He changed Tiwat

"When I asked Tianquan Star, 'The ceremony for inviting the immortals is so grand, but no one cares about the ceremony for sending them off?' I was asking her if the Rock King Emperor had lost all value after his death."

These words were undoubtedly very serious, and a buzz of discussion immediately arose from the audience.

Zhongli didn't let them discuss for too long, and continued, "As we all know, in the past, the Geo Archon only descended once a year during the 'Invitation Ceremony' to guide the development of Liyue in the coming year. It is said that many people have wondered why, given the countless stories of the Archon traveling incognito, he only officially descends once a year?"

"My view on this is that the divine pronouncements that the Emperor sends down every year have already touched the hearts of too many people. Just the once-a-year divine pronouncements have already caused Liyue's merchants to flock around the Emperor's divine pronouncements, trying to analyze countless 'subtexts' between the lines... So what would Liyue be like if such divine pronouncements were issued every day?"

Zhong Li's words undoubtedly prompted reflection among the audience.

Liyue is a nation founded on commerce, and the Geo Archon, as the "God of Commerce," often uses oracles to symbolize the flow of Mora. Imagine if there were many such oracles, and everyone could simply follow the Archon's pronouncements to get rich; who would still be willing to work hard and struggle?

Therefore, the custom of the Emperor descending only once a year actually contains a deeper meaning.

"Mortals visit immortals hoping that the immortals will bless them, which is ultimately for their own benefit. Similarly, the Seven Stars' 'Invitation to Immortals Ceremony' is also for the hope that the gods will bless the people. During the 'Invitation to Immortals Ceremony,' the Emperor will provide people with directions for development in the coming year and bring them guidance. This is the benefit of inviting immortals."

"The instinct of any living being is to seek advantage and avoid harm, just like a merchant pursuing profit, which is a natural principle. But it is different for mortals to send off immortals. It is to express gratitude and remembrance for the contributions made by the deceased immortals in their lifetime. It is not a biological instinct, but a morality and a human sentiment. What makes humans human is that they have this emotion that goes against biological instinct."

"Whether it's parents, siblings, spouses, or friends, the world is a bustling place, and everyone is driven by self-interest. In all human interactions, there is always an element of self-interest involved, not only in terms of money but also in terms of emotional comfort. But there should be genuine feelings between people, in addition to self-interest. The deceased Geo Archon can no longer guide Liyue, but people still remember him and are willing to hold a funeral for him. That is true affection."

“I have seen lambs kneel to suckle their mothers and crows feed their parents. Humans are the same. Funerals are a form of gratitude. For example, when children hold a funeral for their deceased parents, the children’s love for their deceased parents has no direct benefit to the children’s current life. Holding a funeral for deceased parents does not bring any benefits. On the contrary, it consumes time, energy and money. But it is precisely because of this warmth that Liyue has been able to continue to this day.”

“I’ve heard people from other countries say that many of Liyue’s merchants are profit-driven and disregard sentiment, even using loyalty as a kind of ‘bargaining chip,’ but I’ve never believed that. The existence of the Hall of Rebirth is proof of this—beyond utilitarianism, we in Liyue are always compassionate. This is the ‘civil virtue’ of Liyue, and our Hall of Rebirth represents sentiment that transcends interests.”

There was a moment of silence from the audience, followed by a round of applause.

Zhongli concluded with a single sentence—

“The King of Rocks said: ‘To live without regret and to die without regret is the beginning of the kingly way.’”

Chapter 352 Angel Investor [4k]

Han Fulai's trip to Mount Aozang was a very successful one.

Besides helping Xiao clear the influence of "karma" on his mind and gaining the friendship of this guardian yaksha, his sacrifice for Xiao also won the unanimous praise of several immortals - after all, every move in the "Amber Prison" happened under the watchful eyes of the three true lords.

Liyue is known as the "Land of Contracts." While the spirit of contract is a rare quality among merchants, for the immortals who have upheld their contract with the Geo Archon and protected Liyue for thousands of years, the contract is the supreme principle.

