Chapter 612

Chapter 612: Spring Drowsiness, Autumn Fatigue

It was the start of another new day.

Having just woken up, Luo Ji felt fairly refreshed.

But with autumn setting in, the symptoms of “spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue” had become especially pronounced.

Once noon passed, he would grow overwhelmingly sleepy, so he now concentrated most of his work in the mornings.

After lunch, he deliberately set aside two hours for a midday nap.

Turning the nearly transparent glass cup in his hand, Luo Ji nodded in satisfaction.

Once glass-smelting technology was fully mastered, inexpensive glassware would be extremely cost-effective.

Even better, it could be applied across many industries.

In a short time, it would be able to claim a sizable portion of the market.

Of course, that wasn’t the real focus.

What truly mattered was Luo Ji’s next major project.

He planned to build a simplified glass greenhouse.

With that in place, he could grow vegetables and fruits all year round, significantly boosting food production.

He had been thinking about this project for a long time.

During that period, he had called Gawain, the head of the Agriculture Department, and several goblin engineers with specialized expertise to discuss it together.

The blueprints had already been drawn—everything was ready, except for glass that met his requirements.

Now that the glass was finally available, construction could begin immediately.

As soon as the decree was issued, the craftsmen—who had long been preparing for this—set to work without delay.

At the side of the Hall of Political Affairs, Lu Yang briskly presented another report.

“Your Majesty, a report just arrived from Azure Water Lake City. The construction project there should be completed before winter.”

Luo Ji’s eyes lit up.

This was undeniably good news.

After the monument had been erected in every city, he had redirected all available manpower to Azure Water Lake City.

The influx of labor had greatly accelerated construction progress.

Finishing before winter was the best possible outcome.

Today could truly be described as a double blessing, lifting Luo Ji’s spirits noticeably.

Riding that momentum, he quickly opened another report in his hands.

“Oh, right. Lu Yang, how is the construction of the academies progressing?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the academies in the major cities have already been expanded. As for the smaller cities, they’ll need a bit more time.”

Luo Ji nodded, then added a reminder.

“Don’t neglect book printing. Once the books are ready, send them directly to the academies.”

In recent years, cultural education within the Myriad Worlds Civilization had progressed remarkably well.

Taking advantage of this, Luo Ji had ordered expansions to the academies in every city so they could enroll more students at once.

At the same time, the curriculum had been upgraded.

In the early days, academies only taught basic literacy.

Now, they also covered general knowledge, along with various professional disciplines.

Luo Ji had deliberately avoided the cram-style education of modern society.

Instead, he clearly divided learning into specialized fields.

You didn’t need to know a little bit of everything—that was useless.

For example, if you studied architecture, then after learning basic general knowledge, you focused properly on architectural studies.

Anything irrelevant to construction didn’t need to be learned.

Even so, mastering a profession still required a great deal of time.

Taking this into account, Luo Ji divided each profession into three stages: beginner, intermediate, and advanced.

Using architecture again as an example, there were beginner architecture, intermediate architecture, and advanced architecture tracks.

Naturally, each level came with corresponding certifications.

A student could choose to enter the workforce after completing beginner-level studies and accumulate practical experience, or continue studying at the intermediate level.

This made time management more flexible and learning far more efficient.

As for the textbooks, Luo Ji had personally made several offline trips, hauling the knowledge over using nothing but his own brainpower.

He even had to filter out which content was actually useful.

It had exhausted him thoroughly.

Meanwhile, far to the north…

In the bitterly cold lands where icy winds howled, autumn had barely begun, yet temperatures on the frozen tundra had already dropped to more than ten degrees below zero.

The members of the scouting team Luo Ji had dispatched were now holding their breath, hiding beneath a massive hill.

Heavy footsteps echoed from outside.

Harold, his thick red beard tangled like a bird’s nest of straw, cautiously peeked out.

He saw a hulking creature over two meters tall, its entire body covered in long shaggy fur, wandering about outside.

In its hands was a yellowed bone club.

From time to time, it sniffed with its ugly pig-like nose, as though searching for something.

The tusks jutting from either side of its mouth were long and sharp, giving it a fearsome appearance.

According to both Hill and Harold, the creature looked somewhat like the long-haired boars of the frozen north.

But on their honor, long-haired boars didn’t walk on two legs, nor were they anywhere near this big.

Still, the creature did share several similarities with those boars.

It was ferocious, ill-tempered, and—most dangerously—it moved in groups.

If one showed up here, it meant others were nearby.

Once their position was exposed, or if they engaged the creature in combat, they could attract an entire swarm in the blink of an eye.

They had already paid dearly for this mistake once before—several dead, more than a dozen injured.

From then on, they no longer dared to engage these monsters lightly.

Yet, as if fate were mocking them, the creature suddenly lifted its nose and began moving in their direction.

Harold’s heart tightened.

Gripping the handle of his axe, he swiftly gestured to Hill and the others behind him, signaling that the monster was approaching.

A heavy mood settled over the group, but each of them was mentally prepared to fight at any moment.

The frozen north truly was a place that forged people.

The scouting team members had changed drastically.

When they first arrived, they had been shivering wrecks, barely better than cannon fodder.

Now, they had learned how to fight—and how to endure.

Taking a deep breath, Harold clenched his teeth and began climbing the steep rock face of the massive hill behind them.

This action startled Hill for a moment.

Then understanding flashed in her eyes.

Who would have thought that Harold, that muscle-brained brute, could actually be so flexible in battle?