At this moment, Xia Chuan naturally heard Li Xiao's wish.
"A way to make the empire prosperous?"
Xia Chuan stroked his chin thoughtfully. Truth be told, it was a weighty request. Since ancient times, no one had discovered a reliable method to make a country thrive permanently.
Even the greatest of earthly hegemons ruled for no more than a century or two before their empires began to wither, eventually being supplanted by new powers. It was as if history itself was doomed to repeat in endless cycles.
"Master, this is not as difficult as it seems," came the unexpected voice of the Book of Wisdom.
"Really? Is there a solution you're aware of?" Xia Chuan asked, intrigued.
"Of course there is," the Book of Wisdom replied confidently. "Based on my understanding of this world, the main reason ancient empires struggled to manage vast territories was due to the extreme difficulty of communication."
Xia Chuan listened intently as the Book of Wisdom continued.
"For example, sending a message from the north to the south could take years. In such a time span, the situation might have already changed, and the message would become irrelevant by the time it arrived. Ancient empires, especially in the feudal era, couldn't maintain long-term control over vast lands because of the limitations in transmitting information. This led to frequent rebellions in border areas, which, over time, drained even the most powerful empires of their strength."
Xia Chuan nodded in agreement. "Indeed, solving the problem of communication would significantly improve an empire's efficiency in managing its affairs and reduce the likelihood of collapse."
"Exactly," the Book of Wisdom affirmed. "But it's not as simple as introducing modern communication tools, such as phones, into this world."
"I know that," Xia Chuan replied. "The communication tools from my world require a whole series of supporting technologies to function. It would be impossible to bring them into this miniature world."
"True," the Book of Wisdom acknowledged. "However, that doesn't mean the miniature world lacks alternatives. In fact, there are even more wondrous things here than in your world."
It paused for a moment before continuing. "Our miniature world is home to unique creatures known as magic creatures, beings with incredible and unimaginable abilities."
One of these miraculous creatures is called the Missing Worm. This creature possesses the incredible ability to transmit messages through the void. Even if it is separated by tens of thousands of kilometers, it can instantly deliver messages using this power.
The Missing Worm can also perceive the brainwaves of many creatures, understanding the meaning of their thoughts. With its ability to read minds, it can transmit messages instantaneously, much like a mobile phone in your world.
"Mysterious creature, the Missing Worm?" Xia Chuan's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected such a bizarre creature to exist in the miniature world—one that could defy distance and send messages through the void.
In this way, there would be no need for cables, signal towers, or the like. As long as one held a Missing Worm in hand, it would be like having a mobile phone, allowing everyone to communicate instantly.
"If such a creature really exists, why haven't I seen anyone use it?" Xia Chuan asked, perplexed.
After all, he was unaware of anyone in the miniature world using these thought-reading creatures for communication.
"Because very few people are aware of the Missing Worm," the Book of Wisdom explained. "It is an obscure creature, and I'm one of the few who know about it. If I hadn't recorded much knowledge about this world, I wouldn't have even known about the Missing Worm's existence."
The Book of Wisdom continued, "There are many magical creatures in this world, but not everyone knows of them. The world is vast, and the inhabitants, especially the miniature humans, rarely travel far beyond a hundred miles. This limited knowledge has caused the slow development of science and technology in this world."
Xia Chuan nodded, understanding the point. "It's like a country in the feudal era. Without the industrial revolution, it would have hardly progressed for thousands of years."
"Exactly," the Book of Wisdom agreed. "But if you can make use of the Missing Worm, communication across vast distances would be no problem."
"Indeed," Xia Chuan mused. "If this creature exists, it could revolutionize the way information is transmitted across the empire."
"But," he added, "there's still the issue of long-distance travel. Even with the ability to send messages instantly, if it takes years to travel from south to north, the empire cannot effectively govern itself."
"That's true," he continued, his mind working through the logistics. "If a rebellion breaks out on the empire's borders, but it takes months or even years for the imperial forces to arrive, it would be too late."
The Book of Wisdom was silent for a moment before answering.
"That's simpler to resolve," it said. "Why not build trains and planes?"