Chapter 256: Continued Conversation with Bibi Dong

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Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo, Devil Bear Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and Ling Yuan all felt their scalps tingle as they listened.

Gods...

Is this really something they could comprehend?

Bibi Dong's expression fluctuated between various emotions, but Tang San's words were not unfounded. Unless she ascended to godhood as required, the divine realm would certainly send someone down.

The God of Shura, the enforcer of the divine realm, was mentioned in the inheritance of the Rakshasa God. His strength was extremely formidable, capable of instantly killing a first-level deity like the Rakshasa God with a single move.

Moreover, according to the rules, after becoming a god, one couldn't massively interfere with the affairs of the mortal world. Thus, she had to start her unification plan for the continent before achieving godhood.

But if she followed Tang San's advice, the Spirit Hall would need to lay all the groundwork first. How much time would that take? Bibi Dong knew the founding histories of the two empires: the Tian Dou Empire took six generations, and the Star Luo Empire took five. Even assuming each generation spans fifty years, it would take 250 to 300 years.

For the Spirit Hall to learn and adapt, it would require changing its core governance philosophy to emulate the two empires, which would take at least a hundred years.

A century... she was only two trials away from achieving the Rakshasa God position: supplementing the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor's soul rings and inheriting the god position. Even if she delayed to the maximum time allowed by the trials, she only had twenty years.

In twenty years, it was unrealistic to fully mimic the governance model of the two empires, let alone make necessary adaptations based on the Spirit Hall's own characteristics.

How much time would that take?

"Let's set aside the issue of deities and the future unification management for now," Tang San brought the discussion back to reality. "The biggest immediate problem for the Spirit Hall is that, apart from Spirit City, it doesn't truly control any other cities. Most of the population belongs to the two great empires. Even if the Spirit Hall helps people awaken their spirits, they still see themselves as citizens of the Tian Dou Empire or the Star Luo Empire, not the Spirit Hall."

"So-called popular support is actually quite simple."

"Upon awakening their spirits, most people don't have innate soul power and can't become soul masters. In the current environment, their primary concern is survival, not cultivation and becoming stronger."

"In this respect, the two empires, though their taxes are high and leave common farmers struggling to survive, do a good job of propaganda. Therefore, most commoners trust the two empires more."

"While everyone hopes to awaken a spirit they can cultivate, ordinary people know the chances are slim given their ancestral spirits' history. This awareness diminishes their gratitude towards the Spirit Hall for awakening their spirits."

"Moreover, the annual free spirit awakening provided by the Spirit Hall has become a commonplace expectation."

Tang San's words were a stark revelation for Bibi Dong.

Is this why ordinary people aren't loyal to the Spirit Hall?

They hope to become soul masters, but knowing their descendants are unlikely to have innate soul power makes the awakening service less significant. Instead, they focus more on daily survival.

And this so-called common expectation... because the Spirit Hall provides the awakening service for free every year, people have come to rely on it, seeing it as a given, not something to be grateful for.

Suddenly, Bibi Dong grasped the crucial point, recognizing Tang San's profound understanding of human nature.

Free gifts are not valued.

"So, in the future, should the Spirit Hall charge ordinary people for helping children awaken their spirits?" Bibi Dong understood the principle but hesitated about implementing it.

Leaving aside broader considerations, Bibi Dong felt this would inevitably distort people's faith in the Spirit Hall, aligning with her intention to destroy the Angelic Lineage within the Spirit Hall.

However, the old man in the Worship Hall would undoubtedly object vehemently if he knew.

"For now, we should continue as usual."

Tang San lowered his eyes. "A sudden change would be difficult for everyone on the continent to adapt to, and the economic base determines the superstructure. Currently, the continent's economic base is rooted in agriculture, which is not suitable for immediate change. However, we can introduce a new rule:

Each year, there are inevitably children who miss their spirit awakening, or children who turn six and cannot wait for Spirit Hall personnel to arrive. These children can be taken by their elders to a nearby town's Spirit Hall, where they can pay a fee to have their spirits awakened."

"This is a reasonable approach that can increase Spirit Hall's revenue."

