Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Ning Chan, upon receiving the good news about Yeni City's gradual improvement, poured himself a cup of milk tea and enjoyed his breakfast with some buttery shortbread cookies.

Kane, noticing the smile on his face, paused while reaching for a small pudding. "What's the good news?"

"Yes, the people of Yeni City have learned to build heated brick beds and knit woolens. They won’t suffer as much this winter."

"That’s truly wonderful. I also have good news—the sweet potatoes you promoted planting earlier are ready for harvest, and the yield is high. With these, more people will survive the winter."

If not for Ning Chan first cultivating a batch of the collected sweet potatoes through the Sacred Plant Garden, large-scale planting would have been delayed. Despite their high yield, a handful of tubers couldn’t propagate into thousands. Just reserving sufficient seed potatoes for a hundred acres would require an entire season of cultivation.

Ning Chan believed the sooner these crops spread, the better. Using the Sacred Plant Garden’s growth-accelerating properties, he had a batch mature early to exchange for seeds. Fortunately, they didn’t miss the planting season, allowing harvest before deep winter set in.

With so many tasks arranged lately, Ning Chan had nearly forgotten the harvest dates for various crops. Now, reminded by Kane, his eyes lit up.

Roasted sweet potatoes—finally time to enjoy them!

The slightly charred red skin, roasted in embers, peeled away easily to reveal soft, golden-orange flesh, sweet as liquid honey—rich yet never cloying. With just a gentle press of the lips, the tender, starchy flesh dissolved, filling the mouth with sweetness.

Before, he had resisted eating even one, reasoning each tuber meant fewer future plantings and would hinder sustainability. Still, with other treats available, skipping sweet potatoes for a few months was manageable.

And now—look! He could savor them guilt-free!

"Good. Then instruct them to reserve sufficient sweet potatoes for next year’s planting, aside from their own consumption. If any household has surplus, they can sell it to the Church. We’ll store it for future distribution. This year, those who planted sweet potatoes had a bumper harvest, so next year, even more will come seeking seeds."

Kane nodded. "I’ve already given those instructions. The Church has begun stockpiling sweet potatoes, but we’re still deciding how to handle them."

Hearing this, Ning Chan slowly finished the last sip of his milk tea, pondering the matter.

Disseminating recipes would be simple, but with such high yields, perhaps it was time to introduce newspapers as well?

Now that paper production was standardized and movable-type printing had reduced book-making costs, people might be willing to part with a few coins for a newspaper.

Indeed, Ning Chan wanted to use the winter break to encourage literacy and learning. But given that putting food on the table came first for most, it was hard to predict how many commoners would attend formal schooling. Even with the Church’s accumulated authority, reality dictated that many might drop out after a lesson or two.

A newspaper, however, could carry folktales and practical knowledge, fostering a cultural atmosphere while subtly promoting "correct" ideas.

Absurd notions like "virgin blood or young boys' essence prolongs youth" had to be eradicated.

And the "right of the first night" claimed by lords, or the belief that slaves were chattel—these too had to be dismantled.

To avoid provoking the powerful too soon, these ideas could be dissected and embedded within various tales. Readers could take them as mere stories—or, if they pondered deeper, discover whether it kindled their inner fire.

The class divisions of this era were deeply ingrained. Those trapped within the system, conditioned by its "harsh and absurd" rules, wouldn’t see their lives as abnormal. But what if one day, they stepped outside that framework?

Ning Chan’s efforts to improve their lives weren’t just for his own comfort in this society. He hoped they could break free from this corrupt environment, achieving renewal from within.

An apocalypse where effort proved futile—experiencing that once was enough.

Following the "guidance" of the Holy Tablet, the *Yang City Weekly* made its debut.

"Newspapers for sale, newspapers for sale! Three coppers a copy, published by the Lis Church, first come, first served!"

"Learn to read through illustrations, listen to entertaining short stories, and study sacred logic techniques!"

"Compiled with the guidance of the Science God, teaching you how to grow more crops!"

The newsboy, his nose red from the cold, wore an excited expression.

This winter, everyone was dressed warmly, so the streets were pretty busy.

Hearing the shouts, people turned to look and saw a child in the uniform of the orphanage, carrying a large green bag stuffed full of something.

The child waved a copy in his hand, shouting loudly.

"What's this thing?"

Those nearby, hearing it was published by the Lis Church, quickly bought copies. Those farther away, seeing the crowd gathering, hurried over to get a look at the papers in others' hands.

The boy deftly collected coppers and handed out papers while repeating his sales spiel.

Soon, even more people bought newspapers.

In the past, spending three coppers on a sheet of paper would have made them hesitate—what use was it if they couldn’t read? But now, with factories and shops sprouting up in Yangcheng, even the poorest could spare a few coppers for little treats.

Buying it was like supporting Yangcheng’s development, especially since it was published by the Lis Church.

When those who could read opened the newspaper, they were instantly captivated.

Three coppers for something this good? Totally worth it!

"Brother, what's written here?" asked one eager buyer who realized too late he didn’t know how to read, awkwardly turning to a nearby stranger.

The man, who had just lamented arriving too late, brightened at the question.

"Don’t know how to read? Well, this part explains what these words mean, along with some short stories. There’s also arithmetic—like Tom buying carrots from a rabbit. The rabbit had ten, sold him three... Wait, rabbits can sell things? Huh, these symbols are interesting."

The "illiterate" brother focused on the picture-word guide and was delighted to find he still remembered it by the time he got home.

From then on, his family never skipped an issue.

Using the sound guides and spelling methods in the paper, they even bought a dictionary to look up unfamiliar words. After half a year, they started wondering if they could send in their own writings.

While some sections were loved, others were hated. Nobody liked the math section.

People were tired of Farmer Tom filling his pond while draining it, or Villager Jerry putting chickens and rabbits in the same cage. If Tom and Jerry were walking together or alone, readers just wanted to yell, "Who gives a hoot? Quit figuring their steps and time!"

While the paper was around, actual guys named Tom and Jerry noticed others gave them weird looks, as if they’d gone mad.

No kidding—obviously, it was the fictional Tom and Jerry who were insane!

As Yangcheng developed rapidly, five years passed before they knew it. Of the "criminals" left behind by the Lis Church, only one was left standing.