The difficulty of removing the "karmic obstacles" from Xiao is incomparable to that of Shen He. Helping Xiao remove the remnants of the demon god was just a verbal agreement between Han Fulai and the immortals. Even the Emperor and the immortals were unable to do this back then, so the immortals did not expect that Han Fulai, a human, could do it. They just had the mentality of letting him give it a try.

The best outcome that Liu Yun and the others could think of was simply to help Xiao temporarily suppress his "inner demons" through this ritual.

Like regular treatments such as chemotherapy, whenever Xiao felt the mental erosion exceeding his tolerance threshold, they would perform a ritual to temporarily suppress it, and that was already quite good. They didn't expect Han Fulai to do anything more.

But Han Fulai far exceeded the expectations of the immortals.

More importantly, his willingness to sacrifice his own interests and help Xiao take risks in order to fulfill the agreement represents the "contractual spirit" of keeping promises and honors, and shows that he is worthy of the title of "successor of the Emperor".

In addition, he even gave the immortals hope of completely helping Xiao get rid of the influence of the demon god's remnants—they really began to believe that Han Fulai might really be able to create a miracle and free Xiao from the fate of dying in madness.

Although Xiao was always a loner and a man of few words, seemingly interacting little with other immortals, the immortals were secretly worried about their old comrade. They were all happy for Xiao, knowing he had a chance to escape the influence of the demon god's remnants.

In addition, Han Fulai recently helped the hearth god Maxius revive—which is also a considerable favor for the immortals.

If Han Fulai, this "immortal son-in-law who is not yet married into the family," was only "half a member of the family" in the eyes of the immortals before, now the immortals have completely recognized this "family member" and he is a junior who is very worthy of their care and cultivation.

Even though the immortals were used to a life of leisure and freedom, they put in a lot of effort this time to speed up the research.

The work efficiency of "voluntarily working overtime" and "occasionally slacking off and building a rice cooker" is completely different.

A few days after Han Fulai returned to Liyue Harbor, he received the first batch of phosphate fertilizer sent from Mt. Aozang to improve the land.

Although the current output is not large, with this batch of trial products, we can already start to establish a "test field" in the "Guili New Area".

Therefore, after returning to his post, Han Fulai immediately began to promote the transformation plan of "Guili New District".

He and Ke Qing officially launched the "4-3 Plan" they had agreed upon earlier.

The so-called "4-3 Plan" of Liyue, as Han Fulai said before, is a plan to "use four trillion to do three things".

These three things are:

First, manage the Bishui River and construct the Guiliyuan Water Conservancy Project.

Second, introduce industrial technology systems from Fontainebleau.

Third, establish a fertilizer production system.

The Liyue Academy of Arts is working intensively on fertilizer research, and the results still need to be tested and verified. It can't be rushed. However, the first two things can already be started.

Although water conservancy projects and Fontaine technology are two different things, they can actually be considered the same thing—because Fontaine, the kingdom ruled by the water god, is the country with the most experience in water management and the highest level of technology on the entire Teyvat continent.

The technology that Han Fulai planned to introduce to Fontaine also included water conservancy engineering technology.

Before he transmigrated, the game didn't include a storyline about Fontaine, and Han Fulai's knowledge of the country was limited to scattered rumors and gossip. However, during this time, he had collected a lot of information about the various countries on the Teyvat continent, including Fontaine.

On the continent of Teyvat, there are two nations that focus on "scientific research": one is Sumeru, ruled by the Council of the Church, and the other is Fontaine, which has an "Academy of Sciences".

To put it simply, the Sumeru Academy's research focuses primarily on elemental power, with mechanics as a secondary focus. According to Sumeru scholars like Heidif, the "Mystic School," which specializes in mechanical engineering, even suffered suppression from the Great Sage. Conversely, the Fontaine Academy focuses primarily on mechanical engineering, with elemental power as a secondary focus. In short, one leans towards the "magic side," while the other leans towards the "technology side."

