime of dereliction of duty. In addition, he ruined a prince to be abandoned and delayed him for 13 years! Now that prince had become the new emperor and his temper wasn’t so good…

Dean Justin’s eyes became dark at this thought. Now he heard the little emperor’s sigh and became even more ashamed. He knew that what he had done was truly unforgivable. The emperor originally had an elementalist talent but was delayed for so many years. If it was him, wouldn’t he feel resentment or hate? In addition to being powerful, elementalists had a longer lifespan than ordinary people!

Perhaps he had come to the end of his life… he wasn’t guaranteed to make it through the night.

Dean Justin looked bitter as he glanced sideways into the deputy dean’s eyes. He sighed heavily, stood up slowly and approached the office desk. Under the watchful eye of the crowd, he knelt down calmly.

Su Lin, who was uneasy standing by His Majesty, hurriedly moved to the side. They might’ve misjudged his talent but they hadn’t treated him badly over the years. He still respected the two teachers very much.

“Your Majesty, I personally tested your talent that day and made a big mistake. I can’t escape the blame!” Dean Justin spoke sternly. “I am willing to step down from the position of the dean and join the front lines to fight to the death with the soldiers. I hope Your Majesty will give me this opportunity to make up for my mistake on that day.”

At these words, Dean Justin calmed down. He had been in the rear for too long. A strong person like him should’ve been on the front lines. The result now was good.

Deputy Dean Chris’ expression changed as she looked at the white-haired old dean. This… he was her teacher! Her face was bitter but she finally gritted her teeth and knelt down along with Dean Justin.

“Your Majesty, Dean Justin has trained countless elementalists for the academy and the empire over the years. His contribution can’t be denied. An experienced teacher like him should stay at the academy to teach and educate people! In terms of teaching, I am far behind the dean. I almost made a big mistake in Su Lin’s case. I am willing to be punished on behalf of the dean and fight against the interstellar beasts on the front lines. I hope Your Majesty will allow it!”

The two deans knelt down to plead guilty. Deputy Dean Chris even mentioned Su Lin, scaring him into waving his hands frantically. Li Zhecheng’s expression also changed. He wanted to intercede for them but he also knew that Dean Justin was really to blame. Even so, if they were assigned to the front lines…

He couldn’t bear it.

The only one at the scene who had the same expression was probably Si Sheng. As the two people pleaded guilty, his eyes casually swept over them. Then his gaze fell on the little emperor’s face. Unsurprisingly, he saw the emperor’s bewildered eyes. The corners of his mouth curled up in a very small arc but he quickly pressed them down.

Xu Sili blinked and stared at them strangely. What was this? Why were they suddenly kneeling down and pleading guilty?

“Your Majesty, please don’t listen to Chris’ nonsense! I am old and she is young. She should stay at the academy and continue to nurture talents for the empire.”

“No, Your Majesty. I’m not talking nonsense. I’m really not as good as the dean and I’m not young…”

“That’s enough.” The soft voice from the young man instantly made the quarreling people calm down. They saw the silver-haired young man close his eyes, rub his pained temples and spoke softly. “These two people who are so old and have status, isn’t it shameful to be so noisy?”

No one dared to speak any longer.

“Dean Justin, have you forgotten something? You want to run to the front lines before the rebuilding of the mercenary town even starts?” The young man’s face instantly became cold. “Who gave you the courage to ignore the emperor’s words? Are you trying to rebel by provoking me again and again?!”

Clang!

He had just finished speaking when there was the sound of a sword being unsheathed. This cooperation was simply imposing.

Xu Sili’s heart also jumped. He glanced at Si Sheng beside him strangely. If he didn’t know that any attacks on him would backfire, he would’ve thought this guy wanted to kill him!

However, Si Sheng wasn’t looking at him. Si Sheng stared at Dean Justin in an expressionless manner, as if really examining if he was going to rebel. This caused the old dean to tremble. He was a marshal and a duke, but also a big killer. He was loyal to the emperor and absolutely supported the Roland imperial family.

If not, he wouldn’t be called the patron saint of the Roland Empire, nor would he be trusted by the previous emperor. Before the emperor’s death, he named Si Sheng a duke and ordered him to assist the new emperor.

To be honest, Si Sheng’s strength meant that no one could stop him if he wanted to become the emperor. In addition, his outstanding military achievements made him popular in the empire. Yet he was willing to bow to others and be the dog of the Roland imperial family. No one knew the reason but no one dared to underestimate him.

“Your Majesty, my loyalty to the empire is like the sun and the moon! I definitely don’t have the slightest rebellious mind!”

