Strolling unhurriedly all the way, a somewhat strange queue entered Wang Lin's line of sight from afar. He couldn't help but look up.
This queue was very long. It consisted mostly of adults bringing a child, though there were also some dragging two or even three children along.
Beside the queue stood a youth wearing a blue and white uniform, maintaining order. The queue was orderly, and no one could be seen cutting in line.
At the very front of this queue stood three other youths wearing blue and white uniforms. The youth on the far left was holding a small soul tool, the one in the middle was holding a pen and paper recording something.
The remaining youth was holding a box of... uh... eggs?
While Wang Lin observed the queue, the adult standing at the very front grabbed the child's hand and placed it on that small soul tool. The small soul tool immediately lit up with a faint glimmer.
Swish!
A phantom of an ordinary sickle appeared above the small soul tool. The youth holding the small soul tool shook his head at the adult at the front.
Although the adult had their back to Wang Lin, Wang Lin could feel that the moment the youth shook his head, the adult's back hunched significantly.
Just at this time, the youth holding the eggs handed them over. The adult took the eggs and left the queue with their child.
"Master, is that martial soul awakening?" Wang Lin looked at the queue and asked with some surprise.
"It is martial soul awakening. Giving gifts during martial soul awakening is a process the Sun Moon Empire came up with in the last two years to increase the enthusiasm of commoners for awakening martial souls."
Long Xiaoyao nodded, not finding it surprising.
"The Sun Moon Empire actually awakens martial souls for commoners and even gives eggs?"
Wang Lin was truly surprised by this. Living in Star Luo City for so long, he knew what the nature of those empires was.
Take the nobles of Star Luo for example; asking them to help commoners awaken their martial souls for free was unthinkable. Let alone giving eggs, they charged money for commoners to awaken their martial souls.
One Gold Soul Coin per time; take it or leave it. Sometimes they even extorted money.
"Awakening martial souls for commoners has long been a customary thing in the Sun Moon Empire." Long Xiaoyao explained.
"The system of Soul Engineers is different from Soul Masters. It doesn't care about the quality of the martial soul or the level of innate soul power. As long as there is soul power, one can use soul tools."
"In the Sun Moon Empire, as long as soul power appears during martial soul awakening, regardless of whether the martial soul is good or bad, one will receive free cultivation from the state. It is said that the Sun Moon Empire even provides secret medicines for cultivation."
"The Sun Moon Empire relies on this portion of low-level Soul Engineers from the commoners to contend with the three empires of the original continent."
Listening, Wang Lin couldn't help but feel some doubts. From this aspect, the Sun Moon Empire was far superior to the three great empires.
Without the Spirit Hall, commoners were nothing in the eyes of the nobles. Expecting nobles to awaken martial souls for commoners for free?
Charging only one Gold Soul Coin for awakening a martial soul was already the nobles having a conscience.
No wonder the Sun Moon Empire's war against the three great empires in the later stages was like splitting bamboo, almost a crushing situation.
If it weren't for a certain shameless God interfering with the lower realm, the Sun Moon Empire unifying the continent would have been inevitable.
If commoners were given a choice between the Sun Moon Empire and the three great empires, anyone with a normal brain would inevitably choose the Sun Moon Empire, a country that still had channels for upward mobility.
The development of soul tools not only brought another viable path for Soul Masters but also opened up a wider channel for upward mobility for commoners from the original channels.
This was also the fundamental reason why the original three great empires opposed soul tools.
After all, even if a commoner became a Soul Master, limited by their martial soul, their life would just be so-so.
But Soul Engineers were different. This profession was not limited by the martial soul, and the use of soul tools was not limited by cultivation, as long as there was soul power to use them.
A Soul Master or a Soul Grandmaster could contend with a Soul Elder or even a Soul Ancestor by relying on soul tools. How could this not make the nobles feel afraid?
Wang Lin, who had lived in modern society in his past life, although a noble in this life, never had any good feelings toward the cannibalistic system of feudal nobility in the Star Luo Empire.
Although the specific situation of the Sun Moon Empire was not yet clear, if the Sun Moon Empire unified the continent and did not discriminate against the commoners of the three great empires...
Treating the commoners of the three great empires the same as their own, even without giving eggs, just awakening for free...
This would be a good thing for the commoners on the continent.
At this moment, Wang Lin finally understood why the pedestrians in Mingdu were more energetic—because there was hope for their future.
Even if their talent was poor, there was free cultivation from the state.
As for the commoner Soul Masters of the other three great empires, they struggled to cultivate to level ten, and then most died on the way to obtain their first soul ring.
Not everyone had the same luck as Huo Yuhao. The high status of Soul Masters had never belonged to commoner Soul Masters.
"Let's go, stop looking, Little Linzi." Seeing Wang Lin staring at the queue not far away in a daze, Long Xiaoyao reached out and patted Wang Lin's shoulder.
"Mn." Wang Lin came back to his senses, no longer thinking too much. The old and the young continued to wander on the street.
After walking a few more streets, they finally saw a shop selling hammers.
"Little brother, what do you want to buy?"
As soon as Wang Lin stepped into the shop, a middle-aged man dressed as a boss welcomed him.
"A forging hammer."
Wang Lin answered. Under the boss's guidance, he went directly to the shelf in the shop displaying forging hammers.
Looking at the row of forging hammers where the most expensive was only ten Gold Soul Coins, with Zhang Peng's previous sponsorship, Wang Lin naturally chose the most expensive one.
Taking the hammer, paying the money, all in one go.
After purchasing the forging hammer, Wang Lin and Long Xiaoyao wandered around the city for a while and found that there was more than one location for awakening martial souls; there was one every five streets on average.
Having seen enough of the cultural scenery of Mingdu, the old and the young found a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the street and settled their lunch.
After lunch, Wang Lin had no mind to continue wandering in the city. He wanted to go back and take a look at the Student Handbook and the textbook for the Basic Theory of Soul Engineers course he had just received in the morning.
Although Lin Jiayi had passed him directly for this course's exam, he still had to take a look and understand it.
Therefore, the old and the young turned around and moved toward the street where the small courtyard was located.
Passing through a relatively deserted street on the way, Long Xiaoyao suddenly took out a pure white strip-shaped jade box from his chest pocket and placed it in Wang Lin's hand.
"Here, take it."
As soon as the jade box entered his hand, an icy chill spread to Wang Lin's palm. He was stunned for a moment. "What is this?"
"A carving knife. Keep it with you for now; it's not time to give it out yet."
Long Xiaoyao answered.
"Carving knife, for whom?"
As Wang Lin spoke, he opened the jade box in his hand. Long Xiaoyao beside him just watched and did not stop him.
Swish!
As the jade box opened, an icy chill immediately permeated from the jade box. An ice-white, delicate carving knife lay in the middle of the jade box.
"For a little girl. That little girl is one year older than you," Long Xiaoyao said.