Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 107

This dream trial, which was destined to fail, had ten years to go. Dinia intended to use these ten years to carve out her own territory in the north. Of course, this was not her goal. Her goal was to learn something in the process and make up for her two major shortcomings: one was her lack of knowledge about construction, and the other was her lack of military expertise.

That night, Dinia and Ronan sat together drinking. They had done this many times before, but it was the first time in this dream world.

“Next year, next year we’ll form a militia, and the year after that, there will only be one voice in this city,” Dinia said, having just taken a sip of her half-cup of wine.

Ronan took a small sip. "Who will be the team?"

“The workers after they received factory shares,” Dinia said. Back in New Sea City, she thought the farmers on the collective farms were a great source of soldiers. They were like the invincible citizen soldiers of the old empire, or even stronger. But there wasn’t much farmland within the territory of Haijin City in the dream world. Since they couldn’t distribute land, they would distribute it to factories.

Ronan shook his head. "The factory can't be split up."

"Why?" Dinia asked.

Ronan took a small sip and began to explain.

"First, the means of production in a factory are different from land. These things cannot be equally divided, while land can, and land is there and will not change. But factory tools, machinery, and even factory buildings will break down and need constant replacement and investment. Second, if the current workforce is divided, what will happen to future workers? The profitability of different factories will vary greatly, leading to a huge gap among workers. Third, factories are profitable, and with profits come losses. When losses occur, it's not like with land where nothing is left, but rather debt. Who will solve this problem then?"

"Assuming that our workers are all hardworking and conscientious, and that the factory managers after collective ownership are all selfless and shrewd, this one-size-fits-all distribution will still only bring disaster."

"In reality, workers will also try their best to take advantage, and factory managers will treat the factory as their own."

"It's fine to divide it up, but the factory can't be divided up, and collective shareholding by the workers is the worst possible solution."

"Considering the actual situation in Haijin City, the division should be as follows: the salt fields will still be franchised, but the land will belong to the city-state; the limestone factory will still belong to whoever owns it, but the land that produces limestone will be public property; the pottery factory and the ironworks will be the same, the factory will still belong to the factory owner, but the land that produces clay and iron ore will no longer belong to him, but to all citizens."

"It's not about making these poor people think they're part of Haijin City, nor is it about letting them think they can make decisions. It's about making them understand one thing: only by uniting under our big family can they live a good life. As long as they follow our orders, we will always represent their interests and bring them democracy. Do you understand?"

Ronan has once again exposed his shameless bureaucratic nature and reactionary essence.

Of course, there are advanced and backward types of reactionaries. His model of mixing feudal patriarchal system with bureaucratic capitalism is still more advanced than the baron's system. At least he doesn't intend to squeeze money out of the poor, but rather to fatten them up and then make them work for him.

"Isn't there a better way?" Dinia asked, this time without saying, "Okay, let's do it your way."

“No,” Ronan replied. “This world is more backward than yours overall, both in terms of productivity and ideas. In Seris’s words, what we are doing is close to achieving universal harmony.”

The real world where Dinia lives is equivalent to the late 16th century, when the Renaissance had ended and the Enlightenment was approaching. This corresponds to the time when my great Meng had already died and the Qing Dynasty had begun to cause trouble. This world is an era when firearms have not yet been widely used. The era that holds up the sky is the same as the era of my great Song.

“Okay, that’s settled.” Dinia compromised once again, but at the same time strengthened her resolve to study further. One day, she would ride Ronan, this evil dragon, firmly.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I want to tell you." Ronan's tone was very serious, and he put down his wine glass.

As Dinia turned her head to the side, Ronan suddenly leaned forward, tilted his head, and lightly licked Dinia's upper lip. Dinia's red eyes almost popped out of their sockets, and she instinctively threw a punch. If Ronan hadn't pulled his head back quickly enough, she would have been disfigured.

“You…” Dinia was furious, but she remained seated, her hand even frozen in mid-air.

Ronan appeared calm. "Actually, I had fully regained my memory three days ago."

"What does this have to do with what just happened?" Dinia asked, clenching her fist.

“Yes.” As he spoke, Ronan did it again, this time planting a kiss directly on Dinia’s lips for a full two seconds. “The relationship is that you won’t hit me anymore.”

