Ma Xiaoda’s look of absolute determination terrified me. Finding three wives was one thing, but Zhou Ni’s escape pod had sunk to the bottom of the sea, leaving no trace to search for now. Yun Yao’s pod had caught fire from the inside—thankfully, she’d escaped in time to avoid the explosion. My own ship had suffered a fractured main drive shaft.

Our only hope now was to repair this escape pod and use it to fly swiftly across the Twin Star Continent. With it, we should be able to quickly locate the other five women and then hurry back to Earth. I had pinned all my infinite hopes on that craft, and this fellow was suggesting melting it down! Even if he couldn’t melt it, causing some kind of sabotage would be a huge headache.

Therefore, I had to immediately dissuade him from this notion. I said, “Ma Xiaoda, that idea of yours is utterly terrible.” Ma Xiaoda looked bewildered. “What’s so bad about it? If this plan succeeds, I’ll be forging an invincible army for the Twin City Nation!

Think about it: once the precious blade is drawn, no one can stop us—we’ll dominate the world!” I pulled out my laser gun and gestured with it. “Bah! You dominate for me to see? If I don’t break your wings and turn you into a ground crawler, I’ll have failed you.” Linglong covered her mouth and giggled as she listened from the side.

Ma Xiaoda’s face changed when he saw my laser gun. He exclaimed, “Oh my! Look at my foolish brain; I completely forgot about this treasure. Forget forging a precious sword!

What if, just as you said, I burn countless coals and still can’t melt it? Wouldn't that be wasted effort? It would be much better to forge tens of thousands of guns like this one. Then, whenever people see bandits, they can just shoot from afar, and even if they have iron skin and bones, they’ll be utterly shredded!” I replied, “It’s a pity I only have a few of these weapons right now.

If you want to equip an army of tens of thousands, you must wait until I repair the escape pod. Then I can take that pod back to my hometown. My hometown has plenty of these things. I can transport tens of thousands over for you then; you can equip whatever size army you desire.” Ma Xiaoda jumped up with delight.

“Really! Then hurry up! Repair it quickly! Can you go back to your hometown for them tomorrow?

Ah ha! This time, no one will say I’m idle and useless all day, no one will dare say I’m delaying state affairs! This time, I absolutely must accomplish something earth-shattering to show them.” As Ma Xiaoda spoke, he pulled me toward the county yamen. I said, “What’s the rush?

Didn’t you come down to look that day too? Some cables were burned out. I need to return to the mountain to retrieve some tools my master left me before I can fix it.” Ma Xiaoda, who had been holding the flashlight for me, had seen the damage then. He helplessly sat back down.

“How long will that take? Oh, right, Zhao Qian, where is your hometown? Why do only you have these things? Can’t they be manufactured here?” I said, “My hometown is very far from here; you might not have even heard of it if I told you.

Your industrial foundation here is too backward. Even if I knew the process for manufacturing laser guns, I couldn’t produce them. So, you must wait until I fix the escape pod.” Ma Xiaoda could only reluctantly accept the situation for the time being. After all, he was still a child, and he soon grew excited again.

“Zhao Qian, how do you know so much about the escape pod? I envy you so much! Teach me! Besides, you’re going to ride in it—how does it move?

Does it roll?” I couldn't help but laugh. “I learned all this knowledge from an ancient book left by my master. The escape pod certainly doesn’t roll; it flies, just like a bird soaring in the sky.” Linglong chimed in smugly from the side, “Master, you promised my father you would take him up to fly in the sky. You must not break your word, okay?” I said, “No problem.

Once the escape pod is repaired, I’ll take you all for a few spins.” Ma Xiaoda urgently added, “Count me in!” Linglong shooed him away. “Go on, go on, go on! You’re not part of our circle. Go stay where it’s cool.” Ma Xiaoda grinned at me, calling out, “Big Brother Zhao,” then turned back with a charming smile toward Cheng Susu, Yun Yao, and the other women.

“Fairy Elder Sister, Fairy Second Sister, and Third Sister, we’re all one family now, right? If you’re really going to fly in the sky, how can you leave your little brother behind?” Yun Yao and Cheng Susu laughed. “We’ll certainly take you, but we still have many important tasks to handle. You go home and wait first.

Tell us the specifics, and when we finish repairing the escape pod, we’ll come find you.” Ma Xiaoda’s eyes darted around. “That day, I pretended to be Zhao Qian’s assistant to see the Divine Egg, and I seemed to hear that he was taking the escape pod to Shuangcheng. I’m from Shuangcheng. Let’s travel together.

First, it will be livelier with more people. Second, once the pod is fixed, I can get a ride then.” Linglong countered, “We are going to Shuangcheng for a very important matter. Bringing you along would be a burden. It’s better if we travel separately.” “Don’t say that,” Ma Xiaoda pleaded.

“How am I a burden? I can do anything you can do! I promise not to cause trouble for you, is that not enough?” Linglong scoffed, “What can you do? Can you draw a bow and shoot arrows?

Can you ride a horse and fight a battle? Do you have the strength to lift Brother Mighty Pill’s club? Or can you help the Master cut someone open to deliver a baby?” Ma Xiaoda looked dejected. “I can’t do any of those things.

After you put it that way, I really am useless.” I couldn’t bear to see Ma Xiaoda so dispirited, so I asked him, “Ma Xiaoda, since you are from Shuangcheng, tell us about the situation there. This way, we can prepare ourselves mentally before entering the city.” Ma Xiaoda brightened up immediately. “That’s great! I know far more about that than any of you.

