Comprehensive network wizard, magic emperor.

Chapter 246 Winter Turmoil
The reverberation emanating from the prototype radio station has become increasingly intense. After the sensational impact of Pentecost, the level of reverberation is now comparable to that of the original prosthetic prototype, and there is still room for improvement.

As radio and radio become more widespread, the remnant artifact can be upgraded again in about a few weeks.

Lin Bo is currently in a period of recuperation after being given the gift of the sleeping snake, and it is not advisable to make any major moves, so he has plenty of time and patience.

The cultivation of high-level resonant relics requires the nurturing of a long and arduous period of time, allowing the relics to fulfill their historical mission, profoundly influence the course of world history, and gather the emotions of the masses. Therefore, it is often necessary to plan ahead and cultivate them as early as possible.

Since the cycle for harvesting echoes can be quite long, players will need to find ways to survive as long as possible.

Lin Bo doesn't need to worry about lifespan for now. Once he completes his ascension and sheds his mortal body, he will be largely free from the ravages of time, unless some powerful curses or magical effects cause him to show signs of aging.

His apprentices and disciples are the ones who should truly worry about their lifespans running out.

However, as his studies in advanced magic came to an end, Lin Bo began preparing his doctoral dissertation, which was about refining the High Philosopher's Stone.

This is the crown jewel of alchemy.

As a material itself, the High Philosopher's Stone possesses the eternal qualities of being indestructible, pure, and unblemished. It has an extremely high magical affinity and can bear Gudorei runes without limit. It was chosen by Linbo as the genetic material for the Ascended Body.

Furthermore, this substance can be used as a universal ingredient, added to the vast majority of alchemical reactions, greatly increasing the success rate and yield of finished products. It is also a key ingredient in the refining of the elixir of immortality.

Lin Bo plans to refine a High Philosopher's Stone this winter. His apprentices can help him, and together they can achieve immortality.

The underwater aquaculture tank is producing large quantities of magical energy, which, after accumulating for a period of time, will provide the miraculous power needed for the alchemy ritual. Other raw materials can be purchased at the Ochi Magnificent Garden.

Lin Bo opened the chat interface.

[Lighthouse Guest]: I need a philosopher's material kit.
[Toshurus]: Thank you for the 72999 Calamity Coins. Are you preparing to refine a Philosopher's Stone? That's quite fast! I believe you'll succeed. We are a long-term buyer of high-grade Philosopher's Stones, so we'll definitely give you a good price.
This trader was unusually not sleeping today, so Lin Bo chatted with him for a bit.

The transaction is complete. As a bonus, Toshurus has included a live recording of a public experiment lecture by an alchemist master. Originally priced at 998 Calamity Coins, the recording documents a live broadcast of the Philosopher's Stone crafting process broadcast to the multiverse. The master himself demonstrates the process, providing detailed explanations throughout. He will also invite viewers to the stage to demonstrate the process and provide hands-on instruction.

The alchemist in the picture isn't a high-level professional, but he lives a very comfortable life thanks to his alchemy skills. He can be considered a casual player in the online game system.

Lin Bo also spent a whole morning carefully watching the videotape, and he indeed benefited a lot. In the following days, whenever he had free time, he would take out the videotape and watch it again, comparing it with the process recorded in the classic text, sorting out the technical details of refining the High Philosopher's Stone one by one, until he gradually understood it.

Following the Descent of the Gods, the new year arrived, and the entire society of the Kening Empire was plunged into continuous turmoil.

At the beginning of the new year, the emperor announced two major events: first, to establish a state religion; and second, to limit the number of whales hunted, gradually tightening the gap within a year until whale hunting was completely banned, and imposing heavy taxes on the sale of whale products.

The former has politically impacted the local grassroots self-governance structure. In most towns and urban areas, the Five Gods Church has played an important role in maintaining stability and public order. Now, priests are all in danger, worried about being identified as heretics and being expelled and persecuted.

Fortunately, the Church of Miracles only required churches in China to revise their scriptures and change the order of the five gods. Other personnel arrangements remained largely unchanged. Except for some die-hard conservatives who refused to acknowledge the so-called Hongdu Miracle, they were transferred, dismissed, or stripped of their positions during subsequent internal investigations.

This incident has caused widespread anxiety, and if not handled properly, it could trigger unrest.

As the empire's two thousand preachers traveled throughout the archipelago with radios, and the emperor and priests repeatedly proclaimed the true faith on the radio, people gradually came to believe in the widely circulated miracles of Hongdu and no longer rejected the change of state religion.

Interestingly, not only in the Sail Islands, but also among many radio listeners overseas, many have converted to Christianity.

After the New Year arrives, the chief priests of the five major religions in various regions must go to the Holy See to report on their duties. The Kening Empire is no exception. The priests of the original orthodox faction have changed their ways and, in the name of pursuing miracles, have gone to the Holy Kingdom of the Bountiful Continent to spread the truth.

However, before the religious representatives of the Kening Empire even arrived at the Papacy, they were already labeled as heretics. It is said that the Pope was furious and refused to acknowledge the belief in miracles.

The rulers of the various countries were equally uneasy, sending troops to expel the delegation of the Kening State Religion from their countries with a lukewarm attitude, and many soldiers secretly inquired about the legend of the divine descent from Hongdu.