Dean Justin admitted it very simply. “I remember the reconstruction of the mercenary town and it is my responsibility. After the half a month of reconstruction work is over, I will resign without delaying Your Majesty’s plan. Please rest assured.”

Xu Sili was satisfied. “You did make a lot of mistakes but going to the front line… let’s talk about it when the time comes.”

He didn’t want to continue wasting time and looked at Su Lin. “Apart from the rebuilding of the town, you have another thing to do at the moment. It is to find out how many other students like Su Lin are at the academy. To be honest, this matter makes me very angry.”

Xu Sili’s face was stern. “Elementalists are pillars of talent. As a result, there is such a big mistake in the first step of testing talent.”

“I don’t plan to hold anyone accountable or to punish anyone right now. I just want a solution! Obviously, there is a big problem with the talent testing method at this stage. The delayed students are already a foregone conclusion but what about the newly enrolled students and the children who haven’t been tested. Are you going to continue to delay them?”

“As the dean and deputy dean of the academy, the two of you are teachers. Have you never found problems with the current education system and where it can be reformed? Take this talent testing method. It was used decades ago and it is still being used now?”

The emperor’s words caused the two people to blush. They wanted to argue for themselves, they wanted to say that they had also contributed to the cause of education over the years. However, they had no way of refuting the emperor’s words. As a victim, His Majesty was absolutely entitled to say so.

Xu Sili didn’t stop there. He didn’t have the energy to do these things but it didn’t mean he couldn’t get others to do them. After all, it was just a matter of moving his mouth. In fact, he could choose to stay still and first strengthen himself while waiting for the game beta. He had seen the future of this game on the forum.

At that time, he would have an immortal and tireless army of players. Even so, Xu Sili didn’t want to be so passive. The players were strong but if they weren’t given any benefits, not only would they ignore him but they were likely to fight back or rebel. For players, they dared to kill as long as the health bar was shown.

Therefore, he had to establish an advantage in the early stages so that players would be deterred the moment they entered the game. To do this, it wasn’t enough for him to be strong alone.

The young man looked at the two teachers and continued. “You are spiritual elementalists so use your wisdom to think hard. Don’t talk about me or the students who went in the wrong direction. Think about how many seeds of elementalists are buried like me among ordinary people who are regarded as having no talent!”

Deputy Dean Chris was stunned and once Dean Justin calmed down, his face started to look thoughtful. His eyes fell on the crystal ball on the table. Perhaps it was really time to innovate this old testing method.

However, he never expected the little emperor’s next words.

“To be honest with you, I’ve been practicing meditation all these years.”

The two teachers couldn’t help looking up at him and Li Zhecheng’s eyes flashed with surprise. Meditation wasn’t something that everyone could learn!

“It is because I wasn’t reconciled to being called talentless. As the bloodline of the Roland imperial family, it was a disgrace.”

Xu Sili quietly mentioned Snow Roland’s mental journey. In fact, it was because of this that he was disliked by the old emperor. He was obviously a prince but his life was so miserable.

Of course, Xu Sili didn’t mention much about the past. He continued, “The facts proved that my persistence is correct. I met the criteria for making the crystal ball glow after 13 years. So from my example, perhaps we can speculate… actually, everyone has an elemental affinity and everyone can become an elementalist?”

The two teachers stared with wide eyes. They were about to blurt out the word ‘impossible’ only to stop. Could it be… true?

Xu Sili didn’t care about them. He played with the feathered pen in his hand and slowly and methodically analyzed it.

“Children who can be screened by the academy have an innate advantage and are able to subconsciously absorb the elements before the age of 5. These children, even if they don’t meet the standards set by the crystal ball, they can enter the warrior department to train. Yet among the remaining children, is it really impossible to change their body through hard work? Have you ever thought about why some people have talent and some don’t?”

It wasn’t just the two teachers. Even Su Lin and Li Zhecheng were dumbfounded. Wasn’t this normal?

Xu Sili looked at them, a bit speechless. “Then I’ll be more blunt. Why is the origin of elementalists irregular? In theory, many elementalists are powerful but not all their offspring can become elementalists. Meanwhile in ordinary civilian families, sometimes a golden phoenix will appear despite there never being an elementalist in their ancestors. It is like Su Lin.”

Su Lin blushed as he was suddenly named. His Majesty actually said that he was a golden phoenix! He had always been called a waste and it was the first time he heard someone describe him like this. It was also the most noble person in the empire! The young man looked at Xu Sili and his eyes became more fanatical.

