Before long, Li Daoxuan had gathered everything he needed on the new furnace technology.
After politely thanking the anonymous benefactor on the forum, he printed the materials onto tiny sheets of paper, stacked them neatly, and turned his attention back to the Diorama Box.
Inside, Yongji Ferry was buzzing.
Bai Gongzi, Song Yingxing, Wang Zheng, and a dense crowd of graduate students and senior engineers were all craning their necks upward, eyes wide, expressions unified in one unmistakable look—
They looked like a flock of quail waiting to be fed.
Wang Zheng, in particular, was vibrating with excitement.
He had only recently arrived in Gao Family Village and had immediately buried himself in study under Song Yingxing and Bai Gongzi. The books stored in the school—Physics, Chemistry, and countless others—had completely overturned his understanding of the world.
When he'd asked where those miraculous texts came from, everyone had given him the same answer:
Heavenly Books, bestowed by the Dao Xuan Tianzun.
Ever since, Wang Zheng had been endlessly curious about how exactly the Dao Xuan Tianzun "bestowed" these books. Now, finally seeing it with his own eyes, he was so excited he could barely stand still.
At that moment—
The clouds above parted.
A colossal golden hand descended from the heavens, gripping a thick stack of papers.
"Heavenly Books!" Wang Zheng shouted in delight.
"The Heavenly Books are here!"
"This is the first time I've ever witnessed the Dao Xuan Tianzun bestowing Heavenly Books in person!"
He clasped his hands together fervently.
"May the Dao Xuan Tianzun protect us! Amitābha! Infinite Life and Fortune! El-Lahil-Allah! Hallelujah—"
Song Yingxing blinked.
"…Old Wang, what exactly are you chanting?"
"I'm thanking all the deities!" Wang Zheng replied earnestly.
Song Yingxing frowned.
"These are Heavenly Books personally bestowed by the Dao Xuan Tianzun. Why are you thanking everyone else?"
Wang Zheng explained solemnly,
"The Dao Xuan Tianzun said he retrieved these books from the Celestial Scripture Repository. But who put them there in the first place? It might not have been the Dao Xuan Tianzun himself. Perhaps other deities researched them and stored them there, and the Dao Xuan Tianzun merely borrowed them."
He nodded to himself, deeply satisfied.
"If I only thank the Dao Xuan Tianzun, I might miss someone. That wouldn't be right. To avoid omissions, thanking everyone is the safest choice."
Song Yingxing stared at him.
"…Uh."
Li Daoxuan, watching from above, couldn't help but laugh.
Strictly speaking, Wang Zheng wasn't wrong.
The sources were indeed… other people.
With a thought, Li Daoxuan shifted into Co-sensing mode and entered the Test-02 Dao Xuan Tianzun puppet. He smiled and spoke aloud:
"Wang Zheng isn't mistaken. This method for smelting high-quality iron was not invented by me. It was researched by a deity far more brilliant than myself. I merely borrowed it."
Song Yingxing's eyes widened.
"So that's how it is!"
Wang Zheng beamed triumphantly.
"See? Even the Dao Xuan Tianzun says so. I was absolutely right to thank everyone!"
Song Yingxing covered his face with one hand.
"But your gratitude is still… a bit too wide-ranging. That 'El-Lahil-Allah' you mentioned—whose deity is that? I've never even heard of it."
Wang Zheng shrugged.
"I don't know either. I just shouted it out randomly. But what if such a deity really exists?"
Song Yingxing choked—and then burst out laughing.
Wang Zheng continued confidently,
"With all deities properly honored, there's no hardship we can't overcome and no corner of the world we can't conquer. Old Song, safety first!"
Song Yingxing laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
By then, the thick stack of "Heavenly Books" had already been laid out.
Graduate students and senior engineers swarmed around them. Though Li Daoxuan had printed the material on tiny sheets, to the people inside the box, each page was still enormous. Several people had to work together just to flip one page over.
Standing directly on the paper, they couldn't even see the full content.
So they climbed onto nearby rooftops, leaning over the edges, peering down to read.
And the moment they did—
Realization struck.
"So that's the problem! Coal contains sulfur. When sulfur enters iron, it makes it brittle and weak."
"That's why coal must first be turned into coke! Coke has low volatility—less sulfur enters the iron during smelting, so the strength increases!"
"And limestone—why limestone?"
"Turn the page! Hurry! It must explain it on the next one!"
Their voices overlapped, excitement mounting. Each line unlocked another piece of the world's hidden logic.
The mysteries of heaven and earth truly had no end.
While the scientists were completely absorbed—
Elsewhere, Tie Niaofei, Zao Ying, and Zheng Daniu were preparing to depart.
Three hundred cavalrymen assembled behind them, guarding a fully loaded merchant caravan.
Yongji Ferry had now become a critical logistics hub. Supplies from Gao Family Village, Puzhou, and the entire Hedong Circuit flowed through here. Aid destined for Henan—supporting Bai Yuan's expeditionary army—was loaded onto ships day and night.
Tie Niaofei glanced at the scientists cheering and laughing over their papers and shook his head with a smile.
"These people are all quite old, yet they're making such childish noises."
Zheng Daniu snorted.
"Exactly! Laughing like kids—how embarrassing."
Before the words had even settled—
Zao Ying casually pulled out a piece of Jingjin rice puff candy from her pouch, snapped off a chunk, and handed it to Zheng Daniu.
"Daniu, try this. The Dao Xuan Tianzun rewarded me with it last time I earned merit. Food from the celestial realm."
Zheng Daniu popped it into his mouth.
His eyes went wide.
"Wow!"
"Hahahaha!"
"This is incredible! So good!"
He laughed thunderously—like a two-hundred-pound child who'd just discovered sugar.
Tie Niaofei stared.
Zao Ying smiled.
"Is it good? You like it? I still have more."
"More?!" Zheng Daniu's face lit up. "That's amazing!"
Zao Ying tilted her head.
"If you want more, take a walk with me after dinner tonight."
Zheng Daniu nodded so hard his helmet nearly fell off.
"No problem! A walk it is!"
Tie Niaofei closed his eyes.
Hopeless. Absolutely hopeless.
Ignore them. Just ignore them.
Still laughing and bickering, the trio led their men northward.
North—along the Yellow River.
The entire route was now paved with a proper road. They quickly reached the Yellow River Dragon Gate Bridge, crossed by boat near Jishan County, and continued north.
Several days later, they arrived at Pingyang Prefecture.
Wang Er and Bai Mao were stationed there.
They all sat down together for a meal.
Wang Er spoke gravely,
"Beyond Pingyang, we leave our sphere of influence. In lands untouched by the Dao Xuan Tianzun's blessing, act with caution. Stay on the main road. Go straight to Taiyuan."
Tie Niaofei nodded.
"We understand. By the way—it's already August. Any news from the Imperial Court?"
Bai Mao answered immediately,
"Yes. Just yesterday, the court gazette arrived. Kong Youde besieged Laizhou using every trick he had, but failed to take it. In early August, the imperial army counterattacked and encircled him."
He paused, then continued,
"Kong Youde couldn't hold out. He was defeated and retreated. Cornered, he now intends to surrender to the Later Jin."
Tie Niaofei clicked his tongue in awe.
"Impressive. Everything the Dao Xuan Tianzun predicted has come true."
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Looks like our trip north to Datong Prefecture is going to be lively."
"Hehehe. The blood debts those Jin merchants owe me… I can finally collect them openly."
Zao Ying clenched her fist, eyes shining.
"It's been a long time," she said quietly,
"since I stretched my muscles."