Chapter 173: The Old Prime Minister Leads the Team to the Internet Cafe (1/4)

The transportation between the major cities of the Great Jin State was, in fact, exceptionally convenient. After all, in a world where cultivators existed, there was naturally no shortage of massive flying spiritual artifacts.

Whether or not they could rival the speed of sword-riding was up for debate, but they were by no means slow!

Of course, the prerequisite was that you had to be rich—exceedingly rich.

These cross-regional spiritual vessels were intended for cultivators and martial artists, but who was to say that wealthy commoners couldn't board them?

Furthermore, as high-ranking civil officials, even though their benefits were generally far inferior to those of the military officers in this country, holding office at this level meant they could well afford the fare for a spiritual vessel.

If they were pressed for time, they could even afford the premium vessels.

Besides, it was no longer a question of affordability; the sole purpose of their scholarly pursuits had been to accumulate capital so that their descendants could be nurtured into martial artists or even cultivators.

Yet now, without even waiting for the next generation, they themselves had been granted such an opportunity?

No matter the cost, they simply had to go and see it for themselves!

After the court session adjourned.

The officials walked out of the Golden Throne Hall in small groups, with the largest crowd clustering around Chancellor Zhang.

"Chancellor Zhang! You mentioned that Jade Dynasty thing... we only need to take a single look at it, and we can..."

"Ah, ah, ah! Someone has already asked that question countless times! Even I can answer it for you. This Jade Dynasty is just like those legendary, miraculous treasures of heaven and earth—one glance is enough to enhance your cultivation. It really is that magical!" A middle-aged man with a square head and large ears replied casually, clearly growing a bit impatient from the repetition, before asking, "Let's change the question. Chancellor, do you mean to say... we can also learn the martial techniques and spells within it?"

"It is said that the late Emperor Wu once chanced upon a star-gazing chart in an ancient cave, and after contemplating it for a single night, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds! Could it be..." A flurry of hushed discussions broke out nearby, "that this Jade Dynasty is a similar treasure?"

"Of course you can learn them!" Chancellor Zhang ignored the surrounding chatter, addressing only the question raised by the square-headed official. "Otherwise, where do you think those techniques like sword-controlling and close-quarters combat at the national examinations came from?"

"They were all learned from Jade Dynasty?!" The eyes of everyone around them instantly lit up with envy!

Most people in this world only pursued scholarly paths because they lacked the innate talent, but that did not mean they were unwilling to acquire a skill to protect themselves.

"It is not just Jade Dynasty!" Chancellor Zhang said. "That shop has other games as well. However, speaking of those games, they are all about fighting and killing. This old man only picked one to try. The thing truly suited for us literati is still the television series!"

"True indeed! It is enough for us to just watch these things. If we were actually asked to go out there and fight and kill..." Several men laughed awkwardly; they were still far too inferior compared to those martial artists and cultivators.

"So, putting everything else aside," Chancellor Zhang concluded, "this television series is an absolute must-watch for this old man!"

"The old Chancellor is right. No matter how busy we are, we must find the time to watch the television series!"

...

Meanwhile, outside the internet cafe.

Song Qingfeng, Lin Shao, and the others were seen following closely behind a tall, valiant woman dressed in red leather armor: "We watched episodes five and six of Jade Dynasty yesterday, and they were truly spectacular, right, Young Master Lin!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Instructor Mu!" Lin Shao agreed loudly, "Not only were episodes five and six great, but the earlier ones were also exceptional. Highly recommended!"

"You just happened to be away these past two days when the boss was live-streaming, so you missed it," Xu Luo added. "But today is perfect! You can watch six episodes all at once!"

"Is it really that good?" Mu Hongzhu pondered. She had not even reached Act Three in Diablo yet, and she had also purchased Legend of Sword and Fairy, where she had only just started learning the sword-controlling technique. Now she was supposed to buy a television series too?

Then again, how was it that every single item in this shop was so excellent... It made choices so terribly difficult!