"Throughout my journey, I've observed that in some small cities, Spirit Hall spirit masters charge exorbitant fees for spirit awakening services, ranging from fifty copper spirit coins to a hundred gold spirit coins. This practice tarnishes Spirit Hall's reputation. Instead, if you, Your Holiness, set a fixed price and use the sub-mother spirit communication ball to announce it across the continent, the people will know whether it's the local branch leader exploiting them or if Spirit Hall as a whole is to blame."

The idea of using the sub-mother spirit communication ball in this way startled Bibi Dong. It suddenly seemed that Tang San, in his efforts to join Spirit Hall, had long considered various internal issues and had already formulated potential solutions.

"What does 'the economic base determines the superstructure' mean?" After pondering for a moment, Bibi Dong asked about this phrase she didn't quite understand.

"What do you think it means?" Tang San countered.

"I gather it means that governing a country requires money, and a lot of it. Is that correct?" Bibi Dong hesitated before sharing her interpretation.

"A simple and not entirely incorrect understanding," Tang San acknowledged. He thought Bibi Dong had some political insight, though possibly somewhat inflexible due to Spirit Hall's "might makes right" ideology.

But he believed she might listen to some of his suggestions.

"The economic base refers to the sum total of the production relations determined by the level of productive forces at a certain stage of societal or national development," Tang San explained. "Productive forces can be understood as the abilities of farmers to cultivate land and grow food, as well as the creation of various goods like clothing, furniture, tools, weapons, and other tradable items."

"Production relations pertain to the ownership, exchange, and distribution of these produced items."

"The superstructure is divided into two parts: politics and ideology."

"Politics encompasses the management systems derived from the economic base, such as the military and judicial systems, which protect and ensure the stable development of the economic base."

"To give a simple example: a group of people growing food can eat it, sell it, and live well. But if another group wants to take it by force, some people need to form an army to fend off invaders. Additionally, to grow more and better food, some people must manage others and develop better farming techniques."

Instantly, Bibi Dong and the others were awestruck by Tang San's insights.

They had never considered that the essence of governing a nation could be as simple as "growing food." Yet, after some thought, they realized it was indeed true.

"But in this process, some people want to gain without effort, which is how the nobility emerged," Tang San sighed. "Why are nobles considered noble? Perhaps because their ancestors made significant efforts, but if their descendants lack corresponding abilities, do they truly deserve the same privileges?"

"Spirit Hall is essentially no different from the sects on the continent, where strength is revered. It can function well as a sect, but to govern the continent as a nation, it must adhere to a fundamental principle: promoting the capable and demoting the inept."

"This is different from simply revering strength. Many older spirit masters are proud and uninterested in matters unrelated to improving their power unless it piques their interest."

"When I say 'capable,' I refer not to strength but to skills in governance, military, agriculture, industry, and various other fields."

"If this isn't achieved, Spirit Hall will descend into chaos as soon as you're not around."

"Ultimately—"

"People have selfish desires; it's just a matter of degree."

Bibi Dong remained silent for a moment before asking, "And what do you mean by 'ideology'?"

"That's more abstract, encompassing things like laws, morals, art, and beliefs," Tang San replied. "Essentially, it's also about maintaining the economic base, though it's not as tangible as military or organizational efforts. Whether people adhere to it depends on personal beliefs."

"But laws and morals are indispensable. They can unite people and foster a shared spirit, leading to a unified populace."

Bibi Dong slowly stood up, descended from the pope's chair, and approached Tang San, dismissing the five others with a wave of her hand. Her eyes were full of admiration for Tang San. "I initially thought your talent lay solely in the path of the spirit master, but I didn't expect you to have such profound insights into ruling an empire."

"It's just theoretical talk," Tang San admitted. "Implementing it is something you'll need to experiment with yourself. I'm practically clueless about politics, so don't count on me."

For a moment, Bibi Dong was at a loss for words. Finally, she said, "You're quite honest. But what if I truly want you to take charge?"

"Then whose Spirit Hall is it, really? Yours or mine?"

(End of Chapter)