Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 338 The Baptism of the Eastern Xia Kingdom: The Prelude to the Sprouting of Resonance
Deciding to make the World Tree's "Life Resonance" skill available to all citizens was not an easy decision.

For this project, the Cihang Engineering Department discussed and held meetings day and night. The table was piled high with cigarette butts, and the room was full of people with thinning hair.

The final plan was chosen to take into account all aspects as much as possible.

First, there are the categories.

Patriotism is a deeply ingrained tradition and emotional consensus in the land of Dongxia.

Based on this impeccable general direction, Dongxia can legitimately carry out publicity and guidance across the entire society, and even supplement it with policy support and economic subsidies.

No other name could support such a large-scale mobilization. In that case, such a "semi-coercive" policy would not only seem strange, but would also easily trigger public doubts and emotional backlash.

Secondly, this is also an invisible screening mechanism.

There will definitely be a group of people who resolutely refuse to go. Among these people, it cannot be said that 100% are unpatriotic, but the proportion of unpatriotic people is definitely larger.

The country has mobilized to this extent, and you still won't go? Well, then you won't go. What else can you do?

This is similar to how Dongxia has been pushing forward its anti-fraud efforts with an almost high-pressure approach. From overwhelming publicity materials to coaxing and forcing you to download software, from intervening promptly upon discovering suspicious calls to repeatedly questioning bank transactions involving large sums of money, they've already become so forceful. If you insist that the government is hindering your ability to make big money, then we can only respect your personal choice...

Finally, doing this in the name of patriotic education has another special purpose.

At the plan finalization meeting, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Gu Liyang stated that this is a patriotic base of Dongxia, not a tourist attraction, so it is definitely only open to Dongxia people. Those who are not citizens of Dongxia are not allowed to enter!

That makes sense! What would foreigners be doing at Dongxia's patriotic education base?
What? You say you're from Dongxia? Sorry, we only recognize nationality!

The entire core deployment involved using the first eighteen months, under a highly confidential approach, to allow the vast majority of the population to enter the influence zone of the World Tree's budding and experience the first "Life Resonance" without anyone knowing the truth.

But no matter how detailed and meticulous the plan is on paper, executing it is an extremely difficult and important task.

That's over a billion people!
The sheer scale of the project left all the grassroots staff in Dongxia feeling overwhelmed.

Even if it's numb, we have to do it!
From the outside perspective, Dongxia seems to have gone mad.

To avoid disrupting the work and lives of most people, Dongxia has set up a special holiday – the [Purple Cloud] holiday.

The three-day holiday is a special statutory holiday that a person only gets to experience once in their lifetime.

Moreover, in order to avoid the enormous traffic pressure caused by concentrated travel in the same state [Ziyun] and to achieve staggered travel, Dongxia has meticulously divided this holiday period according to different state capitals, counties, and even more specific street areas.

The final holiday schedule was so detailed that each unit, consisting of approximately 500,000 people, had its own independent holiday windows distributed across different future points in time.

When Sun Peng checked the official electronic distribution map of Ziyun during the holiday, he almost thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

He lives in Dongcheng District, and his "Ziyun" holiday is in half a month, but the factory is in Nancheng District, and his "Ziyun" holiday is scheduled a year and two months later.

The country really isn't afraid of trouble!
It just so happened that his factory was in the off-season and there wasn't much work to begin with. If he went early, he could get this year's "land use tax" waived, which would be like earning an unexpected income. Without hesitation, Sun Peng immediately signed up himself, his family, and the first batch of employees in the factory who agreed to go.

The journey to Ziyun was a full two thousand kilometers!

Sun Peng chose the high-speed train.

For such a long journey, flying in economy class is actually not as comfortable as taking a high-speed train. At least the seats are more spacious, and you can walk around if your back aches.

With his parents, wife, children, and employees, the group boarded the bus in a grand procession. Sun Peng then realized that the entire bus was filled with people going to receive patriotic education from Ziyun.

The carriage was filled with lively discussions.

"Wow, I just checked my WeChat Moments. It looks like half the city has come. This train should be called the 'Purple Cloud' special train!"

A middle-aged man in overalls spoke loudly, with a hint of pride and excitement, which immediately attracted the attention of the "well-informed people" nearby.