"I'll beat you to death." Dinia stood up and kicked Ronan squarely in the chest, knocking Ronan to the ground. She pounced on Ronan, straddling him, and punched him in the face with her left fist, right fist, left fist, right fist.

They exchanged dozens of punches, each one slower and lighter than the last. In the end, Dinia let go, and Ronan only suffered a few cuts on his face.

Dinia, still straddling Ronan, sighed and fell silent.

Ronan reached out and pushed Dinia's chest, then stood up and pinned her down, his eyes fixed on this familiar yet unfamiliar woman, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Just then, a voice simultaneously entered their minds.

Chapter 240 Passing the Trial, the Crystal Skull, and Countermeasures

Congratulations on passing the trial. You have truly acknowledged each other, come together, and are willing to work hand in hand for a common dream. You have earned the right to support each other throughout your long lives.

He admitted it long ago, but what kind of coming together is this? A shared dream? How could that be? How could Ronan possibly share a dream with Dinia? Just as Ronan thought this trial was complete nonsense, he opened his eyes and was forced out of the dream.

Dinia was even more confused. Ronan acknowledged her? Ronan shared the same dream as her?

The cabin stood upright again and returned to its original position. Then the cabin door opened, and Ronan and Dinia came out.

Olivia and Sebastian looked at Ronan and Dinia in surprise. How did they get out so quickly?

Neither of them knew how long they had been in the cabin, but they were certain that Ronan and Dinia had only been there for a few minutes, definitely less than they had.

"Young Master, how are you?" Elena hurried over to ask with concern.

Just as Ronan was about to answer, a square gap suddenly opened in the ground, revealing a staircase leading to a lower level.

Ronan glanced at the underground entrance. "I don't need to say more, do I?"

Elena looked at Ronan with admiration, "Amazing."

Ronan patted Elena's arm and looked at the others, "Thanks to Mr. Sebastian and Miss Olivia, otherwise we would have been completely lost. Let's all come together and see what this so-called inheritance is. If it's some kind of treasure, we'll all share it."

Sebastian and Olivia nodded slightly without saying anything; they knew they hadn't really been of much help.

Then, Ronan, Dinah, Elena, Sebastian, Olivia, and the expressionless Faith entered the staircase leading to the underground.

The group went down to a room on a lower level.

The space here is larger than the first level of the pyramid, but even more monotonous. At least the inner walls of the first level of the pyramid were initially covered with a layer of relief bricks, but here there are only flat walls and floors. The difference is that on the wall facing the steps, there are ten golden coffins standing upright.

The golden coffin was uncovered, and one could see the complete crystal human skeleton standing inside.

The group headed toward the golden coffin, but halfway there, everyone except Ronan and Dinia was blocked by a transparent, invisible barrier. Olivia tried to cast a spell, but it was useless. Faith also tried, but to no avail. Magic simply couldn't work on this barrier. Elena smashed the floor, preparing to go underground, only to discover that the invisible barrier wasn't a panel between the ceiling and the floor, but rather a cube-shaped dome that completely enveloped the space where the golden coffin and the crystal skull were located.

“There’s something this powerful; magic is completely useless against it,” Olivia said.

“Not necessarily,” Faith said.

She sensed something, but couldn't be sure.

In fact, the person who truly understood this transparent shield was still outside the pyramid. After failing the trial, he used spatial magic to bypass the sealing mechanism of the upper level and forcibly entered this room, but he could not pass through this barrier.

Because the space within the barrier, which appears to be part of this vast, empty room, is actually in another world, magic is naturally useless. Can someone in this world cast spells on someone in another world? His spatial magic also cannot pass through this barrier.

At this moment, Ronan and Dinia had arrived in front of the golden coffin and the crystal skull. The closer they got, the more they felt a strange attraction, wanting to merge with the crystal skull, which exuded an eerie yet alluring beauty.

Just then, Ronan jolted awake, regaining some of his senses. Dinya placed her hand on his shoulder, and Ronan gently patted the back of her hand. "I'm fine."

At this moment, Ronan no longer had the same feeling as before. The crystal skull no longer possessed an eerie and alluring beauty in his eyes, but only a simple sense of intimacy.

