Golden Dragon: Six Thousand Years of Empire

"Three million is not entirely impossible."

Though uncertain, Alexander dared to speak up. If he were to be completely honest, why would he even need the money,

"But I cannot wait until the cost drops to three million to form the Knight Order, by then, it would be too late."

"Paying the price of three million to gain an invincible Golden Dragon Knight is indeed worth considering, but I have a doubt. As far as I know, all the technologies to create such knights come from the esteemed Holy Dragon Emperor. I want to know, if we continue to invest in research and development, how much can we grasp on our own?"

"I don't know."

Alexander stood tall, his expression calm, eyes clear and bright,

"I cannot answer this question now, but I do know that if we do not invest now, once my Holy Dragon Ancestor perfects the related technologies, we won't get a single scrap."

"How could that be? Your Majesty, aren't you being too pessimistic? No matter the relationship between our Augustus family and the Holy Dragon Emperor, or your relationship with the Holy Dragon Emperor, how could we not obtain the technology?"

Most of the elders in Augustus's family thought that this New King was merely fear-mongering and didn't take it seriously.

"I'm not talking about now, but the future."

Seeing the manner of these family elders, although some fell into contemplation because of his words, most were unconcerned,

"In the current Augustus family, aside from me, who among you can directly seek an audience with my Holy Dragon Uncle without any notice?"

"..."

The royal conference room fell into silence, utterly still.

"The Augustus family indeed has inseparable ties with the Holy Dragon, but the closest to the Holy Dragon are my great-grandfather, my grandfather, my father, and me, not you."

Alexander's gaze swept across the room, breaking the silence. The questions he posed were like the sharpest blade in the world, piercing the heart,

"If I were to leave, who in the entire family could say a word to my uncle, and what right do you have to ask him for such crucial technology?"

"Your Majesty, this involves another issue. Our Augustus family is gradually drifting apart from the increasingly powerful Holy Dragon."

"This is one of the issues in the relationship between longevity species and short-lived species. Even if the longevity species are willing to care for the offspring of short-lived species, once the bloodline is passed down through generations, they naturally become distant."

"Let alone different races, ask yourselves. Some among you have already become grandfathers or even great-grandfathers. Do you feel joy when you see your youngest descendant? Do you feel the excitement you had when you saw your first child born?"

"The crux of this issue, I believe, lies in proximity. Your Majesty should seek opportunities or excuses to send your offspring to the Holy Dragon, asking the Holy Dragon to take care of them. As long as they spend enough time together, feelings will naturally develop."

"The uncle is nearly two hundred years old now. Do you think he has the patience to care for human infants? Even if you send them over, it would be those fairies taking care of them, which would be useless."

Alexander questioned with a hint of sarcasm.

This was his personal experience. He grew up under the watchful eye of the Holy Dragon, but during his growing years, he could count the number of times he saw that uncle on one hand.

His relationship with that uncle became closer after he underwent the True Blood Test and successfully inherited the True Blood.

At that moment, his relationship with his Holy Dragon Uncle was truly solidified. As for his younger brother and sister who grew up with him, the uncle only slightly paid attention to Theodore, and if not for Alexander's initiative, the uncle wouldn't have cared about his sister.

The kindness from ancestors was already extremely thin by the time it reached his generation, and by the next generation, it would be almost nonexistent.

This was also why Alexander felt disappointed when his offspring were born because they didn't inherit much Dragon Blood.

He didn't even know what reason to give to have that Holy Dragon Uncle continue to care for his descendants. Saying that he should send them over to be taken care of by the Holy Dragon was truly absurd.

As times changed, the Holy Dragon who once took care of the children was merely a young fledgling Golden Dragon. But now, the Holy Dragon is the Golden Sun overlooking the vast mountains and seas,

Expecting such an existence to take care of the children as a nanny? What are they thinking? Do they think they're that important?

"Ah, so this is Your Majesty's intention?"

Some elders showed a sudden realization at this moment.

"I support Your Majesty's military reformation."

"I also support it, but I request it to be gradual, not too intense."

"That's right, tax surpluses each year can be allocated to this project."

The Augustus family quickly reached a consensus on this matter, agreeing to Alexander's plan, but not too extensively.

...

"Your Highness Noah, the number of Goblin Engineers is really too small. I suggest that the education system in Goblin City undergo a comprehensive reform. All goblins should receive education, and they should no longer engage in any industry related to war. They should be fully devoted to manufacturing and research and development."

The Vice King of Atlas Kingdom, Sifreya, faced the Holy Dragon, solemnly proposing the suggestion.

"It's a good suggestion, but it is not comprehensive enough."

Noah nodded in acknowledgment upon hearing the suggestion from this fairy favored below, while also expressing his opinion,

"It's not just the goblin's education system that needs reform, but my territory also requires an educational overhaul.

Mechanical Engineering is knowledge, not a cultivation method limited by racial bloodlines. It is not something only goblins can learn; all wisdom species can delve into it."

In the process of governing his territory, although Noah gave much favor to the lower-class civilians, not restricting them from acquiring knowledge, even proactively distributing knowledge as well as the Breathing Technique and Meditation Method to them, learning was not for pleasure, but a task that greatly tested one's will and economic condition.

Thus over the years, although Noah's territory grew increasingly prosperous, a majority of the lower-class civilians remained illiterate. Among them, only a few who recognized the value of knowledge actively sought it out, and these individuals often achieved notable success, changing their own class.

However, Noah was no longer satisfied with this. Relying on the initiative of the lower class could not cultivate enough technical talent. He decided to implement compulsory education and promote literacy campaigns across the territory.

Previously, Noah had not implemented such systems and policies due to insufficient productivity. Learning required stepping away from labor. Only when the wisdom species freed their hands, shed the shackles of the land, and were not constantly struggling for sustenance, would they have the opportunity to use their brains.

Now, the Holy Dragon Land already possesses such economic conditions. The income from the labor of one robust adult male is enough to support a family of four and even have some surplus, facilitating off-duty learning.

More importantly, Noah now has a very strong demand. The Magic-guided Kinetic Armor, which is needed by the battle group to significantly enhance combat and battlefield survivability, has been researched and produced. Although there are still many flaws, these can all be gradually improved.

What truly rendered Noah intolerable was the production rate of the Magic Armor. It was supposed to equip the legion, yet its production rate was so low that it took twenty days to produce a single suit. This was even with the most skilled craftsmen, engineers, and enchanters all in place; otherwise, it could take even longer.

At this efficiency, when would they be able to gather enough equipment for an entire battle group?

Therefore, Noah resolved to carry out a full-scaled literacy campaign, implementing twelve years of compulsory education. Regardless of whether they liked it or not, as long as individuals with talent were found, they would be force-fed the knowledge.

Of course, those who truly have talent do not need to receive knowledge in such an unsophisticated manner.