"Heh, you think there's only one car?" A middle-aged man wearing glasses chimed in from the side.

“I have a relative who works at China Railway Corporation. He told me that because of this ‘Ziyun Tourism’ project, no fewer than 300 additional high-speed train services have been added to our line in the past few days. They are all extremely busy!”

"Wow, this is quite a grand affair..."

Someone else sighed, "I just don't know what's so great about Ziyun Mountain that everyone's rushing to go. The photos I see online are just picturesque scenery, not much different from the mountains behind our hometown."

"For what? For money, of course!"

A lean young man chimed in, holding a phone with a black-and-white game screen that he glanced at every now and then, his mouth never stopping: "Our boss said that if the whole company goes, we can save this much in taxes this year!"

He held up two fingers and said, "Those who went will get a bonus, but those who didn't, well, the boss won't give them a good time!"

"This isn't tourism, let me tell you, it's more like a business trip!"

This remark drew a chorus of low laughter, and many people exchanged knowing glances. Clearly, they were not alone in this situation.

A young mother holding her child asked timidly, "Hey, I heard that not only will the travel expenses be reimbursed, but meals and accommodation will also be free. Is that true?"

"Don't listen to their nonsense, it's all included in the ticket price, and those tickets are very expensive!"

"But aren't the tickets reimbursed? Doesn't that mean I didn't pay anything?"

"What's the point of all this trouble? Paying for tickets and then getting reimbursed, why not just waive the tickets in the first place?"

This question about the algorithm quickly sparked a discussion in half of the train carriage.

The middle-aged man with glasses had an air of "you all don't understand, but I know it all too well," as he slowly wiped his glasses and said, "How can that be the same? Think about it, we pay for tickets, but it's the Ziyun Mountain scenic area that collects the money. If the government waives the entrance fee, how will they make money? There's a reason for this!"

"You're wrong, aren't you? If the government waives entrance fees, can't they just charge the scenic area per person?"

The middle-aged man scoffed: "Ha, the centralized procurement price and the retail price for residents, how can they be the same thing?"

"A waste of manpower and resources! In my opinion, this is just formalism!"

This resonated with some, and a voice came from the back row, tinged with resentment, "My company booked the ticket for me, I can't do anything about it. Let me tell you, once I'm inside the base gate, after taking photos and checking in, I'm turning around and leaving. Let whoever wants to be lectured do it!"

"I'm not going to put up with this nonsense!"

"Exactly! I've read the online analysis carefully. Tourists from five different regions across the country came during this holiday. This isn't a visit or study tour; it's just a headcount!"

"Goodness, you don't want to see the mountains or the sea, you just want to see crowds of people, huh!"

"You can't say that!"

The older man in overalls tried to smooth things over: "Since you're already here, why not take a look? It's a national-level base, after all; maybe there's something special about it?"

"What's so different about it? It's just a few pictures and sculptures, a documentary, and some rousing music. I've seen it countless times..."

In stark contrast to these adults, whether driven by self-interest, complaints, or helplessness, was a group of exceptionally excited children at the other end of the carriage. They looked like middle school students, dressed in matching school uniforms, carrying huge bags of snacks, chattering like birds released from their cages.

"Great! Three days without school!"

"Not only do we not have to go to class, but we don't even get to do homework! This is so great, even better than a seven-day holiday!"

"I love Dongxia, and I hope that this kind of patriotic education can come once a month!"

"Tch, have you no shame? You just don't want to do your homework, right?"

"Will the signal be bad in the mountains? Will I be able to play games? I finally managed to get my phone!"

"I think with your skill level, you shouldn't play anymore. Have you forgotten about being mocked by an elementary school kid last time?"

The children's faces beamed with pure joy. Patriotism education was a grand and vague concept for them, but "no classes" and "no homework" brought them genuine happiness.

Their excitement infected some of the surrounding passengers, causing even some adults who had initially been visibly emotional to smile. Aside from the parents accompanying their children…

Listening to the cacophony of voices around him and watching the fields and towns rushing past the window, Sun Peng felt a growing weariness. He let out a long yawn and closed his eyes.

He slept soundly on the way, because this special train didn't stop along the way, so there were no passengers getting on and off to disturb him. When he opened his eyes again, they were already at the foot of Ziyun Mountain. "Mr. Sun, Mr. Sun, it's time for us to get off!"

