Chapter 111: The Helpless Sanctification

[Winter, Year 1, May 21st. The recent reform tasks have been tedious... I haven't had time to write in my diary, but I believe that sacrificing the time for journaling to perfect the unsystematic order of the Block Kingdom is the right and meaningful thing to do...]

Shaking his quill, which was acting up again, Mo Fangyuan continued his record.

His diary now spanned over a hundred pages of scattered entries, documenting his frustrations and joys... It could easily be compiled into a book.

It had been a week and a half since Iron Nose led his team out, and thanks to the reduced population, the progress of the Block Kingdom's reforms had proceeded smoothly. The core departmental management and grassroots management were essentially complete, leaving only the finishing touches.

[Reform is a long and arduous journey; it is not enough to simply complete it on the surface... Psychological reform is the most important. We must ensure the people understand and support the content of these reforms, and ensure the officials memorize the rules and abide by their responsibilities... This is a very long process of transformation... Even though the population of the Block Kingdom is small, it will take at least several years to shift their mindset...]

[...I refuse to believe that someone like me, skilled in development and cultivation, cannot tame this savage world!]

"Phew!"

Mo Fangyuan tucked his finished diary back into his most concealed private chest, even though no one in this world could read Chinese characters.

He didn't want his diary to be discovered by some future time-traveler, as is often the trope in novels. If that were to happen, it wouldn't just be a matter of social death...

"Your Majesty! That little stallion has reached maturity today!"

Ren Ping'an, the Deputy Minister of the Livestock Department, hurried over.

It was a strange situation. Perhaps due to the old stallion that had long since become leather, while all four mares had become pregnant, only the black mare had given birth to a male, while the others had produced twins—all female!

Yin was strong, and Yang was weak.

"Ten females to one male"—that was the state of the Block Kingdom's horse-breeding enterprise.

Furthermore, the only male had inherited his father's poor constitution; the horse was frail. This was a dangerous situation; a single lapse could cause the entire breeding program to collapse. The staff at the horse farm and the officials in the Livestock Department walked on eggshells, terrified that their precious asset might suddenly turn into experience orbs. The entire department had been doing its utmost to care for the fragile little stallion.

Now, it had finally reached maturity! It could mate with its mother and sisters to propagate!

"Your Majesty, to avoid any complications, I would like to request the use of the [Zombie Giant Essence] to..."

"Wait, don't rush. Let it gather its strength for a while; we need to make sure the first attempt is a success..."

With so many mares and only one weak male, Mo Fangyuan decided it was necessary to give it time to improve its physical condition before forcing it to consume both a [Golden Apple] and the [Zombie Giant Essence]. That way, it could mate more... well, it would be much safer!

"So, don't be hasty. Haste makes waste... Your primary task in the Livestock Department now is to train it. Get it moving and running. Only by running can it build physical strength and gain more enduring combat capability, rather than exhausting it prematurely..." Mo Fangyuan instructed.

"Yes, as you command, my great Majesty!" Ren Ping'an saluted by striking his chest with his left hand and turned to leave.

"Cavalry... the sharp weapon of the cold-weapon battlefields of my past life, a symbol of power... How many emperors and generals have fretted or rejoiced over it..."

Mo Fangyuan, aware of the Block Kingdom's weakness, leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

It was unrealistic to build a cavalry force under current conditions; it wouldn't be possible until at least the spring. For now, he had no choice but to continue exploring the map using fishing rods.

"His Majesty has ordered us to hurry up with the stallion's physical training! We must ensure it gains the ability to command ten in a short time! It must become a true stud!" Ren Ping'an said to his department members upon returning.

"But how should we train it?"

Mo Fangyuan had forgotten that the people of this world didn't know what "physical training" was, let alone what it specifically entailed.

"His Majesty said to get it moving and running..."

"So exercise is the way to strengthen a horse? I feel like this method is quite unreliable..."

"Damn you! This is a method provided by the great King himself! Are you questioning His Majesty's wisdom?" A hot-blooded young official exploded on the spot, shouting the most popular "refined" insults at the Block-person who had spoken out of turn.

"Uh, I’m not! I didn't..."

[Physical training is an important method for enhancing the physical fitness of the Block-people. Its main components include running, jumping... It holds a pivotal status in the fitness industry, but no one expected the first physical training manual to be used on a horse—"Fun History"]

"I don't believe you, you..."

"...Alright, alright, stop arguing. His Majesty's task is the priority... You are both at fault. Xiao Zhang, you were wrong first; insulting a colleague is extremely unrefined behavior! Even the King despises it!"

"But Xiao Li, you do have a point as well... I am not saying you are wrong, but you must know that His Majesty is the wisest person in the Block Kingdom. His words are more credible than all of ours combined..." Ren Ping'an said with a calm, earnest tone, admonishing his two subordinates.

"Yes, Deputy Minister, I realize my mistake. It won't happen again..."

"I'm sorry, me too..."

The official system of the Block Kingdom was only just beginning. The officials were mostly idealistic, responsible, and committed young people with fresh blood; there was no sign of bureaucratic rot yet. Their speech was sincere, simple, and direct.

"Very well, let us draft the stallion's training plan..."

According to the King, the Livestock Department focused the main training on "getting it moving." Only by getting it moving could subsequent training plans follow...

[Life lies in movement, and the primary form of movement is work!]

Mo Fangyuan began to revise his draft, correcting erroneous viewpoints, fixing contradictions, heightening the emotional tone, sublimating the theme, and adding many negative examples involving "Little Ming"...

Mo Fangyuan believed the revised version would be much better than the first draft.

Through more than a year of grassroots visits and investigations, Mo Fangyuan already knew the people's reliance on him. This reliance made them admire him to the point of blind trust, effectively deifying him.

This was terrifying. If he were to make a wrong decision, the consequences would be infinitely magnified, leading to the worst possible outcome and causing social unrest in the Block Kingdom.

The worst-case scenario would be the collapse of the people's spiritual faith, causing those who had regained hope because they believed Mo Fangyuan could lead them to prosperity to fall into an even deeper abyss of despair...

But Mo Fangyuan had no other choice, as this was the best option.

The people believed in him, supported him, and were willing to fight for him, which allowed Mo Fangyuan to better integrate the Block Kingdom's strength to develop and fight against monsters...

Mo Fangyuan could not change this, and he had no choice but to proceed.