Faced with Ouwena’s rather “arrogant” declaration about war, Rui Hang didn’t think it was the best choice, but he also didn’t reject her approach.
In the year 1278 of the Glorious Era, the once-mighty Saint Malo Empire fractured like the Zhou Dynasty of old, and from that moment on, the flames of war never ceased in Parnaki.
As nations big and small either declared independence or emerged anew, conflicts that should have been confined to human territories rapidly expanded to encompass all races.
The strong unease and helplessness following the disappearance of the gods became the fuel that ignited wars across the world.
The false prosperity brought by Saint Malo was like a bubble; it burst along with the empire’s division. Natural disasters further dealt severe blows to agriculture in each country.
Economies collapsed, grain production fell, yet populations had swelled excessively during the bubble economy.
Every nation teetered on the edge of a cliff. Even without wars between humans, conflicts were bound to erupt sooner or later.
The fragmentation of Saint Malo undoubtedly became the perfect scapegoat— it was blamed for economic collapse and resource shortages and served as a convenient excuse for kings to incite their people into war.
It shifted domestic tensions outward and consumed surplus populations. Victorious nations gained enormous resources and wealth.
For the Parnaki states, which had not yet developed scientific and systematic economics or sociology, this was the most convenient and effective solution.
There is an old saying in Hua Xia: “Those not of our clan harbor different hearts.” Endless conflicts, big and small, raged between nations. The long-dormant Northern Wastes stirred once more as the Evilspawn attacked again.
The Evilspawn— similar to the White Walkers in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, but with powers closer to those described in the Cthulhu Mythos and certain four-character games— were bizarre, polluted, and indescribably terrible.
They continually eroded neighboring countries. The already fragile trust among races collapsed again, leading to widespread defeat.
—When Rui Hang and the others traveled across worlds and were born in Parnaki, this was the world they faced.
Only after centuries, when students took power and governed their races or nations using knowledge brought from Earth, did Parnaki’s conflicts ease somewhat.
But they only eased— they did not disappear.
In a sense, Ouwena’s choice to unify the world through war is actually the quickest and most effective.
Just as Qin Shi Huang unified Hua Xia millennia ago, standardizing script and measurements, the essence was to reduce differences between states.
Other student-led countries, coming from Earth, inevitably spread Earth’s ideas and values into their governance.
With shared values and culture, why even need forceful unification?
Permanent mutual understanding and peace are impossible. What Ouwena and the other students need— and have been striving for— is to grant this war-torn world a brief period of rest and recovery.
As for which method to choose, though crucial, it was not the subject for today’s class.
“As for war, you can discuss it on your own after class,” Rui Hang redirected the focus. “Let’s return to the earlier question. Can anyone tell me why socialism and capitalism are more scientific than feudalism, yet cannot widen the gap between countries?”
The classroom fell silent for a few seconds before Sun Jingshu was the first to raise her hand.
“Productivity,” she answered.
Rui Hang nodded with satisfaction. “Exactly. This is the key point of today’s lesson: productivity determines the relations of production, which in turn affect productivity. Changes in productivity drive social forms. Capitalism emerged because the Industrial Revolution caused a massive leap in productivity. Even socialism depends on sufficient productivity. Although ‘it is not scarcity but inequality that is the problem,’ if there truly is nothing left to divide, the country will fall apart.
Whether the Free Federation or the Lint Republic, when you established them, you overlooked the most important fact— Parnaki’s productivity is insufficient to support these new social systems. They were forcibly built by you, the ones with transcendent knowledge, but have not fully adapted to this world. Currently, Parnaki’s productivity best suits the traditional feudal state ruled by Ouwena’s Holy Roman Empire.”
“‘Magic Power’ is equally crucial. One could say Parnaki’s fate rises and falls on Magic Power. If Magic Power were simply used as an energy source like electricity or nuclear power, it would be fine. But Parnaki is trapped in a vicious cycle. Wars make people focus only on absolute personal strength: how to develop more destructive magic, how to increase cultivation to live longer.
Few pay attention to using Magic Power purely as an energy source to improve the lives of common people. More importantly, Magic Power is not like electricity or wind power, which anyone can harness with science. Without talent, a person can never perceive or wield Magic Power in their lifetime.”
At this, Rui Hang’s gaze swept over several students in the class. “I know some of you have tried combining Magic Power with science or applying Earth’s knowledge to improve productivity and the people’s lives. I am conducting similar research. Unfortunately, whether you or I, our scientific knowledge is too shallow. If we had arrived here with sufficient scientific knowledge, Parnaki today would look completely different.”
“Each of you holds high positions in Parnaki. Every bit of knowledge you gain from Earth could change countless lives here. You finally have the chance to learn anew. Cherish it. Don’t let yourselves have regrets.”
As he spoke, Rui Hang’s eyes landed on the clock at the back of the classroom. The encouraging words on his lips were swallowed back.
Seeing that class was almost over— and as someone who hated dragging lessons on— he quickly changed the topic.
“Today’s homework is to write an essay on your thoughts about magic and technology. There is no word limit. I don’t want long-winded fluff, but don’t fill it with meaningless nonsense.”