The bullet train slowly came to a stop, and a crowd of people poured out of the station. Sun Peng followed the flow of people and stepped out of the carriage in a daze, and then in a daze stepped onto a brand-new mountain light rail, which took him directly from the station outside the mountain to the mountainside of Ziyun.

A breath of fresh air, carrying a strange fragrance, instantly filled his lungs, dispelling most of his remaining drowsiness.

Looking out the window, the first thing that catches the eye is a series of majestic, undulating mountains that seem to have no end.

This is Ziyun Mountain, with steep slopes that pierce the clouds.

Unlike the verdant peaks commonly seen, Ziyun Mountain presents a deep, almost dark green color, as if it has accumulated over countless years.

The mountains are shrouded in mist, which, under the sunlight, faintly glows with a purple halo, hence the name "Purple Clouds".

The purple aura was not evenly distributed, but rather flowed and dispersed slowly through the valleys and treetops as if it were alive, giving the entire mountain range a mysterious veil that was denser in some places and lighter in others.

Yes, the thickest cloud of fog completely obscured the center of the mountain, so much so that a group of people's necks ached from looking at it, but they still couldn't see the legendary big tree on Ziyun Mountain.

After getting off the light rail, we finally arrived at this "patriotic education base" with its rows of buildings.

Well, what those people on the street said was right, this place is already packed with people.

No matter how much the people of Dongxia complain, the vast majority of them are quite enthusiastic about the things the country arranges. The internet is almost in an uproar, but it hasn't stopped everyone from coming and watching what they want to watch!
After showing their ID cards and passing through security by facial recognition, Sun Peng and his group finally stepped into the base gate.

As soon as his ticket was checked, he saw the guy who had been yelling in the carriage that he wanted to "take a picture, check in, and leave immediately." He really didn't stop for a moment and headed straight for the exit sign, with a hint of arrogance on his face, as if he were the only one who was sober in a world of drunks.

His departure sent a signal that immediately influenced a group of people around him who were already distracted and merely going through the motions.

"Let's go, it's boring!"

"Exactly, going in will only result in seeing a sea of ​​people, so we might as well find a place to rest earlier."

"I'm off to grab a smoke!"

The staff standing at the exit seemed to patiently persuade three or four people for a while, but they couldn't stop the others and they turned and left.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but for a moment, he felt as if the departing people carried a sense of desolation in their departing figures.

What's going on here? We're already here, we should at least go in and take a look.

Even just taking a picture and posting it on WeChat Moments.

The base is exceptionally large, divided into dozens of different exhibition units. As expected, most of the exhibition areas consist mainly of pictures, physical models, and continuously playing video materials, covering the humiliation, resistance, struggle, and rise of Dongxia over the past century.

Sun Peng led his family on a cursory tour. He had heard about this history since childhood, from textbooks, television, and various memorial halls, and it was already deeply ingrained in his mind, so it didn't stir much emotion in him. His parents' generation, on the other hand, looked at it more attentively, occasionally pointing to a black and white photograph and whispering to each other, reminiscing about the years when they were closer to this history.

After all, their era was filled with the smoke of war.

Sun Peng's pace slowed down when he entered an exhibition area called "Riding the Waves: The Special Feature on Loach".

This exhibition hall was completely different from all the other exhibition areas he had visited before. The entrance featured a futuristic, deep blue light strip, as if one had passed through a time tunnel. The interior space was spacious and technologically advanced, creating an immersive feeling as if one were in the sky.

Directly in front of the exhibition hall is an enormous, seamless, circular screen that almost completely surrounds the view of all visitors. On the screen, ultra-high-definition simulated footage of the recent, world-shaking, and magnificent "Ryuu" series of naval and air combat exercises is being played on a loop every fifteen minutes.

The latest fighter jets of Dongxia, like silver arrows, pierced the cloud-covered sky, leaving long vortexes in their tails.

On the sea, the warship cuts through the waves, the vertical launch system is activated, and missiles, trailing fiery tails, soar into the sky, drawing elegant yet deadly arcs.

Huge fireballs flashed across the sky and the sea!

At the same time, a carefully tuned background music with a strong metallic feel and electronic rhythm bombarded the audience's chests and eardrums through a sound system hidden in the surrounding walls and seats.