"Still..." Mu Hongzhu thought to himself, it would only take a single day to finish watching it anyway, and she could go back to playing the others tomorrow. Thus, she spoke up, "Then let us have a look."

...

Chancellor Zhang and his companions arrived in the afternoon, around two o'clock. An elderly man well over seventy years old could be seen organizing one group of middle-aged and elderly men after another into the internet cafe.

"Old Chancellor, so many people?!" Several of them peered inside.

"Nonsense, how could there not be many people?" someone chided.

"Do not worry, everyone!" Chancellor Zhang stroked his beard, gesturing for everyone to set their minds at ease. "This old man has calculated it. This hour happens to be the peak time for customers to log off in this shop. Go pay first, and then find a spot to queue behind a seat. If you cannot find one here, there are more upstairs and across the street. You will get a seat very soon."

"The old Chancellor is brilliant!"

"Have you all not dined yet?" Chancellor Zhang introduced further, "This shop offers Laotan Sauerkraut Instant Noodles. They are a bit pricey, but the flavor is exquisite, far more delicious than the delicacies at Yingten Pavilion. Even several of the princes love them dearly. If you are inclined, you can buy a bucket to try first."

"To think he knew we would be exhausted from our journey and even prepared food for us?!" Several officials exchanged glances. "It just so happens that we are famished. Let us go taste how delicious these instant noodles truly are!"

"Everyone! Let us go buy instant noodles!"

Soon, another strange, savory aroma of noodles drifted through the shop.

On this side, Dong Qingli had long finished her game. In order to follow the plot, she stood behind Fang Qi's computer once more, watching him grind for equipment and runes, complaining all the while: "Boss, are you not considering expanding this shop of yours? There are simply too many people!"

She was genuinely worried. Arriving early now still allowed her to play, but what if arriving early in the future meant she still couldn't get a seat?

She had heard that the biographical novel of Diablo carried a tale about a rotten apple, where people woke up in the dead of night just to line up. If things progressed to that stage, wouldn't she be deprived of sleep every single day?

The mere thought made her shudder slightly!

"Ah, you mean that..." Fang Qi said. "This shop is open for business. Naturally, as the crowd grows, the scale must expand. It will be ready tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Not only her, but even many of the players watching the game behind him were pleasantly surprised. Song Qingfeng asked, "Are we finally adding more computers tomorrow?"

"How many will be added?!" Dong Qingli was somewhat anxious. What if they still had to queue even after the addition?

"Boss, you haven't gone out to purchase any storefronts lately, have you?" Dong Qingli and Zhang Wanyu had been staying in the shop from morning till night these past few days, and she could not help but feel puzzled. "I haven't seen you step out to buy a shop either..."

"There is no need to worry about that! You will find out tomorrow." Fang Qi gave it some thought. Since the space was increasing fourfold, there ought to be three to four times the number of computers as well, otherwise the entire shop would look entirely too empty, wouldn't it?

Adding three to five hundred computers should put an end to the queuing.

"Find out tomorrow...?" Everyone was rather perplexed. "Could it be that some miraculous transformation is going to manifest inside this shop?"

At this moment, Mu Hongzhu walked up from behind, looking somewhat unsatisfied: "Qingfeng, how is it that Jade Dynasty just ends at episode six...? Where is the rest of it?"

"Uh... that... Instructor Mu, I have a class later, so I must take my leave first!"

Just as Song Qingfeng hurriedly made a slick exit, a figure walked in from the door.

"Boss! It is almost eight o'clock! We are live-streaming episodes five and six today, right?!" The newcomer was dressed in a white robe and a yellow tunic, handsome in appearance—it was none other than Xiao Yulv.

"The live-stream is two episodes each on Monday and Tuesday!"

"Then what about episodes five and six?!"

"Broadcast next week! Or get on a machine and watch it yourself!"

"Ah—!" Xiao Yulv felt as though he wanted nothing more than to die right then and there.