seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years I

[Following chapters will include timeskips!]

- Age One to Two -

In the past year, Hua Jing has been working hard to accommodate Ji Li. He himself was promoted like his own mentor and not only that, but he also regularly visited the Eunuch Ceremonial Hall with Ji Li so Ji Li would get a better picture of all the higher powers inside of the empire.

The main focus of teaching in this year were words and sounds. It might sound very weirdly for there to be such a subject to teach in the first place. Isn't it normal to let babies explore till they are around 3 years old, where one might send them to kindergarten or preschool and there, they would slowly but surely learn things? Well, that might work for some talentless and lazy babies, not their precious gem. They thought him all the words, which was very difficult, as it wasn't a simple translation but teaching something totally new.

Well, it might have been difficult for others, but Ji Li was basically 29years old in his previous life, and over a year old here too. With a mental age of 30, how could it be so difficult for him to learn a language? Especially with his enthusiasm, it wasn't difficult for him.

He learned day in day out and started to 'exercise' his body, which was basically just walking more regularly and standing perfectly fine without shaking. Doing this made him a remarkable and very blessed seedling, experiencing numerous glances from those around him.

These people would be the oldest trainees in the trainee yard he stayed at. As the inhabitant of the Managers room, there was plenty room for his exercising and reading. Yes, he started reading, although they seemed to be just stories to entertain children, he could discern certain things.

In his past world, children's stories were about animals which behaved humanely to teach the small children moral conduct and logic. It might seem very weird to interpreted that, but considering all time classic 'Turtle that won over the Rabbit in the Race', isn't that a perfect example for a steady and hardworking individual winning over someone who behaved lazily and arrogant? Children are thought the moral conducts of humanity from the moment they are born, and so are they thought about logic. The same example differently, no one expects the turtle to be faster than the rabbit. It's a very logical thinking every child would do after witnessing both animals.

As someone standing outside of the situation and having a different perception, you would understand from just this example that Ji Li's past world is very interwoven with morality and logic. In his past life there was a country called 'Germany' and it was notorious for having very weird night-time stories to scare children into following social conducts such as being quiet when outside so not to annoy others, or binding your shoes so you don't fall. Typically, it would be a story of a bad example and that child would suffer at the hands of some cruel monster, a seemingly very effective scare tactic to teach children a lesson. These figures were intentionally overdramatized and fictionalised, so that once the children became older, they would understand that it was all but talk. Written in a way it would only scare children but not building any lasting scar, which is something very commendable. Especially as later on, the teens would know personally that screaming loudly outside is rude and not binding their shoes would make them fall, which would embarrass them.

He read all these stories from this new world and found some of them funny and some very magical. It wasn't that there weren't any magical stories in his past live, but for children it was mostly some prince fighting a dragon and such. There was never a deeper mentioning of what happened and how the prince fought, besides that he slayed the dragon, indicating a cold weapon. 

Now in this world, it was widely different. The stories would focus much less on all the adventures these heroes in their stories did. No, that was material for older children, as it was either part of a biography or these heroes' life were too divine to be used to scare little children.

In this world, it was their powers that were greatly described. For example, the founder of Emerald Brilliance was mentioned many times, calling him a Master of all Elements and Envoy of Nature. They described his affection to nature and his powers vaguely, such as crashing mountains with a single sigh and creating storms in a single sneeze. This made Ji Li wonder whether they truly meant the sneeze being the storm, causing him to shake in disgust. Truly no one needed to spread their own body fluids and impurities all around the world.

He kept on reading and reading but one thing became clear to him: Additionally, to spreading moral conducts and the knowledge of logic to the common people, there was a certain Reverence that was written. The Reverence the mortals had for all the Immortals, no matter what they did or how they behaved, the mortals seemed to be servants of the immortals that walked their streets with them. there was a sense of unity of both forces, yet there also seemed a weird distinction between classes. It wasn't like the Immortals, which was the nickname of the cultivators in the book, were presented as gods. Unlike Ji Li's first speculation, the so-called immortals were seen as a goal and ideal, a hero - like a higher level of human. They didn't have different identities, just different ranks. It wasn't even the obvious different in lineage that you'd think when you read about nobles, no. It was all about achievements these people did. They distanced themselves from 'cultivators' and called every and all those who achieved a lot for the Empire 'immortals'.

It was like the Empire was trying to make young people revere those that serve the Empire, making them aspire to be as useful to the Empire as their idols have been. Ji Li was speechless in this regard. Surely it was a manipulation to teach children about basic moral conduct, but it was just the usual 'clean your room' and 'don't do illegal things' talk. None of these aimed to leave a long-lasting impression and manipulation upon the young reader. This was clearly a manipulation of children to make them loyal to the Empire. Not just any children, how would these even come to the hands of commoners? It was aimed at those with a certain social standing. These people would still read the stories to them, knowing full well it was a manipulation. Simply because it awakens a sense of nostalgia and pride, seeing their children aspire to follow into their idol's steps.

'Well, lucky me. If I wasn't who I am, then honestly, I am sure that I would also want to become such a great figure as those generals and scholars! The exaggeration is surely a big factor, but I think there is a truth to what is written. Considering the glamour and the beauty of only this room I stay in; I am sure that the Empire I'm in is very large and wealthy. I should not act like a child and follow them aspiring to be the same as the scholars and generals. Afterall... I am now... a full Eunuch. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go over to their side... maybe I should become the role model and idol of all Eunuchs? I am sure there is some reward to that, like commanding all those serving the different royalties, assuming power and overtaking the world-... well, that was fast. I went from being full on scared to world domination. I guess it lays in my soul to joke about it... yeah joke, I hope that it's fully well known that I am a jokester, right...?'