This is no longer distant history, but a resounding victory that just happened and concerns the fate of the nation and the personal safety of every individual!

This is what we want to see. After so many years of humiliation, isn't this the moment we can finally hold our heads high?

Sun Peng considers himself a middle-aged man whose edges have been worn down by life. His daily worries are about factory orders, employee wages, and children's tuition fees.

The lives of middle-aged people seem to have become calm and undisturbed, their hearts as still as water.

But at this moment, he inexplicably felt his heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably, pounding against his chest. The blood in his body seemed to flow faster and more rapidly. An indescribable heat surged from the bottom of his heart, causing goosebumps all over his body, and even his fingertips trembled slightly.

"What's wrong with me?"

Sun Peng pressed his chest, took a small step back, and looked around.

To ensure a clear view, the hall was dimly lit, making it difficult to see the people around you. You could only vaguely hear hushed whispers.

"That was awesome! Who wants to see a century of humiliation? Let's just fight back!"

"Damn it, why didn't we get to experience this kind of triumphant moment of slaying eagles and snakes and finally getting our revenge! If only we hadn't retired from the army..."

"So exciting! I feel like my blood is about to burst into flames!"

"I remember you used to be unpatriotic, didn't you?"

"That's because we didn't know our family was this strong before!"

"..."

As Sun Peng left the exhibition hall, he felt as if he had undergone a spiritual uplift and baptism, and his steps became much lighter.

He wanted to go back for one last look, but was shocked to find that once he was pushed out by the one-way gate, there was no going back. The group was thus hastily and involuntarily carried away by the flow of people from the Ziyun Patriotic Education Base.

The child tugged at his clothes, his eyes still fixed on the "Riding the Waves" exhibition hall, and pleaded softly, "Dad, can we go in and see it again? Just once! That missile launch was so cool!"

Sun Peng himself was also somewhat reluctant to leave, but unfortunately, the staff politely declined his request.

“I’m very sorry, sir.” The staff member wore a professional, impeccable smile, his tone gentle yet unusually firm.

"To ensure the visitor experience and safety of all visitors, all core exhibition areas of the base strictly adhere to a one-way visitor route; once you leave, you cannot return."

Wasn't I here to receive patriotic education? Is this how it ends?
Sun Peng muttered to himself, feeling that the process seemed a bit unreasonable, leaving him somewhat unsatisfied and strangely unsettled.

"Well... after we get out, we can buy new tickets and come back in again tomorrow, right?"

"I'm so sorry," the staff member said politely and gently, but without hesitation, "If you still want to visit, you will need to make a new reservation and purchase tickets. According to the regulations of the 'Ziyun' base, the same ID number can only be used once every year and a half before you can purchase a ticket to enter again."

A year and a half?

With a slight sense of regret for not having had enough, I followed the chattering crowd in a daze and was guided into the restaurant to eat before boarding the train back home.

When he arrived, Sun Peng felt that the trip was somewhat formalistic and he was not very willing to go; but now, sitting on the return trip, looking out the window at Ziyun Mountain shrouded in clouds and mist again, he felt inexplicably reluctant to leave.

I feel like something's not quite right, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

Meanwhile, Dongxia is constantly monitoring the effects of this resonance by conducting medical examinations and data comparisons on the returning members.

The results of massive data comparison and analysis clearly show that "life resonance" is not an instantaneous enhancement. It only produces some slight and brief physiological or psychological reactions in the recipient at the moment of initial resonance.

After this, this life energy from the World Tree will continue to exert its influence on the body of each resonator in a continuous, slow, and extremely gentle manner.

This is like silently adding a well-timed, scientific exercise session of about two hours every day to everyone, subtly enhancing their physical vitality and gradually improving their overall health and potential lifespan.

This change is so subtle and gradual that it would be almost impossible for individuals to detect it unless the power of the state is mobilized for large-scale and precise data comparison.

In addition, during the in-depth data mining process, the researchers in Dongxia made a discovery that surprised them and even made them laugh and cry.

Comparative analysis shows that, given similar levels of basic health among individuals, the deeper the sense of identification with the history and culture of the Eastern Xia Dynasty, the better the reinforcing effect of "life resonance".

So, it turns out that cultural identity in the World Tree really does define "those who are not of our kind"!
(End of this chapter)