After assigning the homework, Rui Hang immediately brought up a second matter.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival gala is on the 29th. The program review is five days prior, so we don’t have much time to prepare,” Rui Hang said with a serious expression. “I’ll cover all expenses for the drama. As for the script and rehearsals, that’s up to you.”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
Clearly, it’s the teacher who brought this problem on us, yet he wants me involved in the drama rehearsals too!
“I’ll buy milk tea for everyone who participates in rehearsals each day,” Rui Hang added. “I’ll also coordinate with other teachers to reduce your homework load.”
“We’re on it!”
Rui Teacher really cares about the class!
The students were moved.
As long as we get less homework, we’ll do anything!
“Oh, and one more thing,” Rui Hang said just before class ended. “At the end of September, higher authorities will visit our school for an inspection. To showcase students’ spirit, the Principal announced yesterday at the teacher meeting that the October sports meet will be moved up to the day before the Mid-Autumn Gala. This means you need to prepare the sports meet opening ceremony, two days of competitions, and the evening gala the next day. Today’s homeroom will be replaced by PE, where you’ll do physical tests to see which events suit you.”
“…Rui Teacher, isn’t participation in sports meets supposed to be voluntary?” Lin Yuan quietly raised his hand, and others nodded in agreement.
Rui Hang glanced at him. “You’ve been eating for five hundred years longer than others, and yet you’re so timid about a sports meet? No confidence?”
With a hint of frustration, he added, “How can you be so unspirited at your age?”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
Is it really abnormal to be unspirited at five hundred years old?!
“It’s not about lacking confidence, it’s just that there’s too little time,” Lin Yuan pouted, somewhat helpless. “We still have rehearsals. Can we really manage with such a tight schedule?”
“That’s where you don’t understand,” Bai Luo propped his chin and replied, “It’s like company annual meetings and team-building always happen on weekends, not weekdays. If you can squeeze everything into two days, why waste school time and lose a day of rest?”
Rui Hang: “…Just keep those words to yourselves and don’t spread them around.”
As the class with the fewest students in the grade, Class 9, Grade 11 didn’t have any advantage in numbers signing up for events.
Rui Hang knew his students weren’t very interested in these activities— unfortunately, only students could participate in the sports meet. He wished he could compete for them, but the school forbade it.
To boost their enthusiasm, Rui Hang decisively pulled out his trump card: “Anyone who wins a place will be exempt from all homework for one week.”
In an instant, twenty-four hands rose neatly.
“I’m signing up—”
It wasn’t that the students disliked studying.
It was just that their knowledge had fallen behind for so long that doing homework risked exposing their current high school knowledge gaps.
Even the best students from before the crossover handled each assignment cautiously.
One week might not be much, but it would give them some breathing room.
However, not all students were satisfied with just one week.
“Rui Teacher, can’t you be more generous and just exempt us from homework for a whole month?” Bai Luo asked with a grin.
“I don’t mind,” Rui Hang said calmly. “But there’s a monthly exam next month. If you’re not afraid of the Principal coming after you, you can try applying to other teachers for a whole month off.”
Bai Luo: “…Am I the only one who finds it hard to believe this is really only our second day after crossing over?”
Counting on his fingers, Bai Luo realized they needed to prepare the Mid-Autumn gala performance and school sports meet, plus cram for the monthly exam next month…
His eyes darkened. “Why so many things?!”
But Rui Hang didn’t answer. As Bai Luo muttered to himself, Rui Hang stepped on the dismissal bell and briskly left the classroom.
Without the homeroom teacher’s supervision, the classroom atmosphere instantly relaxed.
“Sigh, I feel like Rui Teacher became so much stricter after returning to Earth!” Bai Luo complained softly. Lin Yuan, who was close to him, turned and gave a knowing wink. “He was always kind of like this when doing his job.”
Lin Yuan left out the words “nitpicky” and “strict.” “He didn’t have to be so strict back in Parnaki. Now he’s just afraid we’ll cause him trouble. And you probably don’t know, but his last class was criticized by other teachers for being bookworms, so he’s got a grudge against sports.”
“That doesn’t mean he should put all that pressure on us. But for the sake of less homework, I won’t complain,” Bai Luo sighed.
Just then, Ouwena walked by while pouring water and overheard Bai Luo’s words. She chimed in, “Be careful what you say or he might hear you—then you’re dead!”
“No worries,” Lin Yuan replied carelessly. “Next class is physics; Rui Teacher won’t come.”
“Sometimes you shouldn’t speak so definitively,” Rui Hang’s voice came softly from the door. The noisy chatter suddenly stopped. The three stiffened and turned to see Rui Hang dragging a chair with one hand and holding a notebook in the other. He calmly walked to the last row of the classroom and sat down.
“Rui, Rui Teacher?”
“I just told you all to cherish every learning opportunity. That applies to me as well, so I’m going to sit with you and attend class,” Rui Hang said, opening his notebook with a friendly smile. “—Every single lesson.”
Class 9, Grade 11 students: “……”
Please, no!