Faced with Zhang Fei's question, Liu Bei pondered for a long time before finally answering in a vague yet solemn tone.
"Imperial secret."
After habitually tapping the like button, a new line of text slowly appeared on the light screen.
[Lightscreen]
[The next video will be released in three months.]
The interval had changed, but no one found it strange. Something like the light screen was never under their control.
The next day, Huang Zhong brought forward the prepared gift.
Jiang Wan craned his neck to take a look. It was a clay figurine of an unfamiliar black-and-white beast, with a round body and an oddly endearing appearance.
Huang Zhong placed it directly beneath the spot where the screen usually appeared, then set a note of greeting beside it. Liu Bei cupped his hands as usual.
"Liu Xuande of the Han offers his thanks for the care of later generations."
The light screen unfolded once more. With a flash, the clay figurine vanished.
Zhuge Liang explained to Huang Yueying and Jiang Wan, "After receiving the offering, the light screen should send a response shortly."
Both nodded in understanding.
Liu Bei picked up the drawings they had copied and examined them carefully.
"What exactly is this promotion the descendants speak of?"
Mi Zhu, who had been studying the drawings for some time, spoke up.
"It seems commerce flourishes in the future. Merchants use the light screen to announce and sell their wares. As for those discounts, I would not trust them. It is a standard merchant's trick to inflate a price before pretending to reduce it!"
Everyone concluded that this was simply a method of promotion.
"I wonder whether we could purchase such things," Liu Bei said longingly.
Zhuge Liang had already estimated the value of future currency against their own. Compared with the wealth of the present age, those goods were extraordinarily cheap.
"Certainly not." Zhuge Liang shook his head, mercilessly crushing the thought. "Even when offering gifts, we are forbidden from asking questions. Trade is even more impossible."
Huang Yueying's eyes remained fixed on the three sketches.
They depicted a forged-steel Han sword, a building-block Eight-Ox Ballista, and a replica of the Tiangong Kaiwu.
Kongming shared his thoughts.
"Forged steel likely refers to a method of refining fine iron. Ancient texts mention pouring and folding metal repeatedly, which may explain the name. The descendants seem to use the word steel for refined iron. The Liezi says that refined steel with a red blade can cut jade as easily as mud."
Huang Yueying added, "The blower mentioned there likely refers to the water-powered bellows constructed by Administrator Du of Nanyang."
She had begun to notice that although terminology changed with the passage of time, the descriptions were usually straightforward enough to interpret.
"But this small blast furnace..." She hesitated. "Does it mean a taller furnace?"
"Perhaps increasing the furnace's height produces unexpected results. We can test it later," Zhuge Liang said with interest. "More importantly, this ballista's design is ingenious. If mounted on city walls, it would be an unmatched weapon."
Huang Yueying disagreed.
"Judging from its structure, this ballista surpasses the repeating crossbow. Its mechanical power is built into the design itself. Why not mount it on a carriage for field use? It could break enemy formations as easily as it could be used in a siege."
"What my wife says is reasonable."
Zhuge Liang's gaze shifted toward the book.
"As for this Tiangong Kaiwu, I do not know its author, yet I long to see the original. These few pages on rice cultivation alone are already clear and thorough."
Huang Yueying nodded in admiration.
"The name itself is grand. The works of man rival the works of Heaven. The person who wrote this must have been a great sage."
The others were completely lost.
'What were they even talking about?'
Zhang Fei politely cupped his hands toward Jiang Wan.
"Gongyan, do you know what these Germanic barbarians and this Rome are?"
Jiang Wan looked flustered, but tried his best to answer.
"Since the text says that the Scourge of God campaigned westward, these places must lie somewhere beyond our Western Regions. The Book of Han records thirty-six states in the Western Regions, but among those powerful enough to be plausible candidates..."
He hesitated.
"Perhaps Persia or Da Shi. Rome may be another name for one of them, or perhaps it lies even farther west."
"As for the Germanic barbarians, they may be enemies of Rome rather than its subjects. Still, if they were defeated by such a ruler, no wonder later generations mocked them."
As he spoke, Jiang Wan glanced at the string of outrageous titles and felt nothing but disgust.
Compared with this, even Emperor Ling of Han seems worthy of praise.
If such a man were my lord, the thought alone is terrifying.
Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Huang Zhong, however, reacted very differently.
Campaigning against such distant lands...
How many times would that qualify a person for the Martial Temple?
Mi Zhu carefully studied the methods of promotion, already considering how they might be imitated.
As for Liu Bei, he had been staring at the spot where the light screen had appeared, lost in thought.
Zhang Fei, having finished imagining himself ranked among the Martial Temple's honored generals, walked over curiously.
"Big Brother, what are you thinking?"
"Ah, Yide."
Liu Bei snapped back to reality.
"I was thinking... if the merchants of later ages could sell me their goods, restoring the Han would not be difficult at all."
"Buy the high-speed rail first?" Zhang Fei asked.
"Yeah, buy the high-speed rail first," Liu Bei said firmly.
Zhang Fei shook his head.
'This is bad. My Big Brother has lost his senses.'
At that moment, the light screen lit up again, breaking Liu Bei out of his fixation.
Jiang Wan immediately understood.
The response had arrived.
The first image displayed was the clay figurine, reproduced on the light screen with astonishing precision.
Jiang Wan's eyes widened at the craftsmanship.
Mi Zhu looked at him with mild disdain.
"Gongyan, the workings of the light screen are beyond comprehension. This is merely a trivial display."
Privately, he thought: if you saw those moving territories and the feats of strength shown by peak warriors, your eyes might fall out just like our lord's.
[Lightscreen]
[Thank you so much for the panda clay figurine! It is incredibly cute!!!!
And the texture feels slightly matte to the touch, which is amazing! If it were porcelain, it probably would not have this effect. I will definitely put more effort into the next video! Much love!]
Liu Bei let out a breath of relief, glad that the gift had been appreciated.
The affection shown earlier toward the strange white bear had practically overflowed from the light screen. After discussing the matter with Zhuge Liang, Liu Bei had commissioned artisans to create this figurine.
Sincerity was above all else.
As long as the gift was appreciated, that was enough.
It had absolutely nothing to do with his reluctance to part with gold.
Lowering his gaze, Liu Bei saw the comments.
[Server Chat Log]
[Merchant_Simp: So thoughtful! I want one too! Does the Boss have an online shop?
Texture_Snob: Pottery really suits this better than porcelain. That matte texture must feel great to touch.
Eco_Warrior: It is a treasure of China! But speaking of pottery, it reminds me that soil erosion during the Han Dynasty was pretty severe.
Tech_Tree_Analyst: Yeah, my teacher said the Han had not unlocked the coal technology tree yet. Smelting, pottery, and heating all used charcoal. Too many trees were cut down!
Professional_Hater: The Han Dynasty is guilty! They cut down so many trees that the Tang and Song had nothing left to burn and were forced to research coal.
Logic_Guitarist: You cannot really blame them. Coal has a high entry barrier, and the Han technology level truly was not there yet.]
Liu Bei's face fell as he read. What do you mean guilty? What do you mean severe soil erosion?
AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE TECHNOLOGY LEVEL WAS NOT THERE?!