The Order of the Nation strictly restricts the outflow of knowledge, making it difficult for Han Fulai to import Sumeru's technology. A more realistic approach is to seek technical support from Fontaine. Fontaine borders Liyue and has frequent trade relations, making it a relatively easy target.

As a member of the planet Yuheng, Keqing already had a lot of affairs to handle and was unable to be in two places at once. Naturally, the task of introducing Fontaine technology fell to Han Fulai. He was not only the proposer of the plan, but also a "returnee from Fontaine" and had even spoken a few arrogant words in Fontaine at a press conference. He was obviously the most suitable candidate.

However, this task is not so simple.

Like the Instruction Council, the Academy of Sciences in Fontaine also imposes significant restrictions on the outflow of technology.

This is mainly due to Fontaine's unique constitution.

According to Han Fulai's understanding of Fontainebleau after his time travel, the water god of Fontainebleau underwent a change of power five hundred years ago. The current water god of Fontainebleau, Fucarus, is the second-generation water god.

The previous water god was a loving and gentle deity who perished on the battlefield of Kanria five hundred years ago. It is said that his body has transformed into a sea of ​​sweet dew flowers to suppress the erosion of the abyss.

The new water goddess is quite different in personality from her predecessor, and is said to be rather "radical." She is passionate about "judgment" and enjoys seeing "justice carried out," and she is almost never absent from any court hearing.

The entire system of Fontaine is built on a judicial system based on "justice." Just as Liyue has the Seven Stars, Mondstadt has the Knights of Favonius, and Sumeru has the Council of the Order, Fontaine's secular power seems to be in the hands of the highest judge of the court, Navelette. The water god does not directly participate in the management of the country.

Fontaine's regular armed forces are handled by the "Shadow Chaser" and the "Special Patrol," which are similar to "bailiffs" and "military police."

In addition, Fontaine also possesses a power independent of the seven-element system, not a technological construct like mechanical devices, but rather the "Narcissistic Cross." The "Narcissistic Cross" seems to be training extraordinary individuals in Fontaine who can wield witchcraft and magic, similar to "wizards," and it even accompanied the first water god on his expedition to Kanria.

As the most technologically advanced nation in Teyvat, Fontaine's technology only developed in the nearly five hundred years following the Cataclysm of Kanria.

Their "Fontaine Science Institute," officially known as the "Fontaine Kinetic Engineering Science Institute," was originally founded by a brilliant scientist named Alain Giordano.

Unlike the Academy of Education, this Academy of Sciences does not undertake administrative management responsibilities, nor is it a school, and it is not responsible for educating the public. As its name suggests, the Academy of Sciences in Fontaine primarily focuses on energy and mechanical engineering; it can be said that the establishment of the Academy of Sciences shaped Fontaine as it is today.

Some of the clockwork mechanisms and kinetic energy cores originally designed by the genius Giordan still play an important role in Fontaine today.

Despite making such a great contribution, the Fontaine Academy does not hold a very high status—in Fontaine, everything is subject to the rule of law and the courts, and the water goddess Fukaros even stated that she herself is subject to legal judgment.

The difficulties Han Fulai faces stem precisely from Fontaine's unique laws.

In short, according to Fontaine's laws—

"Failure in scientific research will lead to death."

Everything in Fontainebleau is under the rule of law, and the constraints on scientific research seem particularly stringent. Apparently to prevent academic corruption, the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences has extremely strict regulations on research project initiation and funding applications. According to Fontainebleau law, scientific researchers need to apply for funding to conduct research, and once they use this funding, they are essentially undertaking Fontainebleau's social responsibility.

If a large sum of money is spent without any results, according to Fontaine's rules, the person will become a criminal and face trial, and the outcome of the trial is very likely to be the death penalty.

