Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

Under the horrified gaze of the Indian monk, Su Mu led Li Chengqian directly onto the VIP carriage of the maglev train.

The train sped along the already laid tracks towards the core area of ​​Chang'an.

The view outside the window is no longer the old Guanzhong Plain covered in yellow dust, but a sci-fi jungle covered in steel and glass.

Foreign workers, their backs bare, toiled and sweated profusely on both sides of the tracks.

The hardships they had endured seemed to be firmly blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to penetrate the transparent vacuum glass in front of them.

What met the eye was only the magnificent and awe-inspiring sight of Chang'an City, like a colossal beast with its gaping maw, ready to swallow everything in its path. "Your Highness, please behold this towering height that reaches into the clouds!"

Su Mu pointed with great interest to a towering concrete building not far away. At its top hung an enormous holographic projection, which was currently playing a loop of the latest deposit and loan interest rate information released by the Tang Dynasty Royal Bank.

Li Chengqian leaned back leisurely on the luxurious and comfortable leather armchair, his right hand gently swirling the stemmed glass filled with bright red wine, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I have always believed that the saying 'Under the vast sky, all land belongs to the king' is nothing more than a description of the supreme imperial rule."

However, only now has it become clear to me that what it truly meant was actually about the control and allocation of resources!

After all, looking across the entire world, the most precious and rarest goods and products will eventually converge on our city of Chang'an!

At this moment, Chang'an City had completely broken free from the constraints and limitations of traditional feudal cities, transforming itself into an unparalleled, super-sacred metropolis capable of transcending the long river of history and leading the trends of the times.

Thirty-story reinforced concrete buildings stand side by side, their exterior walls clad in precious stone imported from the West.

Trams weave through the spiderweb-like streets, their bells ringing crisply, startling a flock of wild pigeons munching on Australian Wagyu burgers by the roadside.

At night, the city doesn't even need moonlight.

Oil transported from the Persian Gulf was converted into electricity, illuminating the hillsides with neon lights.

"Director, an urgent telegram has arrived from the port of Donghai. The third batch of silver ore convoy from the Americas has arrived."

Chen Xiaodao sat in the corner of the carriage, holding his laptop, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"If this batch of silver is not quickly minted into currency and put into the market, the inflation in Guanzhong may directly crush the surrounding countries."

"Let them be crushed, anyway, all they deserve now is to exchange Tang Dynasty vouchers for grain."

Su Mu casually accepted the real-time data handed to him by Chen Xiaodao, his eyes showing no emotion.

The speed at which these resources converge is beyond even human comprehension.

Australian wool was sent to steam-powered spinning machines in Guanzhong and transformed into warm coats for the people of the Tang Dynasty.

The purest stones from African diamond mines were set into the ring of a noblewoman from the Tang Dynasty.

Those works of art that were considered sacred and inviolable in Europe were now piled up like garbage in pawnshops in Chang'an, just to exchange for a pass to the Tang Dynasty.

This magnificent situation, where global resources were used to support a single city, pushed the social status of the people of the Tang Dynasty to an outrageous level.

"Old Zhao, did your wife go on a shopping spree at 'Datang Center Department Store' again yesterday?"

Su Mu glanced sideways at Zhao Jianguo, who was sitting to the side, wearing a custom-made suit but looking more like a bodyguard.

Zhao Jianguo chuckled dryly twice, his old face slightly flushed.

"Don't even mention Director Su. That woman bought some kind of Frank handmade carpet, insisting it was cashmere and soft to step on."

"Now we have to use silver cups for drinking water at home, and even the Kunlun slaves who pull the rickshaws complain that we don't give them enough money."

"Be content, Lao Zhao."

Li Chengqian took a sip of wine and gazed intently out the window.

"Nowadays, which of the people of Chang'an isn't incredibly wealthy? If you don't have two foreign laborers pulling your cart when you go out, you'd be embarrassed to greet your neighbors."

"People tend to forget their roots once they live too well."

"Director Su, how long do you think this wealth can last?"

Su Mu put down the documents in his hand and pointed to the Nantianmen fleet that was faintly visible in the sky.

"As long as the cannons are still within range, and as long as these foreign workers are still laying bricks, this prosperity will never end."

"The common people of the Tang Dynasty only need to be responsible for consumption and management; as for the sweating, that can be left to those 'friends'."

"This is a logical inevitability and an advancement of civilization."

Li Chengqian burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the carriage and reverberating above the modern-looking platform.

The train slowly pulled into Chang'an North Station, where the platform was filled with Tang Dynasty citizens dressed in silk or fine cotton clothing.

They looked relaxed, carrying luxury goods from all over the world.

Occasionally, a few police officers maintaining order would walk by, their stun batons flashing a ghostly blue light.

In the nearby working-class neighborhood, an old farmer who had toiled in the fields for most of his life was sitting on his leather sofa.

Behind him, a glass light bulb emitted a soft, expensive orange glow on the wall.

The old farmer held a copy of the "Great Tang Daily," which was publishing news about the discovery of a new continent by the Great Tang exploration fleet.

He glanced down at the thick Persian carpet at his feet, then at the unfinished bottle of Frankish wine on the table.

The impact of this material explosion was almost too much for his ancient heart to bear.

He touched the sofa armrest with trembling hands and sighed.

"Director, listen to this, even ordinary people are sighing that this prosperous era is like a dream."

Standing behind Su Mu, Zhao Jianguo watched this scene with a tone full of satisfaction.

Su Mu simply smiled faintly and turned his gaze to the Ninth Bureau building in the very center of Chang'an City.

"Like a dream? No, this is just the tip of the iceberg that has just been revealed after the clouds of dementia have been cleared away."

"Old Zhao, go and inform the finance department to allocate another sum of money to the Academy of Sciences."

"Chairman Su, should we add more? Professor Qian has already built the drill bit for Mars orbit."

"Not enough, I want the dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty, to be stuck in the narrator's eyeballs."

"Understood, Chief, I'll take care of it right away!"

"Your Highness, aren't you going to see that Indian monk?"

"I saw him, why wouldn't I see him? I have to ask him if his Buddhist teachings can teach people how to operate an excavator."