Ronan and Dinia simultaneously raised their hands, each touching a crystal skull.

The next instant, two crystal skulls burrowed into the two people's bodies. Intense pain suddenly struck, a pain like bones being crushed and pulled out. The pain should have made them lose consciousness, but their consciousness remained unusually clear. Then the bones were replaced, followed by an indescribable feeling, as if their souls were being torn apart and forcibly poured into their bones.

Just a few seconds later, everything returned to normal. If the crystal skulls in the two coffins in front of him hadn't disappeared, Ronan would have even suspected that what had just happened was just an illusion, because everything was too fast, and he couldn't feel any changes in his body at all.

“Try using your magic,” Dinia said.

Ronan tried it and found that the flow of magic was faster, and his total amount of magic seemed to be slowly increasing. "The flow of magic is smoother, and the amount of magic is still increasing."

"My magic power has increased?" Dinia wondered, as she couldn't sense it at all.

"Tch, you think you're so great?" Ronan scoffed.

"Pfft." Dinia chuckled. "You have those childish moments too."

“I don’t think it’s just that. Before we woke up, the voice said ‘the right to watch over each other throughout a long life.’ Is a person’s life that long? The longest-lived magician in history only lived to be 150 years old.”

"I don't know. Perhaps after the soul and body are more deeply integrated, the lifespan of a mage's physical body will be longer," Dinia guessed. A mage's youth is very long, the higher the level, the longer. Someone like her who reached the sixth level early might still look the same even when she's seventy or eighty years old. Only in the last few years when the physical body is nearing its limit will she age rapidly, and then the soul will dissipate and she will die completely.

While the two were talking, a golden coffin lid suddenly appeared from the other eight golden coffins, covering them, and then they all crashed to the ground. After falling, they turned into eight small coffins, each only the size of a thumb. Ronan was watching this scene and thinking that this would be convenient, as he could just take them away. However, four of the tiny golden coffins flew directly into his hands.

The same applies to Dinia.

Dinia looked at Ronan, "I'll take it, it'll be more convenient for me."

Taking the miniature golden coffin from Ronan, Dinia sprouted a large red mushroom from her palm and stuffed the eight thumb-sized golden coffins inside.

"It's time to go out."

Ronan said.

Ronan and Dinia passed through the barrier and then returned to the original second level with the other four people, where they were surprised to find that the entrance to the first level of the pyramid had reopened.

However, because the entrance to the first floor was open, the mages present could already sense that there were people outside, quite a few of them, and all of them were rank-one mages.

"Such a luxurious lineup?" Ronan said with a smile.

“I’ll go first and keep them in check,” Dinia said seriously. “Those who aren’t in the correct positions stay inside. Ronan and Miss Faith will go out later.”

Chapter 241 Inside the Tower, Outside the Tower, The Big One Is Coming

Outside the pyramid, all the organization members, dressed in dark purple robes, discovered that the massive stones that had blocked the pyramid's entrance passage had risen back up, and now the only entrance was open again.

As the leader of the organization, a former prince of the Kingdom of Phos, a hint of surprise flashed across his face. The fact that the closed mechanism had been lifted meant that there was no longer a need to ensure the normal progress of the trials. Why was this no longer necessary? It could only mean that someone had already passed the trials.

He felt no resentment whatsoever, because he had never had a woman he admired, so it was only natural that he failed.

However, this situation is actually a good thing, at least we don't have to bother getting that crystal skull anymore, we can just steal it in the future.

Forget about it now; his strength is unprecedentedly weak, and he's no match for that woman.

The man said to his old friend Lison, "Wait, the 'Crimson Sea' should be the first to come out. You and the young men should work together to restrain her. Then it should be the young man my good brother chose, and the target. The other guys will come with me and do our best."

The man had anticipated the other side's plan, but he was still not entirely confident. Firstly, his own strength had weakened, and secondly, his organization was not actually very strong.

A true mage has a bright future. Even if they can't make it in a big city, they can easily be a small-time tycoon in the countryside. The vast majority of true mages would never join an underground organization that requires them to hide themselves. Only in the legendary biographies written by some bards would you find such a secret organization full of powerful figures.

