Chapter 549
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Chapter 549: A Grand Project
Huo Qiguang’s swift promotion to the Black Iron tier caught Luo Ji a bit by surprise.
It further proved that rank alone wasn’t the absolute measure of a player’s strength.
Many players developed silently, keeping a low profile.
Rank was merely for reference.
Take Huo Qiguang, for example; he ranked outside the top 200, yet Luo Ji almost suffered a crushing defeat when he invaded him.
After clearly sensing that Huo Qiguang was a capable player, Luo Ji was persuaded to sign a ‘War Alliance’ treaty with him.
Now that Huo Qiguang had advanced to the Black Iron tier, it further confirmed his substantial underlying power.
If they truly clashed, he would undoubtedly be a formidable opponent.
Huo Qiguang’s current action was simply to notify his allies, preparing them for the future.
Amidst his reflections, his own civilization still needed to continue its development.
Honestly, among the current reports, another problematic issue was bothering him.
Simply put, some cities within his territory faced difficulties in obtaining fresh water.
Upon reflection, Luo Ji’s Myriad World Civilization actually had relatively limited fresh water resources, only three locations: the Mirror Lake within the imperial city, Mirror City; the “Pine River” connecting cities like Songhe City and Songshan City; and the Blackwater River next to Blackwater Town.
Initially, these fresh water resources were sufficient.
However, as Luo Ji’s civilization grew in population and expanded its territory, the issue of limited fresh water causing inconvenience for residents in some cities gradually became more pronounced.
Always preparing for potential dangers, the report in his hand sparked a sense of urgency in Luo Ji.
He currently had no way to conjure a river or a freshwater lake out of thin air.
Given this, to ensure every city had access to ample fresh water, the only solution Luo Ji could think of was to dig canals to divert water and undertake hydraulic engineering projects.
This would undoubtedly be a grand project.
Just identifying and planning the water diversion routes would likely be a considerable undertaking.
The scale would probably be no less than the construction of Azure Lake Water City, and the construction period would likely be quite long.
To start, they needed to begin as soon as possible.
Considering the specialized knowledge required, Luo Ji naturally needed to pause time in the game and go offline for some intensive study.
He had forgotten the last time he went offline.
Standing in his dusty room, Luo Ji pushed open the window to air it out.
At the same time, he started his old computer.
10 minutes later…
Damn! His old computer was completely dead.
It wouldn’t even turn on!
In the past, Luo Ji might have felt inclined to fix it himself.
But now, he clearly had no interest.
He went directly to the city library’s e-reading room to look up information and relevant books.
After spending a few days intensively studying hydraulic engineering, Luo Ji returned to his Myriad World Civilization.
Time in Myriad World Civilization resumed the moment he returned.
Seated on the main chair, Luo Ji promptly dispatched people to summon He Shu, the Director of the Architectural Engineering Department, and Zhang Ze, the Chief Engineer of the goblin civilization.
Once everyone had arrived, Luo Ji briefly explained the situation to them.
Both He Shu and Zhang Ze looked as if they didn’t know what to say.
Digging canals to divert water?
Undertaking hydraulic engineering projects?
They had truly never heard or seen such things before!
Gawain’s goblin civilization previously had only a few cities in total.
With the Blackwater River as a water source, it was more or less sufficient.
Unlike Luo Ji’s Myriad World Civilization, which had, without exaggeration, grown into a behemoth.
As such, the scale of this hydraulic engineering project was naturally immense.
“In any case, let’s first formulate a plan…”
As he spoke, Luo Ji poured out all the knowledge he had crammed offline.
He Shu and Zhang Ze listened, wide-eyed and bewildered.
They didn’t quite grasp everything, but both felt that their Emperor’s words made a lot of sense!
Regardless, the Blackwater River was too far, and Mirror Lake was an internal lake within the city.
Therefore, Luo Ji temporarily set aside these two fresh water resources.
His attention was fully focused on the Pine River.
The immediate priority was to confirm the route for digging the river channels.
Spreading out a map, Luo Ji picked up a charcoal pencil, and while speaking, began drawing on the map.
“The specific route still needs to be thoroughly finalized after on-site surveys, but I already have a general idea for the route.”
“Dig the river channel this way, passing through the beastmen tribe’s city, via Giantwood City and West Plains City, and then extending all the way to Gaoling City.”
“In addition, we also need to dig a reservoir at each of these locations, which can be understood as artificial lakes.”
As he spoke, Luo Ji quickly circled several areas on the map.
These were clearly the locations where he planned to dig artificial lakes.
“This way, in addition to the water diverted from the Pine River, during rainy seasons, we can also accumulate water to some extent.”
Luo Ji’s brilliant ideas left both He Shu and Zhang Ze amazed, stirring up huge waves in their hearts.
Before this, no one would have suddenly thought of digging river channels or even artificial lakes for water storage outside those cities.
Heaven knew how much manpower, materials, and time this would consume?
This project was simply too massive for ordinary people to even imagine!
And while they marveled at Luo Ji’s innovative ideas, Luo Ji’s planning and arrangements continued.
“Of course, considering the varying terrain elevations, there will certainly be situations where river water cannot be easily diverted. That’s why I’ve prepared this!”
As he spoke, Luo Ji placed a stack of blueprints on the table.
“Your Majesty, what is this?”
Both He Shu and Zhang Ze’s faces showed a hint of contemplation as they looked at the strangely shaped building on the blueprint.
“A waterwheel!”
Luo Ji’s lips curved slightly.
“This device is called a waterwheel, and it can help divert water. So, while you confirm the routes and dig the river channels, I’ll instruct the civil department’s artisans to mass-produce these, in case of need.”
Undoubtedly, this blueprint was a Silver-tier blueprint that Luo Ji had instantly bought for several hundred thousand civilization points at the auction house.
Originally, he had planned to draw the blueprint himself, as he had researched waterwheel information when he was offline.
However, on second thought, the system’s blueprints were more effective.
Moreover, waterwheels could be used for a very long time.
Spending a few hundred thousand to instantly acquire one was entirely worth it.
This time, his preparations could be said to be exceptionally thorough.
After taking out all his prepared plans and blueprints, Luo Ji suddenly looked seriously at He Shu and Zhang Ze standing there.
“Currently, my Myriad World Civilization’s manpower is limited. While undertaking this hydraulic engineering project, other projects cannot fall behind. And this project is a truly massive one; it’s difficult to complete alone.”
“Therefore, this time, I hope both of you can set aside your preconceptions and cooperate fully to complete this project in the shortest possible time.”
Hearing this, He Shu and Zhang Ze, standing there, instinctively exchanged glances.
Then they both shouted in unison.
“We humbly obey Your Majesty’s command!”
