Ji Xia, after dealing with the restrictions on the Hidden Void Gourd, felt slightly relieved.
Just as he was about to pause his study of restrictions and instead focus on cultivating techniques and scriptures, Jing Ye arrived at the door and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the Tianfu Pavilion seems to have made some progress and wishes to meet with you."
Ji Xia nodded quietly. It had been more than ten days since the Tianfu Pavilion was established, and its members had been studying rune techniques in the Zongfang sandalwood incense. Since they requested an audience now, there must have been some results.
He spoke softly, yet his voice floated out of the room and reached Jing Ye's ears outside the door.
"Let them meet me here."
Jing Ye bowed, turned around, and left.
Before long, Jing Ye returned with the elder Zhong Quan and appeared at the door.
"Minister Zhong Quan greets Your Majesty," Zhong Quan said respectfully, bowing outside the room.
"Come in," Ji Xia responded.
Jing Ye and Zhong Quan entered the room, where they saw Ji Xia sitting upright on a broad stone chair. The table before him was filled with jade slips and books. At this moment, Ji Xia was carefully reading through one of the books in his hand.
Zhong Quan did not dare to delay and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I have been elected by my colleagues at the Tianfu Pavilion to report on the progress of our research into rune techniques."
Ji Xia nodded casually, signaling him to continue.
Zhong Quan explained, "After eleven days of tireless research and practice, all members of the Tianfu Pavilion have thoroughly mastered the basics of rune principles. We have also gained deep insight into the Ascending Furnace Rune and Bright Light Rune, and we are ready to begin teaching."
Ji Xia looked up at Zhong Quan and asked, "Do you have samples?"
Zhong Quan took two rune jades from his chest and handed them to Jing Ye, who then presented them to Ji Xia.
Ji Xia carefully examined the two rune jades. On each jade, two runes were drawn using ink. Through his Great Sun Spiritual Eyes, Ji Xia could see spiritual energy flowing across the runes, emanating an extraordinary power.
He slowly injected spiritual energy into one of the rune jades, and it immediately radiated a gentle warmth. The heat was mild but highly penetrative, and within a brief moment, Ji Xia sensed the room's temperature rise slightly without causing any discomfort.
This was the Ascending Furnace Rune. On its own, its effect was modest, but when paired with a furnace, it could significantly enhance the fire's warmth.
The other rune jade emitted a bright light, so dazzling that it illuminated the entire dim room. The light even shone through the window, brightening the dark courtyard outside.
Looking at the two rune jades, Ji Xia was quite satisfied with their effectiveness.
After pondering for a moment, he frowned and asked, "If rune jades are used to engrave runes, the power of the rune techniques will certainly not be weak. However, Taicang does not have enough rune jades to supply all its citizens. Do you have a solution?"
Zhong Quan bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, while rune jades are undoubtedly the best medium, as they consume much less spiritual energy, if we lack sufficient rune jades, we can use a special method recorded in the Divine Book of Spirit Runes. By refining spiritual crystals into large quantities of spirit ink, we can then use the ink to draw runes. Although the effect will be slightly weaker and the subsequent energy consumption will be higher, it is still far more economical than rune jades."
The Divine Book of Spirit Runes was, of course, the Profound Guide to Spirit Runes. Ji Xia had renamed the jade slip to prevent its discovery by the Great Rune and to avoid unnecessary trouble.
As Zhong Quan spoke, Jing Ye handed over two flat stone slabs, which were about half the size of a palm.
Ji Xia accepted the stone slabs, infused them with spiritual energy, and immediately realized that they were quite ordinary, no different from those used to construct buildings.
The runes on the slabs flickered as Ji Xia injected spiritual energy, and their effects were not weak.
"For the homes of Taicang's citizens, which are far less spacious than this prince's chamber, these runes drawn with spirit ink will certainly suffice," Ji Xia said.
He then turned his attention to the other stone slab, which had the Bright Light Rune etched on it.
When the light shone, it was only slightly dimmer than the Bright Light Rune on the jade, but the difference was negligible.
"What is the daily consumption of these two runes? How many spiritual crystals are needed to refine the spirit ink?" Ji Xia inquired.
"Compared to rune jades, the runes drawn on stone slabs consume slightly more energy. One spiritual crystal can sustain an Ascending Furnace Rune for 24 months and a Bright Light Rune for 48 months.
To refine enough spirit ink for ten runes, we need approximately one spiritual crystal," Zhong Quan explained.
Ji Xia recalled briefly skimming through the Profound Guide to Spirit Runes and knew that if rune jades were used, one spiritual crystal could power an Ascending Furnace Rune for 36 months. Using spirit ink indeed resulted in slightly higher consumption.
However, Ji Xia's Void Ring did contain many rune jades, but not nearly enough to supply all of Taicang. Compared to the cost of rune jades, the use of spirit ink was far more economical.
"To implement the Ascending Furnace and Bright Light runes nationwide, for approximately 180,000 households, we will need around 360,000 spiritual crystals for heating and lighting. Refining the spirit ink will require an additional 36,000 spiritual crystals," Ji Xia calculated.
"Once the runes are completed, they can be reused indefinitely. With one spiritual crystal, heating can be provided for 24 months, or 12 years if used only during the two coldest months each year. Similarly, one spiritual crystal can provide lighting for 15 years, assuming the Bright Light Rune is used for three hours each night. This is still quite cost-effective."
Ji Xia did some quick mental calculations. To establish Ascending Furnace and Bright Light runes throughout Taicang, he would need about 400,000 spiritual crystals.
In return for this investment, for at least the next ten years, Taicang's citizens would no longer fear the cold of the long winter nights or the darkness.
Was it worth it?
Of course, it was!
Ji Xia's Void Ring, counting the spiritual crystals he had looted from Zhang Yi's Hidden Void Gourd, now contained over a million spiritual crystals.
For Ji Xia, these spiritual crystals were of little use. As the ruler of Taicang, he had made numerous vows to lead the nation to prosperity. If he hesitated to spend a mere portion of spiritual crystals, how could he achieve greatness?
With this in mind, Ji Xia placed the stone slabs back on the table and picked up a blank jade slip. He wrote a few lines and handed it to Jing Ye. "Deliver this royal decree to Su Xing of the Taicang Academy and instruct him to immediately commence courses at the Tianfu Academy. Regardless of the number of students, have them all attend classes in a spacious area, with members of the Tianfu Pavilion serving as instructors."
He then turned to Zhong Quan and added, "Remember, as instructors of the Tianfu Academy, you do not need to teach the principles of spirit runes to your disciples. You only need to ensure they master the construction of the Ascending Furnace and Bright Light runes."
Both Jing Ye and Zhong Quan responded in unison, accepted the jade slip, and left.
Ji Xia sat alone in his room, rubbing his chin, and thought to himself, "My progress in studying scriptures has slowed significantly due to the restrictions. I must speed up my pace."
He recalled the map of the Xunkong Domain he had just seen and thought of the vast territories of the Baimu and Qilingnations. He felt somewhat puzzled.
"When I visited the Great Rune, everything seemed peaceful, as if untouched by war. However, considering the nature of the Boundless Wilds, why would Baimu and Qiling allow such a prosperous land to develop undisturbed?"
"Perhaps there are deeper secrets I have yet to uncover."
The Divine Treasury contained not only cultivation manuals but also many rare historical records. Ji Xia had read many of them and no longer had such a narrow view of the world, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.
Shaking his head to dispel his doubts, Ji Xia thought, "I must focus on strengthening the nation's power as quickly as possible. If chaos breaks out between the great nations, Taicang will inevitably suffer, and the consequences could be catastrophic!"