Xu Sili entered the dean’s office. He saw the exquisitely decorated and uniquely designed room and raised an eyebrow slightly. He wasn’t polite as he went straight to the dean’s seat and sat down.
Justin followed him in. The moment he entered the office, he saw the young man sitting in his seat. The legs of the chair were used as a support while his entire body leaned two long, thin legs on the desk. It was a lazy and casual posture with a lot of arrogance.
“……” Dean Justin frowned slightly, his heart somewhat unhappy. Then he saw the expressionless Si Sheng beside him and endured it. He wanted to see what this new emperor could do to him. Even with Si Sheng’s backing, he still needed to be reasonable!
However, Xu Sili didn’t intend to be reasonable. He called out the territory panel, selected the Imperial City and the situation of all the buildings belonging to the city were presented in front of him.
Then he entered the sub-section of the Elementalist Academy and more detailed information was displayed. The level 2 academy had a total of over 10,000 people, including the faculty and students. Last year, it sent 105 warrior elementalists and 2 spiritual elementalists to the front line.
The annual funding accounted for around 15% of the fiscal expenditure. He didn’t read it wrong. There were over 10,000 people but the education funds accounted for 15% of the Roland Empire’s annual financial expenditures. The front-line army accounted for 50% and the rest were given to other fields.
Xu Sili clicked in and roughly knew where the money was spent. Every June, the academy sent people to all parts of the empire to test the talents of children who reached the age of five. There was a population of over 90 million yet 700 or 800 talented young children could be detected every year. This was more brutal than picking one in a million.
These children would be uniformly arranged to attend the Elementalist Academy for learning and training. Regardless of whether they were nobles or common people, the tuition, food, lodging, transportation and other expenses were all free. There was also a certain amount of welfare subsidies every month.
By the time they reached the age of 18, the elementalists who reached one star would be sent to the front line to participate in battle. Meanwhile, those below one star would be stationed with various local troops and continue to train. These elementalists still received the monthly welfare benefits as usual from the Elementalists Association affiliated with the academy.
The amount of subsidy received by elementalists was different for each level. A top two star elementalist like the dean could get an additional 30,000 Escher coins as a subsidy without doing anything every month. So although elementalists had to join the army, it was definitely a path to paradise for some civilians. As for the nobles…
They could let their children hold a lot of power in the army and could also receive huge subsidies, so naturally everyone wanted to enter the academy. Even if they couldn’t reach one star and go to the front lines, they could occupy a place in the local army without risking their lives. Who would be willing to give this up?
Xu Sili saw the data and rules and instantly thought about many things. Then he smiled. Very good, very good. He had been worrying about the emptiness of the treasury. He hadn’t expected that a trip to the Elementalist Academy could have such unexpected gains.
Of course, Xu Sili wasn’t prepared to make drastic reforms in a short period of time. He would start slowly. They had to do as much practical work as they ate. Elementalists were people with a lot of energy. if they could play a role that matched their worth, he was willing to give them so much money every year. As for now, he would start with the dean first.
Xu Sili raised his purple eyes and stared at Dean Justin with a faint smile on his face. “Dean Justin, you said you are willing to do anything to make up for the crime you just committed?”
Crime? This word made Dean Justin’s pupils shrink slightly. He heard the emperor outside and didn’t come out to greet him. This was indeed not the normal etiquette but…
It couldn’t be called a crime, right?
He just wanted to refute it when he felt the blond man beside him glance over. The hair on Dean Justin’s body rose and a sharp sense of crisis filled his heart, making him afraid to act rashly. He was a bit aggrieved but he still bent down and replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Xu Sili nodded with satisfaction. “Okay, very good.”
He looked at Dean Justin and smiled. “Dean, you should’ve heard about the mercenary town?”
Dean Justin nodded slightly. “There seemed to be a wonderful battle in the mercenary town today. I heard about it but before I could watch the broadcast, Your Majesty came.”
Broadcast?
Xu Sili was surprised. “What broadcast?”
Just as he asked, a scene flashed in his mind. It was a woman who was talking passionately into a microphone in the midst of a chaotic battle. Behind her…
It seemed that someone was carrying a camera?
Dean Justin saw his curiosity and picked up the remote control on the desk, pressing the switch for the TV on the wall. The scene that took place in the mercenary town today was replayed on the screen. It played just as the young man raised his hand and fired at the frozen beast’s eyes.
Xu Sili blinked. Their fight today against the three star beast was actually broadcasted live? No wonder the popular support rate actually rose by 1%.
Dean Justin saw this scene and was a bit shaken. Was this really what the little emperor behind him did? In addition… why could he vaguely hear singing? The singing was like a sea monster and vaguely contained a special energy. It was just that it was much weaker after being recorded and broadcasted. Then the frozen beast went mad. Si Sheng appeared and the frozen beast was solved with a sword.