Shuangcheng, as the name implies, means two cities. Actually, in the very beginning, there was only one city beneath Mount Taibai. But after thousands of years of development, this city grew around Mount Taibai, covering almost half its circumference. Later, an emperor arose in the Twin City Nation.

This emperor was extremely extravagant. He felt the old, dilapidated city no longer met his needs for living, so he initiated massive construction on the other side of Mount Taibai, beginning a new city. After nearly twenty years of effort, another new city stood on the opposite side of Mount Taibai. The new city was located to the west of the old city, so the old city became known as West City, and the new one became East City.

These two massive cities were not originally connected, but the emperors who followed the first one constantly improved and repaired them, finally building an aerial passageway connecting the two great cities side by side. Thus, the name Shuangcheng came about. Centuries later, hardly anyone remembered the original city names, only knowing Shuangcheng, which was the capital of the Twin City Nation.” I asked Ma Xiaoda, “I noticed the official structures for the county and prefecture levels seem rather simple. What is the centralization of power like in the Twin City Nation?

Oh, I forgot; you’re just a child, you might not understand these matters.” Ma Xiaoda replied, “We are citizens of Shuangcheng, so we understand a bit. The Twin City Nation has been ruled by the same line of emperors for over a thousand years. The emperor's position is hereditary, passed from father to son, then to grandson. If you are lucky enough to be born into the imperial family, you might very well be the next emperor.

Besides the Emperor, who is number one, the court has the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry of War controls all military power in the realm and the regional Military Administration Offices. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for all criminal law and the management, assessment, and promotion of officials; the Judicial Bureaus of all prefectures are also under its command. The Ministry of Works manages construction, water conservancy, agriculture, commerce, and manufacturing; the prefectural Bureaus of Industry and Agriculture are also its subordinates.

The Ministry of Rites oversees state ceremonies, is responsible for education and examinations, and handles the rewarding of meritorious officials. The Ministry of Revenue manages the income and expenditures of all regions, serving as the nation’s treasury. Each of the Five Ministries has one Minister, who reports directly to the Emperor. Below the Minister are two Vice-Ministers, one left and one right, and several Directors and Chief Officials.” I recalled the Ming Dynasty history of the Great Dragon Nation for a moment; it was indeed somewhat similar to this Twin City Nation, except they merged the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice into the Ministry of Justice.

Ma Xiaoda continued, “There are also the Palace of the Gentleman Attendant, the Imperial Medical Academy, and the Hanlin Academy, but these institutions are insignificant compared to the Five Ministries. Additionally, there are two Prime Ministers, one Left and one Right. Although the Prime Ministers are said to oversee the Five Ministries, their actual power is not great. The Ministers of the Five Ministries still take orders directly from the Emperor.

However, the Prime Ministers can impeach the merits of the five Ministers, which serves as a form of mutual restraint, I suppose.” I asked Ma Xiaoda, “Since you reside in the capital, tell me, is the Twin City Nation wealthy or poor? Is the court truly penniless, unable to assist the garrison of Feiyu County? It seems the officials at all levels have plenty of money on hand.” Ma Xiaoda replied, “Zhao Qian, you don’t know. Originally, all prefectures collected the taxes from their subordinate counties and submitted them to the central court.

However, the previous emperor went all-in on a system of enfeoffment. As a result, the Twin City Nation’s already limited land was entirely parceled out as fiefdoms. This enfeoffed land could no longer be taxed. Over time, those prefectures and counties submitted very little tax, and eventually, they stopped paying altogether.

Consequently, the national treasury grew increasingly empty, unable to cover expenses, let alone fund national defense construction. But while the nation is poor, the officials are rich! Especially these local officials—the fact that they don't pay taxes to the court doesn't mean they don't collect from the common people! You understand the implication, don't you?

So, the officials are all wealthy, but the central court is very poor, so poor that sometimes they don't dare light extra candles at night. It’s pitiful.” I said, “Truly pitiful. The person who established this system of granting land without tax collection deserves to be executed. They should take back all the granted lands.” Bai Shi became agitated and lunged to fight me, but Ma Xiaoda kicked him away.

“That’s the logic, but what has been given out cannot be taken back, like spilled water. Moreover, there are too many conservatives in the court like the one I just kicked out—they only know ancestral instructions and decrees and completely fail to see that the current era demands change or face demise. If this continues, the Ten Thousand Horse Nation will eventually devour the Twin City Nation. Even if the bandits of the Ten Thousand Horse Nation don't consume the Twin City Nation, the Jin Nation is already eyeing it covetously.

The nation is in peril, truly in peril!” I said to Ma Xiaoda, “You worry about the nation and its people at such a young age; I truly admire you.” Ma Xiaoda paused, then quickly explained, “I often overhear people saying these things in the streets, so I’m just rambling emotionally now. There is an Emperor above us; we shouldn't concern ourselves with such matters.” We had been talking inside the house for a long time, and the rain outside had stopped. Cheng Susu and the others had packed their luggage, and Linglong was fully dressed, waiting to saddle the horses and leave the county to return to Gourd Village. Seeing that everyone was preparing to ride horses again, Ma Xiaoda begged, “I want to go to Gourd Village with you.”

For more novels, visit storyread.net.