Hearing Zhou Xian’s verdict, the pair imdiately grew frantic.
"When did we ever act on our own? What kind of bullshit rule is this!" the man yelled, his neck flushing red.
"Yeah, right! Like you’re so perfect! You dare say everyone else’s hands are clean?" the woman cursed. "I saw soone picking fruit who snuck a couple for himself halfway through. I saw another person slacking off while everyone else was busy. You’re just targeting us!"
At these words, the expressions of many in the surrounding crowd of onlookers changed, and they began to chi in with accusations.
"Don’t just sling mud. People with dirty hearts see dirt everywhere."
"You think you’re justified for leaving the group on your own? If everyone acted like you, how could the team ever stay united?"
The crowd murmured, each person adding their own two cents.
Zhou Xian remained expressionless. He walked over and, amidst the man’s roars and the woman’s shrieks, pulled another two bags of mushrooms from each of their pockets.
"The evidence is irrefutable. What is there to argue about? Team 26 didn’t even gather mushrooms today."
"Who said you could touch ?! I’ll accuse you of rape!" the woman shrieked, suddenly collapsing to the ground and throwing a tantrum.
But all she received were the cold, indifferent stares of the crowd.
She thrashed on the ground for a long ti, but not a single person ca to "uphold justice" for her.
Her movents grew slower and slower, her desperation more and more apparent.
"Sister, help ," she pleaded, searching for an ally among the won in the crowd.
"Who’s your sister? Don’t be disgusting," the woman she’d called out to retorted, looking annoyed. "It’s bad apples like you who ruin the reputation of all won."
The couple left under the pointing fingers and judgntal stares of the crowd.
In reality, the consequences they faced went far beyond this.
In the current environnt, it was difficult for ordinary people to survive alone.
That was why so many people chose to band together, and the sa principle was behind joining the Qin Alliance.
Because the Qin Alliance was too large, it was divided into smaller squads for operations.
Normally, squad mbers were permanent.
Teams were typically ford based on the closeness of relationships and the proximity of living quarters.
In a situation like this, one’s reputation was exceptionally important.
If their reputation was ruined, not only would their original squad expel them, but other squads would also be unwilling to accept soone with a bad na.
The performance of one’s teammates could genuinely determine whether one’s entire family would go hungry the next day.
"Captain, I was wrong! We’re willing to accept the punishnt. We’ll hand all these mushrooms over to the team," the man finally realized the gravity of the situation and said hastily.
"You don’t know you were wrong; you just know you’re about to be punished," Zhou Xian said, shaking his head. "Since we have rules, we must enforce them."
Upon hearing this, the man’s body trembled, and his face turned ashen.
Watching the disgraced couple’s retreating figures, many of those present felt a chill in their hearts.
This incident served as a wake-up call for them all.
If you broke the rules, the Qin Alliance would truly punish you.
...
That evening, Qin Ziwen closed the portal.
He summoned Zhao Pu. "How is the resource collection going?"
Zhao Pu reported, "This ti, we harvested over 2,500 jin of fresh fruits and vegetables. We also felled many trees. The trees on the Island are generally not very large, mostly wind- and salt-resistant species like coconut palms, casuarina, and banyan trees. None of them are very good for shipbuilding."
"Mm," Qin Ziwen said, quite satisfied. As long as there was a harvest, it was good.
Qin Ziwen said, "As for the fruits and vegetables, distribute the harvest according to contribution. Keep the seeds and seedlings for planting."
"Yes, Alliance Leader."
"Right, there’s one more thing I need you to announce." Qin Ziwen then explained the effects of the new building, the Hundred Schools Book Tower.
Zhao Pu was a little surprised to hear this, but he adapted quickly.
After all, he had seen so many strange buildings that one more which could consolidate knowledge into books didn’t seem like an impossibly novel concept.
’I’m just curious,’ Zhao Pu thought, ’what level would my surgical skills reach?’
Ten minutes later, Zhao Pu stared at the book in his hands, "Interdiate Surgical Skill," his eyes flickering slightly.
’My skills... are actually at the level of Interdiate Surgical Skill?’
Zhao Pu smiled. ’I guess this is an affirmation of my twenty-year dical career.’
The next day, when news of the Hundred Schools Book Tower spread, the six-story tower instantly beca a popular hot spot within the Qin Alliance.
Many people had assud a certain skill of theirs would et the standard, only to find after trying it that most of the knowledge they possessed couldn’t be converted into a book.
"How is that possible? My marksmanship didn’t even reach the beginner level," Jiang Shan said with a complicated expression.
"You must have been slacking. I got lucky; my marksmanship condensed into a book! I guess this is the tower’s affirmation of my skill," Cao Biansheng said with a laugh, holding an azure-colored book in his hands.
Because so many people wanted to enter the tower, the entrance beca congested, and a long line ford.
From a distance, watching the lively scene, Jia Liangcai straightened his clothes and bowed deeply. "Congratulations, my Lord, on obtaining such a Marvel. This tower is profound. It can transform a person’s strengths into written tos and help readers master them, saving them a decade of arduous study. It is a divine tool for cultivating talent, the very foundation for establishing our power.
"If this continues, my Lord’s subordinates will surely be brimming with talent." After a brief pause, Jia Liangcai continued, "However, as marvelous as this divine tool is, it absolutely must not be treated as a public school, where anyone can co and go as they please. This servant humbly requests that we establish a system of ’reward by rit and exchange by talent.’"
"Go on," Qin Ziwen said.
"First, access to the tower should be exchanged for rit. Those who are loyal to you, my Lord, and have made contributions should be granted a certain amount of ti in the tower based on the scale of their achievents, allowing them to view tos of a corresponding level.
"Second, knowledge should be exchanged for books. If a talented individual is willing to condense their own skill into a new volu for the tower—be it a secret crafting technique, dical insights, or martial arts enlightennt—upon successfully creating a book, they shall be permitted to view one book of the sa level for free. This is what I call ’exchanging skill for skill, and wisdom for wisdom.’ In this way, the tower’s collection will grow richer by the day, and the hearts of the people will be completely won over to your side, my Lord."
"I think Old Jia is right," Qin Ziwu, standing nearby, voiced his agreent. "Big Brother, letting everyone use the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and the Martial Arts Arena was one thing. After all, we really needed to increase our combat strength back then.
"But this tower helps people learn things quickly. If the loyal and the disloyal get the sa treatnt, what do the loyal people get out of it? I think they should either have to trade rit for it or trade knowledge for it. We can’t just let them read for free. And I don’t think that’s too much to ask.
"They can go to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery and the Martial Arts Arena to train their skills. Once they’ve honed a skill to a certain level, they can use it to trade for knowledge of the sa level. Plus, this would also indirectly monitor their skill progression."
Qin Ziwen nodded. "Alright. Liangcai, you can announce this rule later. Register everyone who managed to create a book in the tower today. Hmm... since it’s the first day, everyone can look at the books for free today. The new rule will be officially implented starting tomorrow."
One day wasn’t enough ti to learn much anyway. While these books could accelerate the learning process, they weren’t as absurd as skill books in a ga, where you just slap your hands together and, DING, you’ve instantly learned it.
Letting them experience the allure of the tower would only give them more motivation.
As for whether the books might be stolen, there was no need to worry. The books in the tower could only be read inside it. The mont they were taken outside the range of the Hundred Schools Book Tower, they would automatically disappear and return to their shelves.
...
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