—From this perspective, if the Faculty of Teachings were located in Fontaine, those scholars would probably have died several times over by now…

Although the historical evolution that shaped the current state of Fontainebleau society is quite complex, and Han Fulai, as a fake Fontainebleau resident, did not fully understand it, in short, the difficulty of introducing technology to Fontainebleau was no less than that of getting the Sumeru Academy to share knowledge with other countries.

Given this national situation, the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences and Fontainebleau scientists are not inclined to provide technology to other countries, but rather to sell finished products—this makes it less likely to cause legal disputes and thus less likely to be tried.

However, Han Fulai, who knew very well that he could not be "held back" in terms of technology, was very clear that he had to master any technology himself in order to avoid being controlled by others.

He couldn't let Liyue's water conservancy project turn into a joke like the "German Conscience Sewers." If the machines broke down, he'd have to search everywhere for any oil paper packages left behind by the Fontaine engineers...

Going directly to Fontaine to discuss technology transfer would not only be time-consuming and laborious, but also highly likely to fail—based on Han Fulai's valuable experience as a civil servant, similar technical exchanges would likely take half a year just for the various application procedures and running around to different departments. And in a country as "rule of law" as Fontaine, the process would only be longer and more complicated than in Liyue.

The good news is that not all of Fontaine's scientists and technicians are based in Fontaine.

In Liyue, there also seem to be some Fontaine science researchers who are unable to return home.

Han Fulai learned some news from Huishan Hall—a Fontaine scientist was applying to enter the Stratified Abyss to conduct research; his name was Patrick.

Han Fulai met Patrick in a private room at Liuliting.

As he reached the door of the private room, he heard a loud voice exclaiming like an aria: "Oh my god, it's so delicious! The Liyue Harbor cuisine is so fragrant! I, Francis, have been completely conquered by the food of Liyue Harbor!"

Fontaine's language is known for its beauty and charm, with rich intonation even in ordinary daily conversations—especially suitable for expressing strong emotions, such as how beautiful the lady across from you is, or how delicious the food is.

Just then another voice rang out, full of distress: "Hey Francis, since we're from the same town of Petrique, could you give me some... investment?"

Clearly, the man begging for alms from his fellow villagers was the Patrick that Han Fulai was looking for.

When the topic of investment came up, Francis became much more serious: "Patrick, you should know that I've traveled all the way to Liyue Harbor to do business."

“Yes, I understand. I’m talking business with you, aren’t I?” Patrick quickly replied.

Francis paused for a moment, seemingly clicking his tongue, "The reason I invited you to dine with me is because we're from the same hometown, and I wanted you to share the delicious food."

“Yes, yes, I’m very grateful…” Patriel quickly thanked her.

"What's before you is the finest cuisine of Liyue Harbor, Liyue cuisine!" Francis's voice suddenly rose again. "Whether it's 'Mora Meat,' which shines with golden light even more dazzling than real Mora, or 'Lai Lai Vegetable,' which seems to have stuffed all the delicacies of Liyue into a wooden barrel, can't it shut your mouth?"

“I… I have no appetite…” Patrick deflated instantly. “You know, if I go home empty-handed, I’ll probably face more than just ‘wasting public property,’ but also dozens of other charges such as ‘misappropriating academic resources.’ These charges will bring me the most severe punishment… financial ruin and disgrace are minor matters; if I’m on trial, I could really die!”

"It seems you're suffering quite a bit from this research project," Francis said with a hint of sympathy. "Knowing full well that this might be the outcome, why did you still choose to undertake such a risky project?"

“Scientific research itself is sacred and noble! What torments me is just… just ‘additional factors’.” Patrick’s unwillingness to give up his research even under these circumstances impressed Han Fulai, who was listening from the sidelines.

But the next second, the usually composed Patrick broke down: "Once my article, 'Shocking! Patrick's True Essays on Vibrating Crystals!' is successfully published, I can give you a share of the profits!"