The next scene made the old man’s eyes shake. In the small town, everyone including Si Sheng and the guards knelt down in front of the young man. Their voices shook the sky, deterring everyone. When did… His Majesty have such power?
After slowly watching this segment play, Dean Justin heard a soft cough. His mind returned and he turned off the TV, looking at the young man sitting in front of him.
Xu Sili held a pen in his hand and played with it lightly. “The dean has seen it. I want to rebuild the mercenary town. Now that the dean wants to make up for your crime, it is good for me. How about leaving the rebuilding of the mercenary town to Dean Justin?”
Dean Justin frowned slightly. “Your Majesty, there is a specialty when it comes to projects. I’m afraid it isn’t appropriate to leave the matter of rebuilding the town to an elementalist…”
“What’s wrong with it?” Xu Sili shrugged. “If I remember correctly, Dean Justin is a spiritualist of the earth type. Isn’t it a simple matter to build a house?”
Dean Justin’s expression was ugly and he felt humiliated. “Your Majesty, an elementalist is a very sacred profession. We often play a decisive role in battle and we are a very important strategic resource. How can an elementalist… go to build a house?”
“Why not?” The smiling young man suddenly became cold. “It seems that Dean Justin hasn’t realized his mistakes and doesn’t want to make up for his crime. Then as a price, starting from today, the nation will cut the financial subsidies for the Elementalist Academy by half!”
Dean Justin was taken aback and took a long time to react to what this young man said. He saw the young man’s unusually serious face and felt that this person wasn’t joking. Then the old man was filled with disbelief.
This was nonsense!
“Your Majesty, you… if you do this, the elementalists fighting on the front lines will be cold!”
“Heh, I haven’t finished yet.” Xu Sili’s mouth curved and he spoke leisurely. “The treatment of elementalists on the front lines will be increased by three times while all elementalists in the rear will be cut in half!”
How many elementalists were there on the front lines? There was still a lot of money left even if he gave them the subsidies from the elementalists in the rear. It was easy to calculate.
“You can enjoy many benefits if you create value for the nation.” Xu Sili gently raised his eyelids and spoke in a light voice. “I won’t support idlers.”
Dean Justin trembled. The person sitting in front of him was clearly an 18 year old young man but at this moment, he felt more terrifying than the old emperor. “Your Majesty isn’t afraid…”
“What is there to be afraid of?” Xu Sili laughed softly as he leisurely shook the chair. “Isn’t this… Dean Justin’s own proposal? You saw that the treasury is empty and it isn’t enough to make ends meet. You proposed to share the worries of the emperor, taking the initiative to reduce academy expenses and reduce the subsidies of the elementalists. The emperor is very pleased. With great joy, he tripled the salary of the elementalists fighting hard on the front lines. Isn’t this something that everyone will like?”
Shameless! Dean Justin’s eyes widened and his face was filled with disbelief. This little emperor was too sly! The blame was placed on him while the emperor could get a good reputation?
Even Si Sheng on the side couldn’t help glancing at Xu Sili. The silver-haired young man leaned back against the chair lazily, a small smile on his white and naive face. He looked simple and harmless. However…
Si Sheng’s mouth twitched and he looked away slightly.
As for Li Zhecheng, he had been stunned for a long time. Could it still be like this? His Majesty was so insidious! No, so wise!
Dean Justin paused for a moment before finally being forced to helplessly compromise.
“Your Majesty, I am willing to share your worries with you and rebuild the mercenary town!” He bent his proud back and spoke respectfully. “Please, Your Majesty… don’t take my slip of the tongue just now to heart. Please allow me to make up for what I have done!”
Xu Sili didn’t answer immediately. He played slowly with the pen in his hand and the room became quiet. This silence created a heavy sense of oppression. Dean Justin’s waist bent a bit lower and sweat dripped down his forehead.
“Okay.” After a long time, the young man finally spoke but he sounded a bit regretful. “I will give Dean Justin half a month. I’ll ask someone to send a plan to you. If you can’t meet the requirements within half a month…”
He didn’t continue but Dean Justin felt numb.
“Your Majesty, this old man will live up to your expectations!” He quickly agreed.
“Then please work hard.” Xu Sili got up from the chair, stepping forward to help the bowing dean with a very cordial smile.
Yet by this time, Dean Justin could no longer underestimate him and just repeatedly replied, “This is what I should do.”
Xu Sili nodded before suddenly clapping his hands together. “Oh, I almost forgot. I came here to test my talent.”
Dean Justin almost cried. At the same time, there was regret in his heart. Why did he want to act so pretentious just now? He should’ve come out and greeted the emperor honestly. Then there wouldn’t be any trouble later!
Xu Sili was just about to ask how to test his talent when he heard a loud noise from outside in the corridor.