Xu Sili just mentioned it casually and continued his thoughts. “I know that some people only believe in bloodline talent. In fact, I think it does have something to do with bloodline, but my theory is—”

He exclaimed, “Anyone who has the bloodline of the Roland Empire or the bloodline of Escher Star will have an elemental talent! However, talent is divided into innate strength or weakness. Those who are innately strong have advantages but it isn’t impossible for those who work hard to succeed.”

“It is just that the current elementalist training system has widened the gap indefinitely. Those with innate talent are all arranged in the academy to be trained. This is understandable but it means that all those who need to work hard have completely lost the opportunity to come in contact with training methods. There is an academic monopoly and this is one of the reasons why the Roland Empire can’t rise again.”

Xu Sili had been speaking casually but now he even convinced himself. It really made sense! He even found evidence in Snow Roland’s memories.

“Those who have studied history all know that Escher Star was powerful and prosperous before the natural disaster 100 years ago. At that time, there were many elementalists. As the number one nation, almost one third of the people were elementalists. The population at that time was much higher than it is now! In the current times, only one in 10,000 people can become elementalists. Is it really because the natural disaster changed everyone’s physiques?”

One hundred years wasn’t too long ago. Countless countries were wiped out, not many precious materials were left behind and only a small part of the Roland Empire was preserved. At that time, they were devastated and there were limited resources. They could only give priority to the most talented first, so that this part of the population became strong first.

Now it was different. Life was still hard and the battle on the front lines ongoing, but there was no need to cut back on food and clothing and tighten the belt.

Xu Sili felt it was possible for ordinary children to carry out simple introductory training and even adults could try it. It was good for there to be more elementalists. Even if their combat effectiveness wasn’t high, they could engage in the life skills department.

Time invested in preparations wasn’t lost. For a nation to be strong, infrastructure was essential. The front line soldiers alone needed food, weapons and equipment. Once these basic things increased, the survival rate would definitely increase. Of course, he could only provide some basic ideas at present. The specific extent it could be carried out depended on the Elementalist Academy.

“Think about these things for yourself. If you really want to make up for what you’ve done, this is the direction you should strive for. Don’t just escape to the front lines.”

Xu Sili’s mouth was a bit dry from speaking too much. He stopped and couldn’t help licking his lips. Then a cup of hot tea was gently placed in front of him by a good-looking hand.

Xu Sili blinked. He followed the hand and looked up, meeting gray-blue eyes. They were still cold and indifferent. Under his gaze, the man retracted his hand indifferently and continued to stand quietly. He stared straight ahead like he hadn’t poured the cup of tea just now.

Xu Sili, “……”

One who was unaccountably solicitous must be hiding evil intentions! There was nothing wrong with this tea, right? He used the Insight skill and found that this was a very ordinary cup of black tea. There wasn’t the poison he expected. But…

Something was wrong! Si Sheng, this guy wasn’t right! He rescued Xu Sili in the mercenary town and kept cooperating when they went to the Elementalist Academy. Why? Xu Sili really didn’t understand it. The two of them should be hostile. If it was him who was trampled on and became a puppet, it would be really hard to resist his urge to kill the other party.

Never mind… let’s have some tea first. Xu Sili was really thirsty. He couldn’t figure out this problem but since the tea had no problems, why should he trouble himself? The young man picked up his cup and took a sip.

Li Zhecheng, who was acting as soy sauce, couldn’t help peeking at them, his eyes a bit strange.

Feeding single dogs also depended on the occasion! Showing love in such a blatant manner…

Unfortunately, besides him, no one else knew about the relationship between His Majesty and the marshal. He was eating dog food alone. Hey, he had a headache.

Xu Sili didn’t know what Li Zhecheng’s brain had made up. If he knew, he would probably treat Li Zhecheng as a real dog. He drank the tea to moisturize his throat and felt very comfortable.

The two teachers still kneeling on the ground were completely suppressed. This time, it wasn’t by force and power but they were truly overwhelmed by the principles put forth by His Majesty. If everyone could become elementalists then all the people were soldiers. Would there still be a need to be afraid of interstellar beasts? If this theory was confirmed then it could definitely affect the course of history!

However, Dean Justin soon frowned. He looked up at Xu Sili and hesitantly opened his mouth. “Your Majesty, there is something that is still unclear for me. I don’t know if you can answer it?”

Xu Sili drank tea leisurely and nodded lazily. “You say it.”

Dean Justin asked respectfully, “That… Your Majesty, how did you determine with one glance that Su Lin had a talent to be a spiritual elementalist?”

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The author has something to say:

Si Sheng: My wife drank the tea I poured (≧▽≦)/

Xu Sili: = =

Li Zhecheng: Bark bark

Another fanart. Check out: Angry by Lottie

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