The Khenin priests, seething with anger, chanted prayers loudly before the battle lines, declaring that the nations' disrespect would ultimately bring punishment. They changed their travel route several times, but none of the countries along the way were willing to let them pass.

So the delegation had no choice but to return by ship, and soon after, they went to the New World colonies to spread their doctrines.

The whaling industry of the Kening Empire suffered a devastating blow, with an even more rapid and direct negative impact on the economy. Many industries that relied on whaling faced a severe winter. In Stone Tower Town alone, half of the workers were given advance notice of layoffs and would be unemployed in as little as six months. The whale oil futures market nearly collapsed, with the price of the last batch of whale oil being wildly speculated on, doubling in a single day—a veritable bubble frenzy.

Continuing to allow market forces to run rampant would inevitably lead to a large number of bankruptcies. The old priest, along with the emperor and cabinet ministers, discussed countermeasures, deciding to provide an official guarantee in the name of the empire, directly shutting down the nationwide whale oil futures trade, and then acquiring the bankrupt companies.

During this period, the news media in Hongdu and the local area had two different styles. The Hongdu newspaper said that the difficulties were only temporary and that the people, protected by the gods, would surely overcome the crisis, while the local newspapers were generally more pessimistic.

In mid-January, the first batch of pilgrimage ships headed to the offshore work platform.

The priests of the Cult of Miracles were overwhelmed with excitement upon seeing the mechanical guardians controlled by the Iron Guardian, and immediately knelt down to praise the Craftsman's creative power.

These pilgrimage ships received the first batch of mushroom oil for the market. After bringing it back to Hongdu, the Mystic Machinery Workshop blended the high-purity mushroom oil with different concentrations of Magic Energy Spring Water and distributed it throughout the country. The original whale oil supply stations all switched to selling the Holy Spring Water at a much lower price than whale oil.

The Royal Academy of Sciences has updated its electrical technology. The new Holy Spring generator is lightweight, safe, reliable, and has no risk of explosion. It can be compressed to the size of a button.

The industrial equipment related to electricity has undergone a comprehensive upgrade, which has enabled the industrial system to quickly break away from its dependence on whale oil and unleash tremendous vitality.

Within just a few days, the pessimism in local newspapers vanished, replaced by praise for the empire ushering in a golden age blessed by the gods.

New technologies have brought about great industrial development and are also rapidly absorbing the surplus labor force from the whaling industry, eliminating the potential for a wave of unemployment before spring even arrives.

The members of the religious order in Shita Town returned to their hometown, bringing news of their victory. Accompanying them were a large number of nobles from Hongdu, who came to the church to pay homage to the holy site.

This previously unknown town has suddenly become the empire's most famous tourist destination. While the number of tourists has surged, the town's underdeveloped infrastructure has prevented it from absorbing the profits, and most of the wealth has gone to the neighboring city of Jinbei.

Even with only a small amount of tourism revenue, the Tower Keeper's Order still became very well-off.

Even though they don't accept donations from pilgrims, the canned goods from their food factory are highly sought after, and their profits are steadily increasing.

In addition to profits from MSG, prosthetics, and radio, the money earned in a single day could equal two or three years' worth of taxes in Shita Town.

The Tower Guardians began a major construction project, starting with the renovation of their buildings.

Foam gel material from the [Botanical Garden] replica was widely used to reinforce the walls and has excellent thermal insulation properties. After the renovation, the residents of Stone Tower Town no longer suffer from the cold.

Then came the construction of sewers and power plants, and the laying of asphalt roads.

The order hired a construction team and engineers from Kimberley. The old priest still maintained the tradition of gathering the workers under a banner every morning to activate the enchanted invigorating effect. The construction team members were immediately full of energy and high spirits.

This light blue banner bears witness to Shita Town's transformation from decline to prosperity.

With the help of the gene weaving device, Lin Bo began to study and improve local food and cash crops, obtaining high-yield crop seeds. He first fed these seeds to the fungal mats, allowing the mushrooms to produce in large quantities, and then distributed them to the Tower Keeper Order to expand cultivation.

Cultivating crops in their natural environment can lead to wilding and degradation; it's not a permanent solution. To ensure people have enough to eat, we need to continuously supply the market with high-quality seeds, and this industry will be handled by Wei Xiang Mei Food Company.

As January draws to a close, the first batch of high-yield grain seeds are planted in the fields. In the relatively mild winter climate of the Sail Islands, they will grow quietly, waiting for spring.

Another problem that needed to be solved was the shortage of fertilizer. Since Lin Bo was temporarily unable to spare the time, he handed the task over to the chemists of the Royal Academy of Sciences.

He is busy setting up an alchemy ritual site in the underground workshop of the lighthouse, carrying out preliminary preparations for refining the Philosopher's Stone, and is also continuing to build the underwater aquaculture tank.

Fortunately, the slumbering snake state is the best time to recuperate, so he doesn't need to sleep and therefore has plenty of time to work.

Under the guidance of the Grand Master, the apprentices patiently pre-processed the alchemical raw materials. They slept only a few hours a day, having to complete their tasks, study diligently, and care for the sick.

Although they did not know the Grand Master's intentions, the disciples worked diligently and never slacked off. They vaguely felt that they were like tirelessly turning gears, toiling away for a great cause. With this realization, they became even more excited.

(End of this chapter)