The alliance proposal had been accepted.
But Noel wasn’t satisfied with simply expanding Liyue’s territory.
There was another problem.
A nation needed more than walls.
More than farms.
More than soldiers.
It needed knowledge.
The Problem
One morning, Noel entered the administrative hall.
Several officials were struggling with a shipment record.
“Thirty-seven bags of grain…”
One official frowned.
“Wait.
Was it thirty-seven or seventy-three?”
Another checked the document.
“Seventy-three.”
“No, the merchant said thirty-seven!”
Noel stared at them.
“…How are you managing a growing nation?”
Everyone became quiet.
Noel slowly rubbed his forehead.
“We need schools.”
The officials looked confused.
“Schools?”
“Places where people can systematically learn.”
One elderly official raised his hand.
“Children already learn from their parents.”
“That’s useful.”
Noel pointed toward the documents.
“But it isn’t enough.”
He picked up a piece of charcoal.
“Farmers need mathematics.”
“Builders need geometry.”
“Merchants need accounting.”
“Doctors need knowledge of the human body.”
“Officials need law and history.”
“And everyone should learn how to think.”
The room became silent.
Noel smiled.
“We’re building an academy.”
The First Curriculum
Noel spent the next several weeks designing the foundation.
He didn’t want a school that only taught people how to memorize things.
He wanted students to understand why things worked.
The first subjects were written onto a large stone tablet:
Reading and Writing
Mathematics
Geometry
Natural Philosophy
History
Geography
Agriculture
Medicine
Engineering
Law and Contracts
Logic
And eventually—
Philosophy.
Noel looked at the list.
“This is going to take a while.”
Aran, who had returned from the eastern settlement, laughed.
“You created the problem yourself.”
Noel nodded.
“I know.”
Aran Returns
He was now one of the city’s most respected Geo Vision bearers.
He had helped establish two additional settlements.
When Noel told him about the academy, Aran immediately became interested.
“Can I help?”
Noel looked at him.
“You’re a construction specialist.”
“I know.”
“You’ve also managed settlements.”
“I know.”
“You aren’t a teacher.”
Aran smiled.
“I can learn.”
Noel paused.
Then laughed.
“Fair enough.”
The Academy
Construction began.
Unlike the palace, the academy wasn’t designed to be impressive.
It was designed to be useful.
Large classrooms.
A library.
An observatory.
A workshop.
A garden for studying plants.
A medical room.
And a massive central hall.
At the entrance, Noel placed a simple inscription:
“Knowledge belongs to those who seek it.”
Noel stared at the words.
Then added another line.
“Question.
Observe.
Think.
Learn.”
Aran nodded.
“That’s good.”
Noel smiled.
“I don’t want students to simply believe whatever their teacher tells them.”
He looked toward the unfinished classrooms.
“I want them to ask questions.”
The First Students
The academy officially opened several months later.
There were only sixty-three students.
Children.
Teenagers.
A few adults who wanted to learn.
Noel stood before them.
He looked nervous.
Aran whispered:
“You’re the founder of the nation.”
Noel whispered back:
“That doesn’t mean I know how to give a speech.”
Aran almost laughed.
Noel stepped forward.
“Welcome.”
The students became quiet.
“You aren’t here because you’re special.”
“You aren’t here because you’re rich.”
“And you aren’t here because someone ordered you to come.”
He pointed toward the classrooms.
“You’re here because you want to learn.”
A young student raised her hand.
“Yes?”
“What happens if we learn something you don’t know?”
Noel froze.
Then smiled.
“Excellent.”
The students looked surprised.
“If that happens…”
Noel pointed toward the library.
“…write it down.”
The students laughed.
Noel continued.
“One day, I want this academy to produce people who know things I don’t.”
The room became silent.
“Because that’s how knowledge grows.”
The First Lesson
The first mathematics lesson began that afternoon.
The teacher drew several symbols on a board.
Noel watched from the doorway.
The students struggled.
One student groaned.
“Why do we need numbers?”
The teacher answered:
“Because numbers help us understand the world.”
Noel smiled.
Outside, Aran was helping workers construct another classroom.
The academy was small.
Its library was tiny.
Its teachers were inexperienced.
But it had begun.
And the system noticed.
[Liyue Academy established.]
[Education system established.]
[Knowledge development increased.]
[Nation Development: 25%]
[Morax Template Synchronization: 12.4%]
Noel looked at the academy.
“This…”
He smiled.
“…might become more important than the walls.”
That night, Noel sat beside Isobu’s lake.
Isobu raised his head.
You built another building.
“A school.”
Why?
“Because people need knowledge.”
Isobu thought about it.
Will they teach about Tailed Beasts?
Noel smiled.
“Eventually.”
Isobu’s eyes narrowed.
Make sure they write good things about me.
Noel laughed.
“I’ll tell them you’re very wise.”
Good.
“And extremely lazy.”
Shukaku.
😂
Noel laughed as Isobu splashed his tail into the water.
The academy’s lights remained visible in the distance.
Liyue was no longer merely building a nation.
It was beginning to build a civilization.
And somewhere inside its first classroom, a child was solving a simple mathematical problem that future generations would barely recognize as the beginning of something enormous.
To be continued…