I became a god by treasure hunting after arriving 500 years early

The craftsmen's faces betrayed a "you must be kidding me" expression when they heard about replicating firearms.

"Old Sha, these parts may look simple when disassembled, but they have very high requirements," one said.

"A tiny bit of error, and the bullet will explode in the chamber!"

"As for producing that explosive, even the Empire hasn't figured it out, what makes us think we can?"

Another craftsman pursed his lips, pointing to the helical pattern inside the gun barrel, "Let me tell you, this is called rifling, it has a formula, you have to learn math!"

"Study it well and then teach us."

The mere mention of math sent a chill down Sha Kan'er's spine.

During his idle days, he had indeed heard a bit about math.

After all, being a Level Two expert with a Divine Attribute of 8.8, he had a sharp mind, and primary school material was as simple to him as Zhang Fei eating bean sprouts—a piece of cake!

But when it came to high school material, things like solid geometry and conic sections, he started to feel overwhelmed.

Especially when he came to calculus, it felt...

...like life had lost its meaning.

Difficult though it was, everyone, be they craftsmen or militiamen, felt the power of knowledge.

The Empire, their once neighbor, might well represent the limits of empiricism.

Moving forward, a scientific mindset was becoming necessary.

And so, in the midst of this discussion,

suddenly, as if a chord had been struck, everyone fell silent.

Can we, survive?

To live on with a whole new identity.

Not just to survive, but to... live better!

A group of militiamen, together with the craftsmen, gazed into the distant horizon.

They thought of their deceased loved ones and peered into the foggy future.

...

Inside another low building, Elder Sha Sanli lit an oil lamp.

With the bright light came a scent reminiscent of gasoline.

In the territory of the Sha Li People, water was scarce, but oil was abundant.

Some oil seeped directly out from the ground, forming black lakes.

Leveraging their local resources, they developed the most rudimentary oil exploitation techniques.

For instance, using oil as a lubricant, creating ink, and the simplest use of all, burning it!

The finest oil, as clear as petrol, produced little smoke when burned.

In human terms, it was called "condensate oil" or "natural gasoline," and was much pricier than ordinary oil, often accompanied by natural gas.

Alas, without technology, even with riches untold, they had no way to exploit it.

Sha Sanli took out a notebook and began reading aloud.

At first listen, it was actually Chinese pinyin!

"What are you chanting in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?" his wife scolded from inside the room.

"Hmph, what do you know?" As the head of a prominent family, Sha Sanli was sharp-witted.

His family was doing fairly well in terms of numbers, a rare notable lineage in the village.

The villagers would call him "Elder" when they saw him.

But times were changing!

If he didn't study hard, his status would be at risk!

...

The tiny village showcased all facets of life.

Today, however, hope was abundant.

Nobody knew what the future held, but their current hopes were undeniably beautiful.

Lu Yuan controlled a large tree to "rustle" around, taking a stroll in the village and eavesdropping on many local stories.

Old Cat leaped onto a branch, bubbling with excitement, incessantly eavesdropping—this guy was actually the most thrilled!

It wasn't clear what was so exciting; it had added a burden on itself, but judging from its tail that nearly flicked skyward, it was obvious how joyful it was.

As for politics and the likes, Lu Yuan really knew nothing and wasn't much interested, yet at this point, he could only silently accept reality, "Ah, suddenly becoming a leader feels quite odd." Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire

"Could it be that all the emperors through history have been thrust into their roles in such a manner?"

Old Cat scoffed, "Thinking of becoming Emperor before Sky City has even risen?"

"No, no, no, I can only provide military support, you can tamper with the system as you wish," Lu Yuan said, feeling his face grow hot.

"I could be something like... a parliamentary representative?" Back in Great Dong Country, he seemed so far removed from these matters... He never cared for them.

Old Cat shook its head: "Even a small sparrow has all its vital organs, so what kind of system do you want?"

"One that can develop productive forces is enough; the rest doesn't really matter..." Lu Yuan felt as if he had been struck by some anomaly, hurriedly closing his mouth.

It's not that he lacked discipline or faith or sought to betray his organization...

But at their current cultural level, how to manage... a forced melon is not sweet.

After a moment of silence, Old Cat changed the subject, "What ability did you acquire? Why have you turned into a tree again?"

"Peaceful conquest of an alien civilization, a milestone,"

"I gained the ability to 'control.'" Lu Yuan didn't want to obscure the truth; in fact, he was a bit smug, and the thick trunk wobbled a bit.

Control?!

"Meow?!" Old Cat was so agitated it nearly tumbled from the tree, "Why don't you just control these people and have it your way?"

Lu Yuan shook his head, not keen to start down that path.

"Using 'control' too much can lead to a slippery slope in thought and morality."

To treat people purely as tools was clearly... not what he desired.

He had always believed that people should be equal to one another.

Even if there were differences in capability or wealth among individuals, no one should blatantly make themselves out to be superior.