"Where are you from, website editor?! Is this how the Fontainebleau Academy of Sciences conducts research?!" Han Fulai thought to himself.

Francis clearly shared the same sentiment as Han Fulai: "I don't think your article looks like an academic paper at all..."

Patrick got excited: "The title has to be strange and eye-catching so we can attract investment! If the theory of 'oscillator mapping' is used to produce goods, I can get a lot of profits, and I can share them with you at a certain percentage."

Francis remained completely unmoved: "But that's on the condition that your research succeeds... and also..."

“What else…?” Patrick asked hastily.

"...Besides, I've been spending this time at the Crystal Pavilion and Crescent Moon Pavilion. It's all because the food in Liyue is so delicious that I've gained over twenty pounds since I came here... I don't really have much of my capital left..."

Clearly, Patrick's attempt to "beg" for alms had failed.

At that moment, Han Fulai knocked on the door of the private room.

“Mr. Patrick, my name is Han Fulai, and I am your 'angel investor'.”

Chapter 353 Loan-Based Scientific Research, Gambling Agreement [4k5]

Upon hearing that someone was willing to invest in his research project, Patrick was so overwhelmed with emotion that he was almost in tears and wanted to hug Han Fulai and cry his heart out.

If Han Fulai hadn't dodged, Patrick would have been covered in snot and tears.

For Patrick, Han Fulai, this "angel investor," was nothing less than a true "angel."

To put it more clearly, Han Fulai was already his "savior." This research on "vibrating crystals" was not only related to his academic reputation and future development, but also to his life.

The reason he shamelessly went to Yuehaiting today to beg for alms from Francis, a "fellow villager" with whom he had little connection, was because he was desperate to survive.

—Since the project was launched, his research funding has almost run out.

However, his research is currently lacking funding.

According to Patrick himself, his theory is only missing the "final step" of experimental verification—in other words, Patrick's project doesn't even have any experimental data yet.

To some extent, spending all the funding without collecting any experimental data can indeed be considered "funding fraud," and punishment is not unreasonable. As a modern university graduate who has witnessed the chaos in the academic world, Han Fulai can somewhat understand Fontaine's strict control over research funding. The original intention of this research supervision mechanism is good; it is to monitor whether researchers spend the funds on genuine research, rather than squandering them by fraudulently obtaining funding.

But the death penalty is too extreme...

Scientific research is absolutely not a guaranteed success—if it were 100% successful, it wouldn't be scientific research, it would be copying answers.

Most exploratory research in entirely new fields fails. Such failures are numerous throughout the history of science, but they are meaningful, serving as signposts to guide those who follow.

If Fontaine's penalty mechanism were applied, who would be willing to conduct exploratory research with a high probability of failure? Most people would simply tweak and patch existing, well-established research systems—because this ensures a higher probability of success. In programmer terms, this is what's known as "reinventing the wheel."

Such a system in Fontainebleau is clearly a huge obstacle to the country's scientific development. It is entirely foreseeable that under such a system, Fontainebleau's scientific and technological development will only stagnate further.

—But perhaps this is exactly what the rulers of Fontaine want? Is it a means of control to limit Teyvat's technological level to a certain extent?

The technological gap between the seven Teyvat nations is quite large. For example, Mondstadt, Liyue, and Inazuma are basically stuck in the feudal era in terms of productivity, while Sumeru, Fontaine, and Winterfell, which have advanced technology, seem to be unwilling to engage in technological exchanges with other nations.

Is the reason behind this also related to certain taboos?

Han Fulai couldn't help but think this way.

Of course, there is no empirical evidence for such a conjecture, and Han Fulai was just thinking about it.

After Patrick calmed down, Han Fulai led Patrick away from Liuli Pavilion to the General Affairs Department.

His relationship with Patrick was, after all, an official technology transfer, and his "investment" in Patrick was funded by official funds. So, if they were to discuss cooperation, they would naturally have to go to the official place to talk, and if they reached an agreement, they could sign the agreement on the spot.