Isn't open and aboveboard enjoyment better than risking your life in the shadows? Most upright magicians think this way. How many years would it take to suffer a stroke and risk doing something hopeless and only punishable by death if you can steadily reap benefits within the framework of order?

Apart from a few exceptionally "idealistic" fourth-tier powerhouses who were attracted to join by his personal charisma, the remaining dozen or so members of his organization were mostly first-tier, with a few second-tier members. They were young, had ideas, and most importantly, were unwilling to be ordinary.

Therefore, he could only send his old friend Lison with some first-tier young men to restrain Dinia, while the other powerful individuals would join him in capturing the target.

Inside the pyramid, a floor that no longer existed had been replaced by a floor made of mushrooms by Dinia. Just as Dinia was about to leave, Ronan called out to her, "Wait."

After regaining his memories in the dream world, Ronan began to ponder a question: Why did the other party go to such great lengths to involve three forces, deceive the chief, and find a way to bring his group into the pyramid, and then activate the pyramid's sealing mechanism? Was it to kill them, or one of them? Obviously not.

After fusing with the crystal skulls, Ronan wondered if the other party was after them. But he immediately dismissed the idea, for a simple reason: the other party might know about the crystal skulls, but could he be sure they could pass the trial? Obviously not, so the other party's target wasn't the crystal skulls.

At most, he hoped that Ronan and his team could bring out the Crystal Skull.

Ronan still couldn't figure out what their purpose was.

But because he couldn't figure it out, Ronan decided to organize Dinia to act according to normal thinking.

Dinia stopped and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"No, it's just that I think it was expected that you would be the first to go out. When you don't know what the other party is thinking, the best way is to not follow the rules. Don't rush, we still have some food, let's stall."

Ronan explained.

They did have provisions. How could a group of people entering a mysterious and unknown place not bring food? They just didn't have much. And since someone had died, they had a little extra provisions.

“Then I’ve done all that work for nothing,” said Noah, the suturer.

He had just saved several native soldiers who were almost certainly going to die, but these men were in great physical condition and would die again if they didn't eat something.

“If it affects you, then give them our share,” Ronan said.

"No need. Starving to death is not within my scope of treatment," Noah said calmly. "Normally, I save whoever has money."

"Are we just going to wait like this?" Olivia, who had recovered quite a bit, couldn't help but ask.

Ronan looked at Olivia and said, “Let me put it this way: the people outside are targeting one of us, and some of them know that kind of spatial magic that allows instantaneous teleportation. If our people are separated, the target is likely to be hit. But now that we are all together, the other side doesn’t dare to act rashly.”

Outside at this moment.

"Ha, it seems your prediction was wrong," Lison said to his old friend with a smile.

“I’m just a mortal, it’s only natural that I make mistakes.” The man was not discouraged. “In that case, we have no choice but to activate the contingency plan.”

As he spoke, the man looked at the second person on his left, "Caselle, it's up to you."

Kassel walked toward the entrance of the passageway, reached out and cast a spell, releasing poison gas inward. The poison gas did not spread very quickly; in an open field, even a novice mage could escape, but the space for hiding inside the pyramid was limited.

"Will it work?" Lison asked.

In the next instant, the entire passageway was completely blocked by Dinia's dense cluster of mushrooms, preventing the poisonous gas from entering.

"Conte," the man called another name.

Instantly, flames began to scorch the mushrooms; the mushrooms that were burned off would immediately regenerate.

“What exactly do you want to do?” Lison asked again, something that seemed pointless on the surface.

The man did not answer, but instead gestured with his eyes to several first-tier elemental mages on his right.

The group immediately stepped forward and began casting spells to continue consuming the mushrooms blocking the passage, while Conte stopped casting spells and retreated with Kassel.

Lison was puzzled, because the combined mana of these people was less than that of the woman, not to mention that the woman's spells probably consumed very little mana, while these young people consumed a lot.

“This is to follow up on the initial plan: to restrict her.” The man finally spoke. “Wait a moment, I will take you and three others in, and then we will complete our objective.”

His current strength is limited to teleporting five powerful mages together, so he can only take four people with him through the passageway.